Historic Pelham

Presenting the rich history of Pelham, NY in Westchester County: current historical research, descriptions of how to research Pelham history online and genealogy discussions of Pelham families.

Monday, February 04, 2019

What Two Pelham Residents are the Subject of Songs in the Broadway Musical Mega-Hit Hamilton?


Those who follow the Historic Pelham Blog know that "Pelham Trivia" provides fun and fascinating insights into the history of our little Town.  Indeed, Historic Pelham has assembled a number of Pelham Trivia tests in the past few years.  See:

Thu., Nov. 06, 2014:  Historic Pelham Trivia Test -- One of the World's Most Difficult Exams! 

Wed., Jul. 22, 2015:  More Pelham Trivia.

Tue., May 30, 2017:  More Pelham Trivia!

Today's Pelham Trivia question seems to deserve an entire article!  The question:  what two Pelham residents are the subject of songs in the Broadway Musical mega-hit Hamilton An American Musical?  The answer:  Aaron Burr, featured in songs including "Aaron Burr, Sir" and Theodosia Burr, featured in the song "Dear Theodosia."  

Aaron Burr, who served as third Vice President of the United States during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson and fought the infamous duel with, and mortally wounded, Alexander Hamilton on July 11, 1804, spent time in Pelham.  He bought a farm there (including a home known as "The Shrubbery").  He promptly sold the farm and home to his step-son Augustine J. F. Prevost.  He married Theodosia Bartow Prevost, a widow born in the Manor of Pelham who was ten years his senior.  In fact, I have written extensively of Aaron Burr and his many ties to Pelham.  (See the extensive list of such articles at the end of today's posting.) 


Portrait of Aaron Burr, 1802, by John Vanderlyn.
Source:  Wikimedia Commons.

Hamilton An American Musical is a mega-hit Broadway musical based on the life of Alexander Hamilton with music, lyrics and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  The musical was inspired by the biography Alexander Hamilton by noted historian Ron Chernow published in 2004.  The musical received a record 16 Tony nominations in 2016 and won 11 including Best Musical.  The same year it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  Its music incorporates elements of rap, hip hop, rhythm and blues, pop, soul, and even traditional-style Broadway show tunes.  Two lovely songs from the musical are "Dear Theodosia" and "Aaron Burr, Sir" both about Pelham residents.

While one is tempted to assume merely from the title of the song "Dear Theodosia" that the subject of the song is Burr's beloved wife, Theodosia Bartow Prevost Burr, it is not.  The song is about Burr's beautiful and enigmatic daughter who was named after her mother.

In this song, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton sing about children they and their wives each had shortly after the Revolutionary War ended.  Burr sings of his beloved infant daughter, Theodosia, while Hamilton sings of his baby son, Philip.  The two men focus in the song on their realization that the new nation they just have formed holds endless promise for their offspring and all others like them if the founders continue to lay a strong enough foundation for the future of the infant nation.  The song also reaffirms uncanny similarities between the two men whose lives would intersect so tragically on July 11, 1804, noting that both were orphans, nation builders, Revolutionary War figures, new parents with all the fears and worries that entails, and men who promised to lay a "strong enough foundation" to ensure the success of the infant nation.  The lyrics of the song say:

[SUNG BY BURR] 

Dear Theodosia, what to say to you? 
You have my eyes. You have your mother’s name 

When you came into the world, you cried and it broke my heart 

I’m dedicating every day to you 
Domestic life was never quite my style 
When you smile, you knock me out, 
I fall apart 
And I thought I was so smart 

You will come of age with our young nation 
We’ll bleed and fight for you, 
we’ll make it right for you 
If we lay a strong enough foundation 
We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you 
And you’ll blow us all away . . . 
Someday, someday 
Yeah, you’ll blow us all away 
Someday, someday 

[SUNG BY HAMILTON] 

Oh Philip, when you smile I am undone 
My son 
Look at my son. 
Pride is not the word I’m looking for 

There is so much more inside me now 
Oh Philip, you outshine the morning sun 
My son 
When you smile, I fall apart 
And I thought I was so smart 
My father wasn’t around

[SUNG BY BURR] 

My father wasn’t around 

[SUNG BY HAMILTON AND BURR] 

I swear that I’ll be around for you (I’ll be around for you) 

[SUNG BY HAMILTON] 

I’ll do whatever it takes 

[SUNG BY BURR] 

I’ll make a million mistakes 

[SUNG BY BURR AND HAMILTON] 

I’ll make the world safe and sound for you . . . 
. . . Will come of age with our young nation 
We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you 

If we lay a strong enough foundation 
We’ll pass it on to you, 
we’ll give the world to you 
And you’ll blow us all away . . . 
Someday, someday 
Yeah, you’ll blow us all away 
Someday, someday


Cover Art from Original Broadway Cast Recording of
"Hamilton An American Musical".  NOTE:  Image is
Embedded from Another Location and May Not Display
if Original is Removed or Relocated by Copyright Owner.

Aaron Burr married the widow Theodosia Bartow Prevost on July 2, 1782.  About a year later the couple had a daughter whom they named Theodosia after her mother.  According to a number of authorities and evidence from the correspondence of Theodosia Bartow Prevost, Aaron Burr and his wife bought a farm on Split Rock Road, promptly sold it to a stepson, then spent many summers on the Pelham property with Burr's stepson and family.  Little Theodosia and her father cavorted and enjoyed the Pelham countryside.  As one brief biography states:

"His Estate 

On February 6, 1790, Aaron Burr bought an estate in Westchester. 

It comprised 155 acres of land lying near the Eastchester Creek and bound by property owned by the Pells. This, too, had been Pell property, for though Burr paid 800 pounds for it to Nicholas Wright of Pelham Manor and William Wright of Oyster Bay, it had been the estate of Joshua Pell and from him had descended to his son, Joshua, Jr. The first Joshua was the son of Thomas, third lord of the manor, and of his Indian wife, Anna, daughter of Wampage.) 

A month after Burr bought the property he turned it over to his step-son, Augustine James Frederick Prevost, 'in consideration of the love and affection which he (Burr) bears Augustine. . . ' And for the sum of ten shillings. This was on March 1, 1790. The property remained in the Prevost family until 1898, when on October 6, Adelaide S. Prevost, widow of George A., deeded it over to the Pelham Summer home for Children. 

Apples 

At the time of Burr's purchase a fine mansion, called 'The Shrubbery,' stood on the property. It was only about thirty years old then, having been built around 1760; its entrance stood just north of Split Rock. This was one of the best farms in the county, especially renowned for its apple orchard. During the Revolution, a few years previous, Colonel Leommi Baldwin, commanding one of the regiments which took part in the Battle of Pelham, noted the orchard. When the war was over, he obtained some of the trees, took them to his home at Woburn, Mass., where he was a noted horticulturist, and proceeded to develop the Baldwin apple. 

Colonel Burr's stepson -- of whom he was as fond as of his own children -- lived in 'The Shrubbery,' and here the Colonel, no longer a military figure but one of America's most famous lawyers, came with his wife for the Summers. He had become Attorney General; he was to become, in 1791, a United States Senator, after a bitter campaign, in which he defeated General Philip Schuyler, and added fuel to the fierce hatred smouldering between him and Alexander Hamilton, for Schuyler was Hamilton's father-in-law. Burr sat also in the New York Assembly. 

Church Has His Paper 

It is quite possible that it was during his visits to Augustine Prevost's home he appeared in legal cases in the old Eastchester church where there is still cherished a legal document signed with Burr's name. Burr lived at this time in Richmond Hill, the Greenwich Village estate then far out in the country but on property now bounded by King, Varick, Charleston and McDougal Streets. Little Theodosia Burr must have played, those Summers of long ago, on the lawns near Split Rock Road. (She was the only one of her father's four legitimate children to survive. Two boys were stillborn and a little sister, Sally, died in babyhood. Theodosia herself, the wife of John Alston, Governor of South Carolina, was lost at sea.)"

Source:  Cushman, Elizabeth, Aaron Burr, The Great Lover, Used Barge To Reach Only Woman He Ever Cared For, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 31, 1931, p. 12, cols. 1-3.

As one would expect, another important song in the musical is about Aaron Burr.  Entitled "Aaron Burr, Sir," it is sung, once again, principally by the actors portraying Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr although portions include other members of the company as well.  

The song depicts the first meeting between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and their subsequent encounter with John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan and the Marquis de Lafayette at a local tavern in New York City.  These latter three, of course, became important players in the American Revolutionary War and grew close to Alexander Hamilton.  The song serves to introduce two young men raised as orphans with different backgrounds but similar aspirations.  It further establishes that although each is intensely competitive and ambitious, they have very different philosophies regarding how they will reach their own potential.  Moreover, the encounter with Laurens, Mulligan, and the Marquis de Lafayette seems to reinforce the notion that Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were competitors rather than friends from the outset and that Alexander Hamilton grew a circle of friends whom he liked better -- a circle that never included Burr.  The lyrics of the song say:

[SETTING:  1776 IN NEW YORK CITY]
[HAMILTON SINGS]

Pardon me, are you Aaron Burr, sir? 

[BURR SINGS]

That depends, who’s asking? 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

Oh, well sure, sir 
I’m Alexander Hamilton, 
I’m at your service, sir 
I have been looking for you 

[BURR SINGS]

I’m getting nervous 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

Sir, I heard your name at Princeton 
I was seeking an accelerated course of study 
When I got sort of out of sorts with a buddy of yours 
I may have punched him it’s a blur, sir 
He handles the financials? 

[BURR SINGS] 

You punched the bursar? 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

Yes, I wanted to do what you did 
Graduate in two, then join the revolution.
He looked at me like I was stupid 
I’m not stupid 
So how’d you do it, 
how’d you graduate so fast? 

[BURR SINGS]

It was my parent's dying wish before they passed 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

You're an orphan?  Of course I’m an orphan 
God, I wish there was a war 
Then we could prove that we’re worth more 
than anyone bargained for 

[BURR SINGS]

Can I buy you a drink? 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

That would be nice 

[BURR SINGS] 

While we’re talking, let me offer you some free advice 
Talk less 

[HAMILTON SINGS] 

What? 

[BURR SINGS]

Smile more 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

Ha 

[BURR SINGS]

Don’t let them know what you're against or what you're for 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

You can't be serious 

[BURR SINGS]

You wanna get ahead? 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

Yes 

[BURR SINGS]

Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead 

[LAURENS SINGS]

Yo yo yo yo yo 
What time is it? 

[LAURENS, LAFAYETTE, AND MULLIGAN SING]

Show time! 

[BURR SINGS]

Like I said . . .  

[LAURENS SINGS]

Show time, show time Yo! 
I’m John Lauren's in the place to be! 
Two pints o’ Sam Adams, but I’m workin' on three, uh! 
Those redcoats don’t want it with me 
'Cause I will pop chick-a pop these cops till I’m free 

[LAFAYETTE SINGS]

Oui oui, mon ami, je m’appelle Lafayette!
The Lancelot of the revolutionary set! 
I came from afar just to say bonsoir!
Tell the king "casse-toi." 
Who’s the best? C’est moi 

[MULLIGAN SINGS]

Brrrah, brraaah!  I am Hercules Mulligan 
Up in it, lovin' it, yes I heard ya mother said 
Come again? 

[LAFAYETTE AND LAURENS SING]

Ay, lock up ya daughters and horses, of course 
It’s hard to have intercourse over four sets of corsets . . . 

[LAFAYETTE SINGS]

Wow!

[LAURENS SINGS]

No more sex, pour me another brew, son! 
Let’s raise a couple more . . . 

[LAURENS, LAFAYETTE, AND MULLIGAN SING]

To the revolution! 

[LAURENS SINGS]

Well, if it ain’t the prodigy of Princeton college! 

[MULLIGAN SINGS]

Aaron Burr! 

[LAURENS SINGS]

Give us a verse, drop some knowledge! 

[BURR SINGS]

Good luck with that, you’re takin' a stand 
You spit, I’m 'a sit.  We’ll see where we land 

[LAFAYETTE AND MULLIGAN SING]

Boo! 

[LAURENS SINGS]

Burr, the revolution’s imminent. 
What do you stall for? 

[HAMILTON SINGS]

If you stand for nothing, Burr, what’ll you fall for? 

[MULLIGAN, LAFAYETTE, AND LAURENS SING]

Ooh!
Who you? 
Ooh, who you? 
Oh, who are you? 
Ooh, who is this kid, what’s he gonna do?

"Aaron Burr, Sir" and "Dear Theodosia" are two Broadway musical numbers that provide important insights into the lives of two Pelhamites who enjoyed days in the Manor of Pelham nearly 230 years ago:  Aaron Burr and his beloved daughter Theodosia Burr.

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I have written about Aaron Burr, Theodosia Bartow Prevost Burr, Augustine J. Frederick Prevost and the Burr home on Split Rock Road known as "The Shrubbery" on a number of occasions.  For examples of such earlier postings, see the following:

Wed., Feb. 10, 2016:  Slaves Likely Were Held, and Forced to Work, at the Shrubbery, Once Located Near Split Rock Road in Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 13, 2017:  The Prevost Mansion Known as The Shrubbery, Once Owned by Aaron Burr, Burned December 31, 1880.

Thu., May 21, 2015:  Pelham Manor Romance:  A Tale of Aaron Burr and His Love, Theodosia Bartow Prevost of the Manor of Pelham.  

Thu., Apr. 23, 2015:  Augustine James Frederick Prevost of The Shrubbery in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Sep. 30, 2014:  Pelham Resident Recorded His Impressions of Meeting Aaron Burr.

Fri., Feb. 7, 2014:  Early History of The Pelham Home for Children, an Early Pelham Charity (Notes that The Pelham Home for Children first occupied the Shrubbery before the building burned in the 1890s).

Wed., Aug. 1, 2007:  1805 Real Estate Advertisement Offering Prevost Estate in Pelham for Sale.

Mon., Jun. 4, 2007:  Abstract of 1797 Will of John Bartow, Sr. Who Owned Land in Pelham and Whose Family Became Early Pelham Residents.

Wed., Jan. 31, 2007:  A Large Distillery Once Stood on the Prevost Farm in Pelham During the 1790s.

Tue., Jul. 18, 2006: Aaron Burr Tries to Pull a Fast One in the 1790s and Must Sell His Farm in Pelham.


Wed., Jun. 14, 2006: Text of Deed by Which Aaron Burr Acquired Pelham Lands in 1790

Thu., Apr. 14, 2005: The Pelham Home for Children that Once Stood on Split Rock Road

Mon., Oct. 2, 2006: The Revolutionary War Diary of Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr. of the Manor of Pelham.



"The Shrubbery," a Home That Once Belonged to Aaron Burr
and, Later, His Stepson, Augustine James Frederick Prevost
and Stood Along Today's Split Rock Road in Pelham Manor.
Source:  Courtesy of The Office of The Historian of the Town of Pelham.

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Friday, January 13, 2017

The Prevost Mansion Known as The Shrubbery, Once Owned by Aaron Burr, Burned December 31, 1880


A large home known as "The Shrubbery" once stood along Split Rock Road in Pelham Manor.  The home once was owned briefly by Aaron Burr, Revolutionary War hero and third Vice President of the United States before he infamously shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel on July 11, 1804.  Burr married the widow Theodosia Bartow Prevost, a Pelham Manor native, and became a stepfather to her son Augustine James Frederick Prevost.  The family reportedly bought The Shrubbery as a summer place.


Portrait of Aaron Burr in 1792, Attributed to
Gilbert Stuart.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The circumstances regarding how Aaron Burr came to own The Shrubbery and then sell it to his stepson, Augustine James Frederick Prevost, seem rather suspicious.  Indeed, I have written before about those questionable circumstances.  See Tue., Jul. 18, 2006: Aaron Burr Tries to Pull a Fast One in the 1790s and Must Sell His Farm in Pelham.

In his recent book The King's Best Highway, Eric Jaffe also wrote of the odd circumstances surrounding Burr's purchase and prompt sale of The Shrubbery.  Jaffe wrote:

"Before the Revolution the patriot Lewis Morris, an eventual signer of the Declaration of Independence, had sought permission to build a toll bridge across the Harlem River, almost exactly where the modern Third Avenue Bridge exists today.  (Morris lived in a region of the Bronx that still goes by the name Morrisania.)  A branch road toward his bridge would severely duck the old approach from New England onto the island over King's Bridge.  The diversion would pay off twice; once when the thankful traveler deposited a coin at the gate of the new bridge, and once again down the line, when the value of Morris's land increased.

"Come 1790 Morris was ready to revive the idea of this bridge when the proposal caught the ear of the state's new attorney general, Aaron Burr.  Burr offered to finesse the bill through to passage, and when he was finished, Morris earned the right to build his bridge, and the task of laying out the new road fell upon three commissioners -- two of whom, Joseph Browne and John Bartow Jr., were Burr's close in-laws.  In March of 1790 the bill indeed passed.

"Some evidence suggests that Burr intended to purchase the land through which the new road passed, and profit as its value soared.  Back in the fall of 1789, Burr had represented the heirs of Joshua Pell, a loyalist whose 146-acre farm had been confiscated after the war by the state.  The following February, Burr bought the plot in question -- dubbed The Shrubberies [sic] -- for use as a summer home.  The Shrubberies resided 'on the post road' as it passed through modern Pelham, beginning near 'the gate of the Boston Turnpike Road,' precisely where a new road would branch toward Lewis Morris's new bridge.  Burr soon transferred this land to his stepson, Augustine Prevost, for ten shillings -- essentially gave it away, perhaps to distance himself from its acquisition.

"A few years later Lewis Morris sold his rights to the toll bridge to John Coles, who soon undertook its construction.  In summer of 1800 the Westchester Turnpike Company established its 'Western Gate' near The Shrubberies and extended the new highway from Pelham to the 'Eastern Gate,' near the Connecticut line.  When the city laid down fresh milestones in 1801,this new Boston road became the route of record between New York and New England."

Source:  Jaffe, Eric, The King's Best Highway -- The Lost History of the Boston Post Road, The Route that Made America, pp. 95-96 (NY, NY:  Scribner, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2010).


Undated Photograph Said to Depict "The Shrubbery," a Home
That Once Belonged to Aaron Burr and, Later, His Stepson,
Augustine James Frederick Prevost and Stood Along Today's Split
Rock Road in Pelham Manor. Source: Courtesy of The Office of
The Historian of the Town of Pelham. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.


Detail from 1868 Beers Atlas Map Showing Location of "THE
SHRUBBERY" (Lower Left) Just Off Today's Boston Post
Road in Area Between Today's Split Rock Road and Today's
Boston Post Road. Source: Beers, Frederick W., "City Island,
Westchester Co, N.Y." in Atlas of New York and Vicinity from
Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction of F. W. Beers, p.
35 (NY, NY: Beers Ellis & Soule, 1868). NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.


"THE PREVOST FARM By John M. Shinn"
NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

The Shrubbery remained in the Prevost family for the next eighty years.  In late 1880, George A. Prevost, a brother of the actual owner of The Shrubbery, lived in the home with his wife and "two maiden sisters."  The grand home was two and one half stories high with massive, grand Corinthian columns in its front. It was filled with the Prevost family's "furniture, paintings, statuary, and many ancient relics which were highly prized." 

Late in the evening on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1880, a fire was discovered in the room of one of the maiden sisters.  Reports later indicated that the fire may have begun from an overheated flue in the room.  In any event, the fire spread until it completely destroyed the mansion and all its contents.  Reports indicated that the property destroyed was valued between $15,000 and $20,000, the equivalent of about $487,000 to $649,000 in today's dollars.  I have written before about the fire that destroyed the Prevost home on that New Year's Eve.  See Tue., Aug. 16, 2016:  The "Shrubbery" Mansion in Pelham Once Owned by Aaron Burr Burned Down on December 31, 1880.  

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides the brief text of another newspaper article that referenced the fire that destroyed The Shrubbery.

*          *          *          *          *

"THE FIRE FIEND.

The end of the old year and the beginning of the new has been prolific of fires -- not an uncomfortable thing to read of in view of the demoralized, rent condition of the thermometer.  Among these fires was the burning of James R. Keene's Newport villa, including what the redoubtable bon vivant, Sam Ward, pathetically characterized as 'a divine wine-cellar.'  Another fire was the destruction of the Provost [sic] mansion, in the town of Pelham, which is said to have been occupied at one time by Aaron Burr.  The latest important addition to the list was the total annihilation of Mount St. Vincent's in Central Park on Sunday morning, more recently and better known as 'Stetson's' which has been a favorite resort and restaurant for sporting men and the general public.  The part of the building used for hotel purposes was over one hundred years old."

Source:  THE FIRE FIEND, Evening Star [Washington, D.C.], Jan. 8, 1881, Vol. 57, No. 8660, p. 1, col. 7.  

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I have written before about the Prevost Mansion known as "The Shrubbery" and the family that owned it.  (The family name often is misspelled "Provost."  It is "Prevost.")  See:

Tue., Aug. 16, 2016:  The "Shrubbery" Mansion in Pelham Once Owned by Aaron Burr Burned Down on December 31, 1880.

Thu., Jun. 23, 2016:  Original Record of Forfeiture Sale of Lands of British Loyalists in the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., May 21, 2015:  Pelham Manor Romance:  A Tale of Aaron Burr and His Love, Theodosia Bartow Prevost of the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., Apr. 23, 2015:  Augustine James Frederick Prevost of The Shrubbery in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Sep. 30, 2014:  Pelham Resident Recorded His Impressions of Meeting Aaron Burr.

Fri., Feb. 7, 2014:  Early History of The Pelham Home for Children, an Early Pelham Charity (Notes that The Pelham Home for Children was located on a portion of the old Prevost Farm).

Wed., Aug. 1, 2007:  1805 Real Estate Advertisement Offering Prevost Estate in Pelham for Sale.

Mon., Jun. 4, 2007:  Abstract of 1797 Will of John Bartow, Sr. Who Owned Land in Pelham and Whose Family Became Early Pelham Residents.

Wed., Jan. 31, 2007:  A Large Distillery Once Stood on the Prevost Farm in Pelham During the 1790s.

Mon., Oct. 2, 2006: The Revolutionary War Diary of Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr. of the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., Jul. 27, 2006:  1799 Notice of Foreclosure Sale of Pelham Manor Lands Owned by Augustus James Frederick Prevost, Stepson of Aaron Burr.

Tue., Jul. 18, 2006: Aaron Burr Tries to Pull a Fast One in the 1790s and Must Sell His Farm in Pelham.


Wed., Jun. 14, 2006: Text of Deed by Which Aaron Burr Acquired Pelham Lands in 1790.

Thu., Apr. 14, 2005: The Pelham Home for Children that Once Stood on Split Rock Road.


Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

The "Shrubbery" Mansion in Pelham Once Owned by Aaron Burr Burned Down on December 31, 1880


Tradition long has held that the Prevost Mansion known as "The Shrubbery" that once stood on Split Rock Road in the Town of Pelham and once was owned for a brief time by Aaron Burr, burned down in the 1890s.  That tradition is wrong.  The Shrubbery was destroyed by fire on the evening of December 31, 1880.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog provides background on the mansion and its destruction.



Undated Photograph Said to Depict "The Shrubbery," a
Home That Once Belonged to Aaron Burr and, Later, His
Stepson, Augustine James Frederick Prevost and Stood
Along Today's Split Rock Road in Pelham Manor.
Source:  Courtesy of The Office of The Historian of the
Town of Pelham.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.



Detail from 1868 Beers Atlas Map Showing Location of
"THE SHRUBBERY" (Lower Left) Just Off Today's Boston
Post Road in Area Between Today's Split Rock Road and
Today's Boston Post Road. Source: Beers, Frederick W.,
and Vicinity from Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction
of F. W. Beers, p. 35 (NY, NY: Beers Ellis & Soule, 1868).
NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.



"THE PREVOST FARM
By John M. Shinn"
NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

I have written before about the Prevost Mansion known as "The Shrubbery" and the family that owned it.  (The family name often is misspelled "Provost."  It is "Prevost.")  See:

Thu., Jun. 23, 2016:  Original Record of Forfeiture Sale of Lands of British Loyalists in the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., May 21, 2015:  Pelham Manor Romance:  A Tale of Aaron Burr and His Love, Theodosia Bartow Prevost of the Manor of Pelham.

Thu., Apr. 23, 2015:  Augustine James Frederick Prevost of The Shrubbery in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Sep. 30, 2014:  Pelham Resident Recorded His Impressions of Meeting Aaron Burr.

Fri., Feb. 7, 2014:  Early History of The Pelham Home for Children, an Early Pelham Charity (Notes that The Pelham Home for Children was located on a portion of the old Prevost Farm).

Wed., Aug. 1, 2007:  1805 Real Estate Advertisement Offering Prevost Estate in Pelham for Sale.

Mon., Jun. 4, 2007:  Abstract of 1797 Will of John Bartow, Sr. Who Owned Land in Pelham and Whose Family Became Early Pelham Residents.

Wed., Jan. 31, 2007:  A Large Distillery Once Stood on the Prevost Farm in Pelham During the 1790s.

Thu., Jul. 27, 2006:  1799 Notice of Foreclosure Sale of Pelham Manor Lands Owned by Augustus James Frederick Prevost, Stepson of Aaron Burr.

Tue., Jul. 18, 2006: Aaron Burr Tries to Pull a Fast One in the 1790s and Must Sell His Farm in Pelham.


Wed., Jun. 14, 2006: Text of Deed by Which Aaron Burr Acquired Pelham Lands in 1790

Thu., Apr. 14, 2005: The Pelham Home for Children that Once Stood on Split Rock Road

Mon., Oct. 2, 2006: The Revolutionary War Diary of Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr. of the Manor of Pelham.


At the time "The Shrubbery" burned on December 31, 1880, George A. Prevost, a brother of the owners, and members of his family lived in the mansion.  According to Bolton:

"George A. Prevost, Esq., the brother of the present owners [of The Shrubbery], is the only surviving son of the late Mayor George William Prevost.  This place was formerly the property of Joshua Pell, Esq., whose son, Joshua, sold it to Colonel Aaron Burr, from whom it passed by purchase to his step-son, Augustine James Frederick Prevost. c [NOTE:  Footnote "c" reads as follows: "c  Augustine James Frederick Prevost was the son of Colonel Frederick Prevost by his wife Theodosia Bartow, who afterwards married Colonel Aaron Burr."]   The latter, subsequently conveyed it to Major General Prevost.  The Prevosts were originally from Geneva in Switzerland, being descended from Major General Augustine Prevost, of that place, who married Anne, daughter of the Chevalier George Grand, of Amsterdam, Holland.  The father of the late proprietor was Major General Augustine Prevost, brother of Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, Baronet, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the British North American Colonies now represented by the Rev. George Prevost, Baronet of Belmont, Hampshire, England.  The brothers of the late proprietor were Colonel Augustine Prevost, lost at sea, and Capt. Henry Prevost, who fell in the storming of Cindad Rodrigo, in Spain."

Source:  Bolton, Robert, The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester from its First Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. II, p. 69 (NY, NY:  Chas. F. Roper, 1881).  

In late 1880, George A. Prevost and his wife lived in The Shrubbery with "two maiden sisters."  The grand home was two and one half stories high with massive, grand Corinthian columns in its front.  It was filled with the Prevost family's "furniture, paintings, statuary, and many ancient relics which were highly prized."  

In the evening, a fire was discovered in the room of one of the maiden sisters.  Reports later indicated that the fire may have begun from an overheated flue in the room.  In any event, the fire spread until it completely destroyed the mansion and all its contents.  Reports indicated that the property destroyed was valued between $15,000 and $20,000, the equivalent of about $487,000 to $649,000 in today's dollars.

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Below are news reports describing the destruction of The Shrubbery in Pelham on December 31, 1880.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THE PROVOST MANSION BURNED.
-----
The Ancient Home of a Tory Family and Once Occupied by Aaron Burr.

New York Sun., Jan. 1.

The Provost mansion, in the town of Pelham, near the bridge over East Chester creek, was destroyed by fire on Thursday night, together with the furniture, paintings, statuary, and many ancient relics which were highly prized.  The mansion was very large, two and a half stories high, with massive columns of the Corinthian order along the front.  it is said to have been occupied at one time by Aaron Burr.  The present Provost family holds the land upon which the mansion stood under a patent granted to their ancestors by the English crown.  One of the ancestors and former occupants of the mansion defended Savannah successfully against an attack of Count de Grasse, commanding the French fleet.  Another of the family was governor of Nova Scotia, and his portrait is on the wall of the parliament house of that province.  Two other brothers were officers in the British army.  To the memory of one of the ancestors of the present family a tablet was erected in St. Paul's church, East Chester; but, after the war with Great Britain the patriotic feeling of the people in Westchester County became so manifest that the wardens and vestrymen of the church were obliged to remove the tablet from the inside of the edifice to a less conspicuous place outside, where it still remains.  The occupants of the mansion up to the time of its destruction were George A Provost and his wife, the daughter of the dean of Carlisle, and two maiden sisters, who own considerable land in Albany, Greene and Ulster counties by virtue of patents granted in colonial times.  The fire of Thursday night was discovered in a room occupied by one of the ladies, and is supposed to have originated from excessive heat in a flue."

Source:  THE PROVOST MANSION BURNED -- The Ancient Home of a Tory Family and Once Occupied by Aaron Burr, Buffalo Daily Courier [Buffalo, NY], Jan. 3, 1881, Vol. XLVI, No. 3, p. 1, cols. 7-8.  

"The Provost Mansion Burned.
A FIRE THAT BRINGS UP RECOLLECTIONS OF A DISTINGUISHED COLONIAL FAMILY.

The Provost mansion in the town of Pelham, near the bridge over East Chester Creek, was totally destroyed by fire on Thursday night last, together with the furniture, paintings, statuary, and many articles  of historic value.  It is said to have been occupied at one time by Aaron Burr whose signature to a subpoena hangs up in the vestry of St. Paul's (Episcopal) Church near by.  The Provost family holds the land upon which the house stood under a patent granted by the English Crown.  One of the ancestors and former occupants of the house defended Savannah successfully against an attack of Count de Grasse, commanding the French fleet.  Another of the family was the Governor of Nova Scotia, and his portrait is to be seen on one of the walls of the Parliament-House of that province.  The other brothers were officers in the British army and took part in the Peninsular war under the Duke of Wellington.  To the memory of one of the ancestors a tablet was erected in St. Paul's Church at East Chester, but after the war with Great Britain the patriotic feeling of the people of this county obliged the Wardens and Vestrymen of the church to remove the tablet from the inside of the edifice to a less conspicuous place outside, where it still remains.  The house latterly was occupied by Mr. George A. Provost and his wife, who is the daughter of the Dean of Carlisle, and two maiden sisters, who own considerable property in Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties by virtue of patents granted in colonial times.  The fire of Thursday night was discovered in a room occupied by one of the ladies, and is supposed to have originated from an overheated flue.  The property destroyed is estimated to be worth from $15,000 to $20,000."

Source:  The Provost Mansion Burned -- A FIRE THAT BRINGS UP RECOLLECTIONS OF A DISTINGUISHED COLONIAL FAMILY, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Jan. 7, 1881, Vol. XXXVI, No. 39, p. 3, col. 4.

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Thursday, June 23, 2016

Original Record of Forfeiture Sale of Lands of British Loyalists in the Manor of Pelham


Following the close of the Revolutionary War, the "Commissioners of Forfeitures in the Southern District of New York State" conducted forfeiture sale proceedings involving confiscated lands of those who were not loyal to the Patriot cause during the War.  On August 25, 1784, the Commissioners of Forfeitures sold a 146-acre farm located in the Manor of Pelham that once had belonged to Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr.  Pell served as an officer in the Bugoyne campaigns during the War.  (To read portions of his diary, see Mon., Oct. 2, 2006:  The Revolutionary War Diary of Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr. of the Manor of Pelham.)  

I have written before about an abstract of the original record of the forfeiture sale of Joshua Pell, Jr.'s lands.  See Fri., Aug. 03, 2007: Abstract of Sale of Lands of Joshua Pell of Pelham Manor by the Commissioners of Forfeiture in the Southern District of New York State in August, 1784.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog, however, provides an image of the original record as well as a transcription of the text of the record.

The record reflects that on August 25, 1784, the Commissioners of Forfeiture sold to Isaac Guion of New York City for 980 pounds the dwelling ("messuage") and farm land of deceased British Loyalist Joshua Pell, Jr., excepting from the sale only the right of Dower for Pell's wife (i.e., the portion of a deceased husband's real property allowed to his widow for her lifetime).

Two years later, in 1786, the Treasury Office of the State of New York published a notice to inform Joshua Pell, Jr.'s creditors to come forward and file any claims they might have against the monies derived from the sales of his lands or be barred from pursuing such claims thereafter.  I have written about that notice before.  See Wed., Aug. 30, 2006:  1786 Notice Requiring Filing of Creditors' Claims Against Forfeited Estates of Loyalists Including Joshua Pell of the Manor of Pelham.

In the meantime, Joshua Pell, Jr. had fled to Canada.  There he engaged in efforts to pursue claims with British authorities for the property he had lost in Pelham Manor.  See Mon., Aug. 20, 2007:  Canadian Records of Claim Asserted by Joshua Pell, Formerly of Pelham Manor, A Loyalist Who Fought for the British in the Revolutionary War.

The Joshua Pell, Jr. farm that was confiscated and sold to Isaac Guion was the well-known farm along today's Split Rock Road in the Village of Pelham Manor where the mansion known as "The Shrubbery" once stood.  The Shrubbery was built in about 1750 by Joshua Pell, Sr.  Joshua Pell, Sr. bequeathed the 146-acre tract to his son, Joshua Pell, Jr., who owned the farm at the time of the Revolutionary War.  To read more, see:

Wed., Dec. 16, 2015:  The Will of Joshua Pell Sr. of the Manor of Pelham Dated March 1, 1758.

Wed., Feb. 10, 2016:  Slaves Likely Were Held, and Forced to Work, at the Shrubbery, Once Located Near Split Rock Road in Pelham.



The Shrubbery, Home of Joshua Pell, Sr., Joshua Pell, Jr.,
Isaac Guion, and Augustine J. Frederick Prevost Before
It Burned in the 1890s.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.


Detail from 1868 Beers Atlas Map Showing Location of
"THE SHRUBBERY" (Lower Left) Just Off Today's Boston
Post Road in Area Between Today's Split Rock Road and
Today's Boston Post Road. Source: Beers, Frederick W.,
and Vicinity from Actual Surveys by and Under the Direction
of F. W. Beers, p. 35 (NY, NY: Beers Ellis & Soule, 1868)
NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

The collections of the Westchester County Archives include records of the Commissioners of Forfeitures in the Southern District of New York State.  One of those records reflects the confiscation and sale of The Shrubbery and the farm on which the home stood.  An image of that record appears immediately below.  The image is followed by a citation and link to its source, then a transcription of its text.



Record of August 25, 1784 Sale of Messuage (i.e., dwelling)
and Farm of Land Belonging to Joshua Pell, Jr. to Isaac Guion
of New York City.  Westchester County Archives, Commissioners
of Forfeiture Proceedings, 1784-1786, Page 2 (Copied by Clerk
on Aug. 4, 1788).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.


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August 25th 1784 

No. 3 Sold to Isaac Guion of the City of New York, Merchant for the sum of nine Hundred and eighty eight pounds. -----

All That certain Messuage and Farm of Land Situate lying and being in the Manor of Pelham in the County of Westchester and State of New York being bounded on the North by Lands of James Pell on the West by East Chester Creek on the South by the Land of Edward Pell and on the East by the Lands forfeited to the People of this State by the Conviction of John Pell containing One Hundred and forty six Acres more or less Forfeited to the people of this State by the Conviction of Joshua Pell [excepting and reserving thereof to Phebe Pell, Widow and Relict of Joshua Pell, late of Westchester County Farmer deceased her Right of Dower in the Premises hereby granted. 

A Copy of Abstract, taken and Entered this 4th August 1788 
Richard Hatfield, Clk


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