BIOGRAPHY: John A. Tardy; New York co., NY surname: Tardy, Eustaphieve, Stewart submitted by Elizabeth Burns (burns at asu.edu) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ny/nyfiles.htm Submitted Date: June 3,2005 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nyfiles/ File size: 5.8 Kb ************************************************ Author: Walter Barrett John A. Tardy, Jr. Page 142 Old Merchants, by Walter Barrett,Clerk, Knox and Sons, 1885 John A. Tardy, Jr. is a lieutenant in the Army, having graduated from West Point in 1860. The young, not over twenty two, and yet his name is one that years ago was heard on 'change. He is the grandson of John G. Tardy, an extensive merchant in this city before 1800. He entered West Point when sixteen years of age, and remained there five years. He graduated with the highest honors and was appointed brevet second lieutenant in the engineer corps. He refused to take his three months leave of absence and was appointed Assistant Professor of Practical Engineering at that post. He was ordered to Washington with his company of sappers and miners to defend the Government and they were the only regulars who were present at the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln. Young Tardy was then ordered to Fort Pickens in the first expedition. There he remained six months fortifying the place, and was then ordered North where he arrived just in time to be ordered South with the great naval expedition, as the second engineer officer in it. His grandfather John G. Tardy, was born in Switzerland, but went to France to learn business in a French counting room. He was brought up in the office of Burral Carnes, who was American Consul at Nantes in France, appointed by General Washington in 1792. Mr. Tardy left Nantes to go to Haiti or Santo Domingo to establish a commercial house, intending to do the American business. He landed in Boston, came to New York, and called on President Washington, to whom he had a letter of introduction. He sailed for Haiti and settled there. He received a large share of the American business and coined money. Then came the terrible insurrection. He sent his wife, two children and five servants, with nothing on but their night clothes on board an American schooner lying off the Cape. They had no time to take anything else. He returned to the city to fight, remained the whole night and only when the town was in flames did he come onboard and the vessel sailed for New York. He, however, knew many persons in this city--merchants whom he had done business with--and they took him by the hand. Among them was Gurdon S. Mumford, who then lived at 37 William Street. This was about 1797. Mr. Mumford went on board the vessel when she arrived in the harbor and took the Tardy party on shore and procured for them a house at 41 Beaver Street. John G. Tardy soon got into active and profitable business and took a store and house at 53 Gold Street. He was a Mason and was made Master of the Lodge, No. 14. His business became very extensive. He sold on commission; all his vessels were running blockades at Bordeaux and other ports in Europe, in 1812 when he formed a partnership under the firm of Majastre and Tardy. In the War of 1813 this house loaned the Government $10,000. They did a heavy business as the agents of French merchants, in Philadelphia, who did their business of importing by way of New York. At that time Bordeaux was the great port of France. Havre was nothing forty- eight years ago. It started up after the peace, in 1815 took place. Mr. Majastre died during the war. He was from Marseilles but was only here a short time. Mr. Tardy had several sons. Two went to sea in their father's ships. One was in the Dartmoor Prison, another died at Plymouth England of fever. One of his vessels was the "dart" clipper. She was taken by a British frigate. Mr. Tardy became embarrassed by endorsing custom house bonds for his friends. It ruined him. He died in 1831, aged 72. The latter years of his life were made comfortable by holding an office in the Marine Court. He was appointed clerk of that court by his political friends and he held it until he died. He had another son named John A. Tardy who was educated at Columbia College. He wished to make a merchant of him and for that purpose placed him in the counting room of his friend, Joseph Bouchaud. He was there some years and became the principal clerk of the firm of Bouchaud and Thebaud and only left them when he went into partnership with Mr. Voisin who was also a clerk with Bouchaud. They did a very heavy French importing business for some years, and then dissolved. Mr. Tardy married Miss Eustaphieve, one of the belles of the city. She is the mother of the young warrior, Tardy, Jr. She died early. Her father was the Russian Consul General fifty two years in this city. He died in 1857. There are very few persons who do not remember old Alexander Eustaphieve. He was a splendid specimen of a man and much beloved. He was warmly attached to the two children of Mr. Tardy and his daughter, for there was a grand-daughter as well as a son. She married Captain Charles Seaforth Stewart of the U.S. Engineer Corps. He is now Chief Engineer at Fortress Monroe. In the class in which he graduated at West Point he stood number one and General McClellan number two. He Married Miss Tardy at Buffalo. The old, consul was present but died within a month. After Voisin and Tardy dissolved, Mr. Tardy went with Eugene Grousset to manage his business.