The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-28
AVOID HOMESTEAD GONE.
Early life of the Van Duzers and Wander
bilt- Recalled.

demOlishei All that Is left of IL Is
pile of brick and mortar, from which
protrude some enormous and huge um-
bers. which may still do good service TOT
| building purposes y year ago IRE de-
stroyed the roof Of the house. ,,.,
An eccentric person knO yn as flre
Island Harry occupied the house then.
The damage could easily have peeh re-
paired. bat Fire Island Harry moVe4
tis family out. Tranps then TOOK pcs
session of Il. and within year most OF
the wood work disappeared. Durlhg vnT
winI-storm which battered WoodnaNen
and Cherry Hin a part of the waits OF
the Van Duzer house fell. on MONDAY
all that remained OF the landmark was
torn down and carted away.
The Van Duser homestead was one OF
the oldest houses in the vicinity or New
York The records OF the AN QUEER
family show that when Abraham an
Duzer, "a gentleman OF consiuc.aole ~.
nucnce in and about New Nork, bought
the house of a Mr.. kyers the purchaser
was told that the house was somewhat
old and needed few triillng repairs III
the way Of new hoors, dooIS. a. -, u,
is the general opinion among the present
members Of the family that the mousse was
built about lll5, when kopert iiunecr
was Governor Of New YORK. IL was
therefore about $50 years old. Abraham
Van Duzor paid Mr. Ryers >l2,Wp Tor the
house and grounds which covered
snace bounded by the bay, Richmond
road Brewster and Hannah streets. Inc
little use 10 Abraham Van Duzer In 400,
was the means of making nm one OF
the richest men on Staten Island several
years later. ,
When Abraham Van Duzer purchased
the Rivers house he built an addition 10
the north end Of the structure, and the
house remained FOR about I'D years as
improved by the first Van Duzei' IL
faced the east \ hall fifteen feet VIDE
ran through the centre. Two large par
Tors opened on one side of the hail and
A dining and living room opened on the
other. The kitchen was at the south emu
Of the house i'm n one-stoiy ADDITION;
Enough sleeping rooms were IN the secohu
story 10 make In all nine rooms.
What the house lacked in the NUMBER
Of rooms was more than made up IN
their spaci0usness. Originally, the entire
outside of the house was covered Win
SQUARE land-cut shingles: but In recent
years n portion Of the shinsleu exterior
was replaced by clapbuards.
The house originally stood a thousand
feet back from the bay on a sehle rise
OF ground. When The Van Duzer PROF.
crty was laid ont in streets, IN loi',
the house CtOOd In the angle formed 10y
1 the junction Of Richmond road and Say
| street fn 800 Abraham Van Duzer punt
! himself a large house on the Shore roau'
now Bay street, and his son pahlei van
! Duzer occupied the homestead until lof';
| when he died. The house was ieaaeu
from lSf7 until II was partially burned III
=.
| established a bakery. John died IN lo''
and his son. Isaac. now living. carried on
the bakery until 1886, when he retired
Abraham Van Duzer established tne
! first ferry between Stapleton and New
York soon after Mr.. Van Duler hal
/ three boats prosperous farmer anu
neighbor of Mr.. Van Duzer Mr. van
/ derDilt. opened another ferry from staple
/ ton 10 New York. Mr. Van Duzer
competitor was the father OF Commodore
Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder OF the
| Vanderbilt millions. Until the year $50
| Mr.. Van Duzer and Mr. Vanderbilt were
rivals IN the ferrying business. ho'h Plo'-
Each had three sailing vessels Of thirty
five tons each. There was crew OF
three men TO each boat The fare one
wav was p cents. The passengers ire
| auentlv got more than their money ;
| worth of sailing. as the Van DuZer rec
ords show that several boats went ashore
on Governors Island. one boat was
wrecked on the rocks of Castle Williams,
and frequently I'm calm weather a Whole
day was consumed in crossing the pay.
Daniel Van Duzer managed the Terry
after his fathers death.
II was Daniel Van Duzer who gave
| Cornelius Vanderbilt, son OF his rather S
| business competitor his first start IN
life. \ man named Gibb0rs. who ran a
! stage and ferry route from Iompklns-
Vile Staten Island, 10 New Bruns"ich,
/ y. j.. went to Daniel Van Duzer Win
! this request:
say. Van Duzer. l want you 10 help
me out. / want young dare deyll OF
boy to help me-a boy who can HIite wen wei.
| ard isn't afraid of work. can't You
recommend me such a boy
| We'll" answered Daniel Van Duter,
there's that young Cornelius vanderbilt
| l guess he'll MI the bill
Cornelius Vanderbilt was employed oy
! Gibbons on this recommendation. In aiter
| years Cornelius Vanderbilt bought out his
| employer Gibbons and forced Daniel Van
! Duzer 10 give up the ferrage lsiness.
| Daniel and Abraham Van Duzer, sons
! OF Daniel Van Du1cr married sisters OF
/ Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Abrd-
J ham Van Duzcr left 4 daughter. MI g.
| Anne Root, Of Brooklyn. Mrs. Anne Root
! IS the second cousin of Cornelius, William
! X. George w. ana Friedrich ". Wander
/ bilt and of the Vanderbilt sisters The
mother Of the present Isaac Van Dnzer
was the daughter OF John Nandernht,
who wa a cousin Of Commodore Wander
The other living members Of tho Van
| Duzer family. besides Isaac, are Oliver
| Van Duzer OF California, Join Van Duzer
! of etapleton. Daniel Van DuZer Of Brook
lvn. and Miss Elizabeth Van DIzer or
! Stapleton. brothers and sisters OF Isaac.
| Isaac Van puZer IS s. years old lie is
fond OF talking Of old times. He said
MANY are the gay darces we used
10 have in that old house. The best look
| ing men and the Eands0mest girls used
! TO come from all over the island 10 dance
| in the big hallway. There We're two
| things from which the old house was
! free No spook was ever seen there.
| and George Washington never slept under
| the roof During the Revolutionary war
/ the British sol Hers were encamped all
/ around the house. and my grandfather
used to tell me how he had to feed some
| Of them. No members Of my family ever
| went TO war. They stayed at home ana
| attended 20 business
| II don't believe any man knew Com
modore Vanderbilt better than my grand
| father and my father. Commodore Van
! derbilt owned that big white house next
| door 10 the old house, and
| OF evenings the Commodore would
| come over and play cards with my grand
| father. Yes, and u.Sy dsccnt Play Tor
| fun either
| The COmmodore was pretty stirr
| gambler when he felt In the mo ID. When
| he would win he would be in a good
| humor. but when he lost he was an I'M
4 pleasant man to meet. He was usually
| Captain of one OF his ferryboats. and
| mornings after he had had good luck at
1 cards he would give each member of his
crew 90 cents. But. II he lost during a
| night at cards. he would invariably say
| the next morning; Shove her Off. every
1 damn one OF you. and let her go"
| 'sTha COmmOfOrc'5 wife was as fun OF
| energy as he. When the Commodore ran
| the stage and water line from Tompkns-
| Vile 10 New Brunswick Mrs. Vanderbilt
| ran n hotel at New Brunswick. Mrs
Vanderbilt would tend bar, serve drinks
| 70 the guests and be manager In general.
| Mrs. Vanderbilt made more money then
| than her husband. New Yory Sun.
|