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in Hanover Square in 1755. An advertisement in Gaine's "New York Mercury," of June 16th of that year, gives an approximation to its situation. It alludes to a house on Hanover Square wherein "Mr. Lewis Morris lived, next door to Mr. Walton's, and directly opposite to Mr. Grant's and DESBROSSES." Here ELIAS DESBROSSES carried on a general business, trading with Madeira and the West India Islands. He was also part owner of the sloop Success, as his applications to Gov. Hardy for permits show.

His name now begins to appear quite often in advertisements of real estate. In Gaine's "Mercury," of February 7th, 1757, he calls attention to a tract of land in New Jersey which he has for sale. He here signs himself Merchant.

James Desbrosses appears also to have been somewhat engaged in commerce. An advertisement of "A variety of Paper Hangings, imported from London," to be sold by him, appeared in 1761. The name of still another of the family is recorded in an order issued by Governor Monckton, March 5th, 1763, to Capt. Lawrence, of Kings County, to deliver a certain negro boy, named Touissant, to Stephen Desbrosses, to be sent by him to Mr. Veyer, his former master at Martinico.

With these various enterprises MR. ELIAS DESBROSSES continued to increase his property and influence, and to win the esteem of his neighbors. In 1767 he was chosen Alderman of the East Ward, which he continued to represent in the City Councils until 1770.

In 1768 he was one of the founders of the Chamber of Commerce, and its first Treasurer-an office which he held until 1770, when he was chosen Vice-President, and the next year President, of this Corporation.

MR. DESBROSSES does not seem to have had any desire

for public life. He was one of the Committee of Correspondence of fifty-one, chosen by the citizens in May, 1774, but the minutes only show him in his seat at the first meeting. He took no part in the stirring and angry scenes which followed. He was too little of a partisan to meet any annoyance from either side, and passed untroubled through the occupation of both armies. He showed his strong sympathy with the English side by signing the very loyal address of Lord Howe, in October, 1776, and though not claimed by Sabine as a loyalist in his comprehensive collection of sketches, he must be classed in this body.

In May of the following year, when the British authorities undertook to raise troops for the King's service in New York, MR. DESBROSSES, whose residence is given as in Queen Street, was one of a Committee, together with Henry White, Nathaniel Marston, and Thomas White, "appointed to receive donations which will be applied for the Comfort and Encouragement of such of his Majesty's faithful Subjects as already have or hereafter shall enter into the Provincial Regiments raising in this Province."

In December, 1777, he was named first on the Vestry appointed by General Robertson for the Relief of the Poor of the City. With him were many of his old commercial associates-Miles Sherbrooke, Isaac Low, Charles Nicoll, Gabriel H. Ludlow, and others.

He seems to have taken no further active part in business, and when the meetings of the Chamber were renewed by such of the members as adhered to the Crown, he did not resume his connection with it.

MR. DESBROSSES was a very religious man, and forward in every charitable enterprise. The family were among the early and liberal contributors to the Huguenot church, L'Eglise du St. Esprit, erected in Pine Street, and James

was one of the elders while the church was under the ministry of Jean Carle. ELIAS DESBROSSES early connected himself with the Established Church. He was a Vestryman of Trinity from 1759 to 1770 and Warden from 1770 to 1778, and he was a liberal contributor to the support of the Charity School of that Corporation. His name appears first signed to the report of the great loss the Corporation sustained in the fire of 1776, amounting to £22,000,-the Church, Charity Schools, Library, and Rectory being all destroyed, and it was he who, as Churchwarden, inducted Mr. Inglis as Rector, the following year, the ceremony being completed by "placing his hand (Mr. Inglis') on the wall of the said church, the same being then a ruin."

He was one of the early patrons of the New York Hospital, and a Governor from 1775 to 1778.

The time was now rapidly approaching when the career of MR. DESBROSSES, the latter days of which appear to have been devoted to good works, was to close. He died in New York on the 26th March, 1778. An elaborate obituary notice appeared in Rivington's "Royal Gazette," for Saturday, April 4th, 1778, which gives a careful analysis of his character.

"On Thursday, the 26th of last month, departed this life, in the 60th year of his age, ELIAS DESBROSSES, Esq., for many years an eminent Merchant in this City. By the death of this worthy man, who was much loved and respected, this Community hath lost a most useful member.

"His conduct through life was regulated by the strictest probity; and he ever supported a fine, unspotted character. He was active, sober, and just; mild, easy, and humane; devout, benevolent, and sincere. No man had a more feeling heart for the distresses, or more interested in the welfare of others. In him the poor and needy always found a gen

erous benefactor; every scheme that could be subservient to the comforts of Society, a zealous patron-all who required his services (and their number was great), a faithful, steady Friend.

"An invariable adherence to this line of conduct evinced that it was the result of fixed principles-that it flowed from a deep and awful sense of the Supreme Being, from a conscientious regard to the dictates of his revealed will and from an habitual piety which without any ostentation always influenced his proceedings in every station.

"An ornament to the Religious Society of which he was a member, he was assiduous in promoting its interest, and indefatigable in his endeavours to extricate it from those embarassments in which the present wanton and unnatural Rebellion had involved it. Nor were his views for this purpose and the general good of his fellow creatures confined to the term of his own existence here. By his last will he bequeathed considerable sums for the education and support of orphans in the Charity School of Trinity Church, and for promoting religion. In short, few persons have deserved better of society-few have been more justly and sincerely lamented than MR. DESBROSSES. His remains were interred in the family vault in Trinity Church Yard, attended by a large number of respectable citizens, on the Saturday after his decease."

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The will of MR. ELIAS DESBROSSES, on file in the Surrogate's office for New York County, dated June, 1773, and finally proved in 1784, recounts the names of his family and recites his bequests. By it he bequeathes to his brother, James, all the town-land in Hardenbergh Patent; to his loving sisters, Magdalen and Elizabeth Desbrosses, his lot, dwelling, and store fronting King, Queen, and Dock Streets, bought of the heirs of Cornelius Van Horne; to his niece,

Mary Ann Desbrosses, the lot and dwelling-house fronting Queen Street, bought of the heirs of Piere G. Depeyster; "One thousand Pounds, lawful money of New York, unto the Rector and inhabitants of the City of New York in communion of the Church of England as by Law established, in trust, to be placed at interest by the Vestry of that Corporation for the maintenance of a French Clergyman, who shall perform Divine Service in the French language in this City according to the liturgie of the Church of England as by law established, and should it be any considerable time before such establishment is effected, then the interest arising from the said thousand pounds shall become a principal for the same use-and the sum of five hundred pounds, lawful money of New York, ........ for the clothing and educating the poor children of Trinity Church School in this City."

The Mary Ann Desbrosses here named was married to Joseph Waddington, Feb. 6th, 1781. The two sisters of MR. DESBROSSES died single at a great age. On the 12th July, 1781, they made their wills, in which each styled herself a "single woman," in each other's favor. "The Daily Advertiser," for Friday, December 26th, 1794, has a notice of the death of the survivor: "Died, on Monday last, Mrs. Magdalen Desbrosses, aged 87 years."

The two wills were proved on the 9th January, 1795. That of Magdalen names as her residuary legatees her nephew James Desbrosses, (Jr.,) of New York, Merchant, and his wife Elizabeth, (he had married Elizabeth Butler, in 1762,) and two other sons of James, by name Elias and William, of whom no other mention appears.

Between this period and the 5th May, 1809, there was great mortality in the family. On this day Letters of Administration were granted to John Hunter and Elizabeth his

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