Samuel Fraunces
Samuel Fraunces[1] (about 1722, West Indies {exact birthplace unknown} – October 11, 1795, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)[2] was the owner/operator of Fraunces Tavern, Vauxhall Gardens and other venues in New York City, and later steward of George Washington's presidential household. Born in the West Indies of French ancestry, his origins are somewhat mysterious. Although the 1790 United States Census for New York lists Samuel Fraunces as a "free white male" and a slave-holder, there remains some confusion about his racial identity.
Revolutionary War
One distinction about Fraunces was his business and personal relationship with one of America's most powerful men, George Washington. During the Revolutionary War, the pair 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.
The end of the war was celebrated with a December 4, 1783 victory dinner at Fraunces Tavern, New York City, at which Washington said farewell to his officers.
The legend that Fraunces's daughter Phoebe saved Washington's life during the Revolutionary War is probably untrue. His eldest daughter was named Elizabeth, and was a 10-year-old in June 1776, the time of the supposed poisoning attempt.[3] There is no Phoebe Fraunces listed in church or census records, and the name does not appear in published sources until the early-20th century.[4] If a Phoebe existed she may have been a woman enslaved or employed by Fraunces, rather than his daughter.
Presidential Household
George Washington became the first President of the United States in 1789, and selected Fraunces to be the steward of his executive mansion in New York City. The national capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790, and Fraunces managed the presidential household there from 1791 to 1794. Washington's step-grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, described Fraunces overseeing a State dinner at the Philadelphia President's House: "When the steward in snow-white apron, silk shorts and stockings, and hair in full powder, placed the first dish on the table, the clock being on the stroke of four, 'the labors of Hercules' ceased."[5] This passage is sometimes misunderstood, conflating Fraunces (the steward who served the dinner) with Hercules (the enslaved cook from Mount Vernon who cooked it).
Death
Following his retirement from the presidential household, Fraunces operated a tavern in Philadelphia for about a year until his death. A Pennsylvania state historical marker at 2nd & Dock Streets marks the tavern's location.[6]
Samuel Fraunces is buried in an unmarked grave at St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia.
References
- ^ Samuel Fraunces portait from Flickr.
- ^ Obituary: "Died Saturday evening last, Mr. Samuel Fraunces, aged 73. By his death Society has sustained the loss of an honest man and the Poor a valuable friend." – Gazette of the United States, October 13, 1795.
- ^ Elizabeth Fraunces was born on December 26, 1765, and baptized at Christ Church, Philadelphia, on January 27, 1766.
- ^ See: Henry Russell Drowne, A Sketch of Fraunces Tavern and Those Connected with Its History (New York: Fraunces Tavern, 1919), p. 8.
- ^ George Washington Parke Custis, Recollections and Private Memoirs of the Life and Character of Washington (New York, 1860) p. 423.
- ^ PA Historical Marker from Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.