BIOGRAPHY: the Livingston family; New York State
surname: Livingston, Schuyler, Van Rensselaer, Winthrop, Knight, Van Brugh,
Howarden, Beekman, Vetch, Van Horne, Thong, Van Dam, Ten Broeck, Montgomery,
Kiersted, Decare, Turk, Shippen, Cady, Stanton, Mills, Cavendish-Bentinck,
Simpson

submitted by W. David Samuelsen 
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Famous Families of New York, published 1917. Expired copyright

     Religious zeal and persecution were powerful factors in the settlement
of the New Netherlands, as of New England. With the Dutch colonists went
Huguenots, seeking that freedom in the New World which was denied to them in
the Old, and British independents who could not adapt themselves to the
conditions of life then existing in England and Scotland. Settlers of this
type exert a more potent influence than do such as emigrate from motives of
gain, glory, or power. The intensity of their moral and intellectual life
reacts upon their social environment, causing them, it may be said, to become
either martyrs or monarchs.

     Running through the agricultural and commercial fabric of Dutch life in
America, were strong threads of religious devotion and heroism. They modified
their surroundings and imparted their force and tendencies to whatever came
within the circle of their influence.

     Fanaticism caused the exile of the Rev. John Livingston, a Scotch
clergyman of remarkable ability. Like other non-conformists, he went to
Holland, where he became a noted preacher. His family tree runs back to 1124
A.D. During the five centuries between that time and the exile, they were
Lords Livingston and Earls of Linlithgow. They were among the noblest families
of Scotland, and for generations were in the front rank of the courtiers at
Holyrood. The distinguished divine had, therefore, the strongest social
influence and position when he began his sacred calling anew in the
Netherlands. There he became acquainted with the merchant princes of the time,
among them Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the First Patroon. The New Netherlands were
a frequent subject of conversation in the society wherein these men moved, and
those who were far-sighted perceived the future importance of the fertile
territories in America. None took a livelier interest than the Scotch
minister, who made no less than two unsuccessful attempts to emigrate.

     What the father was unable to do, the son, Robert [1654], achieved.
Provided with strong letters of introduction, and well acquainted with many of
the foremost Dutchmen already in the New Netherlands, he sailed from Greenock,
April 18, 1673, bound for Charlestown, in New England, and arrived in New
Amsterdam about 1674. He was a well-educated man, and had a fair knowledge of
surveying and certain useful arts. He worked hard from the day of landing,
saved all he could, and in a few years seems to have accumulated a large
amount of money. At the end of five years, he married, July 9, 1679, Alida,
nee Schuyler, the widow of Dr. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer. The union proved a
happy one. The issue was four sons and two daughters. In 1686, Robert obtained
from Governor Dongan a patent of Livingston Manor, which consisted of one
hundred and sixty thousand acres of fertile country on the Hudson River, half
way between New York and Albany, and opposite the Catskills. It seems curious
that the cost of this magnificent estate amounted to not more than two hundred
dollars worth of merchandise, including blankets, shirts, stockings, axes,
adzes, paint, scissors, jack-knives, and pocket looking-glasses.

     He led a busy life, attending to his great domain and serving in many
offices of honor and trust. The records show that he was a secretary to the
Albany Commissary, Town Clerk and Town Collector, Secretary of Indian Affairs,
member of the Council, member of the General Assembly (1709-1711), and Speaker
of the General Assembly (1718). He bestowed great care upon the education of
his children, and lived to see several of them occupy high places in the
community. He loved adventure, and was noted, even among the Indians, for his
skill in hunting. In 1694, he made a trip across the ocean, and was wrecked on
the coast of Portugal. He displayed great fortitude during the disaster, and
was instrumental in saving several lives. A thoroughly pious man, he saw in
his preservation the answer to his prayers, and commemorated his escape,
family tradition says, by making an appropriate change in the family
escutcheon. For the ancient crest of a demi-savage, he substituted the figure
of a ship in distress. This will account for the fact that both coats-of-arms
are found in the family records.

     During the latter part of his life, he built a church near his Manor
House, now known as Linlithgow - a tomb within its portals. Here his body was
laid away. The building, in the course of years, decayed and was torn down.
Upon this site his descendants have erected a memorial church, and over the
tomb have placed a tablet in honor of the founder of their race in the United
States.

     The. four sons of the first "Lord" were worthy of their father. The
oldest, John, embraced a military career, and rose to be a colonel in the
Connecticut militia. He married twice, his first wife being the only daughter
of Governor Winthrop of Connecticut, and his second, Elizabeth Knight. As he
left no issue, and as he died before his father (in London, 1717), the title
of "Lord" as well as the oldest son's share of the family estate went to
Philip, who was born in 1686. The latter, dissatisfied with farming, turned
his attention to commercial life, and, owing to his great wealth as well as to
his natural ability, became, if not the greatest, at least one of the great
merchants of his period. He married Katherine Van Brugh, by whom he had six
sons and two daughters. In the latter half of his life he became famous for
his hospitality. He kept his three houses, in New York, Clermont, and Albany,
always open to his friends and acquaintances, and gave entertainment for man
and beast to whomsoever called. To him was applied the term "The Princely
Livingston." He did not allow private business to engross his attention to the
neglect of public duties. He served as Town Clerk, Secretary of Indian
Affairs, and member of the Legislative Council.

     The third son, Robert, was the most cultured and intellectual, if not
the ablest, of the generation. He received a collegiate education in Scotland,
and studied law at the Temple in London, where he won high praise for his
legal acumen. Upon his return to the New World, he opened a law office at
Albany, where he soon built up a lucrative practice. It was about this time
that he surprised a burglar who was breaking into his father's house by
climbing down the chimney. He seized the fellow by his legs, hauling him down
into the ashes, and frightened him into making a full confession, which
included the details of a plot to rob and murder the white people of the
district. The father was so pleased with his son's courage that he presented
him with a section of the manor land containing thirteen thousand acres. From
this piece of land the young man received his name, Robert of Clermont, and
the place was called for generations the Lower Manor. He was a member of the
General Assembly from 1711 to 1727. He married Miss Howarden.

     Gilbert, the fourth son, was the least conspicuous of the four; he
devoted himself to his estate, to reading, and to social duties. He married
Cornelia Beekman, and was the founder of the Poughkeepsie branch of the
family. From 1728 to 1737, he was a member of the General Assembly.

     Margaret, one of the daughters of the founder, made a notable marriage
when she espoused Colonel Samuel Vetch, the first English Governor of
Annapolis. The other daughter, Johanna, married Cornelius Van Horne, a
well-to-do property-owner of that time.

     It would not be fair, in commenting upon this generation, to omit Robert
Livingston, a nephew of the first "Lord of the Manor," who came to this
country in 1684, ten years after his uncle. While he did not occupy so large a
place in the public view, nevertheless he and his did much for the State, and
added to the glory of the race.

     His wife was Margaretta Schuyler, niece of Alida, his uncle's wife, by
whom he had sons and daughters. Three of his sons - Peter, John, and James -
became prominent in their time.

     The third generation made the golden age of the Livingston family; each
of the four branches (Philip, Gilbert, and Robert of Clermont, of the
founder's side, and Robert, the nephew) had able and vigorous sons, who led
lives of the greatest activity and, in the main, of beneficence. The Philip
branch was the most notable on account of its numbers, there having been no
less than six sons, each of whom rose superior to the average of his time.
Nearly all had daughters of physical, mental, and social charm, who
strengthened the house through marriage. Genealogically, the head of the
family was Robert, the third "Lord of the Manor," son of Philip, who was born
in 1708, and died at the good old age of eighty-two. He inherited his father's
business ability, enterprise, . and thrift, and increased, the large fortune
which he had inherited. He married Mary Thong, a great-granddaughter of Rip
Van Dam, by whom he had six sons and two daughters. Like nearly all the men of
his family, he served the State for a long time, having been a member of the
General Assembly, and held minor offices. His three brothers - Philip, who
signed the Declaration of Independence, Peter Van Brugh, and William, the
war-Governor of New Jersey are known as the "Revolutionary trio." Philip
[1716] was a Yale graduate; in 1746, he was referred to as one of the fifteen
collegians in the colony. From college he went into mercantile life, and
became an importer in New York. He was successful in business, and in 1755 had
become a leader in the commercial world. He took an active part in the
politics of the day; he was one of the seven New York Aldermen in 1754; and
thereafter a member of the Provincial Assembly. As early as 1760, he
identified himself with the opposition to the methods of the British
Government. He was a prominent correspondent of Edmund Burke, and supplied
that statesman with much knowledge of colonial affairs.

     While most of the men, especially the merchants of the time, were afraid
to take part in the questions of the day, Philip never hesitated. In 1764, he
drew up an address to Lieutenant-Governor Colden, in which he used language so
bold as to warrant the charge of treason. He was a delegate to the "Stamp-Act
Congress" in 1765, and was cordially hated by the Royalists, who made open war
upon him and unseated him when he was elected to the Assembly. He was
unanimously elected a member of the First Continental Congress, and remained a
member of the House until his death. On behalf of New York, he signed the
Declaration of Independence; and he has ever since been known as "Philip the
Signer." He also served in the Senate of New York. His benevolence was great;
he gave away seldom less than one third of his income. He founded the
professorship of divinity in Yale, took part in the organization of the
Society Library of New York, and was one of the founders of Columbia College.
In his time, Brooklyn was a poor farming country, and not at all popular with
Knickerbocker society. He foresaw its future and purchased considerable land
on what is now known as Brooklyn Heights. He built a mansion at about the
present corner of Hicks and Joralemon streets, and laid out a fine
carriage-road from his estate to Red Hook Lane. This road is now Livingston
Street. In this mansion Washington held a council of war in August, 1776. In
1770, Philip took part in organizing the Chamber of Commerce. Though his
family were non-conformists, he manifested a singular catholicity in religious
sentiment, establishing a chair of divinity in Yale, aiding Columbia, which
was of the Church of England; contributing to the Presbyterian Church, and
aiding liberally in the construction of the first Methodist church in the
United States. His wife was Christina, daughter of Colonel Ten Broeck.
Peter     Van Brugh [17 10], was a Yale man of 1731. As did his brother, he went
to New York and entered upon a mercantile career. He built a handsome mansion
on the east side of what is now Hanover Square, whose beautiful gardens
extended to the East River. His partner was Lord Stirling, whose sister he
married in 1739. His official services to the State were long and honorable;
he was member of the Provincial Council and of the Committee of One Hundred,
delegate to the First and Second Provincial Congresses of New York, Treasurer
of Congress (1776), trustee of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), and
a member of numerous Revolutionary and patriotic organizations. John Adams
spoke of him as "an old man, extremely stanch in the cause, and very
sensible," which, coming from the grim Massachusetts statesman, was high
praise, indeed.

     William [1723] was the most picturesque of the six sons. He was brought
up by his maternal grandmother, Sarah Van Brugh, who seems to have had
eccentric ideas as to a boy's education. She did not neglect his
book-learning, but made physical development a point. By the time he was
thirteen, he was skilled in horsemanship, woodcraft, fishing, and agriculture.
At fourteen, he was sent into the forest, where he lived a year among the
Mohawks, under the care of a missionary and an Indian chief. He came back with
a thorough knowledge of the Mohawk language and a master of all the Indian
dances. Sent to Yale, he proved himself the best fighter and best scholar of
his class, which was that of 1741. He studied law and became a leader of the
bar, with the quaint sobriquet of "the Presbyterian lawyer." He served in the
Provincial Legislature for three years, and then removed to Elizabethtown,
N.J. Here he built a fine country seat, which in after years became celebrated
as Liberty Hall. Elizabethtown was then said to be in the wilderness; from New
York it was at least one day's journey. Nevertheless, so fascinating was the
man, and so attractive his four daughters, that the house was always crowded
with visitors. Among these were Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and other
leading men of that period. William foresaw the Revolution, and from the first
was a fierce and uncompromising patriot.. When it came to nominating a
delegate to the Continental Congress, he Was so fearful that the people would
send a weak representative that, it is said, he made a personal canvass of the
electors, and only stopped when he found that he was the one candidate who had
been thought of by the people. He was a delegate twice, serving upon the more
important committees. He gave up Congressional life to become a
brigadier-general and governor, holding the latter office until his death. in
this double capacity he was a thorn in the flesh to the British, by whom he
was called the "Don Quixote of the Jerseys." He gave them so much trouble that
they set a price upon him, and induced reckless adventurers to attempt his
kidnapping, as well as to burn his mansion. Many attempts were made, but all
proved failures. Before three years had gone by, many of the ignorant British
troops believed that the war-Governor was in league with Satan and had
supernatural powers of appearing and disappearing.

     In 1777, William recommended in his message to the Assembly the
abolition of slavery, and eleven years later he secured the passage of an act
forbidding the importation of slaves into the State. He had inherited or had
obtained many slaves himself, but these he liberated and helped on as free
citizens. His versatility was notable. He wrote a digest of the laws of New
York, several volumes on law and politics, a long and somewhat heavy poem
entitled "Philosophical Solitude," and many bits of lighter verse, essays,
theses, and pamphlets. In writing about him, President Timothy Dwight, of Yale
College, said: "The talents of Governor Livingston were very various. His
imagination was brilliant, his wit sprightly and pungent,. his understanding
powerful, his taste refined, and his conceptions bold and powerful. His views
of political subjects were expansive, clear, and just. Of freedom, both civil
and religious, he was a distinguished champion."

     Robert of Clermont had but one son, Robert R. Livingston [1718]. Upon
his father's death he became the owner of the estate, which made him one of
the wealthy men of the colony. Owing partly to his wealth and partly to his
ability, he became a person of much distinction, and was appointed Judge by
the English Crown. He is known as "Judge Robert," to distinguish him from his
famous son of the same name, the Chancellor. Like nearly all of his relatives;
he was an ardent patriot, and was elected a delegate to the Colonial Congress
held in New York in 1765, better known as the Stamp Act Congress. He married
Miss Margaret Beekman, daughter of Colonel Henry Beekman of Rhinebeck. By her
he had many children, of whom at least three were to become famous in law and
politics. Of Judge Robert, an interesting story is told by a friend. At a
family party in Clermont one evening he was talking with his father, Robert of
Clermont, his son, the future Chancellor, and his son-in-law, Captain,
afterwards General, Richard Montgomery. The conversation turned upon the
relations of the colonies to Great Britain, and soon became excited. The
argument culminated in a bit of prophecy from the aged head of the house, who
exclaimed: "It is intolerable that a continent like America should be governed
by a little island three thousand miles away. America must and will be
independent. My son, you will not live to see it; Montgomery, you may;
Robert," turning to his grandson, "you will." The prophecy was fulfilled.
Montgomery was killed at the siege of Quebec, 1775; the son died before
independence was achieved, while the grandson became one of the leaders of the
new republic.

     James, son of Robert the nephew, left his country home to engage in
commercial life at New York. He became an opulent merchant. His wife was Maria
Kiersted, by whom he had issue.

     John, his brother, devoted his life to the family estates. He espoused
Catharine Ten Broeck, daughter of General Ten Broeck. Among their children
were three of the most brilliant soldiers of the Revolution.

     The fourth generation produced many eminent men. They were so numerous
that it is difficult to select a few representatives without being guilty of
neglecting others as worthy. Robert, the third "Lord of the Manor," had five
sons, whose names are familiar to all students: Peter R., Walter, Robert
Cambridge, John, and Henry; and three daughters: Mary, who married James
Decare, Alida, and Catharine. Each of three sons has left long lines of
descent. Peter R. was a wealthy landed proprietor in Dutchess County, and
took a lively part in State affairs. In 1828, he was elected
Lieutenant-Governor.

     Walter [1740], son of Robert, the third Lord, was an able lawyer and
statesman. His public services were numerous and valued. Among other positions
he held with success were the following: Member of the Provincial Congress
(1775), Judge for Albany (1777), Member of Congress (1784-5), Commissioner of
the U. S. Treasury (1785). His wife was Cornelia Schuyler, by whom he had
issue.

     His son, Henry Walter [1768], was graduated from Yale (1786) and
admitted to the New York bar. In 1792, he was appointed secretary to Minister
Gouverneur Morris, and served two years at Versailles. 1796 saw him Judge of
Common Pleas, and in 1803 and 1805 he was elected to Congress. His wife was
Mary Penn Allen, by whom he had children.

     From Robert Cambridge came John Swift [1785], Johnston, who married his
kinswoman Sylvia Livingston, Robert Cambridge 11., Robert Cambridge III.,
Robert Cambridge IV., John Griswold, Johnston II., Henry W., and Louis.

     From John, the last Lord of the Manor, known as John of Oak Hill, come
Herman and Cornelia, who married Clermont Livingston. The Oak Hill mansion is
now in the possession of John Henry, a grandson of Herman of Oak Hill.

     From Philip come Walter and Edward Philip. The latter was a leading
citizen of Columbia County, who was elected Lieutenant-Governor in 1830. His
descendants included Philip Jr., Henry, and Philip VI.

     William, the war-Governor, had one distinguished son, Brockholst [1757].
He entered Princeton, but left college to go into the army, where he rose to
be a lieutenant-colonel. He became private secretary to John Jay, studied law,
and was a member of the New York bar. In 1802, he was Judge of the New York
Supreme Court, and in 1806 was made a Justice of the United States Supreme
Court by President Jefferson. He was married thrice and had many children. His
oldest son was Hon. Carroll, a merchant and financier, who was graduated from
Columbia (1822). His present representative is Charles Carroll.

     Of Gilbert, the most distinguished descendant was his grandson, the Rev.
John Henry [1746], who was graduated from Yale in 1762, and took up the study
of law. He went as far as the limited opportunities of the colonies would
permit, and then crossed the sea and entered the University of Utrecht. Here a
change came over his ambition, and after his law course he took up theology,
and received the university degree and ordination by the Classis of Amsterdam.
He returned to New York in 1770, becoming pastor of the Dutch Church at the
corner of Fulton and William Streets, which office he held until 1810. During
this period he was made a professor of theology by the General Synod, and in
1807 President of Queens, now Rutgers, College of New Brunswick, N. J. During
the Revolution he was an enthusiastic rebel, and was ready to pray and to
fight at all hours. He was one of the founders of the first missionary society
in New York, Regent of the State University, and in his later years was
universally known as "the father of the Dutch Reformed Church in America."

     In the fourth generation, the Clermont branch rose to the head. They
seem to have inherited and to have added to the legal and intellectual talents
of their father, "Judge Robert," and their grandsire, Robert of Clermont. The
two greatest were Robert R., the Chancellor, and Edward, the jurist. Robert R.
[1746] was graduated from Columbia in 1764, and studied law under William
Smith, the historian, and his Cousin, William Livingston, of New Jersey. After
admission to the bar he became a partner of John Jay. He was a brilliant
lawyer, and was made Recorder of the city of New York, relinquishing this
office, in 1775, to become a delegate to Congress. He was one of the five who
drafted the Declaration of Independence, and Was prevented from signing by
being called away to take part in the Provincial Congress of New York. In
1776, he was a member of the Provincial Convention which changed the title of
the colony to the State of New York, and was made a member of the committee
which drew up the first State constitution. He was made Chancellor, and held
that honorable office from 1777 to 1801. From 178! to 1783 he served as United
States Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He administered the oath of office to
George Washington at the City Hall, which then occupied the site of the
present Sub-Treasury at Wall and Nassau streets. When the New York Convention
adopted the Federal Constitution, he was its chief advocate.

     In 1801, the Government appointed him Minister Plenipotentiary to
France, where he negotiated the cession of Louisiana to the United States as
well as the settlement of the French claims. It was while abroad that he made
the acquaintance of Robert Fulton, with whom he formed a quasi-partnership for
the development of steam navigation, in which he had already done much hard
work. His capital built the Clermont, the first steamboat in the New World,
which was named after his family home. His other public services would fill a
volume: he was prominent in the construction of the canal system of New York
State, in adjusting the eastern boundary which gave the State of Vermont to
the Union, and in establishing the American Academy of Fine Arts, which is now
the National Academy of Design. He contributed to agricultural literature and
was noted as an authority upon the subject. So great was his talent as an
advocate that Franklin called him "the Cicero of America." When Congress asked
each State of the Union to place the statues of two of its prominent citizens
in the Capitol, he and George Clinton were selected for the high honor by the
Empire State. His homestead at Clermont is still in the possession of his
grandson, Clermont.

     Edward, the jurist [1764], was graduated from Princeton in 1781, studied
law, and was admitted to the bar upon attaining his majority. He built up a
large practice, made quite a fortune in ten years, and was elected to Congress
in 1794, 1796, and 1798. There was considerable opposition to the policy of
Washington's Cabinet at one time, and among its leaders he, Madison, and
Gallatin were the foremost. His were the resolutions which demanded copies of
the papers given to John Jay in respect to the treaty with Great Britain.
Washington, backed by the unanimous vote of his Cabinet, declined, and for a
few days there was talk of a conflict between the two branches of the
Government. In 1801, the Government made him United States Attorney for the
District of New York, and the people elected him Mayor. During his term of
office the present City Hall was built, the front and sides being of white
marble, while the back was of cheap brown-stone, since "it would be out of
sight to all the world."

     When the yellow fever broke out in 1803, and all who could afford it
deserted the city, he remained at his post, fighting the epidemic, and finally
contracting the disease. During his illness he was robbed and almost ruined by
his confidential agent and was compelled to start life anew. He conveyed all
his property to a trustee for the payment of his debts, and on the expiration
of his term of office as mayor went to New Orleans, which was then an American
city, where he opened a law office in order to retrieve his wealth. With great
shrewdness, he accepted land instead of money for his fees, and thus
established the beginnings of a new fortune.

     Finding the law of the new State a confused muddle of English common
law, French code, and Spanish law, he drew up a code of procedure, of which a
part in 1805 was adopted by the Louisiana Legislature. This was the beginning
of the first great code ever drawn up in an English-speaking community, and in
its final form has been held up to the admiration of the world by the great
jurists of every land. It began a new era in American jurisprudence. Edward
was sent to Congress three times from Louisiana and in 1824 finished his civil
code, which completed the codification of the State law. In 1826, he paid off
the last of his debts, and in 1829 was elected United States Senator from
Louisiana. In 1831, he was made Secretary of State, and in 1833, Minister to
France. A patriot, a statesman, a scholar, and a diplomat, his claim to a high
place will be his record as a jurist.

     A brother of Edward, Henry Beekman [1750], raised a company of soldiers
in 1775, and took part in the invasion of Canada. For his valor he received a
sword of honor from Congress. He was aide to General Philip Schuyler, Colonel
of the Fourth New York, aide to Lafayette in Rhode Island, and an officer at
Valley Forge. He served in the War of 1812, where he rose to be a
major-general. He married Ann Home Shippen, with whom he lived happily many
years in the Beekman mansion at Rhinebeck, which he inherited from his
mother.

     Among others who have added distinction to the family name is John
William, a descendant of John, the third son of the second Lord of the Manor
[1804]. His father was Dr. William Turk, surgeon in the United States Navy,
and his mother Eliza Livingston. In 1843, the Legislature sanctioned his
assumption of his mother's name. He entered the navy in 1824, served in the
war with the Mediterranean pirates, in the war of Mexico, and during the great
civil conflict. In 1868, he was commissioned Rear-Admiral, and placed upon the
retired list, after which he made his home in New York City.

     Colonel James [1747] was a son of John and grandson of Robert the
nephew. He served in the Revolution, where he proved a faithful and efficient
soldier, to whom Washington expressed his gratification "that the post was
in the hands of an officer so devoted as yourself to the cause of your
country." The reference is to Stony Point, and the time the treason of
Benedict Arnold.

     With him in the same command, during the first part of the conflict,
were his fearless brothers, Lieutenant - Colonel Richard and Captain Abraham.
A son of the last named was Captain John P., who served with distinction in
the War of 1812. Colonel James married Elizabeth Simpson, a belle of Montreal,
by whom he had issue. His daughter Margaret became the wife of Judge Daniel
Cady of New York, and the child of this union, Elizabeth [1815], became Mrs.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the most eminent woman-reformer of the nineteenth
century.

     From Robert, the nephew of the first Lord of the Manor, comes a long and
important branch, which includes James, John, Robert, James II., Maturin,
Maturin II., and is represented to-day by Mrs. Cavendish-Bentinck and Mrs.
Ogden Mills.

     In point of numbers, the Livingstons are almost unrivalled. They have
been marked by high patriotism, a warm love for humanity, and a progressive
spirit, which at times amounted to radicalism. Through their blood runs the
hereditary Scotch tendency towards strong feelings and forcible action. They
have been characterized by great physical and mental vitality, and, unlike
many successful families, have not borne fruit and then withered away. The old
Scotch character has reappeared in many ways. They have been strong friends
and strong foes, and have never feared to express their convictions or to
beard authority in the cause of right. The clannish spirit has expressed
itself in an intense family feeling, which has caused each to help all
relatives in trouble, and has gone so far as to cause many intermarriages. To
this feeling may be ascribed the care with which they have preserved memorials
and souvenirs of their ancestors, and the self-sacrifice displayed whenever
called upon to serve the family, the State, and the nation.