The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-11-29
CATHOLIC RELATIVES OF -PREsl-
DENT MONROE.

The sale on November II of the
historic Gouverneur mansion at 90
Prince Street, New York City, in
which President James Monroe spent
his declining years, has an interest
for those who believe that such houses
should be preserved as national mon
uments. Monroe was, in many re-
spects, one of the most engaging char
acters that ever filled the Presidency,
and so the, house in which he died
ought to be saved from destruction; s
For Catholics it is always consolng
to remember that a man who was SO
kind to Bishop Dubois on his arrival
in this country and whose wife saved
from the guillotine sanity Madame de
LAFAYETTE, had several near relatives
who entered the Church, among the
number his two favorite nepheWs (sons
of his brother. Andrew Father An
drew Monroe, S. J., and Colonel James
Monroe. the latter bearing striking
resemblance to his iuustrious uncle,
says the Columbian.
And of the Presidents two daugh-
ters. Elizabeth became the second
wife of Judge George Hay, the prose
cutor of Aaron Burr, and the STEP
mother of the latter's daughter, Marie
Antoinette Hay, known affecuonately
in the Monroe family as Aunt Mary
Ringgold." who was married III the
White House to General Samuel Ring
gold. and with her daughter, Rebecca,
later became a Catholic. Mrs. Ring
sold was a particular tavOrite of Pres
ident Monroe who spent many happy
hours at her husbands palatial home
near Washington. Marie Hester Mon
roe, his other daughter. married her
first cousin nephew OF the President s
wiIe) Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur,
who built the house on Prince Street
which was sold the other day. Gou-
verneur was private secretary to the
president and later postmaster of New
York City. He was the son OF Hon.
Nicholas Gouverneur and Hester Kort-
right, sister Of Mrs. James Monroe
He was a direct descendant of Abra
y
IeiSler Milbourne. widow of Secretary
Milbourne and daughter of the infa-
NOUS Leisler who drove the Catholics
out Of New York City. Marie Hester
Monroe married Major Henry lee
TIeiskell, assistant surgeon general,
u. s. A. Their son, and President
Monroe's great-grandson. Henry Lee
Heiskeil, who died in Washington il
1914, was a devout convert.
Samuel l.. Gouverneur, on the death
of his first wife, married a Catholic
lady, Miss Mary Digges Lee, of Need
WOOD" Frederick County, Md, the
granddaughter OF Governor Thomas
Sim Lee Of Maryland. Although close
ly connected with Catholics, Mr. Gou-
Terneur seems to have died as he
had lived, an Episcopalian. He was
the uncle of sanity Father Robert
Beverly Tillotson, one of. the founders
of the Paulists and before his con-
version a student for the Episcoralian
ministry. Father Tillotson. was re-
ceived into the Church by Newman
He was the grandson of Margaret
Livingston Tillotson, sister of Chan
cellor Robert Livingston who admin
istered the oath of Office to Washing
ton as first President
Among other Catholic relatives of
President Monroe was Lieut.. William
Washington, who was Tilted by one of
Lafayette's daughters and fought for
Grecian independence He was the
great-grandson of Mrs. Susanna Mon
roe Grayson, aunt of President Mon
roe, and became a Catholic in Paris
in 1926.
President MOnroe's wife, Elizabeth
Kortright Monroe, also had several
Catholic relatives, including her niece,
Mrs. Sarah Heyliger Durant, daughter
Of Colonel John Heylinger and Sarah
kortright, daughter of Lawrence Kort-
right and sisterfof Mrs. Monroe Mrs.
-Durant lived for many years in Flor
ence, Italy, and was received into the
Church with her two daughters, Cor
nelia, wife of Lorenzo Da Ponte,%of
New Orleans, and Miss Sarah Durant.
of New York City. -
Another interesting thing in connee-
ton with the sale Of. the house ION
Prince Street was that it was auc-
tfoned off by Bryan L. Kennelley,
prominent in Knights of Columbus and
Catholic circles. );