Chapter XLVII

It has often occurred to the author of these chapters, that it would add much to their interest if some of the old merchants who have departed this life could be sent for, to talk over old times and old matters, even through the "medium" of a clever spiritualist. If one of those old commercial worthies would condescend to communicate in that manner, it would add greatly to the attraction of my chapters, and I certainly would believe in spiritualism, if we could be assured by some spiritual chieftainess that she could produce from the spirit world any old merchant I called for.

This morning it would be John W. Kearny. If the spirit had indication that the old worthy was present, I could test the medium and spiritualism very quickly, by the following questions:

1. "Mr. Kearny, where were you born?"
2. "In what year?"
3. "With what celebrated commercial house was you a clerk between the years 1790 and 1800?"
4. "What year did you go into business on your own account?"
5. "What was your firm?"
6. "What was the name of the eminent citizen and '76 Liberty Boy' whose daughter you married?"
7. "What Emperor interfered seriously with the extensive commercial arrangements of your firm?"
8. "In what manner?"
9. "What sum of money did you eventually receive from the successor to that dynasty?"
10. "Is that your handwriting to this paper for $412, which I have in my pocketbook, signed by your firm fifty-eight years ago?"

If the spirit medium rapped out—or wrote out—rapidly in reply, to

1. "Near Newark, New Jersey."
2. "In 1776."
3. "Le Roy, Bayard & Co."
4. "1803."
5. "John W. & Philip Kearny."
6. "Robert Watts."
7. "The Emperor Napoleon No. 1."
8. "By his celebrated Berlin and Milan decrees."
9. "$18,000, when we ought to have received 150,000."
10. "No, it is in the handwriting of my brother Philip."

Then and now and forever more I would believe in spiritualism. I know Judge Edmonds, Horace H. Day, George B. Turrell, Barney Corse, and others who have faith in spiritualism, as millions have,—I have seen mediums, but I have never yet had the slightest evidence that I could converse with the dead—not evidence such as it would be to me, were I to ask to converse with so venerable an old merchant as Mr. Kearny, and get such truthful answers as a proud New York merchant of the olden time would give, whether dead or alive.

I would like to have such evidence as the above that the dead are not eternally dead. We see our friends laid out cold—the spirit power that moved their machinery—enabled their hands to grasp ours, their voices to speak lovingly, their eyes to look tenderly—gone somewhere, we do not know where, and it is painful. But if I knew, from such evidences as I have named, that could not be doubted, it would make millions of human beings happy on earth—death would cease to be dreaded, and I certainly should be very much assisted in my "Old Merchants," by being able to call upon the old merchants themselves for information upon subjects that I am not positive about.

I remember these old Kearny merchants very well. Splendid looking men they were forty years ago. John and Philip resembled each other very much. Philip was a very little slighter built than his elder brother.

The answer to the imaginary questions are fairly answered. They are facts in relation to the firm.

The great house of Le Roy & Bayard gave a commercial education to young Kearny from 1792 until he went into business upon his own account ten years after. The counting house of L. & B. was at 3 Hanover Square, and old Herman Le Roy lived over the store as was customary. His partner, William Bayard lived at 43 Wall street.

The Kearny brothers went into business in 1803, at the corner of William and Garden (Exchange) street. Their house and yard occupied a large plot of ground.

Their father was a very wealthy Irishman, and heir to the Garrison estate. He settled near Newark, on the west bank of the Passaic, and the old mansion is still possessed by his descendants. He had a brother, Edmumd, who came out with him. They were both rich. These two brothers were the progenitors of the Kearny family in America. A family that has always maintained the highest respectability, and many of its members have risen to the highest rank in the American army and navy. Both General Kearny, U. S. A., and Commodore Kearny are of the above stock.

John W. & Philip Kearny did a very large business for some years after they had commenced. They sold merchandise on commission, and did a large West India trade. They also owned ships. Their largest trade was to Antwerp. To that city they were large shippers of produce. When Bonaparte issued his celebrated Berlin and Milan decrees and confiscated all the property he could find, the firm of J. & P. Kearny were large sufferers. Ships were taken and coufiscated, as well as a large amount of American produce they had shipped to Antwerp, and which was lying in the warehouses when seized. Their loss was over $150,000. In the time of General Jackson's presidency, they received about $18,000 of their claim.

Philip Kearny, the senior partner, went out to Paris, to get at the facts. It is a very curious circumstance that the French Emperor had perfect method in his confiscations. To this day can be seen, in Paris, the mark of every box, bale, or package of merchandise confiscated. Its shipping mark, the name of the vessel by which it arrived, name of the owner, name of the consignee, prices the articles brought, and the day of sale. Everything was put down with the utmost exactness, so that the most humble person, in a distant land, who suffered by the severe policy of the first Napoleon, who tried to ruin England, can ascertain how much his goods brought, and get redress.

John W. Kearny married a daughter of Robert Watts, very celebrated in his day, and who, until 1814, lived at 33 Pearl street, then a fashionable part of the city. Robert was a brother of John Watts, who lived for many years at No. 3 Broadway.

Robert Watts married a daughter of the celebrated Earl of Stirling, of revolutionary times.

After his marriage John W. Kearny, in 1810, built the house 2 Greenwich street. At that time the North River came about up to the rear of the house. Kearny's house was built on piles, as were all the houses on the west side of Greenwich street, below Albany basin.

Philip Kearny married a daughter of John Watts, of No. 3 Broadway. He was married in that house. He continued in business with John W. for some years, but after the war, he started in business at 40 Wall street, where his brother, Archibald K. Kearny, was a ship broker. After that he retired to the old homestead, which became his after the death of his father, and there he died.

Philip left two children; one comes to my view now as a pleasant little girl of ten years old, with a very sweet face. I have never seen her since. Her name was Susan. She married a son of General Macomb, of the United States Army. She is dead, but her children own the old Kearny mansion on the west banks of the Passaic.

Her brother Philip entered the American army. He was out in the Mexican war, and behaved very gallantly there-lost an arm in one of the battles. He was aid to General Scott. Possessed of an income of $25,000 a year, he some time ago resigned from the army, and went to Europe. He served as a volunteer in the French army, and was, if I am not mistaken, at the great battles of Magenta and Solferino. When our rebels commenced operations, Major Kearny was in France. He at once came home, and offered his services to the President. His services were accepted, and he is now a Brigadier General. Major Kearny built a beautiful "chateau" on the New York side of the Passaic, a short distance above the Newark road. He must have spent a small fortune upon it. It is directly opposite to the old Kearny mansion, now owned by the children of his sister. It is now rented by Ex-Governor Price of New Jersey. I have not seen Philip since thirty years. He was a fine young fellow then.

John W. Kearny, the old merchant, after he got through the confusion occasioned to his business by Napoleon's confiscation arrangements, started again in 1818, at No. 27 William street. His dwelling house was at the Bowery Hill. At that time business was very dull in the city. The effects of war lasted some years. The Post-office was close to his place. One evening the old gentleman sent a lad, with money to pay the postage on a letter. The office was closed, and he put the letter and postage-money in the letter box. The next morning, when he went for his letters, the clerk told him the circumstance, adding, "We knew the money flung in the box must have been to pay the letter you sent, for there was no other letter put in the box during the night."

Fancy such a thing in the New York Post office of 1861!

Mr. John W. Kearny kept on in business in New York until 1830, when he moved up to Saugerties, on the North River, and there he resided until he died, in December, 1849.

His friend, Henry Barclay, had previously moved there, and made that village increase from 700 to 7,000 inhabitants. He built dams and mills, and made great improvements. He took up Moses Y. Beach (afterwards of the Sun), and made him the superintendent of the Saugerties paper mill company. Mr. Kearny married a second wife. She was the daughter of George Hamneker, who had been a consul at Denmark in Washington's time, and retired to Sau- gerties.

John W. Kearny had several children. His eldest son was named Philip. He married a daughter of John G. Warren, celebrated as a broker in Wall street, so many years under the firm of John G. Warren & Son.

The old man was one of our most eminent merchants for many years. He commenced business as early as 1795, at 44 Greenwich street. He afterwards removed to 30 Scuth, and lived at 19 Broad street, when all that street was occupied by dwelling-houses. He then lived at 31 William, near Cedar, where his family own property yct. He changed his business and went to 53 Wall, in 1813. He lived at Bowery Hill. Afterwards he removed to 339 Broadway, near Anthony street, and lived there until he died, in 1833. His son John was the partner of John G. Warren & Son, and now the firm is John Warren & Son, 65 Wall. The last son, being grandson to the old John G., and the house has now existed and continued sixty-six years. What a fine lot of old fellows lived along that block, on the west side of Broadway, next to John G. Warren! There was James Heard, five doors above, at 349; Myndert Van Schaick, at 335; John Mason, next door to Mr. Warren, at 337. They are all gone to the spirit world.

John Warren married a Miss Kearny. She was a daughter of Robert Kearny, a cousin of John W. Robert was a merchant in this city for about six years. In 1806, he kept at No. 1 Garden street, and lived in the house with his brother at 10 Liberty. Then I believe he went to Amboy. Commodore Kearny was, I think the son of that Robert Kearny.

John G. Warren had but one son, and, if I recollect correctly, five daughters. One married Philip Kearny, John W.'s son. Another married a fine fellow, long ago dead, named Francis J. Spooner. He did business at 82 South street. Shipped heavily of cotton and such stuff to European ports. He lived in Mr. Warren's house, 339, with the old gentleman. One daughter married a Mr. Rice of Albany. Another Mr. Nelson, cf Virginia, and one married Richard S. Coxe, a celebrated lawyer in Washington city.

Philip Kearny was secretary of the Union Insurance Company for many years. He died in 1841, leaving a son named Watts, who is a clerk with his uncle Alfred, or many years a merchant in New Orleans on his own hook, and recently head of the house of Kearny, Blois & Co. I met Alfred in New Orleans in 1833, when he first commenced there.

The second son of John W. was Edward Kearny, who continues to do mercantile business at No. 139 Front street, the same as his father did sixty years ago, at the corner of William and Garden streets.

Old John W. and Philip Kearny had other brothers. One was Archibald K. Kearny, who is now alive, a bachelor, and very much respected by those who know him. He was placed in the U. S. Navy early in life, served gallantly in the war of 1812, and afterwards resigned. He was out in the Algerine war, and on one occasion, when there was great danger to the magazine on board his ship from a fire close to it, he was the first officer that reached the dangerous neighborhood and put out the fire. He was the one I alluded to as a broker in naval stores at 40 Wall street for some years. He is a regular visitor to the old city library in University Place.

Another brother, Robert, was a farmer at Aquacka-neck, New Jersey. I am not aware that he was ever in business in New York. If he was, he is the Robert, written about above, who was in business at 1 Garden street.

This Robert has three sons in this city. Philip R. and Joseph are in the New York Life and Trust Company, and John R., another son, is assistant cashier in the Bank of the State of New York. All of these sons are married, and have children. John R. married a daughter of Robert Cheesebrough, an eminent merchant of this city for many years.

Stephen W. Kearny was another brother of the house of J. W. & P. Kearny. He entered the United States army in 1812—served gallantly in Canada and during the late war. He was only eighteen years old when he entered the service. He was a gallant fellow, served in the war with Mexico and in California. He died a general, in St. Louis, in 1850, leaving a very large family.

In the days of John W. & P. Kearny, or before 1812, notes were not protested as now. I do not know when the institution of "notaries public" came into vogue, but it was certainly after 1810. Previous to that, if a merchant did not pay his note the day it became due, he paid it as soon as he could, and it was all right.

It continues a custom in all parts of Spain and South American countries. A merchant pays when he agrees to do so, if he can. If the custom was so here, millions of dollars would be saved to a merchant's legitimate business that are now spent in them to give three per cent. a month shave, in order that his note may not be protested.

I have to notice two deaths among our commercial names. Both of them have been alluded to in previous chapters. I gave a history of the house of Davis, Brooks & Co., of which Mr. Dehon was a member. He died in London on the 24th of June, 1861, aged forty-seven years. He was a clerk with Davis, Brooks & Co. from 1830 to 1837, when he was admitted a partner, the senior partner, Charles A. Davis, having retired, and Mr. Dehon and Charles Davis were admitted into the concern.

Mr. Dehon was a son of the late Bishop Dehon, of South Carolina.

He was also a brother-in-law of Sidney Brooks of the firm.

Since the dissolution of the old house, Mr. Dehon carried on mercantile business under his own name. He was a prominent man in the Chamber of Commerce. He was also a devoted "Union" man, and was treasurer of the Union Defence Committee. He was so active in the Committee that his labors injured his health, and he sought relaxation in a trip to Europe. There he died. Present with him, in the last dread hour, was his brother, William Dehon, his brother-in-law, Sidney Brooks, and his two sisters. His body came home in the steamship "Edinburgh." Abraham B. Sands, of the drug house of A. B Sands & Co., corner of Fulton and William, died on the 6th of July, aged forty-six years. He was a vestry-man of Trinity Church.