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Chapter Ninth

HE year 1789 was an important one in Freneau's life, as during that period there occurred two events that covered the entire course of his future, the one shaping his private, and the other his political life.

The first of these events was that of his marriage with Eleanor, daughter of Samuel and Helen Denise Forman, a prominent and wealthy family of New Jersey, which had, and has since that time, given to the country a galaxy of names which have reflected honor on the land of their birth, and occupied prominent places on its roll of honor, in military as well as civil affairs.

Eleanor's two brothers and cousin served in the Revolutionary War, the latter, General David Forman, being familiarly known as "Black David," on account of his excessive severity towards those who did not favor the Revolution. This officer ably commanded the New Jersey militia in the battle of Germantown, which engagement, in reality a defeat, was considered as advantageous to the Americans as a victory. In it the genius of Washington and the bravery and discipline of the army showed to such advantage as to rank it in the eyes of all Europe as nearly on an equality with the surrender of Burgoyne, and as to cause Frederic of Prussia to acknowledge the formidable power the American army might become, as well as to decide the French Court to consider us as allies.1 After the war General Forman 1 John Fiske, in Atlantic Monthly.

was a member of the Council of State, and Judge of the County Court. He was also one of the original members of the Order of The Cincinnati.

Eleanor's eldest brother, Colonel Jonathan Forman, married a sister of Colonel William Ledyard, of whom we have spoken in the preceding chapter; their grandchildren were Horatio Seymour, who married into the Bleecker family, and was several times Governor of New York State, and a candidate for the Presidency, and John Seymour, who married in the Tappan family; his granddaughters married, the one, Judge Miller of Utica ; another, Roscoe Conkling; and, a third her cousin, Ledyard Lincklaen, whose daughter married Charles S. Fairchild, Secretary of the Treasury during Cleveland's first administration.

Eleanor Freneau's second brother, Captain Denise Forman, married into the Kearny family to which Philip's step-father belonged. This family, trebly related to Freneau, gave Major-General Philip Kearny 2 to the country. The daughter of Eleanor's third brother, Major Samuel Forman, married General Rensselaer Van Rensselaer, and her eldest sister, Catherine, married Colonel William Ledyard, thus forming a double connection with that family. Catherine's eldest son, Major Benjamin Ledyard, married the daughter of Freneau's old college-mate, Brockholst Livingston, and consequently the niece of John Jay's wife; and his son3 married a daughter of General Cass. Catherine's other grandchildren formed double rela

1 Governor Thomas Seymour of Connecticut was also a relative.

2 Philip Kearny married Susan, daughter of John Watts and Jane Colden a sister of Cadwallader Colden. This John Watts was son of John Watts senior and Ann Delancey; Philip was father of General Philip Kearny.

A son of this gentleman is now President of the Michigan Central Railroad, viz., Mr. Henry Ledyard, father of the Baroness Von Kettler, whose husband was killed in China, when minister to that country from Germany.

tionships with the families of Seymour and Fairchild; and another of them married into the Fitzhugh family; and through their child, a triple connection was formed with the Seymour family.

Eleanor's second sister, Margaret, married Major Burrows. Major Gordon, a graduate of Princeton College of the class of 1786, was likewise a relative of hers. Eleanor is said to have been distinguished for her well informed mind, sprightliness of disposition, elegance of manner, affability, and excellent conversational powers; and she is said to have retained these qualities, as well as much of her personal beauty, to her old age. She was intimately acquainted with many distinguished personages, and was a charming hostess, in her husband's residence at Mount Pleasant as well as in Philadelphia. Mrs. Freneau had a poetic taste and wrote with ease; her compositions are said to have been distinguished by character and intelligence. She corresponded for some time before her marriage with Freneau in verse. An amusing anecdote is told of her sprightliness before her marriage. In one of Freneau's visits she left him to entertain the other members of the family, and, slipping from the room while he was thus engaged, she dexterously sheared off some of the superfluous capes attached to his outer garment, such as we have already spoken of as having been in vogue; whether they were displeasing to her as being old-fashioned, or for some other reason, she probably stated in the verses in which she commemorated the feat, and which she enclosed to him. Her writings were consumed in the conflagration at Mount Pleasant, but in a paper of the day1 is found an extract from a letter of hers to her brother Samuel, he having removed with his family, consisting of his wife and one child who afterwards married General Van Rensselaer, to central New York.

1 Evening Post.

"I am forever thinking of you and our other dear friends in that new country. Had you and they been situated nearer together, and nearer to me, I should then care more for the world than I do. My two little girls and books are my chief comforters. I wish it was in my power to send you out as good a collection of the latter as we have here. You would not feel the loss of friendship and the want of company as much as you do. We must endeavor to make ourselves as independent of the world as possible, and let our own minds furnish us with that pleasure which too many are in search of abroad. . . I know you will make the best use of your solitude. Mr. Freneau joins me in much love to you." 2

The second great event of the year 1789 was the adoption of the Constitution, and its consequence, the inauguration of Washington as the first President of the United States. In one of the centennial publications in the year 1809, it was said that the President elect was met at Elizabethtown by a joint joint committee of Congress and escorted to New York, and that Philip Freneau, who afterward, as editor of the "National Gazette," made it hot for the Washington administration, accompanied the party across the bay, and in the excitement of the occasion probably huzzahed with the loudest. Another version is that he came up the bay from Charleston on the day of the procession, but he would not run up his colors in honor of the event. As the subject is an open one, we leave our readers to believe which they choose; we prefer the former. Upon the attendant ceremony it was Freneau's relative, the Right Reverend Samuel Provost, that conducted the religious services in old Saint Paul's Church.8

1 Cayuga and Cazenovia Lakes.

2 This brother died in Syracuse, New York, in 1862.

It is said that when the question of holding services on the day of the inauguration was agitated and Bishop Provost was appealed to on the subject, he said that he had always been used to look up to the Government upon such occasions, and he thought it prudent not to do anything till

Although the oath of office was administered, and the Constitution went into operation the last day of April, it was not until the fall of the year that any important step was taken. After the Cabinet and judges of the Supreme Court were chosen, the next matter was to decide upon the location of the future capital of the nation. New York was not willing to cede the amount of territory required, therefore it was decided to remove to Philadelphia for the period of ten years.

A certain writer,' in praising Philadelphia, and after enumerating all the various ports at which she traded, her schools, and other advantages, adds: "In fact, there may be obtained the knowledge of the arts and sciences, and here may be had, on any day of the week, tarts, pies, cake, etc.; and no jealousy amongst men, and no old maids." It seems quite evident, after this panegyric, why Congress selected this favored city in which to hold its sessions. Undoubtedly the anticipation of regaling themselves in their recesses upon the tarts, pies, etc., had great weight with those upon whom the selection devolved; and does not the fact go to prove that in reality woman was the factor that. transformed this charming city of " Brotherly Love into the city of Brotherly Discord it eventually became, and of introducing some jealous men into it? for a writer has said, "Man is what he eats, and woman is the caterer." Tarts, pies, and cake were the modern apple, the fair caterer the modern Eve; and, tempting the modern Adam, "he did eat; and the modern Eden became a modern Babel.

However it was, Congress in removing itself to other quarters greatly discomfited the residents of they knew what Government would direct. Eben Hazard, hearing this, said: "If the good bishop never prays without an order from Government it is not probable that the kingdom of heaven will suffer much from his violence." (Bowen, in Century Magazine.)

1 Gabriel Thomas.