New Rochelle ( ) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. The town was settled by Huguenots (French Protestants) in 1688 who fled France following their failed rebellions. A number of the settlers were wealthy merchants, artisans and craftsmen from the city of La Rochelle, France, thus influencing the choice of the name of "New Rochelle".
In 2007, the city had a population of 73,260, making it the seventh largest in the state of New York.
17th century
Protestants in France In 1685, the absolutist Catholic monarch of France Louis XIV unilaterally revoked the Edict of Nantes. This royal edict had protected the minority Protestant population from religious persecution within certain defined areas of France. Despite the fact that the Protestants were France's most industrious class, Louis XIV was determined to drive them out of France. Faced with the prospect of the resurgence of another war of religion, Protestant countries of Europe opened up their territories to these French Protestants, or Huguenots. Sir John Pell, Lord of Pelham Manor, under warrant from the King William III of England, provided land to Huguenot families, most of whom were from the Province of Aunis and the city of La Rochelle.
Settlement
Some 33 families established the community of New Rochelle. A monument containing the names of these settlers stands in Hudson Park, the original landing point of the Huguenots in 1688.Historical Landmarks of New Rochelle, Morgan Seacord 1938 pg.6 It does not, however, contain the names of the slaves whom the Huguenots brought with them, having picked them up on their way to America when they stopped at the Caribbean island of Grenada, a major hub for the Atlantic slave trade.
Thirty-one years earlier, the Siwanoy Indians were pressed to sell their land to Thomas Pell. His land patent was confirmed by his nephew, John Pell, who became lord of Pelham Manor - a feudal domain with its own civil and criminal courts. It was from John Pell and his wife that Jacob Leisler, acting as an agent for a group of Huguenots in New York, purchased the land upon which they would settle for a sum of 1,675 pounds. In 1689 Pell officially deeded 6,100 acres (25 km2) to Leisler for the establishment of a Huguenot community. In addition to the purchase money, Jacob Leisler and his heirs and assigns were to yield and pay unto John Pell and his heirs and assigns (Lords of the Pelham Manor) one 'Fat Calf' yearly as acknowledgement of their feudal obligation to the Manor.New York - A Guide to The Empire State, Work Projects Administration of New York pg.245
Jacob Leisler is an important figure in the early histories of both New Rochelle and the nation. He arrived in America as a soldier with the Dutch West India Company and later became one of the most prominent merchants in New York. When word reached New York City of the invasion of England by William of Orange, forcing King James to flee to France, militia officers deposed the royal authority by force of arms (but without actual combat) and named Leisler their commander-in-chief. He went on to take control of Albany, and appointed himself lieutenant governor of the province, collected taxes and launched an unsuccessful invasion of New France (Canada). The New York City government did not acknowledge his legitimacy, but he had effective control of the city. It was during this time that he acted on behalf of the Huguenots.History of Westchester County, New York, J. Thomas Scharf, A.M., LL.D., p688 When the new king William finally sent a representative and troops to re-establish royal control, Leisler was convicted by him of treason and executed, even though the rationale for Leisler's rebellion had been to take control on behalf of the new king and to prepare the province to defend itself from an expected invasion by France, which had immediately declared war when William took the throne. Leisler was posthumously pardoned by parliament and his property, which had been confiscated as part of the punishment for treason, was restored to his heirs.
Several other prominent Huguenots were integral in the creation of New Rochelle, including Jacques Flandreau, Gabriel Minvielle, Broussard Des Champs, Jean Bouteillier, and Ambroise Sicard, to who the naming of the town is attributed.Historical Landmarks of New Rochelle, Morgan H. Seacord and William S. Hadaway, pg.7 Jacques Flandreau owned extensive acreage in town and along the Boston Post Road; of their family cemetery, Flandreau Cemetery, a small and overgrown part remains. Gabriel Minvielle arrived in New York in 1673 and prospered both as a merchant and also politically, becoming mayor of New York City in 1684. Broussard Des Champs was in New York as early as 1674, where he was established as a merchant. Between 1678 and 1683 he was involved in lending money on mortgage on lands in and around New York City and on Long Island. Bouteillier was a merchant on the Island of Martinique as early as 1678, and, upon his removal to New York, he became actively interested in helping other refugees upon their arrival to the city.
Each of these men participated in promoting the first settlement of Huguenots at New Rochelle along with the assistance of Jacob Leisler. An initial purchase of the tract including Davenport Neck and the adjacent island, now Davids'Island, with Leisler securing the largest share. This purchase proved too limited to handle the large number of refugees arriving in New York, thus resulting in the larger purchase of land from John Pell in 1687. No conveyance of the New Rochelle purchase, pursuant to the 1687 contract, was delivered until 1689, and John Pell conveyed it to Jacob Leisler alone, ignoring all others interested in the purchase. The explanation may be that there had already developed among the Huguenot refugees considerable hostility to Leisler and opposition to his political activities and ambitions.Historical Landmarks of New Rochelle, Morgan H. Seacord and William S. Hadaway, pg.11 A number of the prominent settlers of New Rochelle actively opposed Leisler. Minivielle was so hostile that he cast his vote in the Governor's Council in 1691 for Leisler's execution.History of Westchester County, New York, J. Thomas Scharf, A.M., LL.D., p.685
French character Of all the Huguenot settlements in America founded with the view of being distinct French colonies, New Rochelle most clearly conformed to the plans of its founders. The colony continued to attract French refugees until as late as 1760. The choice of name for the city reflected the importance of the city of La Rochelle and of the new settlement in Huguenot history and distinctly French character of the community. French was spoken, and it was common practice for people in neighboring areas to send their children to New Rochelle to learn the language.Historical Landmarks of New Rochelle, Morgan H. Seacord and William S. Hadaway, pg.94 Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay and author Washington Irving were among the most notable individuals to have been educated in the private boarding school at Trinity Church.Historical Landmarks of New Rochelle, Morgan H. Seacord and William S. Hadaway, pg.95
Early African American community The town's African-American community dates back to the late 17th century, when between 14 and 18 percent of the population was black, mostly enslaved. The first slaves were brought to the area by the early Huguenot settlers. The historic black neighborhood, called Pugsley’s Hollow, was established on farmland deeded by Hannah Pugsley, a member of Westchester's large Quaker Pugsley family, to her African American servant. When Hanna died in 1799, she willed "my Negro Woman Hannah her freedom and That She Shall be No Longer a Slave." Some other enslaved residents of New Rochelle acquired their freedom by escaping from their masters; several of their names are mentioned in the Book of Negroes.
18th century The French Huguenots, as Protestant Europeans, quickly assimilated into the English colony. Although most continued to marry within other Huguenot families over the first two generations, the colonists' use of English and their similarity in customs and race to the larger English population quickly promoted the assimilation of the Huguenots into overall society. By 1738 the last recorded entries in French were made on town records.
Revolutionary War In 1775 General George Washington stopped in New Rochelle on his way to assume command of the Army of the United Colonies in Massachusetts, recounting: "The road for the greater part, indeed the whole way, but the land strong and well covered with grass and a crop of Indian corn intermixed with Pompions (which were yet ungathered) in the fields... The distance of this day's travel was in which we passed through Eastchester, New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, but as these places (although they have houses of worship in them) are not regularly laid out, they are scarcely to be distinguished from the immediate farms which are close together and are separated as one inclosure from another is, by fences of stones which are indeed easily made as the country is immensely stony". The British Army briefly occupied sections of New Rochelle and Larchmont in 1776. Following British victory in the Battle of White Plains, New Rochelle became part of the infamous Neutral Ground of Westchester County.New Rochelle On-line
After the Revolutionary War ended in 1784, patriot Thomas Paine was given a farm in New Rochelle for his service to the cause of independence. The farm, totaling about 300 acres (1.2 km2), had been confiscated from its owners by state of New York due to their Tory activities. Now located on a small street in New Rochelle, the Thomas Paine Cottage is a small museum where multiple Revolutionary War re-enactments occur. Six years after the Revolutionary War had ended, the first national census of 1790 shows New Rochelle with 692 residents, 136 of whom were African American.New Rochelle On-line
19th century An arm of the Atlantic, Long Island Sound stretches along the New York and Connecticut shorelines to the ocean. The western end of the estuary meets the Manhattan's East River at Hell's Gate. This waterway put New Rochelle on a trade route where it propelled the farming community into a resort destination. Sophisticated entrepreneurs and the advancement of steamboat travel ensured its success, as they banked on the wide open vistas, clean country air and aquatic activities just a boat ride from the increasingly crowded and sullied streets of Manhattan.
The first passenger train of the New Haven Railroad steamed into town on New Year's Day, 1849, and within a few decades rail service was suitable for daily travel. As a result, a number of the former vacationers began planting roots in the community - the wealthy building summer estates, the middle-class families purchasing homes in developing residential parks. The train also brought new immigrants to town – the New Rochelle station was the first stop on the New Haven line and a quick trip from the ferry dock off Ellis Island. By 1865, 30% of the town's population was foreign-born. Of New Rochelle's 3,968 residents, 800 were Irish and 200 were German.
The depot became the catalyst for shops, newspaper offices, banks, tearooms, and other enterprises that evolved into a permanent and thriving downtown area that was within the Village of New Rochelle (a 950 section that had been established in 1857). With its own president and board of trustees, the Village eventually included most of the southern part of the community.
Early economy