As I Remember
Dr. Henry Lee Heiskell, Assistant Surgeon General of the Army,
accompanied by her husband and son, the late James Monroe Heiskell, of
Baltimore, a handsome and promising youth, were also there. Among the
other guests were Charles Sumner, Caleb Cushing and Stephen A. Douglas,
none of whom at that time were married; Peter Grayson Washington, then
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and a relative of my husband; Miss
Katharine Maria Wright, who shortly thereafter married Baron J. C.
Gevers, _Charge d'affaires_ from Holland; her brother, Edward Wright, of
Newark; John G. Floyd of Long Island; James Guthrie, Secretary of the
Treasury, and his two daughters; William L. Marcy, Secretary of State,
and his wife; their daughter, Miss Cornelia Marcy, subsequently Mrs.
Edmund Pendleton; Baron von Grabow and Alexandre Gau of the Prussian
Legation, the latter of whom married my sister, Margaret, the following
year; Mr. and Mrs. William T. Carroll; Lieutenant (subsequently Rear
Admiral) James S. Palmer of the Navy; Jerome E. Kidder of Boston, and
General William J. Hardee, U.S.A.
A few days before my marriage I received the following letter from
Edward Everett:--
BOSTON, 23 Feb.
My dear Miss Campbell,
I had much pleasure in receiving this morning Mrs.
Campbell's invitation and your kind note of the 20th. I am
greatly indebted to you for remembering me on an occasion of
so much interest and importance, and I beg to offer you my
sincere congratulations.
Greatly would it rejoice me to be able to avail myself of
your invitation to be present at your nuptials.
But the state of my health and of my family makes this
impossible. But I shall certainly be with you in spirit, and
with cordial wishes for your happiness.
Praying my kindest remembrance to your mother and sisters, I
remain,
my dear Miss Campbell,
Sincerely your friend,
EDWARD EVERETT.
P.S. I suppose you saw in the papers a day or two ago that
poor Miss Russell is gone.
The Miss Russell referred to by Mr. Everett was Miss Ida Russell, one
of three handsome and brilliant sisters prominent in Boston in the
society of the day.
Soon after my marriage my husband and I made a round of visits to his
numerous family connections. It is with more than usual pleasure that I
recall the beautiful old home of Mr. Gouverneur's aunt, Mrs. Thomas
Cadwalader, near Trenton, which a few years later was destroyed by fire.
A guest of the Cadwaladers at the same time with ourselves was my
husband's first cousin, the Rev. Robert Livingston Tillotson of New
York, who studied for the Episcopal ministry and subsequently entered
the Roman Catholic priesthood.
From Trenton, we journeyed to Yonkers, New York, to visit the Van
Cortlandt family at the historic manor-house in that vicinity. It was
then owned and occupied by Mr. Gouverneur's relatives, Dr. Edward N.
Bibby and his son, Augustus, the latter of whom had recently changed his
name from Bibby to Van Cortlandt, as a consideration for the inheritance
of this fine old estate. Dr. Bibby married Miss Augusta White of the Van
Cortlandt descent, and for many years was a prominent physician in New
York City. When I visited the family, he had retired from active
practice and was enjoying a serene old age surrounded by his children
and grandchildren. Henry Warburton Bibby, the Doctor's second son, was
also one of this household at the time of our visit. He never married
but retained his social tastes until his death a few years ago.
In the drawing-room of the Van Cortlandt home stood a superb pair of
brass andirons in the form of lions, which had been presented to Mrs.
Augustus Van Cortlandt by my husband's mother as a bridal present. They
had been brought by James Monroe upon his return from France, where he
had been sent upon his historic diplomatic mission by Washington. The
style of life led by the Van Cortlandt family was fascinating to me as,
even at this late date, they clung to many of the old family customs
inherited from their ancestors. Our next visit was to the cottage of
William Kemble in Cold Spring, and it seemed to me like returning to an
old and familiar haunt. My marriage into the Gouverneur family added
another link in the chain of friendship attaching me to the members of
the Kemble family, as they were relatives of my husband. I was
entertained while there by the whole family connection, and I recall
with especial pleasure the dinner parties at Gouverneur Kemble's and at
Mrs. Robert P. Parrott's. Martin Van Buren was visiting "Uncle Gouv" at
the time, and I was highly gratified to meet him again, as his presence
not only revived memories of childhood's days during my father's
lifetime in New York, but also materially assisted in rendering the
entertainments given in my honor at Cold Spring unusually delightful.
From Cold Spring we drove to The Grange, near Garrison's, another
homestead familiar to me in former days, and the residence of Frederick
Philipse, where I renewed my acquaintance with old friends who now
greeted me as a relative. At this beautiful home I saw a pair of
andirons even handsomer than those at the Van Cortlandt mansion. They
were at least two feet high and represented trumpeters. The historic
house was replete with ancestral furniture and fine old portraits, one
of which was attributed to Vandyke.
The whole Philipse and Gouverneur connection at Garrison's were devoted
Episcopalians and were largely instrumental in building a fine church at
Garrison's, which they named St. Philips. In more recent years a
congregation of prominent families has worshiped in this edifice--among
others, the Fishes, Ardens, Livingstons, Osborns and Sloanes. For many
years the beloved rector of this church was the Rev. Dr. Charles F.
Hoffman, a gentleman of great wealth and much scholarly ability. He and
his brother, the late Rev. Dr. Eugene A. Hoffman, Dean of the General
Theological Seminary in New York, devoted their lives and fortunes to
the cause of religion. Residents of New York are familiar with All
Angels Church, built by the late Rev. Dr. Charles F. Hoffman on West End
Avenue, of which he was rector for a number of years. During his life at
Garrison's, both Dr. and Mrs. Hoffman were very acceptable to my
husband's relatives, especially as the Doctor was connected with the
family by right of descent from a Gouverneur forbear. Charles F. Hoffman
married Miss Eleanor Louisa Vail, a daughter of David M. Vail of New
Brunswick, New Jersey, who in every way proved herself an able helpmeet
to him. Mrs. Hoffman was educated at Miss Hannah Hoyt's school in New
Brunswick, a fashionable institution of the day, and at a reunion of the
scholars held in recent years, she was mentioned in the following
appropriate manner: "Nearly half a century ago, in the well-known Miss
Hoyt's school, was Eleanor Louisa Vail who was noted for her good
lessons and considerate ways towards all. She never overlooked those who
were less fortunate than herself, but gave aid to any who needed it,
either in their lessons or in a more substantial form. In the wider
circle of New York the benevolent Mrs. Hoffman, the wife of the late
generous rector of All Angels Church, but fulfilled the promise made by
the beautiful girl of former days." Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Hoffman's
daughter, Mrs. J. Van Vechten Olcott, is as beloved in her generation as
her mother was before her.
Samuel Mongan Warburton Gouverneur, a younger brother of Frederick
Philipse, was living at The Grange at the time of my visit. Some years
later he built a handsome house in the neighborhood which he called
"Eagle's Rest," and resided there with his sister, Miss Mary Marston
Gouverneur. After his death, the place was sold to the late Louis
Fitzgerald, who made it his home.
After six months spent in the mountainous regions of Maryland, not far
from Cumberland, on property owned by my husband's family, Mr.
Gouverneur and I returned to Washington and began our married life in my
mother's home. Soon after we had settled down, my eldest daughter was
born. The death of my sister, Mrs. Alexandre Gau, from typhoid fever
soon followed. It was naturally a terrible shock to us all and
especially to me, as we were near of an age and our lives had been side
by side from infancy. My mother, in her great affliction, broke up her
home and Mr. Gouverneur and I rented a house on Twelfth Street, near N
Street, a locality then regarded as quite suburban. Here I endeavored to
live in the closest retirement, as the meeting with friends of former
days only served to bring my sorrow more keenly before me.
Meanwhile my whole life was devoted to the little girl whom we had named
Maud Campbell, and who, of course, had become "part and parcel" of my
quiet life. Mr. Gouverneur was the last surviving member of his family
in the male line, and the whole family connection was looking to me to
perpetuate his name. Soon after the birth of my daughter my husband
received the following characteristic letter from Mr. Gouverneur's aunt,
Mrs. David Johnstone Verplanck, who before her marriage was Louisa A.
Gouverneur, a gifted woman whose home was in New York:
THURSDAY, April 10th.
My dear Sam,
In return for your kind recollections I hasten to offer my
most sincere congratulations to yourself and Mrs. G. As
husband and father you have now realized all the romance of
life, the pleasures of which I have little doubt you already
begin to feel deeply intermingled with many anxious hours.
It is wisest and best to enjoy all that good fortune sends
and fortify ourselves to meet and endure the trials to which
our Destiny has allotted.
Tell Mrs. G. that we must send for the girdle the old woman
sent the Empress Eugenie. She had a succession of seven
sons, and requested her to wear it for luck. As it was very
dirty the royal lady sent it back. It might be procured and
undergo the purifying influence of water. All I can say at
present to console your disappointment I hope a son will
soon consummate all your joys and wishes. You know it rests
with you to keep the name of Gouverneur in the land of the
living. It is nearly extinct and you its only salvation.
I regret to hear your father is unwell at Barnum's [Hotel,
Baltimore]. I hope he will soon be with us. I long to see
him.
Believe me always your friend,
LOUISA VERPLANCK.
I also append a letter received by Mr. Gouverneur from Mrs. William
Kemble (Margaret Chatham Seth), which recalled many tender associations.
NEW YORK 11th April.
I need not tell you, my dear friend, how much we were all
gratified by your kind remembrance of us, in the midst of
your own anxiety and joy, to give us the first news of our
dear Marian's safety. Give my very best love to her and a
kiss to Miss Gouverneur with whom I hope to be better
acquainted hereafter.
Mr. and Mrs. Nourse with our dear little Charlie left us
yesterday for Washington. You will probably see them before
you receive this. I feel assured that Marian is blessed in
being with her mother who has every experience necessary for
her. Therefore it is idle for me to give my advice but I
must say, keep her quiet, not to be too smart or anxious to
show her baby--at first--and she will be better able to do
it afterwards. May God bless you all three and that this
dear pledge committed to your charge be to you both every
comfort and joy that your anxious hearts can wish. Please to
give my best regards and wishes to Mrs. Campbell and her