Is It Possible The First Pelham Bridge Built in About 1815 Was Repaired After Near Destruction by a Storm?

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The first Pelham Bridge over the Hutchinson River where it empties into Eastchester Bay was built by about 1815 and was destroyed within its first few years by a major storm.  According to longstanding conventional wisdom, the bridge was not rebuilt until 1834 when George Rapelje built a replacement bridge and received the right to charge tolls on the bridge for thirty years.  Is it possible that the conventional wisdom is wrong?  Is it possible that a replacement bridge or, perhaps, a temporary structure was built on the remnants of the original Pelham Bridge?  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog will explore this possibility.

Brief History

According to longstanding history of the Pelham Bridge, on March 6, 1812, the New York State Legislature enacted a statute incorporating the "Eastchester Bridge Company" to build a bridge over the Hutchinson River where it empties into Eastchester Bay.  The bridge was built shortly afterward and is believed to have been completed by about 1815.  In 1817, the Westchester and Pelham Turnpike Company was incorporated to construct a turnpike from the causeway at Westchester to the bridge.  That bridge came to be known as "Pelham Bridge" -- the name it bears today.  Even in its first iteration, Pelham Bridge was a draw bridge to permit masted ships to pass. 

On April 12, 1816, the company was authorized by the Legislature to sell its property and toll franchise for a period of forty-five years. Within its first few years, however, the first Pelham Bridge was destroyed by a storm.  The second bridge was built in 1834 by George Rapelje, with the right to charge tolls for a period of thirty years, but the supervisors of Westchester County purchased the bridge in 1860 and made it free.  The bridge was replaced with an iron bridge constructed in 1869-1870.  That bridge, in turn, was replaced by the present larger bridge, opened by the New York City Department of Bridges on October 15, 1908.

When Was the First Pelham Bridge Constructed?

A local real estate advertisement published on March 18, 1815 describes the bridge as "the new bridge lately erected across the mount of East Chester Creek."  (See full advertisement quoted below.)  Thus, it seems certain that the bridge was completed at least by mid-March, 1815.  

The bridge, it seems, was built between June 4, 1814 and March 18, 1815.  This can be deduced from an advertisement published on June 4, 1814 stating:

"EASTCHESTER BRIDGE COMPANY.

PROPOSALS will be received by the Company for the building of a Stone Bridge across Eastchester creek, from the town of Pelham to Throgs-neck, the distance across computed about thirteen hundred feet; any person inclining to contract for the erection thereof are desired to call on Mr. JAMES HARVEY, in the town of Pelham near New-Rochelle, county of Westchester, who will exhibit a survey of the creek, and enter into such other explanations as may be required.

May 13 -- 3w"

Source:  EASTCHESTER BRIDGE COMPANY, New-York Evening Post, Jun. 4, 1814, p. 4, col. 5.  See also  EASTCHESTER BRIDGE COMPANY, New-York Evening Post, Jun. 2, 1814, p. 4, col. 5; East-Chester Bridge Company, Connecticut Courant, May 31, 1814, p. 4, col. 2.  

When was the First Pelham Bridge Destroyed by a Storm and Flood?

Within about a year of the completion of the first Pelham Bridge and perhaps sooner, the new structure was destroyed by "an extraordinary storm and flood."  The destructive storm may have occurred only a few months after the bridge was built.  Indeed, on October 18, 1815, an illuminating advertisement appeared in the New-York Evening Post suggesting that something -- perhaps the storm -- had damaged the piers of the "East-Chester Bridge."  The advertisement stated:

"NOTICE TO DOCK BUILDERS.

PROPOSAL will be received by Mr. James Harvey in the town of Pelham, to repair the damages done to the Piers of the East-Chester Bridge, if made immediately.

Pelham, October 16, 1815.

Oct 17 iw"

Source:  NOTICE TO DOCK BUILDERS, New-York Evening Post, Oct. 18, 1815, p. 3, col. 4.  

Certainly by March 11, 1816, the first Pelham Bridge had been destroyed.  On that date, according to a newspaper report, the New York Assembly was referred a petition described as:

"Petitions referred -- . . . declaratory of an act, entitled an act to incorporate the East Chester bridge company, passed March 6, 1812 -- of Herman Le Roy and others, stockholders in the East Chester bridge Company, praying that a law may be passed, authorising them to make such sales as are therein mentioned, and upon certain conditions, there particulalry specified."

Source:  Legislature of New-York, House of Assembly, Monday, March 11, New York Herald, March 16, 1816, p. 3, col. 2.  

New York State soon passed such a law.  Within a month, on April 12, 1816, it passed "AN ACT for the relief of the President and Directors of the Eastchester Bridge Company and their Creditors" with a preamble that stated, in part, as follows:

"it is represented to the legislature, by the stockholders in the corporation created by the act, entitled 'an act to incorporate the Eastchester bridge company,' that the bridge erected by the said company, over the Eastchester creek, in pursuance of the said act, has been destroyed by an extraordinary storm and flood; That the funds of the company are inadequate to rebuild it; and that the said corporation is moreover largely indebted to the builders and workmen who were employed in its erection."

The statute authorized the President and Directors of the Eastchester Bridge Company to sell at auction "the remains of the said bridge, and all the other property and estate of the said corporation, to the highest bidder or bidders."  It further provided that the purchaser would be "authorized to rebuild the said bridge, in the manner required by the said act, provided the same be completed by the first day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen."

Only one week later, on April 19, 1816, notice appeared in a local newspaper whereby a committee consisting of Pelham residents John Hunter, James Harvey, William Bayard, and Tolbert Roosevelt provided public notice that "all the remains of the bridge lately erected by the said Company across the Eastchester Creek, and all the estate of the Company" would be sold at public auction "at the Tontine Coffee House, in the city of New-York, on Friday the seventh day of June next, at twelve o'clock at noon."  No report of the resullt of the public auction, if it was held, has yet been found.  That said, it certainly seems that the first Pelham Bridge was not rebuilt by August 1, 1817.  There are, however, intriguing suggestions that some form of bridge, temporary or otherwise, may have been built on the site (or on the remnants) within five or six years.

Some Real Estate Advertisements Later Reference a Bridge at the Site

 On March 31, 1821, a real estate advertisement offering the old George Rapalje estate on Pelham Neck for sale made no mention of a bridge across Eastchester Creek.  In contrast, six years earlier when the bridge was first erected and before its destruction by an "extraordinary storm and flood," an advertisement for sale of the same property made much of the "new bridge lately erected across the mount of East Chester Creek."  This certainly suggests -- but certainly does not establish -- that the first Pelham Bridge had not yet been rebuilt.  

Nearly one year later, however, Peter and George Lorillard offered for sale a 105-acre tract in the same area by referencing in their advertisement the Pelham Bridge.  The ad stated:

"Also, 105 acres of land in the town of Pelham, adjoining East Chester Creek, near the bridge; being about 18 or 20 miles from this city."

Was this merely an imprecise reference to the remnants of the first Pelham Bridge that had been destroyed by the storm?  Alternatively, is it possible that a permanent (or even temporary) bridge had been constructed on the remnants or, perhaps, in place of the remnants?

A real estate advertisement apparently offering the same 105-acre tract two years later on February 2, 1824 once again made much of the fact that the tract adjoined "East Chester Creek and Pelham Bridge."  Moreover, the following year on March 5, 1825, a real estate advertisement offering the Lorillard property at Eastchester Bay for sale once again referred specifically to the property as "adjoining East Chester Creek and Pelhams Bridge, bout 16 miles from this city."

Perhaps most intriguing, in 1827, a bridge referenced as the "East Chester Bridge" was offered for lease together with a "Toll House, shed and garden."  Obviously an offer to lease a bridge -- rather than remnants -- strongly suggests the bridge was rebuilt in some fashion, temporarily or otherwise (assuming the reference to "East Chester Bridge" is a reference to the bridge over the Hutchinson River at Eastchester Bay).  See below for quote of entire advertisement with link to source.

Until more dispositive evidence can be uncovered, we can only speculate.  These real estate advertisements published in 1822 and later make specific reference to a "bridge" at the location -- not "remnants" or "remains" of any such bridge.  Rather than simply omitting any such reference at all as seems to have been done when the March 31, 1821 advertisement offering the Rapelje tract was published, the later advertisements contain an express reference to such a "bridge."

Although no person or group seems to have purchased the bridge and the estate of the Eastchester Bridge Company and replaced the bridge by August 1, 1817 as required by the relief statute, it seems at least plausible to speculate that some form of bridge -- temporary or otherwise -- may have been crafted on the remnants of the bridge destroyed be the "extraordinary storm and flood" that occurred in about the first few months of 1816.  

Whether there ever was a bridge at the site -- temporary or otherwise -- in the years shortly after the first Pelham Bridge was destroyed, it is clear that a replacement bridge was built at the site in 1834 by George Rapelje, with the right to charge tolls for a period of thirty years.  Until dispositive evidence is located, we are left to wonder if the bridge built in 1834 was the second -- or third -- bridge on the site.

"Pelham Bridge in 1865 From a sketch by W. J. Wilson"

Source: Jenkins, Stephen, The Story of the Bronx From

the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in

1639 to the Present Day, Opposite p. 318 (NY and 

London: G.P. Putnam's Sons The Knickerbocker Press,

1912).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Below is the text of a number of items on which today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog is based.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"FARM.

FOR SALE the valuable farm on which the subscriber now lives, (formerly the property of Geo. Rapelye, Esq.) on the manor of Pelham county, Westchester, 15, 1-2 miles from the city of New-York, and adjoining the new bridge lately erected across the mount of East Chester Creek, containing near 200 acres, and is bounded on three sides by the waters of the sound, of which there is a full view, and of all vessels passing up or down.  There is on said farm a large well built dwelling house, and farm house, barn, carriage house, stable, grainery [sic], dairy, smoke house, sheep fold and house, with racks complete for 200 sheep, and other necessary out buildings, three orchards in full bearing, of the best grafted apples, with a great abundance of every other kind of fruit; 50 acres of fresh meadow, a proportion of salt meadow, about 30 acres of wood land, the rest under first rate pasture land, the whole capable of being made excellent meadow, and in quality of soil is surpassed by none in the county.  Attached to which is a large body of sedge.  100 loads of drift stuff may yearly be collected from the shores, the waters of which abound with all kinds of scale and shell fish.  For further particulars apply on the premises.

Feb 2     rf

JAMES HARVEY."

Source:  FARM [Advertisement], New-York Evening Post, Mar. 18, 1815, p. 4, col. 3.

"CHAP. CXXXII.

AN ACT for the relief of the President and Directors of the Eastchester Bridge Company and their Creditors.

Passed April 12, 1816.

Preamble.

WHEREAS it is represented to the legislature, by the stockholders in the corporation created by the act, entitled 'an act to incorporate the Eastchester bridge company,' that the bridge erected by the said company, over the Eastchester creek, in pursuance of the said act, has been destroyed by an extraordinary storm and flood; That the funds of the company are inadequate to rebuild it; and that the said corporation is moreover largely indebted to the builders and workmen who were employed in its erection, and praying legislative aid and relief in the premises; Therefore,

Remains of the bridge may be sold

I.  BE it enacted by the people of the State of New-York represented in Senate and Assembly, That it shall and may be lawful for the president and directors of the said company, to sell, at public auction, in the city of New-York, all the remains of the said bridge, and all the other property and estate of the said corporation, to the highest bidder or bidders, and thereupon to grant and convey the same to the purchaser or purchasers thereof; Provided, that six weeks notice of the time and place of such sale be given in the nearest newspaper printed in the county of Westchester, and also in two of the public newspapers printed in the city of New-York.

Avails to be applied to the company's debts.

II.  And be it further enacted, That such conveyance being duly acknowledged or proved, shall be recorded in the clerk's office of the county of Westchester; and that the monies arising from such sale, after paying all incidental expenses attending the same, shall be applied in the first place to the payment of the debts of the said corporation, and that the residue and surplus of the said monies, shall be divided and paid to and among all the stockholders in the said company, in proportion to the number of shares which they may respectively hold therein.

The purchasers may rebuild the bridge.

III.  And be it further enacted, That the purchaser or purchasers at such sale, and his or their assigns or associates, shall be and hereby are authorized to rebuild the said bridge, in the manner required by the said act, provided the same be completed by the first day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen; and in case the same shall be so completed by that day, then the said purchaser or purchasers, his or their assigns and associates, shall thereafter be considered as the stockholders of the said company, in proportion to the sums they shall respectively pay and advance towards the said purchase, and the rebuilding of the said bridge an other necessary objects:

And be a body corporate for 45 years.

And they and their successors shall be and continue a body corporate and politic, by the name, and with all the powers, privileges and immunities mentioned in the said act, and in the act to amend the same, for and during the term of forty-five years from the passing of this act, and no longer, any thing in the said acts, or either of them, contained, to the contrary notwithstanding:  Provided always,

This act not to prevent prosecution against the former company.

IV.  And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to bar or prevent any public prosecution, or any action or actions, which any person or persons would have if this act had not been passed against the said president and directors, or against all or any of the stockholders of the said company, or against any person or persons who is, are or have been in their employ, or to prevent the abating of any nuisance."

Source:  "CHAP. CXXXII:  AN ACT for the relief of the President and Directors of the Eastchester Bridge Company and their Creditors" in Laws of the State of New-York, Passed at the Thirty-Ninth, Fortieth and Forty-First Sessions of the Legislature From January 1816 to April 1818, Vol. IV, pp. 149-50 (Passed April 12, 1816) (Albany, NY:  William Gould, and David Banks and Stephen Gould, 1818).

"NOTICE.

THE subscribers being a Committee, appointed for that purpose by the President and Directors of the Eastchester Bridge Company, hereby give notice, that in pursuance of an act of the legislature of this state, passed on the 12th day of April instant, entitled 'An Act for the relief of the President and Directors of the Eastchester Bridge Company and their creditors,' all the remains of the bridge lately erected by the said Company across the Eastchester Creek, and all the estate of the Company, will be exposed to sale at the public auction, at the Tontine Coffee House, in the city of New-York, on Friday the seventh day of June next, at twelve o'clock at noon.

The purchaser or purchasers at such sale, will be entitled to all the privileges and immunities heretofore granted by law to the said Company, for the term of 45 years from the 12th instant, on condition that the bridge is rebuilt by the 1st day of August, 1817.  -- By order of the Board of Directors of the Eastchester Bridge Company.

JOHN HUNTER,             )
JAMES HARVEY,            }     Committee
WM. BAYARD,                 )
TOLBERT ROOSEVELT, )

Pelham, April 19, 1816.           ap 22law6w"

Source:  NOTICE, New-York Evening Post, May 18, 1816, p. 4, col. 2.  See also NOTICE, The Evening Post, May 9, 1816, p. 1, col. 4 (same text).  

"Beautiful Country Residence

TO LET, (and immediate possession given,) the country seat of George Rapelje, Esq. in the Manor of Pelham, Westchester county, about 17 miles from the city of New York; containing about 65 acres in a good state of improvement, with a commodious mansion and suitable out houses, garden, orchard, &c.  The premises being bounded on three sides by the waters of the Sound, can scarcely be excelled for combining beauty of prospect with ample facilities for fishing and fowling.  Part of the furniture of the house will be let if required.  Enquire at 234 Broadway.

Mb 29 tf"

Source:  Beautiful Country Residence [Advertisement], New-York Evening Post, Mar. 31, 1821, p. 3, col. 4.  

"ABOUT 280 ACRES OF LAND.

A valuable farm for sale, situated at the 14 mile stone, which is divided by the Boston Post Road, in the town of West Chester, containing a Farm House, and other out houses, all enclosed with good stone wall.  The land is well calculated for a grazing farm.

Also, 105 acres of land in the town of Pelham, adjoining East Chester Creek, near the bridge; being about 18 or 20 miles from this city.  For particulars, apply at No. 42 Chatham street.

PETER & GEORGE LORILLARD.

Jan 25 1m"

Source:  ABOUT 280 ACRES OF LAND [Advertisement], New-York Evening Post, Feb. 8, 1822, p. 4, col. 2.

"FOR SALE. . . . 

1 farm at Pelham, adjoining East Chester Creek and Pelham Bridge, about 15 miles from this city, containing 15 acres, occupied by C. Valentine. . . ."

Source:  FOR SALE [Advertisement], New-York Evening Post, Feb. 2, 1824, p. 4, col. 1.  

"--FOR SALE--
* * *
One hundred and fifty acres of Land in the town of Pelham, adjoining the East Chester Creek and Pelhams Bridge, about 16 miles from this city. . . 

GEORGE LORILLARD."

Source:  --FOR SALE--, New-York Evening Post, Mar. 5, 1825, p. 4, col. 1.  

"TO LET,

The East Chester Bridge, with the Toll House, shed and garden, to a small family, that would be willing to accommodate a number of Boarders for the ensuing year.  It is viewed as one of the best stands for a tavern in that neighborhood.  Possession will be given immediately.  For further particulars, apply to THOMAS C. TAYLOR, 41 Robinson st. or at his house, Bowery Hill.

m26 tf"

Source:  TO LET, The New-York Evening Post, Mar. 27, 1827, p. 3, col. 5.

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Below are examples of previous postings that address the histories of the various Pelham Bridges that have spanned Eastchester Bay for the last two centuries.

Wed., Oct. 1, 2014:  Bridge Keepers of the Pelham Bridge from 1870 to 1872.

Mon., Jul. 21, 2014:  Image of the Second Pelham Bridge Built in 1834 From a Sketch Created in 1865.

Thu., Jul. 17, 2014:  Sabotage Brought Down the 70-Ton Draw Span of Pelham Bridge in 1908 and Delayed its Opening. 

Tue., Jun. 10, 2014: Construction of the Concrete Arch Pelham Bridge.

Mon., May 12, 2014: The March 6, 1812 New York Statute Authorizing Construction of the Pelham Bridge.

Tue., Sep. 22, 2009: Names of Early "Keepers of Pelham Bridge" Appointed by Westchester County.

Thu., Jan. 08, 2009: Another Brief History of The Pelham Bridge.

Thu., Jan. 1, 2009: A Brief History of Pelham Bridge.

Wed., Jan. 2, 2008: New York State Senate Report on Petition by Inhabitants of Westchester to Allow Construction of Toll Bridge Across Eastchester Creek in 1834.

Tue., Aug. 28, 2007: The Laying Out of Pelham Avenue From Fordham to Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Wed., Jul. 4, 2007: 1857 Real Estate Advertisement for Sale of the Pelham Bridge.

Fri., Jul. 22, 2007: 1857 Real Estate Advertisement for Sale of "Country Seat" at Pelham Bridge.

Fri., May 18, 2007: Celebration at Pelham Bridge in 1872.

Wed., May 16, 2007: Board of Supervisors of Westchester County Vote to Build New Iron Bridge to Replace Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Tue., May 15, 2007: The Owner of the Pelham Bridge Hotel Sold it for the Princely Sum of $22,000 in 1869.

Mon., May 14, 2007: Plans to Widen Shore Road in the Town of Pelham in 1869.

Fri., May 11, 2007: A Sad Attempted Suicide at Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Thu., Dec. 08, 2005: The First Stone Bridge Built Across Eastchester Creek in Pelham, 1814-1815.

Thu., Aug. 18, 2005: The Opening of the New Iron "Pelham Bridge" in 1871.

Tue., Aug. 9, 2005: Cock Fighting at Pelham Bridge in the 19th Century.

Thu., Jul. 21, 2005: Today's Remnants of the Bartow Station on the Branch Line Near City Island.

Tue., Jun. 28, 2005: The Hotel and Bar Room at Pelham Bridge.

Thu., Mar. 24, 2005: The Bartow Area of Pelham in the 19th Century: Where Was It?

Wed., Mar. 23, 2005: Prize Fighting at Pelham Bridge in 1884.

For more about the Pelham Bridge and its history, see Pelham Bridge, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham_Bridge (visited May 6, 2014).

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
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Did Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte, Elder Brother of Napoleon and Once King of Spain, Try to Buy Land in Pelham?

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
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Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte (January 7, 1768 - July 28, 1844) was the elder brother of Napoléon Bonaparte.  During French Emperor Napoléon's reign, Joseph-Napoléon was made King of Naples and Sicily (1806-1808) and then King of Spain (known as Joseph I or José I) from 1808 until 1813.  After Napoléon's forces were defeated at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813, Joseph-Napoléon abdicated the Spanish throne and returned to France.  After the fall of Napoléon, he left for exile in the United States.  

Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte removed jewels from Spain before abdicating the throne and reportedly used those jewels to fund his lifestyle in the United States for many years.  Initially he arrived in the U.S. in 1815 and lived temporarily in New York City and Philadelphia.  Later he acquired an estate called "Point Breeze" in Bordentown, New Jersey in 1816.  According to one account, at Bordentown:

"Bonaparte built a spacious, magnificently decorated home on a promontory with panoramic views of Crosswicks Creek and the Delaware River. The mansion's furnishings included the country’s finest collection of European art and an 8,000-volume library that was the largest in America. The property was known locally as Bonaparte's Park; when fire engulfed the mansion in 1820, nearly all the contents were saved by townspeople who came to help. Bonaparte built his second manor house around the estate's brick stables, which were located away from the river near the turnpike to New York, or today's Park Street. In addition to the manor house, the estate included auxiliary buildings and housing for servants, farmers and gardeners. Bonaparte built a three-story lake house for his younger daughter, Princess Zénaïde and her husband Prince Charles-Lucien Bonaparte, an accomplished ornithologist and naturalist. Bonaparte’s dream landscape was short lived. He returned to Europe in 1839 and died in Italy in 1844."

Source:  Delaware River Heritage Trail:  Point Breeze Historic District, Bordentown City (visited Jan. 31, 2016).  

For one hundred fifty years or longer, the story has been told that when looking for an estate in America after his exile, Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte visited John Hunter in his grand mansion on Hunter's Island in the Town of Pelham and fell in love with the estate.  According to this story, Bonaparte offered to purchase the estate, but Hunter refused.  (For a few of the many, many sources that recount this tale, see the list at the end of today's article.) 

There is a most fascinating account that purports to describe the actual meeting between Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte and John Hunter when Bonaparte tried to buy Hunter's estate.  According to that account, the author once spoke with John Hunter and:

 "He said that Joseph Bonaparte, when he came to this country, selected that estate as a place of residence, that the price was agreed upon, and when Bonaparte came to pay, he pulled out a bag of diamonds, laid them on the table, named the prices to each, and told Mr. Hunter he could pick out the amount due him.  Several of the diamonds had histories.  Mr. Hunter declined to take the diamonds, and the trade was broken off.  He told us that Bonaparte then sent several of the diamonds to London for sale, and they brought a great deal more than the prices he put upon them.  No doubt Hunter's Island attracted Bonaparte because it was to a certain extent an independent possession, surrounded by water and approached only by a bridge and by boats from the Sound.  He also gave us a drink of old Jamaica, which he laid in about the time the Bonaparte trade was off."

Source:  A Citizen of Marin, Marin Journal, Apr. 5, 1877, Vol. 17, No. 4, p. 2, col. 1.  

Portrait of Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte

During His Reign as King Joseph I of Spain.

Is there any truth to the story that Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte tried to buy Hunter's Island in the Town of Pelham before purchasing Point Breeze in Bordentown in 1816?  The answer seems to be that the story may possibly be true, but more evidence is needed.  

By the time Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte arrived in the United States in 1815, John Hunter owned Hunter's Island where he built his estate.  Moreover, there is no doubt that Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was in the New York City region at the time.  Thus, it certainly would be possible that the story is true.  The hearsay "evidence" printed in the Marin Journal in 1877 is intriguing and ascribes the story directly to John Hunter.  More evidence, however, is needed.

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Below is a list of citations presented in reverse chronological order, with links to the source where available, referencing a few of the many sources that recount the tale that Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte tried to buy the Hunter's Island estate from John Hunter.  

Barr, Lockwood Anderson, A Brief, But Most Complete & True Account of the Settlement of the Ancient Town of Pelham Westchester County, State of New York Known One Time Well & Favourably as the Lordshipp & Manour of Pelham Also The Story of the Three Modern Villages Called The Pelhams, pp. 98-99 (The Dietz Press, Inc. 1946) ("It is said that Louis Philippe and his brothers, seeking a refuge, made a handsome offer for the Island through their emissaries, which was refused.  Later in 1815-20, Joseph, King of Spain, the brother of Napoleon, tried to buy the Island, without success, and so settled at Bordentown, New Jersey. There are unconfirmed traditions that Lafayette was a guest of John Hunter during his visits, but he might well have been, for he passed through Pelham several times.").  

Cook, Harry T., The Borough of The Bronx 1639 - 1913 Its Marvelous Development and Historical Surroundings, p. 178 (NY, NY:  Published by the Author, 1913) ("It is said that Joseph Bonaparte offered a large sum for Hunter's Island before making his home at Bordentown, New Jersey.").  

Jenkins, Stephen, The Story of the Bronx From the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Day, p. 315 (NY, NY & London:  G. P. Putnam's Sons The Knickerbocker Press, 1912) ("One can readily believe that Joseph Bonaparte offered a large sum for this little island before making his home at Bordentown, New Jersey.").  

ATTRACTIONS OF HUNTER'S ISLAND -- Beautiful Part of Pelham Bay Park -- Good Fishing, N.Y. Times, May 10, 1903, p. 34, cols. 2-3 (NOTE: Paid subscription required to access link; "Plain as the old Hunter house now seems, those who see it amid its own little island world can easily believe the tradition that Joseph Bonaparte offered Mr. Hunter a great price for the tiny kingdom before making his exile home at Bordentown, N. J.").

Baird, Charles W., History of Rye Westchester County, New York 1660-1870 Including Harrison and the White Plains Till 1788, p. 374 (NY, NY:  Anson D. F. Randolph and Company, 1871) ("In 1815 or 1816, Rye was visited by Joseph Bonaparte, ex-King of Spain, who was then in search of a suitable place for his future residence in America.  It is said that for a time he entertained the purpose of making his home here.  The account runs that Bonaparte on his arrival in this country was desirous of establishing himself somewhere on the western shore of Long Island Sound; and that the locations which pleased him most were 'Theall's Hill' [at Rye] and Hunter's Island.  He was unable however to obtain the amount of land in one body, of sufficient area for a Park, in this vicinity; while Mr. Hunter refused the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, which the ex-king offered him.").  

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Below is the full text of the article quoted in part in the posting above.  It is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"A Citizen of Marin.
-----

'W,' of Mission San Jose, contributes the following to the S. F. Bulletin.  It will be read with interest by the gentleman's many friends in this county:

The Mr. Maillard who donated the military maps to the University is quite a noted man.  He is now a breeder of Jersey cattle near San Rafael.  He bred in Bordentown the famous stallion Monday, sire, I believe, of Mollie McCarty, and other flyers -- see Turf Register.  He married Sam Ward's sister.  His father was a French physician, who came to this country with Joseph Bonaparte, and remained here when his patron returned to France.  They lived on the Bonaparte estate at Bordentown.  Now, for my story:  Riding once near Throgg's Neck with a gentleman who resides in that neighborhood, he [Mr. Maillard] drove to an estate belonging to a Mr. Hunter -- Hunter's Island, I think they call it.  We saw the old gentleman, father of the present proprietor, then over seventy years of age.  He said that Joseph Bonaparte, when he came to this country, selected that estate as a place of residence, that the price was agreed upon, and when Bonaparte came to pay, he pulled out a bag of diamonds, laid them on the table, named the prices to each, and told Mr. Hunter he could pick out the amount due him.  Several of the diamonds had histories.  Mr. Hunter declined to take the diamonds, and the trade was broken off.  He told us that Bonaparte then sent several of the diamonds to London for sale, and they brought a great deal more than the prices he put upon them.  No doubt Hunter's Island attracted Bonaparte because it was to a certain extent an independent possession, surrounded by water and approached only by a bridge and by boats from the Sound.  He also gave us a drink of old Jamaica, which he laid in about the time the Bonaparte trade was off."

Source:  A Citizen of Marin, Marin Journal, Apr. 5, 1877, Vol. 17, No. 4, p. 2, col. 1.  

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Another Brief History of The Pelham Bridge

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Periodically I have provided background and history on the bridge known as The Pelham Bridge located in today's Pelham Bay Park. The current version of that bridge celebrated its centennial last year. Below are links to a few of the items I have posted regarding the bridge in the last few years.

Thursday, January 1, 2009: A Brief History of Pelham Bridge.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008: New York State Senate Report on Petition by Inhabitants of Westchester to Allow Construction of Toll Bridge Across Eastchester Creek in 1834.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007: The Laying Out of Pelham Avenue From Fordham to Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007: 1857 Real Estate Advertisement for Sale of the Pelham Bridge.

Friday, Juny 22, 2007: 1857 Real Estate Advertisement for Sale of "Country Seat" at Pelham Bridge.

Friday, May 18, 2007: Celebration at Pelham Bridge in 1872.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007: Board of Supervisors of Westchester County Vote to Build New Iron Bridge to Replace Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007: The Owner of the Pelham Bridge Hotel Sold it for the Princely Sum of $22,000 in 1869.

Friday, May 11, 2007: A Sad Attempted Suicide at Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Today's Historic Pelham Blog posting provides yet another brief history of the Pelham Bridge that appeared in a book by Stephen Jenkins published in 1912 entitled "The Bronx From the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Day".

"In March, 1812, the Legislature incorporated the East-Chester Bridge Company, and the bridge over the Hutchinson River near its mouth was built soon after. In 1817, the Westchester and Pelham Turnpike Company was incorporated for the purpose of building a turnpike from the causeway at Westchester to the above mentioned bridge, following probably the lane of Sauthier's map. The first bridge was destroyed by a storm, and the company was authorized by the Legislature of 1816 to sell its property and franchises for a period of forty-five years. The second bridge was built in 1834 by George Rapelje, with the right to charge tolls for a period of thirty years; but the supervisors of Westchester County purchased the bridge in 1860 and made it free. The former iron bridge was constructed in 1869-70; but it proved insufficient for the traffic after the automobile arrived, and it was replaced by the present larger bridge, opened by the Department of Bridges on October 15, 1908, at a cost of $517,000.

The bridge has always been famous for the good fishing to be obtained from it, and the author remembers having made several trips to it when a very small boy, walking from [Page 317 / Page 318] Mt. Vernon and back with his companions by way of Eastchester and the Split Rock Road. Bolton gives records of a striped bass weighing sixty-three pounds, being caught on June 3, 1844, of another of fifty pounds, caught by E. des Brosses Hunter, and of others of twenty and forty-three pounds at various times. 'There were giants in those days!' Flounders, tom-cod, eels, and fish of all kinds, including an occasional sheepshead, are also mentioned by the same author. The best time for fishing is in the months of September and October. The stream was formerly clear, but for many years it has been polluted by the sewage of Mt. Vernon and the outpourings of the gas-works at Eastchester, and the fish are not so plentiful as formerly."

Source: Jenkins, Stephen, The Bronx From the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Daypp. 317-18 (NY, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, The Knickerbocker Press 1912).

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A Brief History of Pelham Bridge

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In 1886, John Thomas Scharf released his monumental, multi-volume History of Westchester County. The work includes much about the history of Pelham. Below is a brief excerpt that provides a little history of the bridge known as Pelham Bridge.
"Pelham Bridge, which crosses East Chester Creek at the head of East Chester or Pelham Bay, was authorized as follows:
By a legislative act of March 16, 1812, Herman Le Roy, James Havey, William Bayard, John Bartow, Richard Ward, Elbert Roosevelt, Daniel Pelton, Joshua Euastace and John Hunter were incorporated as the East Chester Bridge Company, and authorized to build a toll-bridge from the farm of James Harvey in the town of Pelham to the point of Throgg's Neck called Dormer's Island. Within a few years a storm destroyed the bridge, and on April 12, 1816, the General Assembly empowered the company to sell its property and franchises at public auction, the purchaser to become the owner of the franchise for forty-five years. Nothing seems to have been accomplished under this act, and int 1834 George Rapelje was authorized to build a bridge over East Chester Creek 'at the pint where the bridge formerly stood.' If the draw permitted free navigation, and the Common Please judges of the county were satisfied with the structure, it being made their duty to inspect it, Rapelje was allowed to collect tolls upon traffic. His grant was to run thirty years, but in 1860 the supervisors of Westchester County were directed by an act of the Legislature to purchase this Repelje's or Pelham Bridge and make it free, which they promptly did."
Source: Scharf, J. Thomas, ed., History of Westchester County, New York Including Morrisania, Kings Bridge and West Farms Which Have Been Annexed to New York City, Vol. 1, Part 2, Chapter XX. Westchester Town by Fordham Morris, p. 815 (Philadelphia, PA: L.E. Preston & Co. 1886).
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1816 Advertisement for Sale of Two Farms in the Manor of Pelham

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In 1816 a brief advertisement appeared in New York newspapers offering two farms located in the Manor of Pelham for sale. The farms apparently belonged to William and George Crawford. A transcription of the advertisement appears below, followed by a citation to its source.

"FOR SALE,

TWO FARMS pleasantly situated in Westchester county, manor of Pelham, and state of New-York, about seventeen miles from this city. One of them contains 105 acres, and the other 47 acres of excellent land; adjoining East Chester creek, being about half a mile from the Boston Post Road, and about the same distance from the new bridge across East Chester creek. On the said Farms there is a large Dwelling-House, Barn and other Out-Houses, together with a handsome bearing Apple Orchard. There is a proportion of meadow, arable, and woodland. They are well calculated for a gentleman wishing a summer retreat. The above will be sold together or separate as may suit the purchaser, on reasonable terms, if applied for on or before the first day of June next. Enquire of RICHARD BERBIAN, No. 8 Phoenix Buildings, or to William and George Crawford, on the premises. may 21"

Source: For Sale, Columbian, Published as The Columbian, May 23, 1816, Vol. VII, Issue 2014, p. 3, col. 3.

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Will of Esaie Guion of the Town of Pelham Made in 1816 and Proved June 2, 1819

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As regular readers of the Historic Pelham Blog now know, I recently have been working to accumulate a large collection of wills and will abstracts for 17th, 18th and early 19th century residents of Pelham. I have been reviewing a publication prepared in 1951 by the New Rochelle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. That organization prepared and distributed a typewritten manuscript entitled "OLD WILLS OF NEW ROCHELLE Copies of Wills By Citizens of New Rochelle, N. Y. 1784-1830".

The manuscript includes transcriptions of a number of wills of early residents of the Town of Pelham. One such will was that of Esaie Guion of the Town of Pelham prepared on October 19, 1816 and proved on June 2, 1819. The text of that will appears below, followed by a citation to its source.

"ESAIE GUION

Liber I of Wills, page 221. Oct. 19, 1816

I, Esaie Guion, of the Town of Pelham, in the County of Westchester, being infirm in body, but of sound disposing mind and memory yet considering the uncertainty of life am therefore inclined by these presents to settle and adjust my worldly affairs in the following manner, meaning and designing this to be my last will and testament, and First of all I order and direct my Just debts and funeral Expenses to be paid by my Executors here in after named. Secondly, I give the possession use and enjoyment of all my land and buildings thereon situate in the Town of Pelham aforesaid to my stepdaughter, Elizabeth Joye, the daughter of my first wife for and during so long as she shall remain Single and unmarried without commitment of wast, but she is nevertheless to have and take off the Same her reasonable and necessary fire wood during the term aforesaid and I do hereby allow my said stepDaughter to Take and appropriate to her own use all the provision and provender for man and beast growing and being on the premises at the time of my decease. Thirdly: - I do give and bequeath to my said Stepdaughter Elizabeth all the moveables which which [sic] did belong to her Mother also the choice of two cows, one Horse, and two hogs out of my stock, and such farming utensills as she may think proper to take, and as many casks, tubs, Pails and Kellers, as she may want, also six chairs, one Tea Stand and one large Table, six puter Plates, one large Platter, the best builsted chest, one trammel, one pair shovel and tongs, one pair of bellows, two Iron kettles, one Brass Kettle, a half dozen Knives and foks and my warming Pan. Fourthly: - All my moveable Estate not before disposed of I order and direct my Executors to sell as soon as conveniently may be after my decease, and to collect my debts and out of the money arising therefrom and such of my money as then may be in my house I do authorize my Executors to pay to the aforesaid Elizabeth Joye one hundred pounds current money of New York if that sum can be raised, but if not, to be paid when a final division is made, also one sled. Fifthly: - That whenever my said Step daughter Elizabeth Joye shall marry or die whichever may happen first, I do order and direct my Executors or the Survivors or Survivor of them to sell and dispose of all my Real Estate in such manner as they shall Judge most beneficial and advantageous and do empower them to give a good and [Page 105 / Page 106] sufficient Title for the same to the purchaser thereof, and all the money arising of Real and Personal Estate to be given or paid as hereinafter mentioned, that is to say, my God child Esaie, son of Elias Guion, to be an equal Heir with all my brothers and Sisters children, Beginning with Susannahs Soulices children, First, William Landrine, Joshua Soulice, Elizabeth and Susannah, 2ndly, My brother Elias Guion's children Elias Guion, Magdalene and Mary Elizabeth, 3rdly My Brother Benjamin Guion's children Susannah and Phoebe, all the before named My god child, My brothers and Sister's children to them and their Heirs I give and bequeath to them Each an equal dividend or share and share alike, except Susannah, my brother Benjamin's daughter, her portion being to her only, if she is living and shall come forward to receive it her self when a final dividend is made or within two years after she shall receive the same - but if she does not appear within the time aforesaid I order the Same to be given or paid to her sister Phebe the same as her own Legacy and what ever of my wearing apparel remaineth shall be divided between William Landrine, Joshua Soulice and Elias Guion and Lastly I do nominate, constitute and appoint my aforesaid three Nephews, William Landrine, Joshua Soulice and Elias Guion and Elizabeth Joye to be the Executors of this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and disallowing all others by me before this time made. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand & Seal the Nineteenth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred sixteen. 1816 Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said Esaie Guion as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us the subscribing Witnesses in his presence and in the presence of each other.

Esaie Guion (L.S.)

Laban Russel
Thomas Shute
John Seacord

Proved June 2, 1819 by deposition of Thomas Shute of New Rochelle. Letters Testamentary issued June 2 1819 to Joshua Soulice and Elias Guion two of the Executors named in the will. Recorded in Liber I of Wills page 220.

..........................................

NOTE: Esaie Guion, the maker of the above will, (Liber I, page 221) was the son of Aman Guion and his wife, Elizabeth Samson. He was born August 26, 1736 and bap- [Page 106 / Page 107] tized in the Anglican Church (now Trinity) on September 19, 1736.

In his will Esaie Guion refers to his step-daughter Elizabeth Joye, the child of his first wife; but there is no record of either of his marriages nor is the name of either wife known. His second wife must have died before 1816, when the will of Esaie was made, for she is not mentioned in it.

The baptism record of Elizabeth Joye is found in the records of the Anglican Church as follows:

Baptized 'August 17, 1760, Elizabeth, daughter of James Joye.' The birth date is left blank and the name of the mother is not entered. The sponsors are 'The father and mother.' The entry is in English and the baptism was by the Rev. Mr. Barclay.

A James Joye was one of the witnesses to the will of James Perout, Jr., of New Rochelle, April 9, 1758, and he is given on the proving of the will as a blacksmith.

In the Old Huguenot Burying Ground is a stone marked 'E G 1785'. Presumably, this is the stone for Esaie Guion's wife, and not unlikely her name was Elizabeth. The stone can not be that of Elizabeth Guion, sister of Esaie, for her will is dated 1789. To that will Elizabeth Joye, the daughter, was a witness and proved the will on October 5, 1791.

Esaie Guion is said to have been a collector of cats. At one time he had 21, all told."

Source: ESAIE GUION in OLD WILLS OF NEW ROCHELLE Copies of Wills By Citizens of New Rochelle, N.Y. 1784-1830, pp. 105-07 (New Rochelle, NY: 1951) (typewritten manuscript prepared by New Rochelle Chapter, Daughts of the American Revolution).

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