THE OLD MERCHANTS OF NEW YORK CITY
        Second  Series

By  Walter Barrett, Clerk
     1863

     MERCHANT  DESCRIPTIONS

       CHAPTER  3


      The last chapter related especially to Stephen B. Munn, but I did not
finish with all I recollected about him.

STEPHEN  B.  MUNN  (continue)

      On one occasion, he called into a large "stationery" store down town,
and there he espied a large cask of black sand. No one was in the store, but
a lad, who wished to be very smart, and make a large sale.

      "What is the price of that barrel of sand?" asked Stephen B. The boy
put on a pretty stiff price, about double the cost, and watched with anxious
eyes the suspense of his probable customer. Finally he spoke. "Young man, I
will go home and make a calculation how much my bill will come to.  "I will
take half a pint of the sand." The lot ordered would have amounted to about
a mill and a half. The old joker never took it.

      A rich merchant with whom the relator was a clerk, held a mortgage
upon the property owned by Mr. Munn, corner of Broadway and Grand street. It
ran along Broadway several hundred feet. The property was worth ten times
the amount for which it was mortgaged, but there was often delay in getting
the interest. On this occasion, Stephen was in. The question was asked, or
rather the object of the visit was stated as follows: " I called to get the
interest on that mortgage of Mr. P.'s."
      Mr. Munn____ "Did you indeed? Can you read the Bible, young man? "
      "Yes, sir."
      " I want you to read this chapter in the Book of Job."
      Young man read a chapter, and Mr. Munn listened with the greatest
attention. It was about a horse being clothed with thunder. After the
chapter had been read, Mr. Munn observed: " Job was a great old
fellow___wonderful genius. Now I'll give you a check for the interest money;
and , mind you, hereafter when you call I'll always give it to you; if I do
not, write me a note if  I'm out, and I will leave a check when I come in.
You read Job first rate."

      For several years he paid the interest promptly, and at last relieved
himself from calling by paying the principal.

      When Mrs. Munn died a few years ago, at the residence 503 Broadway,
her body was laid out in the house. Old Stephen could have been seen
apparently measuring the width of the street all day. He set everybody to
work conjecturing what he was trying to do.
      His brother, Patrick Munn, was in the fur trade many years. Stephen B.
Munn was a heavy subscriber to the free school when it was first started.

JOHN G. WENDELL

      When  Christian G. Gunther, the head of the fur house of C.G. Gunther
& Son, arrived in this city forty-two years ago, he hired out to John G.
Wendell, a brother-in-law of John Jacob Astor, and to this Patrick Munn,
brother of Stephen B. Munn. . From these two he acquired his knowledge of
furs. Wendell kept a furrier store at that time at
No. 77 Maiden lane, and Munn at No. 291 Greenwich street.

THOMAS  SUFFERN

      "Thomas Suffern, h. 11 Washington sq.," says the Directory of 1861, at
page 832.

      If the "Tax book" was consulted, very likely his name would appear as
paying taxes on one half a million of real estate, and half as much more on
personal. Yet who would imagine what an active career that same man has had
in this city, and how greatly he has added to its wealth and prosperity,
while pursuing and achieving it for himself?

      Mr. Suffern is an Irishman, but he reached this city very young--at
least fifty-five years ago.

      Of the circumstances that led Mr. Thomas Suffern into a different
business, I am not aware, but he was for years largely engaged in the Irish
dry goods importing.

      I confess my amazement even now at witnessing the energy with which
Mr. Suffern went into French. He must have been fifty-six years old then
(1834). I believe he contemplated giving up business, and traveling in
europe.

      He resided at that time in Park place, No. 23; the next year he moved
up to Washington square, No. 11, where he yet lives. He lived at 80
Greenwich street for many years.

      Thomas Suffern married a daughter of William Wilson a very wealthy
merchant. Mr. W. Lived to a very advanced age. He was an intimate friend of
old George Suffern, the uncle of Thomas, and it was probably this intimacy
that led to the marriage between the heir of the one and the daughter of the
other.

 Mr. Suffern attended the Presbyterian church in Murray street;
 so did old tobacco George Suffern. It is singular, too, that an
Irishman should be a warm Scotch Presbyterian; yet such was and is Mr.
Suffern, for he is now eighty years old, at least.

      The Murray street church was taken down in 1842, and removed to Eighth
street, near Broadway, its present location. Though it looks to be the same
church, yet it is really much smaller. The church occupied four lots in
Murray street, and only three in the present locality. The pews, and so
forth, are all smaller. It has been sold for a Catholic church and that
denomination now occupy it.

      Mr. Suffern ceased to attend the Murray street church long before it
was moved uptown. He joined Dr. Hutton's church, next to the University
building, and the corner of Washington place, facing the Parade ground, and
near his residence.

      Mr. Suffern has become a large real estate owner, and is immensely
rich. He inherited from his uncle and his wife very large properties from
each. He is liberal to his church, and frequently gives it $1,000 or $1,500
to help it along.

      I believe his only son, a young man of twenty-two years, died a few
years ago. He has daughters. One he sent to a Catholic school to finish her
education, and she became a Catholic in earnest, much to the annoyance of
her father. His business was an importer of Irish linens, diapers, etc.

GEORGE  SUFFERN

      His uncle, George Suffern, kept a tobacco store at No. 2 Depeyster
street, as early as 1792. The next year he moved to Nos. 4 and 6, where the
store was kept as late as 1801, when Thomas removed to 166 Pearl street.
There he kept until 1827, when he removed to 244 Pearl street, and remained
there until he left business in 1837.

      The old George Suffern did a tobacco business until 1810, when Thomas
succeeded to that business. The entire family lived at No. 59 John street.
The old gentleman had two nephews--Thomas, who took his business, and
Edward, who was a lawyer at No. 29 Pine street, about the time of the war,
1814; all the rest died or retired, except Thomas, who kept the old store at
No. 6 Depeyster, and lived at No. 59 John street.

      Old George Suffern never married. His property descended to Thomas,
his nephew.

JOSEPH  BOEUF

      In 1827, or thereabouts, a French teacher came out from France, and
settled at No. 29 Murray, corner of Church, north side. It was a modest
two-story house. There he taught French by classes, and he also taught at
private houses and in schools. Poor, modest Joseph Boeuf ! He went back to
France in 1836 with lots of money, and there, I believe, died. How many
thousands, male and female, must recollect the mild, amiable Frenchman! He
also took boarders, and taught them to eat French. He was the French teacher
of his day. He taught 10,000 persons in this city the French language. Among
his pupils, were Thomas Suffern, Walter Barrett, George McBride, Richard
Tucker, John S. Hunt, S.P. Judah, and 500 more of solid New York names.

WILLIAM  WILSON

       He was a Scotchman. I do not know when he came to this city; but it
must have been soon after the Revolutionary war, for he was a member of the
St. Andrew's society in 1786, when old John Mason was chaplain. He kept a
store in 1790, at 215 Queen (Pearl) street.
      I do not know what year William Wilson left business. He was a heavy
importer of British dry goods. His correspondents in Manchester, England,
was the firm of "Peel, Yates & Co." That Peel was the first Sir Robert Peel,
and father of the great Prime Minister, about 1799, a son of Yates came out
to this country. At that time Mr. Wilson kept his store at 217 Pearl street,
near Fletcher. Young Yates came out to get up a large business for Peel,
Yates & Co.. He was fearfully dissipated, got in debt, and was finally
locked up in the debtor's jail, a square building that stood where the
Register's building now stands, in the Park. It was a pleasant spot to live
in. There was a bell in the tower, and a railing around the cupola, where
the prisoners went to sun themselves. I believe young Yates died there.

      Mr. Wilson when he retired uptown, gave up housekeeping, and went to
boarding. Among his most intimate cronies were John I. Glover, who had a
country house out of town, William Renwick, and Thomas Buchanan, a great
merchant--Scotch too. He lived in a house that stood where the Merchant's
Exchange now stands, in Wall street, and Thomas Pearsall married a Daughter
of Mr. Buchanan. Mr. Gilfert died only a year ago. He has a son, a doctor,
in the city.

      Leonard Kip, a lawyer married a daughter of William Wilson, and is a
brother-in-law of Mr. Suffern, and has attended to his legal business for
many years. I believe Mr. Wilson had no sons.

      Mr. Wilson attended Dr. John Mason's church in Cedar street, until Mr.
Mason left it for his new one. Dr. McElroy afterwards preached in that
church. There were three of these Scotch churches in this city. One in
Pearl, between Elm and Broadway; another was McElroy's; and the new Murray
street Presbyterian church, where Dr. Mason removed. Mr. Wilson furnished
the money to build the church in Murray street. He was originally connected
with it, through its venerable pastor. The church in Murray street was
finished about 1812, and I think that about that time Mr. Wilson went out of
business. He was treasurer of the church.

      William Wilson was one of the "old school" benevolent old gents. He
was one of the few that met at the City Hotel, Nov. 29, 1816, to start a
"Saving's Bank." They did it too, although the bank did not commence
operation until the 3d of July, 1819. Mr. Wilson was one of the first
trustees.

DEPEYSTER  STREET

      A stranger who visits Depeyster street today can form no idea of what
it was in 1800, and a hundred years previous. It is a narrow street
extending from Water street to the water (South street.) It is a fair sample
of Dutch streets in New Amsterdam, and also of streets in Old Amsterdam and
in Rotterdam (where the author lived a few years) to this day.

      One of the Depeysters lived on the corner of Pine and Depeyster
streets, and the mansion is still there with its tile roofs. It is occupied
now by John D. Hennesay, builder.

      It was built at least a hundred years ago. In the Revolution, the
house adjoining of same age, was kept as a crack hotel, and British officers
boarded there. The upper part is now a tenement house.

GEORGE  ARCULARIUS

      He was one of the Trustees of the Bank for Savings. The baker so many
years in Cortlandt street. He was born in the old
house that stood until recently at 11 Frankfort street, now occupied by the
Leader Building.

PHILIP  I.  ARCULARIUS

      Old Philip I. Arcularius, a tanner and currier, put up the old
building, No. 11 Frankfort, about 1794. Ex-mayor James Harper married Miss
Arcularius, the daughter of Philip I, in the same building, and glorious old
times have come off on the premises.

HENRY KNEELAND (of Bogart & Kneeland)

      The author of this book has an arranged list of merchants that he
intends to write about sooner or later. Among the names of firms in his
portfolio, is that of  "Bogart & Kneeland,"  one of the oldest and most
respected commercial houses in this city. They started in business at 71
South street, in the year 1804. The attention of the author has been called
to this "firm," by a most melancholy occurrence that happened at 49 William
street, on the afternoon of the 2d of August.

      The firm is still Bogart & Kneeland, and continues in the cotton
business, although the partners of fifty-seven years ago must have been dead
long since. The sign over the present locality is 55 years old.

     Fifty-eight years ago, Henry Kneeland, of the firm of Bogart &
Kneeland, had his private residence at No. 183 William, near Beekman street.
He resided there some years, and probably in that same house, young
Kneeland, who killed himself, was born. Here is the story:

      "Suicide of a Merchant in William Street".--Coroner Gamble was called
upon yesterday to hold an inquest upon the body of Henry Kneeland, a brother
of Mr. Kneeland, of the firm of Bogart & Kneeland, cotton merchants, No. 49
William street, who committed suicide on Friday afternoon, by shooting
himself in the head with a pistol. Henry K. Bogart, the partner of
deceased's brother, testified that Mr. Kneeland came into the office as
above about three o'clock on Friday afternoon, and closed the door. Mr.
Bogart asked him why he closed the door, but deceased took a seat and made
no reply; deceased then made use of some incoherent language, in which the
word dishonorable" occurred, and drawing a pistol out of his coat pocket,
shot himself through the head. Witness ran for a physician immediately, but
all medical skill proved of little avail, as the unfortunate man lived but a
few moments; deceased never threatened to commit suicide, nor had the
witness any idea that he contemplated such a thing; deceased had been
pecuniarily embarrassed for some time past, and it is supposed that the
derangement of his financial affairs led to the commission of the rash act.
The jury rendered a verdict in accordance with the above facts, and the body
was handed over to the friends for interment. Deceased resided at Fairfield,
Ct., where he leaves a large family to lament his untimely end. Mr. Kneeland
was a native of New York, and fifty-four years of age."
      The Mr. Kneeland who founded the great cotton house was the subject of
scandal connected with Rosina Townsend, in 1836, when Helen Jewett was
murdered. It was said that when he died, proofs were found among his
returned checks and papers that he had paid $30,000 to suppress publications
about the matter.



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


Back To The OLd Merchants of NYC 1863
Back To BUSINESS Main
Return to BROOKLYN Info Main Page