The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-03
MRS. N. B.
STEVENS.
Mistress of Castle Point Died
Saturday Evening at
Her Home.
A pHlLAN1HROpIG LIFE.
She Was a Descendant of the
Bayards-six Children
Survive Her.

h
Edwin Augustus Stevens and mistress of
the estate of Castle Point. Hoboken, died
in the historic old mansion overlooking
the Hudson River, at six O'Clock Satur-
day evening. Her six children, who la
expected her death since Friday, were
present at her bedside when the end
can,c.
The funeral will take place tomorrow
morning at eleven O'Clock from the
Church of the Holy Innocents.
Mrs. Stevens came from one of the old
est families in the country. She gained
distinction by her public philanthropy.
Her maiden name was bod. She was the
daughter of the late Albert 3. bod, a
former Professor of Mathematics at
Princeton College. and a descendant of
he Bayard family Of Revolutionary
times.
The Bayards came to America with
| other French refugees prior to the trouble
| of the colonists. Two of the family were
admirers of King George and staunch
Tories. The other, Mrs. Stevens grand
! father, Joined the Revolutionists. When
the Revolution was over, William Bay
ard, who owned the larger part of the
land now known as Hoboken and Wee
hawken, fled to England and the estate
was c~onf1scated by the Government. 1t
was sold at public auction to Colonel
John Stevens. The larger part of the
property remains still in the possession
of the family.
Castle Point is one of the most con-
! spicuous landmarks on the lower Hudson.
! The prominence originally was skirted by
the old Elysian Fields, where Aaron Burr
| killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Here
it was also where the body of murdered
Mary Rogers was found seventy odd
years ago, the mystery surrounding
which was solved by the cratic genius
of Edgar Allan Poe.
Edwin Augustus Stevens, Mrs. Stevens
husband, was a descendant of John
Stevens. He became famous as an engi-
neer and capitalist. He died in Paris,
August s, 1868.
John Stevens in 1926 took charge of the
Union Steamship Line. which then carried
nearly all the passengers and freight be-
tween New York and Philadelphia. The
company also operated steamboats, on the
| Delaware and Raritan Rivers and ran
stage coaches on the turnpike between
Trenton and New Brunswick. The latter
line was merged in 1892 into the Camden
and Amboy Railroad, which Mr.. Stevens
constructed and of which he was made
treasurer. In conjunction with his
brothers, Robert L., Edwin A. and John
C., he established the Hoboken Ferry
Company and founded Stevens Institute
of Technology with a donation of $3.50, 900.
The first ironcIad vessel every projected,
the Stevens Battery, has been bequeathed
to John by his brother, Robert l.. Stevens.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Ed
! ward presented to the Government a plan
for the completion of this vessel together
with a smaller one called the Naugatuck.
The latter was accepted by the naval au-
thorities and wa. one of the fleet that at
tackled the Merrimac. The Stevens Bat
terry was never completed. Upon the death
of Edwin. it was presented to the State Of
New Jersey together with a donatio of
81, GOO. 600 for its completion. 1t was de i'd
ed, however, that the State could not hold
q nava vessel. and in 1874 the Stevens
Battery was sold at auction and the more
recent Improvements in armoclads render
ing it obsolete, it was broken up and sold
for junk.
The Stevens family also donated TO Ho-
boken the ground. now occupied by Church
Square Park and the site on which is
built Our Lady of Grace Church.
Mrs. Stevens founded the Hoboken In
dustrial School and donated $40, 600 toward
the building of the new Free Public LII
brary. Recently she laid plans for the
building of a recreation pier for the poor.
and the project was to be carried out next
month. She Wsss the founder and one Of
the directors of the Memorial Day Nur-
sery in Willow avenue, where poor pen-s
pie can place their children while they
are at work. Her surviving children are
Edwin A. Stevens. c. Albert Stevens, Rob-
ert L. Stevens. Richard Stevens, Mrs. C.
B. Alexander and the widow of Col. E. p.
c. Lewis. the Minister to Portugal in
Cleveland's first administration. Julia,
a daughter, died in Rome, Italy, when an
infant. A few years after her death, Mrs.
Stevens erected the Church of the Holy
Innocents in .Hoboken in her memory. e
The remains will be Inferred in ire
family plot of the Hoboken cemetery.
Bishop Thomas A. Starkey will o~fficiate
at the funeral services, assisted by the
Rt. Rev. Archdeacon William R. Jenvey,
Rev. James clayton Mitchell and Rev.
Ernst McGill. Rev. Charles P. Kelly,
rector of Our Lady of Grace Church will
also be present at the o~bsequies.
CITE rnp MONUMENT