New-York tribune., 1883-06-03
AMERICANS OF ROYAL BLOOD
A BOOK OF ARIsTocRATIC PEDIGREEs

America is to have revolution the agltauons
Of which viii extend into every crack and corner OF the
land and make the few poor patriots who inherited tne
liberty from Washington and Jefferson sigh and wall ey
the death OF freedom And what Ia the giant force that
all these marvels, 10 you askf The new ex-
plosve is little covered volume that mas
just made its first appearance in this cty-a volume en-
titled Americans OF Royal Descent" IL Is privateV
circulated; it whispered indeed, that no human bene
without twenty-five degrees" pedigree is allowed
gaze its precious pages Its author compiler s
trim little gentleman with blue blood and black BEARD
named Browning, who has modestly refrained from
tracing his lineage any further back than to william the
Conqueror. The book is full Of scul-stirring facts.
They must be facts One could not fancy for moment
that imagination had any hand In the authorship for i
pages arranged in tabular form like railroad COM
panys annual report It's references seem direct and
evidently trustworthy its retrospective tracngs
and the nferences therefrom wonderfully logical
and every statement Is embelished with amplitude
of figures.
Many New Workers who have gDried In their high
Dutch names will doubt be surprised to learn that
they descendants OF race OF kings, and moro
than surprised when they ascertain that their best blood
comes to them not from the portiy old Hoanders but
largely the canny Scots and the monarchs OF Oud
Ireland" Young Mr.. Browning furnishes us with the
startling information that the Van Cortlandts the Liv-
ingstons Barclays Gaatins Duers and host OF others
of NewYorks best families even better than most
peope supposed and fetch their life and being from
men of royal siege" as Shakespeare puts It. Many Of
the Knlckerbockers who In their proudest moments
have content to think themselves the descendants
Of the wealthy burgesses Of old Amsterdam or Rotter-
dam, notified that they belong to the race that
produced Robert Bruce and John Brown, Or to the
Green Isle from which st. Patrick banished snakes and
John Bull Fenians.
The Van Cortlandts for example, should properly be
called McCortlandts. Two generations ago Augustus
Van Cortlandt, OF Yonkers, married Miss Catharine
Barclay Through the Barclays comes the royal strains
which takes its fount In an Irish king and gathers ether
royal blood from James 7, King Of Scotland and the
heroic Robert Bruce James had daughter, Jane
Stewart who Joined In wedlock to George Gordon
second Earl Of Huntley. From this union came q
number of children who traced with marvellous ac-
curacy by Mr.. Browning, through many generations,
down to the American branches. The Van C0rtlandtS
thus allied to the Lvingstons and the other families
named above Schuyler Livingston also mherits royal
blood through the Barclays. His mother was the
daughter Of Colonel Thomas Barclay, Of New-York.
Another daughter married william harrington Parsons,
an Officer the British Navy whose daughter susan
Barclay Parsons, married Montgomery Ward, OF New
York; and whose son, william Parsons, married his
cousin Ezs the daughter of Schuyler Livingston, both
husband and wife thus nherting the same blood Au-
gustus Van Cortlandt had several daughters, one OF
whom married Frederick Jay, Of Bedford; another
Anthony Lispenard, of New-York q third Dr. Bayley,
also NewYork and still another became the wife or
Theophylact Bache Among the New-York families
honored with mention in Mr. Browning's book none
occupies lofer place than the Barclays and the lam
lies allied TO them by marriage The Rntherfurds also
climb high up the pedigree pole. Mr.. Browning traces
them back to Charlemagne and although ia the evoin-
ton OF the intervening ages they spell their name se
time Ruherfurd then Rutherford, they nnay settle
down to the OF the letter u" reegatins
the less arstocratic family bearing almost the
same surname The Rutherfords, however, and the
Rutherfoords, too, given place among the Amer
leans OF Royal Descent" but forbidden To lay any
such aerng uncton to their souls as anonts the FAM
lily which spells its name with an "n" Cbarenagne
had as his descendants string OF Dukes OF Lorraine,
some whose progeny married two or three OF the Eas
do Warrenne Adene, daughter Of the second Earl OK
Warrenue, married Henry sDn of David ], King Of
Scotland From this union the Rutherurds are directly
descended through the Lords Erskne Margaret,
daughter of the eighth Lord Erskine, married james
Rutherford of Edgarston Scotland. who was grand
son OF Sir Richard Rutherford Of that ik They had two
sons Thomas and Failp both Of whom left Issue who
have thus transmitted their blood 20 number Of the
best families OF England and Amei lea. Philip Is the
ancestor the Scottish Earls OF Traquer The sixth
earl had a daughter, Lady Christana Stuart who mar
red her relative Judge Cyrus Griffin, OF Whamsourg,
Va, president OF the last Continental Congress-
From the fruit of this marriage came the Grfins. Ner-
GERS and Walters of Virginia. the Balls OF Washington,
and other distant relatives OF the Rutherfurs William
yeyison Waller married daughter OF President Tyler
of the United States and William Griffin Waller son OK
Neyison was welded to sister of Jefferson Davss wife.
Colonel Hugh Mercer, OF Virginia, whose father was
killed at the battle OF Princeton and who was known in
the early days the Nation the foster child OF the
Republic" married Louisa Griffin, descendant Of this
family.
But the Rutherfur,ls have led us away from New
York Thomas the brother OF Philip is the direct an
ces,or of the Sew-York family. son or grandson oi
his Major Walter Rutherford OF the British Army mar
llio.sa Atayr rnff0 M
Revolutionary fame. who was tituar Ear of Stirring
and viscount of Canada TO this union John " fatner
fHa 81 o General Lewis Norris at time CHEZ
Justice and subsequently Governor OF New-Jtrsey ana
syyosant who changed his for reasons noe stated
In Mr.. BrOwnings book, was the son OF Johh W. ins
The Iawrenccs of New-York are also grated on rich
genealogical Pedigree LAXi runs out the scent ot
until Eudode Wees. eldest son Of the second Baron de
WeIles a,.I descendant of Alfred the Great reached
Of sirIeo Nth Baron de Wele who married John Law
renee, OF skston Lancashire England Ths sir,.ge rr
lam Lawrence. OF Great ST. Adams, Hertordshlfe wno
upon being aa "nsS two IN eSdsn John and William His
widow iemarried and came TO America ornsing ,nsso
"S sSs s0h Island was an Alderman city New York
and its Mayor in 1872 su6stantaton OF tnese facts
Thomas Iagrence of Rhode Island John left no
children. but William the other brother settled st
At least Of the New-yorE branch.
These or the more conspicuous
ROYALTIES There are numbers OF Others OF almost as
lofty pedigree The Hon. Charles OConor Is twentieth
I'm descent-so says Mr. BrowDng-from Cathal Craobn
Dearg Connor fifty first King of Connaught IN Ireland
who died A. d. 1924. The descent Is traced through
the Lords of Connaught Burkes Landed Gentry and
OHarts Irish Pedgrees Sd series. helped William teo
Conquerors descendant TO getting the points straght
about Mr.. OConor's eenealogy. part or the fzhasa
del Vale family. though the name has nothing OF the
Welsh ring about IT, IL nevertheless descended from
Gritiifb an Leweyn Prince OF North Wales, through
tho Baron Boyds OF Kilmannock. Ireland The
Yznagas come thus through the marriage OF Antonio Sf
Cuba with Ellen Maria Clements, one OF the latest re-
posfories of the old Welsh blood Fernando and Con-
ssneio LADY Vaudeville are children OF this unioQ
The Clarksons Hydes and host OF others lay chn To
Philip III. the Hardy, King OF France and son OF 81
Iouis as the founder OF their race The Hydes also
have a mor,ga on Edward ILL., King OF England, and
stand in the reat III 10 Meredydd King OF Powis
Wnles the ancestor Griffith also King OF Fowls Tha
Kernochans by marriage Iningle their blood with tho