Samuel Fraunces

Portrait of Samuel Fraunces, unknown artist, circa 1770-1785, Fraunces Tavern Museum, New York City.

Samuel Fraunces (circa 1722, West Indies – October 10, 1795, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was the owner/operator of Fraunces Tavern in New York City. During the American Revolution, he provided for prisoners held during the British occupation, and may have been a spy for the American side. It was at his tavern, on December 4, 1783, that General George Washington said farewell to his officers at the close of the war. Fraunces was later steward of Washington's Presidential household in New York City, and in Philadelphia.

Portraits

Various images of a Samuel Fraunces are known to exist. The oil on canvas portrait (above) hangs in the Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City. The portrait is referenced as "acquired old portrait of Samuel Fraunces" in 1913 by Henry Russell Drowne. A 1920s-or-earlier photograph of the oil portrait is at the New York Public Library, and a cropped version has been published. Rodman de Kay Gilder described the oil portrait at Fraunces Tavern Museum in 1936:

"With his pleasant dark face and his brown eyes, curls, soft mouth and tapering fingers, and the beginnings of a double chin, looking as if he himself appreciated the good food and drink for which he was famous."

A sketch of Fraunces (see left) was published in 1900, then in the possession of his great-great-granddaughter, Edith Bucklin Hartshorn Mason;

The time line for these portraits:

1900 Alice Morse Earle Stagecoach Inn and Tavern Days: Sketch of Sam Fraunces page 184 owned by Mrs. A Livingstone Mason ( Edith Bucklin Hartshorn Descendant of Andrew Fraunces) Newport R.I. mother of Lion Gardiner Mason. This is a line to Abraham Gardiner, Asa Bird Gardiner is from a George Gardiner. They are not the same line.

1905 New York Times April 15, “Colonial Portraits: Interesting Special Exhibit of Bygone Worthies” Fraunces mother and sister.

1911 New York Times July 16, No Portrait of Samuel Fraunces reported available in the NY Times article.

1913 The portrait is referenced as "acquired old portrait of Samuel Fraunces" in 1913 by Henry Russell Drowne. Unlike the other portraits referenced there is no provenance given.

1914 Flushing Times April 25, 1914 No portrait available of Samuel Fraunces. “Unfamiliar faces: Historical Characters of Whose Looks We Know Nothing: They Left No Portraits”

1914 The Ellensburgh Capital Sep 3, 1914 No portrait available. “Historical Characters of Whose Looks We Know Nothing: They Left No Portraits”

1917 special/1st edition, Rodman Gilder 1936 "The Battery" Portrait at Fraunces Tavern Museum and he describes in "The Battery" as a portrait of a man with dark skin, brown eyes and brown curly hair.

1970 June 17 Reading Eagle By Clark Kinnaird page 47, this article had a cut out version of a portrait which accompanied it his ethnic description in this article is Negro-French.

Taverns

At the time of his death, he operated a tavern in Philadelphia. At different times, Fraunces was the owner and/or operator of The Mason's Arms, The Queen's head Tavern which was later named Fraunces Tavern and Vauxhall Gardens, all in New York City.

Revolutionary War

Washington's Farewell to His Troops by Alonzo Chappel (1866).

The included visual is of Washington's Farewell which took place at Fraunces Tavern one of the Tavern's owned by Fraunces. The building itself was torn down and rebuilt to represent a building/Tavern of the colonial period. The Sons of the Revolution not the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution own the building.

One distinction about Fraunces was his business and personal relationship with George Washington and Martha Washington. During the Revolutionary War, Fraunces and Washington are said to have dined in the comfortable atmosphere of one of America's oldest taverns, The Old 76 House in Tappan, New York. In May 1783, he prepared a meal for Washington at the DeWint House, also in Tappan, New York. Among the personal belongings of Martha Washington found at Tudor Place is a waxed carving of Hector and Andromache by Fraunces.

The Daughters of the American Revolution number him among their patriots. His service is the part he played in helping feed and support the prisoners held by the British in NYC. More than 11,000 prisoners died and are remembered on the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument. One of the survivors was Captain Philip Freneau, who wrote the poem "The British Prison Ship," and also wrote "Hugh Gaines Life" immortalizing Fraunces as "Black Sam". Specific reference include Jane Teurs and her part in the Benedict Arnold case.

Death

Fraunces died in Philadelphia a year after his retirement. His obituary appeared in the October 13, 1795 Gazette of the United States:

DIED - On Saturday Evening last, MR. SAMUEL FRAUNCES, aged 73 years. By his death, Society has sustained the loss of an honest man, and the Poor a valuable friend.

At the time of his death Fraunces operated a tavern in Philadelphia. A Pennsylvania state historical marker at 2nd & Dock Streets marks the tavern's location.

On June 26, 2010, Samuel Fraunces was honored by having his name inscribed on an obelisk in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, where he is buried in an unmarked grave.

Genealogy and Race

Another puzzling question is that of Samuel Fraunces’ racial identity. Fraunces was nicknamed “Black Sam”, leading to the assumption by many that he was black. Other than the appearance of this nickname, there are no known 18th century references where Fraunces is described as a black man. The use of “black” as a prefix to a nickname was not uncommon in the 18th century and did not necessarily indicate African heritage of an individual. For instance, Admiral Richard Lord Howe (1762- 1799), one of Britain’s best known and respected seamen – and a white man – was commonly called “Black Dick,” a nickname his brother Sir William Howe gave to him as descriptive of the Admiral’s swarthy complexion. The nickname continued into the 19th and 20th centuries including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ father, a white man with a swarthy complexion, who had the nickname “Black Jack” Bouvier. The issue of Samuel Fraunces’ racial identity is still a passionate topic of discussion to this very day. As debate rallies on for conclusive evidence, the actual truth is that we may never know for sure. Similar unknowns exist in countless ways for many other people, communities, and elements in the study of the past. Books such as Phoebe the Spy and those by the Collier brothers are wonderful works of historical fiction to get a sense of what life was like in early America, but it should be remembered that they are fictional in regards to specific aspects of many characters, places, and things in the storylines. When using teaching materials such as these pieces for young audiences, it is important to articulate this point so students are not quick to accept these aspects at face value. Additionally, full knowledge and understanding of these stories’ elements can bring a positive sense of empowerment to students by encouraging them to ponder their own “what if’s” in history and perhaps pursue these questions through creative writing or historical research in the future. For all of us, this emphasizes the need for never ceasing to wonder and inquire about the past.

— Jennifer Patton, Director of Education, Pre-Visit Materials 2011, Fraunces Tavern Museum, New York City.[1]

Samuel Fraunces was born in Jamaica. The year of his birth when calculated from the baptismal records of a "Mulatto Samuel" with no last name, but from the same parish as Samuel Fraunces, is placed at 1734 by biographer C.R. Cole; however, there is no confirmation that this Samuel was a Fraunces and it has a 12-year discrepancy from his year of birth, 1722, as calculated from his published obituary (see "Death" section above).

Samuel Fraunces married Elizabeth Dalley, the daughter of Hendrick Dailey and Sarah Gifford, on November 30, 1757 at Trinity Church, New York. Sarah Gifford's father had been bound to Lewis Morris (governor). The children of Samuel and Elizabeth Dalley Fraunces named in his Will of Samuel are: Samuel, Sophia, Hannah, Andrew G., Elizabeth Thompson, Sarah Campbell and Catherine Smock. The children were all baptized or married at Trinity Church in New York City, St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, or Christ Church, Philadelphia. Elizabeth Dalley was the sister of Gifford Dalley who managed City Tavern and London Coffeehouse both in Philadelphia.

Samuel's daughter Elizabeth and her husband Atcheson Thompson lived in Philadelphia. Atcheson operated a Boardinghouse. Daughter Hannah remained in Philadelphia and married there.

The 1790 United States Census for New York, page 63 of the Dock Ward lists Samuel Fraunces as a free white male with four females and one enslaved individual in the household. Fraunces's daughter Elizabeth was married in 1789. His son Andrew and daughter Catherine were both married by 1785. Still living at home in the 1790 census were daughters Sophia, Sara, and Hannah and their mother Elizabeth.

According to Trinity Church, NYC, records, there is a Samuel Francis (black man) who marries an Elizabeth "Betsy" Stevens (a black woman) on October 5, 1794. Author C.R. Cole contends that this man is the son of Samuel Fraunces and follows his life through the 1820 census. When searching Trinity church records electronically under marriage records using the name Samuel 1202 are returned of those two are Samuel Fraunces (Francis) once is the marriage of Elizabeth Dalley and Samuel "Francis" the other is the marriage of Samuel "Francis" to Elizabeth Stevens.

In some accounts Samuel Fraunces Jr. is confused with Samuel Mifflin Francis son of Turbutt Francis also found in St. Peter's church records of Philadelphia. Samuel Mifflin Francis married to Suzanne Chevalier died in Philadelphia in July 1799.^{[citation needed]} Samuel Mifflin Francis is named in his Grandfather Samuel Mifflin's Will Samuel Mifflin was at one time Mayor of Philadelphia. A portrait of Samuel Mifflin was done by Charles Willson Peale. Samuel Mifflin Francis is named in Sarah Connolly's his mother's Will. The Will was written in 1795 but not filed until 1800. Sarah Mifflin Connolly was also painted by Charles Willson Peale, the portrait of Sarah and Rebecca Mifflin has also erroneously been reported as the Samuel Fraunces mother and sister in the past.

Samuel Fraunces, Jr. is always listed, enumerated and recalled as Negro in church records and on census records. In the 1800 census A. Francis(Andrew estranged from Sarah Pye Fraunces) is counted as mulatto with 5 enslaved individuals(Samuel Jr's family). In 1810 and 1820 Samuel Jr. is listed as a free black head of household. His sister Sophia married Abraham Gomez and in 1840 as a widow she is enumerated as a free black. In 1840 Sophia lived next door to her sister-in-law Betsy Stevenson Fraunces and one house away from Samuel Fraunces III, all of whom are enumerated as free blacks. In 1850 Elizabeth "Betsy" Stevens Fraunces is enumerated next to her her daughter Elizabeth Fraunces DeHart.

Some historians point to the fact that Samuel Fraunces voted to refute his racial identity as African. As a property owner he had the right to vote. Langston Hughes points out in his work that restrictions were not always placed on voting. Ironically it is Hughes who makes the argument that Fraunces voted.

Others have stated that Trinity Church had no African American members. There are many negro noted among the records of Trinity Church.

References to Samuel Fraunces as a Freemason are used to refute his racial identity as Negro or African. However, the Masons at both lodges have on record that as belonging to in New York and Philadelphia are NOT among those refuting this origin. In the book 10,000 Famous Freemasons Vol II copyrighted in 1958 by William R. Denslow, forward by Harry S. Truman, P.G.M. Fraunces is noted as "a West Indian Negro" where his entry reads as follows: Samuel Fraunces (1722?-1795) Revolutionary tavernkeeper and patriot. A West Indian Negro who was the keeper of "Fraunces Tavern," New York City, between 1762–65 and 1770-89. From 1789-94 he was household steward to George Washington. Member of Holland Lodge No. 8, New York City.

On September 7, 1785 George Washington wrote to Samuel Fraunces to ask him to help him with his search for a housekeeper/household steward. Fraunces is referred to in writings to and from Washington over 20 times.

Washington's adopted son, who was Martha's grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, recalls Fraunces by name.

W.E.B. Du Bois in his research of black entrepreneurs noted that upon landing in New York City as an officer's cook on an English vessel, Samuel Fraunces settled in the Negro colony of the Wall Street District.

Many of the informants for the recollections of his life were children at the time of these events. His daughter Elizabeth and her contemporaries were only about 10 years old. George Washington "Wash" Parke Custis was about 9 years old.

Katharine Schuyler Baxter, the granddaughter of the god-daughter of George and Martha Washington recalls Fraunces as "a mulatto" in A Godchild of Washington, A Picture of the Past, (New York: F. Tennyson Neely, 1897). Baxter's reference preceded the references regarding Fraunces' race that were made at the turn of the 19th century in connection to the preservation of the Fraunces Tavern building. As the Fraunces Tavern was in danger of demolition the Daughters of the American Revolution went on record with protest to the demolition. The city of New York designated the area as a park. The Sons of the Revolution eventually acquired the site and rebuilt the structure we see today. Seen here Frances Tavern in 1867 looked very different from today's rendition.

As the reconstruction of the Fraunces Tavern took place, references regarding Fraunces' ethnicity began to change. At that point because the Phoebe named in Washington's service as a housemaid was noted as a woman of color, the earlier references linking Phoebe to Samuel as his daughter began to be called into question as well. Mrs. Melusina Fay Pierce of the Women's Auxiliary of Preservation of Scenic and Historic Places and Objects in New York City describes Fraunces thus: "This new owner was a West Indian and though from the swarthiness of his complexion commonly was called ‘Black Sam’ he was of French extraction", changing his established identity as Negro to that of 'swarthiness'.

Phoebe and the Poisoned Peas

There is a tradition that Phoebe Fraunces saved Washington's life during the Revolutionary War by having her father remove poisoned peas intended for Washington. There are multiple versions of this event and a fictional children's book. Recollections are printed in the editors notes by Rufus Rockwell Wilson for 1798 Colonel William Heath. Jacob Corwin reports the events in his application for service pension. Jacob Corwin was the Pastor at Wading River Church in Wading River NY and had been a witness to the execution of Thomas Hickey. The poison pea incident is then reported again by Benson John Lossing in 1870 This story was relayed to Lossing by Peter Embry who was born about 1766 would be a contemporary of Elizabeth "Phoebe" Fraunces. Elizabeth "Phoebe" Fraunces was a 10-year-old in June 1776, the time of the Hickey execution.

Phoebe is identified as the daughter of Samuel Fraunces by Henry Russell Drowne in A Sketch of Fraunces Tavern and Those Connected with Its History (New York: Fraunces Tavern, 1919). According to Drowne she was employed as Washington's housekeeper at the Mortimer House on Richmond Hill in June 1776. He credits her with uncovering a plot by one of Washington's guard, Thomas Hickey, to assassinate the Generals Washington and Putnam. Hickey was executed for "mutiny, sedition and treachery"(Drowne, pages 7–8). Earlier in the book, Drowne also labels Samuel Fraunces as "a man of French extraction from the West Indies".

An editor of George Washington Parke Custis's works references Fraunces' daughter as Washington's housekeeper who thwarted the plot to poison the then General Washington by Thomas Hickey.

Charles L. Blockson (Author, Bibliophile, Historian, Museum Curator, Lecturer, Scholar, Professor, Essayist, Activist) says that "Phoebe" was the nickname of Samuel Fraunces's eldest daughter, Elizabeth.