THE OLD MERCHANTS OF NEW YORK CITY
        Second  Series

By  Walter Barrett, Clerk
     1863

     MERCHANT  DESCRIPTIONS

       CHAPTER  38



	I have had frequent occasion on this work to speak of an old mercantile
family in New York of the name of Woolsey. There have been great merchants
of that name in this city, from the time of its foundation to the present
hour. George Woolsey came to this city in 1623, with the first Dutch
emigrants; probably he was a boy 13 years old at the time. Nine years later
he became a merchant, or trader, as was the more proper designation in the
early years of this city, when it was called New Amsterdam. George kept in
business in this city until 1647, when he retired, having bought a country
place on Long Island, where he died in 1698, aged 86. He was not a Dutch
boy, but was English, and a relative of the great Thomas Woolsey, of massive
intellect and ambition, who was Prime Minister to King Henry the Eighth. The
grandfather of George was named Thomas, after the Cardinal. His grandson,
Benjamin, was exiled to Holland in 1610, when he had the son George born to
him, who afterwards became a distinguished New York merchant, as above
stated. This George had a son, also named George, who was born in this city
in 1650, and is mentioned in the patent of Governor Dongan of 1686. He died
in 1741, aged 90. He had a son Benjamin, who was born in 1687 and died in
1756. Hugh Gaines, Mercury for August, 1756, has a long obituary, in which
it speaks of him as a very remarkable man, and that "his intellectual powers
were much above the common level." His son Benjamin was born in 1717, and
died in 1751. His second wife was a daughter of Doctor George Muirison. His
sons by her were Benjamin Muirison, John Taylor, George, William, Walter,
and George Muirison. One daugher, Sarah, married Moses Rogers, of whom I
have written a sketch; and another married the celebrated William Dunlap,
the historian, theatre manager and writer. Of course these last were
brothers-in-law of William Walton Woolsey. This latter was called after one
of the William Waltons, a connection by marriage.

B. M. Woolsey was born February 17th, 1758, and died at Bridgeport in `1813.
John Taylor Woolsey was born in 1762, and died in the West Indies in 1798.

I think George Woolsey died early. If I am not mistaken, he was with Daniel
McCormick as a clerk about the time of the War of the Revolution, in 1780. I
have his receipt before me, signed January 30, 1781.

William Walton Woolsey, the eminent merchant for many years, was born Sept.
17, 1766. In 1792 he married Miss Dwight, of New Haven. He was in business
in the house of Rogers & Woolsey, at No. 235 Pearl street, as early as 1795.
Mr. Woolsey was doing an immense mercantile business for a great many years.
He had several children. His daughter Mary Ann married George Hoadley, of
New Haven. Elizabeth married Francis B. Winthrop; one of the children of
this marriage is the gallant Major Winthrop, who was killed near Newport
News, and who had so distinguished himself as a writer. His death was as
widely lamented as that of any officer who has been killed in this war.

William Cecil was born in 1796, and married Catherine, daughter of Theodorus
Bailey; died in 1840. John Mumford, twin brother of William Cecil, married
Jane Andrews, and lives at the West. Laura, another daughter, married
William Samuel Johnson, who was a lawyer in this city, and in 1834 was
Assistant Alderman of the Third Ward. He also ran for Congress that year.
Mr. Johnson had children, one son and a daughter Susan. I believe the family
has removed to the West. Another daughter, Sarah, married Charles F.
Johnson, of Oswego. Another son was Theodore Dwight Woolsey, who was born in
1801, and is a Professor of Greek in Yale College, New Haven.

Mr. Woolsey was one of the most prominent members of the Chamber of Commerce
in this city. He was elected its secretary in 1796, and held it some years.
In 1825 he was elected Vice President, and continued to be re-elected until
August 18th, 1838, when he died, aged seventy-three. He was engaged in every
benevolent and useful work. He was elected Vice President of the
Manufacturing Society of this city as early as 1797. In 1803, the Merchants'
Bank was started, and old Oliver Wolcott (afterwards Governor of
Connecticut), was made its first President. The Bank was not incorporated by
act of the Legislature until March 26, 1805, and then W.W. Woolsey was named
as one of the Directors, incorporated with such other strong names as Joshua
Sands, Isaac Hicks (that brought up Jacob Barker), David Lydig, Henry A.
Coster, and others. The Bank obtained a charter to save it from the
operation of an "Act to restrain unincorporated Banking Associations" that
had passed the previous Legislature. Joshua Sands succeeded Oliver Wolcott
as President of the Merchants' Bank, and Mr. Woolsey remained a Director
many years.

As an evidence of the speedy manner in which justice was meted out in old
times to criminals in this city, I will relate the following:

On Monday night, the 1st of February, 1803, the store and counting-room of
Woolsey & Rogers, No. 235 Pearl street (Moses Rogers was the partner with W.
W. Woolsey), was broken open, and a red morocco pocket book was taken
thence. It contained a bill of exchange for $2,500 sterling. one for L100,
one for L173, one for L326, one for L67, and two notes of the Bank of New
York for $5 each, and a note of hand for $50. There was also stolen ten
dollars in silver, a ticket in the South Hadley Canal Lottery, and a steel
mounted pistol. The house offered a reward of $40 for "apprehending the
person or persons." It was successful. On the 5th four negroes were taken
up. On the Monday afternoon of the 7th February, in the Court of General
Sessions of the Peace, held in this city, and then adjourned that same
evening, came on the trial of these four colored thieves. After an hour's
trial, they were convicted on two indictments. Three of them were sentenced
to be imprisoned in the State prison, at hard labor, for seventeen years
each, and the fourth negro for eight years. In these times it would have
been a year, if not three, before these thieves would have been tried or punished.

An eminent merchant in these days, if he was robbed of a lottery ticket,
would keep shady, but in the old time, there was hardly a merchant of note,
unless he belonged to the church, who did not speculate in lottery tickets.
Such accounts as this were quite common. "The ticket No. 11,508 which drew
the prize of $15,000 in the lottery No. 1, for encouragement of literature,
drawn on the 13th of February, 1803, was sold by T. B. Jansen, bookseller,
No. 248 Pearl street, to Messrs. Tomlinson & Co., merchants of this city."
The last firm was one of the most eminent in this city.

As Moses Rogers, who started the sugar refining in the old Liberty street
prison in 1804, was once a partner of the Woolseys, I presume that is the
way the Woolseys became so extensively engaged in sugar refining in later
years.

He was also one of the prominent Governors of the New York Hospital; was
elected in 1799, and continued until 1802. He was re-elected again in 1829,
and continued to 1834. Mr. Woolsey was one of the most prominent citizens as
well as most enterprising of merchants, sixty years ago. He belonged to a
popular club of that day, as did his brother George Muirison Woolsey,
Charles Brockden Brown, Samuel L. Mitchell, and William Dunlap, his
brother-in-law.

In 1807, Mr. Woolsey became president of the Eagle Fire Insurance Company,
that had been started under very favorable officers a few years previous.
When Mr. Woolsey dissolved with Mr. Rogers, the latter paid him a very
handsome sum not to go into the iron monger trade in this city for a
stipulated number of years. Mr. Woolsey became sick of having made such an
arrangement, so he went to New Haven and started a hardware store in that
city. He was also president of a bank, (Eagle I think.) He remained in the
Elm City until 1815, when he came back to New York and started business
again at 227 Pearl street, under the firm of W. W. Woolsey & Co., the term
for which he had agreed not to do business (ten years) having expired. His
partner was Abraham W. Woolsey. While at New Haven the bank did well, under
his management; Mr. Winthrop, his son-in-law, and Mr. Hoadley, another
son-in-law were both directors. The latter was made president after Mr.
Woolsey returned to New York. Mr. Hoadley broke the bank, I believe, by
issuing post notes, and the funds in speculation. Mr. Woolsey must have had
unbounded confidence in the bank, for I think he was a Treasurer of the
American Bible Society, and he placed the funds of the sacred society in the
New Haven Bank.

By some action of W. C. Holly, of the firm of Irving, Smith & Holly, the
amount was saved. Mr. Winthrop lost a large sum by that bank. There was a
long law suit in connection with the sum that was secured by Mr. Holly. In
1818, Mr. Woolsey moved to 61 Greenwich street. I believe he owned 57, 59
and 61 in that street, for he lived many years at 59. The house stood on the
corner of an allley way, was large, and in its palmy days was one of the
most desirable houses in New York. It was the abode of good old fashioned
New York hospitality. In 1825, Mr. Woolsey presided at the great Erie Canal
meeting held in the city. His son, W.C. Woolsey, for some time lived at 59
Greenwich. In 1832 he was of the firm of Woolsey, Poor & Convers at 16
Hanover street. W. C. Woolsey did business at No. 161 Pearl street. W.W.
Woolsey was president of the Merchants' Exchange Company for some years.

George M. the brother of W.W. Woolsey, and who was intimately connected with
him in business, was born in April, 1762. He went into business in 1797, and
that same year married Abby Howland, a sister of G. G. & S.S. Howland, the
famous merchants. She died in London, in 1833. They had a son named Charles
William, who was born in 1802, and lost in the "Lexington" steamer when she
was burnt in Long Island Sound, January 13, 1840. He left seven young
daughers and a son born after his decease. Another son of George M. Was
Edward John Woolsey, who married Emily Phillips Aspinwall.

George Muirison Woolsey was an extensive shipping merchant for many years.
After he married in 1797, he resided at 32 Greenwich street, and later at 56
same street. He has only been dead a few years. During the embargo he had
several ships that carried cotton cargoes abroad, evading the blockade. He
was under heavy bonds to the Government for each vessel that left to go to
another domestic port, that she should not go to Europe. He did manage to
send several vessels to Perth Amboy, and by some understanding with the
Collector of the Port, those ships did go to sea, and made immense fortunes.
Mr. G. M. Woolsey had to go abroad also to save property from confiscation
and himself from confinement, for violating the embargo. He went to
Liverpool, and resided there for some years, or until the Custom house at
Perth Amboy was burned and the bonds with it.

The Woolseys, at a very early period, became largely interested in the sugar
refining business. They made immense sums of money in it. They commenced up
near the old tobacco warehouse, in South street, between Clinton and
Montgomery streets, on the Eat river side of the town. I think the business
was chartered under the name of the New York patent sugar refinery, at any
rate it was made a stock company. I believe George Muirison Woolsey was the
founder of it, and then it was conducted under the firm of Woolsey &
Woolsey. G.M. Woolsey owned the property of Green Hook on Long Island. This
old cotton merchant left a large property to his sons, and they are among
the most respected of our citizens. The Woolseys were among the first that
carried on the sugar refining business on a very large scale, although early
there was a stock New York sugar refining company as early as 1804. It was
about the middle of the block in Church street, west side between Franklin
and Leonard. The company owned nearly all the block. They sold off portions
of it, at first to the French church on the north corner, and then to the
old Italian Opera company on the south corner. That company carried a large
amount of property, but closed their affairs without loss to the stock
holders about thirty years ago. Towards the close Benjamin Strong was the
president . About that time the Woolseys commenced the business, but carried
it on in a much more extensive manner.

W.W. Woolsey was at one time in the firm of Dwight, Palmer & Co., as a
secret partner. The senior was one of his New Haven relatives by marriage.

One of the sons of W.W., went to Augusta, Ga., and established himself in
mercantile business, but did not remain there long.

In the early days of Mr. Woolsey, or about the commencement of this century,
all the principal merchants would go out to the country to Hardenbrooks, to
dine every Saturday, and once a month they all took their families. It was a
great day for the junior members of the family, who looked forward to this
day of jubilee when they could go and room in the country. This Hardenbrook
had a place of public resort on the East river side, that would be about
Twenty-fifth street. You turned down a lane from the Boston high road, and
there found the house buried in trees. Several acres of ground were
attached. Only a limited number of merchants would belong to this set.
Another set was composed of Englishmen, headed by John J. Glover. They
bought a place and called it the Belvidere House. When the club broke up Mr.
Glover bought the place for his own account.

These were good old days in 1797, and on to 1812. In every case one of the
partners used to live over the store, no matter how extensive the business.
They dined at different hours. One partner got his dinner at one o'clock;
when he returned, the other partner would then go and get his dinner. This
was done, so that one of the partners should be at the place of business
constantly.

Merchants, during business hours, used to go and get their drinks at the
Tontine Cofee House. The Exchange was held there, and there was a splendid
bar kept. Upon it was a large bowl of punch, and another of lemonade. There
were crackers, cheese and cod-fish. The merchants called it lunch, and from
eleven o'clock to one, the bar of the Tontine would be well patronized.

End of Second Series

This is the final chapter of Chapters 1-38 of the book "The Old Merchants of
New York City 1863



Source:  The Old Merchants of New York City
Author:  Walter Barrett, Clerk           Second series
Publisher:  Carleton, Publisher, 413 Broadway
Entered according to the Act of Congress 1863
             _____________________________________

    Researched, Prepared and Contributed by Miriam Medina
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