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BIOGRAPHY OF
DAVID A. DEMAREST
DAVID A. DEMAREST was without doubt in his day one of the
most widely known and highly respected men in Bergen County.
He was of the sixth generation from David des Marest, the French
Huguenot emigrant, concerning whom we see page 64. The line
of descent was as follows: David des Marest (1), the emigrant,
and his wife, Maria Sohier, had four children, one of whom was
David Demarest, Jr. (2), who married Rachel Cresson and had twelve
children, one of whom was Jacobus (3), who married Lea de Groot
and Margrietie Cozines Haring, and had fifteen children, one
of whom (by the second wife) was Abraham D. Demarest (4), born
at Old Bridge, Bergen County, September 25, 1738, died near Closter,
N. J., July 9, 1824, married, in 1763, Margaretta Garrets Demarest,
born at Schraalenburgh, December 2, 1744, died June 13, 1834.
Abraham D. Demarest (4) resided at Old Bridge for many years,
when he removed to Hackensack and kept the Mansion House. About
1781 he purchased a large farm on the west side of the Schraalenburgh
and Tappan road, lying on both sides of the road to Old Hook.
There until his death he kept a general store of groceries,
hardware, and such wares as farmers require. He also kept (until
1809) a tavern where the elections were held and other public
business transacted. In April, 1787, he added to his farm on
the south by purchases from the Harings and Van Horus. Abraham
was a man of some note. His store and tavern were known and
patronized by the people for miles around. From 1781 until 1789
he held many town offices, including those of Commissioner of
Appeals, Townsman, Road Master, and Justice of the Peace. He
was one of the most active members and workers in the North Church
at Schraalenburg, in which he several times held the offices
of Deacon and Elder. His issue were David A.; Rachel, 1768;
Margaret, 1773; John, 1775 (died); and Christina, 1783.
Of these David Abraham Demarest (5), the subject of this sketch,
was born at Old Bridge, August 28, 1764, and died at Nyack, N.
Y., February 1, 1860, aged ninety-five years, five months, and
three days. He married, in 1787, Charity Haring, daughter of
Cornelius Haring, of Pascack, where she was born July 24, 17689.
She died at Schraalenburgh, January, [sic] 29, 1849, aged about
eighty years. She was a lady of sound judgment, with a kind
and cheerful disposition, who was her husband's faithful helpmeet
and companion for more than sixty years. The issue of this union
was only one child, a daughter, Margaret Demarest, born at Schraalenburgh,
N. J., September 5, 1780.
David A. Demarest (5) was an unusually bright and active boy.
Realizing this, his father sent him to the best school in the
village of Hackensack, where he acquired a fair education, including
knowledge of penmanship, and composition. Clerking in and purchasing
stock for his father's store, as well as attending to the wants
of the tavern guests, threw him in contact with all kinds and
conditions of people from whom he obtained a large fund of information
which, in later years, he turned to good account. When the Revolutionary
struggle broke out and he was a lad twelve years old, yet the
father had difficulty in restraining the patriotism of his son
sufficiently to prevent him from offering his services as a drummer
boy to the Continental forces.
That struggle over, and having married and settled down to
business, he gave his attention not only to the store but to
agricultural pursuits, which were then profitable. Products
of the farm were sent by sloop from Old Bridge, or Closter Dock,
to New York. A considerable trade in pig iron was carried on
with the iron works at Ramapo. Groceries were exchanged for
pig iron and the iron shipped to New York and sold at a profit.
In October, 1794, he was one of the militia force from New Jersey,
Virginia, and Pennsylvania sent by President Washington to Pittsburg
to suppress what in American history is known as the "Whisky
Insurrection." In 1796 he began to mingle in and wield
influence in town affairs. From that time to 1843 he held numerous
town offices, including that of Justice of the Peace. In 1809
he superintended the construction of his father's new stone dwelling
(still standing). The tavern business was abandoned with the
demolition of the old family mansion.
His daughter Margaret married, in 1810, John Perry, a member
of one of the oldest and most prominent families in Rockland
County, N. Y., by whom she had issue two daughters, Catharine
(1811) and Charity (1822). In 1812 the quota of Bergen County
drafted troops for the war with Great Britain rendezvoused at
Jersey City for three months. Captain Samuel G. Demarest (of
what is now Westwood, N. J.), who raised a company of men for
that war, recruited part of his force at the store of Abraham
D. Demarest. It has been said that David A. Demarest served
in the War of 1812, but if so his name does not appear upon the
muster rolls of the companies that went from this vicinity, commanded
by Major Van Saun.
At his death in 1824 Abraham D. Demarest gave all his lands
to his son, David A. Demarest. The latter soon after purchased
several adjoining tracts, until the whole area of his homestead
farm was over 300 acres. He also owned a large farm west of
the Hackensack River, and a tract at Ramapo. Henceforth and
until his death he was considered a wealthy man. But he was
one of those men whom wealth makes neither proud nor avaricious-a
most genial and hospitable man, noted for his liberality. Nearly
all his life he had been a member and liberal supporter of the
North Church at Schraalenburgh, which he helped to organize and
to which he liberally gave. His commodious mansion was always
open to the ministers of that and sister churches. They came
and went at their pleasure sometimes staying with their families
for weeks at a time. Their host's hospitality was of the good
old-fashioned variety, spontaneous and hearty. Everybody was
welcome beneath his roof. He had great influence over his neighbors
and a happy way of settling disputes. As a Justice of the Peace
for many years his practice was to avoid trials, if possible,
and usually he would bring the parties to an agreement to settle
before the trial day came on. He was gentleman of "ye olden
time"-a sort of "Cadi" in the community to whom
the people went for advice in time of trouble and did not go
in vain. He was lover of music, and in 1801 organized a band
in which he played second clarinet. The minutes of this band
in his handwriting show that it prospered for some time. He
was an entertaining conversationalist and story-teller who never
lacked for listeners. Physically he was remarkably robust, and
was never severely ill. He was found dead in bed one morning
at the home of his daughter, at Nyack, N. Y., whom he was visiting.
He lay as though he had quietly dropped into a peaceful sleep.
He was of the type of man rarely to be met with in these days.
He saw the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Mexican
War, and had he lived another year he would have seen the beginning
of the Civil War. The year before his death the Northern Railroad
was completed. The company gave him a pass, but he never used
it, and died without having experienced the sensations of riding
on a moving railroad train.
Catharine and Charity Perry, has granddaughters, married,
respectively Isaac and Tunis Smith, of Nyack, N. Y., who, for
many years, owned and operated a steamboat line between New York
and Nyack. Isaac and Tunis Smith were descendants of Lamber
Ariacuse, a native of Gilderland, Holland, who came to America
when a young man and settled at New Amsterdam, where, on April
9, 1682, he married Margaretta Garrets Blawvelt, a daughter of
Garret Hendricksen Blawvelt, of Deventer, Holland. In 1686 Labert
and his brothers-in-law, the Blawvelts, and others purchased
the Tappan patent. Lambert settled on part of it at the "Green
Bush," in Rockland County. His descendants soon became
so numerous that it was necessary to distinguish one from the
other, and as Lambert was a smith by profession it became convenient
to designate him as Lambert Ariaense Smidt. Most of the family
eventually dropped the Ariaense and called themselves Smith.
Lambert Smith and Margaretta Garrets Blawvelt had issue, among
other children, a son, Garret Smith (2), who married Brechie
(Bridget) Peters Haring, of Tappan, and had issue, among other
children, a son, Peter G. Smith (3), who married Annetie (Hannah)
Blawvelt, and had issue, besides other children, a son, Isaac
(4), who married Rachel Smith, and had issue several children,
among whom was Peter Smith (5), who married Christina Demarest
(a sister of David A. Demarest, above mentioned). Old patrons
of the steamer "Chrystenah" will remember her portrait
at the head of the stairway to the upper deck. They had issue
of the sixth generation: Isaac, Abraham, Tunis, and David.
Isaac married Catharine Perry, and Tunis married Charity Perry,
as above stated. The issue of Catharine Perry and Captain Isaac
Smith were John, James, and Margaret Ann, all now deceased.
The issue of Charity Perry and Tunis Smith were six children,
all now deceased except David and Sidney.
Source: Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties,
New Jersey, Editor, Cornelius Burnham Harvey, The New Jersey
Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900, page 93-96.
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