The Dalley, Simmons and Fraunces Siblings
Genealogical records prove the connections between “America’s Founding Hosts”
The Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family operated several of the most important taverns and boarding houses in American history (hereinafter “America’s Founding Taverns”).[1] Delegates to the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention were very familiar with Gifford Dalley’s City Tavern and Miss Dalley’s boarding house in Philadelphia. Fraunces’ Tavern and Simmons’ Tavern similarly played an important civic function in New York City. While historians have long recognized the significance of taverns during America’s Revolutionary era, the family and business connections between these well-known taverns was not previously understood. In hindsight it is not surprising that the proprietors of these patriotic businesses were in fact an extended family of siblings – the Dalley, Fraunces, and Simmons families (hereinafter “America’s Founding Hosts”).[2]
Thirsty tourists exploring southern Manhattan might find their way to Fraunces’ Tavern, “New York’s oldest and most historic bar and restaurant.”[3] The New York City landmark is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although the building has been rebuilt several times, the tavern’s website describes the location as “A tavern older than the country itself.” The first floor restaurant and bar offer a wide selection of revolutionary era and modern fare. The building’s upper floors contain the “only museum in New York City that allows visitors to discover the American Revolutionary past in NYC’s oldest standing structure.” When exploring the museum’s eight galleries, Samuel Fraunces’ name is regularly mentioned in the exhibits. The museum also prominently features images, artwork and busts of famous members of the founding generation who frequented the tavern and its upstairs offices, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Yet, the permanent exhibit contains only a single sentence mentioning Samuel Fraunces’ wife, Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces. “Fraunces lived on the upper floors of the building with his second wife,[4]Elizabeth Dalley, and their seven children.” One would search in vain for any discussion of Elizabeth’s siblings and her extended family of patriot entrepreneurs.
Samuel Fraunces and his wife Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces famously catered to the founding generation for decades in lower Manhattan. During the years when Congress resided in New York City, sister Catharine Dalley Simmons and her husband John Simmons hosted equally historic meetings at Simmons’ Tavern on Wall Street. Brother Gifford Dalley operated Philadelphia’s City Tavern, its Merchant’s Coffee House, and Dalley’s Hotel. A few blocks away members of Congress regularly boarded with sister Mary Dalley. Yet, the relationship between their New York and Philadelphia taverns and boarding houses has never previously been examined.
In 1789 Samuel Fraunces became President George Washington’s steward, charged with supervising the “White House”[5] staff. When Samuel Fraunces was managing President Washington’s household, it turns out that brother-in-law Gifford Dalley was providing hospitality and related services as the Doorkeeper for the House of Representatives. Gifford Dalley continued serving in this role during the First, Second and Third Congresses from 1789 to 1796. While both Samuel and Gifford were prominent members of the newly created federal government, scholars have not comprehensively explored the genealogical evidence that connects the Fraunces-Dalley-Simmons family. New research set forth below details the family relationships of America’s Founding Hosts, who catered to the founding generation during key moments in American history.
This blog post begins by summarizing the genealogical evidence connecting the Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family. Rather than viewing their taverns as separate, isolated establishments, this blog post and a pending book argue that the Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family formed an interconnected business network linking America’s two largest cities. In addition to being connected by stagecoach lines between Philadelphia and New York, the founding generation was also connected to America’s Founding Hosts by esteemed hospitality services, beloved family recipes and patriotic bonds of friendship forged during the Revolutionary War.
It is reasonable to ask why haven’t historians previously recognized the connections between Samuel Fraunces, Mary Dalley, Gifford Dalley, John Simmons and their spouses? Indeed, increasingly robust databases and family trees on Ancestry.com have already begun to make several of these connections.[6] While there is no written correspondence between America’s Founding Hosts the circumstantial evidence set forth below is overwhelming, even if incomplete. Indeed, one of the reasons for writing this book was to invite scholars and researchers to assist with this ongoing investigation detailed here. After analyzing the historic record, this blog post concludes with the following answer: the evidence connecting America’s Founding Hosts was hiding in plain sight. With new technology and the digitization of archival records, the discoveries outlined below were inevitable.
Connecting the Dalley siblings
The story of America’s Founding Taverns centers around the four Dalley siblings: Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces, Catharine Dalley Simmons, Gifford Dalley and Mary Dalley. It thus makes sense to begin by introducing their parents, Hendrick (Henry) Dalley[7] and Sarah Gifford Dalley.[8] Although not much is known about Henry Dalley or Sarah Gifford, proof of their marriage is well documented. Beginning in 1665, New Jersey brides and grooms were required to file a marriage bond with the governor, attesting that they had no lawful impediment to being joined in the holy bonds of matrimony.[9] Fortunately, the New Jersey State Archives holds over 11,500 colonial marriage bonds, including the marriage bond for Henry Dalley and Sarah Gifford dated November 9, 1739.[10] The marriage bond for the parents of America’s Founding Hosts is signed by both Henry Dalley and John Gifford, Sarah’s brother.
Using this colonial marriage bond along with church records, wills, tavern advertisements, and published legal notices, it is possible to construct a fairly detailed family history. Moreover, in the 1950s an extensive, but unpublished genealogy was created for the Dalley-Dally family.[11] Taken together, these primary and secondary sources demonstrate that the Dalley siblings were the proprietors of Fraunces’ Tavern and Simmons’ Tavern in New York City, along with the City Tavern, the Merchant’s Coffee House and Dalley’s Hotel in Philadelphia. While Mary Dalley’s boarding house has largely been overlooked by historians, her Market Street location is arguably comparable to the Declaration House where Thomas Jefferson resided during the summer of 1776.[12]
As indicated by the Dalley family tree pictured below, Henry and Sarah had at least five surviving children. Several inferences flow from this family tree. First, Henry Dalley passed away in 1756 at the relatively young age of forty. Shortly after Henry’s death, two of the Dalley sisters (Elizabeth and Catharine) were married, likely prompted by the death of their father. Second, several names repeat across the generations in multiple branches of the family. For example, sister Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces named her daughters Elizabeth, Catharine, Sarah and Hannah. Likewise, sister Catharine Dalley Simmons named her children Sarah, Catharine, William “G” Simmons, and Stephen Gifford Simmons. Lastly, brother Gifford Dalley named his children Sarah, Mary, Catharine, Hannah and Gifford, Jr. These same names reoccur in subsequent generations and can also be found in prior generations of the family tree.[13] Mary Dalley’s will contains legacies, for example, to her sister Catharine Simmons and three nieces/grand nieces also named Catharine.
The close family connections between America’s Founding Hosts is evident in the baptism records in which the siblings agreed to be godparents for their nieces, nephews and grandchildren. When Samuel Fraunces and Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces’ daughter Hannah was baptized in October of 1784, Gifford and Hannah Dalley were listed as the sponsors/godparents. In addition, baby Hannah Fraunces’ older sister, Elizabeth Fraunces, was also named as a godparent.[14] These baptism records provide clear evidence of the family relationship between Samuel Fraunces and Gifford Dalley. Similarly, when Samuel Fraunces’ grandson was born, Gifford Dalley and his wife Hannah Dalley were sponsors/godparents for little Andrew Gifford Fraunces, son of Andrew G. Fraunces.[15] A year later, Andrew and Sarah Fraunces returned the favor, by agreeing to become the sponsors/godparents for Gifford Dalley’s daughter, Hannah Dalley, who was baptized in March of 1788.[16]
These baptism records are consistent with and help substantiate a variety of other church records. At various times the Dalley, Simmons and Fraunces families were members of the same churches, New York’s Trinity Church and Philadelphia’s Christ Church. Indeed, church records further illustrate that during the Revolutionary War Mary Dalley rented pew number 56 at Christ Church, which was close to pew number 52, rented by the Simmons family.[17] After the British evacuated New York City in November of 1783, members of the Simmons, Fraunces and Dalley families returned home and were members of Trinity Church in Manhattan.[18] By contrast, Miss Dalley remained in Philadelphia where she would continue to live for decades operating her boarding house.
Interestingly, “Miss Dally” is listed as a pew-holder at St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia in 1779.[19] Yet, by 1782 Mary Dalley’s name appears on the pew rental list at Christ Church. It is reasonable to infer that Mary may have changed churches to worship together with her New York relatives who were living in Philadelphia during the war. Of course, there are a variety of other reasons for why Mary may have changed churches, including the fact that Christ Church was closer to where she lived on Market Street.[20] Regardless of the reason Mary relocated she remained at Christ Church where she is buried.[21] Unfortunately, Mary’s grave marker does not provide any details about her family but does confirm her age and date of death. According to her marker, Mary Dalley was “aged 60 years” on June 22, 1811, which perfectly aligns with the additional records discussed below.[22]
Another powerful source of evidence can be found in wills of the members of the Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family. Mary Dalley’s will is particularly insightful as she did not have children of her own. Mary is described in her will as a “single woman.” She leaves her largest bequest “to my sister Catharine Simmons.” The will also identifies nine nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews who are children and grandchildren of Mary’s sister, Catharine Simmons, and her brother, Gifford Dalley.[23] Mary leaves all residual property to her niece, Mary Murdock, Gifford Dalley’s daughter. Further reinforcing family relationships between America’s Founding Hosts, Mary Dalley’s will appoints Gifford Dalley’s son-in-law, William Murdock, as her executor.[24] Mary describes William Murdock as her “nephew and friend.”[25] The will was executed 4 May 1811 and was admitted to probate on 26 June 1811, consistent with the date of Mary’s death on her grave marker.
Mary Dalley is buried in the Christ Church graveyard in Philadelphia beside John B. Simmons, her grand-nephew.[26] According to John’s headstone, he passed away at the age of twenty-six on 11 April 1816. As neither Mary nor John had any children it made sense for them to be buried together. Thus, the placement of their two markers together in a corner of the graveyard is fully consistent with the family genealogy and Mary’s will, which lists John as one of her beneficiaries. While Mary is buried in Philadelphia with John Simmons, other family members are buried in New York and Washington, D.C.[27] In the year 1800 Congress relocated from Philadelphia to the newly constructed “Washington City.”[28] As they did in 1790 when Congress moved from New York to Philadelphia, members of the Simmons-Dalley-Fraunces family relocated to Washington in the year 1800.
Church and other records place the Simmons family, Gifford Dalley and Mary Dalley in Philadelphia during the war, after the British capture Manhattan. For example, Stephen Gifford Simmons was born in Philadelphia in 1780.[29]By contrast, Samuel Fraunces spent most of the war in Manhattan, from where he provided intelligence to American forces and helped feed American prisoners of war.[30] Admittedly, there do not appear to be any bequests by Mary Dalley or John Simmons to the Fraunces side of the family. One possible explanation is that the Fraunces descendants were already wealthy. Another possibility is that the family who lived in Philadelphia after the war was not as close in their retirement with the Fraunces side of the family who remained in New York.
Connecting the Taverns and Family Businesses
While it is clear that America’s Founding Hosts were siblings, it is less clear how the Simmons-Dalley-Fraunces families entered into the tavern keeping business. The earliest evidence connecting a family member to the tavern keeping vocation can be traced back to February of 1755, when Samuel Fraunces’ name first appears on the New-York City Roll of Freemen as an “innkeeper.”[31] Under its English colonial charters from 1675 to 1775 the City of New-York maintained an official “Roll of Freemen,” which listed the names and occupations of the free inhabitants of the city. Importantly, the roll identifies the year when a freeman first joined the list. As such, the Roll of Freemen constitutes an official directory of New York freemen and their occupations.[32]
John Simmons’ name appears on the Roll of Freemen for the first time in 1761, six years after his brother-in-law, Samuel Fraunces. Gifford Dalley subsequently joined the roll in 1768.[33] Interestingly, neither John Simmons nor Gifford Dalley joined the Roll of Freemen as tavern operators. John was listed as a mariner and Gifford was a tailor when they first joined the roll. As Samuel Fraunces appears to have been the first family member to obtain a tavern license, it is reasonable to infer that other family members and their spouses may have entered into the tavern business with the assistance of their brother-in-law, Samuel. Indeed, one can imagine that Samuel Fraunces may have trained John, Gifford and their wives, who may have worked for Samuel and Elizabeth Fraunces before opening their own taverns.[34] With that said, Gifford Dalley and his sisters may have been familiar with retailing as their father, Henry Dalley, was a shopkeeper in New Jersey when he married Sarah Gifford in 1739.
Historians have observed that tavern keepers frequently “relied on family members for essential work of the household.”[35] Reliance on family by tavern owners, particularly for new and small scale-tavern operators, was not materially different than family farming, retailing, or an artisan learning a family trade. During his travels in 1799, Thomas Fairfax noted that in New England tavern keepers kept “as few servants as possible” and relied upon the “daughters of the family” to make beds, set tables, and perform domestic services.[36]
Academic studies examining taverns have determined that local magistrates commonly awarded tavern licenses to families with both financial and social stakes in the status quo. From the standpoint of local officials who wanted to encourage responsible tavern-keeping behavior, it may have made sense to favor families who had tavern keeping experience and could bear the financial risks of a precarious line of work.[37] While licensing practices certainly varied by location[38] and over time, scholars have documented the practice of magistrates requiring that applicants demonstrate adequate financial resources or that a respected member of the community could vouch for them.[39] If this was the case in New York, it would not be surprising if Samuel Fraunces did so for his brothers-in-law, John Simmons and Gifford Dalley. Or perhaps Elizabeth Fraunces was the conduit for entry into the family business for her sister Catharine Dalley Simmons and brother Gifford Dalley?
Yet another possibility is that the Dalley family may have learned about the tavern business through their maternal grandparents the Cregier family. Admittedly, not much is known about the parents of America’s Founding Hosts, Henry Dalley and Sarah Gifford. Yet, Henry Dalley’s mother was Elizabeth Cregier Dalley.[40] While the record is far from clear, the Cregier family had deep roots in New Amsterdam prior to the British conquest of New York in 1664. For several generations members of the Cregier family operated successful taverns in Manhattan.[41]
When Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor of New Netherland, surrendered to the British the terms of surrender guaranteed that the Dutch inhabitants would be entitled to “peaceably enjoy whatsoever God’s blessing and their own honest industry have furnished them with and all other privileges” enjoyed by English subjects.[42] One of the specific terms of the articles of surrender was that the Dutch would be permitted to keep their “publick houses,” i.e., taverns. Other generous terms of surrender included the promise that the Dutch could stay on their land and freely maintain their religious practices.[43]
While we may never know the full story, it is clear that Samuel Fraunces entered the tavern business as early as 1755.[44] Within fifteen years, John Simmons would be operating a tavern on Wall Street by 1770 under the sign of Peter Warren. By 1778, Gifford Dalley would be operating the City Tavern in Philadelphia. As is discussed in a pending book to be published by SUNY Press it is unlikely that Gifford would have been granted the lease to operate Philadelphia’s City Tavern unless he had prior tavern operation experience.
Perhaps the most intriguing connection between the Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family dates back to the early days of the Revolutionary War. In August of 1775, the HMS Asia fired its cannons on southern Manhattan during the so-called “Raid on the Battery.” The skirmish between colonists and the 64-gun British warship is recognized as New York’s first military engagement of the Revolutionary War.[45] The hostilities erupted when patriots, including a young Alexander Hamilton, “stole” approximately two dozen cannons from the “Grand Battey” at the southern tip of Manhattan on August 23. The raid was pre-planned and officially authorized by the New York Provincial Congress on August 22.[46] News of the pending raid leaked out to Captain George Vandeput of the HMS Asia, who stationed troops near the battery in advance of the raid.
During the inevitable confrontation, Vandeput claimed that the Americans opened fire with their muskets, killing one of his sailors. When the HMS Asia returned fire, “the upper part of several houses” in Manhattan were damaged.[47]Newspaper accounts of the raid on the Battery specifically mention that an eighteen pound cannon ball was shot into the roof of “Samuel Frauncis’s” house, near the corner of the Market Exchange.[48] The Asia is reported to have unloaded “a heavy and smart fire of nine, eighteen, twenty-four pounders,” along with an unspecified amount of grapeshot. Although only a few Americans were wounded in the exchange, “it was disquieting to see women and children moving half naked at midnight” as they evacuated their homes in the commotion.
A week after the exchange of fire into New York harbor, on August 29, Samuel Fraunces’ two brothers-in-law were granted leave to board the HSM Asia. John Simmons and Gifford Dalley obtained specific authorization from the New York Provincial Congress to meet with the captain of the HMS Asia, George Vandeput.[49] Although the reasons why Simmons and Dalley were authorized to board the Asia are murky, it is likely that they were trusted members of the patriot community. The two brothers-in-law had no doubt known each other since at least 1758, when Catharine Dalley married John Simmons.[50] Although Samuel Fraunces’ tavern had been damaged by the British cannon fire, he was not selected to meet with Captain Vandeput. It can be inferred that due to his connections with the Sons of Liberty, it likely would not have been wise for Fraunces to voluntarily board the Asia.[51] The reasons why Gifford Dalley and John Simmons were selected by the New York Provincial Congress to meet with Captain Vandeput may never be known with certainty. Yet, the fact remains that the negotiations with Captain Vandeput in New York harbor in late August of 1775 connect America’s Founding Hosts together in tantalizing ways during the same week that Fraunces’ Tavern was damaged during the raid on the Battery.
Years later, beginning in 1789, America’s Founding Hosts can also be connected through their employment in the newly created Federal government. As will be discussed in the pending book, America’s Founding Hosts, to be published by SUNY Press, Samuel Fraunces served for many years as President George Washington’s steward who oversaw the presidential household and kitchen. Gifford Dalley played a similar hospitality role as the Doorkeeper for the House of Representatives. More easily overlooked is the fact that John and Catharine Simmons’ son, William Simmons, spent a career working across several administrations as the head accountant for the War Department.[52] Similarly, Andrew G. Fraunces, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Fraunces, served as a principal clerk in Alexander Hamilton’s Treasury Department from 1789 until 1793.[53] Another Simmons son, Lieutenant Stephen Gifford Simmons, would be appointed paymaster of the Light Dragoons by Alexander Hamilton in October of 1799.[54] It is logical to infer that the connections made between America’s Founding Hosts and the founding generation during the early years of the republic led to their appointment into prominent positions in the federal government.
Several factors potentially explain why historians have not previously identified the connections between America’s Founding Hosts and their taverns/boarding houses. First, the Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family operated out of two separate cities, New York and Philadelphia. For this reason, only a wide-angle perspective would have made the connections which may have been overlooked by local histories/historians. In the year 1790 when Congress departed New York for Philadelphia, several members of the family relocated. Family members relocated again in the year 1800 when Congress moved to Washington, D.C. A related reason which may also have concealed their identities was the disparate spellings of their surnames. At various times Samuel Fraunces’ name was spelled as Francis, Frauncis and Frances. Similarly, the Dalley name has been spelled Dally, Dayly, Dailey, Daly, and Dolley among other alternate spellings, which arguably further concealed their identity. Potentially further confusing the historic record is the fact that Catharine Dalley Simmons’ name was spelled as Catharine and Catherine.[55]
Apart from their failure to remain rooted in one city under a shared name, it is likely that the lack of surviving male heirs was another reason contributing to historical amnesia involving the Simmons-Dalley-Fraunces family connections. As far as can be determined, Mary Dalley never married and never had any children. Tragically, Gifford Dalley’s family was decimated by Yellow Fever in 1798. Gifford died of Yellow Fever in August. The following month two of his daughters, Catharine (“Kitty”) Dalley and Sarah Annelly, also passed away from the “prevailing disorder.” At the time of their death, newspapers regularly reported the number of new cases of Yellow Fever in Philadelphia and daily deaths.[56] Given the circumstances of their death, one can speculate that Gifford and his two daughters may have been buried in unmarked, mass graves.
It is also worth noting that when they married in 1757, Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces was Samuel Fraunces’ second wife.[57] Likewise, Catharine Dalley Salter was a widow when she married John Simmons in 1758.[58] Accordingly, even though the spouses were happily married for decades, the second marriages may have clouded the family connections between the Dalley, Simmons and Fraunces families. Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that the “Catharine Salter” who married John Simmons was in fact Catharine Dalley Salter. Admittedly, the published marriage records merely indicate that John Simmons married “Catharine Salter” on 21 December 1758.[59] Yet, working with the staff at the New York State Archives, it was possible to track down the original fire damaged marriage license in Albany for Catharine Dalley Salter and John Simmons. The original manuscript resolves any doubt that Catharine Salter was in fact Catharine Dalley. Pictured below in figure 3.2 is the marriage license indicating that when John Simmons married Catharine Salters, she was a “widow.”[60] The New York State Archives also has a copy of Samuel Fraunces’ marriage license to Elizabeth Dalley, but the top portions are unreadable due to the 1911 fire damage.
JOHN SIMMONS – CATHERINE SALTER DALLEY MARRIAGE LICENSE (3.2)
SAMUEL FRAUNCES – ELIZABETH DALLEY MARRIAGE LICENSE (3.3)
Without question, another reason why it has been difficult to connect the First Family of Hospitality and America’s Founding Taverns is the lack of written correspondence between them. Of all the members of the Simmons-Dalley-Fraunces family, it is not surprising that Samuel Fraunces left behind the most extant correspondence. For example, George Washington’s Papers hold six letters written by Samuel Fraunces to George Washington between 1783 and 1793, along with three letters from George Washington to Samuel Fraunces written between 1783 to 1792.[61] During his service as the Doorkeeper to the House of Representatives, Gifford Dalley’s name regularly appeared in print. Yet, it does not appear that any archives or research institutions hold correspondence between the family members. Thankfully, newspaper advertisements and legal notices provide abundant examples of the activities which occurred at their taverns and business establishments during the early decades of America’s founding. It is hoped that this book and America 250 commemorations will attract additional scholarship and potentially lead to the discovery of untapped primary sources belonging to America’ Founding Hosts.
Endnotes
[1] The array of taverns and boarding houses operated by the Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family will be referred to as “America’s Founding Taverns,” even though Miss Dalley’s boarding house was likely a genteel, private boarding house, in contrast to the public taverns and hotel operated by Mary Dalley’s siblings.
[2] In this blog post the phrase “America’s Founding Hosts” will be used interchangeably with the Dalley-Simmons-Fraunces family.
[3] https://frauncestavern.com
[4] Samuel Fraunes wed Mary Carlile on 11 October 1755. Mary apparently passed away shortly after their marriage. Two years later, Samuel Fraunces married Elizabeth Dalley on 30 November 1757. Gideon J. Tucker, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued by the Secretary of the Province of New York Previous to 1784 (Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., 1860), 144.
[5] The term White House would first be used to refer to the Presidential Mansion in Washington, D.C. Prior to 1800, when John and Abigail Adams moved into the White House, the locations where President George Washington resided in New York and Philadelphia were known a the Executive Mansion, Presidential Mansion, or the President’s House.
[6] Several of the primary sources described below can be viewed on Ancestry.com, including family trees and other very useful sources available on Ancestry.com’s expanding database. While the family trees on Ancestry.com connect Mary Dalley to her sisters and brothers, the family trees are incomplete as of the date when this book went to print. For example, the Ancestry.com “LifeStory” for “Mary Gifford Dally: 1751-1811” does not indicate that she operated a boarding house. The Ancestry.com LifeStory for Gifford Dalley, Samuel Fraunces, Elizabeth Fraunces, John Simmons, and Catharine Simmons accurately reflect the fact that they operated taverns in New York and Philadelphia. Moreover, the Ancestry.com LifeStory for Gifford Dalley and Samuel Fraunces record the fact that Gifford Dalley became the Doorkeeper for Congress and Samuel Fraunces worked as George Washington’s Steward beginning in 1789.
[7] Hendrick (Henry) Cregier Dalley was born in 1716. An unpublished Dally-Dalley family genealogy indicates that Henry was the son of Nicholas Dalley (born 16 October 1680) and Elizabeth Cregier, who married in 1702. In 1725, Nicholas and Elizabeth are reported to have moved to the Raritan River area in New Jersey.
It is noteworthy that Henry Dalley’s sisters were Elizabeth Dalley (born 11 March 1711) and Catharine Dalley (born 9 November 1718), as these family names repeat over multiple generations. A.S. Van Benthuysen, Dally-Dalley Genealogy (New York: 1953), 8 & 50 [on file at the Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Reynolds Historical Genealogy Collection]. https://archive.org/details/dallydalleygenea00vanb/page/n7/mode/2up
See also https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1648746/person/282233607251/facts
[8] Sarah Burrows/Borrows Gifford was born in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey in 1718 to John Parker Gifford and Catharine Borrows. As seen across the generations Catharine was a recurring family name. Sarah’s mother was Catharine Borrows (1691 – 1741). Sarah also had a sister Catharine Borrow Lippett. Sister Catharine Dalley Simmons also named one of her daughters, Catharine.
Sarah Borrows Gifford (1718-1784):
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1648746/person/282233607290/facts
Catharine Borrows (1691- 1741):
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1648746/person/282233607635/facts
Catharine Lippett (1737-1803):
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1648746/person/282281335088/facts
[9] As described by the New Jersey State Archives, “[t]hese bonds obligated the groom and his fellow bondsman (often a relative of the bride) monetarily, should the terms of the bond not be fulfilled. In practice, only a minority of marriages were licensed by the colony in this fashion.” The bond value of the colonial New Jersey marriage bonds was £500, which represented a substantial sum from 1665-1799.
https://wwwnet-dos.state.nj.us/DOS_ArchivesDBPortal/ColonialMarriages.aspx
[10] According to their marriage license, Henry Dalley was from Middlesex County, New Jersey, and Sarah Gifford was from Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Henry Dalley’s occupation is listed as a “store keeper.” Although no further information is provided about Sarah Gifford, her brother John Gifford, Jr., signs the marriage bond on her behalf. This suggests that Sarah’s father, John Gifford, Sr., was deceased in 1735. John Gifford, Jr.’s occupation is listed as “marrinor.” It is unclear what John Sr. did for a living before his death as his marriage is not recorded in the New Jersey marriage records.
[11] A. S. Van Benthuysen, Dally-Dalley Genealogy (New York: 1953) [on file at the Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Reynolds Historical Genealogy Collection]. https://archive.org/details/dallydalleygenea00vanb/page/n7/mode/2up
Among the sources validating the Dally-Dalley family genealogy is the Supplementary List of Marriage Licenses published by the University of the State of New York in 1898, evidencing the fact that Elizabeth Cregier married Nicholas Dalley on 28 August 1702. Thankfully these lists were prepared prior to the New York Capitol Fire of 1911 which destroyed many of the original 40 volumes which dated back to 1664. State Library Bulletin: History No. 1, “Supplemental List of Marriage Licenses” (Albany, University of the State of New York, 1898), 16.
Another source validating the Dally-Dalley family genealogy are the New Jersey marriage records from colonial New Jersey evidencing that Henry Dalley of Middlesex married Sarah Gifford of Perth Amboy on 9 November 1739. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, Marriage Records, 1665-1800, William Nelson, ed. (Peterson, NJ: The Printing & Publishing Co., 1900), XXII:101.
[12] The Declaration House will be discussed in the pending book, America’s Founding Hosts, to be published by SUNY Press. The historic market application submitted to the State of Pennsylvania’s Historical and Museum Commission is contained in the appendix.
[13] For example, Henry Dalley’s mother was Elizabeth Creiger (1685-1718). State Library Bulletin: History No. 1, “Supplemental List of Marriage Licenses” (Albany, University of the State of New York, 1898), 16. Henry also had a sister named Elizabeth.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1648746/person/282233607288/facts
Henry’s grandmother was also an Elizabeth (Elizabeth Obee: 1652-1700).
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1648746/person/282233607251/facts
[14] Trinity Church database of baptisms, marriages and burials from 1750, evidencing baptism of Hannah Louisa Frauncis on 27 October 1784, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Francis, with Gifford Dalley, Hannah Dalley, and Elizabeth Frances, Jr., listed as sponsors.
https://registers.trinitywallstreet.org/registers/display_detail.php?id=1994&sacr=baptism
[15] Trinity Church database of baptisms, marriages and burials from 1750, evidencing baptism of Andrew Gifford Fraunces on 5 September 1787, the son of Andrew Gautier Frauncis and Sarah Frauncis, with Gifford and Hannah Dalley as sponsors.
https://registers.trinitywallstreet.org/registers/display_detail.php?id=2339&sacr=baptism
[16] Trinity Church database of baptisms, marriages and burials from 1750, evidencing baptism of Hannah Dalley on 26 March 1788, the daughter of Gifford and Hannah Dalley, with Andrew Francis and Sarah Francis as sponsors.
https://registers.trinitywallstreet.org/registers/display_detail.php?id=2450&sacr=baptism
[17] Christ Church Register Details, volume 221, 25 October 1778, access #3.4.3.1 and volume #230, 25 September 1782, access # 3.4.3.5, Christ Church Historical Collections Online. https://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/ChristChurch/index.cfm
[18] A History of the Parish of Trinity Church in the City of New York, Morgan Dix, ed. (New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1901), 256.
[19] C. P. B. Jefferys, “The Provincial and Revolutionary History of St. Peter’s Church, Philadelphia, 1753-1783,” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Appendix A, “St. Peter’s Church, Philadelphia, 1753-1783” (Philadelphia: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1924), XLVIII:364. The “List of Pew-Holders in St. Peter’s Church 1779” is copied from sexton, George Stokes’ book dated 25 March 1779, which is described as “the first completed list in existence” for the church.
[20] The location of Mary Dalley’s boarding house on Market near Third is less than two blocks from Christ Church on Second and Church Street.
[21] Edward L. Clark, Church Warden, A Record of the Inscriptions on the Tablets and Grave-Stones in the Burial-Grounds of Christ Church, Philadelphia (Philadelphia: Collins Printer, 1864), 299.
[22] Clark, 299.
[23] Mary’s will leaves legacies to sister Catharine Simmons, her primary beneficiary along with bequests to niece Catharine C. McDaniel, grandniece Catharine O. Simmons, grandniece Catharine S. Raguet, grandnephew John B. Simmons, grandnephew William S. Simmons, grandniece Mary Dalley Murdock, niece Mary Price, grandnephew William Annely and her “bound girl” Sarah Speer. A residuary bequest is made to niece Mary Murdock, the daughter of nephew William Murdock, who is named the executor. It is likely that Sarah Speer was an indentured servant as her $30 bequest was payable “when she shall arrive at the age of eighteen years.” It is unclear if Sarah was an immigrant, orphan, or otherwise.
[24] Gifford Dalley predeceased his sister, which explains why Mary did not leave any property to her brother. Nonetheless, Gifford Dalley’s children and grandchildren receive bequests, including Gifford Dalley’s daughter, Mary Murdock, and Gifford’s granddaughter, Mary Dalley Murdock. Gifford Dalley did not have any surviving sons. This likely explains why Mary names Gifford’s son-in-law, William Murdock as executor. Mary Dalley’s will dated 4 May 1811, in the Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S., Will Index, 1682-1819. FamilySearch.org, Philadelphia Wills, v. 2-3, 1806-1811, film number 007726382.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-LRL8?cat=353446
[25] Mary Dalley’s will dated 4 May 1811.
[26] Clark, 299.
[27] Samuel Fraunces is believed to be buried in the graveyard at St. Peter’s Church. Mary Dalley’s grave at Christ Church (2nd and Church Street) is located approximately .7 miles away from St. Peter’s Church (3rd and Pine Street).
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71010962/samuel-fraunces
[28] Robert Fortenbaugh, The Nine Capitals of the United States (York, PA: Maple Press, 1948), 94.
https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/11/on-this-day-congress-moves-to-washington-d-c/
[29] Christ Church Historical Collections Online, evidencing baptism of Stephen Gifford “Simmonds” on 3 February 1780, son of John and Catharine Simmonds.
After serving in the army and rising to the rank of lieutenant, Stephen Gifford Simmons moved west and opened a tavern in Michigan. He would later be put on trial for murder. North Carolina Free Press, 24 August 1830, p. 4. David G. Chardavoyne, A Hanging in Detroit: Stephen Gifford Simmons and the Last Execution under Michigan Law (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2003).
[30] Samuel Fraunces appears to have fled New York City during the early stages of the Revolutionary War, but was captured by the British in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in June of 1778. During the balance of the war, Samuel Fraunces served as a cook for General James Robertson. From this position, Samuel is believed to have collected intelligence which was shared with the Americans. Samuel also helped feed American prisoners during the war. Years later, Congress recognized his “instrumental” wartime service and awarded him £2000. Memorial of Samuel Fraunces, March 5, 1785, “Memorials Addressed to Congress, 1775-88,” Papers of the Continental Congress, Record Group 360, M.247, Reel 49, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
[31] Collections of the New-York Historical Society for the Year 1885 (New York: New-York Historical Society, 1885), XVIII, 181. Note that Samuel Fraunces’ name appears as Samuel Francis. He would subsequently start using the “Fraunces” spelling after the Revolutionary War.
[32] At the time, only freemen could engage in a trade, operate a business, vote or hold public office. In many respects, being a freeman was comparable to the modern concept of national citizenship, but at a local level. In Holland the concept was known as the “Burgher Recht,” which was subdivided into great Burger Right and small Burger Right, based on the amount paid and privileges granted. After the English acquired New Amsterdam, the practice continued by conferring “Freedom of the City” to freemen. Collections, ix-x.
The “Freedom” of a city is the right of enjoying all of the privileges and immunities belonging to it, to the exclusion of all who are not “freeman.” In cities, municipal corporations and boroughs, it was obtained, either by serving an apprenticeship for a certain time, or by the payment of money in such amounts as were fixed by the corporate authorities under their charters; and it was also conferred, in their discretion, by a vote, as a municipal compliment or honor.
Collections, ix.
[33] Collections, 198, 214.
[34] Admittedly, much of this analysis is conjecture arising from the fact that Samuel Fraunces was the first family member to join the Roll of Freeman as an innkeeper.
[35] Wood, 74.
[36] Wood, 74 citing Thomas Fairfax’s Journey from Virginia to Salem Massachusetts, 1799 (London: Printed for private circulation, 1936), a travel journal describing stops in Providence, Boston, Norwich, New London, New Haven, among other locations.
[37] Sarah Hand Meacham, Keeping the Trade: The Persistence of Tavernkeeping among Middling Women in Colonial Virginia, Early American Studies, vol 3. no. 1 (Spring 2005), 142.
[38] Philadelphia was particularly democratic in its award of tavern licenses. Tavern historian Peter Thompson has observed that in Philadelphia “taverns were run by men and women drawn from a broad spectrum of wealth and experience.” Beginning in 1704, Pennsylvania authorities created a partial, less expensive, alcohol license that allowed holders to sell small quantities of rum and beer. Despite concerns expressed from time to time by Philadelphia licensing authorities, “Pennsylvania law placed a partial license within reach of impoverished Philadelphians and to some extent legitimized the presumptive right of the poor to support themselves by selling beer or rum.” Peter Thompson, Rum Punch and Revolution: Taverngoing and Public Life in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995), 25 & 51.
By contrast, in eighteenth-century Virginia only middling and upper class families were permitted to run taverns. “A close examination of tavern licenses reveals that only well-connected middling families whose women folk had previous tavernkeeping experience or a claim to the trade received tavern licenses.” Meacham, 149.
[39] Meacham, 150.
[40] Nicholas Dalley married Elizabeth Cregier in 1702. Supplemental List of Marriage Licenses, 16. Nicholas and Elizabeth were the parents of Henry Dalley, making them the grandparents of Mary, Gifford, Elizabeth, and Catharine Dalley. Van Benthuysen, Dally-Dalley Genealogy, 8.
[41] Martin Cregier kept a tavern at 3 Broadway as early as 1659. Decades later another Martin (or Mattinas) Cregier operated a tavern “on the dock” in 1736. John Cregier operated the “Cross Keys” tavern which was located on the Kingsbridge Road in the “corner house at the Old Slip” in 1745. I. N. Phelps Stokes, The Iconography of Manhattan Island (New York: Robert H. Dodd, 1922) 4:641.
[42] “True copy of articles, whereupon the Citty and Fort Amsterdam and the Province of the New Netherlands were surrendered,” manuscript document dated 29 September 1664, Gilder Lehrman Collection #GLC00377.
[43] A full transcript of the terms of surrender dated 29 September 1664 can be found on the Gilder Lehrman website:
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/t-00377.pdf
[44] In addition to the New-York City Roll of Freeman listing Fraunces as an innkeeper in 1755, a letter from Samuel Fraunces to George Washington written in 1785 suggests that Fraunces had been in business for “thirty years past….” Samuel Fraunces to George Washington, 28 September 1785,” https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-03-02-0254
In 1756 Samuel Fraunces was granted one of the 218 licenses granted by the City of New York for retailing strong liquors. Carp, Rebels Rising, 226; Rice, Early American Taverns, 125.
[45] Michael E. Newton, Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years (2015), 131; Paul R. Wonning, Time Line of the American Revolution – 1775: A Journal of the War of Independence (2019), 233; New York Almanac, “August 23, 1775.”
https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2022/08/august-23-1775-the-british-bombard-the-city-of-new-york/
[46] Force, 260.
[47] Peter Force, American Archives: A Collection of Authentic Records, State Papers, Debates, and Letters and other Notices of Public Affairs (December 1840), III:238, 260.
[48] The story of the raid on the Battery is also recounted in newspaper reports, including The New York Gazette, 28 August 1775; The Pennsylvania Evening Post, 29 August 1775; The Pennsylvania Packet, 4 September 1775. Newton, 130-131; Paul David Nelson, William Tryon and the Course of Empire: A Life in British Imperial Service (University of North Carolina Press, 2011), 133.
[49] Force, 238.
[50] The marriages and family relationships between John Simmons, Catharine Dalley Simmons, Samuel Fraunces, Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces, Mary Dalley and Gifford Dalley is discussed in the pending book, America’s Founding Hosts.
[51] It is possible that Gifford Dalley was selected as the representative for Fraunces’ Tavern, as Gifford’s sister Elizabeth was married to Samuel Fraunces, the owner of Fraunces’ Tavern. According to contemporaneous accounts, “a house next to Roger Morris’s and Samuel Francis’s, at the corner of the Exchange, each had an eighteen-pound ball shot into their roofs….” Force, 259. One can also conjecture that Gifford may have been employed by Samuel Fraunces, or otherwise trained by Sam, in what would eventually become a growing family business.
[52] William Simmons continued to serve as the accountant for the War Department through July of 1814 when he was eventually discharged by James Madison.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-08-02-0014
[53] The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 2, 1 April 1789 – 15 June 1789, ed. Dorothy Twohig (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1987), 437–438.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-02-02-0321
[54] Stephen Simmons to Alexander Hamilton, 24 October 1799.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/02-01-02-1455
[55] It is clear that the official spelling of her name was Catharine with an a, which is the spelling used in her marriage license and John Simmons’ will. Chardavoyne, A Hanging in Detroit, 183 n. 4. With that said, her name was commonly spelled Catherine with an e, particularly by newspaper notices providing legal notice of court related hearings/meetings at Simmons’ Tavern. See The Minerva & Mercantile Evening Advertiser, 22 July 1796, page 3; The Argus, 10 August 1796.
[56] Gazette of the United States, 12 September 1798; The New-York Daily Advertiser, 13 September 1798.
[57] Samuel Fraunces married Mary Carlile on 11 October 1755. After Mary’s death Samuel married Elizabeth Dalley on 30 November 1757. Tucker, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued, 144.
[58] Catharine Dalley married William Salter on 4 September 1756. After William Salter’s death, widow Catharine Dalley Salter married John Simmons on 21 December 1758. Tucker, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued, 96 & 351.
[59] Evidence of the marriage of Catharine Salter and John Simmons was published prior to the New York Capitol Fire in 1911 in at least two separate publications. A list of the “Earliest Trinity Church Marriages” was published in 1888 by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (New York: J. J. Little & Co., 1888), xix:149. The underlying New York marriage licenses were published in 1860 by New York’s Secretary of State, George Tucker. Tucker, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued, 96 & 351.
[60] As far as can be determined, this fire damaged document has never previously been published. Special thanks are owed to John Diefenderfer of the New York State Archives who carefully protects these and other treasures, which are extremely brittle and are only handled by archives staff.
[61] All nine letters are transcribed on Founders Online. https://founders.archives.gov/