CHAPTER VI 

 SOME PROMINENT NAMES 



1686 



In Old New 

 York 



A Fine 

 Mansion 



E' 

 ] 



The De Lancey Family 

 TIENNE DE LANCEY, born in Caen in Octobei 

 of the year 1663, came to New York in 1686, ar- 

 ' riving on the seventh day of June. He had brought 

 with him some of his family jewels and these he disposed 

 of for the sum of £300. With this money (which in those 

 days of scarce currency represented a far greater degree 

 of value than would fifteen hundred dollars to-day) he set 

 himself up as a merchant. He proved to be a shrewd and 

 bold trader, and so well did his business ventures prosper 

 that in the year 1700 he was enabled to marry the aristo- 

 cratic Anne van Cortland. For her he built a brick man- 

 sion on Broadway between the present Thames and Cedar 

 Streets. It was one of the fine houses of the city, and 

 from its windows a striking panorama of life and death 

 could be seen ; for on the one hand lay the Mall where 

 New York's fashionable set was wont to walk of a sunny 

 afternoon, and on the other lay Trinity churchyard where 

 fashionable folk rested. There was a broad veranda at 

 the rear of the house which commanded a view of the 

 North River, and there were stately gardens which sloped 

 gently down to the edge of the water. Half a century 

 later the fine old residence was turned into a tavern under 

 the sign of the Province Arms, and for nearly fifty years it 

 flourished as the fashionable hostelry of the town, and 

 was the scene of many famous social and patriotic occa- 

 sions. The Boreel building of to-day marks the site of 

 ;^tienne De Lancey' s once elegant mansion. 



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