THE OLD MERCHANTS OF NEW YORK CITY
        Second  Series

By  Walter Barrett, Clerk
     1863

     MERCHANT  DESCRIPTIONS

       CHAPTER  7


      Last Sunday evening I was walking up Greenwich street, and when I
reached No. 337, I stopped and looked at the old house, once in a
fashionable locality, and occupied by one of the first merchants of the
city. Opposite was a block of handsome three story brick buildings (between
Jay and Harrison streets) and there also lived the first people. But now,
how changed!  Low tenement houses, dirty, out of repair, and daily witnesses
of scenes that shock humanity. It is only twenty years ago since the
occupant of No. 337 moved away from that house to Bleecker street. I allude
to Schuyler Livingston. I saw him only a few weeks since, as he tottered
along the street to his countinghouse in Beaver street, and complained of
rheumatism. On Monday, the 2d of September, he died at Whitestone, Long
Island. He was 58 years old.

SCHUYLER  LIVINGSTON

      Mr. Livingston was very much pleased with what I had written about
him. I do not think he ever had as much said about him before or since.
Schuyler Livingston was a true New York Merchant. He was educated to it,
serving a regular clerkship of five years, as nearly all of our great
shipping merchants have done.

      In 1819, when S. Livingston was sixteen years old, he entered the
counting-house of Henry & George Barclay. This house had been in business
about five years, having commenced just after the war. Their office was at
No. 3, in the famous Phoenix stores, that stood at the corner of Water and
Wall streets, as late as 1830.

      There were three of the Barclay brothers,____Henry, George and
Anthony. They were sons of Colonel Thomas Barclay, who was Consul General of
Great Britain for the Eastern States, appointed after the War of 1812.

      This firm was continued for some years. In 1824, when Schuyler
Livingston became of age, he was taken in a partner, but his name did not
appear, nor was the style of the firm changed from H. & G. Barclay until
1834, when it became Barclay & Livingston. This change was owing to the law
passed, and no name of a person should be kept in a firm when he was not in
it. Henry Barclay had removed from New York to Saugerties some years
previous, and the brother Anthony, (afterwards British Consul,) with George
Barclay, made the firm of Barclay & Livingston.

      The last firm has continued to this day, George Barclay being in it.

      They were the agents of "Lloyds," London. For nearly half a century
this house has done business, and for forty years Schuyler Livingston was
its main pillar.

      That man's whole life, from boyhood, was devoted to the mercantile
profession. He had no ambition outside of it. In forty-three years, since he
swept out the "office" as under clerk, he has not probably been out of New
York over a week at a time.

      To rise early in the morning, to get breakfast, to go down town to the
counting-house of the firm, to open and read letters,___to go out and do
some business, either at the Custom house, bank or elsewhere, until twelve,
then to take a lunch and a glass of wine at Delmonico's; or a few raw
oysters at Downing's; to sign checks and attend to the finances until half
past one; to go on change; to return to the counting-house, and remain until
time to go to dinner, and in the old time, when such things as "packet
nights" existed, to stay down town until ten or eleven at night, and then go
home and go to bed,___this for forty-three years had been the twenty-four
hour circle for Mr. Livingston, as it is for thousands. The credit of the
house___its standing at home and abroad___was dearer to his heart than all
the national difficulties of Europe. He thoroughly understood his business.
He never neglected it. He was careful, prudent and just; but the moment a
merchant failed, then good-bye to any further feeling of equality on the
part of the managing partner of the old and respected firm of Barclay &
Livingston. He might give charity to such a man, but never his countenance.
To fail, and not pay one hundred cents on the dollar, exhibited in the eye
of Mr. Livingston something wrong___a lack of moral qualities that Schuyler
could not comprehend. He never failed____why should other people fail? He
was a specimen of hundreds, that are great men on change. His routine of
thoughts and of action was precisely like them. It is not wealth___mere
gold, bank stock or real estate that such men worship.  His business
connection brought him constantly into correspondence with old English
merchants and firms. Those he worshipped, and he modelled his own
counting-house as far as possible after theirs.

      Mr. Schuyler Livingston would not have accepted the presidency of the
United States at any period of his long mercantile career, unless its duties
could be performed as secondary to those of the great house of Barclay &
Livingston. If by taking the presidency or governor of the State he could
have extended the business connections of the "firm," he would have accepted
the office, the same as he became a director in a bank or insurance company.
It helped him in business facilities.

      In a thousand ways and all unconsciously, this modest man, but true
and thorough-bred merchant, such as New York only can produce, loved her,
and added to her wealth and her greatness. He has passed away from the scene
of 15,000 days of labor. In his new surroundings, he will be a faithful man
and do his duty, and but one thing will confuse or disappoint him. It will
be to find in Heaven merchants who have allowed their names to go to
"protest" on earth.

      "The Evening Post" says a few kind words, viz:  "He was a man of great
intelligence, probity, and kindness of heart. In politics he was always a
staunch democrat; and though always refusing office, he was for many years
prominent in the councils of the party.

      "By his death the city loses another of those merchants of the old
school who made her name and her wealth and enterprise known the world
over."

THE  IRVING  BROTHERS

      The firm of Paulding & Irving was a very old one. Ebenezer Irving was
of the firm, and lived many years at No. 41 Ann street____the lower part of
Ann street, approaching Gold. Ryder street, and Gold between John and
Fulton, are at this day fair samples of the streets of old New York, and
even of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, after which they were modelled. He was a
son of William Irving, who was a merchant at No. 75 William, and did
business as early as 1786; and he continued there until 1795, when he moved
to No. 128 William street.

      I remember the modest two-story wood and brick house as well as
possible. Old William lived there as late as 1803. In later years, this
house was occupied as a milliner shop, 1826, and when it was torn down, a
splendid building was erected there, now occupied by Tiemann & Co., as a
paint warehouse.

      There was Washington, Peter, and William Irving; Ebenezer and John T.,
of the young children.

      Peter was educated as a physician, and kept a drug store at No. 208
Broadway; he had with him young William. This was as early as 1795. The two
kept there until 1803, when the old William and William Jr., founded the
firm of Irving & Smith. They kept in Pearl for twenty odd years, first at
No. 162, and afterwards at No. 145, as late as 1820.

      Old William Irving must have died some time in 1807, at No. 157
William street, to which he had removed from No. 128.

      Ebenezer Irving, the son, who was a partner of Nathaniel Paulding,
lived at No. 157, until a year previous to the old gentleman's death, when
Peter, Washington and Ebenezer all lived at No. 294 Greenwich street. Peter
kept at No. 67 Water street.

      The firm of Paulding & Irving was extensively engaged in the wine
trade. From 1801, the firm did business at no. 162 Front street. Niel
McKinnon was a clerk with them for many years. They did a wholesale as well
as retail business, and kept the choicest stock of wines, porter, brown
stout, and imported liquors and ales, that could be found. Both wrote a
bold, old-fashioned handwriting. I have accounts before me made out by both
partners. Ebenezer continued with Mr Nathaniel Paulding until about 1811,
when they dissolved. Mr. Paulding kept in the same store, No. 162 Front
street, until 1819, when he moved to No. 168. There he kept his splendid
stock of wines until 1835, when he, with thousands of others, was burned out
in the great fire. That event broke the old gentleman's heart. How well I
remember his remarkable appearance, and his honest countenance. After the
fire, Mr. Paulding started business at No. 35 Vesey street. He gathered
there a fine lot of wines, but there was none that he prized as he did those
in his old store. In Vesey street, Mr. Paulding kept as late as 1847; he
seemed to be alone. He boarded at No. 81 Murray street, and I think he died
about that time. He was an aged man, and much respected. In 1811, when the
firm of Paulding & Irving was dissolved, Ebenezer and Peter went into
business together at No. 135 Pearl street, under the firm of P.& J. Irving &
Co. Peter was the doctor, and I think the company was Washington Irving. The
last, with Peter and John T., kept at No. 3 Wall for the three previous
years. The widow kept house for them at No. 108 Liberty, until she moved to
No. 41 Ann where she lived as late as 1817.

      In 1808, when he and Peter were at No. 3 Wall, when he was
"Attorney-at-law," Washington planned  the "Knickerbocker History of New
York." In a preface, dated "Sunnyside, 1848" to the author's revised
edition, published by G.P. Putnam for the proprietors in 1859, he says:
"The following work, in which at the outset nothing more was contemplated
than a temporary jeu d' esprit, was commenced in company with my brother,
the late Peter Irving, Esq. Our idea was to parody a small hand-book which
had recently appeared, entitled "A picture of New York." Like that, our work
was to begin with an historical sketch, to be followed by notices of the
customs, manners and institutions of the city; written in a serio-comic
vein, and treating local errors, follies, and abuses with good-humored
satire.

      "To burlesque the pedantic love displayed, our historic sketch was to
commence with the creation of the world; and we laid all kinds of work under
contribution for trite citations, relevant or irrelevant, to give it the
proper air of learned research. Before the crude mass of mock erudition
could be digested into form, my brother departed for Europe, and I was left
to prosecute the enterprise alone.

      " I now altered the plan of the work. Discarding all idea of a parody
on "The Picture of New York," I determined that what had been originally
intended as an introductory sketch should comprise the whole work, and form
a comic history of the city."

      For years after I read that preface, I hunted after "The Picture of
New York."  That of course, must have been published about 1807. I could get
no one to tell me about it. A book that Washington Irving  would condescend
to parody must be a valuable book. It is only a few days ago that I found
the genuine book. No wonder that Irving noticed it. The title-page reads as
follows:

                      THE  PICTURE  OF  NEW  YORK
                                               or
                                The Traveller's Guide
                                     Through  The
                         Commercial Metropolis of the
                                     United States,
                      By a Gentleman residing in the city.
                                     NEW  YORK:
                            Published by J. Riley & Co.
                           Sold by Brisban & Brannan,
                               City Hotel, Broadway
                                         1 8 0 7

      The book contains 223 pages. The author, "a gentleman residing in the
city," was no less a person than Samuel L. Mitchell, as I have evidence in
the handwriting of the late Dr. Vache.

      It needs no evidence of its authorship, save what is found upon every
page, in the ponderous quotations that Washington Irving so happily hits
off. Mr. Samuel L. Mitchell was a wonderful man, and to show how quickly a
man in political life is forgotten, while Mr. Mitchell is remembered for
other matters, very few are aware of the fact that he was United States
Senator from 1804 to 1810 from this State, and a member of the House of
Representatives from 1800 to 1804.

      Anyone who will read the picture of New York___its preface, giving
"authorities," "situation," "size and configuration,"  "discovery,"  "Long
Island," will at once recognize the resemblance between Knickerbocker's
first chapters and it.

      To return to the business firm of the Irving Brothers.

      Irving and Smith continued in business until 1816, when they separated
their auction from their commission business, keeping the former firm at No.
142 Pearl street until 1818, when it took in Robert Hyslop, and it was
Irving, Smith & Hyslop.

      The auction business was carried on at No. 133 Pearl street, by
Irving, Smith & Holly. They all closed up previous to 1825.

      Even the house of Peter & Ebenezer Irving & Co. was dissolved about
1820. It was kept about ten years at 123 Pearl street. Ebenezer lived at No.
3 Bridge street, and kept store at 127 Water street. He was burnt out in the
great fire of 1835, but he did business as late as 1841. I think he died
about that time.

      William Irving, a son of the old William Irving,  was of the firm of
Irving & Smith. He lived at one time at No. 17 State street, and also at No.
3 Hudson square. I think he died about thirty-five years ago.

      John T. Irving died a judge. He lived in Chambers street. At one time
he went into partnership at No. 10 Pine street, in a "loan office" with John
Nitchie. The firm was Irving & Nitchie. They had an office at 60 Wall
street. Mr. John Nitchie was public administrator, and his house was in
Broad, just below Exchange street.

      The Irvings of the olden time added greatly to the wealth of New York,
to her commercial reputation, and two of them to her literary names and
fame.



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
                  For the Brooklyn Information Page


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