"Ceasar came" November 16, 1814 - a photo on Flickriver

In 1813, John Jay inherited the 400+ acre Rye homestead where he grew up. His son Peter Augustus helped him manage the estate and its gardens as evidenced in account books belonging to Peter and his wife Mary Rutherfurd Jay. Each expense journal is meticulously divided by sections: Wages, Sundries, Groceries etc. and helps us better visualize the daily lives and interrelationships of these American figures. Combined with recent archaeological finds on the Jay estate, the potential for new discoveries and a deeper understanding of our cultural heritage is possible.

The JHC is tracing the names of servants found in these archival volumes and cross referencing them with census records for New York and Rye as well as church records. Some of these servants would have worked in the Jays' Manhattan home and/or the Rye home.

Samuel
Betsy
Peter
John
Simon
Joseph
Jane
David
Jemima
Susan
Peggy
Janet
Ceasar
Gates

These are real names of real people who lived and worked for the Jays, some free and some possibly enslaved.

Now imagine them in Rye at the Locusts working on the farm, in the house and in the gardens and the fields:
www.flickr.com/photos/jayheritagecenter/4113794014/in/set...

New research has also revealed that some of these freed slaves were buried on the Jay's Rye Property: "Monday, buried on the farm of John C. Jay, Caesar, Jay (coloured), aged — ." 1847 record. Rye had at least 2 "coloured cemeteries" at the time and yet the Jays chose to bury Caesar and others at their home.

How many of the Jays' servants were buried at Rye?

In raising his children, Jay an early abolitionist, made very clear to his sons "Providence has placed these Persons in Stations below us. They are Servants but they are Men."

UPDATE!!!! (July 13, 2014)

Conservation of Rye's Mile Marker 24 has begun! We are excited to be working with Amanda Trienens, founder of Cultural Heritage Conservation. She has helped protect and preserve many other early American monuments including the Alexander Hamilton Monument and the Montgomery Monument both located in downtown Manhattan at Trinity Church. Other projects include the Bethesda Terrace, in Central Park; Donald Judd's Untitled Sculpture at The Glass House in New Canaan, CT; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; United States Supreme Court, Washington, DC, TWA Terminal, New York, United Nations, New York. The projects she has worked on have been recognized with awards in excellence from both the Preservation League of New York State and the NY Landmarks Conservancy.

It is also a pleasure to be working with Matthew C. Reiley of Excelsior Art Services. He is also Associate Director of Conservation for the Central Park Conservancy. Matthew is responsible for the care of Central Park’s built environment, which includes a collection of 50+ bronze and stone monuments, historic architecture, fountains, mosaics and other features. Reiley is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the the Graduate School of Architecture Planning Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University and a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).

Stay tuned for more updates! Read more about all the Boston Post Road (BPR) markers on our Facebook page!

Jay Heritage Center
210 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 698-9275
Email: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com

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Twitter @jayheritage
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www.jaycenter.org

Taken in: United States / New York / Rye / Greenhaven (show map)

Taken on: January 23, 2010

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Path Through History « less

Sets appears in: • African American Heritage Trail • From Manumission to Emancipation 2011 more » • Primary Documents « less

Groups appears in: • FlickrCentral • blackpeople more » • US National Historic Landmarks • Black History • Black Landmarks • Westchester County, NY • Across the African Diaspora « less

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