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, April 28, 2014

More on The Estate Known as "West Neck" that Once Belonged to Philip B. Schuyler

I recently wrote of Philip B. Schuyler and the estate that he once owned in the Town of Pelham.  He called his estate "West Neck" and built a lovely brick mansion on the grounds.  That home burned in 1895.  For more, see:

Wed., Apr. 23, 2014:  Philip B. Schuyler and the Burning of the Schuyler Homestead in What Once was Part of Pelham in 1895.  

After I published my brief account of Schuyler and the fire that destroyed the home he built, I received a message from Jorge Santiago of The East Bronx History Forum with a link to a map of the Town of Pelham published in 1853 that reflected Schuyler's West Neck estate.  I have included a detail from the map below showing the estate.  Jorge's note started me thinking about the topic again.  I decided to assemble a little more information about the estate.  Today's Historic Pelham Blog posting does just that.



Detail Showing Area of Philip Schuyler's Estate Known as 
"West Neck" and "Westneck" from M. Dripps & R.F.O. Conner,
Southern Part of West-Chester County, N.Y.
Map Published in 1853 (52 Inches in Width)

The 1881 edition of Bolton's two-volume History of Westchester County references Schuyler's estate briefly.  It states:

"West Neck, the estate of the late Philip Schuyler, Esq., joins the village [i.e., the "new village of Bartow"] on the north, originally belonged to John Pell, a grandson of John Lord Pell.  The old mansion, which formerly occupied the site of the Schuyler residence, was removed in 1850 and is now used as a carriage house and stable.  Here, during the Revolutionary war, the daughters of John Pell and Mary Totten were frequently in the habit of entertaining the British officers, who would drive up from New York."

Source:  Bolton, Jr., Robert, The History of The Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester, From Its First Settlement To The Present Time Carefully Revised by Its Author, Vol. II, p. 88 (NY, NY:  Chas. F. Roper, 1881) (edited by C.W. Bolton).  

Bolton's reference in the 1881 edition of his History of Westchester County is fascinating in that it claims that the structure that originally stood on the site of Schuyler's home was removed in 1850 and used as a carriage house and stable.  It further claims that the structure that became the carriage house and stable once belonged to John Pell, grandson of the original settler of Pelham, John Pell (the nephew of Thomas Pell who acquired the lands from local Native Americans.  The detail from the 1853 map depicted above clearly shows what may be the carriage house / stable near the main home.  This John Pell would have been the John Pell who was son of John and Mary Totten Pell and who became a Lieutenant and later Captain in the Queen's Rangers during the Revolutionary War.

During the Revolutionary War, West Neck lay at the heart of the so-called "Neutral Ground," a deserted waste land that separated various areas of operation between those supporting the British and those supporting the Americans.  According to Pell family tradition, the Pell family estate known as West Neck played a small role during the War.  One author writes that during the mid-winter of 1777, as raiding parties flooded over the Neutral Ground, refugees from the area began to stream out:

"Meanwhile the refugees at City Island were evacuated to New York City by ship, including the widow Mary Pell and her children, and there they were joined by scores of Westchester men who had fled overland.  Joshua Pell and his family were soon with them, and they were able to return  for a time under British guard to their stately house, West Neck, on the Sound.  Joshua II joined General Oliver de Lancey's Corps of Royalists as a Captain, and John, son of John and Mary Totten Pell, was a Lieutenant, later Captain, in the Queen's Rangers.  

Westchester by this time was a 'waste land,' as it was described by the Revertend Timothy Drayton who visited it at the year's end of 1778.  'The power of volition seemed to have deserted the few people who remained,' he wrote in his Journal.  'They have lost every trace of animation and feeling.'  Many people lived on weeds in 'desolated' houses, abandoned, deserted, so that 'not a single solitary traveler came down the Post Road.'

Throughout 1779, the American and British lines swayed back and forth in Westchester, and John Pell, Mary Totten Pell and their daughters were obliged to flee into New York City once more, where John Pell died.  Lieutenant Colonel  Aaron Burr occupied their mansion [i.e., the mansion on the estate known as "West Neck"] and 'bought' it, together with all their lands, when they were confiscated.  Colonel Philip Schuyler then 'bought' John Pell's property from Burr together with the confiscated house, farmhouses and land of Joshua Pell, the ancestor of Pells of Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain.  By the year's end, at all events, General Washington concentrated on strengthening West Point, and the American lines were pulled back.  The British occupied at least half of Westchester County.  But they did not allow the civilians in New York City to return, declaring it to be a battle zone."

Source:  Pell, Robert T., Pelliana:  Pell Of Pelham, New Series, Vol. I, No. 3, p. 74 (Privately Printed, Aug. 1965). 

After Philip B. Schuyler's death on February 12, 1865, his estate passed under his will "for the use of [his] unmarried, children, as a homestead."  See Christoph, Florence A., Schuyler Genealogy:  A Compendium of Sources Pertaining to the Schuyler Families in America Prior to 1800, Vol. 2 (Friends of Schuyler Mansion, 1992).  

There also is an interesting connection between Philip B. Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton.  Alexander Hamilton's wife was Elizabeth Schuyler (born August 9, 1757; died November 9, 1854).  Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was a daughter of Revolutionary War General Philip Schuyler.  Elizabeth's brother, John Bradstreet Schuyler, was the father of Philip Schuyler who built the West Neck estate in the Town of Pelham.  As a youngster, after his father's death, Philip Schuyler attended school on Staten Island and resided with his uncle and aunt, Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton, on weekends.  As one source puts it:

"In the late 1790s, the unceasing demands of a growing family prevented Eliza [i.e., Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton] from a full-scale commitment to Christian charity work.  On November 26, 1799, she gave birth to her seventh child, Eliza, but she continued to shelter strays and waifs, a practice that she and Alexander had started in adopting Fanny Antill.  In 1795, Eliza's brother, John Bradstreet Schuyler, had died, leaving a son, Philip Schuyler II.  During the week, the boy attended school on Staten Island with the Hamilton boys and then spent weekends with Uncle Alexander and Aunt Eliza.  So Eliza's home was always bursting with youngsters demanding attention."  

Source:  Chernow, Ron, Alexander Hamilton, pp. 582-83 (NY, NY:  Penguin Books, 2004).

Although Philip Schuyler was virtually ruined in the panic of 1837, he and his wife, Grace Hunter Schuyler, were able to retain many of the family heirlooms and possessions that belonged to Schuyler's illustrious grandfather and Revolutionary War General after whom he was named.  The story as to how is fascinating.  The article below, published in 1959, details the circumstances, followed by a citation to its source.  

"Schuyler House History
Mother Rescued Furniture for Debt-Ridden Philip Schuyler in 1837

(This is the fourth in a series of articles on the Schuyler House consisting chiefly of a report by Worth Bailey, architectural historian in the Washington office of the National Park Service, which is attempting to restore the Schuyler House to its original state and to have it furnished in a fashion known to the inhabitants of Old Saratoga.)
-----

Philip Schuyler had married Grace Hunter in 1811 and the Schuyler House was home to his growing family until 1837.  Schuyler's financial troubles by that year had become so serious as to force him to empower his attorney to convert his property into cash to be applied in payment of debts.  

It was then that his mother stepped in to acquire the furniture, yielding it as a gift in the daughter-in-law's name and blocking attachment by his creditors.  Thus when the Schuylers left Schuylerville they were able to claim their furnishings through the generosity of Mrs. Bleecker. 

'The Schedule of Household Furniture' drawn up on May 4, 1837, affords a glimpse of the family household 42 years after the death of John Bradstreet Schuyler.  The document is incomplete, but is valuable for informational listings of items in parlor, piazza, garret and cellar.

*     *     *

IN 1824 an itinerant artist, Ambrose Andrews, painted the Schuyler family seated in their own hall.  The picture is a small water color with a rather crowded composition comprising mother and father with the five girls.  Its domestic details are of more than passing interest, for it possesses all the authority of a corroborative footnote to several items of furniture.  Shown is the handsome 'Constitution-type' gilt mirror with the Pembroke table beneath, which are glimpsed through the doorway into the parlor.

These items could very well be heirlooms dating from the general's period.  The chairs appear early 19th century.  In the picture the Hepplewhite style piano with its adjustable stool is a focal point in the hall.  The schedule of furnishings taken in 1837, while listing both in the parlor, also poses an unanswerable question.  Possession of two pianos firmly establishes the role of music in the family.  Likewise the guitar is an important witness to the fact.  

Reference to three sofas poses an intriguing problem of identity.  A single sofa had gone down to Albany in 1796.  Here is probable evidence that it returned.  Two sofas listed in the 'piazza' were later acquisitions.  The piazza, we are confident, meant the stairhall.

Without doubt these same three sofas figure again as the connecting link between the fragmentary inventory of 1837 and the document drafted by the appraiser on Agu. 31, 1865, following the death of Philip Schuyler II at the family homestead in Westchester County.  Researchers believe the furniture in the residence at New Rochelle comprised the same that had been devised by Philip to his children and according to their agreement had been kept intact.

Apparently this arrangement was maintained until the death of Fanny Schuyler in 1917, when th estate was dispersed.  Interlocking references that pass along from generation to generation convey not only a degree of supporting assurance, but corroboration.  The information definitely establishes the continuity.

*     *     *

IN THE REPORT Bailey has listed the furniture contained in the house in 1865, taken from the inventory and also the inventory in 1917 and, between the two, has come up with what furnishings he feels would have been in the house during Schuyler's time.

Every effort has been made to learn as much as possible about these individuals, in specific detail, and inventories have been meticulously followed as guides in furnishing.  

Consequently, as Bailey puts it, this will not be just another nice old house pleasantly filled with antiques, but the re-created home of a specific person or family where individual tastes and habits are intimately and convincingly revealed.  

The problem is, where can such period furniture be found?  The search goes on and will continue to go on, as long as there is a possibility that something may turn up that may be used in the Schuyler House."

Source: Schuyler House History - Mother Rescued  Furniture for Debt-Ridden Philip Schuyler, The Saratogian [Saratoga, NY}, p. 2, cols. 3-8.  

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Philip B. Schuyler and the Burning of the Schuyler Homestead in What Once was Part of Pelham in 1895


Philip B. Schuyler of the Town of Pelham was a grandson of General Philip John Schuyler of Revolutionary War fame.  He was the only child of John Bradstreet Schuyler and Elizabeth Van Rensaelaer Schuyler and inherited his grandfather's and father's famed estate in Old Saratoga, New York (i.e., Schuylerville).  

Philip B. Schuyler was born in Albany, New York on October 26, 1788 and died in Pelham on February 12, 1865.  Philip B. Schuyler married Grace Hunter, sister of John Hunter of Hunter's Island.  The couple lived for many years in the spectacular Schuyler home in Saratoga, New York until the Financial Panic of 1837 ruined Philip B. Schuyler.  He was forced to sell the family estate.  Thereafter he served for a time as the U.S. Consul in Liverpool, England until he was recalled in 1842.  He then settled with his wife in a beautiful brick mansion that he and his wife had built on what is known as "West Neck" not far from Bartow Station on the west side of the New Haven Branch Line tracks on which the Bartow Station sat.  While living in Pelham, Schuyler worked to rebuild his fortune through real estate investing.  Philip B. Schuyler and his wife, Grace, were friends of such notables as General Lafayette and U.S. President Martin Van Buren.  

Grace Hunter Schuyler died in the home on West Neck on December 24, 1855.  Philip B. Schuyler died in the home on February 12, 1865.  The home remained occupied by Schuyler family members until about the late 1880's or the early 1890's when it was abandoned.  The home burned to the ground in the early morning hours on Wednesday, November 6, 1895.



Detail of 1881 Map of the Town of Pelham Showing
The Schuyler Estate and Mansion at Lower Left of Detail.
Source:  Bromley, George Washington & Bromley, Walter Scott, 
"Town of Pelham, (With) Pelham-Manor. (From Actual
Surveys and Official Records by G.W. Bromley & Co., Civil Engineers,
Published by Geo. W. & Walter S. Bromley, 1881)" in Atlas of Westchester
County, New York, From Actual Surveys and Official Records, Pp. 56-57
(Washington, D.C.: G.W. Bromley & Co. 1881).


Philip B. Schuyler, 19th Century Resident of Pelham.
Source:  Brandow, John Henry, The Story of Old Saratoga and 
History of Schuylerville, pp. 305 
(Albany, NY:  Fort Orange Press - Brandow Printing Company, 1900). 





Grace Hunter Schuyler, Wife of Philip B. Schuyler 
and 19th Century Resident of Pelham.
Source:  Brandow, John Henry, The Story of Old Saratoga and 
History of Schuylerville, p. 303
(Albany, NY:  Fort Orange Press - Brandow Printing Company, 1900).

Below is a brief biography of Philip B. Schuyler published in 1900.  It is quoted in full, followed by a citation to its source.

"PHILIP SCHUYLER, 2D.

Philip Schuyler, 2d, was seven years of age when his father, John Bradstreet [Schuyler], died.  His grandfather, the General, was appointed his guardian, who first placed him in a school on Staten Island, under the charge of Dr. Moore, afterwards Bishop of Virginia, and later he was sent to Columbia College.  During his collegiate course he lived in New York, and for part of the time in the family of his talented uncle, Alexander Hamilton; a rare privilege, that, for a young man in the formative period of his life.

Philip Schuyler, 2d, selected for his wife Miss Grace Hunter, sister of Hon. John Hunter, of Hunter's Island, N.Y.  They were married in New York, September 12th, 1811.  She was a beautiful and lovable woman, and she willingly left the charms of city life for the quiet scenes and more romantic life in the old historic home at Saratoga.[Footnote 135 - '135  Most of the above facts relating to J. Bradstreet, and Philip Schuyler, 2nd, were taken from the Schuyler MSS., in possession of Miss Fanny Schuyler, of Pelham-on-Sound.']

Being an only child, Philip inherited so much of the Saratoga estate as fell to his father, which ran for three miles along the Hudson River.  He also inherited from his father and grandfather a large measure of their public spirit, which manifested itself through an active interest in anything that tended to promote the public welfare, multiply common luxuries for the people, or increase the comforts of living.  He was an enthusiastic promoter of inland navigation, or the canal projects, which so stirred the public mind of this State from 1807 to 1825, at which latter date both the Champlain and Erie canals had been completed.  

It was through his influence that the great canal basin was built at Schuylerville and also the slip or back-set from the basin to the rear of the mills; and to guard against the evils of stagnant water he obtained a perpetual grant to tap the end of the slip and use the water for running a mill; the sawmill now operated by Mr. G. Edward Laing gets its power from this source.  This is the only place where the State allows water to be drawn from the canals to furnish power for a private enterprise.  This franchise was secured not only for sanitary reasons, but as part pay for the right to pass through Mr. Schuyler's estate.

He early became interested in cotton manufacture, and erected here at Schuylerville the second cotton mill in the State of New York -- the old Horicon, which still stands, though somewhat enlarged, as a monument to his enterprise.  

In 1822 his fellow citizens sent him to represent them as Assemblyman in the New York Legislature.  

Philip Schuyler, 2d, and his charming wife maintained the ancient family reputation for hospitality.  So long as a Schuyler lived here open house was kept for every one who could formulate a decent excuse for crossing their threshold.  During the summer season the old house was usually thronged with guests from everywhere, among which were sure to be a goodly sprinkling of notables of every type.

VISIT OF LAFAYETTE

Perhaps during the whole stretch of the nineteenth century the Schuyler mansion was never more highly honored than by the visit of the marquis de Lafayette, the friend of Washington, the one Frenchman who made the greatest sacrifices for American liberty.  On his last visit here, in 1824, he was voted the nation's guest, and was everywhere lionized and feted as no foreigner since has been.  Though it was quite out of his way, he could not resist turning aside to visit the old Saratoga home of General Schuyler, whom he had greatly loved, and the scene of the humiliation of one proud army of France's ancient foe.

Such details of this interesting visit have been preserved we here give verbatim from a manuscript in possession of Miss Fanny Schuyler of Pelham-on-Sound, N.Y., a daughter of Philip Schuyler, 2d. 136 [Footnote 136:  'The facts which the MSS. preserve were given to her by her eldest sister, Ruth, now, 1900, 88 years of age.']  

'The general came in the coach-and-four which my father had sent to convey him from the town beyond.  His son, who was with him, had a round face and wore gold spectacles.  His secretary and another gentleman filled a second carriage.  Lafayette received the villagers, who had assembled on the lawn in front of the house, with very courteous bows, and spoke some appreciative words. 

'Being greatly fatigued from his journey, Lafayette was shown into the guest chamber (on the southeast corner, first floor) where, having stretched himself on the bed, he slept for several hours.  After a collation was served, and before his departure, he stepped to the sideboard, and while resting one arm on its polished surface, with the other poured a glass of Madeira, which he drank to the health of 'the four generations of Schuylers he had known' -- the fourth generation was represented by his hosts three little daughters (Ruth, Elizabeth and Grace).  Just as he was about to depart, Lafayette lifted little Grace Schuyler up in his arms and kissed her.  Afterwards, being asked how she liked General Lafayette, she said:  'I don't like that man, 'his face pricked me.' ' 137  [Footnote 137:  '137  The above-mentioned mahogany brass-mounted sideboard, together with the high-post bedstead on which Lafayette slept, are now in possession of the family, at Pelham-on-Sound, in the house occupied by Miss Fanny Schuyler there, as are also many other interesting pieces of furniture once used by Gen. Philip Schuyler, including a mirror, which is known to have reflected the faces of most of the Revolutionary notables, among which may be mentioned General Burgoyne and his suite; also General Schuyler's silver spurs, pocket sun-dial, gold pen and pencil case, double-cased gold-embossed watch, silver-mounted pistol -- all used in his military campaigns.  A high, mahogany hall clock, French white marble and gilt parlor clock, white silk vest, embroidered in gilt thread, etc., are also in possession of the family there.']

HOSPITALITY OF THE SCHUYLERS

Quite early in the century Saratoga Springs became the most popular, indeed the one fashionable watering place in America.  Thither the blooded aristocracy, the merchant princes, the leaders in fashion and politics, flocked from all parts of the States.  One of the most popular drives in those days for those who had the entree of the mansion was from the Springs to Old Saratoga (Schuylerville).

Dinner parties were frequently given here by the Schuylers at the then fashionable hour of three or four o'clock;  the guests returning to the Springs in the early evening.  Among such, one might mention Martin Van Buren, President of the United States, who had become a warm personal friend of Philip Schuyler, 2d, accompanied by his popular son, 'Prince John,' as he was then called.

DEPARTURE OF THE SCHUYLERS

But changes came to the old homestead [in Saratoga] at last.  Perhaps the worst financial panic in our nation's history was that of 1837.  Commerce and manufactures were prostrate; hundreds of wealthy mercantile houses in every quarter of the country suddenly found themselves bankrupt, and the crash was consummated when the banks universally suspended specie payments.  Philip Schuyler, like thousands of others, was caught in this financial whirlwind and swamped.  To meet his obligations, the ancestral estate was sold.

President Van Buren ere long, having need of a man of Schuyler's calibre in an important position, unsolicited, sent him as consul to the port of Liverpool, England.  No better selection could have been made, if we can accept the judgment of the English press.  For example, the Liverpool Courier of June 1, 1842, has this to say, when it became known that Mr. Schuyler had been recalled:

'Among other removals we regret to announce that of Philip Schuyler, Esq., the late consul of this port.  The United States never had, nor never can have, a more efficient officer than that gentleman to represent their great nation; for besides the official capacities which are indispensable to the fulfillment of the multifarious duties of a consulate, he possessed in an eminent degree the no less necessary and agreeable faculty of ingratiating himself into the respect and esteem of our people.  Circumstances led us on several occasions to know these facts, and we feel it our duty, as it is our pleasure, to record them.'

He was recalled by President Tyler for purely party reasons, and that after he had been orally assured by him that he would be retained at the post.  

After his return from England, Mr. Schuyler was at one time on the point of repurchasing his old home and returning to Schuylerville [i.e., Old Saratoga]; but as their son John was in New York preparing for college, Mrs. Schuyler preferred to remain near him and so the project was abandoned.  They finally built a new house on a fine site, including seventy acres of land, at Pelham-on-Sound, a favorite residence of New Yorkers, and within easy distance of the city.  

As an indication that he retained an undying affection for the home of his fathers and the scenes of his boyhood, and that he was held in highest esteem by his neighbors, we here insert a paragraph from a letter of one of his daughters to the writer:

'One of my childish remembrances is a visit with my father to Schuylerville, on his return from England, when an ovation was tendered him in the evening, a serenade given and speeches made by the leading men of the place.  And there, surrounded by his early friends, and many of his former stalwart workmen, as he stood among them once more the tears coursed down his face, as well as down many other faces about him.  On another occasion, when present there, as one of the committee, with the Hon. Hamilton Fish, to select the position for the Saratoga monument, his son-in-law, Charles de Luze, Esq., of New York, who was also present, again saw him brushing away tears as he gazed over the old familiar scenes of his childhood.'

The departure of the Schuylers was an irreparable loss to the commercial, social and religious interests of Schuylerville.  In short, we have ever since had 'Hamlet' with Hamlet left out. 138  [Footnote 138:  '138  Grace Hunter, wife of Philip Schuyler, 2nd, died at Pelham-on-Sound, December 24, 1855.  Philip Schuyler died at the same place, February 12, 1865.']"

Source:  Brandow, John Henry, The Story of Old Saratoga and History of Schuylerville, pp. 302-310 (Albany, NY:  Fort Orange Press - Brandow Printing Company, 1900).  

The home that Philip B. Schuyler and his wife Grace Hunter Schuyler built 
"SCHUYLER HOMESTEAD BURNED.
-----
A Fine Structure It Was, Built in the Style of the Olden Time.

The old brick mansion in Pelham Bay Park, which was owned and occupied by the late Philip Schuyler, grandson of Philip Schuyler of Revolutionary times, was burned Wednesday morning before daylight.  The place was commonly known as the old Schuyler homestead.  It was on property that belongs to the City of New York.

The house was large and mansively built of brick.  It was very handsomely finished inside.  It had been unoccupied of late years and the gutters had become leaky and the piazzas dilapidated.

The house stood a little way from Bartow station on the Suburban branch of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad.  It was built on the site of the old house occupied by John Pell [NOTE:  No evidence this is accurate], grandson of John Lord Pell.  The locality is known as West Neck, a narrow strip of land rising from Pelham Bay on one side and salt meadows in the other side.  

The house burned like tinder and made a fine show for a few moments.  Showers of sparks rose high above the oak groves and burning embers were sucked up by the draught and fell, still blazing, among the trees.  The entire scene was pictured in the waters of the bay.  The park policeman who discovered the fire was powerless to do anything, and watched the old house burn.

The portions of the brick walls left standing show their peculiar structure.  Every other course of bricks was laid with the ends of the bricks outward.  This mode of building was common many years ago.  The Pell house, which stood originality on the site of the Schuyler house, was moved back a long time ago and turned into a stable.  There are fifty-six buildings in Pelham Bay Park.  There is but one policeman to look after the entire property at night.  The origin of this fire is not known."

Source:  SCHUYLER HOMESTEAD BURNED, New Rochelle Pioneer [New Rochelle, NY], Nov. 9, 1895, Vol. XXXV, No. 33, p. 5, col. 1.  See also OLD SCHUYLER HOMESTEAD BURNED, N.Y. Times, Nov. 7, 1895 (nearly identical text).  


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