Chapter 1
JAMES
FENIMORE COOPER
by
MARY E. PHILLIPS
New York: John Lane Company London: John Lane: The Bodley Head Toronto: Bell and Cockburn MCMXIII
Copyright, 1912
By Mary E. Phillips
The University Press, Cambridge, U.S.A.
Dedicated To The Young Of All Ages From The Years Of Ten To Ten Times Ten
PREFACE
The intention of this simply told _personal_ life of James Fenimore Cooper, the creator of American romance, is to have all material _authentic_. The pictures of men, women, places and things are, as nearly as possible, of Cooper's association with them to reproduce a background of his time and to make the _man_--not the author--its central foreground figure. From every available source since the earliest mention of the author's name, both in print and out, material for these pages has been collected. In this wide gleaning in the field of letters--a rich harvest from able and brilliant pens--the gleaner hereby expresses grateful appreciation of these transplanted values. Much, precious in worth and attractive in interest, comes into these pages from the generous and good among the relatives, friends, and admirers of Fenimore Cooper. And more than all others, the author's grand-nephew, the late Mr. George Pomeroy Keese, of Cooperstown, New York, has paid rich and rare tribute to the memory of his uncle, with whom when a boy he came in living touch. Appeals to Cooper's grandson, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq., of Albany, New York, and also to his publishers have been met in a spirit so gracious and their giving has been so generous as to command the grateful service of the writer.
For rare values, in service and material, special credits are due to Mr. George Pomeroy Keese, Cooperstown, N.Y.; James Fenimore Cooper, Esq., Albany, N.Y.; Mr. Francis Whiting Halsey, New York City; Mr. Edwin Tenney Stiger, Watertown, Mass.; General James Grant Wilson, New York City; Mr. Horace G. Wadlin, Librarian, Messrs. Otto Fleischner, Assistant Librarian, O.A. Bierstadt, F.C. Blaisdell, and others, of the Boston Public Library; Miss Alice Bailey Keese, Cooperstown, N.Y.; Mrs. T. Henry Dewey, Paris, France; Mrs. Edward Emerson Waters, New York City; and Miss Mary C. Sheridan, Boston, Mass.
Mary E. Phillips.
INTRODUCTION
A life of Cooper, written with some particular reference to the picturesque village among the Otsego hills, where he so long lived and in whose soil he, for some sixty years or more, has slept, has long been needed. That such a book should have become a labor of love in the hands of Miss Phillips is not more interesting than it is fortunate that the task should have been accomplished so conspicuously well. Miss Phillips has borne testimony to the resourcefulness and rare devotion with which the late Mr. Keese assisted her in researches extending over many years. None knew so well as he the personal side of Cooper's whole life story; none so assiduously and so lovingly, during a long life spent in Cooperstown, gathered and tried to preserve in their integrity every significant and interesting detail of it.
The turning point in Cooper's life was reached when he went to Cooperstown, although he was little more than a child in arms. Most curious is it that his going should have resulted from the foreclosure of a mortgage. This mortgage had been given in the late Colonial period by George Croghan, and covered a vast tract of native forest lands in Otsego. In these lands, through the foreclosure, Cooper's father, soon after the Revolution, acquired a large interest, which led him to abandon his home of ease and refinement in Burlington, New Jersey, and found a new, and, as it proved to be, a permanent one in the unpeopled wilderness at the foot of Otsego Lake. Except for this accident of fortune, Leatherstocking and his companions of the forest never could have been created by the pen of Cooper.
ILLUSTRATIONS
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. From Appleton portrait. By permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq., of Albany, N.Y. _Frontispiece_
THE ENGLISH FYNAMORE COUNTRY AND FAMILY ARMS.
COOPER'S BIRTHPLACE. Burlington, N.J. From a photograph by George W. Tichnor
THE FENIMORE BOX. (Of light and dark woods, size 12-1/2 X 6-3/4 inches.) From photograph by permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq., Albany, N.Y.
THE SUSQUEHANNA. By W.H. Bartlett
CHINGACHGOOK ON COUNCIL ROCK. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
COUNCIL ROCK. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
THE MANOR. From outline on _first_ map of Cooperstown, 1788-1790. By permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
ORIGINAL OTSEGO HALL. From outline on 1800-1808 map of Cooperstown. By permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
JUDGE WILLIAM COOPER. By Gilbert Stuart. By permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. From a portrait by Woods, 1812
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 1800. From "St. Memim's Gallery of Portraits"
TALLEYRAND. From a portrait by F. Gérard
POINT JUDITH. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
"EDGEWATER." By courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
MR. AND MRS. GEORGE POMEROY. By the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
THE OLD STONE HOUSE. By the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
COOPERSTOWN PRIOR TO 1835. From _The Family Magazine_, 1836-1837
DR. THOMAS ELLISON. By the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
ST. PETER'S CHURCH, ALBANY, N.Y. By the courtesy of Dr. Joseph Hooper, Durham, Conn.
STATE STREET, ALBANY, N.Y., 1802. By the courtesy of Dr. Joseph Hooper
"NEAR SHORES" OF NEW HAVEN. From an old print
DR. TIMOTHY DWIGHT. From an old print
YALE COLLEGE, 1806. By the courtesy of Professor John C. Schwab, Ph.D., Librarian, Yale University
WILLIAM JAY IN YOUTH. By Vanderlyn. From Bayard Tuckerman's "William Jay," etc. By courtesy of author and publishers, Dodd, Mead & Co., N.Y.
JUDGE WILLIAM JAY. From a crayon by Martin. Dodd, Mead & Co., N.Y.
SILHOUETTE OF JAMES COOPER WHEN A STUDENT AT YALE. By the courtesy of Professor John C. Schwab, Ph.D.
OUTWARD BOUND.
GIBRALTAR. From "_Le Monde Illustré_"
SAILOR'S SNUG HARBOR. From _Frank Leslie's Weekly_, Vol. I
OTSEGO HALL GATES. By courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
BUFFALO BURNT. From an old woodcut in Spear's "United States Navy"
THE "VESUVIUS." From "Life of Fulton," by J.F. Reigart, 1856
ONTARIO FORESTS. By W.H. Bartlett
THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. By W.H. Bartlett
THE PORT OF BUFFALO. From an old print
CAPTAIN M.T. WOOLSEY. From Spear's "United States Navy"
THE PATHFINDER. By F.O.C. Darley
A BUBBLE OF A BOAT. By F.O.C. Darley
CAPTAIN LAWRENCE. From a portrait by Chappel
THE "WASP." From an old print
FRAUNCES TAVERN. By the courtesy of Dr. Joseph Hooper, Durham, Conn.
LIEUT. GOV. JAMES DE LANCEY'S SEAL. From Vol. I, M.J. Lamb's "History of New York City"
HEATHCOTE ARMS. From an old print
HON. CALEB HEATHCOTE. From print by V. Belch
FRAUNCES TAVERN LONG-ROOM. From "History of New York," by Mary L. Booth, 1857 BURN'S COFFEE HOUSE. From an old print
HEATHCOTE HILL. By the courtesy of J.W. Clapp, editor _Richbell Press_, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
TANDEM. From a rare old color-print. By the courtesy of George Samuel Tucker, Peterboro, N.H.
COOPER'S FENIMORE FARM HOUSE. By the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
ELIZABETH FENIMORE COOPER IN THE OLD HALL HOME. By the courtesy of Elizabeth Cooper Keese
COOPER'S ANGEVINE FARM HOME. From "Homes of American Authors." G.L. Putnam Sons, 1853
MAMARONECK CREEK SLOOPS. From Bryant's "History of the United States"
JUDGE JOHN JAY. From print of Trumbull portrait
BEDFORD HOUSE. From an old print
BEDFORD HOUSE LIBRARY. From Vol. II, Lamb's "History of New York City"
HARVEY BIRCH'S CAVE. By courtesy of Arthur B. Maurice, author of "New York in Fiction"
THE LOCUSTS OF COOPER'S TIME. From Lossing's "Field-Book of the War of 1812"
THE LOCUSTS OF TO-DAY. By courtesy of the owner, Lawrence Durham, Esq.
TITLE-PAGE OF THE FIRST EDITION OF "THE SPY."
ENOCH CROSBY. From "History of Westchester County, N.Y." By Spooner and Shenard
LAFAYETTE THEATRE. From _New York Mirror_, Vol. V.
COOPER'S HEROINES. By courtesy of Rev. Ralph Birdsall and Miss Catherine N. Duyckinck
WINDHURST'S NOOK, UNDER THE PARK THEATRE. From "History of New York City," by Mary L. Booth, 1859
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, 1822. From a photograph of the J.W. Jarvis portrait. By permission of the owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq., Albany, N.Y.
FITZ-GREENE HALLECK. From print of Inman portrait. By permission of owner, Gen. James Grant Wilson
JOSEPH RODMAN DRAKE, From "Poems"
CRO' NEST. From "Poems," by Joseph Rodman Drake
SAMUEL WOODWORTH. From a rare lithograph
THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET. By F.S. Agate
CITY HOTEL AND WASHINGTON HALL. From Vol. II, "History of New York City," by M.J. Lamb, and from "Valentine's Manual"
EARLY BROADWAY. Old prints
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH. By B. Whitechurch
COOPER'S NEW YORK CITY HOME IN BEACH STREET. By the courtesy of General James Grant Wilson
ST. JOHN'S CHAPEL. From _The York Mirror_
OLD LEATHERSTOCKING. From "The Pioneers"
NATTY'S CAVE. From an old print
GENERAL JAMES CLINTON. From an old print
CLINTON DAM. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
"TALES FOR FIFTEEN, OR IMAGINATION AND HEART." By permission of the owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
CHARLES WILKES. From portrait by Thos. Sully
JOHN PAUL JONES. From portrait by C.W. Peale
LONG TOM COFFIN. F.O.C. Darley
BRYANT, WEBSTER AND IRVING. From sketch by Daniel Huntington by the courtesy of owner, Mr. Day, Boston
THE LANDING OF LAFAYETTE, 1824. From "Complete History of Lafayette," 1825 edition
LAFAYETTE. Portrait by Sully
LAFAYETTE'S BRANDYWINE VASE. From an old print
JOB PRAY. By F.O.C. Darley
THE BURNING OF CHARLESTOWN. From an old print
WHIPPLE HOUSE, AT PROVIDENCE, R.I. From an old print
MRS. JAMES MONROE. By the courtesy of General James Grant Wilson
PRESIDENT'S HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C., 1825. From an old print
SUNRISE AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN. Drawn by Harry Fenn for D. Appleton and Co., N.Y.
GLENS FALL'S CAVERNS. From "The Hudson," by Lossing
HONORABLE MR. STANLEY. Portrait by G. Harlow, 1833
GLENS FALL. By W.H. Bartlett
LAKE GEORGE, OR "THE HORICAN." By W.H. Bartlett
THE WAGER SEAL (1 X 1-1/8 inches). By permission of the owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
BRYANT. Portrait by Barrett
"NATTY, THE TRAPPER." By F.O.C. Darley
HENRY CLAY. From a daguerreotype, engraved by Buttre
CHANCELLOR KENT. Portrait by Chappel
THE U.S.S. "HUDSON." By W.J. Bennett
WHITEHALL WHARF, 1826. From "Valentine's Manual"
KEEP OF CARISBROOK. By J. and F. Harwood, London, 1841
HAVRE, BY NIGHT. From "Meyer's Universum"
WINDMILLS OF MONTMARTRE. From an old French print
THE CONVENT ST. MAUR.
HOTEL DE JUMIÈGES. Found, verified and photographed for this Life of Cooper by kindness of Mrs. T. Henry Dewey of Paris, France
SIR WALTER SCOTT. Portrait by G.S. Newton, 1824
MISS ANNE SCOTT. Portrait by W. Nicholson
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. After portrait by Madame de Mirbel, 1830
PIERRE JEAN DAVID D'ANGERS. Portrait by D'Aubrey. By courtesy of General George T. Cruft
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. From a photograph of the bust by David d'Angers, Paris, 1828. By permission of the owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
MRS. JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. From a photograph of a drawing made at Paris, 1890. By permission of James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. From a photograph of a drawing made at Paris, 1827. By permission of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
PROF. GEORGE WASHINGTON GREEN. By special permission of Mr. William Dean Howells and Harper & Brothers
P.T. DE BÉRANGER. From a rare old print
TALLEYRAND. From an old engraving
DUCHESSE DE BERRI. From Soule photograph
CHARLES X of FRANCE. From Soule photograph
COOPER'S SUMMER HOME, ST. OUEN, 1827. Found, verified and photographed by the kindness of Mrs. T. Henry Dewey, Paris, France
COOPER'S ST. OUEN TERRACE STUDY. Found, verified and photographed by the kindness of Mrs. T. Henry Dewey, Paris, France
OLD MILL AT NEWPORT. From an old print
THE STRUGGLE. By F.O.C. Darley
THE NEWPORT BOX. By permission of the owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
JOHN GIBSON LOCKHART. By Pickersgill
NATTY'S LAST CALL. From an old print
THE PRINCESS BARBARA VASSILIEWNA GALITZIN From print of portrait by Hein Friedr. Füger
LA GRANGE, COUNTRY HOME OF LAFAYETTE. From an old print
LA GRANGE ARCHWAY ENTRANCE. From "Complete History of Lafayette"
HÔTEL DESSEIN, CALAIS, FRANCE. From a rare old print
CLIFFS OF DOVER. By C. Stanfield
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL CHOIR. From Soule photograph
GREEN GATE, CANTERBURY. From _Port Folio_, 1814
ST. JAMES PLACE, LONDON. From Thornbury's "Old and New London"
SIR FRANCIS CHANTREY. From _European Magazine_, 1822
SAMUEL ROGERS. Portrait by Thomas Lawrence
ROGERS' LONDON HOME. From "Bohn's Handbook of London"
ROGERS' BREAKFAST-ROOM. From _Illustrated London News_, 1857
CHARLES ROBERT LESLIE. From an old print
SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH. Portrait by Thomas Lawrence
HOLLAND HOUSE. By Stockdale
LIBRARY OF HOLLAND HOUSE. By Charles R. Leslie. Used by permission of the British Museum. From left to right, portrait of Addison, Lord Holland, Lady Holland, Dr. John Allen, Librarian Doggett
GILT CHAMBER OF HOLLAND HOUSE. From lithograph by Richardson
ROGERS' SEAT. From Leichenstein's "Holland House"
LORD GREY. From a portrait by Thomas Lawrence
MRS. JOHN GIBSON LOCKHART. From a portrait by W. Nicholson
JOANNA BAILLIE. From "Life and Works of J. Baillie"
SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE. From the Academy sketch, 1829
HOUSE OF THE GILLMAN'S, HIGHGATE, LONDON. From Hall's "Book of Memories"
BOOM KEY AT ROTTERDAM. From an old etching
MT. BLANC. By J.M.W. Turner
LA LORRAINE VIEW OF BERNESE ALPS. From Swiss print
NAHL'S MEMORIAL TO MADAME LANGHAN. From _European Magazine_, 1786
NARRA-MATTAH. By F.O.C. Darley
CONNECTICUT EMIGRANTS. From an old print
FALL OF THE STAUBBACH. From an old water color
THE DEVIL'S BRIDGE. By W.H. Bartlett, 1836
FERNEY, VOLTAIRE'S LAKE LEMAN HOME. From _European Magazine_, 1786
THE SIMPLON PASS. By Lory
FLORENCE, ITALY. From an old print
PALAZZO RICASOLI, FLORENCE, ITALY. From special drawing by G. Amightti. By courtesy of Signor Agusto Ticci, Florence
HORATIO GREENOUGH. From portrait in Boston Athenaeum. By courtesy of Mr. Charles K. Bolton, Librarian
BUST OF JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. By Horatio Greenough, in Boston Public Library. By courtesy of the Librarian, Mr. Horace G. Wadlin, and photographed by Arthur Pierce Truette
CHANTING CHERUBS. Detail from Raphael's Madonna del Trono
LEOPOLD II, GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY. From Ballou's "Pictorial," Vol. XVII
PITTI PALACE, FLORENCE, 1828. From water color, 1830
COUNT ST. LEU. From "_La Jeunesse de Napoleon III_" by Stefane-Pol
LETIZIA BOUNAPARTE. From color print by de Delpech
MADAME MÈRE. From print of drawing by Princess Charlotte, in Vol. XX, _L'lllustration_
CHURCH OF ST. ILLARIO AND NARROW LANE. From photograph obtained by Sig. Agusto Ticci, Florence, Italy
VILLA, ST. ILLARIO. From special photograph obtained by Mrs. T. Henry Dewey, Paris, France
CHARIOT RACES, FLORENCE. From an old print
GENOA. By Vocher
LEGHORN. From an old etching
NAPLES. From an old water color
CASA TASSO AT SORRENTO. From _"Vita di Torquato Tasso_" by Angelo Solerti
CASA TASSO TERRACE-STUDY. From _"Vita di Torquato Tasso_," by Angelo Solerti
ST. PETER'S, EXTERIOR, ROME. From an old print
ST. PETER'S, INTERIOR. From an old print
ADAM MICKIEOWICZ. From the "Life of the Poet"
PORTA RIPETTA. From an old etching
ROMAN FORUM. By Sargent
PORTA DEL POPOLO. From an old print
FALLS OF MARMORA AT TERNI. From an old print
ANCONA. By S. Prout
LORETO. From an old print
SCALLA MINELLI, VENICE. From an old print
VENICE. By J.B. Pyne
PIAZZA SAN MARCO. By Chilone
PALACE OF THE DOGE. From an old print
TASSO'S WELL. Special photograph by Marjorie Elizabeth Parks
THE BRAVO. By F.O.C. Darley
GLORY OF THE ASSUMPTION. By Titian
ABSOLUTION OF ANTONIO. By F.O.C. Darley
ALT MARKET, DRESDEN. From 1830 print by permission of owner, Mayor of Dresden, and courtesy of Herr Rudolf Drescher, Hanau-on-Main, Germany
LAFAYETTE'S PARIS HOME, RUE D'ANJOU. From special photograph obtained by Mrs. T. Henry Dewey, Paris, France
LAFAYETTE'S BED-ROOM. From "Complete History of Lafayette"
LOUIS PHILIPPE. From "_Galerie Napoléon_"
GENERAL LAFAYETTE. From lithograph by Delpech
QUEEN MARIE AMÉLIE. From an old print
S.F.B. MORSE. From _L'Illustration,_ Vols. XXXI and XXXII
N.P. WILLIS. By S. Lawrence
TUILERIES GARDENS. From an old print
TENIER'S WIFE. Portrait by Tenier. From photograph of original by permission of the owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
MRS. JAMES FENIMORE COOPER AND HER SON PAUL. From a photograph of a painting done at Paris, 1831. By permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
THE CHILDREN OF MR. AND MRS. JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. From a photograph (given by Mr. George Pomeroy Keese) of a drawing made in Paris by Miss Susan Cooper. By permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq. From left to right, Caroline Martha (Mrs. H.F. Phinney), Susan [unreadable] Fenimore, Anne Charlotte, Maria Frances [unreadable] Cooper
THE ANGELUS. By J.F. Millet
EUGÈNE-JOSEPH VERBOECKHOVEN. From a print
PETER PAUL RUBENS. Portrait by the artist
RUBENS' COLOGNE HOME. From Fairholt's "Homes and Haunts of Artists"
CONVENT OF NUNNENWORTH. By Tombleson
WATCH TOWER ON THE RHINE. From _The Art Journal_, 1880
HEIDELBERG AND CASTLE. From 1840 print
VEVAY SHORES OF LAKE LEMAN. From _New England Magazine_
FÉTE DES VIGNERONS. By courtesy of Mrs. Rufus A. Kingman
NOAH'S ARK VEVAY. 1833 By courtesy of Mrs. Rufus A. Kingman
HOSPICE ST. BERNARD. By Major Cockburn
BAY OF NAPLES. By James Hakywill
NEW YORK HARBOR. By W.H. Bartlett
COOPER'S OTSEGO HALL HOME. By courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
COPY OF COOPER'S GARDEN SEAT. From photograph by A.J. Telfer
COOPER'S LIBRARY AT OTSEGO HALL. From drawing by Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
JUDGE NELSON. From photograph by A.J. Telfer
WILD ROSE POINT OR THREE MILE POINT. From a photograph by the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
COOPER'S NEW YORK CITY HOME, ST. MARK'S PLACE. From a print by the courtesy of owner, General James Grant Wilson
HORACE GREELEY. From a portrait by J.C. Buttre
PARK BENJAMIN. From a portrait by J.C. Buttre
THURLOW WEED. From a portrait by C.B. Hall
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. From a daguerreotype by Brady. By permission of owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
COLONEL JOHN TRUMBULL. From portrait by Waldo and Jewett.
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. From a Paris print
COLUMBUS' FLEET. From an old print
THE GLIMMERGLASS. From photograph by courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
OTSEGO LAKE. Inset, Leatherstocking Falls and Natty Bumppo's Cave, from photographs by A.J. Telfer, Cooperstown, N.Y.
JESSE D. ELLIOTT'S LAKE ERIE MEDAL. From Spear's "History of the United States Navy"
MEDAL GIVEN TO JAMES FENIMORE COOPER BY JESSE D. ELLIOTT. From photograph by the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
ISLAND OF ELBA. From an old print
ELBA HOME OF NAPOLEON. From Abbott's "Napoleon"
BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. From painting by W.H. Powell
COOPER'S DIAGRAM OF THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE.
COOPER'S DIAGRAM OF THE BATTLE OF "BON HOMME RICHARD" AND THE "SERAPIS."
BATTLE OF THE "BON HOMME RICHARD" AND THE "SERAPIS" By J. Rogers
STUMP EXTRACTOR. From "The Hudson," by B.J. Lossing
THE CHÂLET FARM. From photograph by the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
THE ESCAPE. From "Wyandotte." By F.O.C. Darley
MISS CAROLINE ADRIANCE FOOTE, AGE 13. From a daguerreotype by the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
MISS ALICE TRUMBULL WORTHINGTON. From a daguerreotype by the courtesy of owner, Mrs. Alice Worthington Synnott
LIEUT. ALEXANDER SLIDELL MACKENZIE. From Duyckwick's "Cyclopedia of American Literature"
HELL GATE. From "Pages and Pictures," by Susan Augusta Cooper
NIAGARA FALLS. By W.H. Bartlett
JUDGE BAZIL HARRISON OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN. From _Hearth and Home_, 1870
HON. GERRIT SMITH. From an old print
WILLIAM BRANDFORD SHUBRICK. From Lossing's "Field-Book of the War of 1812"
CHARLES MATHEWS. From "Memorials of Charles Mathew" by Mrs. Mathews
JAMES H. HACKETT. From "Modern Standard Drama"
STEWART'S MARBLE PALACE. From an old print
MISS SUSAN AUGUSTA COOPER, ABOUT 1850. From a daguerreotype. By permission of the owner, James Fenimore Cooper, Esq.
OTSEGO LAKE PARTY IN 1840. By J.L. Pease
JOE TOM. From a photograph by the courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
NATTY'S CAVE. From an old print
OTSEGO HALL--BACK VIEW. From "Pages and Pictures," by Susan Augusta Cooper
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. From a daguerrotype by Brady. By permission of the owner, [unreadable] Cooper, Esq., Albany, N.Y.
THE SWEDISH NIGHTINGALE (JENNY LIND). Portrait by J.W. Orr From Soule photograph
JENNY LIND AT CASTLE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY, 1850. From an old print
DR. JOHN WAKEFIELD FRANCIS. From portrait by J. Goldbruam
DR. FRANCIS' HOME IN NEW YORK CITY. By Richardson
CHRIST'S CHURCH, COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
FENIMORE COOPER'S SCREEN GIFT. From a print by courtesy of Miss Alice Bailey Keese
BISHOP WILLIAM HEATHCOTE DE LANCEY. From Scharf's "History of Westchester County, NY"
DE LANCEY COAT OF ARMS. From "A God-Child of Washington," by Katherine Schuyler Baxter
THE NEW HOME AND THE OLD HOME.
INDIAN HUNTER. By J.Q.A. Ward
COOPER GROUNDS. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
THE CHILDREN'S TRIBUTE. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
LAKE OTSEGO. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
LEATHERSTOCKING FIGURE OF COOPER MEMORIAL. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
LEATHERSTOCKING MONUMENT. By R.E. Launitz, N.A. From a photograph by A.J. Telfer
GEORGE POMEROY KEESE. From a photograph by permission of Mrs. George Pomeroy Keese
BERRY POMEROY CASTLE. By courtesy of Mr. George Pomeroy Keese
Acknowledgment is due The F.A. Ringler Company of New York City and Messrs. John Andrew and Son of Boston, Mass., for the care and interest they have shown in making the cuts used in this volume.
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
The light of this world fell on James Fenimore Cooper September 15, 1789. The founder of American romance was born in a quaint, two-storied house of stuccoed brick which now numbers 457 Main St., Burlington, New Jersey. It was then "the last house but one as you go into the country" and among the best of the town. In a like house next door lived the father of the naval hero, Capt. James Lawrence. These two houses opened directly on the street and their slanting roofs were shaded by tall trees rooted at the curbstones. This outline of Fenimore Cooper's birthplace is from the text-picture in "Literary Rambles," by Theodore F. Wolfe, M.D., Ph.D. The first of his father's family in this new country was James Cooper, who came from Stratford-on-Avon, England, in 1679. He and his wife were Quakers, and with Quaker thrift bought wide tracts of land in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Seventy-five years after James Cooper stepped on American soil his great-grandson William was born, December 2, 1754, in Byberry township, Pennsylvania.