Gulian Verplanck House — Beacon, N. Y

GULIAN VERPLANCK HOUSE — BEACON, N. Y.

by William E. Verplanck Mr. Verplanck, now deceased, was the grandfather of Bache Bleecker and the last Verplanck to inhabit the old residence. This article was, of course, written some years ago.

The date of the erection of this house I am unable to state, for no record remains. It is possible that it was placed in the north gable like the other old Verplanck mansion at Fishkill Plains, built in 1768, and that when the new part was built on Mt. Gulian in 1804, the date was displaced. Dates as early as 1680 to 1700 have been assigned for its building, but as the Wappinger Indians did not sell to Rombout and Verplanck until 1683, and the patent of King James II and the first partition in Queen Anne's time were much later, I have discarded them all and chosen a period when the land whereon the 'old house stands became the property of a single individual. This was not until 1725-30 owing to minorities in one branch of the family and other circumstances which made it hardly likely that any house should be built here prior to that period. The Wappinger Indians from whom the land was purchased were a part of the Six Nations and lived along the east bank of the Hudson almost as far as New York Island. Rombout and Verplanck were fur traders in that city with operations extending into New England and as far south as Virginia, as we know from G. Verplanck's journal. Rombout was of French origin. Neither he nor Rombout ever came here to live. The land was bought for its fur bearing animals from Indians who gave a deed of the property extending from Fishkill — a point 500 rods — north to Wappinger Creek, 8 x 16 miles. In 1706, the land — about 80,000 acres — was first partitioned into 3 great river lots extending to eastern limits — 21 /2 x 16 miles, and 3 smaller lots, the latter on north side of Wappinger Creek. By that time Rombout had died, leaving one child, a daughter, Catharine, his sole heiress, who had married Roger Brett a Lieutenant in British navy and a friend of Lord Cornbury then governor of the Province of New York. He was a cousin of Queen Anne and looked so much like her that he at times amused himself by donning female attire and showing himself at the governor's house, a vain man and not over scrupulous, like many of the colonial governors, and quite unlike Queen Anne. There were exceptions — very few — Dongan and Montgomery both, and Coote, later Earl of Bellamont — but this is a digression. Van Cortlandt, a copatentee, too was dead and so was Gulian Verplanck and his widow married to Jacob Kip. There were minor children. Brett wanted the land divided and it was done. Madame Van Cortlandt vainly opposed with all her power. The Verplanck minors were unrepresented and without a guardian ad litem as is now the practise in equity. This partition was done on the law side of the court — no court of chancery then being in the province — as we know from the inquisition of the Sheriff and his 12 assessors. There is an old document that shows it — Dutchess and Ulster had one sheriff then. I should have said that the old Indian deed and patent are no longer in existence, but they were placed upon record very early — over two centuries ago. The only Indian conveyance in the family that I know of is

35

that of Verplanck Point, near Peekskill — a, tract bought of Oskewan( ? ) and other Indians — a modest and simple 'transport' in form, which my cousin has neatly framed. This division of the Rombout patent was, it seems to me, wholly against the interests of the Verplanck minors. Brett got by far the best of it — the valley of the Fishkill with all its water power. The Van Cortlandts got similar lands along the Wappingers Creek, while Verplanck children were put down in the middle, with a little more land to be sure but no water and power sites, except a small one at the Plains, 12 or 14 miles from the river where William Verplanck built a flour and grist mill about 1720. This house was called Mount Gulian as early as 1750 when Gulian Verplanck died, giving it to his son Samuel with slaves, etc., and mentioning the farm in Dutchess County by that name — no reference to Fishkill or lands on Wappingers. It was fashion of the day to call country places 'mount' when situated on an eminence as it is here. Mount Vernon is similarly situated on the Potomac. The name Gulian is a peculiar one to our family and its connections. It was originally Gelyn and after various mutations became Gulian — it is the equivalent of Guilleaume in French and several of the family translated it into William, as others did with their baptismal name of Jacobus making it James. Gulian was a merchant in New York. Not long ago a magazine writer proved to his own satisfaction that he had been in complicity with the pirates who long had friendly relations with many of the New York City's merchants. Kidd's story is no myth. He was a privateer or merchant gone wrong and there is some doubt even as to his guilt. Lord Bellamont determined to put down the pirates who then infested the seas (he was a reformer of those days) and Kidd was put at the head of the expedition —It proved so successful and profitable to the syndicate of New York and London merchants and others in government circles that a scandal was created. So a scapegoat was required and Kidd was hanged in chains as a pirate, but a parliamentary inquiry into the whole affair was voted down in House of Commons. That Gulian sold 'prize goods' which were openly advertised in the press is all that the magazine writer has to base his charge upon. New York was then, as now, a cosmopolitan town with easy standards of morals and the builder of this old house was no better or worse than his neighbors. As a specimen of legal documents of those times, there is a parchment indenture of English conveyancers — observe the indented edge and its length and multitude of words. Not until about 25 years ago did we in this state rid ourselves of these verbose documents for transferring land. The Philip Verplanck of this old conveyance was the one who gave name to the Point, where he built a large house several years before the French and Indian war. It was a war in which he took an active part in sending troops and supplies by sloops to the north as a commissioner from New York appointed by the Governor to treat with the Six Nations' of Indians and thus to combat the influence of the French. He also represented the manor of Cortlandt for many years in the colonial assembly. This was the land granted to Stephen Van Cortlandt whose grand daughter, Gertrude, Philip married. He died at the outbreak of the war of the revolution and his homestead on the Point was destroyed by shot from the

36

British fleet as it passed up the river in 1777 and burned Kingston. Why this old house then escaped is a mystery, for every considerable object on shore was a target. No cannon balls have ever bean dug up on this property, though they are frequently found along the river. My explanation is that the house was shrouded in locust trees — some still standing — and almost invisible from the river. Even now with the new part, the house is inconspicuous. Now the French and Indian war, as we now see, was an important one for the colonists. It had united them against a common foe, the autocratic Bourbon regime of France, and resulted in the domination of anglo Saxon institutions in North America. That was the North American Phase of the famous 'seven years war of Europe' caused by the ambition of Frederick the Great of Prussia and which, through his machinations, involved all Europe and extended even to India and Canada — The conduct of Frederick the Great gave rise to historian Macaulay's famous saying "In order that he (Frederick) might rob a neighbor whom he had promised to defend, black men fought on the coast of Coromandel and red men scalped each other by the Great Lakes of North America." And this brings me to General Baron von Steuben who made his headquarters here in 1782-3 and who was of such great service to the American cause in the Revolutionary war by his system of tactics and discipline in which our troops were deficient. All this von Steuben indeed learned in the service of Frederick, as a soldier of fortune in the best sense of the word, for then the profession of arms was one in which young men of parts engaged, going from prince to prince. Young von Steuben was a native of Saxony, became a member of the household troops of the King of Prussia and gained the confidence of Frederick. He served with credit and honor all through the Seven Years war. When it was concluded, von Steuben applied for leave in order to make a series of visits in other countries for he had made friends among his opponents from Russia to Great Britain. As there seemed no likelihood of another war breaking out for some time, Frederick gave his assent and von Steuben set off on his travels. In 1777, while on the way to England, he met Franklin and Deane in Paris whom the U. S. government had sent to the French court in order to obtain a treaty off alliance. From them von Steuben heard of American Independence and his liberal principles, which had not been stifled at the court of Prussia, were aroused and he threw himself heart and soul into the cause of the colonists. We have not time to tell all that von Steuben did and gave in our cause from the moment he landed in 1778 until he drew up the rules and regulations at this house for the disbanding of the Army in 1783 under instructions from George Washington the Commander-in-Chief, who was then at Newburgh. It has been said that Frederick the Great urged von Steuben to take part with the American colonists and that we owe much to Prussia in consequence. Nothing is further from the truth. It was in Paris and principally from Frenchmen that von Steuben derived his information (besides that from Franklin) about the American cause. The funds necessary for the expedition were his own. French was the language he employed in writing and speaking for he never acquired any facility in speaking our language. No one then wrote in German not even

37

Frederick. General Washington assigned French speaking colonels, Walker and North, to von Steuben's staff and they remained with him until his death at his home in central New York near Utica on a tract of land given him by the State of New York. Congress gave him a pension of $2500 per annum but never repaid him the large amounts which he had disbursed in our behalf. In 1783, while the Baron was at this mansion, the final steps were taken which lead to the formation of the order of the Cincinnati (Cincinnatus returned to the plow) with which you are all familiar*. It was General Knox, while at West Point in the early spring of 1783, who first outlined a, plan for such a society and meetings were held there at his headquarters near New Windsor. Finally, at this house on May 13th, 1783, the institution or constitution was laid before the meeting and signed in the room which we call the Cincinnati Room. There is a facsimile of one of the diplomas — that of Ephraim Kirby ancestor of Mrs. Verplanck. The need of something such as a Society to commemorate the friendships and associations formed during the long war is favorably set forth by Colonel Kirby in a letter to his father-in-law. The owner of Mount Gulian at this time was Samuel Verplanck whose portrait hangs in the adjoining room. He lived for the most part on Wall St., New York, and had been a member of the Colonial government before the Revolution. His name appears as treasurer on an issue of paper money put out by the colony. On the breaking out of the war he espoused the cause of the colonists and became a member of the Committee of Safety. Later he tendered this house to General von Steuben as a headquarters. The next event of historic interest at this house was the entertainment of the Marquis de Lafayette when he was the guest of the nation on his second visit in 1824-5. While passing along the river, he spent the night here, sleeping in the room which is now the dining room. It was the custom then for spare rooms for guests to be on the first floor. The owner then was Daniel C. Verplanck who had been member of Congress and later County Judge of Dutchess by appointment of Governor Tompkins, of the same family, by the way, as the late Lewis Tompkins to whom this community owes much. Judge Verplanck, finding himself with a large family through his second marriage, and his home on Wall St. having been taken as a site for the Bank of the United States, left to make this his permanent home. Here he kept open house, being a man of large means and probably one of the largest land owners in the State for he had large holdings in Hardenburgh patent, Delaware County, as well. The failure of the 'Middle District Bank' at Poughkeepsie and the attack of President Jackson on the Bank of the United States resulting in its liquidation, in both of which Judge Verplanck was heavily interested, seriously impaired the fortune left him as sole heir by his father. So that on his death in 1834, with the division of his property into seven parts and the great shrinkage in the value of Dutchess and Delaware Counties lands which came later, but little is left today among any one of his many descendants to indicate the wealth of his father or grandfather, the builder of this house. Daniel C. Verplanck was the last of the family to be born under a foreign flag, Dutch or English. In 1883, the Society of the Cincinnati

38

gathered here to commemorate the centenary of its foundation. The scenes of activity here during the Civil War in behalf of the soldiers and sailors should not be forgotten. In 1889, the historical importance of the mansion was fully attested by the Colonial Dames of the State of New York by the placing of a memorial tablet in bronze at the door upon entering.

39