NYC / E NYS - 1803

1803

Feb 26
Guilderland is formed from the Albany County town of Watervvliet.

March

Utica stage line operator Jason Parker petitions the State legislature  for exclusive rights to the Utica to Canandaigua line for ten years. Next year they will grant him and partner Levi Stephens a seven-year monopoly for transporting passengers over the route at least twice a week.

Sep 13

U.S. naval Commodore John Barry, 58, dies of asthma in Philadelphia. He will be buried at the graveyard of Old St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia's Center City.     

Sep 26
The foundation stone for New York City's third (and current) City Hall is laid.

Oct 12

New York City dry goods merchant Alexander Tunney (A.T.) Stewart is born in Lisburn, Ireland, to Scottish Protestant parents.

New York City

De Witt Clinton resigns from the U. S. Senate, to become Mayor of New York City. He will be reappointed annually through 1815, except for 1807 and 1810.    **    The three-story (including attic) Federal-stye, red brick, Flemish-bond house on Stuyvesant Street (later # 21 Stuyvesant) built by Petrus Stuyvesant, great-grandson of Peter, for his son-in-law Nicholas Fish - A Revolutionary War officer - and his new wife Elizabeth Stuyvesant, is completed.    **    Mayor Edward Livingston pledges his fortune to cover the theft of house bonds by a subordinate.    **    Merchant John Jacob Astor begins buying Manhattan real estate with his China trade profits. He purchases a diagonal piece of land in today's midtown area - known as the Eden Farm, from a little-known Englishman Medcef Eden - for today's equivalent of $25,000. He also buys a plot further south that later will compromise Astor Place and much of Lafayette Street.

New York State
The First Presbyterian Society of Utica is formed, lead by Rev. Mr. Dodd.     **    Martin Van Buren is named to the New York State Bar. ** Land agent Appleton Foote first settles the Franklin County town of Moira.

Albany

Construction begins on the State House, jointly financed by the city, the county and the state.    **    The Albany Presbyterian Synod is established with congregations at Albany, Mohawk and Troy.

© 2014  David Minor / Eagles Byte

What’s Nu: Brooklyn’s Jewish Delis - BHS Program

If you're looking for a quintessential Brooklyn experience, look no further than the classic Jewish delicatessen. While they're no longer on virtually every Brooklyn street corner, some local icons continue to thrive. Deli historian Ted Merwin discusses the glories, challenges, and traditions of serving up corned beef with the owners of three delis: a populist (Alan Rosen of Junior’s), a traditionalist (Lloyd Lederman of Jay and Lloyd’s Kosher Deli) and a newcomer (Noah Bernamoff of Mile End).

What’s Nu: The State of Brooklyn’s Jewish Delis

Thursday, December 11, 6:30pm

$10/$5 for BHS Members

EMERGENCY SAVE OUR SEAPORT MEETING WEDNESDAY

With only two days notice, it has been announced that the Howard Hughes Corporation will present its "mixed use project" to the Seaport Working Group THIS Wednesday, November 19th, 5pm. As with all other SWG meetings, it is closed to the public. As such, we are calling together an emergency meeting of Save Our Seaport to immediately follow. SOS will meet this Wednesday, November 19th, 7:30pm, at St. Margaret's House conference room (49 Fulton St). This is where we need to come together. Please join us Wednesday to hear a report on the SWG Meeting and help decide our public reaction. We will attempt to have as many Seaport Working Group members on hand as we can, to discuss Howard Hughes Corp's presentation. This is an "all-hands" call! We hope to see you THIS Wednesday!

NYC Master Planner Andrew H. Green

12TH ANNUAL TRIBUTE CEREMONY TO HONOR THE UNSUNG CIVIC GIANT ANDREW H. GREEN 

(SATURDAY 11/8 AT 12:00 NOON)

Please join us as we raise a toast of apple cider to Andrew H. Green, the unsung 19th century master planner, reformer, and preservationist who transformed New York into a world-class city. The ceremony will take place at the Andrew H. Green Memorial Bench in Central Park on Saturday, November 8 at 12:00 noon. As of this writing the weather forecast calls for a lovely autumn day.

Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione will preside over the festivities. Guest speakers will include New York City Councilmember Ben Kallos whose district contains the recently established Andrew H. Green Park, and Sami Naim, the Director of Strategy at the Municipal Art Society.

Prof. Kenneth T. Jackson, editor of The Encyclopedia of New York City, has called Green, "arguably the most important leader in Gotham's long history." During his fifty-year career, Green steered the creation of some of New York City's foremost parks, cultural institutions, and public works. He rescued the city from bankruptcy after the Tweed Ring scandals, and pioneered the historic preservation movement. Most importantly, he masterminded the 1898 consolidation of the five boroughs, a measure that expanded the city's size five-fold and earned him the nickname "the Father of Greater New York."

Light refreshments will be served.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

12:00n

Free. No reservations required. Invite your friends!

Andrew H. Green Memorial Bench, inside Central Park at about 105 Street

For map and directions see:

https://sites.google.com/site/manhattanboroughhistorian/home-1/andrewhgreenceremony 

BUSHWICK AFLAME

Jonathan Mahler, The New York Times media

reporter and author of the critically

acclaimed Ladies and Gentlemen,

the Bronx is Burning, moderates this panel

exploring Bushwick’s 1970s nadir.

Photographer Meryl Meisler,

a tenant lawyer, an FDNY fire marshal, a

Community Board manager, and a displaced

resident will discuss their experiences on the

frontlines of urban neglect.

Part of a four-part thematic series on

Brooklyn and fire, presented with

Green-Wood Cemetery. 

Brooklyn’s On Fire: 

Bushwick is Burning

Monday, November 17, 6:30pm

$5 / Free for BHS Members

NEW YORK CITY TIMELINE - 1802

Jun 1
The first book fair is held, in New York City.

Sep 13

The Board of Trinity, developing vacant property
known as the Church Farm, resolves to erect a
chapel.

November

Manhattan's Hanover Square fire engine house

is moved to the Old Slip.

Nov 24 

George Colman the Younger's English romantic
comedy The Battle of Hexham is performed at
New York's Park Theatre. Washington Irving
will attend an early performance.

December


Burr is removed from the Manhattan Water
Company board, along with crony John 
Swartwout. Swartwout, believing De Witt
 Clinton to be behind the ouster, challenges
him to a duel, which is held in New Jersey.
After five rounds, in which Swartwout is
wounded in the thigh and ankle, and still
neither man will concede, Clinton leaves
the field.

New York City

Brooklyn-to-Manhattan ferry operator Richard

Woodhull hires Benjamin Franklin's 

grandnephew Jonathan Williams, an engineer,

to lay out streets in 13 acres in what will become

the Williamsburgh section of Brooklyn.    **

Washington Irving begins clerking in the office

of former state attorney general Josiah Hoffman.

In addition to his Jonathan Oldstyle letters for his

brother Peter's newspaper, he begins writing for

Peter's pro-Burr paper The Correction.    **    New

street commissioner Joseph Browne recommends

that Manhattan's Collect Pond be filled in, using 

dirt from nearby Bunker Hill. His proposal is 

rejected. He has retained his job as Manhattan

Water Company superintendent while also 

gaining his city position.    **    Robert McQueen's

factory begins replacing the Manhattan Water

Company's horse pumps with steam-driven

models. By year's end 21 miles of pipe have been

laid by the water company, at a cost of close to

$45,000. The bank has invested $132,000 in 

its waterworks, supplying 1,683 customers. 

Annual expenses are $11,500; revenues $12,000.

**    Burr's 1800 loan of $48,000 from the

Manhattan WaterCompany bank has grown to

$120,000 by mid-year. He is removed from the

bank's board  along with John Swartwout -

by year's end.    **    Alexander Hamilton's

18-room mansion in northern Manhattan,

named "Th Grange" for his Scottish ancestral

home, is completed.    **    A 2 1/2 

story wood-fronted building is erected on

Christopher Street and the future Bleecker Street.
    

**    Released from a Parisian prison, where he

had been incarcerated for anti-Christian

segments in his Age of Reason, Thomas Paine, in

poor health returns to New York and moves into

a 2 1/2 story home between Columbia - later

renamed Grove - Street and  Reason - later

named Raisin then Barrow - Street.    **    A

building committee is formed to make plans for

a new City Hall.

© 2014 David Minor / Eagles Byte

SAVE OUR SEAPORT MEETING

Save Our Seaport invites the public to its sixth Town Meeting Wednesday, August 27, 2014 6:30-7:30PM St. Margaret’s House Conference Room 49 Fulton Street Guest Speakers include: Roland Lewis, Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Victor Papa, Two Bridges Neighborhood Council After the speakers there will be a brief question and answer period with open discussion, followed by a walk through the South Street Historic District. Save Our Seaport is hosting a series of Town Meetings to talk and walk about New York’s South Street Seaport Historic District. Developing and preserving the NY South Street Seaport Historic District is a two-fold challenge. It requires a responsible development plan which guarantees the economic viability of the District while also maintaining, preserving and celebrating the historic importance of this integral part of our city’s history. SOS invites the public —New Yorkers and visitors to our city alike—to examine development that preserves the view of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and the Tall Ships; re-establishes the vibrancy and color of the Seaport District; fully engages the educational work of the South Street Seaport Museum, maintains ties to an active waterfront, and locates a world class food mecca in the New Amsterdam Market.

EASTERN NEW YORK TIMELINE - 1795

Mar 5

The Madison County  town of Brookfield is formed from the Oneida County town of Paris.    

Mar 17

The Albany County own of  Bern is formed out of Rensselaerville and named for the first settler and mill oner Jacob Weidman's birthplace in Switzerland.    **    The Columbia County town of Chatham is formed from Canaan and Kinderhook.

Apr 3

Connecticut native Elihu Phinney begins publishing Otsego County's first newspaper, the Herald and Western Advertiser, at Cooperstown.

Apr 6

Schoharie County is carved out of Albany and Otsego counties.

Apr 9

The New York State Legislature passes "An act for the encouragement of schools". $50,000 annually is appropriated for the next five years, to establish and support common schools.

May 24

Future governor Silas Wright is born to Samuel Silas and Eleanor Goodale Wright, in Amherst, Massachusetts.

August

Utica's Jason Parker begins advertising stage mail and passenger service, starting next month, between Whitestown and Canajoharie.    **    Lansingburgh Recorder publishers George Gardner and James Hill move to Troy.

Nov 2

The Holland Land Company purchases a Utica lot near the downtown Square and Whitesboro Street, future site of the York House hotel.

Dec 14

Engineer John Bloomfield Jarvis is born in Huntington, Long Island.

Dec 16

Schoharie County officials first meet at the village of Schoharie, decide to build the county courthouse two mile to the west.

New York State
Area pioneer Israel Stone dies and is believed to be buried in Washington County, N.Y. though the location is unconfirmed.    **    Schenectady's Union College is founded.    **   A portion of Schoharie County is formed from Albany County.    **    The Lansingburgh Recorder's publishers  Gardner and Hill leave the  state and the paper closes by the end of the year.    **    Natutralist Amos Eaton enters Williams College, in Massachusetts.    **    Suffolk County lawyer Silas Wood enters the State Legislature.    **    Judge William Cooper of Cooperstown is elected to Congress.    **    Former Oneida County  resident Benjamin Cleveland pioneers Chenango County's village of German.     **    $600 is added to the building fund for courthouse and jail near Ballston Spa.    **    Samuel Leis' state map is published.    **    Herkimer County's German Flats contains 40 homes and a Dutch Reformed Church.    

Utica, NY

Carpenter and builder Apollos Cooper settles at Utica. He will build a bridge across the Mohawk, just to the north of the future Bagg's Square.    **    The Western Sentinel newspaper begins publication in Whitesboro, near Utica.    **   Blacksmith Moses Bagg replaces his shop with a two-story wooden building, creating a tavern.

© 2014    David Minor / Eagles Byte

SOUTH STREET SEAPORT MEETING - AUGUST 13, 2014

Save Our Seaport invites the public to its fifth Town Meeting Wednesday, August 13, 2014 6:30-7:30PM Southbridge Towers Community Room Guest Speakers include: Maureen Koetz, Environmental Law Attorney Joanne Gorman, Southbridge Towers resident, SOS Activist Bridget Schuy, Realty Specialist Lower Manhattan After the speakers there will be a brief question and answer period with open discussion, followed by a walk through the South Street Historic District.

The Search for the Underground Railroad in Upstate New York

Thursday, August 14th

6:30 p.m.

Old County Courthouse, Fonda, N.Y.

        Please join us on Thursday, August 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Montgomery County’s Old Courthouse on 9 Park Street in Fonda, NY  for author Tom Calarco’s presentation and book signing on a fascinating piece of local history the Underground Railroad.

The Program on August 14

Because of its clandestine nature, much of the history of the Underground Railroad remains shrouded in secrecy--so much so that some historians have even doubted its importance. After decades of research, Tom Calarco recounts his experiences compiling evidence to give credence to the legend's oral history in upstate New York. As the Civil War loomed and politicians from the North and South debated the fate of slavery, brave New Yorkers risked their lives to help fugitive slaves escape bondage. Whites and blacks alike worked together on the Underground Railroad, using ingenious methods of communication and tactics to stay ahead of the slave master and bounty hunter. Especially after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, conscientious residents doubled their efforts to help runaways reach Canada. Join Calarco on this journey of discovery of one of the noblest endeavors in American history.

After the presentation Tom will be selling and autographing copies of his new book The Search for the Underground Railroad in Upstate New York.

We hope you’ll join us on August 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Montgomery County’s Old Courthouse for this very interesting program. Admission is free. The Old Fonda Courthouse is located at 9 Park Street in Fonda, NY. For more information, please call MontgomeryCounty Historian Kelly Farquhar at (518) 853-8186.  

SAVE OUR SEAPORT MEETING - JULY 30TH

Our next Save Our Seaport meeting 

is Wednesday July 30th, 6:30pm at the 

St. Margaret’s Conference Room. 

St. Margaret’s is located at 49 Fulton St.

NEW YORK CITY TIMELINE - 1801

1801

Jan 5

Merchant James Griffiths dies.

Jan 12

16-year-old Catherine Laverty, wife of merchant Henry Laferty, dies.

Jan 14

New York armorer's mate John Burnham of the USS Portsmouth, dies in Norfolk, Virginia, 

after a lingering illness.

Jan 31

New York sea captain Zachariah Henshaw dies in Ramsgate, England, at the age of 50

Mar 13

The Russian ship Fortune, after being boarded and released by a British frigate, arrives in 

New York harbor.

Mar 30

Austrian-born Rachel Myers, wife of former Loyalist Benjamin Myers and mother of future 

Schenectady mayor Mordecai Myers, dies in New York City.

Mar 31

Merchant Andrew D. Barclay, of the firm of McEvers and Barclay, dies in the Bahamas.

Apr 2

Rebecca Michaels Hays, widow of shipping merchant Juday Hays (both Dutch-born Jews), 

dies in New York City at the age of 92.

Apr 16

Ann Griswold Hitchcock, wife of Doctor Daniel Marvin Hitchcock, dies in New York City at 

the age of 23, following a long illness.

Apr 18

29-yer-old jeweler and silversmith George Alexander dies at the Pearl Street home of his 

partner Henry Riker, near their shop at 350 Pearl Street.

Apr 21

Philemon Hunt, son of merchant Abraham Hunt, dies at the age of 20.

Apr 23

Distiller John C. Ehinger dies of burns suffered during a fire in his Cross Street plant.

Apr 25

Maiden Lane merchant Charles Holmes and six other New York City passengers drown 

when a Brooklyn Ferry is overturned during a storm, which also drowns fisherman Jacob 

Fornell.

Apr 26

The body of a tailor named Farlane is found drowned of a dock at Pine Street.  Farlane, who 

presumably had fallen in while drunk, had been in the water for some weeks.

May 5

Results of the 1800 U.S. ensues shows New York City, with  population of 60,482 people, is 

the largest in the nation.

May 11

Aaron Burr lieutenant William P. Van Ness is proposed for membership in the Republican 

political club, the Society of St. Tammany.

Jun 1

Captain Robert Richard Randall bequeaths his Staten Island property, formerly the Eliot 

Estate, for the Sailors Snug Harbor Home.

July

The Common Council contacts the Manhattan Water Company seeking compensation for 

paving displaced when water mains were run. The case will be in the courts for the next 

three years.

Jul 7

The Franklin Typographical Association meets to celebrate 26 years of U.S. Independence.

Jul 11

Songwriter (The  Soldier's Farewell), playwright and poet John Hill Hewitt is born n New 

York City to music publisher and publisher James Hewitt and his wife.

Jul 20

The Boston Gazette reports the four largest U.S. cities are Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore 

and Boston.

Aug 17

Physician Richard Bayley, the city's first heath officer, dies of yellow fever after checking a 

shipload of Irish immigrants. many of whom were dying of the disease.

Aug 25

John B. Provost replaces Richard Harrison as Recorder of New York City.

Sep 1

Staten Island's Sailors Snug Harbor is established.

Sep 10

New York State governor George Clinton has New York City mayor Richard Varick 

replaced by Edward Livingston.

Sep 18

The first issue of the New York Times daily newspaper is published.

Oct 7

A copy of the French treaty ratification arrives in New York and is forwarded to 

Washington.

Oct 20

Lawyer, politician and businessman Morris Franklin is born to merchant and Chief 

Engineer of the Volunteer Fire Department Thomas Franklin and his wife.

Nov 16

Federalist Alexander Hamilton founds the New York Post with William Coleman as its 

editor.

New York City

The office of City Comptroller is formed as an appointive office.    **    The Zion Episcopal 

Church is founded in the Five Points neighborhood of Manhattan.    **    The Gerogian-

Gothic, field stone  Church of the Transfiguration is built on Mosco Street (later 25 Mott 

Street) for the Zion English Lutheran Church.    **    Benjamin Moore is elected coadjutor 

bishop of New York, to assist Samuel Provost who is preparing to retire. He also replaces 

Charles Henry Wharton as President of Columbia University.    **    The 26th annual edition 

of Longworth's American Almanack, New-York Register and City Directory is published.    

**    Christian Brown becomes a bookbinder.    **    Edward Livingston is appointed mayor 

for each of the next two one-yaer terms.    **    Elizabeth Ann Seton resides at the Church of 

Our Lady of eh Rosary, in lower Manhattan.    **    Eliza Astor is born to John Jacob and 

Sarah Astor, their youngest daughter.    Washington Irving laves the law office of  Henry 

Masterton to work for attorney Brockholst Livingston.    **    The Manhattan Company' 

Chambers Street reservoir is completed at a cost of $17,428, and filled, it's second half 

revenues total nearly $100,000 a, paying stockholders $2.50 a share.    **    Kinderhook 

lawyer Martin van Buren arrives to begin practicing here.    **    Art patrons establish the 

Columbia Academy of Painting.    **    Hugh Auchincloss arrives from  Paisley, Scotland, 

estabiles an importing business.    **    Construction begins on the Harlem home of 

Alexander Hamilton. The "Grange" will be competed next year.

Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is founded as a shipbuilding facility.

©  2014  David Minor / Eagles Byte

TROY, NEW YORK, HISTORY WALKS

Saturday Troy History Walks in May and June

By Editorial Staff on May 6, 2014

The Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) offers walking tours of historic downtown Troy on Saturday mornings this May and June. Tours depart from the Market Table at the Troy Farmer’s Market at 10:30am. The cost is $5 per person, RCHS members attend for free.

Each week brings a different theme for the tours, which are led by RCHS staff. Tours frequently incorporate historic photographs and readings from letters and diaries.

Reservations can be made in advance by calling 518-272-7232, ext. 12 or by emailing ilenefrank@rchsonline.org. For more information, please visit RCHS website, www.rchsonline.org.

Schedule of History Walks

Saturday, May 10 Great Fire
On Saturday, May 10, 1862, sparks from a passing train set the covered wooden Green Island Bridge ablaze. Gale force winds carried pieces of the burning bridge into downtown Troy and the city of wooden structures was soon a blazing inferno. 152 years later, tour the areas of downtown Troy that were once devastated by this Great Fire.

Saturday, May 17 Amazing Architecture
Explore the streets of downtown Troy with this guided tour showcasing the architectural gems of 19th and 20th century Troy.

Saturday, May 31 Decorative Ironwork
Exploring Troy’s downtown physical landscape, this tour will highlight Troy’s well-known ornamental ironwork and cast-iron storefronts.

Saturday, June 7 Amazing Architecture
Explore the streets of downtown Troy with this guided tour showcasing the architectural gems of 19th and 20th century Troy.

Saturday, June 14 Early Troy
Troy was one of America’s wealthiest cities in the mid-nineteenth century. Discover the early years that led to Troy’s position as a city of prominence in 19th century America.

Saturday, June 28 Draft Riots
One of the deadliest Civil War draft riots in the nation broke out in Troy on July 15, 1863. Angry mobs of anti-war, anti-Lincoln, anti-Republican and anti-black protestors burned and sacked buildings and attacked innocent people. Tour actual scenes of the Riot and learn more about the events that led to the violent demonstration.

The Rensselaer County Historical Society and Museum is a not-for-profit educational organization established in 1927 to connect local history and heritage with contemporary life. RCHS is located at 57 Second Street, Troy NY 12180.

- See more at: http://newyorkhistoryblog.org/2014/05/06/saturday-troy-history-walks-in-may-and-june/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewYorkHistory+%28New+York+History%29#sthash.pylavPRI.dpuf

NEW YORK COURTS

Historical Society of the New York Courts & Albany Law School present: Illustrious Alumni - Bronson, Brewer, Mathews & Jackson

When: Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Time: 5:30-7:30 PM

Where: Albany Law School
Dean Alexander Moot Courtroom
80 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY 12208
Cost: Free & Open to the Public

Reception to Follow

REGISTER

2 NYE CLE Credits will be offered (Cost: $50)

PROGRAM

Robert H. Jackson, United States Supreme Court Justice
by Professor John Q. Barrett, Professor of Law, St. John's University & Elizabeth S. Lenna Fellow,

The Robert H. Jackson Center
         
David Josiah Brewer, United States Supreme Court Justice
by Dean Alicia Ouellette, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Intellectual Life & Professor of Law, 

Albany Law School
         
James Campbell Matthews, First African-American judge in New York by Hon. Randolph F. Treece, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York
         
Greene Bronson, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals
by Professor Vincent M. Bonventre, Professor of Law, Albany Law School
         
Conversation with Presenters
Moderated by Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt, President, The Historical Society of the New York Courts


The Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York was founded in 2002 by the New York State

 Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye. Its mission is to preserve, protect and promote the legal history of New York.