Frederick Philipse I
Encyclopedia
Frederick Philipse Lord of Philipse Manor
, owned the vast stretch of land spanning from Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx to the Croton River
. He was a self-made man who emigrated from the Friesland
area of the Netherlands
to Flatbush
, New Netherland
on Long Island
, who began his career by selling iron nails and rose to become an owner of taverns. When he first purchased land on the mainland, which later became Westchester County, New York
, he enticed friends from New Amsterdam
and Long Island to move with him with the promise of free land and limited taxes.
After swearing allegiance to the English and later being granted his manorship from them, he began construction of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow
. Although financing this project, work likely progressed slowly and was completed in 1685. Philipse held 52,000 acres (210 km²) of land along the Hudson River
, where he built, among other structures, a simple
residence in Yonkers, New York
which would be expanded by his descendents into a full-fledged mansion, Philipse Manor
. The neighborhood of Kingsbridge, Bronx
is named for his bridge over the Harlem River
. In 1685 Philipse imported about 50 slaves directly from Angola on his own ship.
He was on the Governor's executive council from 1691 to 1698 when he was banned from government office by the British governor, Lord Bellomont for his conducting a slave trade into New York.
Philipse's first wife, Margaret, died in 1691. A year after her death, he married the widow Catharine Van Cortlandt Derval, the sister of Stephanus Van Cortlandt
, an adviser to the provincial governor. Her brother Jacobus Van Cortlandt
married Frederick's adopted daughter Eva and their son Frederick Van Cortlandt later built the Van Cortlandt House Museum
in Van Cortlandt Park
in the Bronx, New York. Philipse is buried with his two wives in the crypt of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow.
Frederick's son Adolphus Philipse inherited his vast lands and title and his great-grandson, Frederick Philipse III moved to Yonkers, New York
and leased the entirety of his property to William Pugsley before siding with the British in the American Revolution
and leaving New York City
for England in 1783. After the Revolution, New York confiscated Philipse's property, and that of other loyalists. The entirety of the family property was divided up into almost 200 different parcels of land, with the vast majority becoming today's Putnam County, New York
in the form of the Philipse Patent, and other large parcels going to Dutch New York businessman Henry Beekman
.
Philipse Manor
Philipse Manor may refer to several places in Westchester County, New York:*Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, a building in Yonkers, New York, former residence of Frederick Philipse's descendants...
, owned the vast stretch of land spanning from Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx to the Croton River
Croton River
The Croton River is a river in southern New York that begins where the East and West Branches of the Croton River meet a little way downstream from the Croton Falls Reservoir...
. He was a self-made man who emigrated from the Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
area of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, who began his career by selling iron nails and rose to become an owner of taverns. When he first purchased land on the mainland, which later became Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, he enticed friends from New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
and Long Island to move with him with the promise of free land and limited taxes.
After swearing allegiance to the English and later being granted his manorship from them, he began construction of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow
Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow
The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Dutch Reformed Church , is a 17th century stone church located on Albany Post Road in Sleepy Hollow, New York, United States. It and its five-acre churchyard feature prominently in Washington Irving's...
. Although financing this project, work likely progressed slowly and was completed in 1685. Philipse held 52,000 acres (210 km²) of land along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, where he built, among other structures, a simple
residence in Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
which would be expanded by his descendents into a full-fledged mansion, Philipse Manor
Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site
Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site is a historic house museum located in Yonkers, New York. It is Westchester County’s oldest standing building, and is currently owned and operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.It is located at Warburton Avenue...
. The neighborhood of Kingsbridge, Bronx
Kingsbridge, Bronx
Kingsbridge is a working class residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Its boundaries are Van Cortlandt Park to the north, Goulden Avenue to the east, West 225th Street to the south, and Irwin...
is named for his bridge over the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
. In 1685 Philipse imported about 50 slaves directly from Angola on his own ship.
He was on the Governor's executive council from 1691 to 1698 when he was banned from government office by the British governor, Lord Bellomont for his conducting a slave trade into New York.
Family
Frederick Philipse may have been born in Holland, however, his family is of Bohemian origin, as has been confirmed by the testimony of the Supreme Court Justice John Jay, who was related to him: “Frederick Philipse, whose family, originally of Bohemia, had been compelled by popish persecution to take refuge in Holland, from whence he had emigrated to New York.” (William Jay, The Life of John Jay: with selection of his correspondence and miscellaneous papers. New York: J. & J Harper, 1833, p. 10). On his Bohemian aristocratic ancestry, see also: Thomas Capek, Ancestry of Frederick Philipse: First Lord and Founder of Philipse Manor at Yonkers, N. Y. New York: The Paebar Co., 1939.Philipse's first wife, Margaret, died in 1691. A year after her death, he married the widow Catharine Van Cortlandt Derval, the sister of Stephanus Van Cortlandt
Stephanus Van Cortlandt
Stephanus van Cortlandt was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor's executive council from 1691 to 1700. His brother, Jacobus Van Cortlandt also served as...
, an adviser to the provincial governor. Her brother Jacobus Van Cortlandt
Jacobus Van Cortlandt
Jacobus Van Cortlandt was a merchant and Mayor of New York from 1710 to 1711 and again from 1719 to 1720.He was born in 1658.Van Cortlandt purchased a parcel of land in what is now Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, New York, from John Barrett, after his father, Samuel Barrett, died around 1691. At that...
married Frederick's adopted daughter Eva and their son Frederick Van Cortlandt later built the Van Cortlandt House Museum
Van Cortlandt House Museum
The Van Cortlandt House Museum, also known as Frederick Van Cortlandt House or Van Cortlandt House, is the oldest building in The Bronx, New York City....
in Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the fourth largest park in New York City, behind Pelham Bay Park, Flushing Meadows Park and Staten Island Greenbelt....
in the Bronx, New York. Philipse is buried with his two wives in the crypt of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow.
Frederick's son Adolphus Philipse inherited his vast lands and title and his great-grandson, Frederick Philipse III moved to Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
and leased the entirety of his property to William Pugsley before siding with the British in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and leaving New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for England in 1783. After the Revolution, New York confiscated Philipse's property, and that of other loyalists. The entirety of the family property was divided up into almost 200 different parcels of land, with the vast majority becoming today's Putnam County, New York
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
in the form of the Philipse Patent, and other large parcels going to Dutch New York businessman Henry Beekman
Beekman, New York
Beekman is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The population was 11,452 at the 2000...
.
Descendants of Frederick Philipse
- John Marshall Brown (1838–1907), http://brown.rays-place.com/brown-jm.htm, Captain and assistant. adjunct. general of ME volunteers and served in SC and FL; commanded regiment at Totopotomy and Cold Harbor and preliminary movements a Petersburg, VA.
- Samuel Sprigg Caroll (1832–1893) http://www.rocemabra.com/~roger/tagg/generals/general13.html, military officer in Northern VA campaign and Battle Cedar Mountain; commandant brigade at battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.
- Matthew Clarkson (1758–1825), major-general of NY State Militia; served with Gen. B. Lincoln until end of Revolutionary War, participated in siege of Savannah, defense of Charleston, present at surrender of Yorktown (1781).
- John JayJohn JayJohn Jay was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, and the first Chief Justice of the United States ....
(1745–1829), delegate and president of Continental Congress, drafter of the US Constitution, US Ambassador to France and Spain, first Chief Justice of the US - William Jay (1789–1858) http://www.answers.com/topic/jay-william, prominent jurist and reformer, active abolitionist
- Henry Brockholst LivingstonHenry Brockholst LivingstonHenry Brockholst Livingston was an American Revolutionary War officer, a justice of the Supreme Court of New York and eventually an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States....
(1757–1823), Justice of US Supreme Court - Alexander Slidell MacKenzieAlexander Slidell MackenzieAlexander Slidell Mackenzie Born in New York City, Mackenzie was a U.S. Navy officer who served during the first half of the 19th century. He was an accomplished author and writer who wrote several contemporary essays and biographies of notable US naval figures of the early 19th century. He was...
(1842–67), an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War and his brother General Ranald S. MackenzieRanald S. MackenzieRanald Slidell Mackenzie was a career United States Army officer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, described by General Ulysses S. Grant as its most promising young officer...
. - Jay Pierrepont MoffatJay Pierrepont MoffatJay Pierrepont Moffat was an American diplomat, historian and statesman who, between 1917 and 1943, served the State Department in a variety of posts, including that of Ambassador to Canada during the first year of U.S...
(1896–1943), notable American diplomat, historian and statesman who, between 1917 and 1943, served the State Department in a variety of posts, including that of Ambassador to Canada during the first year of United States participation in World War II. - John Watts de PeysterJohn Watts de PeysterJohn Watts de Peyster, Sr. was an author on the art of war, philanthropist, and early Adjutant General of the New York National Guard. He served in the New York State Militia during the Mexican-American War and American Civil War...
(1821–1907), Brigadier General in the New York State Militia during the American Civil War and philanthropist and military historian after the war. - Mary Philipse (1730–1825) http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/notable/philipsem/, George Washington's first love .
- Sir Frederick Philipse RobinsonFrederick Philipse RobinsonSir Frederick Philipse Robinson, GCB was a Virginian soldier, born in the Highlands, near New York, in September, 1763, who fought for Britain during the American War of Independence....
(1763–1852), a Virginian soldier, who fought for England during the American War of Independence. - Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright III ( 1864–1945), http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000023 US Congressman and Army officer in the Spanish-American War.