the foundations for the Lispenard fortunes: a Lispenard
married a fair daughter of his neighbor Rutgers. That stream still runs
into the Broadway Subway at Canal Street apparently uncontrollable.

One Rutgers fell in the Battle of Long Island, and while the old father
died in Albany, the British revenged themselves on the younger brother
by making a hospital of his fine house in New York. The owner kept on
fighting for freedom during the whole Revolutionary War, distinguishing
himself at White Plains.

[Illustration: Henry Rutgers]

This was Henry Rutgers, in whom culminated many of the finest
characteristics of a noble ancestry. His breadth of view in an age not
quite so broad, is well shown in his attitude towards churches and
schools. When he decided to open up his farm in the Seventh Ward for
building purposes he gave land at Oliver and Henry Streets, at Market
and Henry Streets and at Rutgers and Henry Streets for churches, and
there was more for the asking, tho only the Baptists, the Dutch Reformed
and the Presbyterians took advantage of the offer. The Rutgers Street
site became the birthplace of the Rutgers Presbyterian church, beginning
May 13, 1798, in a frame building 36x64. In 1841 the present stone
church was built, and in 1862, as did others, this organization moved
uptown. A Mr. Briggs, who was holding the property for a Protestant
denomination, finally tired of waiting and sold the building to the
Roman Catholic church, in whose hands it remains.

In 1806 Rutgers gave the land for the second free school, and he
succeeded Governor Clinton in 1828 as president of the Free School
Society. Before that day education was not a state matter, but left to
private enterprise, and the free schools then establisht were for the
poor. Rutgers more than once paid salaries and other school bills out
of his own pocket. He was a Regent of the University of the State of
New York for twenty-four years, and a Trustee of Princeton.

Rutgers was not above mixing in with the political life of his time: he
was a member of the legislature four times and took a prominent part in
the election of Thomas Jefferson as President of the United States.

In 1811 he raised funds for the first Tammany Hall, then a benevolent
organization.

During the War of 1812, Rutgers presided at a large mass meeting calling
for the defense of New York when the port was blockaded and it seemed as
if the British would attack it. He was a large contr