Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-05-30
rhe .Pjiatroon # Albany

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!! Il The Patroon OF Albany - 81
& From the Newark Advertiser Of tho 2Cth.l
SESteplen Naos Rensselaer,, the patroon of
Albany, died yesterday in that CITY, in the sOth
wear OF his age. His death is interesting,
principally because he, with his estate, was
one of the last vestiges of feaudalisu, and of
the old relation Of lord and Vassat N the United
States s.gjaT a9G yIEo ooi1q ,13Qaq sGa;ta13
In 1890 and osaabseqpueatly,, SIKsiliaen Y an
Rennssalaer, purchased land in the Immediate
vicinity Of Fort Orange, now Albany, forming
a tract of.twenty; iour miles in breadth by for
weight in length! Nhis estate WAS csded
upon the old conditions Of the feudaE tenure.
Its lord and master was known as the Patroon.I
Was entaited upon the, successive Oldest sons
and nearest kin. The system Of tenantry was
thatwhich prevailed over Europe at the time,
and which still llexsts On the HNlanor OF: tRennI
ssalaerwyck.." '1odiaA
F0The tenant was almost, a vassal,9 belonging
to the soil. His lease ran, in some cases,
'Yhile trees grow and waters run" in Others,
iorninty; ;nineye years, and in others stHl, ioE5wo
Or three fives.- The rent was not to be paid IN
money, but ID tribute Each year the tenant
was to deliver at the.mIlls Of the Patroon-1so
many bushels of wheat, etc, and at his kltchT
sn door, hat an hand, So many chickens. and
eggs, and so much of leach of the various kinds
of farm produce Atthe time the terms were
liberal. and even generous. LEhe tenants knew
no other mode, Of life . The Lord ofthe Man
or was the ehjectoe their highest sveneration,
and o happier, more stupid set OF people neV-
er lived thauaJhosewho dwelt uponthe Man
or Of RennssalearWyck. . The happiness has
long since departed. The stupidity, In part,
renlains.2 Yet there was never any unkind--
NJ ness SO. on the part Of the. Patroon. He was
moderate in hard times, and 10 all MONEY, mat
ters: but exacted subserVence and -homase
in demeanor, which, however, suited to colon
ial times, became decidedly unfashionabe al;
ter the. era Oh the American Republic. Men
who vote expect that of1ice-holdcrs shall take
off their hats .aagsi E8aj.2 aas l3sILh bioI
However, the estate went on. The courts
sustained the leases, and no serious trouble oc.
cured until twenty-five or thirty years ago,
5 Wheu the tenants found themselves diScontentE
ed. The formalities had died out with the
advancing democracy Of the age, but the man
ner of paying the rent was troublesome tand
childish Even when this was to a large ex-
tent compromised, tenants insisted that the
, land, on which they and their ancestors had
lived for two centuries, belonged to them by
right Of long holding; that the whole tenure
Of the PATRON was gunrepubhcan, unsultcd
to theage, vestige Of feudality, and q gen
erai nuisance which ought TO be removed. the
cry of ''down with the rent' was raised: Ten
ants refused to pay IN any shape, Sherifts
who went out to levy upon property to enforce
came back with fewer clethes; and more tar
and feathers, than they had whenthey started.
Now and then an officer was killed, yet all the
time the Patroon was legally right. Finally, 3
Mr. Philip Church., from oAegany county,
Ny, appeared upon the scene, c. Through
him reconciliation was effected; Just how we
do not know, but we imagine that be harmed
the entire estatey and made generous 4conceS--
sions to thertenslts. SO the Manor of Renn-
ssalasrRy gs ssysd and athe Ant Anti Rent
War""1Was ended, sc.S .s,JsI ,sLasrs,.F .sTa,
.-r Of the succession Of Patroons, Stephen, who
died yesterdays was the sixth In hneal descent!
sUpte the Revolutionary war, none OF ~ an
Rennssalaers seem to have been conspicuous,
aside from their wealth and dignity. In that
0prnis of the nation, Stephen the filth tand
father Of him who died yesterday), was too
young to take part, b He was; 81 a9student at
Princeton, and was removed thenee to Harvard,
i;on account of. the proximity OF the: British
army fact which shows the republican, M "a SEN Sc!
tment of the family, After the Voutlonary
war he ssryedsin, many Offices, was one Of the
fathers ofthe Erie Canal, served with gallantry
in the war Of 1872, endowed the lRennssalaer
Institute, and died, as even rich men must, in
1889, atthe agoof seventy five. 50, % e,tT
His successor, abe subject Of this sketch,
had enougheH .hist hanas ITO manage hls:re
fractory Tenants. who were just then getting
troublesome, without taking any part public
affairs . His death has no especial moral; but
his estate and-asatba prayer book says-hls
condition in life9 arsa anomaly in our pol!ls-
tieal institutions worthy Of some remark. His
warfare Of life was the Anti 7ReDt War; !" bis
only enemies were the Indians, as the dis
guised anti=renters were icalled. G ReQ1'escat ae
pace l.IiIQGa GNL Co. .--A-IG0TQ3