Chapter XXXIII

Among the most eminent of the commercial names that this city can boast of, stands that of Murray. Prior to the Revolution, Robert Murray in 1769 owned more tons of shipping than any other man in America.

Previous to the advent of Robert, there had lived in this city Joseph Murray, who was a lawyer of note, and after whom Murray street was named. That street was regulated in 1773. This Joseph, from 1720 to 1726, was a vestryman of Trinity Church, and from 1726 to 1758 a warden—37 years. The street ran through the "King's Farm" owned by Trinity Church, and she had the naming of the street. Mr. Joseph Murray was one of the first trustees of King's (Church) College.

Old Robert, the merchant, is celebrated not only for owning more ships than anybody else, but also for being one of the five persons rich enough to keep a coach. The Governor had a coach—Gerard Walton had another. Colden, the Lieut. Governor kept a coach, which was burnt before his window by a mob. Mrs. Alexander had a coach, and Robert Murray had one. He was a Quaker, or "Friend." He called his carriage "my leather conveniency," in order to avoid the scandal of pride and vain glory.

This Robert was not born in New York. He was from Swetara, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he had a flour mill in 1732 to 1745. He was an enterprizing, go-ahead person, and made several voyages to the West Indies in the way of trade. Slowly and by degrees he amassed a large property, and eventually became the greatest of New York merchants. He had extensive concerns in ships, and was engaged in every sort of mercantile business. About 1750, Mr. Murray went to North Carolina to reside, but left that State in 1753, to settle in New York city.

Old Robert Murray had a farm out on the East River, in the neigborhood of old Doctor Gerardus Beekman's place, at the head of Kings Road. There Mrs. Murray entertained General Howe and his staff with refreshments, after their landing at Kipp's Bay, on purpose to afford time to General Putnam to lead off his troops in retreat from the city, which he effected. She was mother to the celebrated Lindley Murray, as well as John, Jr.

Lindley Murray, the grammarian, used often to leap across Burling Slip, twenty-one feet, with a pair of fowls in his hand, as he came from market. His lameness was afterwards imputed to this cause.

I presume Robert Murray resided at one time in Franklin Square, or in that vicinity. His son, John Jr. resided at 155 Queen street (now 335) for many years. He occupied that house as early as 1786, and he died there in 1819, leaving two sons and a widowed daughter.

The numbering of streets in those early years must have been curious, and somewhat after the Spanish fashion in Cuba. The houses in Queen street were numbered continuously on each side, and in the order and date of building. For instance, the two Waltons, William and Gerard, resided next to each other; these houses numbered 67 and 68, now comprise 326 and 328. On the opposite side John Jr. lived at 155, near Isaac Roosevelt, at 159 Queen street, now 333 Pearl street, (Harper's Building) and George Dieterich at 150 Queen now 351 Pearl street. The latter house more up town than the lower numbers, 155 and 159.

Murray & Sansom lived at 188 Queen street. John Murray was also of that firm, and lived in that house. He was a brother of old Robert Murray, and a very eminent merchant. He was uncle to John, Jr.

The bold and daring shipowner, old Robert, died the 22d of July, 1786. He had suffered thirty years. All his living children, except Lindley Murray, who was at York, England, were about the dying bed of old Commerce.

The Murrays were Quakers. I think old Robert died at 188 Queen street, where his brother John, firm of Murray & Sansom, lived in 1792. I presume that 188 Queen was near where the second Quaker church was erected in this city in 1775. It was on Pearl street, between Franklin Square and Oak street. It was torn down in 1824, and stores and dwellings erected in its place.

Another of the name and house of Murray existed in 1786, and founded the concern of Murray, Mumford & Bowen. They did business at Crane Wharf, now Beekman street, from Pearl to the water. Fifteen years later Bowen went out of the concern, and its style was Murray & Mumford, and they kept their counting house at No. 73 Stone street. I have no doubt but that this family descended from the old lawyer, Joseph, who named Murray street.

Murray & Mumford did not dissolve until after 1805, but in what precise year I do not remember. From that house sprung in after years J. B. Murray & Son, 73 Stone. J. B. lived at 129 Chambers street. Robert Murray was a son. They afterwards did business at 66 South street. Hamilton Murray was in that concern. That J. B. Murray was the only one of the name in this city that dabbled in politics. He was once assistant alderman of the Ninth Ward, and in after years (1831) alderman of the Fifteenth Ward.

From that branch came also the great house Murray & Gallagher, No. 72 South street. That large concern was in existence from 1820 to 1837. It was second to but two or three houses in the city. They did an immense business. In 1834, or thereabouts, old Mr. Gallagher died, and the old Murray went out. Then Hamilton Murray came in with John Gallagher, the brother of the first named Gallagher. The house got embarrassed in 1837. Hamilton Murray had a beautiful sister, who married Judge John G. Mason. She was a most lovely specimen of the American woman.

The old Gallagher was from beautiful Geneva, in this State. His widow went back there and lived in a Paradise with beautiful daughters. Moses Gallagher married Miss Murray. George Gallagher, a son of the old gentleman, was for a long time in the employ of Howland & Aspinwall. In an evil hour he was tempted to go into the political instead of commercial world, and he bought The True Sun. He owned it in the disastrous campaign of 1848, and after George had sunk several thousands, The True Sun sunk never to rise more. Poor George, who kept up under all difficulties, was finally reduced to the position of holding a weighmaster's office in the Custom House.

"Ham" Murray, as he was called in his halcyon days, when he was a leader of fashion, retired from New York to become the president of the leading bank in Oswego. He is the financier of that region, owns a beautiful place, wife and so forth.

I return to Quaker John Murray, Jr. He was connected with a brewery that stood at 13 Oliver and 50 Catherine street. The firm was Murray & Cunningham. He was a great philanthropist, and engaged in every good work. As early as the Revolutionary war there was a society called "the Society for Promoting the Manumission of Slaves, and protecting such of them as have been or may be liberated."—"Meets at the Coffee House." John Jay was president, and John Murray, Jr., was treasurer. Quakers composed the standing committee. Such names as Samuel Franklin, John Keese, Willet and Jacob Seaman, William Shotwell and others. This was the parent of all the Abolition Societies, and flourished seventy-five years ago.

These two John Murrays were both celebrated in that day. John junior resided at No. 155 Queen, (now 335 Pearl street,) and John Murray at 188 Queen, firm of Murray and Sansom. Both were public men, but I cannot now always distinguish them in their acts for the public good. John, the nephew, was called Junior, to distinguish him from the John who lived at 188, his father's brother.

They flourished in the same years and in the same part of the town. The nephew was the brewer. While John junior flourished in every good work John senior, the uncle, was also prominent in benevolent and other enterprises.

He was a director of the United States Bank in 1804. He was also treasurer to the Governors of the New York Hospital in 1792. In 1804, John junior held the same office.

Old John Murray was a very large importing merchant. In 1800 he kept at 27 Beekman street, under the firm of John Murray & Son. In 1804 they kept at 209 Pearl street; and yet later in 1815 at foot of Liberty street. John Murray died worth half a millon. He had several clerks who afterwards became leading merchants. Samuel D. Reed, G. W. Somarindyck, and Merrit Pickering were among the number.

In those days to be a bank director made any man a most important citizen and influential person; and when John Murray was made a director of the old United States Branch Bank in this city, he was a made man. He often said that at one period of his life he was on the verge of bankruptcy. He had met with immense losses, and it seemed impossible that he could sustain himself.

Some time previous to his embarrassments he had purchased a ticket in the English lottery. At that time lotteries were permitted in England, and tickets were sent out and sold in the Colonies. There was an agency in Little Queen street, (Cedar.) They were undoubtedly conducted honestly, and in a very different manner from the Ben Wood, Brother & Co.'s, notorious schemes of the present day, that beggar thousands, engender murder and suicide, to fill the purses and add to the wealth of the parties who own them.

The day previous to the one fixed upon by merchant John Murray to stop payment, a vessel arrived from London, and brought the news of the drawing. Mr. Murray found that he was the holder of the number that had drawn the highest prize. He then lived in a large double house in Pearl street, above Fulton street, then called Beekman Slip, (269 Pearl.) His son lived near St. John's Church. He built up a row on Laight street. I think his son was John R. The old merchant died in that house in Pearl street. As I said before, he was in 1792 of the firm of Murray & Sansom, and lived and did business at No. 188 Queen street, (Pearl.) He had a country house out by the old Powder House, and Sun-fish pond, (near Twentieth street,) was part of the property. He owned all Murray Hill, named after him. In 1792 he was a director of the Bank of New York. He was also a director of the Mutual Assurance Company. He was in 1792 Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce, and in 1804, was President of that body. It then met in the Tontine Coffee House. Same year he was director of the United States Bank. He was a director of the Humane Society established for the relief of distressed prisoners.

We, at this period of time (when happily for some of us, there is no imprisonment for debt), can hardly comprehend the value of this Society, of which John Murray was a director. New York was comparatively a small place to what it now is, and yet 131 prisoners would be frequently locked up in the old jail in the Park for debt. The Society furnished these unfortunate individuals with soup and fuel. Fifteen thousand and odd quarts of soup in a few months! Then there were the families of the poor prisoners to look after, and give soup, fuel and rent, too, for when a man is locked up in jail for debt, he cannot provide for the wife and the little folks. "Families of prisoners confined for debt, may be supplied with tickets for soup by applying to the Secretary, Mr. John Nitchie, Jr., at No. 38 Broad street, where contributions will also be thankfully received and faithfully applied by the subscribers."

John Murray, Jacob Morton, James Bleecker, Leonard Bleecker, John Rodgers, William Linn, Thomas Storms, John M. Mason, Divie Bethune, Nathaniel Pendleton, Mathew Clarkson, David Hosack. Good old friends of the debtors, who ought to be remembered.

John Murray's nephew, John Jr., was a Trustee of the City Dispensary, that held its office on the corner of Beekman and Nassau streets.

The John Murray, jr., was an honor to the city. He lived and died at 335 Pearl, where he must have lived thirty or forty years. He had two sons named Robert John and Lindley. The first was named after his father, the great merchant Robert, who owned so many ships in 1769, and the other after his uncle, Lindley Murray, author of "English Grammar," "English Reader," "English Spelling Book," and other books. The history of Lindley Murray is a singular one. Nine persons out of ten suppose the great grammarian who has "English" attached to all of his most remarkable productions, was an Englishman. No such thing. He was a son of old Robert the merchant, and born at Sweetash, Penn. in 1745. He lived to be eighty-one years old, and died February 16, 1826, at York, England. He was buried in the Quaker burying ground in that ancient city, on Washington's birthday, February 22. Not a relation was present. He had no children, and his aged widow was too ill to leave her room. Lindley was older than John. There were twelve children, but only four lived to 1806—John and Lindley and two sisters, one of whom was named "Beulah."

The youngest sister married Gilbert Colden Willett. She died in New York in 1808.

Old merchant Robert tried to make a merchant of the future grammarian by placing him in his own counting room. He did not succeed, and Lindley ran away from New York, and went to Philadelphia. He was coaxed back home, and then a private tutor was hired. Finally, law was decided upon, and young Murray was placed in the law office of Benjamin Kissam. He had a chum named John Jay, afterwards a man of some note in the great world; and the two met in London, when John Jay was ambassador from the new Republic. Lindley studied law four years, got a license to practice "in all the courts of the province," was twenty years old, and commenced courting a lovely girl, with good sense, good disposition, and good family. He married, and fifty years of experience justified his first impression.

In 1767, old Robert the merchant went to England for health and commercial purposes. Lindley followed him. The whole family, save the two Johns, followed, but with no intent of a long stay. 1771, Lindley and wife returned to New York. Old Robert remained in London until 1775, managing his extended trade.

When war broke out Lindley's law business was used up. So he retired forty miles from New York to Islip, Long Island, to a snug cottage, and determined to stay there until the war storm had passed away. He kept a pleasure boat, kept quiet four years, and then went to New York to try commerce instead of law. His father gave him a large credit to import goods from London in 1779. The goods arrived. He sold them at great profits, and kept on doing so until the war closed. Every year added largely to his capital, and when Independence was established he was well off and able to retire from business. He did so, and purchased a country seat three miles from New York, at Bellevue. Alas! after a few months his health failed in this Paradise, and he removed to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Finding his health feeble, he consulted one of the first physicians of New York. He advised a permanent change of climate, where the summers were more temperate and less relaxing, and where he would not lose in warm weather the bracing effects produced by the regions of winter. Yorkshire, in England, was thought a proper place. The advice was accepted. The voyage was made in 1784. He selected and bought a place at Holdgate, near York, and that became his habitation for many years of his life. There he wrote the books that have immortalized his name. There he died. His affairs in America were managed by his father, until he died, in 1786; then his brother John managed them until Lindley died, in 1826.

In 1810 our glorious Historical Society elected him an honorary member.

John Murray, Jr., the brewer, was very much like his brother Lindley. In the prime of life he had amassed a fortune. From that time he devoted himself to the service of religion and humanity. He not only tried to abolish slavery, but he tried to ameliorate the condition of the Indian. As I have shown, he tried to establish and support various institutions in New York for the relief of poverty and the improvement of public morals.

A short time before his death in 1819, he was up a Albany, pushing some of his plans; the streets were covered with ice, and he had a fall, from the effects of which he never recovered. He died while making a prayer. He left two sons and a widowed daughter. The names of the sons were Robert and Lindley. They are both dead now. For many years they were in the drug business, in partnership under the firm of Robert and L. Murray, 313 Pear. street, forty-five years ago, and Lindley lived at No. 337, next door to his father, No. 335 Pearl street—Robert's house was at No. 292. Afterwards the drug store of Lindley was kept at No. 72 Vesey, and he lived in Mott street. Both Robert and Lindley lived at the old mansion as late as twenty years ago. Robert died in 1859. The father Quaker, John, Jr., although a liberal man, yet he practiced strict economy. There was no public charity to which he did not belong, and towards any and everything that promised to do good or benefit the human family, he was always a ready and a cheerful giver.

On one occasion some ladies were deputed to call upon him for aid to a deserving object. They were shown up to the second floor of the old 335 Pearl Street House, and into his parlor. He was busily engaged in writing at a table, upon which was placed two lighted candles. When they entered he arose, begged them to be seated, and blew out one of the candles. One lady laughed and whispered to her neighbor, "We shan't get much here." She thought his conduct indicated meanness. He listened patiently to their statement, and then generously handed them $100. The lady who had spoken sneeringly when one of the candles was extinguished, turned towards him, and with a noble frankness said, "Mr. Murray, I am very much disappointed. I did not expect to receive a cent from you. I calculated on getting nothing." Surprised, the old Quaker asked the reason why.

She then narrated the story, and referred to the act of blowing out one of the candle lights.

"That, ladies, is the reason I am able to let you have the $100. It is by practicing economy that I save up money with which to do charitable actions," and the old man went on and gave the lady visitors a most excellent discourse upon charity and economy.

The Old Brewery, started before the Revolutionary war by John Murray, Jr., still stands. At the commencement of the century the proprietors were Murray & Cunningham. It ran from 13 Oliver street back to the centre of the block. In 1803 it was extended through to Catherine street.

It stands back from Madison street about twenty-five feet, and the passer-by can see this relict of a past age looming up above the small tenements, and the sign "C. & S. Milbank."

It is somewhat diminished in its proportions. On the corner of Madison and Catherine streets stands a Mariners' Church; half of the rear of that Church and Nos. 50, 50½, and 52 buildings stand on the site of the old Brewery House of 1792.

It opens now at 70 Madison street, and is carried on by the descendants of one of the original proprietors. Murray & Milbank succeeded to Murray & Cunningham. Mr. Samuel Milbank was a Philadelphian, a brewer, and came to New York long before the last war. When John Murray, Jr., left the concern, Samuel carried it on as Milbank & Co. Now it is Samuel Milbank & Son, the "son" of to-day being the grandson of old John Murray's partner.

I love these old solid monuments of the past; they are rapidly passing away from us. Many a Sunday I have walked five miles to take a good outside look of that same old Brewery, which has often furnished gallons of good old ale to General Washington when he resided in New York. Old John Hancock, when he lived at 5 Cherry street, drank ale, made in the same Brewery that we can see to-day.

The ale from that time-stained old brewery, is ale. One pewter mug full of that, is more precious than a big Missouri river full of lager. I am bursting with patriotism as I close this chapter, and am determined never to touch or taste a glass of porter or ale, unless the patriotic vender of it can exhibit a certificate that it comes from John Murray's old brewery up at 70 Madison, or 48 Oliver street.

I cannot recollect where old John Murray, jr., was buried. He died seven years before his sickly brother Lindley Murray, who outlived him and their three sisters. Lindley earned an immense sum by his various works, but the profit he invariably devoted to benevolent purposes. When he died he left by will several bequests to charities in England. After his wife deceased, the residue of his property was to be transferred to New York city, and vested in trustees, so as to form a permanent fund, the yearly income or produce of which was to be appropriated in the following manner: "In liberating black people who may be held in slavery, assisting them when freed, and giving their descendants or the descendants of other black persons, suitable education." What became of the money to do this, is a question of mere curiosity that arises to one's mind, when he reads this.