James Vail, the first son of
Moses Vail and Phebe Holmes, was born 16 November 1780. His birth was recorded by the Society of
Friends, or Quakers, in Nine Partners Village, Washington Township, Dutchess
County, New York (Birth Register). As Quakers, they believed strongly in Jesus Christ and the
bible, used “thou” as a pronoun, refused to participate in war, dressed
plainly, absconded from swearing, and opposed both alcohol and slavery. Note: his birth date was calculated as 22 November 1779 from his tombstone which gave his death date and age at death. I wonder if the birth date recorded in the Quaker records was a baptism and the 1779 date was his actual birth? However - Quakers did not practice baptism and so this is unlikely.
The Moses Vail family - Quaker
connection stemmed from James Vail's grandfather Aaron Vail.
Aaron Vail was raised a Presbyterian but converted as a young man, about
30 years before James Vail's birth. James Vail’s
grandfather became a Quaker minister about 1764 but died four years prior to
James Vail’s birth. Records indicate father Moses Vail may have eventually left the Quaker religion (lack of affiliation with Quakers).
New York map in 1791 identifying the locations of Troy, New Stores, and Nine Partners
Between 1779 and 1784 (depending
on several different estimates as found in the Moses Vail biography), the Moses
Vail family moved from Nine Partners to New Stores village, Albany County, New
York (this area became a part of Rensselaer County in 1791). James Vail grew up as the oldest among six
boys – James, Henry, George, Thomas, Moses, and Jonathan – born consecutively
in that order. Sadly, his youngest
brother died before turning one in 1792 and then the next year, his mother
Phebe Holmes-Vail passed away on 10 June 1793. At the age of 12, James Vail had already experienced great losses. By 1794, the family had moved
a short distance northwest to the village of Troy, Rensselaer County. It was here that his father Moses Vail
remarried on 11 August 1796 to Lucy Hillman, the widow of a Revolutionary War
captain and successful businessman around Troy.
James Vail was the son of a
merchant. His father Moses Vail built
and operated a flour mill on Poesten Kill, located in the middle of present-day
Troy. Moses Vail was active in both village and county developments. Because
of Moses Vail’s occupation – which brought him into contact with many people – and
his reputation as an honorable man, he was elected to several state level
offices. He was an Assemblyman and State
Senator on several occasions. Moses Vail's elected positions required him to frequent New York City and Albany for
extended periods of time. Visiting those
places also connected the Vail family to more important people. Moses Vail, and eventually his sons, also developed
connections from the activities and stature of extended family members.
Moses Vail’s brother Aaron Vail
was a merchant and was well-connected to the early fathers of America, such as
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He
possessed his own ship (possibly ships) and on 15 March 1788 arrived in France
(from a letter to his mother Martha, have not seen the letter in its entirety). Aaron Vail settled in L’Orient, France. The intent of his movement was to partake in
the merchant business but, there may have been other reasons. For example, William Short wrote Thomas
Jefferson from Paris, France on 8 November 1791 and stated:
“A person from New York of the name of Vail called me yesterday and
desired me to remind you of his having spoken with you last winter on the
subject of appointing a consul at L’Orient.
As he is now settled there he wishes to obtain that appointment. I know nothing further of him.”
The notations regarding the
letter found in the Thomas Jefferson papers state “Thomas Jefferson failed to
recommend a consular appointment for the New York merchant Aaron Vail during
his tenure as Secretary of State. As
President, however, he appointed Vail commercial agent at L’Orient in 1803.” Though other notes in the Aaron Vail file
state there is no evidence that he was made the United States Consul at
L’Orient, other correspondence appear to dispute this. As a matter of fact, evidence points to 1790
as the year he became the United States Consul there.
The United States Minister to
France from 1801 to 1803 was Chancellor Robert Livingston. At the time of Livingston’s arrival in
France, Aaron Vail was Consul at L’Orient (1818 deposition of James Vail). Also present in L’Orient, as the private
secretary of his Uncle Aaron Vail, was James Vail, son of Moses Vail (1818
deposition). How long James Vail had
been in France is unknown. However, it seems possible James had been there for
some time. There is no record of James
Vail in the 1800 census living as the head of a US household or in his father's home (no child matched James Vail's age in 1800 census).
The French Empire 1800-1810, as a
result of Napoleon’s European conquest. Napoleon
had overthrown the French government in 1799 and was crowned emperor in 1804.
He lived at his uncle’s home with
his French-born aunt Dubois des Corbieres and his cousins. The Aaron Vail home was .75 miles from
L’Orient and near the ferry where they had a fine house and garden (Moses Vail described the home in 1803 when he visited brother Aaron Vail in L’Orient).
During the time James Vail was in
France, several important world events were occurring. The French Revolution began in 1789. As many as 40,000 civilians died in the Reign
of Terror between 1793 and 1794. In
1799, Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French-ruling Directory and became a
French national hero. In 1803, Thomas
Jefferson, with the help of Chancellor Livingston, negotiated and procured from
France and Napoleon Bonaparte, the Louisiana Purchase. In 1804, Napoleon was crowned Emperor,
setting the stage for multiple-continent military domination throughout the
first decade of the 1800s.
Well before James Vail arrived in
France, uncle Aaron Vail had been involved in a potentially revolutionary invention - the steam-powered boat. John Fitch conceived an idea for a steam-powered boat that was not well-received in America so uncle Aaron
Vail, while on a visit back to Philadelphia, invited him to France. In France, uncle Aaron Vail and Fitch became
official partners but Fitch was not able to obtain adequate aid for his endeavor. After he ran out of money and patience, Fitch
left his “specifications and drawings” in the hands of uncle Aaron Vail and returned
to America in 1794. Later Robert Fulton
arrived in France (probably between 1797 and 1801), borrowed the plans for
several months from uncle Aaron Vail, and some years later became the father of the
steamboat. Many speculate Fulton stole
the ideas and subsequent fame from John Fitch, via Aaron Vail. James Vail was later deposed about the
availability of the Fitch plans via uncle Aaron Vail. James Vail stated he had seen them and that his uncle
lent them to several patrons, including Fulton.
Also while in France, James Vail missed several events that happened in New York of a more personal nature. James Vail's younger brother Henry Vail set up a partnership with brother-in-law Laban Gardner forming Gardner & Vail Dry Goods and
Grocery in Troy (Don Ritter, blog.timesunion.com). The building they used was part of a former store
belonging to another brother-in-law Townsend McCoun.
Two years later, Henry Vail partnered with brother George Vail and continued
the same retail dry-goods mercantile business in Troy (The Henry Vail biography
states 1806). They named their business
“H. & G. Vail” and operated as dry-goods merchants (History of Rensselaer County,
NY).
James Vail was stationed in France but was not limited to visiting other locations. Some records reveal
him to have been an active traveler.
According to his father’s letter in 1803, James Vail was conducting
business in the West Indies, which included Martinique and Guadeloupe. These islands were both French and hence easily accessible for French travelers wishing to cross the Atlantic Ocean for business and pleasure. Records also show that
he took a vacation to London, England around 1809. Ocean travel between 1800 and 1810 was not
safe. Pirates and privateers were common
in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Pirate
Jean Lafitte was active during this time along the eastern US coast and Caribbean. Privateers, under the protection of most
governments, were incessant nuisances. Father Moses Vail was actually captured for a
short time in 1803 during his travel from New York to France to visit his brother Aaron Vail and son James Vail.
While visiting London, James Vail met
and then married Ann Harriet Thoms on 16 January 1810 at St. Botolph Aldgate
Church, London, England. James Vail was
nearly 30 years old while his new wife Ann was the minor daughter (15 years old) of
John Thoms of London. Legend suggests
James Vail was in London on vacation and that he was arrested when the War of
1812 broke out (legend reported in a biography found in Portrait and Biographical Record of Leavenworth Douglas and
Franklin). The dates do not jive and
therefore we must make some speculations about his English foray. It is possible James Vail was detained in
England in 1809, however it is unlikely the arrest was directly related
to the War of 1812. His detainment, if
it happened in 1809, would have been connected to something he was doing for
his uncle Aaron Vail. Tensions were
heavy at the time as England was at war with France and heading toward the same
with the United States. The other
possibility was that James Vail and Ann Thoms were married, moved back to
France and then visited London later in 1812 when war actually began on 18 June (this would make since based on the legend).
Note: Ann Harriet Thom's tombstone noted her birth as 30 August 1794
James and Ann Vail had their
first child James Henry Vail christened at St. Botolph Aldgate in 1811
The James Vail story (Leavenworth Douglas and Franklin) claims James Vail was put on parole at some time after he was held as a prisoner. However, the story relates that he was not allowed to leave the
country. From London records, James and Ann Vail were living in
London, England until at least 1814. The Vails had three children who were all born there.
In 1811, according to their first child James Henry Vail’s christening
record at St. Botolph Aldgate, the family was living on George Street in
London. George Street was in the parish
of St. Botolph Aldgate. Strangely, St. Botolph Aldgate was located in two larger city designations - partially in east London and partially
in west Middlesex. George Street was in
the London portion of the St. Botolph Aldgate parish.
Children of James and Ann Vail
born in London:
James Henry Vail – born 31 May
1811, christened 20 August 1811
Harriet Margaret Vail – born 5
September 1812
Ann Eliza Vail – born 14 August
1814
While in London, James Vail missed several more family-related
events. His brother Henry Vail married
in New London County, Connecticut about 1811 to Elizabeth Selden (Don Ritter,
blog.timesunion.com, Henry Vail obituary states 1813). Within four years his wife and only child
were dead (Henry Vail obituary states she died 5 February 1815, they having had
one daughter who died in infancy, he never married again). Uncle Aaron Vail died in 1813 at L’Orient,
France at the age of 58. Brother George
Vail married Jane Thomas on 7 October 1813 in North Salem, Westchester County,
New York. She was the daughter of
General David Thomas who gave George Vail a mansion in Troy (History of
Rensselaer County, NY). Brother Henry Vail
became the director of the Farmer’s Bank and also formed, with others, the
Rensselaer and Saratoga Insurance Company in 1814. Brothers Henry and George Vail, who operated
H. & G. Vail dry goods mercantile, transformed in 1815 from general dry goods to a wholesale dry
goods business, the first of its kind in the Troy area of New York (History of
Rensselaer County, NY). There store was located in Troy at No. 158 River Street. Also in 1815,
James Vail’s father Moses Vail died in Troy on 5 June. James Vail’s brother
Thomas Vail followed died shortly after father Moses Vail, his death on 5 September 1815. Moses Vail was 62 and Thomas Vail was 28.
St. Botolph Aldgate from the
corner of the Minories and Aldgate streets, within a block of George Street
where the James Vail family lived (George Street would have branched to the
left from the visual point of the painting).
George Street is located in the
northern portion of St. Botolph Aldgate west of the Minories and just south of
Aldgate High Street. St. Botolph Aldagte
adjoins the River Thames and the Tower of London.
The War of 1812 ended in 1814
and his last child Ann Eliza Vail was born in London in 1814. Therefore, we can surmise James
Vail returned to the United States in 1814 or 1815. There is no record of his emigration back
across the Atlantic Ocean but considering his uncle Aaron Vail’s ownership of a
merchant vessel, he likely would not have paid for transportation. Merchant vessels did not report emigration
manifests (though he was in England and uncle Aaron Vail had died in 1813). We do know he was back in Rensselaer County,
New York for sure by 1818 (1818 James Vail deposition). He actually ended up in Lansingburgh, which
had become a northern suburb of Troy (1818 James Vail deposition). Not surprisingly, James Vail became engaged in the
mercantile business (Portrait and Biographical Record of Leavenworth Douglas
and Franklin). His father and his uncles
(at least uncle Aaron Vail and uncle Samuel Vail), his
brothers (Henry Vail and George Vail), and brother-in-laws (Laban Gardner and Townsend McCoun) had been or were currently merchants.
Biographical Records of
Leavenworth Douglas and Franklin Counties
Mr. John Dean
Dickinson, James Vail’s step-sister’s husband, wrote a letter to William A.
Duer, esq., from Troy, New York, dated 17 November 1818. This letter describes a meeting he had with
James Vail in which he discussed the John Fitch-Robert Fulton steamboat issue:
"I yesterday saw James Vail, at present in
Lansingburgh; he resided with his uncle Aaron Vail, at L’Orient, at the time
Chancellor Livingston arrived in France; - he distinctly recollects seeing, and
often examining in the hands of his uncle, Fitch’s papers and designs
respecting his Steam-Boat, and has frequently heard the Chancellor and his
uncle conversing on the subject of the Steam-Boat, but does not recollect
having seen those papers and designs delivered to the Chancellor, though he has
no doubt, they were shewn to him. Vail
is an intelligent young man, and possibly may, on reflection, recollect
circumstances, that are material in your present inquiries; - should this be
the case, or should you wish any certificate from him, and my services in this
or any other business, be of use to you here, you will oblige me by commanding
them. I am, very respectfully, Your
Ob’t. servant. Jno. D. Dickinson”
By 1820, James Vail had settled into life at Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County (he was a witness to the 1820 John Kirkpatrick will in Lansingburgh). He and Ann did not have additional children (as evident by the 1820 and 1830 census). Though there is no evidence to support it, James could have been married prior to Ann Harriet Thoms. The Vail-Thoms marriage took place when he was 30. In 1820 (census), two teens were living with James Vail, both matching the age of potential older James Vail children. Though unsupported, James Vail may have married around 1801 (maybe to a French woman?), had a daughter and son between 1802 and 1804, and lost the mother between 1804 and 1809 (the female – with James Vail in 1820 and then dead or married by 1830 – and the male – with James Vail in 1820 and 1830).
James Vail and another young man
in his household (possibly his older son) were dry-goods merchants in
Lansingburgh. They operated a retail
mercantile which was located on the west side of State Street, between
Elizabeth Street and Richard Street – part of the present American House block
(Lansingburgh history – freemen 1803-1820 according to History of Rensselaer
County, NY). Some of his family also lived close by in Lansingburgh - beside or near his sister Sarah Vail-McCoun
and half-sister Ann Eliza Tillman-Dickinson (1830 census).
Map of Lansingburgh on the Hudson
River prior to the numbering of streets.
The map is oriented north to the left.
Circled in yellow is State Street between Richard Street (now 117th) on
the left and Elizabeth Street (now 116th) on the right.
In 1830, H. & G. Vail took in
Ebenezer Proudfit as a third partner.
The three men worked together until 1832 when Henry Vail retired as a
widowed wealthy man with no offspring at the age of 50 (Henry Vail biography,
other biographies claim he continued in the business). The business was then left to George Vail,
Ebenezer Proudfit, and James L. Vanschoonhoven, a new partner. They operated then under the firm name George
Vail & Co. (History of Rensselaer County NY). Considering James Vail, brother of George
Vail, would have been the most obvious choice as a partner, we can assume that
James Vail’s business was doing well (could have been other reasons, only a
conjecture).
At the age of 52 or 53 and on 16
September 1833, James Vail’s life expired leaving his wife Ann Vail a widow at
the youthful age of 39 years. James Vail was probably buried at the old Troy Cemetery Third Street Cemetery (his current location is Oakwood Cemetery in Troy but he was moved there after 1873 according to 1852-1873 interment records. Hence his actual original resting place is unknown at this time). His tombstone stated "JAMES VAIL, DIED Sept. 16th 1833, AGED 53 Years 9 Mos and 25 days" (interesting as his Quaker birth record - 16 November 1780 - reports a different birth date making him 52 years, 10 months). His children were still relatively
young. We assume that his only son James
Henry Vail was either already or soon planning to become a sailor (he was captain of a
boat in 1840 at Mobile, Alabama). Daughter Harriet Margaret
Vail had been married at this time for two years to Harvey Townsend (in Troy, NY 7
April 1831). Daughter Ann Elizabeth Vail (Eliza) was certainly still living at home but would soon married William Edmond, the
son of Honorable David Edmond of Connecticut, a grad of Yale, one of the most
famous lawyers of New England, partner of Daniel Webster, attorney general of
Vermont for 14 years, and influential in Vermont public life.
Note: Burials began at Oakwood Cemetery in about 1852 and was created as a beautiful resting ground on 150 acres for upscale clientele. The cemetery is north of Troy and east of Lansingburgh. Hundreds of burials were relocated from Mount Ida (a Catholic Cemetery starting around 1832) and the Old Troy Cemetery (located on corner of Third and State Streets in Troy) after 1851 as families desired a more serene, picturesque, and well-kept burial location. For example, wealthy meat-packer Samuel Wilson of Troy, noted in history as the US-famous Uncle Sam, died in 1854, was buried at Mount Ida, and then relocated to Oakwood in 1858 by his family. Troy bought the Old Troy Cemetery on Third Street for the new Troy Courthouse location and then re-interred those burials to Oakwood lot 102, section N (146 total graves) around 1875. The Third Street Troy Cemetery is the likely location of the original James Vail grave. Possible - Ann Vail was buried at the Old Troy Cemetery and then they were both moved to Oakwood in 1875.
Note: Burials began at Oakwood Cemetery in about 1852 and was created as a beautiful resting ground on 150 acres for upscale clientele. The cemetery is north of Troy and east of Lansingburgh. Hundreds of burials were relocated from Mount Ida (a Catholic Cemetery starting around 1832) and the Old Troy Cemetery (located on corner of Third and State Streets in Troy) after 1851 as families desired a more serene, picturesque, and well-kept burial location. For example, wealthy meat-packer Samuel Wilson of Troy, noted in history as the US-famous Uncle Sam, died in 1854, was buried at Mount Ida, and then relocated to Oakwood in 1858 by his family. Troy bought the Old Troy Cemetery on Third Street for the new Troy Courthouse location and then re-interred those burials to Oakwood lot 102, section N (146 total graves) around 1875. The Third Street Troy Cemetery is the likely location of the original James Vail grave. Possible - Ann Vail was buried at the Old Troy Cemetery and then they were both moved to Oakwood in 1875.
James Vail's tombstone at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy
Troy at the Hudson River in 1838
On 13 September 1841 while living
in Troy, the widow Ann Vail arranged to have her silhouette created by the
famous silhouettist August Edouart of France.
He was in America on a 10 year tour traveling and creating silhouettes
of the America people. Edouart completed
many silhouettes of those citizens living in and around Troy during the month of September and the
first of October. The names of the
Edouart silhouettes during this visit were published in A
Catalog of Silhouettes by August Edouart: A Notable Collection of Portraits
Taken Between 1839-1849. The silhouette book listed
those on exhibition at Number 12 East 45th Street in New York City
between 27 October and 15 November 1913.
The current location of these silhouettes is unknown though one is
located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (online, no image available). Most of the silhouettes were full length – 8
to 9 inches in height – and included information of the back about the
individual (name, address, height, weight, date, as well as genealogical
information). Edouart made two copies at
each sitting, one sold to the sitter and another was kept by Edouart. The Edouart silhouettes include:
· Mrs. John Dickenson, Mother of Mrs. Taylor of
Washington. 6 Sept. 1841 (John Dickenson was the step-son-in-law of Moses Vail, his wife was Elizabeth Hillman-Dickinson, step-daughter of Moses Vail, step-sister of James Vail)
· Mr. William Edmond. Taken at Troy 11 Sept. 1841.
Of Mobile, AL (husband of Elizabeth Vail-Edmond)
· Mrs. William Edmond. Taken at Troy 11 Sept.
1841. Of Mobile, AL (Eliza Vail-Edmond, granddaughter of Moses Vail, daughter of James Vail)
· Master Edmond. Taken at Troy 11 Sept. 1841. Of
Mobile, AL (great-grandson of Moses Vail, grandson of James Vail)
· Mrs.
James Vail. Taken at Troy 13 Sep 1841. Of London, England (daughter-in-law of
Moses Vail, widow of James Vail)
· Mrs. Elizabeth Dickenson. Daughter of Mrs. James
Vail (text states to “See Townsend” – daughter of Mrs. James Vail was Harriet
Margaret Vail who was at this time the widow of Harvey Townsend). Taken 13 Sep
1841. Of Troy, NY (not sure why this says daughter of Mrs. James Vail, possible
mistake)
· Mrs. Harriet M. Townsend. Taken 13 Sept 1841. Of
Troy, NY (granddaughter of Moses Vail, daughter of James Vail)
· Henry L. Kellogg Taken at Troy NY 13 Sept 1841.
Of Troy, NY
· E. Thornton Taylor. Taken at Troy 13 Sept 1841.
Of Washington DC (husband of Hester Dickinson-Taylor, step-granddaughter of
Moses Vail)
· Mrs. Hester Taylor. Daughter of Mrs. J.
Dickenson of Troy. 20 Feb. 1841 (Hester Dickinson-Taylor, step-granddaughter of Moses Vail, step-neice of James Vail)
Ann Vail was in Vergennes,
Vermont by 1850 and then Norwich, Connecticut by 1860
James Vail’s widow Ann Vail,
surprisingly, never remarried. By 1850
she was living with her widowed daughter Ann Elizabeth (known as Elizabeth or Eliza) in
Vergennes, Addison County, Connecticut.
By 1860 and after 27 years of widowhood, Ann Vail was living with her elder
daughter Harriet Margaret (known as Margaret) and her second husband Ebenezer
Learned in Norwich, New London County, Connecticut. Daughter Elizabeth (Eliza) was also in Norwich around
this time with her second husband George Parker (she would be living with her
sister Margaret by 1870). Her 1860
census entry was incorrectly penned as “Harriet M. Vail.” Ebenezer Learned’s unfamiliarity with his
wife’s mother was the likely culprit. 1860 would be her last census notation, though she nearly made the 1870 census. An
aging Ann Vail died on 13 February 1870. Her death location is not known. Since she lived in Norwich,
Connecticut in 1860, we can only presume she remained there until her death (she was not buried immediately at her current burial location). Ann Vail's current burial location at Oakwood Cemetery beside her husband James Vail, who died 37 years before. James Vail was originally buried at the Mount Ida or Third Street Cemetery in Troy. After 1848, upper class families began burying their loved ones at Oakwood Cemetery. The Vail family must have purchased an Oakwood plot and had James Vail and Ann Vail moved together so they could rest eternally beside one another. This movement must have occurred in 1873 or after (Oakwood interment records do not list either having been buried between 1848 and 1873).
James Vail’s brother George Vail
(1784-1853)
James Vail’s brother Henry Vail
remained in Troy. After he retired from
the merchant business in 1832 with his brother George Vail, he remained active
in other ways. He was elected to New
York’s twenty-fifth Congress as a Democrat in 1836 as a Representative of
Rensselaer County (a Henry Vail biography states the nomination influenced his
retirement). Henry Vail was a gentleman
of “popular and winning manners and possessed in a high degree the confidence
and respect” of the people in New York.
He only served one term (4 March 1837 to 3 March 1839) as he did not win
his campaign for reelection in 1838. The
Whig party won every election in the state during that election. Vail’s political career ended during Troy
native Martin Van Buren’s tenure as president and they remained close friends
afterwards (History of Rensselaer County NY).
In 1844, Henry Vail purchased the Albert Heartt farm in Troy, known
later as River-View and located at Mount Ida Falls near the location of his
grandfather Moses Vail’s flour mill in 1794. (History of Rensselaer County,
NY). As a widower and without live
offspring, Henry Vail died at his home on 25 June 1853 and was interred at
Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.
William Marcy (left) and Silas
Wright (right)
James Vail’s other brother George
Vail also lived long after James Vail’s death.
George Vail retired as a merchant about 1835 and bought a farm between
Lansingburgh and Troy where he raised Durham cattle from England, eventually
drawing the best cattle breeders in the United States and Canada to his cattle
auctions. He was also the father of the
Rensselaer County Agricultural Society and an early president of the State
Agriculture Society where he delivered addresses at their meetings. Outside of the merchant business, George Vail
was an active service man, like his older brother Henry Vail. He was the president of the Merchants and
Mechanics Bank of Troy about 1828 until 1851 (History of Rensselaer County,
NY). Starting in 1833, he was the first
vice president of the Troy Savings Bank.
In 1835, he helped open the Troy Orphan Asylum and later became its
president. As a member of the Second Presbyterian
Church of Troy, George Vail was a founder and considered its most liberal
supporter (History of Rensselaer County NY).
He claimed, among his close friends, President Andrew Jackson, President
Martin Van Buren, US Secretary of State William Marcy, and US Senator Silas
Wright. George Vail died at Troy in
1882, having outlived his wife and most of his six children.