THE OLD MERCHANTS OF NEW YORK CITY
        Second  Series

By  Walter Barrett, Clerk
     1863

     MERCHANT  DESCRIPTIONS

       CHAPTER  27



THE  SUYDAMS  (continue)

      Another brother of the Suydams was Ferdinand Suydam, who was born in
1786. He started business in New York on his own account at No. 37 Front
street, in 1808. Previously he had been a clerk with Suydam & Wyckoff for
some years. I have his signature before me now, as signed in 1805, when he
was at his brother's learning business. The next year he became a partner of
William Boyd, and the firm was Boyd & Suydam, at No. 21 South Street. He
lived in the house No. 9 Bridge street, with his brother Henry.

      In 1811, Richard Suydam, another brother, commenced business in New
York at No. 140 Pearl street. In the same year he married a young lady named
Miss Henderson, of Pennsylvania, a very accomplished girl. He resided at No.
6 Stone street.

      Suydam & Wyckoff, 31 South street, of which John suydam who lived at
No. 4 Broadway, was a partner, continued until 1821, and then it
dissolved___40 years ago, but jJhn kept on the business in the same street
until 1835 and the fire, when he was burned out. He had a large family of
sons. There was Henry, John R. and Peter M.___all in business. About 1840,
old John moved up town to Waverly Place. These Suydams were great people for
sticking in one place and were not eternally moving. Frederick, who married
Miss Underhill, was of the firm of Suydam & Boyd. That firm kept their store
in South street, No. 21, from 1809 up to 1834, when the house of Suydam,
Sage & Co. was started. Ferdinand Suydam resided in these early years in
Bridge street, No. 5, near Whitehall, more than a quarter of a century. When
he died, he left three sons____ Henry L. Ferdinand, and Charles. Young
Ferdinand married Miss Whitney, a daughter of Stephen Whitney. Suydam, Sage
& Co. did an enormous business in South street until about 1850 and "51. I
do not know but they failed. I have heard they did, but failing is no crime.
It is evidence of doing an open, generous, and grand business____of carrying
on commercial operations on a magnificent scale___of adding wealth to our
city, giving employment to thousands. These are the  merchants who fail.
Merchants of minor minds, who can calculate closely, and know to a fraction
that twice one are two, and that two times two are four, never fail. On the
contrary, they make princely fortunes, but they do not add to the city
wealth. The city adds to theirs by its growth. It is the merchants who fail
that add to the wealth of the city, though they may die in the grand
charitable institutions their bold operations have helped to erect. The
merchants who like Suydam, Sage & Co, throw millions into the West to
advance on great grain crops and bring them forward to this city, that
sometimes fail when times are against them, they only are the sufferers, not
the city. In that firm when it failed were the three sons I have named, of
the old founder, Ferdinand. I believe he lived up in Broadway, corner of
Seventeeth street, until a year or two after 1850, and then I think he died
in Buffalo, being there on business.

      Richard Suydam, too, another brother, was one of the unmovable
Suydams. I have already alluded to him as having started in 1811 at 140
Pearl street. He never moved his store from that number until 1830, and then
only moved a few doors away. In 1824 or '25, he founded the house of Suydam,
Jackson & Peck. His partners were Daniel Jackson and Allen Peck. The latter
lived in Courtlandt street. He was in the firm only one year, and then it
became the great house known to all New Yorkers in the days of General
Jackson, as "Suydam & Jackson." Not that Dan was any relation of the
President, but he was  a worshipper of Old Hickory, and down upon the Old
United States Bank, and somehow or other, his house of Suydam & Jackson had
all the great Indian contracts, sold blankets by the million, and got
Government pay. That was all right.

      What Tammany man does not remember old Dan Jackson, with his hard
features, great and expressive, and a very determined man he was. He married
Miss Dunham, a daughter of David Dunham, who was a large auctioneer about
the commencement of this century. He lived in Moore street. The auctioneer's
store at the time was 144 Pearl, under the firm of "Dunham & Davis." The
last named was the celebrated Matthew L. Davis, the friend and biographer of
Burr. The latter was at the wedding of Miss Dunham. Her father, old David,
was killed by being knocked overboard from a sloop while coming from Albany
to New York.

      In 1830, the above firm of Suydam & Jackson was changed to Suydam,
Jackson & Co., and so continued until 1841. Richard, too, was a down town
man, living at No. 6 Stone street, until 1820, and after that at 65 Pearl
street, "close by the store," in the good, old fashioned style of our
ancestors, until 1835, when he, too, moved up town to No. 6 Carrol Place,
not near so cosy and so nice as it was at No. 6 Stone street, with the young
Pennsylvanian wife in 1811. I do not think there were any sons. There were
five daughters___Mary, Caroline, Adeline, Jane and Louisa. Suydam, Jackson &
Co., was kept up until 1840. Another firm was in the same building, No. 78
Pearl___Suydam & Kevan. Mr. Alexander Kevan and that partnership ceased
about 1844 and 1845, and then Richard Suydam closed a concern in Pearl
street he had started more than a third of a century previously. He left
business, but he resided at No. 6 Carroll Place until 1858, when he moved to
Bleecker street. I think he died that year.

THE  UNDERHILLS

       Ferdinand married a daughter of Anthony Lispenard Underhill, who kept
at No. 172 Front street. Old Andrew in 1790 lived in 167 Queen street, and
his store was at No. 20 Peck slip; his firm was Underhill and Bulckly. His
brother David commenced business in 1793, at No. 78 Water Street. Old
Andrew, I think, died about 1794, for the next year Anthony L. started
business as a grocer at No. 170 Water Street; and the same year David took
his son into partnership, under the firm of David Underhill & Son, at No.
234 Water street; they were iron mongers or hardware merchants. Old David
lived at No. 337 Pearl, near Beekman street. Andrew L., in 1797, while he
was living at No. 31 Dey street, took into partnership Mr. Benjamin Hustace,
and the firm was for some years Underhill & Hustace, at No. 172 Front
street. I believe it dissolved in 1802. Hustace lived next door to Mr.
Underhill, at No. 33 Dey street. When they dissolved, Benjamin Hustace
started next door to his old partner, at No. 170 Front street. Anthony L.
moved his residence to No. 42 Dey street, and lived there a great many
years. It was in that house Ferdinand Suydam married Eliza Underhill.

       David Underhill & Son kept steadily in the hardware business from
1795 to 1810, when they moved to No. 112 Maiden Lane. The old gent lived at
No. 13 Oliver street. The house went under about 1813.

      Anthony L. kept on his house at 42 Dey until 1817, when he moved next
door, to 44. He retained the old store No. 175 Fulton until 1819. In April
2, that year, the Fulton Fire Insurance Co., was incorporated. Anthony L.
Underhill was elected President, and O.H. Hicks was Secretary. He continued
President of it until the great fire in December, 1835, when the losses made
that company go into liquidation. Still Mr. Underhill continued to reside at
44 Dey street until 1835, when he moved to 28 Courtlandt street, but kept
his office at the Insurance Company No. 8 Wall street. In 1837, he had his
place of business in Broad street, and following the up-town track, moved
into Fourth street. From that time he passed from a business life. I believe
he died in 1847 at Saratoga Springs. From 1811 to 1847, a period of 36
years, he was a vestryman of Trinity Church. This mere fact is an unwritten
story of a long Christian life.

THE  HEYERS

      I did not finish what I had to say about Suydam & Heyer. Samuel, who
was of that firm, was a splendid, gay fellow; he went into business with his
brother-in-law, Isaac Heyer, in 1794, when he was twenty-one years old; he
died in the autumn of 1797, only twenty-four years old. Had he lived, he
would have been a splendid merchant. The firm was kept up for a few years,
for not at that time, nor until 1833, was there any law against doing
business under any style or firm. If a partner died, his partner continued
on the firm as long as he pleased. So in 1796. Isaac Heyer kept up the name
until 1803, at the old store No. 67 Front street. He did a very heavy
business for many years at that same place. George B. Rapelje was a clerk
with him in 1804. There were three distinguished brothers of the
Heyers___Isaac, Cornelius and Walter. They were sons of William Heyer, who,
as late as 1793, was an iron monger (hardware) in Smith street; four years
later, "Walter & Isaac Heyer," in 1797, started the iron-monger business at
No. 234 Pearl street, and they kept at the same old stand far into the next
century, at least, twenty years. The Isaac of the hardware firm was our
Isaac. In those days the name of one brother was used to give credit and
standing to another younger fellow. Yet I do not believe that Isaac shared
in the profits of the hardware concern in which his name appeared.

      In 1815 Isaac Heyer went into partnership with Henry Rankin, at the
same old stand Suydam & Heyer had in 1795, No. 67 Front street. Isaac then
lived at No. 24 Beaver. It was a large double house, south side. His brother
Cornelius lived upon the opposite side, at No. 29, a high stoop three story
house. He dissolved with Mr. Rankin about 1824. In 1825 the firm was Heyer &
Black. He took W.H. Black into partnership, and so it continued until Mr.
Heyer died. Then I think his only son, John S. Heyer, continued the
business.

      He closed his life of distinguished usefulness on the 6th of April,
1827. He left a large family. He was an officer of the Collegiate Dutch
Reformed Church, now the Post Office. He was a pillar and an ornament of it.
He was among the first in every work of mercy and munificence. His mind,
means, and labors, were devoted with unsparing liberality to the promotion
of good. He was one of the soundest and most valuable citizens. There were
few such as him to lose. There were more splendid men in his day than he,
but none more pure and blameless. He had an active, busy life, in the years
we have mentioned, and he went to his grave unsullied by a spot.

      Just as he was about to die, he said, "I find much neglected that
might have been accomplished."

      He was an efficient member of the Board of Conference of the Grand
Synod. He was Treasurer of it. He was a Director of Rutger's College. When
he died he gave $2,500 to the Dutch Theological College, $1,000 to the
Mission Society, and $1,000 to the American Bible Society.

      It was a melancholy sight for many to see his large family of
daughters, dressed in deep black, leaving Beaver street on their way up to
the old Dutch Church, where their father so long worshipped.

      There was a sister who married Richard Duryee. He became a partner
with Cornelius Heyer, under the firm of Duryee & Heyer. They kept a hardware
store at 47 and 48 Walter street. This C. Heyer was for many years Cashier
and President of the Bank of New York.

GULIAN  C.  VERPLANCK  (continue)

      Gulian C. Verplanck was a son of Daniel Crommeline Verplanck, a very
distinguished man in his day. He married Miss Johnson, a daughter of
President Johnson of Columbia College. Gulian C. Rresembled his father very
much in his personal appearance. The father also represented this State in
Congress.

      Gulian, of whom I have written, also married a Miss Johnson, a
daughter of Daniel Johnson, a farmer in Dutchess county. After the death of
Mr. Gulian Verplanck, she married George Caines, May 27, 1802, a reporter in
the Supreme Court.

MISCELLANEOUS  TID-BIT

      Our readers will recollect the long notice of John W. Mulligan, in the
first volume. He died January 17, 1862, aged 88 years. After the volume
appeared, he called once or twice at the office to see the author. I add a
few lines from an obituary notice published in the Commercial. Those who
wish to see a more complete biography can look back for the chapters that
contained the sketches to which I allude.

          "The subject of the above notice was born in New York while New
York was under British rule, but he well remembered and frequently related
how he stood as a little boy on a hill where Grand street now crosses
Broadway, and saw the last British sentinel file off, on the memorable 25th
November. He graduated in Columbia College, and afterwards practised law.
Gov. King was a student in his office. At one time he was a member of Baron
Steuben's family, and assisted at his interment. He was acquainted with Jay
and Hamilton as well as with other distinguished men of those times, and
partook of their strong federal views. In religion he was an
Episcopalian_____a churchman. Some years since he had the pleasure of
visiting Athens and seeing the fruits of labors for the cause of Christ in
the school founded by his daughters, Mrs. Hills and Frederica Mulligan. His
manners were urbane, and his conversation remarkably interesting___his
memory being good to the last. We shall never see his like again."

THE  SLIDELLS  (continue)

      I will add a few words correcting my statement in regard to the
Slidells. Thomas Slidell married Miss Callender of this city, and has two
children___one, Lieutenant William Slidell, in the Federal army, and one
younger. Thomas and John were law preceptors in New Orleans 1844 to 1848.
Tom was on the Supreme Bench of Louisania in 1847, and was Chief Justice.
That year John went to Mexico. When Daniel Lord made his fiery speech in the
Sumner (Broadway Tabernacle) indignation meeting, 1856, and gave John
Slidell a rhetorical milling, Tom challenged Daniel Lord to fight. Then
Daniel, a second time went to judgment, and issued execution against Thomas.
Shortly afterward, at an election in New Orleans, Tom was so badly (not
accidentally) injured, by a blow on the head, that he has become insane, and
is a patient in a Rhode Island lunatic asylum. The Sumner abolitionists said
this was a judgment for his justification of the "Sumner head beating," and
that he would soon follow Brooks and Butler to the tomb.



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