Sarah Livingston Jay’s Invitation Lists, [4–27 March 1788]
Sarah Livingston Jay’s Invitation Lists
[New York, 4–27 March 1788]
invited for the 4th. March
Mr. & Mrs. Rutherford, Mr. & Mrs. King—, Mr. & Mrs. Lewis—, Mrs. Montgomery—x, Mr. Jones—x, Mr. Edward Liv[ingston].—x, Mr. President—, Major Franks—, Mr. & Lady M. Watts, Mr. & Lady C. Duer—, Miss Brown—, Phil Livingston—x, Genl. Clarkson—, Mrs. Bruce—, Mr. Maddison—, Mr. Armstrong—, for the 4th. March, Mr. Rd. Curson—1
invited for the 27th—
President—x, St. Claire—, Gilman—, Wingate—, Steuben—x, Ganswort—, Barclay—, Constable—, Edgar—x, King—, Macombomb—x, Reid—, Ellicot—, Ross—, Chancellor—x, Ph. Living[ston]—, Dayton—, Rutherford—, Knox—, Wm. Morris, Ar. Lee—, Mr. Wicoff2
AD, NyKaJJH. Columns of names have been consolidated into paragraph form with added punctuation. Numbers indicating the number of guests in a party and the total number invited have been omitted. The symbol “x” after a guest’s name, apparently indicating nonacceptance of the invitation or nonattendance at the event, has been retained. The abbreviation “Do.” has been replaced with the name intended. Persons not previously identified or whose names are obscure are identified in the end notes whenever possible.
1. Either Walter and Catherine Alexander Rutherfurd, or their son John and his wife Helena Morris Rutherfurd. Probably Richard Curson (1726–1805), a New York merchant and shipowner.
2. Paine Wingate (1739–1838), congressional delegate from New Hampshire, 1788–89. Leonard Gansevoort (Ganswort) (1751–1810), congressional delegate from New York, 1788. William Constable (1752–1803) merchant and partner of Robert and Gouverneur Morris. William Edgar (1736–1820), brother-in-law of William Constable and a partner of Alexander Macomb (1748–1831), merchant. Andrew Ellicott (1754–1820), surveyor of western lands. Probably former Continental army officer William Walton Morris (1760–1832), son of Lewis Morris, and one of the surveyors appointed in 1785 to survey western lands under the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance ( 28: 398; PGW: Presidential Series, 2: 282–83), or, possibly, William White Morris (1772–98), son of Robert Morris.
Sarah Livingston Jay’s invitation list. (Courtesy of the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site)