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Lion Gardiner (1599–1663) was an English engineer and colonist who founded the first English settlement in
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, acquiring land on eastern Long Island. He had been working in the Netherlands and was hired to construct fortifications on the Connecticut River, for the Connecticut Colony. His legacy includes Gardiners Island, which is held by his descendants.


Early life

Lion Gardiner was born in England in 1599.Gardiner, 84 He and his wife Mary left
Woerden Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and the fact that it has rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commu ...
in the Netherlands and embarked for New England on the ship ''Batcheler'' on July 10, 1635. The ship arrived at
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at the end of November in 1635. Governor
John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led ...
noted Gardiner's arrival in his ''Journal'' under the date November 28:
Here arrived a small Norsey bark of twenty-five tons sent by Lords Say, etc, with one Gardiner, an expert engineer or work base, and provisions of all sorts, to begin a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut. She came through many great tempests; yet, through the Lord's great providence, her passengers, twelve men, two women, and all goods, all safe.Dunn, 207Dunn, 161Dunn, 783


Career

Gardiner was a military engineer in service of the Prince of Orange in the Netherlands along with John Mason. He was hired by the
Connecticut Company The Connecticut Company was the primary electric street railway company in the U.S. state of Connecticut, operating both city and rural trolleys and freight service. It was controlled by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (New Haven), ...
in 1635 to oversee construction of fortifications in
Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a sett ...
. He finished and commanded the Saybrook Fort at the mouth of the Connecticut River during the
Pequot War The Pequot War was an armed conflict that took place between 1636 and 1638 in New England between the Pequot tribe and an alliance of the colonists from the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook colonies and their allies from the Narragan ...
of 1636–37.Gardiner, 6 In 1639, he purchased an island from the
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tribe, which they called ''Manchonat'', located between the
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and South forks of eastern Long Island, in what is now Suffolk County, New York. The original grant by which he acquired proprietary rights in the island made it an entirely separate and independent plantation. It was not connected to either Connecticut Colony or
New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
. He was empowered to draft laws for church and state. He called it the Isle of Wight, but it is now known as Gardiners Island after him. In 1660, Gardiner wrote the firsthand account ''Relation of the Pequot Warres''. The manuscript was lost among various state archives and rediscovered in 1809; it was first published in 1833.


Personal life

Shortly before departing from the Netherlands, he married Mary Willemsen Deurcant, the daughter of Dericke Willemsen Deurcant and Hachin Bastiens, who was born at Woerden about 1601. She died in 1665 in East Hampton, New York. They were the parents of three children: * David was born on April 29, 1636, at Saybrook.Gardiner, 86 He married on June 4, 1657, Mary Leringman, a widow, at St. Margaret's Parish in the City of Westminster, England. * Mary was born on August 30, 1638, at Saybrook, Connecticut.Gardiner, 93 She married in 1658, Jeremiah Conkling, the son of Ananias Conkling, who was from Nottinghamshire, England. * Elizabeth was born on September 14, 1641, at Gardiners Island, New York.Gardiner, 94 She married in 1657, Arthur Howell, a son of Edward Howell of Southampton, Long Island. Her death led to the
witchcraft trial A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern perio ...
of Elizabeth Garlick. Lion Gardiner was buried in East Hampton, New York. A tombstone with a recumbent effigy was erected in his memory in 1886.Gardiner, 74


Descendants

Lion Gardiner's descendants number in the thousands in the 21st century. Some of his notable descendants include: * David Gardiner, New York State Senator, father of Julia Gardiner TylerGardiner, 145 * Julia Gardiner Tyler, second wife of President
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticke ...
; First Lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845 * Mary Gardiner Horsford, poet and wife of chemist
Eben Norton Horsford Eben Norton Horsford (27 July 1818 – 1 January 1893) was an American scientist who taught agricultural chemistry in the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard from 1847 to 1863. Later he was known for his reformulation of baking powder, his int ...
* Gardiner Greene Hubbard, lawyer, financier, and philanthropist. He was one of the founders of the
Bell Telephone Company The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company – the New Engla ...
and first president of the National Geographic Society. * Aaron Bancroft,Gardiner, 112 clergyman, married Lucretia Chandler *Eliza Bancroft, married John Davis, lawyer, businessman and governor of Massachusetts * George Bancroft, historian and statesman *Chevalier
Benjamin C. Bradlee Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee (, 1921 – , 2014) was an American journalist who served as managing editor, then as executive editor of ''The Washington Post'', from 1965 to 1991. He became a public figure when the ''Post'' joined ''The New Y ...
, vice president-at-large of '' The Washington Post'', executive editor of ''The Washington Post'' during the Watergate scandal. *
Quinn Bradlee Quinn Bradlee FRSA FRAS FSA Scot (aged ) is an American filmmaker, author and advocate for improving the lives of disabled individuals. Biography Bradlee is the son of the late author and '' Washington Post'' executive editor Ben Bradlee, and ...
, author, founder and CEO of FriendsOfQuinn.com *
Alfred Conkling Alfred Conkling (October 12, 1789 – February 5, 1874) was a United States representative from New York, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York and United States Minister to Mexi ...
, U.S. Representative, judge of the District Court for the Northern District of New York, U.S. Minister to Mexico * Roscoe Conkling, U.S. Senator, Republican political boss from
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* Alfred Conkling Coxe, Sr., judge of the District Court for the Northern District of New York and later the
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate juris ...
, author * Alfred Conkling Coxe, Jr., judge of the District Court for the Southern District of New York * Louis O. Coxe, poet, playwright, and professor from Maine; best known for the
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
version of ''
Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'' is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed version was finally published in 1924, it quickl ...
'' * Bancroft Davis, married Frederika Gore King, daughter of U.S. Representative James Gore King * Horace Davis, a
United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from California *
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and Republican United States senator from Massachusetts in both Senate seats in non-consecutive terms of service and a United States ambassador. He was considered ...
, Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts;
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...
, Ambassador to South Vietnam, Ambassador to West Germany; Special Envoy to the Holy See; 1960 Republican nominee for Vice President * George C. Lodge, the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of
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Emeritus at
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* John Davis Lodge, actor, Republican politician;
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
; governor of Connecticut; ambassador to Spain,
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, and Switzerland * John Gardiner Calkins Brainard, lawyer, editor and poet. * Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, first full-time editor and president of the National Geographic Society. *
Gilbert Melville Grosvenor Gilbert Melville Grosvenor (born May 5, 1931) is the former president and chairman of the National Geographic Society, who previously served as the editor of ''National Geographic'' magazine.Lanken, Dane. "The bee in Grosvenor's bonnet", ''Canadia ...
, is past president and chief executive of the National Geographic Society, as well as a former editor of '' National Geographic Magazine''. *
Melville Bell Grosvenor Melville Bell Grosvenor (November 26, 1901 – April 22, 1982) was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of '' The National Geographic Magazine'' from 1957 to 1967. He was the grandson of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Be ...
, was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of '' National Geographic Magazine'' from 1957 to 1969. * Mabel Gardiner Hubbard married
Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and T ...
, an eminent scientist,
inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...
, engineer and
innovator Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entit ...
who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. *Winthrop Gardiner, Jr., the 14th Proprietor of Gardiners Island. He married Norwegian figure skater and actress, Sonja Henie, after his divorce from actress
Mildred Shay Mildred Helen Shay (September 26, 1911 – October 15, 2005) was an American film actress of the 1930s whose affairs, marriages and glamorous social life became a popular subject for gossip columnists. At five-feet tall, Shay was dubbed the "Pocke ...
. * Gertrude Van Cortlandt Wells, married Schuyler Hamilton, Jr., the son of
Schuyler Hamilton Schuyler Hamilton (July 22, 1822 – March 18, 1903) was an American soldier, farmer, engineer, and a grandson of Alexander Hamilton. Early life Hamilton was born on July 22, 1822 in New York City. He was the fifth of 14 children born to John Chu ...
and great-grandson of
Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...
* Selah Brewster Strong, lawyer and politician from
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* Marcius D. Raymond,Gardiner, 124 publisher, writer, genealogist, editor, historian * David Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian billionaire and art collector * Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian billionaire, art collector, and philanthropist *
Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet Roy Herbert Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, (5 June 1894 – 4 August 1976) was a Canadian-born British newspaper proprietor who became one of the moguls of Fleet Street in London. He first came to prominence when he was selling radios in ...
, Canadian businessman * David Gardiner Tyler, Democratic lawyer and politician, Virginia State Senator,
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
, son of president
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticke ...
* Lyon Gardiner Tyler, educator and historian, another son of president
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticke ...
*
Robert David Lion Gardiner Robert David Lion Gardiner (February 25, 1911 – August 23, 2004), was the last heir to Gardiner's Island to have the surname "Gardiner". (His sister's daughter, Alexandra Creel Goelet was co-owner, until his death, and is now sole owner.) He ...
, Columbia College (1934), once an owner of Gardiners Island and "... the 16th Lord of the Manor ...". * Alexandra Creel Goelet, current owner of Gardiners Island. The Goelets offered to place a
conservation easement In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified private land conservation organization (often called a "land trust") or gove ...
on the island in exchange for a promise from the town of East Hampton not to up-zone the land, change its assessment, or attempt to acquire it by condemnation. The Goelets and East Hampton agreed upon the easement through 2025."Debating the Future Of Gardiners Island"
''The New York Times'', September 5, 2004


References


Bibliography

*Dunn, Richard ''The journal of John Winthrop, 1630–1649''.Abridged Edition: published by Harvard University Press *Gardiner, Curtiss C. ''Lion Gardiner, and his descendants with Illustrations 1599–1890''. St. Louis, Missouri : A.Whipple, publisher


Further reading


''Lion Gardiner, and his descendants with Illustrations 1599–1890''
by Curtiss C. Gardiner, St. Louis, Missouri : A.Whipple, Publisher 1890
The Worlds of Lion Gardiner
Stony Brook University, March 20–21, 2009


External links


''Relation of the Pequot Warres'' (1660)The journal of John Winthrop, 1630–1649
Abridged Edition: by Richard Dunn, published by Harvard University Press
Lion Gardiner (1599–1665)
at
WikiTree WikiTree is a free, shared social-networking genealogy website that allows users individually to research and to contribute to their own personal family trees while building and collaborating on a singular worldwide family tree within the same ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Lion 1599 births People from East Hampton (town), New York People of the Province of New York English emigrants 1663 deaths Pequot War Gardiner family