Memorial of James DeLancey, February 22, 1786

To the Right Honble the Lords Commissioners of his Majestys Treasury

The Memorial of James DeLancey Esqr late of the City of New York in North America

Most humbly sheweth

That at the Commencement of the Dissentions in America your Memorial took and active and decided part in favour of Great Britain, and that in consequence of his Loyalty to his Majesty and attachment to the British Government, his person has been Attainted, and his Estate confiscated.

That from the peculiar situation of the most valuable part of his property in the vicinity of the City of New York, he has suffered greater Damages from the King’s Troops than almost any other Loyal subject from America, as will appear from the Estimates and Proofs annexed to his Memorial and that exclusive of the losses therein sett forth, he has experienced a great Diminnution of his Income by the Destruction of Houses Buildings and Fences belonging to his Tenants, and the Encampment of the British Troops on his Farm, and the running the Works through his grounds for near a Mile, that besides these Injuries he has been deprived of a very Considerable Rent above what has been charged for the Houses occupied by the Kings Troops, by their keeping possession of them, and preventing his agent from letting them to the same advantage, which other person obtained from the Increase of Rents during the War on the Island of New York.

That your Memorialist has only received Rent for his Mansion House for which he has given Credit in his account, and that neither he nor any person for him has received any Rent for the other Houses, nor has any compensation been made to him or his agents for the Damages done to his Property by the Kings Troops.

Your Memorialist therefore that your Lordships will to take his Loss into consideration, and grant him such Relief as will enable him to obtain Payment for what shall appear to be justly due to him for the Rent of his Houses and for the Damages done to his property by the Kings Troops.

And your Memorialist shall pray

James DeLancey

In support of this claim, James DeLancey submitted memoranda documenting the use of his property by the British army, the condition of his property at the beginning of the war, and the losses incurred from unrealized rentail income and damage done by the king’s troops.  For example, in a memorandum dated New York, September 6, 1780, signed by John George Lorentz, Hessian Commissary General and Superintendent of the Hessian Hospital as well as an army purveyor wrote:

“This is to the certify that the house of captain James DeLancey situated on the hill near the teawater pump, is from 1st of March 1777 always kept for the Hessian general hospital and cannot be given up until another House is appointed for their purpose from the Barrack office.” (page 171)

DeLancey also provided affidavits from people he had employed. James Whiteman and his wife, Margaret, Samuel Maghee, a carpenter, certified that he had been employed by DeLancey for many year to build and repair the structures on DeLancey’s property in New York City “as well as his Dwelling House on Freshwater Hill” and that they were all in good order when the war began.  John and Margaret Whiteman, who had been hired as caretakers for the mansion on Freshwater Hill certified that the place had been in good order before it was taken over for the Hessian hospital.  The men signed their names to the affidavit.  Margaret Whiteman made her mark.  (pp. 174-75)