Loudoun County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Biographies.....DiZerega, Alfred Lubaugh Bernier 1838 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031 February 17, 2008, 5:21 pm Author: Leonard Wilson (1916) ALFRED LUBAUGH BERNIER DI ZEREGA CAPTAIN ALFRED LUBAUGH BERNIEK DT ZEREGA, of Aldie, Loudoun County, Virginia, is a fine example of the composite American, for there runs in his veins the blood of four distinct nationalities, Italian, Danish, French and English. Captain di Zerega was born in New York on February 3, 1838, and has led the varied career which seems to have been characteristic of his family. The family was founded in the Americas by Francisco di Zerega, a native of Cliivari, Italy, who, coming in the latter part of the eighteenth century from Italy to the West Indies, married, first, Catherine Louise Drake, of Guadaloupe, and, after her death, appears to have settled in Caracas and married, second, a lady of that city, of Spanish descent. Francisco had three children by his first wife. John married Mercedes, daughter of the Marquis de Tabor. He lived in Caracas until about fifty years ago and finally died in Europe. His son Albert died in New York in 1823, unmarried; and his son Augustus, born December 3, 1803, died in New York, December 23, 1888. By his second wife Francisco had two sons, Francisco and Cecelio, both of whom became generals in the Mexican army, Cecelio falling in battle, while Fraucisco lived to be Governor of the State of Vera Cruz and of the National Palace in Mexico City. He was a Thirty-third Degree Mason and lived to 1880. The youngest son of Francisco by his first wife was Augustus. He was born in Martinique on December 3.1803, and became a merchant in Caracas, Venezuela, was an aide of the famous revolutionary general, Simon Bolivar, and, suffering from the results of the revolution in Venezuela, moved to the United States in 1831, settled first in Philadelphia, later moved to New York, where he established the famous "Z" line of clipper ships, amassed a fortune, and retired from business in 1862, spending the remaining twenty-five years of his life on his estate of "Island Hall," on Long Island Sound. On April 9, 1825, in St. Thomas, Augustus di Zerega married Eliza M. Uytendalle, Baroness Von Bretton, daughter of John Bretton, Baron Von Bretton, of Denmark, and Hester (Bladwell) Uytendalle of England. They had eleven children, of whom Captain Alfred di Zerega was the sixth. Captain di Zerega was educated in Belgium and France, and, upon leaving school, after spending two years in his father's office, went to sea at the age of fifteen on one of his father's ships, and served for something over a year on the "Queen of Clippers," at that time the largest merchant vessel in the world. The "Queen of Clippers" was at that time chartered to the French Government under the command of Captain di Zerega's brother, Augustus H. di Zerega, who, later, sailing from Liverpool, England, in a new ship, the "Baltic," has never been heard of since. Captain di Zerega then served during the Crimean War in the French Transport System in the Mediterranean Sea. After that, continuing upon the sea, he became commander of the New York and Liverpool Packet Ship "Compromise"; but on account of the outbreak of the Civil War he gave up his position in the mercantile marine, and on July 24, 1861, joined the United States Navy as an acting master, and was attached to the "Susquehanna" on August 17, 1861, in which he served at the capture of Hatteras Inlet and Port Royal. After two weeks' leave, on May 14, 1S63, he was detached from the "Susquehanna," and was ordered to duty in command of the United States Steamer "Jasmine," at Pensacola. He remained in command of the "Jasmine" and attached to the Navy Yard until November 13, 1863. He was then placed in command of the U. S. S. "Antona," and ordered to do blockade duty between the mouth of the Mississippi and the Rio Grande. While on the "Susquehanna" he participated, as previously stated, in the capture of Hatteras Inlet and of Hilton Head, and also in an engagement with the Confederate Steamer, "Merrimac," and the Confederate forts in Hampton Roads, at the mouth of the Elizabeth River, just a few days before the "Merrimac" was sunk. On August 31, 1864, Captain di Zerega was detached from the command of the "Antona" and ordered to command the United States Naval Rendezvous at New Orleans. There being but little work left for the Navy to do in the Civil War, Captain di Zerega resigned from the service on September 8, 1864. Just previous to resigning from the service, on August 17, 1864, Captain di Zerega was married in New Orleans to Alice Almaide Gasquet, daughter of James A. and Emily A. (Dorsey) Gasquet. Mrs. di Zerega was born in New York. Her father, James A Gasquet, was born at Petersburg, Virginia, and was the son of a French officer doing service in San Domingo at the time of the revolt of the negroes in 1791. The success of that revolt forced him to escape to the United States. In 1842 Captain di Zerega's father bought the splendid estate of Aldie, upon which Captain di Zerega has now lived for nearly fifty years. The children of Captain di Zerega's marriage are five in all: Emily Augusta, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, September 24, 1865; Augustus di Zerega, born at Aldie Manor, Virginia, September 8, 1868; Martha Alice, born at New Orleans, March 9, 1873; Frances Gasquet, born at Aldie Manor, Virginia, August 31,1877; and Gasquet, born at Aldie Manor, Virginia, October 18, 1879. He has fourteen living grandchildren, the greater number being males, so that there is no danger of the family name dying out. Captain di Zerega has lived for many years the quiet life of a country gentleman. He has kept in touch with affairs through his membership in a number of societies, such as the Loyal Legion, the Grand Army of the Republic, the Veteran Association of the Farragut Fleet, and is one of the owners of a prize medal issued to members of the Grand Army, also the medal of the Navy for service during the Civil War. He has besides a medal presented to him by the Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York on January, 1857, when he was third officer of the ship "EL" for his humanity and courage in assisting to save all the passengers and crew of the ship "John Garrar" when a wreck at sea during a heavy gale on December 8, 1856. A Republican in his political affiliations, he has never held any offices other than to serve as Chairman of the Eighth Virginia Republican Congressional Committee, and in such honorary capacities. In his earlier years he was very partial to works of discovery and scientific works bearing upon his occupation as a mariner. Of later years he has naturally found more interest in modern works upon farming. The splendid estate upon which he lives is evidence of the fact that he has used to advantage the information gathered from his reading. His property adjoins the old homestead of President Monroe. It was the former home of Colonel Charles Fenton Mercer, from whom Captain di Zerega's father purchased it. Aldie village and Aldie Manor were named after Lord Loudoun's estate in England by Charles Fenton Mercer. Captain di Zerega has three married children, Augustus di Zerega, who married Agnes Green of Aldie; Martha di Zerega, who married William Irvine di Zerega, and Gasquet di Zerega, who married Frederica F. Heuser of Burnside Vineyard, near Hay Market, Prince William County, Virginia. Additional Comments: Extracted from: MAKERS OF AMERICA BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING MEN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION THE MEN WHO CONSTITUTE THE BONE AND SINEW OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY AND LIFE VOLUME II By LEONARD WILSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSISTED BY PROMINENT HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WRITERS Illustrated with many full page engravings B. F. JOHNSON, INC. CITY OF WASHINGTON, U. S. A. 1916 Copyright, 1916 by B. F. Johnson, Inc. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/loudoun/photos/bios/dizerega38gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/loudoun/bios/dizerega38gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 8.5 Kb