Maj. Abraham Mortier

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.165.html/2011/im...

~• see wikipedia for the estate "Richmond Hill" in Manhattan which reads, in part, as follows:

"In 1767 Major Abraham Mortier, Paymaster-General of the British army in New York, secured a 99-year lease from Trinity Church in lower Manhattan for a 26-acre parcel of land in Greenwich Village at what is now the intersection of Varick and Charlton Streets. Mortier's home, which he named "Richmond Hill", was described as "a mansion of massive architecture, with a lofty portico supported by Ionic columns, the front walls decorated with pilasters of the same order, and its whole appearance distinguished by a Palladian character of rich though sober ornament." A 19th century woodblock of Richmond Hill is in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York. Thin in his proportions, Major Mortier himself was described as "jolly yet so phenomenally attenuated!" He and his wife, the widow Martha Naden, are known to have entertained a number of distinguished guests at Richmond Hill, even offering their home to Lord Amherst as a headquarters during the French and Indian war. When Major Mortier died in May 1775, at the outbreak of the American Revolution, Richmond Hill passed to his wife Martha, now a widow for the second time.

In April 1776, Richmond Hill became the headquarters of George Washington. As Mrs. Mortier was a staunch Tory, it is doubtful that she offered her home to the general. It is assumed, however, that she was generously compensated for the use of her home as Washington was known for having been considerate and correct in these matters. After Washington departed, Richmond Hill was occupied by British forces until 1783. It is unclear when the Mortier/Banyer family sold the estate, but by 1789 the house was occupied by John Adams, who was then serving as the first Vice President of the United States. Abigail Adams said of the house: "In natural beauty it might vie with the most delicious spot I ever saw." Richmond Hill was purchased by Aaron Burr in 1794, and following his death in 1804 the estate was sold again to John Jacob Astor for $32,000.

In Mrs. Mortier's will proved April 1787, she bequeathed Richmond Hill and the contents of her estate to her daughter Elizabeth Naden Banyer (1739-1808), and her three grandchildren, including Goldsborough Banyer Jr. (1775-1806), the recipient of this tankard. Elizabeth Naden was the daughter of Mr. Naden (her mother's first husband), and step-daughter of Major Mortier. Her first marriage to John Appy Esq., Secretary and Judge Advocate of His Majesty's Forces in American, in 1757 was short lived as he died shortly after. She married secondly to Goldsborough Banyer Sr. (1724-1815) on 5 February 1767. Banyer Sr. was born in London, and immigrated to American in the 1730s. In 1746 he was appointed Deputy Auditor-General of the province. He also served as Deputy Clerk of the Council and on the provincial Supreme Court. The couple had three children, and lived in New York City until the onset of the Revolution, as which time they relocated to Rhinebeck, NY in attempts to avoid conflict. By 1790, the family had relocated again to Albany, where Banyer purchased a large home on Pearl Street as well as several other local properties.

On 22 April 1801, their son Goldsborough Banyer Jr. married Maria Jay (1782-1856), daughter of John Jay (1745-1829), first Chief Justice of the United States, and his wife Sarah Van Brugh Livingston Jay. At the time of the wedding Jay was finishing his term as Governor of the State of New York. Having inherited a substantial portion his grandmother's estate, Banyer Jr. had little need to actively earn a living. Instead he managed his father's real estate holdings and served on local boards in Albany. When Goldsborough died in 1806 at the age of 31, his widow remained in Albany and tended to her elderly father-in-law, Goldsborough Sr.