Philip Jeremiah Schuyler

Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (January 21, 1768 Albany, New York – February 21, 1835 New York City) was an American politician from New York. His siblings included Angelica Schuyler, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, and Peggy Schuyler Van Rensselaer.

Life

He was the son of Revolutionary War General Philip Schuyler (1733–1804) and Catherine Van Rensselaer (1734–1803). Although both father and son had a middle name beginning with the initial "J.", the father (Philip John Schuyler) was always known as "Philip Schuyler"; and the son as "Philip J. Schuyler". The Schuyler family were intermarried with other prominent New York families, including the Van Cortlandts and Livingstons. His relatives included uncle Jeremiah Van Rensselaer. Alexander Hamilton, John Barker Church, and Stephen Van Rensselaer were all his brothers-in-law. He received his education through private tutors.

Career

Schuyler came to Rhinebeck in 1796 and in 1800 erected a mansion he called "The Grove". [Thomas Suckley Rutsen Morse, Howard Holdridge. Historical Old Rhinebeck, Echoes of Two Centuries, Rhinebeck. 1908, p. 397] From there he managed farms and estates throughout upstate New York which were owned by his and his wife's families. Schuyler served in the New York Militia and attained the rank of major before resigning in 1799. He returned to service with the War of 1812, during which he held the rank of colonel.

He was a member of the New York State Assembly, serving in the 21st New York State Legislature, representing Dutchess County, and in the 22nd New York State Legislature, representing Albany County. He was elected as a Federalist to the 15th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1819.

Personal life

Schuyler married Sarah Rutsen (1770–1803), daughter of John Rutsen (1743–1771) and a descendant of Wilhelmus Beekman, and inheritor of a large portion of the Beekman Patent, which encompassed much of what is now Dutchess County. Together, they had:

• Philip P. Schuyler (1789–1875), who married Rosanna Livingston
• Stephan Van Rensselaer Schuyler (1792–1859), who married Catherine Morris
• Catherine Schuyler (1793–1875), who married Samuel Jones (1770–1853)
• John Rutsen Schuyler (1796–1875)
• Robert Schuyler (1798–1855), who married Lucinda Wood (1807–1882), an 1817 graduate of Harvard and railroad speculator/embezzler.

After his first wife died, he married Mary Anna Sawyer (1786–1852), daughter of Micajah Sawyer (1737–1817), a founding member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences<ref>{{cite web|title=Charter of Incorporation of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Sibyl Farnham (1747-1842). Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988</ref> Together, they had:

• William Schuyler (1807–1829)
• Sybil Schuyler (1809–1813)
• George Lee Schuyler (1811–1890), who married Eliza Hamilton (1811–1863), daughter of James Hamilton. After her death, he married Eliza's sister, Mary Morris Hamilton (1815-1877)<ref>Americana Society, ed. The American Historical Magazine, Vol. 1 New York: The Publishing Society of New York, 1906 [Hamilton, James Alexander. Reminiscences of James A. Hamilton: or, Men and events, at home and abroad, during three quarters of a century New York, 1869, Reynolds, Cuyler. Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation, Volume 3 pp. 1381-1385 Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1914]

He died of tuberculosis, and was buried at New York Marble Cemetery. His remains were later moved to the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.

His home, an estate he called The Grove, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Descendants

Through his youngest son George, he was the grandfather of General Philip Schuyler (1836–1906).<ref name="PSObit1906">{{cite news|title=GEN. SCHUYLER, VETERAN, SPORTING AND CLUBMAN; Earned Brigadier General's Stars in Civil War. NEWS PROSTRATES HIS WIFE He Had Just Returned From Grouse Shooting in Scotland When He Was Killed.The New York Times|date=November 30, 1906.] Schuyler was a prominent society figure who was featured in Ward McAllister's famous Social elite, The Four Hundred.The New York Times|date=16 February 1892.

The Schuyler Family and Slavery

Inquire of the Subscriber at Rhinebeck: Philip Jeremiah Schuyler and Slavery

By Jessie Serfilippi, Friday, March 9, 2018

It is no secret that Philip Schuyler enslaved people of African descent, but what kind of relationship to slavery did his children have? While research is still ongoing, it is clear that six out of eight surviving Schuyler children enslaved people at some point in their adult lives. The fifth surviving Schuyler child, Philip Jeremiah, born on January 21, 1768, was one of those six children. Until recently, the only definitive connection that could be drawn between Philip Jeremiah and slavery was his part in manumitting some of the people enslaved at Schuyler Mansion upon his father’s death. Based on this fact alone, it seemed possible that his views differed from those of his father—that he did not partake in the institution of slavery once out of the family home and under his own roof. Recent discoveries have forever put that theory to rest.

When Philip Jeremiah married Sarah Rutsen on May 31, 1788, there is no evidence that either of them immediately brought enslaved people into their new household. In the first census that the couple appears on, the 1790 Rhinebeck census, their household included three free white males over the age of 16, one free white male under the age of 16, and one free white woman. This would have included Philip Jeremiah, Sarah Rutsen, their newborn son, Philip, and two unknown free white males—possibly relatives of Sarah’s, since it was her hometown that they resided in. There is nobody listed under the category of “slaves.” [No listing in an early census does not mean that there were not enslaved people residing on the property at the time. —dff]

Yet the lack of enslaved people on Philip Jeremiah’s property in 1790 does not necessarily mean he was an abolitionist. It more likely indicates that he was not in the financial position to enslave people at the start of his marriage. Philip Jeremiah was born into a high-class society that saw slavery as means to show off status and wealth. It is likely that, like his father, he believed in these notions. He was not the only one to think that way, either. Contrary to popular belief, slavery was still rampant in New York in the 1790s, and continued well into the 1800s. While there was a series of laws passed that worked toward an eventual end to slavery, these laws did more for enslavers than the enslaved. In 1799, the state legislature passed the Gradual Emancipation Act, which promised eventual freedom to all children born to enslaved mothers on July 4, 1799 or later. The catch was that these children would have to stay enslaved for over twenty years—women were enslaved until the age of 24, and men until the age of 28. This would make it easier for men like Philip Jeremiah to continue enslaving people while New York—on paper, at least—worked toward manumission.

By 1793, Philip Jeremiah was on better financial footing and had just finished building his home, The Grove. On January 9, 1793, he placed an advertisement in the Poughkeepsie Journal:

Wanted to purchase, A Faithful, steady, single young NEGRO MAN, of any age between 16 and 20 years, who can be well recommended, has been accustomed to farming business, and the care of horses -- he will be demanded a short time on trial. Inquire of the subscriber at Rhinebeck, or the printer at Poughkeepsie.
PHILIP J. SCHUYLER. September 3d, 1792.

From the date at the bottom of the ad, it is evident that Philip Jeremiah had originally run this advertisement about four months earlier, in September of 1792. While it is possible he’d already begun to enslave people before this advertisement was placed but after the 1790 census, this is the earliest record we have of Philip Jeremiah in connection to slave-holding.

1800 Rhinebeck census. Philip Jeremiah indicated by red mark.

By 1800, there’s no question that Philip Jeremiah was an enslaver. In the 1800 census, he was listed as having six enslaved people on his Rhinebeck property. There were only seven free white people living on the property at the time, meaning there was nearly an enslaved person for each free person.

We do not know the genders of these enslaved people. If Philip Jeremiah was anything like his father, he would have enslaved men and women in nearly equal numbers, meaning an estimation of three men and three women being enslaved on the property at the time, but there is currently no way of confirming if this was the case. Using the 1793 advertisement, it is clear that Philip Jeremiah was looking for at least one young enslaved man to do farm work for him, and specifically someone who was skilled with horses. Philip Jeremiah owned a lot of land in Rhinebeck—he purchased tracts of the Beekman Patent which he divided into farms and rented to tenant farmers—he ran the mills inherited from his wife’s family, and by 1812 he entered into a partnership to build mills on the Clay Kill Estate after purchasing the falls at Clay Kill. It would make sense that he would actively look for someone who could help with the labor these properties required. It is likely there was at least one enslaved woman to do the cooking for the family, but, without genders listed on the census, it is impossible to come to an absolute conclusion.

1810 Rhinebeck census that shows three enslaved people as part of Philip Jeremiah's household.

By 1810, there were only three enslaved people on his property. There are a few possibilities as to why three of the enslaved people who were part of the 1800 census were no longer listed. They may not have been present when the census was taken—possibly on an errand or traveling with a different family member. Philip Jeremiah may have sold them over the previous decade. They may have escaped to freedom, though so far no runaway ads placed by Philip Jeremiah have been found. They also may have died while still enslaved.

Philip Jeremiah could have manumitted them, but that seems unlikely as there is currently only one known instance of Philip Jeremiah manumitting a person he enslaved, and that manumission takes place after the 1810 census. On April 19, 1811, Philip Jeremiah manumitted a man by the name of Charles. The manumission reads as follows:

To Henry Shop Town Clerk
To all to whom here presents shall come know ye that I Philip J. Schuyler of the Town of Rhinebeck in the County of Dutchess and State of New York. Do hereby Manumit and set free fvr [forever] Charles a Black Man. As witness my hand this 19th day of April 1811.
Philip J. Schuyler Witness Present, Henry Shop
Entered of Record the 19 day of April 1811, Henry Shop Town Clerk

What became of Charles after he was manumitted is unknown, especially because his age and what particular skills he may have possessed are a mystery. It is possible that he stayed in the Rhinebeck area, or he may have moved to a larger city, such a Poughkeepsie. If he stayed in Rhinebeck, he may have made his home on Oak Street where many free black families, usually headed by skilled artisans, lived during the 19th century. If he had a family at the time of his manumission or afterward is currently unknown.

By 1820, there was only one enslaved person on Philip Jeremiah’s property. The 1820 census states that Philip Jeremiah enslaved one man between the ages of 14 and 26. There are two possibilities as to why this man was still enslaved: either he was born after July 4, 1799, and was legally bound to Philip Jeremiah until he turned 28, or he was born before July 4, 1799, meaning Philip Jeremiah did not have to emancipate him until 1827, according to a law passed in 1817.

Interestingly, there were also free black people working on Philip Jeremiah’s property at this same time, two of whom were still within the legal ages of enslavement, but were not enslaved. It is possible that two of them had once been enslaved by Philip Jeremiah—perhaps they were the other two enslaved people recorded on the 1810 census— and had been manumitted, but whether they were formerly enslaved by him or someone else is unknown. All that is known are their ages and gender.

They were all women. One was either 13 or younger, one was between the ages of 14 and 26, and the other was 45 or older. It seems likely that they may have been a family unit, possibly grandmother, mother, and daughter, but no definitive conclusion can be found within such vague information. If they were formerly enslaved by Philip Jeremiah, it is possible that the grandmother and mother were once enslaved by him, and the daughter was possibly born free or manumitted as a young child. The women and young girl likely helped with domestic tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing. At the time, there would have been one young Schuyler child in the house, George Lee, who was nine.

While these are all of the currently known references to the people enslaved by Philip Jeremiah, and there are still many unanswered questions, we now know of the enslaved people’s existence. With this knowledge, we can continue to search for more information about who each individual was beyond an advertisement, number on a census, or manumission. Hopefully, we can eventually discover more about what their lives were like and what became of them.

Special thanks to the Rhinebeck Historical Society for their help in finding the manumission of Charles.

Sources

• Political Graveyard

• Template:Findagrave