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Historical records matching William Bard
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About William Bard
William Bard
Bard was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 4, 1778. He was the son of cousins, Mary (née Bard) Bard and Samuel Bard, a prominent doctor who was one of the founder of Columbia University's medical school. He the personal physician to George Washington.
His younger sister, Eliza, was the wife of John McVickar, the First Rector of St. James Church in Hyde Park and a professor at Columbia University.
His paternal grandparents were Suzanne (née Valleau) Bard, a granddaughter and heiress of Pierre Fauconnier, and John Bard, a friend of both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin who had invested in Hyde Park, then a 3,600 acre plantation.
William graduated from Columbia College in 1798, and began the study of law under Judge Maturin Livingston, the former Recorder for the City of New York.
He later founded the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company (New York Life or NYL), which was the first insurance company in New York, and he also served as its first president.
On October 7, 1802, Bard was married to Catherine Cruger (1781–1868) at Trinity Church in Manhattan. Catherine was the daughter of Ann (née du Nully) Cruger and Nicholas Cruger (brother of Henry Cruger), a slave-trader in St. Croix, West Indies. Together, they were the parents of fourteen children, eight of whom lived to adulthood:
- Samuel Bard (1803–1883), who died unmarried.
- Anne Bard (1804–1834), who married Edward Prime (1801–1883), son of Nathaniel Prime, in 1827.
- Caroline Bard (1806–1883), who died unmarried.
- Susan Bard (1812–1838), who married Ferdinand Sands (1806–1839), a grandson of Comfort Sands.
- Eliza Bard (1813–1902), who married Rufus King Delafield (1802–1874), brother of merchants Richard Delafield and Edward Delafield.
- William Henry Bard (1815–1834), who died unmarried.
- John Bard (1819–1899), who founded Bard College with his wife, Margaret Taylor Johnston (1825–1875), daughter of merchant John Johnston and sister of John Taylor Johnston, founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Mary Bard (1821–1847), who married Arthur B. Morris.
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William Bard's Timeline
| 1778 |
April 4, 1778
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Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
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| 1812 |
February 7, 1812
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Hyde Park, NY, United States
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| 1813 |
November 27, 1813
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Hyde Park, Dutchess County, New York, United States
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| 1819 |
June 2, 1819
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Hyde Park, Dutchess County, New York, United States
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| 1853 |
October 17, 1853
Age 75
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Staten Island, Richmond County, New York, United States
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