Gildersleeve

Richard Gildersleeve 1601–1681

Tenth Great Grandfather

Richard Gildersleeve was born in 1601 in Suffolk, England. Richard passed away in 1681 in Hempstead, Long Island, New York.

Andrews, Charles M. "A Biographical Bypath Through Early New England History." New England Magazine Feb. 1893. Web.
There is a brief account in Besse. Sufferings of the People called Quakers. II. pp. 182-3. "Robert Hodgson went to Hampstead and he had a Meeting with some of his Friends who dwelt there; where he met with barbarous Usage. He was brought before one Geldersleeve, a magistrate," etc. This was the first persecution under the Dutch, and took place in 1657.

Besse, Joseph. A Collection of the Sufferings of the People Called Quakers. Vol. II. London, 1753. 182. Web.
Robert Hodgſon went to Hamſtead, and had a Meeting with some of his Friends who dwelt there; where he met with barbarous Uſage: He was brought before one Gelderſleeve, a Magiſtrate there, who ſent him to Priſon, and rode to the Dutch Governour to inform him what he had done; and returning with a Guard of Muſquetiers, they ſearched the Priſoner, and took away his Bible and Papers, and kept him pinion'd all Night, and next Day enquiring who had entertained him, took into Cuſtody two Women, one of whom had a Child ſucking at her Breaſt. They put the Women into a Cart, and faſtened Robert to the Cart's Tail, pinion'd, and ſo drew him through the Woods in the Night, whereby he was grievouſly hurt; thus they brought him back to New-Amſterdam, now New-York, and put him into a naſty Dungeon, wherein were many Vermin, and the Women into another Place of Confinement.

Gildersleeve, Willard Harvey. Gildersleeves of Gildersleeve, Conn. Meriden, 1914. 7-8. Web.
Richard Gildersleeve, born in 1601 in County Suffolk, England, came to America in the Puritan Emigration of 1630-1640. Pausing at Watertown, Mass., he joined the small band of Puritan settlers who set out through the wilderness to settle the new colony of Connecticut. He made a home for himself in 1636, at Wethersfield, on the west side of High street, facing the Common near the river. He was one of the earliest proprietors of Naubuc Farms in Glastonbury when it was first surveyed. Discontented with conditions here, he journeyed down to the new colony just planted at New Haven where he was enrolled among the first proprietors of New Haven Colony in 1639. In 1641, he moved from Wethersfield to Stamford, Conn., where he was deputy to the General Court at New Haven. In 1644, he moved over with the first settlers of Hempstead, Long Island, N. Y., where he soon became one of the most influential and largest land proprietors. He was a "schepen," or Dutch magistrate under Governor Stuyveseant, 1644-1664. The first persecution of the Quakers by the Dutch came as a result of Magistrate Gildersleeve's activity.
During the Dutch-Indian War, he lived in Newtown, L. I., as one of the first proprietors and magistrates, 1652-1656. In 1664, when New York was captured by the English, he was appointed colonial commissioner by Connecticut. However, by the Duke of York's patent he became a royal subject once more. In 1669, he was one of that notable gathering of deputies from the English towns of Long Island who framed a petition, which fairly breathed the spirit of liberty manifested in the Declaration of Independence later. Lovelace, the Royal governor, had oppressed the towns severely. Mr. Gildersleeve, as deputy of Hempstead, refused absolutely to pay taxes without representation. It is impossible to say what would have happened, if, in 1673, New York had not been captured by the Dutch.
In 1674, New York was restored to the English. Richard Gildersleeve was deputy to New York to the Dutch Council. He also held very many offices of trust and honor in the town besides figuring in many of the exchanges of vast tracts of land. His main occupation lasting through life was that of surveyor. He was a Puritan of Puritans, fiery, and intolerant, strict and harsh in his official duties, but then the times were harsh enough to try the most heroic soul amidst the early settlements of the United States. He represented the town in all its dealings with the Indians, especially with Tackapousha, Sachem of the Marsapeage Indians. His wife was born in 1601 and witnessed in 1676 the final Indian exchange. He had three children, Richard, Samuel and Anna, the wife of John Smith, Nant., who came from Nantucket.

Henry Gildersleeve 1817–1894

Fourth Cousin Five Times Removed

Henry Gildersleeve was born on Apr. 7, 1817 in Connecticut. Henry passed away on Apr. 9, 1894 at home in Connecticut. His death at age 77 was due to heart disease. He was buried in Connecticut.

Henry Alger Gildersleeve 1840–1923

Fifth Cousin Five Times Removed

Henry Alger Gildersleeve was born on Aug. 1, 1840 in New York. Henry married Virginia Crocheron on Apr. 14, 1868 in New York. He passed away on Feb. 27, 1923 in New York at age 82. He was buried in New York.

Branch: USA Unit: 150th Regiment, New York Infantry Rank: Major
United States. National Park Service. The Civil War. Web.
State Office
New York Supreme Court Justice

The International Who's Who. Ed. H. L. Motter. New York, 1911. 510. Web.
Judge. Secretary and president Nat. Rifle Assn.; member N.G.S.N.Y. Member G.A.R. Born Aug. 1, 1840, at Dutchess Co., N.Y.; son of Smith James and Rachel (Alger) Gildersleeve. College Hill, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Columbia University Law School. Admitted to bar, 1866; served capt. and maj. during Civil War, and was bvtd. lieutenant-colonel for gallant and meritorious services in Georgia and Carolina campaigns. Judge Ct. of General Sessions, 1876-89; judge Superior Ct., 1891-94; justice Supreme Ct. of N.Y., 1894-1911. Democrat. Capt. of co. of Am. riflemen sent to Ireland, 1875. Married, April 14, 1868, Virginia Crocheron, of New York. Address: 28 W. 48th St., N.Y. City, U.S.A.

Who's Who in New York City and State. 1911. 379. Web.
Jurist; b. on farm in Township of Clinton, Dutchess County, N. Y., Aug. 1, 1840; s. Smith J. and Rachel (Alger) Gildersleeve; reared on father's farm; ed. in dist. school, Schultzville, N. Y., Hudson River Inst., Claverack, N. Y., and College Hill, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.; taught dist. school in Bull's Head Dist., Town of Clinton, 1857; recruited a company, and was mustered in, Sept. 17, 1862, as capt. Co. C, 150th N. Y. Vol. Inf.; served with reg't at Baltimore, participated in battle of Gettysburg and subsequent campaign in Md. and Va., in Army of the Potomac; served in Sherman's army until the close of war, including the March to the Sea; made provost-marshal 1st Div. 20th Army Corps on staff of Gen. Williams, of Mich.; promoted major of reg't and brevetted lt.-col. U. S. V., by President Lincoln "for gallant and meritorious service in the campaigns of Georgia and the Carolinas," mustered out June, 1865. Studied law in office of Henry W. Johnson, N. Y. City, attended Columbia Coll. Law Sch.; admitted to Bar at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., May, 1866; m. N. Y. City, April 14, 1868, Virginia Crocheron; children: Alger Crocheron, Virginia Crocheron. Practised law in N. Y. City from 1866; elected judge Court of Gen. Sessions, N. Y. City, 1875; renominated 1899, but failed of re-election; appt'd by Gov. Hill, May, 1891, to fill vacancy in Superior Court of City of N. Y., and elected Nov., 1891, to same position; transferred to Supreme Court of N. Y., in Jan., 1896, under provisions of New Constitution, abolishing Superior Court; re-elected, 1905, for term expiring Dec. 31, 1919; resigned Dec. 1, 1909, and resumed practice of law. Elected lt.-col. 12th Reg't, N. G. N. Y., 1870, and during Orange Riots in N. Y. City, 1871, had command of State Arsenal at 35th St. and 7th Av.; distinguished as marksman and member of the American Rifle Team which won in contest with the Irish Team at Creedmoor, 1874, and capt. of the team in the contest (which it won) with the Irish team at Dollymount, near Dublin, June 9, 1875; also in several competitions in England and Scotland; offered by Gov. Dix, but declined, position of gen. insp. rifle practice. Author: Rifles and Marksmanship, 1876. Democrat. Recreations: Fishing, hunting, golf. Clubs: Manhattan, National Democratic, N. Y. Athletic, Garden City Golf, Oakland Golf, County of Westchester, Robbins Island Hunting. Residence: 28 W. 48th St. Address: 2 Rector St., N. Y. City.

Sarah Gildersleeve Fife 1885–1949

Fifth Cousin Four Times Removed

Sarah Gildersleeve was born on Sep. 28, 1885 in Connecticut. Sarah married Robert Herndon Fife. She passed away on May 20, 1949 in Hartford, Connecticut at age 63. She was buried in Portland, Connecticut.

Charles Fuller Gildersleeve 1833–1906

Fourth Cousin Five Times Removed

Charles Fuller Gildersleeve was born on Oct. 17, 1833 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Charles married Mary Elizabeth Herchmer in 1863. He passed away on Jan. 18, 1906 in Kingston at age 72. He was buried in the Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston.

A Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography. Ed. Geo. Maclean Rose. Toronto, 1886. 586-87. Web.
Gildersleeve, Charles F., ex-Mayor, Kingston, was born in Kingston, on the 17th of October, 1833, his parents being Henry and Sarah (Finkle) Gildersleeve. His father had come from Portland, Connecticut, in 1816, settling in Kingston; and was a shipbuilder, an owner of steamboats, and a very active and successful man of business. The maternal grandfather of Charles F. Gildersleeve was a United Empire loyalist. C. F. Gildersleeve was educated at Upper Canada College, Toronto, and studied law, first at Kingston, and afterwards at Toronto. In 1859 he was called to the bar, and he practised his profession for five years at Kingston. In 1864 he entered the steamboat business on Lake Ontario, and was the owner of the Norseman, which ran between Rochester and Port Hope, and of the Hastings, which plyed between Kingston and Belleville. He has been president of the Kingston and Pembroke Railway Company, and was for a period vice-president of the Canadian Navigation Company. He always took a great interest in promoting civic interests, and his zeal and achievements were recognized by his repeated election to the council board, and to the chair of chief magistrate in 1879. The Kingston and Pembroke Railway, already alluded to, in the formation of which Mr. Gildersleeve took a prominent part, has added in a large degree to the commercial progress of Kingston. It is the shortest route between the principal lumbering rivers of Ontario and the American market, and throws open for settlement a large agricultural area. Mr. Gildersleeve comes of a family of sturdy, capable and successful men of business. This family was especially conspicuous as shipbuilders, the sixth generation of the Gildersleeves having engaged in that occupation at Portland, Conn. When the father of ex-Mayor Gildersleeve went to Kingston in 1816 he assisted in building the Frontenac, the first steamboat launched on Lake Ontario. Soon afterwards he built for a company the steamboat Charlotte, he himself being the principal owner and manager, till his death in 1851. The eldest son, Overton Gildersleeve, was for many years mayor of Kingston. Upon the death of his father he assumed the management of the business, and continued at the head of the same till his death, which occurred in 1864. His brother, Charles, the subject of this memoir, then became manager, and has held that position since, his undertakings being characterised by a wise mixture of prudence and enterprise. The steamboat interest, at the head of which is Charles Gildersleeve, is in all probability the oldest on the continent. Mr. Gildersleeve is a staunch Reformer, and has held office in the local association of his party. He is a master Mason, and a staunch member of the Church of England. He married, in June, 1863, Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Charles L. Herchmer, of Belleville, Ontario. There is issue by this marriage two children.

Gildersleeve, Willard Harvey. Gildersleeves of Gildersleeve, Conn. Meriden, 1914. 28-29. Web.
Born Kingston, Ontario, 17 Oct., 1833; d. there 18 Jan., 1906; m. Mary Elizabeth, dau. of Charles L. Herchmer, of Belleville. Educated Upper Canada College where he took a scholarship. He studied for and was admitted to the bar in 1859. He then traveled in Europe. On his brother Overton's death in 1864, he gave up law to take the management of the steamboat business in which his father and brother had been engaged since 1817. In his marine career, he built and owned the steamers Corinthian, Norseman, Maud, Welshman, and North King. He also owned the Empress, Bay of Quinte, Hastings and Hero. They ran between Rochester, Port Hope, Bay of Quinte ports and Kingston. In 1893, he formed the Lake Ontario and Bay of Quinte Steamboat Co., which took over his steamers, he becoming the first manager. In March, 1894, he was appointed general manager of the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company which controls the traffic by water, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec and Saguenay River. In this he showed his marine genius. No dividends had been paid for eight years but his first year of management yielded vastly improved results. His efforts made the services the most efficient in the world. He advocated the construction of several large boats and the result was the "Toronto," the "Kingston" and the "Montreal," lake passenger steamers that cannot be excelled. He retired in 1904, after ten years of splendid service, to his old home in Kingston, where he looked after the interests of the Bay of Quinte Co., as president and manager.
From 1864 to 1894, he was active in municipal affairs, as alderman twenty-two years and mayor in 1879. He led in the promotion of the Kingston and Pembroke R. R., and was president for years. He also helped establish the Kingston School of Mining. In religion he was an Anglican, member of St. George's Cathedral, where his family had worshipped for ninety years. In enlarging the edifice, he was chairman of the building committee. In politics, he was a liberal of the old school. Marine men always spoke of the splendid condition that his boats were kept in. Interests and safety of the traveling public, he always had in view and that was why the Gildersleeve boats were so popular. He was elected first president of the Dominion Marine Association, when formed in 1903. He died 1 a. m. Jan. 18, 1906, Thursday, in Kingston, the funeral services being conducted by the Bishop of Ontario. He was buried in the Cataraqui cemetery. Mrs. Gildersleeve resides at 199 King street, Kingston, Ont., Canada.

Overton Smith Gildersleeve 1825–1864

Fourth Cousin Five Times Removed

Overton Smith Gildersleeve was born on Jan 13, 1825 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Overton married Louisa Anne Draper on Aug. 16, 1850. He died on Mar. 9, 1864 in Kingston. His death at age 39 was due to stroke. He was buried in the Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston.

A Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography. Ed. Geo. Maclean Rose. Toronto, 1886. 587. Web.
The eldest son, Overton Gildersleeve, was for many years mayor of Kingston. Upon the death of his father he assumed the management of the business, and continued at the head of the same till his death, which occurred in 1864. His brother, Charles, the subject of this memoir, then became manager, and has held that position since, his undertakings being characterised by a wise mixture of prudence and enterprise.

Gildersleeve, Willard Harvey. Gildersleeves of Gildersleeve, Conn. Meriden, 1914. 27-28. Web.
Born Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 13 Jan., 1825; d. there 9 Mar., 1864. Educated at Upper Canada College where he took a scholarship and then studied law in Kingston and his last year in Toronto where all the judges of the high courts resided. After a trip to Europe, he m. 16 Aug., 1850, Louisa Anne, b. Toronto, 16 Aug., 1832; d. Toronto, 16 April, 1851, dau. of Judge William Henry and Augusta (White) Draper. (Judge Draper was chief justice of Upper Canada in 1863.) She was then 18 years old, of a very sweet disposition and a highly cultivated voice. The following spring she caught cold which turned into a rapid decline. Taken to Toronto for a change, she soon died. Overton went to England, then returned in September. 1 Oct., 1851, his father died and he became head of the house and gave up law practice as the large business interests of the steamboats engaged his attention. He was a most energetic citizen, being twice mayor, 1855-56 and 1861-2, of Kingston. In 1860, he traveled to the West Indies and Mexico.

William Camp Gildersleeve 1795–1871

Fifth Cousin Five Times Removed

William Camp Gildersleeve was born on Dec. 6, 1795 in Georgia. William passed away on Oct. 11, 1871 in Pennsylvania at age 75.

Champion, Andrew Quinn, trans. Scranton Wochenblatt 12 Oct. 1871. 6 Jan. 2017. Web.
William C. Gildersleeve, a Resident of Wilkes-Barre from the previous Century, died on Wednesday. Because of his Niggerlove he was once subjected to some Persecutions.

Hollister, H. "The Gildersleeve Episode." The Historical Record. Ed. F. C. Johnson. Vol. VIII. Wilkes-Barre, 1899. 337-38. Web. This is an eye-witness account of the disgraceful affair in 1839.
At this time the North, not only in Congress, but out of it, was controlled wholly by the South. Southerners taught us to believe that without slavery the country would go to the devil at once. Nearly everybody believed it. The smooth words of Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun were law in the land in regard to slavery. The fugitive slave law had not been enacted, but every Northern man was told and taught that to catch a runaway "nigger" was a duty he owed his God and his country. The poor, sore-footed, hungry slave who sought liberty in flight, found only here and there a friend to give him aid, shelter and food. Those who did were called Abolitionists, in disdain. They were hooted and howled at almost as bad as the escaping slave and everywhere and time were treated with contempt. Not only this, but their families were ostracised from society. They had few, if any, associates. A fugitive slave found his way to Wilkes-Barre and was directed to Montrose on his way to Canada. Wm. C. Gildersleeve was a philanthropist and the great Abolitionist of Wilkes-Barre. He was a zealous, generous, warm-hearted man who thought that all men were born free and none should be slaves. These sound doctrines he owned in public, greatly to his prejudice in the Wilkes-Barre community. His convictions were strong and he defied public opinion. The people looked upon him as a public enemy and it needed little incentive for a demonstration.
At about this time an incident in Wilkes-Barre hastened and intensified the Gildersleeve affair. At the Phoenix hotel, where the popular Gilchrist pampered to the Southerners, an escaped slave was employed as waiter. His former master, with two or three friends, dined here one day when the negro made his appearance to serve the guests. The master sprang for his former slave, who with a brave and friendly carving knife defended himself as he could and finally escaped running across the street and leaping into the Susquehanna river below the bridge and swimming vigorously across and escaped in spite of the pistol shots fired after him.
I landed my boat in the Wilkes-Barre basin one evening where but the single house of Mr. Brobst stood … and ventured up to the Public Square, where a great crowd of people were standing. In the then small, quiet town this thing was unusual, and I ventured to inquire what was going on. "Riding Gildersleeve on a rail" was the reply. He had been taken from his house, divested of all his clothing but his pantaloons, placed on an ordinary rough fence rail, supported by a man on each side and carried by four or five strong men. From his head to his pants he was covered with tar and feathers, and though uncomplaining, presented a picture of despair. He made no protest, answered no questions, uttered no sounds. From the court house he was carried to the Phoenix Hotel, where several Southern sympathizers looked on approvingly, then taken up River street to the old Redoubt, then turning to the right across Union street down by the residence of Andrew Beaumont, who lived in a three-story building on the corner. Beaumont was then the great Democratic chief of Luzerne county. He was father-in-law of Samuel P. Collings, one of the best and brightest newspaper editors in the State. When Beaumont saw these disgraceful proceedings going on, he harangued the crowd and tried to disperse it as did Anthony H. Emley, a private banker, and Ed. Le Clerc, but succeeded indifferently. The excited throng carried Gildersleeve to his door on the inhospitable rail, admonished him to be careful in future and he vanished into his own house.
Though fifty-one years have passed, few are living who witnessed the transaction, but if any are remaining who participated in the affair they wish to blot the reminiscence out. No arrests were made because public opinion was averse to any conviction and any jury would have brought in a verdict of "served him right."

Portrait and Biographical Record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. 1897. 170. Web.
William Camp Gildersleeve, a native of Georgia … who died in 1871, was a merchant in Wilkesbarre, and in ante-bellum days was quite conspicuous by his connection with the underground railway; his Abolition sentiments brought him the dislike and even abuse of many of opposite opinions, but he persevered in his course and lived to see his judgment triumphantly vindicated by the people of the country. He was a son of Rev. Cyrus Gildersleeve, who was born on Long Island and became the first pastor of the Wilkesbarre Presbyterian Church.

Scranton Wochenblatt 12 Oct. 1871. Chronicling America. Web.
William C. Gilderſleeve, ein Bewohner von Wilkesbarre aus dem vorigen Jahrhundert, ſtarb am Mittwoch. Wegen ſeiner Niggerliebe war er früher manchen Verfolgungen ausgeſetzt.

Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. Web.

Phoebe Gildersleeve Comfort 1776–1830

Fifth Great Grandmother

Phoebe Gildersleeve was born on Oct. 23, 1776 in New Jersey. Phoebe was baptized on Oct. 19, 1777. She married John Collins Comfort in 1798. She passed away on Dec. 27, 1830 in Pennsylvania at age 54. She was buried in the Lanesboro Cemetery in Lanesboro, Pennsylvania.

History of the First Presbyterian Church. Morristown, 1885. 86. Web.
Gildersleeve, Phebe; born 22 Oct. 1776; Baptized 19 Oct. 1777.

The Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society. Web. John Comfort joined the Methodists in 1809.
When John and Phoebe Comfort moved to Harmony in 1808, built a large sawmill, opened a mercantile institution, farmed hundreds of acres of prime land, and purchased the large Pickering "country house," they instantly became not only one of the wealthiest families in the township, but members of this same elite group that established social order and respectability for the rest of their remote mountain valley. When the Comforts joined the Methodists the year after their arrival, during the period when Methodism became Harmony's dominant religion, they became closely allied with the prominent Hale family. After the Hale family built their own "mansion" during the time of the Comfort conversions, the two families had a great deal in common. Methodists in the township met at either one home or the other for worship services, elections, court sessions, or other community events. Both families were financially well placed and both played a significant role in community life.

Comfort, Lanesboro Cemetery. 2012.

Silas Gildersleeve 1748–1826

Sixth Great Grandfather

Silas Gildersleeve was baptized on Jun. 12, 1748 in Morristown, New Jersey. Silas married Sarah Woodruff on Jul. 24, 1775. He passed away in 1826 in Morristown.

DAR #A044566 Service: New Jersey Rank: Private

History of the First Presbyterian Church. Morristown, 1885. 86. Web.
Gildersleeve, Silas; Baptized 12 June 1748.

Sarah Woodruff Gildersleeve

Sixth Great Grandmother

Sarah Woodruff married Silas Gildersleeve on Jul. 24, 1775.

History of the First Presbyterian Church. Morristown, 1885. 86. Web.
Gildersleeve, Silas; became Communicant 28 Feb 1766; non Roll 3.
Sarah Woodruff; married 24 July 1775; Renewed Covenant 19 Oct. 1777

Zophar Gildersleeve

Seventh Great Grandfather

Zophar Gildersleeve was born in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Zophar passed away in 1776 in Morristown, New Jersey.

History of the First Presbyterian Church. Morristown, 1885. 86. Web.
Gildersleeve, Zophar; became Communicant 15 Oct. 1752; died or buried 28 Aug. 1776. aet. 70.
Desire Renewed Covenant 12 June 1748.
Mary became Communicant 15 Oct. 1752; non Roll 3.

Richard Gildersleeve

Eighth Great Grandfather

Gildersleeve, Willard Harvey. Gildersleeves of Gildersleeve, Conn. Meriden, 1914. 8. Web.
In 1683, his father gave him the Carman proprietorship in Hempstead so that he became a proprietor early in life. With his wife, Experience, he witnessed many land transactions. In 1690, he was lieutenant of militia. In 1687 he received by purchase and town grant, large properties in the town of Huntington, Suffolk County, L. I. He finally moved to Huntington and settled down in the northeastern part on Fresh Pond Neck near Crab Meadow. He sold all his rights in Hempstead in 1704, to his brother Thomas. His descendants still own portions of his estate in that section of Huntington near the Smithtown line. Son, Thomas.

Richard Gildersleeve

Ninth Great Grandfather

Richard Gildersleeve married Dorcas Williams in 1654 in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Richard passed away in 1691 in Hempstead.

Gildersleeve, Willard Harvey. Gildersleeves of Gildersleeve, Conn. Meriden, 1914. 8. Web.
In the Dutch-Indian War, he moved to Newtown, L. I., where he was one of the earliest proprietors. In 1656, he moved back again to Hempstead, L. I., where he became a large landed proprietor and a prominent citizen. He served as town clerk for many years. Besides other offices, he was town surveyor for many important cases. He was town drummer, calling the settlers to worship and for town meetings. In 1680, he bought the old meeting house which had a fort around it for safety against the Indians. His wife, Dorcas, witnessed many deeds, and lived on the homestead in Hempstead village until her death in 1704. Mr. Gildersleeve died in 1691, making a will, which is preserved in Jamaica, L. I. He had four children, Richard, Jr., Thomas, Elizabeth and Dorcas, the wife of Thomas Lester of Hempstead.

The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. 1987. Rpt. in Long Island Source Records. By Henry B. Hoff. Baltimore, 2001. 130-31. Web.
Gildersleeve, Richard, of Hempstead, 7 Apr., 1690. To wife, Dorkiss, the dwelling, some land, riding horse, etc.; to sons Richard & Thomas, meadow at Merrick west neck; to dau. Dorkiss Lester eight acres at Newfield; to dau. Elizabeth Gildersleeve eight acres; to Phebe Thickstone a cow. Son Richard exr. Wits: John Sering & Joseph Pettit. Pro. 21 May, 1691.

Asa Gildersleeve 1755–1830

Seventh Great Uncle

Asa Gildersleeve was baptized on Jan. 28, 1755 in Morristown, New Jersey. Asa married Mary Coffram. He passed away in 1830.

DAR #A044550 Rank: Private

History of the First Presbyterian Church. Morristown, 1885. 86. Web.
Gildersleeve, Asa; Baptized 28 Jan 1755.

Obadiah Gildersleeve

First Cousin Eight Times Removed

Obadiah Gildersleeve married Mary Dinge.

DAR #A044561 Service: New York Description: Patriotic Service

Finch Gildersleeve 1751–1812

Second Cousin Seven Times Removed

Finch Gildersleeve passed away on Mar. 24, 1812 in New York.

DAR #A044555 Service: New York Rank: Lieutenant

John Gildersleeve

Second Cousin Seven Times Removed

John Gildersleeve was born on Dec. 21, 1755 in East Northport, New York.

DAR #A044559 Service: New York Description: Patriotic Service

Philip Gildersleeve 1757–1822

Second Cousin Seven Times Removed

Philip Gildersleeve was born on Jul. 2, 1757 in Huntington, New York. Philip married Temperance Gibbs on May 4, 1780 in Huntington. He passed away on Oct. 26, 1822 in Connecticut at age 65.

DAR #A044562 Service: New York Rank: Corporal

Daniel Gildersleeve

Third Cousin Seven Times Removed

Daniel Gildersleeve was born in New Jersey. Daniel married Esther Wood. He died in 1778 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

DAR #A044552 Service: New York Rank: Sergeant

Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve 1831–1924

Fourth Cousin Five Times Removed

Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve was born on Oct. 23, 1831 in Charleston, South Carolina. Basil married Elizabeth Fisher Colston on Sep. 18, 1866 in Virginia. He passed away on Jan. 9, 1924 at home in Baltimore, Maryland at age 92. He was buried in the University of Virginia Cemetery in Charlottesville.

Branch: CSA Unit: 1st Virginia Cavalry Rank: Private
Cox, Richard P. "Gildersleeve: Soldier, Scholar." The Washington Times. 13 May 2005. Web.
Gildersleeve "soldiered" during summer vacations from the university. In successive summers, he served on the staff of the 21st Virginia Infantry and was a private in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. The summer of 1864 saw him on the staff of Gen. John B. Gordon.

Mohr, Clarence L., ed. The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Ed. Charles Reagan Wilson. Vol. 17. U of North Carolina, 2011. Web.
Born 23 October 1831 in Charleston, S.C., Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve became the most renowned American classicist of the late 19th century. Founder of the American Journal of Philology in 1880, Gildersleeve taught classics at Johns Hopkins for almost four decades and became a central figure in the professionalization of Greek and Latin studies in the American university.
Gildersleeve grew up in a home of pronounced southern loyalties. His father, Benjamin, was a northerner by birth but adopted the southern antebellum sectional cause with enthusiasm. A Presbyterian minister and editor of a denominational paper, Benjamin Gildersleeve supervised his son's early education and introduced him, somewhat unsystematically, to the classics. Basil Gildersleeve went on to attend the College of Charleston, Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, and Princeton, where he graduated in 1849. He taught classics at a private academy in Richmond, Va., and then spent 1850 to 1853 in Germany at Berlin, Göttingen, and Bonn, before taking his Ph.D. at Göttingen. After three years in Charleston writing and teaching, he became a professor at the University of Virginia in 1856. Except for his service in the Confederate army, which left him with a crippling leg injury received in the Shenandoah Valley campaign, he remained at Virginia until he took a position at Johns Hopkins in 1876. He died 9 January 1924.

Wolfe, Brendan. "Slavery at the University of Virginia." Encyclopedia Virginia. 21 Feb. 2013. Web.
April 5, 1864 - University of Virginia professor Basil L. Gildersleeve publishes an essay in the Daily Richmond Examiner comparing enslaved African Americans to the ass in an old saying, attributed to Mohammed upon being offered chariots of fire at the gates of heaven: "I will either go to heaven on my ass or I will not go to heaven at all."
April 18, 1864 - In an essay, Basil L. Gildersleeve, a University of Virginia professor of Greek and Hebrew, speaks out against so-called miscegenation, claiming that to prevent it is to guarantee white supremacy.

Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. Web.

Thomas Jefferson Gildersleeve 1805–1871

Fifth Cousin Five Times Removed

Thomas Jefferson Gildersleeve was born on Aug. 28, 1805 in Springfield, New Jersey. Thomas married Dorothy Hamilton. He passed away on Feb. 16, 1871 in New York at age 65. He was buried in New York.

Waring, Janet. Early American Stencils on Walls and Furniture. New York, 1968. 101. Web.
His old master's son [was] the notorious "Boss Tweed" who became Mayor.

Wright, Florence E. "The Empire Period Produces The Golden Age of Stencilling." The Ornamented Chair. Ed. Zilla R. Lea. 1960. 83-84. Web.
One of the few early stencillers whose name has been preserved for us was Thomas Jefferson Gildersleeve (1805–1871), gilder and maker of Furniture and Chairs of all descriptions, according to the trade card of his New York shop. As a boy of fifteen he was apprenticed to Richard Tweed, chairmaker of New York City, and lived with the family until 1827, when he was old enough to open his own shop at 237–239 Delancey Street, at the back of his house, above his stables. Here he worked with two apprentices until the house had to be razed to build the Delancey Street bridge. He moved to 197 Chatham Street where he went into business with another early craftsman called Madden. Gildersleeve retired in 1861 and died ten years later, at the age of sixty-six. (See Fig. 29 for an authentic Gildersleeve chair.)
Forty authentic Gildersleeve stencils have been found, typical of patterns used on chairs from the 1820's on. They show fruit, flowers and leaves cut in one stencil, pomegranates with stems attached, a single-unit rose, and are indications of the simplification of the art of stencilling as it became increasingly popular and in ever greater demand.

Willard Gildersleeve 1886–1976

Sixth Cousin Thrice Removed

Willard Harvey Gildersleeve was born on Sep. 17, 1886 in Connecticut. Willard married Gertrude Isabell Sugden. He passed away in 1976 in Wayne, New Jersey. He was buried in Connecticut.

Francis Gildersleeve 1843–1929

Sixth Cousin Four Times Removed

Francis Gildersleeve was born on Dec. 26, 1843. Francis passed away on Mar. 12, 1929 in Gentry, Arkansas at age 85.

Branch: USA Unit: 21st Regiment, Iowa Infantry Rank: Private
United States. National Park Service. The Civil War. Web.

Virginia Gildersleeve 1877–1965

Sixth Cousin Four Times Removed

Virginia Crocheron Gildersleeve was born on Oct. 3, 1877 in New York. Virginia passed away on Jul. 7, 1965 in Massachusetts. Her death at age 87 was due to heart attack. She was buried in Bedford, New York.

Who's Who in New York City and State. 1911. 380. Web.
Educator; b. N. Y. City, Oct. 3, 1877; d. Hon. Henry Alger and Virginia (Crocheron) Gildersleeve; ed. Brearley Sch., N. Y. City, and Barnard Coll. (Columbia Univ.), A.B., 1899, A.M., 1900, Ph.D., 1908, Columbia; Fiske Graduate Scholar in polit. science, Columbia Univ., 1899-1900. Ass't English, 1900-03, tutor in English, 1903-07, lecturer 1908-10, ass't prof. since 1910, Barnard Coll., Columbia University. Author: Government Regulation of the Elizabethan Drama. Mem. Phi Beta Kappa, Coll. Settlements Ass'n, Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity. Club: Women's University. Address: 28 W. 48th St., N. Y. City.

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