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The PDF contains the geneaology of Garrit Storm, born March 25th 1778.

After several attempts to upload a PDF of Garrit's narrative, I have decided that I will copy it to the page by hand. It seems that the file is too large to upload as it is.

 

I will be adding sections of the narrative over time. I hope that the reader finds the narrative interesting and informative. It is not only a geneaology but a glimpse of life in 18th century New York.

To my daughter Glorvina, I bequeath this narrative which has been prepared by me, with the most scrupulous regard to truth,
I found myself to be in possession of family particulars, known to
scarcely any one else and it was to rescue these, that induced me
to leave behind me for each of my daughters, a record, which I think cannot fail to prove of deep interest to them, and their descendants.

Garrit Storm

Narrative drawn up by Garrit Storm relating particulars of his progenitors; his own descent and history, including notices of
his relations , and other matters which may prove of interest to his childred.

 

I was born at Hopewell, Dutchhess County, State of New York, on the 25th of March, 1778, and am the son of Thomas Storm the eldest son of my grandfather Garrit Storm, after whom I was named. My father married Elisabeth Graham the daughter of a Presbyterian clergyman , who was settled and preached in the town of Fishkill. By her he had ten childred: of whom, at the time I commence this
narrative (in 1847) only three survive vis my sister Elizabeth Manning, widow of James Manning, my brother Stephen and myself.

 

My father occupied a farm of 200 acres, situated on the public road  leading to Boston; and finding his family increasing, determined upon
moving to New York: having lost his first child Garrit, who died at two years of ages and is buried in the yard of the Hopewell Church. The following inscription is on the stone at the head of his grave:

 

"Was born, looked round, and died."

 

My father removed his family to the City, where he arrived on the 4th of April 1784, I have often heard him say be came down in a sloop from Fishklll landing in eight hours passage. He had taken a house in Water Street about midway between Old and Coenties Slips, I had not been in the City more than an hour
before I lost my way, and terribly frightened for fear I should never find my friends again: 1 happily met one of the servants and was carried home. I was then six years of age and had been to school for some little time before we left the country.

 

I always well remembered the school house which has been rebuilt, but stands in the same place still. My father occupied a three story house and commenced business by keeping some groceries in the cellar: fearing, however this would not support his family, he obtained the appointment of weighmaster, and as he has told me, often made several dollars by his scales before breakfast. In addition to this he kept several boarders during the session of the legislature which then sat in this city- and besides all this kept a cow and sold milk; to the neighbors. The cow after being milked in the morning, was turned off and regularly made her way out to the fields, now the Park, and got what grass could there, and sometimes straying a little above it, scarcely ever beyond Canal street. It was then all country above the present City Hall. There was a great outcry If the cow did not come home at night, as not only the family were without milk  but the neighbors too.

 

From the house in Water street my father removed at the end of three years into a two story house in Stone Street ( then called Duke Street), directly opposite Coentie's Alley. Here we lost & very fine mulato boy about ten years old of lockjaw. He was a slave and the child of black Rachel very long a slave belonging to the family. She was cook for many years; was deeply imbued with Methodism, and withing the last ten years was still alive, and lived on a small place of her own at Near Rockaway Long Island. My father now gave up the cow, boarders and scales, and entered into partnership is the grocery business with John H. Sickels a connection in the family on his mother's side, her name being Sickels. This partnership existed for several years and continued until I grew up to see the incapacity of Sickels, when I persuaded my  father to separate from him. This Sickels in after years endeavored to cheat my father out of $10,000. in a lottery account in which both were  managers but his foul intent was detected by me and the amount refunded. This same Sickels was at a still later day detected in a conspiracy; and as manager drew the high prize to a particular number in which be was part owner. He was indicted and tried, and only escaped by the sympathies entertained for his amiable and numerous family. He died many years ago loaded with public contempt.

 

As soon as my father established himself in the City, he placed me under the care of a Mr. Craven, who kept a plain English school in Murray Street, I was then six years old, and now, after the lapse of 63 years, distinctly recollect a distance I thought it, to trudge so far up town -to get to school. Perhaps it was for this cause I was removed to a school of somewhat higher grade kept by Mr.  Hamilton on the corner of William street (then Smith Street) and Beaver Street. Mr. Hamilton was a pleasant and agreeable man; under him I first became fond of figures, and most generally hurried by dinner, to get back before school hours to perfect my sums. Unfortunately at this time John C. Graham, Brother to my mother, came from Newburgh to New York and set up a school here. He was without education, every way incapable and unable to communicate anything to his scholars. I was taken away from Mr, Hamilton and placed under him, and can yet recollect the discust and contempt I entertained for him. As It may be supposed I made no improvement, which was seen by my father who decided to take me from under his charge: and I was at the age of ten years put to the last school I went to. This school was in the- rear of the present Methodist church in John Street, and kept by John Delanoy. I was exceedingly pleased in my new situation and my advance was rapid. I copied the teacher's hand and became a good writer, In cyphering I reached vulgar fractions. This is the history of my education.

 

I had now come to be twelve years of age and was supposed to have got learning enough and it was thought high time to place me in the store to learn business. I was accordingly removed from school, and entered as a boy the retail dry goods store of Henry TenBroeck on the Northeast corner of William and John streets. Here I remained two years, during which time I was kept closely employed, and acquired a knowledge of dry goods which I carried with me through life. My father now decided to take me into his own store, kept as a grocery at No. 9 Coenties slip. I was then fourteen years old., and to my surprise, at the age of fifteen he put me to keeping his books; I objected, alleging my incompetence: he insisted, and I was forced to comply.  I soon became familiar with accounts, and as I wrote a good hand the books did not descredit me. I continued in the store in the capacity of clerk and bookeeper until the year 1797, when at
the age of nineteen, I was taken into partnership upon terms which I supposed entitled me to one~third of net profits of the business
after deducation out all expenses for supporting the family, keeping a pair of horses, etc.

A memorandum of the conditions was made by my father and as I supposed put away by him in Ihis iron chest. By the time I had been seven years in business I found I had reached full manhood, and that these terms would no longer answer for me, as I was devoting my whole time and exertions towards the support of my father's large family. I proposed to change them, to which my father assented. We now reached the beginning of the year 1804 and in making up the accounts found the net profits of the seven years business, after all deductions, to be b21,000, of which I claimed b7,000: this was objected to on the ground that I was only to have one-fourth. I appealed to the memorandum drawn up by himself, which he no doubt would find in his iron chest; search was made and it could not be found. I was by this great oversight on my part compelled to reduce my claim to b5,250. This sum was to be considered as capital on my part, and his larger capital left in the concern without charge of interest, as a compensation for my attending to he whole business of the firm: each party to be charged with whatever moneys should be respectively drawn: I agreeing to pay him b70 per annum for my board, and to defray all my private expenses. This concern lasted four years, and was finally dissolved in 1808. My father having withdrawn during the time $18,000, which he expended at Kip's Bay.  I settled with and paid him up the balance. After this I entered into a partnership with my brother Stephen, which continued for two years and was them dissolved.

 

In the year 1807, I married Susan Murgatroyed, the daughter of Issac Gouverneur, and the widow of Samuel Murgatroyed: she having four children, the yougest two and a half.

 

In 1808 my first child, Glorvina, was born, and my second, Louisa, in the year 1810. These are the only children I ever had.

 

Thomas F. Leaming of Philadelphia married on the 1st June 1819 my wife's eldest daughter, Susan Pench, who died on the 26th May 1823: leaving an only son, Stevenson, who is now living. Thomas F. Leaming, his father, died about five years since. My wife's eldest son, Stevenson, died in the island of St. Croix on 17th April, 1821, under the age of twenty. Her second son, Issac Gouverneur Murgatroyed who is now 44 years old, is still living, and resides in Philadelphia. Mary Gould, second daughter of my wife by her first husband, married on the 25th April, 1827, Philip V. Hoffman and died without issue 14th November, 1828.

 

My eldest daughter, Glorvina, married on the 15th April, 1828, Samuel V. Hoffman, and has at this time two children, both boys, living: having lost one fine and intersting firl (read girl) and an equally interesting boy.

 

My second and youngest daughter, Louisa, married 22nd October, 1833, Robert J. Livingston, and has one son and one daughter, both living.

 

My wife was born in the Island of St. Eustatius on the 7th March, 1779, and died on the 31st October, 1835. She came here with her grandmother, Mrs. Stevenson, in the year 1788. Mrs. Stevenson had a former husband, Mr. Pickman: and on his death she married Cornelius Stevenson. Mr. Stevenson was an American merchant and did business during the revolutionary war5 in the Island of St. Eustatious, from whence he removed to the Island of St. Croix, and as he used to say, "in an evil hour he decided to return to America." He bought the house formerly No. 87 Broad Street on the corner of Mill (now South William) street. This house he furnished handsomely and lived in, in the style of a gentleman of furtune. At his death in 1805 he left his wife b6,500 Sterling in a Bond held in trust for her by Nicholas Cruger: he also bequested to her the house with the plate and furniture. There being no children, and Mr. Stevenson dying intestate, his wife became entitled by law to one-half of his estate, it being all personal. Mrs. Stevenson survived her husband long enough to entitle her to the half of his property, and after making a Will, died six weeks after him. In her Will she devised the whole of her estate to her granddaughter, Susan Murgatroyd, for life and then to her children; appointing Peter Kemble, Augustine Lawrence and Samuel Murgatroyd and his wife executors. The two first declined to serve and thus left Murgatroyd sole manager: who contrived to spend $60,000 in eighteen months, and then died, in August 1806. On my marriage I assumed the management of Mrs. Stevenson's estate in right of my wife as executrix. I bestowed great care upon it, which, with a fortunate sale of the house in Broad street, at a very high price, enabled me on the death of my wife to divide among her four surviving descendants, each, the sum of $24,000.

 

I continued in business until the year 1825, when I gave it up at the age of fourty-seven. The income from my wife's estate with the profits of my business, seconded by the strictest economy, put me in a condition to make investments in stocks and real estate. My first purchase was a lot in Wall street upon which I built a hou(r)se in the year 1813 for my own residence. Together cost $25,000, which I afterwards sold for $29,000. The Custom House now stands on the spot. After its sale I built the house in which I now reside in Warren street. My next considerable purchase was the property on Catham street corner of Orange street. This was succeeded by a still more considerable one on the Northwest corner of Braoadway and Warren street opposite my residence. I then bought the property on the Bowery: which has been suceeded by different purchases of real estate until it has reached an amount and value so far beyond what my most sanguine expectations anticipated in early life, that nothing is left to me but to adore and thank a most bountiful Providence for my great prosperity: and for the great kindness and protection afforded me during a long life.  I am now about to enter my seventieth year. I have some time since made my will and after providing for some legacies, have left all I have in the world to my two daughters to be equally divided between them share and share alike.'

 

This is perhaps a proper place to give advice, but I have long since known that the advice of the dead is seldom listened to. I will therefore only say that my daughters and their husbands will see, if no misfortune happens to me, that they will be possessed of a revenue so considerable as to render it unnecessary to dispose of any of the real estate. This part of my property has taken up the greatest part of my life to accumulate. My investments have been generally fortunate. Most of the purchases made by me within the last two years have been with a view to propective advantages; and I may almost venture to say, that in making them I have laid a foundation of a very considerable increase. I ought to mention that certain parts of this property lie in those sections of the city and island require constant oversight and personal attention. It will therefore be necessary for one at least of my sons-in-law to remove to the City for its superintendance; and if the opinion of the dead could happily persuade they would recommend not to part with their beautiful places at New Brunswick. Perhaps some of the children now growing up might incline to occupy them. I would suggest, indeed I would recommend to both of my sons-in-law, whenever either of them should come back to the City, to erect for himself a large, substantial, handsome residence, faced with the beautiful stone of Trinity Church. They will find among my last purchases very favorable sites for the purpose on the 6th Avenue, on 42nd Street and on 5th Avenue. Let them include ground enough for gardens and stables; I say stables, for I indulge the hope that they would gratify their wives by keeping up handsome establishments; only let everything be done on a large and liberal scale. I have now got through with my private history, including notices of my wife and her relations. I choose, however, not to close this narrative because I entertain the opinion that if I can add to it some references to those who preceded me it will not prove unacceptable to my children, for whom this is expressly intended.

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THE FAMILY whose name I bear came from Groningen in Holland about 150 or 200 years ago. They first settled at Gravesend on Long Island. There are no vestiges of their descendants to be found there now. Three of them, brothers, Isaac, Gorus and Garrit, purchased land in Hopewell, Dutchess County, and divided it between them into farms adjoining each other. These, strange to say in this changing country, are still held by their descendants: most of whom are in affluent circumstances: and all highly respectable.

 

My grandfather Garrit Storm married Mary Sickles the aunt of John H. Sickles already spoken of. For the last thirty years of his life he was entirely blind, having lost his sight by the careless pitching of a sheaf of wheat into the barn before he was ready to receive it. He was very irascible in his temper and would swear roundly if his meals were not brough(t) to him when hungry and alone in midnight darkness. He was the greatest chewer of tobacco I ever knew; in fact, it was the only comfort remaining to him after his misfortune. He was a staunch whig and friend of his country. In the war of independence a party termed "Cowboys" from below attacked his house and hung him up to force him to disclose his money; the neighbours, however, heard the alarm and rushed in to the rescue of the family in time' to cut him down. He had two sons and four daughters. To my father, the eldest of his sons, he gave the Farm herein alluded to of 200 acres of land. As my grandfather's dayghters successively married off he gave each of them b100. for an outfit, according to the Dutch custom. His yougest son John lived on and worked the homestead, which consisted of a long, low, old-fashioned Dutch farm house and 350 acres of find land. The homestead and farm was given by him to his yougest son John who lived to bring up quite a large family of children, one of whom, Charles G., inherited it from his father, and now lives happily upon it, surrounded by his children and his most estimable wife.

 

My father early became religiously inclined, and partook of the holy sacrament some time before he became of age: I believe at sixteen. Soon after he came to the City he was chosen a Deacon in the Reformed Dutch Church and soon afterwards Elder in the same church; and I always thought he carried out the Calvinistic doctrines he professed to their utmost limits.

 

He uniformly had the family servants and all in the parlour for prayers night and morning, which were never intermitted during his long life: first reading a chapter in the bible. One of his favorite expressions in his prayers was, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha:" another favourite, and which he often used, was to pray God " to send his Boanerges, sons of thunder, down to annihilate all men as such did not believe." He  was strict in his attendance at church, and made it a well known rule for his children to do the same. I was of course compelled to attend all services on Sunday, much, I remember, to my great distate. He never sat down to or rose up from a meal that he did not ask a blessing or return thanks. I often wished that he would have adopted Doctor Franklin's plan, to say grace over the whole barrel at once. Towards the latter end of his life the blessings he asked at meals became lengthened out almost into prayers and were pronounced with inconceivable earnestness and deep humility. He required the most rigid obedience from his children: and for any sudden transgression they might commit, held himself always ready by carrying in his coat pocket a small line about the thickness of the little finger, and which I remember but too well to have had often applied to my back. This extreme rigour was in after years confessed by him to have been wrong as it naturally estranged his children from him. In the latter part of his life he became a very indulgent parent. He always belonged to the democratic party and was several times ent to the Legislature, of which, during two sessions, he was speaker of the house. He had in early times been an Assistant Alderman. During one of the sessions of the Legislature I prevailed upon him to get himself appointed manager of a lottery. His friend John Broome, afterwards Lieutenant Governor, proposed him and it met with no opposition.

 

He was afterwards manager of several and we jointly made a good deal of money by them. For many years before his death he was extremely weak and feeble, and complained much. He once had the gravel badly, but completely recovered from it. He died on the 4th of August, 1833, at the age of 84 years. On a post-mortem examination his disease was found to have been "ossification of the heart." My mother died two years after him at the same age.

 

Of his four sisters Catherine married a Scotchman named John Currie, the partner of the righ Stephen Whitney. Both she and he died in old age childless.

 

Engletsie married John Adriance who bought my father's farm when the latter removed to the city...They had several children, who have dwindled into poverty and obscurity: none of them are now even known to me. The farm has passed into other hand and nearly all traces of the family are lost.

 

Anne Married a farmer by the name of Brinckerhoff who lived near Newtown, Long Island.j By him she had two children,viz; George and Catharine. George married, became intemperate, and died leaving children scattered and unknown to me. Catharine married a good substantial farmer by the name of Remsen near Flushing and was alive about twelve years ago. Anne (Mrs. Brinckerhoff) afterwards married Solomon Strang, by whom she had several children, none of whom have succeeded in life, and are scattered unknown.

 

Polly married William Hunt of Tarrytown. At her death she left two children, a son and daughter, both still living. The son, named William after his father, having many years ago lost his wife, has since lived with his children on the old homestead. I understand he has managed to get $60,000 together. Polly, named after her mother, married William Requa, has children, and is still living at Tarrytown. I hve not seen her in nearly fifty years.

 

This ends the history on the paternal side.

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My mother's father, the Reverend Chauncey Graham, hdd seven children by his first wife, viz: Stephen, Theodorus, Van Wyck, John C., Chauncy, Elizabeth (my mother), Abby and Sally.

 

Stephen moved to and married in Virginia. It was understood that he got some fortune by his wife. It is not known if he left a family-- everything in regard to him is a perfect blank.

 

Theodorus Van Wyck married Magdalena Ten Broeck, a daughter of John Ten Broeck, and by her had six children, viz: John T.F., who has been dead many years; Jane Marie, the wife of my brother Stephen: Elizabeth, wife of Philip Hart: Theodore, in Mobile: Sarah Ann, wife of Doctor Platt Williams: and Van Wyck, in New York.

 

John C. married a Miss Foster of Newburgh: he died leaving an impoverished family. Their history is unknown to me.

 

Chauncy was educated for a Physician and settled in North Carolina where he married. That he left children is known to me, as two young men, his sons, were introduced to me by my father aboaut twenty years ago. I am now entirely ignornant of their history.

 

Abby married a man of the name of Storm, who resided in Saratoga County. He proved to be a miserable, poor, lazy fellow and was always in deep poverty. They are dead, and their descendants, if they left any, are to me unknown.

 

Sally married Doctor Boyd and died a few years since leaving quite a family. The doctor is still alive and in practice.

 

After the death of the Rev. Chauncey Graham's first wife, he married again: had issue one son, Daniel, who was like his two half brothers brought uu to practice of medicine. He was of my own age, and when a young man, moved still further South to practice his profession. While there he had a blundebuss snapped at his breast for his attention to another man's wife. He died many years ago and it is believed unmarried.

 

The widow of the Rev. Chauncey Graham, who was step mother to my mother, married General Ellison, a man of substance and consideration in Orange County. I went to see him in the year 1798 at her residence about three miles from Goshen and spent the night at her house. She was a fine, open-hearted, fresh, jolly and fat old lady. She has been dead many years. This closes the historyd on the maternal side.

 

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I now come much closer home, and it is with deep regret that I have it not in my power to draw a bright picture of my brothers and sisters.

 

My brother Garrit died, as has been stated, at two years of age.

My sister Elizabeth married James Manning who died of King's evil, leaving several children, viz: Charles, William, Thomas, James, Johm, Eliza Ann, and Catharine- Charles and Thomas married two very handsome daughters of Jonathan Robinson. Charles's wife is dead leaving children, one of whom, a daughter, is married and lives at St. Louis. Thomas has been dead for several years leaving a helpless wife and two children destitute. James was drowned in the East river at Kip's Bay while bathing. John married a daughter of Peter J. Schenck: he is dead, leaving three children: his widow has married again to a Mr. Timberlake. William married and settled in Michigan. He spent the small patrimony left him by his father and is without the means of supporting his wife and children. Eliza Ann, an uncommonly fine girl, died of consumption in the year 1816. Catharine married Morgan L. Livingston and has now eight ghildren living.

 

My borther John died in the Island of St. Domingo in the year 1794, unmarried.

 

Thomas Hall also died a bachelor in the interior of S. America.

 

Mayy first married Henry I. Bleecker, who was intemperate when he married her. By him she had one child, a daughter, who married Henry Center and went with him to Mobile where he died: she had no children, and has since married Judge Chapman, a very clever man, it is said, living 200 miles in the interior of Alabama and having eight children. Mrs. Bleecker afterwards married John King by whom she had several children, of which but two are now living: one, a son, is now Secretary of an Insurance Company in Mobile, the other, a daughter, married Jonathan Emanuel, a man of large property in Mobile, by whom she has six children. Her mother, Mary King, died within the last year.

 

Ann married Peter Kuhn of Philadelphia, an unfortunate connexion, from whom she obtained a divorce, and then married Jonathan Robinson, who was brought here from Vermont, went into business with Thomas Manning, failed, and involved my father in heavy losses.

 

Hester married Charles F. Bunner of cPhiladelphia by whom she had two children, both living. She died of Cholera in 1832.

 

Catharine first married Mr. Hubbard who died suddenly, and being poor left two children on her hands, both of them boys, who are now struggling to live in the State of Illinois. She afterwards married Mr. Cooper and removed to Baltimore, where she lately died, leaving children by him.

 

I now come to my only surviving brother, Stephen, who married his cousin Jane Maria Graham, by whom he has had nine children of whom only three are living. He is, thank Heaven, confortably off, and is now at the age of fifty-eight, in full vigour of life.

 

I have now finished the details which relate to the family, and wind up by adding some remarks which apply personally to myself.

 

I had in early life a strong desire to invest in real estate. I had no money but urged my father to buy. I particularly pressed him in 1798 to purchase seven acres of land, which has now been several years covered with houses. The North side of the seven acres at present forms the South side of Washington Square.

I had the refusal for some months at the price of b3,500. He declined and bought a Water lot in South street upon which he built a store which cost him b4,000. What a difference it would have made if he had bought the acres! I next drew his attention to 20 acres on the Bowery which was long in the market for sale at b5,000. This too he declined.

 

I have on two different occassions in the course of my life been as mear making $100,000. each time as a man could possibly be and miss it, in neither case was I in fault, they were marred by accidental circumstances.

 

After I had nearly grown up I undertook to learn music and practised both the violin and flute with great assiduity, as I had a great desire to excel. I did not learn to play even tolerably on either. I am convinced that painting, music and poetry must be innate. I never could draw even a tolerable semblence of a house.; and under no circumstances could I make a couplet. Indeed I don't think I ever did anything well, except my writing, and that my Schoolmaster taught me. In the usual and ordinary exercises of youth I was deficient: was a very inferior shot, could not play fives at the ball alley, nor ride or drive a horse well; was inexpert at quoits, skated badly, was deficient in leaping, walking and running. I could, I admit, toward the latter end of life play a fair game of whist. I could never hone a razor nor well strap one: was very near sighted in my right eye and had always to shoot from my left shoulder. I stood 5 feet 0-1/2 inches high, passably formed with gray eyes, the upper lid falling rather heavily on them; teeth in early life good but large: slightly inclined to be knock-kneed: feet far from handsome, in fact ugly: and heels so long as to make a new boot troublesome to get on. My feet were always cold, except in Summer. Cold affected my ears most unpleasantly, and my nose and eyes constantly ran water whenever exposed to the severity of the weather, making it necessary for me to walk handkershief in hand.

 

My education, as will be seen, had been all but entirely neglected: and when rising into manhood, to my great mortification, I found myself so deficient in the definitions of the most ordinary words, that I feared to enter into society: I deeply felt my insufficiency. As to history I knew nothing, of poetry if possible less; of the great painters and sculptors I had not even hear: had never consulted a map, looked through a telescope or seen a diamond. This profound ignorance startled mea and at the age of nineteen, I began in earnest to study: I borrowed all the books I could, had recourse to Public libraries: put down every word I did not understand, and learnt by heart its definition; retired to my room at dark, and read and made extracts, often till one or two o'clock in the morning. I knew no language, not even the English, for I knew nothing of grammar: of the rules of which I am even now ignorant. At the present time I find myself read out: having gone through almost every book of interest: and at the library find difficulty in selection, such as will instruct or entertain. My inclinations for reading, of which I had become very fond, continue as strong as ever. I have owned several tele-scopes, and had one made for me by the celebrated Tully in London at a cost of 80 guineas. I have not only seen diamonds but have bought some of which my daughters now own.

 

As regards Religion I was brought up by my parents in the strictest school of Calvinism: which is a severe school for youth. I was strictly interdicted all dancing and play going: was expected to attend church three times a day on Sunday, adn directed to learn the long unmeaning Heidelburgh Catechism: But this I could never accomplish. I bore it all, and soon after the death of my father, my wife obtained a reluctant consent from me to buy the pew which formerly belonged to her father in Trinity Church. I thence forward attended that church: and its beautiful forms have so won upon me as to make me wonder how I submitted so long to the severe forms of the other.

 

I have never omitted for more than forty years past putting up a nightly petition to my Maker, imploring his iind protection and assistance. I never went on a journey or entered upon any affair of consequence, without asking his blessing and aid. I alwasy entertained a firm belief in an overuling providence. I feel great satisfaction in making these declarations: perhaps they may have a beneficial effect on my descendants.

 

I must now close, and in finishing have to remark: I never gambled, never present at a cock fight, or bet on a horse race.

 

Adieu, my children: your father bids you an affectionate farewell.

 

New York: March 1, 1847                                                                       Garrit Storm

 

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