LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO GERMANTOWN Two Hundred and Fifty Copies of this book have been printed from type No. U^^i*f/U^«-d^ /^ ,^X^6^ A.iiC£isan& Co. Boston. LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO GERMANTOWN July 20, 1825 An Address delivered before The Pennsvlvania Genealogical Society March i, 1909 The Pennsylvania Historical Society May 10, 1909 The Site and Relic Society of Germantown May 20, 1910 The City History Society of Philadelphia January ii, 1911 By Charles Francis Jenkins PHILADELPHIA William J. Campbell 191 1 copyright, i 9 1 i , by Charles Francis Jenkins \.^' ©CI. A 3 05 124 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LAFAYETTE IN 1824-25 From the painting by Thomas Sully in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. Photograph by F. Gutekunst Frontispiece '^ STUDY OF HEAD BY THOMAS SULLY Dated 1824. Painted during Lafayette's First Visit to Philadelphia. From the original owned by Herbert Welsh, of Germantown. Photographed by Charles R. Pancoast ----- Opposite page i i - LOUDOUN Northwest corner of Main and Apsley Streets, Ger- mantown. Built IN 1 80 1. The Germantown Escort AWAITED the ARRIVAL OF LaFAYETTE AT THIS POINT. FrOM a recent PHOTOGRAPH BY J. MiTCHELL ElLIOT Opposite page 13 "^ THE CHEW HOUSE Scene of an important engagement in the Battle of Germantown and the Reception to Lafayette in 1825. From a photograph, 1911, by J. Mitchell Elliot Opposite page i 7 -"' DOORWAY OF THE CHEW HOUSE From a photograph, 1911, by J. Mitchell Elliot Opposite page 191^ BENJAMIN CHEW, Jr. Son of the Chief Justice and host to Lafayette at the Breakfast at Cliveden in 182;. From a portrait in possession of Mr. Samuel Chew. Photograph, 191 i, BY J. Mitchell Elliot - - Opposite page 23 . MISS ANNE SOPHIA PENN CHEW Who assisted her father, Benjamin Chew, Jr., in re- ceiving Lafayette in 1825. From a portrait in posses- sion OF Mr. Samuel Chew, Cliveden. Photograph by J. Mitchell Elliot ... Opposite page 25 -^ THE RECEPTION AT THE CHEW HOUSE From the painting by E. L. Henry, about 1854. Photo- graph copyrighted, 1909, by C. S. Bradford Opposite page 29 <^ WYCK The home of Reuben Haines in 1825. Thought to be THE OLDEST HOUSE STANDING IN GeRMANTOWN. LoCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF GeRMANTOWN AvENUE AND Walnut Lane. FroM a recent photograph by J. Mitchell Elliot - - - Opposite page 33 '' PORTRAIT OF REUBEN HAINES From a painting by Rembrandt Peale, in possession of Miss Jane Haines, of Wyck, Germantown. Photo- graph BY Reuben Haines, of Germantown Opposite page 37 i' HALLWAY OF WYCK Through which the guests passed at the Reception to General Lafayette. From a recent photograph by J. Mitchell Elliot . . - Opposite page 39 LAFAYETTE CHAIR Now IN possession of Reuben Haines, Haines and Chew Streets, Germantown. From a photograph by Reuben Haines ----- Opposite page 43 LAFAYETTE BOX Presented to Lafayette by John F. Watson. Deposited IN the Museum of the Site and Relic Society, Vernon Park, Germantown. Loaned by Claude Treichler. From a photograph by J. Mitchell Elliot Opposite page 45 1/ THE GERMANTOWN ACADEMY Founded 1760. Where Lafayette was received by Teachers and Pupils, 1825. From a photograph, 191 i, BY J. Mitchell Elliot - - - Opposite page 49 Acknowledgment THE main details of Lafayette's early life and Revolutionary services are from Hon. Charlemagne Tower's "The Marquis de La Fayette in the American Revolution," Philadel- phia, 1895. The incidents and dates of the tour of 1824-5 ^'■^ taken from the official journal of the trip, "Lafayette en Amerique en 1824 et 1825 ou Journal D'Un Voyage aux Etats-Unis," par A. Levasseur, Paris, 1829, James Schouler's vivid and satisfying essay, "Lafayette's Tour in 1824," has also been an in- spiration. The details of the visit to Germantown are from M. Levasseur's account, as well as from a Phila- delphia daily paper, Poulsoii s American Daily Adver- tiser, of July 23 and July 26, 1825. In the latter issue the addresses are reported in full. I am also indebted to the Hon. Francisco J. Yanes, Secretary of the International Bureau of Amer- ican Republics at Washington, D. C, and to Senor Manuel Landeata Rosales, of Caracas, Venezuela, for information as to the early life of Fernando Bolivar; also to Geo. A. Barringer, Conservateur honorare de la Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France, for information as to the present-day location of relics of Lafayette. C. F. J. ^.liCElssn J. C!:Bi>scon Kj^iicyoy^ K_z^ue,a!y7j/ y(i/ ,~Z^jMyueMei ^yLea:^^ Lafayette s Visit to Germantown in 182^ IN the same session of Congress which had been opened by that message from the President conveying to it, and to the world, the so-called Monroe Doctrine, there was passed, February 4, 1824, a resolution offering to the Marquis de Lafayette a ship of war to bring him to America to pay the visit he had long planned, and which this nation was then eagerly anticipating. Leaving his country home. La Grange, an estate of some eight hun- dred acres lying forty miles east of Paris, which through many vicissitudes had been his refuge, he set out on what was to be one of the most remarkable visits in the annals of the world, an event which Charles Sumner declared was one of the poems of history. And if this episode belongs to the poetry of history, the whole life 12 LAFAYETTE'S VISIT and career of Lafayette constitute one of its most striking romances. Born of illustrious parents, a posthumous son, the death of his mother left him an orphan at an early age. Soon after the boyhood heir of a large fortune, married before he was seventeen to a young woman of one of the leading noble families of France, a father at eighteen, he be- came fired with zeal for the American cause at nineteen, on listening to a recital of the Col- onies' wrongs by one of the last persons you would expect — the Duke of Gloucester — brother of the English king. Shortly after this meeting, Lafayette visited his uncle, the French Ambassador in London, and was presented to George the Third himself. He had already offered his services to the American Commis- sioners in Paris, and on his return to France he hid himself from his wife and family, the latter being bitterly opposed to his course. Without a parting farewell to those he loved, he stole away from Paris, eluded the agents of the government, and after many vexatious delays TO GERMJNTOfFN 13 sailed from a Spanish port for America in company" with Baron de Kalb. He presented himself, not yet twenty years of age, with the commission of a Major-general in the American army, given him by Franklin and Deane, to the astonished Continental Congress, then sit- ting in Philadelphia. Such is the brief record of Lafayette's entry upon the American horizon, and romantic as it is, it is but a fitting prelude to nearly threescore more years, equally fraught with experiences and adventures such as have come to but few men. Soon established in intimate daily com- panionship with Washington, he became through his military skill a Major-general in reality. Wounded at Brandvwine, nursed to health at Bethlehem, sharing the discomforts of Valley Forge, a successful tactician at Barren Hill and at Monmouth, given an independent com- mand in Rhode Island, he everywhere met the confidence reposed in his ability and good judgment. 14 LAFAYETTE'S VISIT Sailing for France early in 1779, in the new frigate Alliance, he assisted in securing the substantial French reinforcements under Rochambeau. Returning to America in the spring of 1780, he was later given command in the notable Virginia campaign, which ended with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. The activities of the armies over, he returned to France, again sailing in the Alliance, and assisted the American Commissioners in the tortuous steps which led to the treaty of peace. In 1784, he came to America on his third visit, was for a time the guest of Washington, his mentor and friend, at Mt. Vernon, and the recipient of many honors and attentions from the American people. In the French Revolution, the rise and fall of Napoleon, and the other great events which stirred Europe for four decades, he bore a conspicuous part, and was one of the very few — an able historian has said, "perhaps the only. Revolutionary leader of France whose record left nothing to blush for." His exile TO GERMANTOWN 15 from his native land, his political imprisonment by the Austrians, shared in part by his devoted wife and daughters, in the noisome dungeons of Olmiitz, the loss of his fortune, — all these were well known to his sympathetic American friends. They had seen him standing as a bulwark of political liberty and human rights as exemplified in the cause of American Inde- pendence, and the forty years of separation, during which his star had risen and sunk re- peatedly, but increased the esteem and affection which they bore him, and intensified their de- sire to welcome him. Lafayette declined the offer of President Monroe and of Congress for passage in a public ship, and set sail in a merchant packet, the Cadmus, from Havre, July 13, 1824, and, after a pleasant voyage of thirty-two days, reached the harbor of New York on Sunday, the 15th of August. The official landing was made on August 1 6th at the Battery. Here began a tour without parallel in our history. It lasted in all some fourteen months. "The Nation's 1 6 LAFAYETTE S VISIT Guest," as he was called, traversed every state and section of the country. From New York he proceeded through Connecticut to Bos- ton, thence to Portsmouth, N. H. Return- ing to New York, he steamed up the Hudson to Albany. Retracing his steps, he passed through New Jersey to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, where he was received by Congress with great distinction and given $200,000.00 in money and a township of land in recognition of his Revolutionary service. An extensive tour in Virginia and then on to Raleigh, Charleston, Savannah, Mobile and New Orleans. By this time it was April, 1825, when he ascended the Mississippi to St. Louis; thence to Nashville, Cincinnati, Pitts- burgh, along Lake Erie to Niagara Falls; to Syracuse, Albany, Boston, and as far east as Portland, Me. He returned to New York in time for the great celebration of July 4, 1825. Then to Philadelphia and again to Washington. Everywhere there were receptions, dinners, balls, arches, school children drawn up along TO GERMANTOfFN 17 the roads, while frequently whole communities waited from dawn to sunset for the belated guest. There were presentations, parades, salutes and speeches, over and over. It seemed impossible for the various communities to give expression to their affection and overflowing good will; and the most wonderful part of it is that an elderly gentleman who celebrated his sixty-seventh and sixty-eighth birthdays during the tour could stand the terrific strain. But Lafayette's health, buoyed by his unfailing courtesy and good-nature, and his apparently sincere enjoyment of the attentions shown him, actually improved as the journey progressed, and the whole trip was accomplished without greater disaster than the wrecking of his steam- boat on the Mississippi River through running on a snag, and from this accident the party was rescued from the sinking boat without much difficulty. It should be recalled that Lafayette was the sole survivor of Washington's generals. At almost every centre some soldier of the Revolu- 1 8 LAFAYETTE S VISIT tion would present himself, or be pushed for- ward by his friends, as a companion in arms. Many of them had served under Lafayette in his favorite light infantry; — here the pilot who had brought him into port, or the officer to whom he had given a sword, or the companion of the cold and suffering of Valley Forge, would be recognized by Lafayette and as often called by name. He was indeed a link joining the America of 3,000,000 souls of the strug- gling Colonies to the Union of twenty-four states and 10,000,000 prosperous people. Every- where he went the leading men of the country sought him out and welcomed him. In Boston, on his second visit, Daniel Webster, the orator of the laying of the corner-stone of the Bunker Hill Monument on the 50th Anniversary of the Battle, addressed him with all the warmth of his affectionate rhetoric. In the halls of Con- gress Henry Clay, speaker of the House, conveyed the nation's respect and admiration. In New England he met and renewed his early friendship with the venerable ex-President, ■ ^=n^ ■ ^ ■ ■ m : A W /Lis on a Cc.BosTan ■=:U^yCh TO GERMANTOWN 19 John Adams; and at Monticello he did what has fallen to the lot of but few men — dined with three ex-Presidents, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. James Monroe, as President, welcomed him in the White House, and again President John Quincy Adams received him there on the return from his tour. In 1824, Lafayette presented a fine portly figure, nearly six feet high, his sixty-seven years lightly worn, his only apparent infirmity being a slight limp, popularly attributed to his wound at Brandy wine, but in reality caused by a broken hip, the result of a fall on the ice in 1803. His face is said to have been without a wrinkle, and he wore a dark-red wig, set low on his forehead, which stood in good stead to one who was constantly bowing with uncovered head. It is related that the Seneca chief. Red Jacket, who had met and known Lafayette in the early days, frankly expressed his amazement that the passing years should have left the Gen- eral such a fresh countenance and a hairy scalp. Lafayette was accompanied in his triumphal 20 LAFATETTE'S VISIT tour by his only son, George Washington La- fayette, then a mature man of forty-five, him- self not without distinction, and later a senator of France. The third member of the party was Auguste Levasseur, the secretary and histo- rian of the trip. They were accompanied by one servant. It was on the occasion of Lafayette's sec- ond visit to Philadelphia, in July, 1825, that arrangements were made for him to be wel- comed in Germantown, By this time he had nearly completed his tour and his face was homeward turned. It had been ten months since his first visit to Philadelphia, in Septem- ber, 1 8 24, when it would seem that the excess of welcome and good will had exhausted the city ; but, while less demonstratively, his second visit was no less cordially received and appreci- ated. Again there was the round of receptions and many other social events. He had arrived at Philadelphia on Saturday, July i6th, and his stay at this time covered a period of nine days, about six hours of which were devoted to vis- TO GERMANTOWN i\ iting Germantown. I am going to give in some detail the principal events of the day in Germantown — a day that I do not imagine w^as filled with more than the ordinary sight-seeing and hand-shaking, speech-making and eating; and when this is multiplied by four hundred, the number of working days Lafayette spent in America, you can appreciate the prodigious ex- ertion of himself and his companions. The weather had been extremely warm,* a period such as we know in Philadelphia about the middle of July, and M. Levasseur records temperature of more than a hundred for several successive days, and one day with 104 degrees. But the intense heat did not daunt Lafayette, and not a single detail of the visit was altered *" Besides the accounts which we have daily received of the fatal effects of heat on men, on horses and on fish, we yesterday learned that even some of the feathered tribe have become its victims. The swallows which inhabit the large ship house at the Navy Yard, are daily dropping down dead among the workmen below. This curious and uncommon incident, induced one of the Officers to ascer- tain the temperature by means of a Thermometer. " In the Commandant's Office, 98 degrees. "In the ship house near the roof, 106 degrees." From Poulson'i American Daily Advertiser, July z^, 1825. 22 LAFAYETTES VISIT on account of it. The visit to Germantown was made on Wednesday, July 20th. There had been a big dinner on the i6th, a concert on the 1 8 th, and a visit to the then compara- tively new and famous Fairmount waterworks on the 19th. We have living in Germantown to-day Joseph Murtcr,* or "Uncle Joe," for many years our only policeman, now well on to ninety-five, who, as a boy of ten, remembers well the reception to Lafayette, in which he was an interested and active participant. Like many old people, the events of his youth stand out with vividness, while later events are lost in memory's recesses. There is little in his recol- lections not substantiated by contemporary ac- counts; yet the description of an eye-witness adds color and interest to any important event. Lafayette set out from the city at an early hour, accompanied by his suite and a committee of * Since the above was written Joseph Murter has passed away. He was born May 5, 1815, and was a resident of Germantown all his life. He died January 14, 1 9 1 1 . TO GERMANTOWN 23 Councils, and reached the bottom of Neglee's Hill, where is now Wayne Junction, between eight-thirty and nine o'clock. Captain Heilig's company of artillery had been stationed on the lawn in front of Loudoun, which was given its name because Thomas Armat, a famous merchant in his day, whose early home it was, had first set- tled in Loudoun County, Virginia. A colored bugler named Johnson, said to have been one of the best buglers in the country, having been stationed to announce the coming of the dis- tinguished guests, a salute of cannon was fired. Drawn up to meet him at the hill were a com- pany of Germantown Cavalry; the Germantown Blues, a famous infantry company modeled after the McPherson Blues of Philadelphia; mem- bers of Hiram Lodge of Masons; a body of manufacturers, and numerous benevolent soci- eties. The cavalry headed the procession, "fol- lowed," the chronicle of the day states, "very properly by his (Lafayette's) brethren of the Freemasons"; and thus escorted, the General, riding in an open barouche drawn by four 24 LAFAYETTES VISIT horses (which Joseph Murter says were grays), proceeded up our old Main Street, or German- town Road, by this time a well-kept turnpike. Our records do not say whether the old toll- gate, which stood for so many years and within the memory of the present generation, at Rit- tenhouse and Main Streets, was thrown open to the public this day or not, but this had been the custom all over the country. Nowhere would the people allow "The Nation's Guest" to put his hand in his pocket. Bridges, ferries, turnpikes — all were hospitably opened when he came. At the first gate outside of New York, on his way to Boston, the General had observed two men in a carriage ahead stop and pay toll. As his own carriage pulled up, the gate-keeper came to the door, waved his hand, and said: " Go ahead, the road is free ; General Lafayette travels this road to-day and no man pays toll." I should have qualified the statement that all gates were free, for once while riding with President John Quincy Adams on a visit to Oak Hill, the seat of ex-President ■UJ-^ -._j<0?i/n£^ (L)//te4i^' TO GERMANTOWN 25 Monroe, the party was forced to pay, the only instance in the trip, an incident Secretary Levasseur considers all the more remarkable when the chief magistrate of the country was escorting them. It is two miles up and down the hills of the Main Street from the lower entrance of the town to Cliveden, the Chew house, where the breakfast was to be given. The committee had originally planned to have the function at the Green Tree Tavern, one of the famous hostel- ries of the early days, but they later decided that the Green Tree did not afford sufficient accommodations, and at the last moment the plans were changed and the Chew house se- lected for the function. As they approached the mansion the escort, which had preceded the General, halted along the road, and Lafay- ette and his party passed through them and entered the house. The members of the Ma- sonic Lodge and then the various members of the military bodies were introduced to Lafayette individually, as well as a vast number of the in- 0.6 LAFATETTE'S VISIT habitants of the town — as the ancient chronicle states it, both "males and females." M. Levasseur records in his journal the battle-scars on the house — the traces of the can- ^ non and musket balls which had so sadly disfig- ured its walls, and which to-day are living relics of one of the best-remembered engagements of the Revolution. On this festive day the house and grounds were hospitably thrown open to the public, as they have been so many times since, and the citizens of Germantown generally availed themselves of the opportunity of in- specting the battle-scarred walls and the historic interior. The Benjamin Chew* of the day was the son of the Chief Justice. His household was presided over by his young daughter. Miss Anne Sophia Penn Chew, who continued to live at Cliveden for many years. We are for- tunate in having a contemporary letter from one who was present at the "breakfast." Among the archives of Upsala, the beautiful *This was Benjamin Chew, Jr., born in Philadelphia, 1758. Died at Cliveden, April 30, 1844. TO GERMANTOWN 27 Johnson home, opposite the Chew house, there was a letter written by Miss Ann Johnson, July 14 of 1825, to her mother, who was then at Saratoga Springs. Her account of the recep- tion is as follows: " Last 4th day morn I had the honour of break- fasting with LaFayette at Mr. Chews. I wish you had been here — the house both up and down stairs was crowded with men, women and soldiers — and around the house. Mrs. and two of the Mifs. Mor- ris's and myself were the only invited ladies that sat down to Breakfast — about 16 sat down at first, and when they had finished others took their place, and so on till I believe nearly all the soldiers had break- fast — those that did not come in had something in the kitchen. I heard that they eat everything they had till at last the cook had to lock the doors. " I was introduced to LaFayette twice and shook hands with him three times. Ann Chew regretted M was not there to enjoy the scene — it was quite delight- ful to see anything so animated in G . There was so much noise that I could not hear a word the Gen- eral said, every person seemed so anxious to see him eat, that a centinal had to keep guard at the door with a drawn sword — it was very fine indeed. When 2 8 LAFAYETTE'S VISIT he departed the shouts of the multitude and the roar- ing of the cannon was almost deafening. A. L. Logan said I could give you a very fine description of it — but I told him I would have to leave it to your imagi- nation, it would be impossible for me to describe everything." The original of this letter has been depos- ited by Miss Sally W. Johnson in the Museum of the Site and Relic Society in Vernon Park, Germantown. The breakfast over, the General's party, accompanied by the Germantown Cavalry, pro- ceeded up the Main Street to the institution called Mt. Airy College, which occupied the site of Chief Justice William Allen's country place, also called Mt. Airy. The Chief Justice had built the house shortly after 1750, and it had been a famous country home in its day. The square building of stone was the original house, the other buildings having been added for school purposes. Here, after some changes of ownership, had been established, in 1807, a Catholic school, and it later became, in 18 15, TO GERMANTOWN 19 the American Classical and Military Institute,* under the management of Benjamin C. Con- stant and Major August L. Roumfort. Among the later distinguished pupils of the school were General P. G. T. Beauregard, General George G. Meade and Admiral Du Pont. The old buildings made way some twenty years after Lafayette's visit for the more convenient country home of James Gowen, and this property was later sold to the Lutheran Theological Semi- nary, which now occupies the site. No details of the stop at the school are available, but the visit must have been a short and hurried one. It is preserved that Lafayette " expressed the highest gratification with the school and its management." From Mt. Airy the party continued on to Chestnut Hill for the purpose of obtaining a view of Barren Hill, where, on the 20th of May, 1778, Lafayette had happily accomplished *An illustration of the American Classical and Military Institute will be found in the Rev. S. F. Hotchkin's "Ancient and Modern Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill," Philadelphia, 1889. 30 LAFATETTES VISIT that famous retreat which was the beginning of his reputation as a tactician. The time was too short to admit of riding the two miles more and two miles back, down one big hill and up another, which a visit to Barren Hill itself would have entailed, and the party satisfied themselves with the distant view. In 1778, La- fayette with some two thousand troops had been dispatched from Valley Forge toward Philadel- phia to "feel" the enemy, then quartered in the city. The news of the French alliance had but lately reached America, and both armies realized that the British must leave Philadel- phia. The young General crossed the Schuyl- kill at Swedesford — now Norristown — marched down the Ridge Road and took station on the high ground at Barren Hill. Here roads led directly to the city through Roxborough, and one nearly as direct through Chestnut Hill and Germantown. General Clinton, whom Lafay- ette had last seen at the theatre in London, had arrived to take command of the British army, and in honor of the retiring general, Howe, TO GERMANTOWN 31 and of the newcomer, that remarkable fete, the Mischianza, was being held at the same time that Lafayette was leaving the dreary winter's camp at Valley Forge. General Clinton, learn- ing of the presence of this small detached force within eleven miles of the city, resolved to cap- ture it, and almost successful plans were imme- diately put under way. Three main bodies of troops left Philadelphia on the morning of May 20th, and soon reports from all sides convinced Lafayette that he was surrounded except on the side toward the Schuylkill. General Grant with eight thousand troops was on his rear, Gen- erals Clinton and Howe with Admiral Howe as a spectator were in front. His left flank was threatened by grenadiers and cavalry under Gen- eral Gray. General Grant was nearer to Mat- son's Ford, the only available crossing, than was Lafayette's force; but through delays and mis- understandings on the part of the British, and the acuteness and ability of the young French General, the American force stole away, crossed the river at Matson's Ford and drew up on the 32 LAFAYETTE S VISIT heights opposite what is now Conshohocken, before the British army could come up with them. Among the buildings at Barren Hill is a quaint old tavern, the eaves of which for more than a hundred years have been occupied by families of martins. They were there when the confusion of troops and the rattle of mus- ketry surrounded the inn on those days of middle May, 1778, and they have been there every sum- mer since up to two years ago, when for the first time within the memories of four generations they did not come. They have resisted vali- antly the attacks of the English sparrow against overwhelming odds, but have apparently de- parted at last, just one hundred and thirty years after some six English regulars to every Ameri- can soldier made the latter quickstep down the cross-roads and through the Schuylkill waters. One of the stories always told in connec- tion with Lafayette's retreat from Barren Hill relates to the Indian scouts, some fifty in number, which were part of his force. A TO GERMANTOWN ZZ company of British dragoons suddenly came upon them, when the savages gave their w^ar- whoop, which so terrified the dragoons that they fled in dismay. The savages on their part, who had never seen red coats on horseback, fled in terror, and did not stop till they had swam the Schuylkill and were safe beyond. The Lafayette party, after viewing Barren Hill, returned to Germantown, reaching Wyck, the residence of Reuben Haines* at one o'clock. Here a reception to the towns- people had been planned and elaborate exer- cises took place. Wyck is one of our oldest homes in Germantown. It is thought to have been built in 1709, and originally it was two houses with an open space between ; but this had been built over, forming one continuous front. The halls of the house had been used as operating room and hospital after the battle, and blood-stains still remain upon the floors. * Reuben Haines, who lived at Wyck, was a leading citizen of Germantown. He was Secretary of the Academy of Natural Sciences. He was born February 8, 1786. Died October 19, 1831. 34 LAFAYETTE'S VISIT Among the trees about the house is a Spanish chestnut, a seedling from a tree which Wash- ington had planted for Judge Peters on the lawn at Belmont. The house is one of con- tinual delight to everyone fond of the old days and ways. It is not provided with either gas or electric light, candles and lamps being all that are used, in keeping with its low ceilings and furniture of the olden time. The house stands in the midst of the noise and bustle of our Main Street, a quiet and peaceful memo- rial of the past. It was here, the chronicle continues, Lafayette stopped for an hour, "where he again received visits" (and I am now quot- ing) "from ladies and gentlemen of respectabil- ity." The presentation of the townspeople was made by Charles J. Wister, for many years one of the best-known and active citizens of the town. He was the brother of Sally Wister, the diarist, and not without local distinction as a writer and poet. It was in his father's house that the British general, James Agnew, had made his headquarters, and had later died. TO GERMANTOWN ZS leaving the indelible blood-stains on the par- lor floor. The formal program begun, an appropri- ate address was made by Charles Pierce, Esq., Chairman of a committee from the Germantown lodge of Masons. This over, a relic of more than ordinary interest was presented to Lafay- ette through Reuben Haines, the host. The relic, in the shape of a small, round, wooden box, had been made either by or under the supervision of John F. Watson, then a com- paratively young man, the cashier of our Ger- mantown Bank, as he was for more than twenty-three years after. He was at this time gathering material for his "Annals," which were not published, however, until six years after Lafayette's visit. Apparently, Watson had two boxes made exactly alike, retaining one for himself; and this through the process of time has descended to our Site and Relic Society of Germantown, and is now part of the museum of relics. On the under side of the box was this inscription: "Relics of the olden time. 36 LAFAYETTE'S VISIT Gift of J. F. Watson, member of the Society of Penn, to General Lafayette, when he was- in Germantown, 20th July, 1825." The letter is dated from the old banking-house where Watson lived and wrote his " Annals," still standing, but now a meat shop. The letter is as follows: Germantown (Bank House) Sir: J"^y 2°' ^8^5- The frank politeness with which you have so often received the tokens of friendship from my countrymen, encourages me also, upon a slender ac- quaintance, to approach you with the present of a small Wooden Box, of Materials consecrated to the memory of some of the earliest historical incidents of my country. I am the more inclined to this, from having the honour to approach you as a brother Miquon, we being members of the Penn Society, for commemorating the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers of Pennsylvania. As these and similar relicks are pecu- liarly such as the Society encourages and preserves, I presume they may not meet an unwelcome reception from you. The love of relicks, connected with incidents on which the soul delights to dwell, is a passion natural A.WI Elscr, d C^lBcstotz K^/LeaSe^/t ^^jyLa&i TO GERMANTOWN 37 to man and especially to those of the finest moral feelings ; and the reason is obvious : by such associa- tions, such constituted minds, are capable of generat- ing the ideal -presence, and to commune with men and things of other times. (So long as fancy and imagi- nation shall find their proper place in feeling and en- lightened minds, we shall expect to hear of the "Touch Wood Trunk," of the Bard of Avon; of Rabelais' Old Clock, at Montpelier; or of Thomson's Table at Richmond.) You yourself have already manifested your aflTec- tion for Dr. Franklin's Cane, and for Gen. Wash- ington's hair. " We beg a hair of him for memory And dying, mention it within our wills." The character of the several pieces of Wood in- corporated in the Box, is as follows, to wit, — The Box is turned from a piece of Black Walnut, which till 1 8 1 8 was a living Forest Tree, standing in front ot the Hall of Independence, and had been, with other like Trees there, the contemporaries of William Penn and the first settlers of Pennsylvania. That Group formerly served as imposing and appropriate con- ductors to that venerable building, when standing as it formerly did, at the utmost verge of City Popula- tion. When Richard Penn visited Philadelphia, and 38 LAFAYETTE S VISIT was shown these last living vestiges of his great Pro- genitor's day, he burst into a flood of tears. The interest to be afforded by this Wood now is, that it is the last of all the Forest Race, so near the City. The four sections of the circle on the Lid are as follows, to wit: — The Oak is a piece of the top log of a butment wharf (now strange to tell) located at the Junction of Hud- son's Alley and Chestnut Street, in the year 1683, and then appertaining to the first Bridge ever made over Dock Creek. Under this Bridge, replaced by a stone one in 1699, vessels loaded with wood, used to go up to the "common landing" at the junction of High and Fourth streets. The present piece of wood was found six feet under the present surface in 1823. The Sweet Gum is another Tree of the Forest Race of Penn's day, and the last present living Trees so near the City (save an Elm still standing at the N. W. corner of Schuylkill Seventh and Race Streets) it being one of 3 or 4 now standing on the northern side of Vine Street, in front of Bush Hill. Such facts as these tend powerfully to impose upon our consideration the wonderfully rapid growth of our American Cities from the Rude Sylvan, to the embel- lished City State. A. h^^son d Cb, Boston %& oyu- ^a/t ^/"/y/i TO GERMANTOtVN 29 The Elm is of the celebrated " Treaty Tree" of Shackamaxum, which blew down in 1810, and a Scion of which is again flourishing (like the reproduction of the fabled Phoenix) in the western lot of the City Hospital. The Mahogany is a piece of the Beam of the first house constructed by Europeans in America! It was built and occupied in 1496 by the great Columbus, and is still preserved with commendable care by the Haytien Government. With the present, accept also my lasting respect and esteem. John F. Watson. P. S. I feel disposed also to present you the last vestige of the first American Navy. It is a piece of the Timber of the Alliance, frigate. It is associated with that happy Alliance for which you so earnestly laboured, and it is besides curious as having belonged to the only Frigate of the first Navy, which remained to us at the close of the Revolution. It has, how- ever, been as the seed or parent of something now far much greater and renowned. It will be remembered that Lafayette had twice crossed the Atlantic in this frigate, so the gift of this relic was particularly appropriate. 40 LAFATETTES VISIT The Alliance had had an eminently successful career during the war, and at its conclusion had been sold to Robert Morris and used as a mer- chant vessel, making several memorable trips. A few years later the frigate had been sold and broken up and her remains run upon Petty's Island in the Delaware. General Lafayette was highly flattered, his secretary says, by Mr. Watson's present. He received it with gratitude and with a pledge that it should find a place among the precious memorials of his tour. The box was for many years a treasured relic at La Grange, and it is illustrated in the " Souvenirs sur la Vie Privee du General Lafayette" by his friend and surgeon, M. Jules Cloquet, published in Paris, 1836. Shortly after Lafayette's death, in 1834, the souvenirs were divided among his three children, and in each one of these three branches several times in succession among the various heirs. Just where these interesting ceremonies occurred can only be conjectured, but it is known that the reception took place in the passageway TO GERMANTOWN 41 through the centre of the house. There is a tradition that the General, fatigued by the labors of the day, was seated during a portion of the reception in an arm chair, still carefully preserved in the Haines family. The tradition is that it was one of two chairs which Franklin brought with him on his return from his service abroad as Minister of the United States to France. The chairs passed into the possession of Miss Molly Donaldson, of Germantown, and on her death she bequeathed one to Reuben Haines and the other to Charles J. Wister. The chair was placed on the right side of the pas- sageway, nearest the street, and the guests filed through into the garden at the rear. Here " the guests were embraced by the General," as the account states, "with his usual politeness and cordiality." The reception at Wyck concluded, La- fayette, seated in his barouche, accompanied by Charles J. Wister and surrounded by the cavalry escort, moved down the Main Street to yet one more function — a visit to the Academy on 42 LAFAYETTE'S VISIT School House Lane. Our Germantown Acad- emy celebrated its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary in 1910, and when Lafayette vis- ited it, it had been for tw^o-thirds of a century an object of interest and solicitude to the incor- porators and their descendants. The turmoil of the Revolution sadly interfered with the orderly and continuous conduct of the school. Here, as at Wyck, the floors were stained by the blood of the wounded after the battle. It was offered in 1793 as a meeting place for Congress, and later was occupied by two of the big city banks during the yellow fever visitation. We like to say that its old weathervane is sur- mounted by the crown of George HL, and that its bell, which still calls the schoolboy to his studies, was sent home to England in the tea ship Polly, when this vessel was refused a landing in Philadelphia by our indignant citi- zens, and at the time when the Boston patriots, with no more earnestness, but with far more wastefulness, were pouring the tea consigned to them into the harbor. J^a/oAJAite- & ii^/riayiAy TO GERMANTOJVN 43 Arriving at the school, the instructors, with Walter R. Johnson,* the principal, at their head, and the pupils were drawn up to receive the distinguished visitors. Mr. Johnson then de- livered the following address, which in the main was like hundreds — yes, almost a thousand — oratorical efforts to which Lafayette had listened (in his tour), but which, as it is short and con- tains some local references, is given in full. It was received with that urbanity and courtesy which everywhere marked the General's visit to Germantown. Mr. Johnson said: General : In behalf of the members of the Academy of Germantown, permit me to express the high satisfac- tion inspired in our hearts by the visit with which we are now favoured. The thrill of joy which ran through ten millions of bosoms, as the glad tidings of your * Walter R. Johnson was a young man, born in Massachusetts, June 21, 1795, a graduate of Harvard. He had assumed charge of the Academy in l8zi, two years after his graduation, and continued at its head until August, t8z6. From 1826 to 1836 he was con- nected with the Philadelphia schools and later was identified with many educational and scientific projects. He was the first sec- 44 LAFAYETTES VISIT approach to our shores were announced, was not slow in finding its way to the ardent affections of the youth now before you. High therefore as the sentiments of gratitude have risen, and devoted as has been the attachment expressed in every part of our country, you will do me the justice to believe that of the count- less multitudes who have crowded around to do hom- age to the sublime virtues exhibited in your life, none have felt a deeper interest in the welfare, and none a livelier gratitude for the services of their country's benefactor than the citizens of this town and the mem- bers of this institution. You behold, sir, in the group before you, some of the youth of both portions of our continent, ardently devoted to those pursuits which may one day qualify them for discharging the high responsibilities imposed by their relation to free gov- ernment, and by the gratitude to those who have made them/r^^. While they ascend the steps of sci- ence or tread the paths of literature they are invigor- ated in the career, not only by the dignity of the pursuit, but also by the recollections of the names of. retary of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was a prolific writer, having left no less than fifty papers and re- ports on scientific subjects and twenty or more on matters relating to education. He died in Washington, D. C, April 26, 1852. A sketch of his life has been published in pamphlet form, being a reprint from "Barnard's American Journal of Education" for December, 1858. ■=^4a.ue/te .^,oio TO GERMANTOWN 45 those worthies who gave them the inheritance of in- stitutions founded on intelligence and virtue. We claim to possess a peculiar felicity in having our lot cast on the classic ground of America, amidst scenes which daily and hourly recall to mind recollec- tions as dear to our hearts as they are sacred to patri- otism. We visit the mansion that became the temporary refuge of our hostile invaders, and witness the impressions made by the cannon of our country- men ; we view with mingled emotions the indelible stains left by the blood of Revolutionary martyrs around many of the domestic hearthstones in our village, and in the retentive materials that compose this our hall of instruction. In our summer walks we strew flowers on the hallowed sod that covers the patriot soldier's grave ; by our winter firesides we listen to the legend of many a patriarch, whose eye pours forth that eloquence of feeling which his tongue refuses to utter — choked by the emotion that swells as it recounts the praises of our country's deliverers. Hence, then, in turning over the page of Grecian and Roman story, our youth seldom grow weary with dwelling on the deeds of ancient heroes, save when they pause amidst these objects that remind them of our great national struggle, to compare those heroes with the liberators of our own hemisphere ; with the 46 LAFAYETTES VISIT Washingtons and Lafayettes of both Americas. Ac- cept, in our sincere congratulations, our earnest prayers for your safe return to the bosom of your family, and our ardent wishes for your lasting welfare and happiness. To this address the General made a feeHng and appropriate answer, and the students were then personally introduced by Mr. Johnson. The General gave each a cordial hand-shake, and when the name of Fernando Bolivar* was pronounced, Lafayette's expression kindled with interest and enthusiasm. This young man was the nephew and adopted son of Simon Bolivar, the so-called "Liberator" of South America, then in the zenith of his fame. The chron- icler of the event says that it was difficult to *Fernando Bolivar states in his autobiography, "Recuerdos y Reminiscencias del Primer Tercio de la Vida de Rivolba" (Bolivar) Paris, 1873. When he was twelve years old, in 1822, he was sent "to Philadelphia and I entered the College of Germantown under Walter Johnson, a man of remarkable qualifications to direct a col- lege. I have always cherished a pleasant memory and respectful re- membrance of my first teacher." He also states that when he arrived in Philadelphia he lived with a Mr. Alderson, and he further states that when General Lafayette was in the United States in l8z; and visited Germantown College he was introduced to the General. TO GERMANTOJVN 47 say whether the vivid emotion of the hoary vet- eran or the filial respect and affection of the ingenuous youth was the most remarkable. La- fayette spoke to him with pleasure of the hopes which the friends of liberty and humanity were reposing in the character of his uncle, who until the present moment had advanced with a firm pace in the career pursued by Washington. To this the young man replied in such a man- ner as to excite the hope that his having been sent to the United States to study her political institution would not be without permanent benefit. After partaking of refreshments at the Academy, the General and his suite continued on out to the Ridge Road, and returned to the While at the Germantown Academy he had an oiFer to go to West Point, which offer he did not accept, as he acknowledged his defi- ciency in mathematics. From Germantown he went to a college in Virginia. Don Fernando S. Bolivar was born in Caracas, December 9, 1808, being the son of Don Juan Vicente Bolivar, a brother of the • ' Liberator. ' ' Fernando Bolivar returned to South America in 1828, and during a long life was identified with the political and military move- ments of his native land, serving as deputy to Congress, and as gov- ernor of the province of Caracas. He died in Caracas, 1898. 48 LAFAYETTE'S VISIT city to attend the dinner to Richard Rush, for eight years envoy to Great Britain. On the 25th of July Lafayette set out for Wilmington, and M. Levasseur, in looking back over the nine days in Philadelphia, thus re- fers to it : " The week we had just spent in Philadelphia, as it were in his own family, had entirely composed the fatigue of the General, and although the heat continued excessive, we undertook our journey to Wilmington to visit the Battle-field of Brandywine." This accom- plished, the party moved on to Washington, and were received by President Adams, who then occupied the White House. After a tour of Virginia and farewell dinner with the three ex- Presidents — Jefferson, Madison and Monroe — at Monticello, he was tendered a great public dinner in Washington on September 6th, his birthday. Lafayette started the next day for France, embarking on the frigate Brandywine, which had been newly launched. Sailing down the Potomac, they entered the Chesapeake under full sail, as a beautiful rainbow spanned the bay ^ I 'is TO GERMANTOWN 49 with one arm seeming to rest on the Virginia coast and the other on the Maryland shore. Thus was repeated a phenomenon which had greeted Lafayette on his arrival in the harbor of New York, and which has been noted as a happy omen of his visit. After a voyage not without some diffi- culties, Lafayette reached France in twenty-four days and was soon at his beloved La Grange. Here for nine years he lived the peaceful, happy life of a country gentleman, broken only by the Revolution of July, 1830, when he again assumed command of the National Guards, es- tablished order in Paris, and was instrumental in placing Louis Philippe on the throne of France. This public service ended, he again returned to his country home, where, on May 20, 1834, he passed to the great beyond. INDEX PAGE Adams, John 19 Adams, John Quincy ... 19, 24, 48 Agnew, General James 34 Albany, N. Y 16 Alien, William, Chief Justice ... 28 Alliance Frigate 14. 39 American Classical and Military In- stitute 29 Armat, Thomas 23 Baltimore, Md 16 Barren Hill 13, 29, 30, 32 Barringer, George A 9 Beauregard, General P. G. T. . . 29 Bolivar, Fernando 46, 47 Bolivar, Simon 4^ Boston, Mass 16 Brandywine, Battle of 13 Brandywine, Frigate 48 Bi-eakfast at Cliveden 27 Bunker Hill monument 18 Bush Hill 38 Cadmus Packet . IS Charleston, S. C 16 Chestnut Hill 29 Chew, Miss Anne 26, 27 Chew, Jr., Benjamin 26 Cincinnati, Ohio 16 Clay, Henry 18 Clinton, General 30, 31 Cliveden 25 Cloquet, Jules 40 Congress receives Lafayette . . .16 Constant, Benjamin C 29 De Kalb, Baron 13 Dock Creek 38 Donaldson, Miss Molly 41 Duke of Gloucester 12 Du Pont, Admiral 29 Elm, Treaty 39 PAGE English sparrows 32 Franklin 13,41 Franklin's cane 37 Freemasons 23, 25, 35 George III 42 Germantown Academy 42 Germantown Bank 35, 36 Germantown Cavalry .... 23, 28 Germantown, Lafayette reaches . . 22 Gowen, James 29 Green Tree Tavern 25 Gum, Sweet 38 Haines, Reuben 33, 35. 41 Heat in Philadelphia 21 Heilig, Captain 23 Indian scouts 32 Jefferson, Thomas 19. 4^ Johnson, Miss Anne 27 Johnson, Miss Sally W 28 Johnson, Walter R 43> 46 Lafayette chair 41 Lafayette's death 49 Lafayette, George Washington . . 20 Lafayette sails 48 Lafayette wrecked on Mississippi . I J La Grange 1 1. 49 Landing in New York 15 Levasseur, Auguste . 9, 20, 21, 26, 48 Logan, A. L 28 Loudoun 23 Lutheran Theological Seminary . . 29 McPherson Blues 23 Madison, James '9. 4^ Mahogany 39 Main Street, Germantown .... 24 Martins 32 Matson's Ford 31 Meade, General George G 29 Mobile 16 PACK MoDmouth 13 Monroe Doctrine . „/ II Monroe, James 19, 25, 48 Monticello 48 Morris, Mrs 27 Morris, Robert 40 Mt. Airy College 28 Mt. Vernon 14 Murler, Joseph 22, 24 Nashville 16 Neglee's Hill 23 New Orleans 16 New York 16 Oak 38 Oak Hill . . 24 Oldest house in Germantown ... 33 Penn, Richard 37 Penn Society 36 Philadelphia, Lafayette in .... 16 Philadelphia, Lafayette reaches . . 20 Pierce, Charles 35 Pittsburgh, Pa 16 Polly, Tea ship 42 Portland, Me 16 Portsmouth, N. H 16 Raleigh, N. C 16 PAGE Red Jacket 19 Rosales, Manuel Landeata .... 9 Roumfort, August L 29 Rush, Richard 48 St. Louis, Mo 16 Savannah, Ga; 16 Schouler, James 9 Site and Relic Society 28 Syracuse, N. Y. . . 16 Toll-gates 24 Tower, Charlemagne 9 Treaty Elm 39 Upsala 26 Valley Forge 18 Virginia campaign 14 Walnut, Black 37 Washington, D. C 16 Washington, George 34 Washington's hair 37 Watson, John F 3Si 4° Webster, Daniel 18 Wister, Charles J 34, 41 Wister, Miss Sally 34 Wyck 33i 41 Yanes, Hon. F. J 9 Yorktown 14 01 'J 9Z8 ,©