THE OLD MERCHANTS OF NEW YORK CITY
        Second  Series

By  Walter Barrett, Clerk
     1863

     MERCHANT  DESCRIPTIONS

       CHAPTER  31

THE  ROGERS  FAMILY

      I have had occasion in former chapters to mention at some length two
large commercial firms that once existed in this city of the name of Rogers.
One was the firm of David Rogers & Son, large sugar merchants forty years
ago. The other was Rogers & Co., a heavy shipping house, largely interested
in forwarding tobacco under French government contracts for several years.
Both of these houses have been long since extinct. The business of the
latter is still continued by the founder, John T. Farish, who was a nephew
of the founder Lewis Rogers, of Richmond, Va.

      The Rogers' commercial house that I shall write about in this chapter,
existed soon after the Revolutionary war. In 1784, Rogers & Lyde did
business at 209 Queen street. The founder of that house was Henry Rogers,
who resided at 28 Beekman street. His partner was Edward Lyde. That house
did an immense iron business, and were called iron importers. It kept in the
same store (229) Pearl, as late as 1821---thirty-seven years. I will give a
history of it and of its eminent partners, before I finish this sketch.

      Another brother of Henry was named Moses Rogers. He certainly was in
business immediately after the Revolution, if not before it. He married,
about 1773, a Miss Woolsey. In 1785 he did business at No. 26 Queen street.
Afterwards, he founded Moses Rogers & Co.; after that it was Rogers &
Woolsey in 1793--at 206 Queen---(235 Pearl,) and there it was kept for
nearly forty years afterwards. I will give a sketch of him and his partner
before I finish.

      The oldest brother was Fitch Rogers. He settled at Stamford, Conn. He
lived in New York in 1803 and 1804, and was a partner with one of his
brothers. He lived in Connecticut and died there.

      Nehemiah was the youngest brother; in 1792 he came here from St.
Johns, New Brunswick, and founded the house of Rogers & Aspinwall at 45
Queen. He lived at 48 Beekman. His partner was Glbert Aspinwall. It was
dissolved in 1793, and Gilbert started business at 186 Queen (207 Pearl)
with his brother John, under the firm of Gilbert & John Aspinwall. Nehemiah
Rogers kept his store at 272 Pearl, and founded the house of N. Rogers & Co.
His partner was David R. Lambert. In 1799 the firm was changed to Rogers &
Lambert, still at 232 Pearl, where it was kept 28 years later. These were
all great firms. Before Nehemiah came to this city from the British
Provinces, where he had established himself, he was the first mayor of St.
John, N.B., and entertained the Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria. He
married a daughter of James Bell of Frederickton, N.B., who was father of
Isaac Bell--captain they call him, though he never was a captain but had
been supercargo to the East Indies several times. Captain Isaac Bell was one
of the finest men that every drew  breath. He was for many years connected
with Francis Depau and his line of Havre packets. His son is the present
Isaac Bell---one of our most prominent city officials. Nehemiah Rogers was
probably married about 1786 to Miss Bell. He was born in 1754. He died in
1849___aged 95, almost the last of the great race of old merchants who were
in active business in the last century. His venerable form could have been
frequently seen in Greenwich street until within twelve years. His was one
of the finest of human faces.

      These brothers had a sister, Esther Rogers. She founded a family, or a
race of merchants. She married the celebrated Archibald Gracie. He came out
to this country from Scotland as supercargo of a small vessel, directly
after the Revolutionary war was finished. He became one of the heaviest
merchants New York had seen up to his time. When he was in his prime, he was
doing business with all parts of the world. He owned many ships. There was
the "Eliza Gracie," the "Braganza," the "Mary", and many whose names I do
not recollect.  Mr. Gracie suffered severely from the Berlin and Milan
decrees. He could not get any redress during his life. After his death,
which occurred in 1829, General Jackson forced the French Government to pay
this as well as other claims. Between the British and French governments he
had suffered losses to an incredible extent. Over a million dollars was his
loss. As many of the readers have heard about French claims, I will give a
statement made by Mr. Gracie himself. He had waited and waited until he was
heart sick for redress. None came. Finally he sent the following eloquent
petition to Congress before he died:

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled:

                    The Memorial of Archibald Gracie,
              Of New York, a citizen of the United States,
                            Respectfully Sheweth,

      That your memorialist, in the year 1806, loaded the brig
"Perseverance," and in 1807 the ship "Mary;" that they were cleared directly
for Antwerp___sailed___were captured by British cruisers, and after a
forcible detention of a few days in England, arrived at Antwerp, one in
March, the other in July, 1807. At the time of their arrival, the only
extraordinary decree in existence which affected the navigation of neutrals
was the Berlin, of the 21st of November, 1806, which, among other
provisions, declared that English property, or manufactures, or her colonial
produce, were good prize; that no vessel coming directly from England, or
going to England or her colonies, should be permitted to enter a French
port; and that every vessel contravening the decree, by a false declaration,
should be seized and her cargo confiscated. In consequence of an application
to obtain the property in question, the French Government gave orders to
admit and land the cargoes in Entrepot. This decision evinced that the
government did not consider the relache forcee in England as sufficient to
justify the non-admission of the vessels and cargoes; subsequently an
inquiry was directed to be held, to ascertain if there were any English
property on board. This inquiry was scrupulously carried into effect by the
agents of the government, and a report was made that no English property was
on board. The ship's papers are acknowledged to have been regular, and no
ground was ever set up that there was a false declaration; nor could it have
been set up; for the fact of having been forced into England was stated by
the captains on arrival. Thus none of the provisions of the Berlin decree of
1806 having been contravened, all opposition to the property passing into
the hands of the consignees was expected to cease; but, though the vessels
were suffered to depart, upon bonds being given to abide the issue of such
decision as should be made, the cargoes were still retained in Entrepot; nor
was it until their perishing condition was represented, that orders were
issued to sell them under the joint inspection of the government officers
and the consignees, and to place the proceeds provisionally in the Caisse
d'amortissement.  At length, by a financial decree of Bonaparte, without
trial, adjudication, or any civil process whatever, the proceeds of all
sequestered property were directed to be taken out of the Caisse
d'amortissement, and placed in the public treasury. Part of the cargoes of
the "Mary" and the "Perseverance" being ashes, had been previously, in 1809,
delivered over to the department of war, according to a decree, by which the
value thereof was directed to be paid into the Caisse d'amortissement
(though such payment was the condition of the delivery, yet it never has
been made,) there was a process verbal drawn up at the time by the committee
appointed by government, detailing the transaction by which the weights are
given, and the value, notwithstanding heavy deductions, stated to be about
fr. 450,000; the remainder of the "Mary's" cargo produced about fr. 627,711,
and that of the "Perseverance" about 193,212, making the claim amount to in
all, fr. 1,270,000, without including interest, which, as the French nation
has had the use of the money, is as fairly due as the principal; more
especially as no claim is made for the depreciation of the goods by damaging
during the illegal detention in Entrepot, which depreciation was great, in
general, and upon the ashes amounted to twenty per cent. No possible ground
exists for withholding this property.

      Enough seems to have been said of the undeniable justice of this
claim; and of the duty incumbent upon the French Government (having in
several instances admitted American claims and paid them separately) no
longer to withhold the same measure of justice from your memorialist. Under
this statement of his case, your memorialist submits with confidence to the
wisdom of Congress to such steps in relation thereto as to them shall seem
fit.

      Few in the present day know how much many of the Old Merchants
suffered by war. The descendants of Archibald Gracie and Esther Rogers have
married into most of the principal families.  The firm was Archibald Gracie
& Sons. William, the eldest son, and afterwards partner of his father,
married a daughter of Oliver Wolcott for his first wife. His second was Miss
Fleming. Archibald Gracie, his second son, is yet living at Elizabethtown,
New Jersey. He married Miss Bethune, of Charleston, S.C. Robert I shall
speak of fully before I finish this sketch. A daughter, Sally, married James
G. King. Eliza married Charles King, the president of Columbia College, who
was of the firm of A. Gracie & Sons. Another daughter, Hetty, married
William Beach Lawrence. Another sister of the celebrated Rogers brothers
married David Lambert. His son was David Rogers Lambert, who was a partner
of Nehemiah Rogers, under the firm of Rogers, Lambert & Co. until 1811, at
232 Pearl. That year two of the younger Lamberts started a store at No. 231
Pearl, opposite. David R. Lambert was killed many years ago up by the
Sailor's Snug Harbor (near where Tenth street now is.) He was coming home
from a party at Edward Lyde's house. They met a gang of rowdies; one of them
struck him a blow that killed him instantly. The parties were tried for
murder, convicted of manslaughter, and was sentenced to ten years in the
State prison. D. Lyde was a partner of Lyde, Rogers & Co. in 1792. At the
time of his death, Mr. Lambert was living in Bond street, and owned two
others besides the marble house he lived in.

      Another sister of Nehemiah Rogers never married. Her name was
Elizabeth.

      Nehemiah Rogers lived at No. 4 Greenwich street from 1810 to 1849,
when he died. He moved there from No. 19 Robinson (now Park Place), where he
had lived from 1801. While he was living at No. 19 Robinson street, in his
own house, old Colonel George Turnbull, an English gentleman of wealth, who
lived many years at 43 Broadway, had a country seat, out of town (where
Waverley place is now.) It was a pretty cottage, with twenty or twenty-two
acres of land attached.  One afternoon the Colonel met Mr. Rogers, and said:

      "Rogers, I like that house of your's very much indeed. How will you
trade for my country seat and land?"
      "How will you trade?" asked Mr. Rogers.
      " I will make an even exchange with you."
      "That is about fair; but I will not exchange for one reason. It is
too far out of town," replied Mr. Rogers.
      "Nonsense, you keep a carriage, and can ride into town every day,"
urged Colonel Turnbull.

      At that time (1806) there were only fifteen persons that kept a
carriage in New York. Among them were Archibald Gracie, Moses Rogers,
Colonel Turnbull, Nehemiah Rogers, Herman Le Roy, Mr. Bayard, and a few
others.

      The house, 19 Robinson___itr ran through to Murray street___was worth
$15,000. He sold it for $17,000, when he moved to Greenwich street___1810.
The twenty acres out of town (Waverley Place neighborhood) would now be
worth millions. Either Henry or Edward Wilkes married a daughter of the
Colonel Turnbull, who lived upon his income. Nehemiah Rogers in 1807 took in
his son Samuel as a partner, and the firm was Rogers, Lambert & Co. When Mr.
Lambert retired, it was changed in 1811 to N. Rogers, Son & Co. They did a
very heavy business. The firm was largely engaged in importing for many
years, from all parts of Europe. It received consignments from all parts of
the South___cotton, turpentine, tar, and provisions. Mr. Rogers was largely
engaged in the  East India trade, helping to make up cargoes for the East
India ships owned by his brother-in-law,  Archibald Gracie. Mr. Rogers also
owned interests in some vessels. He was much esteemed in every relation of
life. He was a courteous merchant of the old school. He was truly a
Christian, and did everything that he could do to promote the good of his
fellow men. In 1807, he was elected a vestryman of Trinity Church, and so
continued until 1816, when he became a warden, and kept the honorable office
until 1842___a period of over thirty five years. He was in several of our
moneyed corporations as director. In 1816, he was a Director of the Bank of
New York, and was chosen several years. He had several sons. Samuel, Edward
M., Henry, who married Miss Livingston, a daughter of John  S. Livingston;
George I., Archibald Gracie, named after the old merchant, his uncle. I
believe all are living, except Edward and Henry. The mother died this year
(1863) aged 93 years.

      When Mr. Rogers moved into Greenwich street, all the wealth and
fashion of the city was in that quarter. The old  Custom House was in front
of the Bowling Green Row.  When he died, in 1849, the character of Greenwich
street had completely changed. Up to 1825, there were remaining twenty or
more of his old cronies. Colonel Robinson, father of Beverly Robinson, Isaac
Bell, Varick, William Bayard, Robert Lenox, Joshua Waddington, Cornelius
Ray, Mr. Lewis, Jacob Stout, and others. These used to meet and dine
together occasionally, at each other's house, and talk over old New York.
Old Captain Jacob would tell me with great glee about bringing over in the
ship he commanded, John Jacob Astor as a steerage passenger, and recite the
regulations, that no steerage passenger should be allowed to go on the
quarter deck among the cabin passengers; and was ready to take oath that
Astor had a few things such as are used in making umbrellas, and that they
were not worth $90; and these facts, that even now can be proved, but which
have been most terribly falsified, would be commented upon by these old New
Yorkers, whose early career had made New York the great commercial city that
she is. One by one these old diners were carried to their graves; and after
a long delay, Mr. Rogers followed to the tomb, with none of his old
companions to follow him. Had he lived until now, he would have been 108
years old. He was executor of the estate of Archibald Gracie.



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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