iii iii mi i in i i i iiiiiiiii i i iiii iii i ii m i i iiii i i i iiiiiiiiiiiiniiJ iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiTTr 1786 1924 A PATRIOTIC HISTORY Including a Directory of the National Democratic Convention Issued by THE NEW YORK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE Tammany Hall 145 East 14th Street J^cw Yorl( City, June, 1924 fl ll l llll l llllllllllll l l lll llllll l l li ll l lll l l l l .M l l l lil l l il U SEYMOUR DURST "When you leave, please leave this hook Because it has been said "Ever thing comes t' him who waits Except a loaned book." ^Vl moo 6ox 51 The Story of Tammany * Compiled by Edwin P. Kilroe * Abraham Kaplan Joseph Johnson Issued by DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZATION, NEW YORK COUNTY Tammany Hall 145 East 14th Street June, 1924 THE LATE CHAS F. MURPHY For Twenty-two Years the Leader of Tammany Hall Sachem, 1898-1924
\ Gabriel Thomas, who arrived in America shortly
after the landing of W illiam Penn and spent some fifteen years
among the early settlers. On his return to London he pub-
li-shed an interesting acconnt of his experiences in America,
in which he alludes to Tammany.
This brief record of Tammany's dealings with the English
settlers completes his authentic biography. It discloses merely
a series of business relations in each of which the Chief ap-
pears to have been outbargained by the business tact and
shrewdness of his white neighbors. W ith the mere reference
to his name by Thomas in 169S, Tammany or Tamenend
passes from history.
In the year 1771 Tammany is introduced to the American
colonists in the guise of a Saint, with the First day of May
set aside as sacred to his name. How this remarkable trans-
formation took place, and why Tammany, the chief of an
Indian Tribe, was selected for colonial canonization, are
debatable questions.
In the reports of festal gatherings held in Philadephia it is
related in the Freeman's Journal of that city that on May 1,
1783, "the portraiture of our true old Saint with his well
known motto 'Kawanio Chee Keteru' " 12 was displayed at
the head of the banquet table and that at the celebration of
11 Penna. archives (First series) 11, 124.
" Freeman's Journal, Phila. May 3, 1783; May. 2, 1785.
9
May 1, 1785, "the flag of the United States ornamented with
a fine figure of St. Taminy was displayed in the centre" ; and
on May 1, 1786, "The standard of St. Tammany was displayed,
supported on the right by the flag of France, and on the left
by that of the United States of Holland." Local tradition
is that during the revolution Pennsylvania Troops carried a
flag that bore the portrait of St. Tammany.
William Penn, thus depicted the Chief :
We found him an old man, but yet vigorous in mind and body,
with high notions of liberty, easily won by the suavity and peaceful
address of the Governor.
James Fenimore Cooper, gave what purports to be a full
description of Tammany and reveals him presiding over a
Council of the Delawares in the neighborhood of Lake George,
New York, in the year 1757 13 .
"I am Tamanend of many days" the Chief is credited with
stating in the story to emphasize Cooper's idea of the great
age of Tammany. The description, however, is based on
legends and traditions current when Cooper wrote in 1825.
Tradition has it that Tammany was the first Delaware Chief
to welcome Penn on his arrival in America, on October 27,
1682, and that he was present, in June, 1683, at the Great
Treaty under the Elm at Schakamaxon. History, however,
has left no record of the persons who were present on these
two occasions. Indians in attendance at the Treaty were the
entire tribe of the Susquehannocks and the Unami and
Unalachtigo clans of the Delawares 14 . The object of the
meeting was to confirm the land grants previously made to
William Penn, and to negotiate a treaty of friendship, "to last
as long the sun should shine and the waters run into the
rivers."
The abiding place of Tammany has been assigned by history
to Wilmington, Delaware; Princeton, New Jersey; Easton,
Scranton and Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania ; the upper
Ohio Valley ; Northern New York ; and Tammany Flats,
Damascas Township. Wayne County, Pennsylvania. It is
known that at one period his abode was on the lower Delaware
River and along the fertile banks of the Neshaminy creek in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on the land which, between 1683
and 1697, he conveyed to William Penn.
M "The Last of the Mohicans" chap. 28, line 330.
u At this meeting Tammany is said to have given Wm. Penn a wampum belt of
peace, which is still preserved in the Historical Society of Penna.- — History of
Wilkes-Harrc ( Wilkes-Barre, Pa, 1909), by Oscar Jewell Harvey, 1:113.
10
Wampum belt said to have been given to William Penn by Chief
Tamenend in June, 1683, at the Great Treaty under the Elm
at Schakamaxon.
Three places, widely separated, claim the grave of Tammany.
The view that he was buried on the spot where now stands
Nassau Hall at Princeton; New Jersey, has no reliable data
to support it. For the story that he was buried at Muskingum,
Ohio, and a huge mound erected over his grave, no confirma-
tion whatever can be found.
An elaborate set of circumstances is advanced as evidence of
his burial beside a spring near the bank of the Neshaminy
creek in New Britain township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Tradition of that vicinity relates that about 1740 or 1750
an aged chief with his followers was proceeding to attend
a conference with the Pennsylvania Proprietaries at Philadel-
phia. The chief, too infirm to walk, was carried by youngei
members of the part)'. They halted near a spring, where a
hut was built for the old man. When night came on they
decamped, leaving the old man under the care of an Indian
girl. On awakening the following morning, he became s
distressed and enraged at finding himself deserted that h
sought death by stabbing himself ; but his weakness frustate
this attempt. Persevering in his endeavor to take his ow
life, he set fire to his bed of leaves and threw himself upon it
The other Indians, who, in the absence of their chief, wer
denied an audience by the Proprietaries, returned to the hu
and found the old man dead. The white settlers had the body
buried near the hut, in the presence of the other Indians.
This legend of Tammany's death which found favor in the
popular imagination, supplied the theme for odes and poems,
and its action was reproduced in pantomime as a part of the
ceremonial of the early Tammany societies' celebrations 15 .
It is evident that the chief buried was not Tammany, for i
Tammany had been alive as late as 1749 he would scarce!
have escaped the attention of the Moravian Missionaries v.h
began their work among the Delaware Indians as early a
1742. There is no direct evidence of the date of Tammany 5
death, but from collateral facts it would seem that he wa
called to his fathers about 1698, for in that year Owhala (o
Ochale, Owechela), who has been identified as Tammany'
brother, is mentioned in the Maryland Council Records a
King of the Delawares.
However, this tradition is still cherished in that locality
and the 1 hicks County Historical Society has recently pur
chased the ground where the supposed Tammany was burie
15 New York Journal and Patriotic Register, May 19, 1792.
12
and has selected a monument to be erected over the grave,
bearing this inscription :
To the Memory of
The Celebrated Lenape Chieftain
TAMENEND.
Once owner of this and all land Between
Neshaminy and Pennypack creeks. These
stones are placed at this spot near which
an aged Indian called Tammany by the
pioneers of Bucks County was buried by
white men about the year 1750.
It is said that Tammany adopted the motto "Kwanio Che
Keeteru," which has been translated as "I am master wher-
ever I am." The phrase is ancient, for in 1747 the Schuylkill
Fishing Company, a social club, presented to the Association
Battery, a local Company of Militia, a "new thirty-two
pounder" cannon on which was stamped the words said to
have been the motto of the venerable Chief Tammany. This
cannon was used during the Revolutionary War, and on
April 23, 1783, was restored to the Fishing Company. The
phrase was later according to the Philadelphia Independent,
adopted as the motto of the Society of the- Sons of St. Tam-
many in Philadelphia.
An interesting phase of the research concerning Tammany
is presented by the Walam ( Hum. a record purporting to
preserve the primitive legends and traditions of the Lenni-
Lenape Indians. The legends were recorded in Dictographs
or hieroglyphics to perpetuate the chants by which the tribal
legendary had been kept alive. As a whole it represents the
traditions of the Delaware's with reference to the Creation,
and the tribal migration from the north or west to the
Atlantic Coast line. From the beginning of this migration
to the advent of the white men, the nation was ruled by
ninety-four chiefs, two of whom, the thirty-first and seventy-
sixth, respectively, were named Tamenend. The reference in
the Olum to Tamenend the seventy-sixth chief, follows:
"Again an Affable was Chief, and made peace with all.
All were friends, all were united under this great Chief."
Careful research reveals thai the canonization of Tammany
may be traced to the Schuylkill Fishing Company, a society or
club established in 1732 by Quakers of Philadelphia^. 'Ac-
cording to the records of this club, certain Indian chiefs,
including Tammany, granted to its members and their suc-
cessors the right to tish and hunt within defined limits in the
waters of the Schuylkill and the adjacent woods. Each year
1U This is the oldest social club in Pennsylvania.
13
the sporting season opened on May first, which became a day
of festivity to members of the club. The society adopted
Tammany as its Patron and Saint, and May first was assigned
as his day. On May 11, 1782, when victory for the American
colonists seemed assured, the Club, which had become known
as the "Colony in Schuylkill," changed its name to the "State
in Schuylkill" and adopted new by-laws, among which we
note the following:
10th. There shall be the following meetings of the Governor and
Council annually, * * * One on the first of May, to commemorate
the day of our illustrious Saint and Patron, St. Tammany."
This custom of adopting patrons is of remote origin, prac-
ticed among the guilds and trades of ancient Greece and
Rome, and, in the Middle Ages, adopted by governments,
which denominated Saints of the Church as their patrons.
Later societies also selected saints, from whom their ideals
were derived, and to whom their activities were dedicated.
The Schuylkill Fishing Company, in conformity with this
custom, most naturally selected as its patron saint the Indian
chief, who, had inhabited that region, and who sold to Wil-
liam Penn the very ground on which stood the "State House"
of the Society. It also adopted as its motto the words said
to have been the favorite maxim of the Chief.
Following the success of this society, two other fishing
clubs were organized 17 on the banks of the Schuylkill prior
to the Revolution, and on every first of May the fishing season
was opened with much ceremony. As the clubs grew in im-
portance and prestige, their celebration gained in social splen-
dor and spread through Philadelphia and its vicinity the fame
of the original club's saint and patron.
From the meager data at hand, it would seem that the
appellation "Saint" was not generally accepted at Philadel-
phia until 1773, for in May, 1772, the name, so far as we can
learn, first appeared in print in Philadelphia as "King Tam-
many" 18 when the "Sons of King Tammany" held their first
meeting. However, on June 14, 1772, the name appears in
the public press as "King (or Saint) Tammany," and by 1773
his claim to canonization was well established.
On April 28, 1773, the following notice of a meeting of the
Sons of Saint Tammany made its appearance:
"As all nations have for seven centuries past, adopted some great
personage, remarkable for his virtues and love for Civil and Re-
ligious liberty, as their Tutelar Saint and annually assembled on a
fixed day to commemorate him, the Natives of this flourishing
17 The Mount Regale Fishing Co. and the St. David Fishing Co.; Penna
Mag. 27:88.
18 Penna. Chronicle May 4, 1772; May 11, 1772; June 15, 1772.
14
Province, determined to follow so laudable an example, and for
some years past have adopted a Great Warrior Sachem and Chief,
named, St. Tammany, a fast friend to our forefathers, to be the
tutelar Saint of this Province, and have hitherto, on the First of
May, done the accustomed honors to the memory of so great and
celebrated a Personage."
The invitation of April 28, 1773, indicates clearly that Tam-
many had been known as "Saint" for some years, despite the
apparent lack of recognition in the public press, and that he
had been unofficially adopted as the tutelar Saint of the
Province of Pennsylvania.
In pre-revolutionary days Philadelphia was the center of
heated discussions of England's tyranny, and when the revolu-
tion broke out the Pennsylvania troops quite naturally adopted
their Provincial Saint as Patron and Guide. This example was
followed by the Continental Army, and during the revolution-
ary war the natal day of Saint Tammany was celebrated both at
home and on the field 19 . This observance was continued by the
army long after the conclusion of war, until discontinued by
order of General Dearborn, and then only as a part of the pol-
icy of retrenchment instituted by President Jefferson.
The passing of Tammany as a native chief, and his accession
to the dignity of Patron Saint is marked by progressive steps.
Between 1773 and 1789, in the process of evolution from the
obscurity of a local patron to the dignity of a national figure,
his glory and achievements were celebrated in story and song.
The annual celebrations of the Sons of Saint Tammany of
Philadelphia were usually graced by the delivery of an ode or
poem dedicated to the memory of the Saint and his day. A
poem delivered on one of these occasions is repeated here, as
typical of the eulogies offered in his honor. Here it is :
Character of St. Tammany 20
When superstition's dark and haughty plan
Fettered the genius and debased the man,
Each trifling legend was a truth received;
The priest invented, and the crowd believed ;
Nations adored the whim in stone or paint,
And gloried in the fabricated saint.
Some holy guardian, hence, each nation claims —
Gay France her Dennis, and grave Spain her James,
Britons at once two mighty saints obey —
Andrew and George maintain united sway,
O'er humbler lands the same old whim prevails :
19 "Headquarters, Greenville, 30 April 1795. The first of Mav being the anni-
versary of St. Tammany, the tutelary Saint of America, all the troops fit for
duty on this ground are to receive one Jill of whiskey per man." — Gen. Anthony
\\ ayne's Orderly Book, p. 85.
20 This poem was written by William Pi itchard, a membe - of the Phila. Tammanv
Society and a well known book seller. It achieved great popularity and was widelv
reprinted in the Journals of the day.
15
Ireland her Patrick; boasts her David, Wales.
We Pennsylvanians, these old tales reject,
And our own saint think proper to erect —
Immortal Tammany of Indian Race,
Great in the fields, and foremost in the chase.
No puny saint was he, with fasting pale,
He climbed the mountains, and swept the vale ;
Rushed through the torrent with unequaled might ; —
Your ancient saints would tremble at the sight —
Caught the swift boar, and swifter deer with ease,
And worked a thousand miracles like these.
To public views, he added private ends,
And loved his country most, and next his friends.
With courage long he strove to ward the blow,
(Courage we all respect, E'en in a foe) —
And when each effort he in vain had tried,
Kindled the flame in which he bravely died!
To Tammany let the full horn go round;
His fame let every honest tongue resound;
With him let every generous patriot vie
To live in freedom, or with honor die!
Nor shall I think my labor too severe,
Since ye, wise sachems, kindly deign to bear.
Most of the legends of Tammany and his remarkable per-
formances obtained currency through an oration delivered by
Samuel L. Mitchell, an eminent scholar, before the Tammany
Society or Columbian Order in the City of New York on May
12, 1795, and by the reports of missionaries among the Dela-
ware Indians, as exemplified by John G. B. Heckewelder, a
Moravian.
Heckewelder, who was long a missionary among the Dela-
ware's, has recorded many of their traditions. His work 21
on the Delaware Indians contains the following lofty estimate of
Tammany :
The name of Tamanend is held in the highest veneration among
the Indians. Of all the Chiefs and great men which the Lenapo
Nation ever had, he stands foremost on the list. But although many
fabulous stories are circulated about him among the whites, but
little of his history is known. * * *
All we know, therefore, of Tamanend, is that he was an ancient
Delaware Chief, who never had his equal. He was in the highest
degree endowed with wisdom, virtue, prudence; charity, affability,
meekness, hospitality, in short, with every good and noble qualifi-
cation that a human being may possess. He was supposed to have
had an intercourse with the Great and Good Spirit; for he was a
stranger to everything that is bad.
This appraisal by a noted missionary will serve as an explana-
tion of why the white settlers and their successors so revered
and honored Tammany.
21 History, Manners and Customs of the Indian Nations. (Phila. 1819), by
John G. B. Heckewelder, p. 300.
16
Origin of the Tammany Societies
THE celebration of May 1 as "St. Tammany's Day led
to the establishment of Tammany Societies in the
American Colonies. The Schuylkill Fishing Company, a
social club, organized in Philadelphia in 1732, inaugurated the
outdoor season on the first day of May of each year with
festive social functions. These celebrations attracted public
notice and inspired emulation. Two other societies were
formed shortly afterward. Their members disported along the
banks of the river, closely following the forms and ceremonies
of the original club.
This May day celebration, heralding the coming of Spring,
in what was then the American metropolis, became a holiday
recognized and observed throughout southeastern Pennsyl-
vania and the colonies on the south.
The first celebrations of "St. Tammany's Day" were festivals
of the common people, who went through their antics and
concluded by "taking up a collection." No accurate record
of the beginning of these celebrations is available and the
earliest account is given in a letter written by William Eddis
at Annapolis, December 24th 1771, who has described the
event :
"The first of May is set apart to the memory of Saint Tamina,
on which occasion the natives wear a piece of buck's tail in their
hats, or in some' conspicuous situation. During the course of the
evening, and generally in the midst of a dance, the company are
interrupted by the sudden intrusion of a number of persons habited
like Indians, who rush violently into the room, singing the war song,
giving the whoop, and dancing in the stile of those people; after
which ceremony they retire well satisfied with their reception and
entertainment."
This spirit of celebration spread southward from Phila-
delphia and the custom became deeply rooted in the adjacent
cities, and gradually the festivity became of moment in the
affairs of the central and southern colonies and won for itself
a place in public esteem.
The first permanent Tammany society was established in
Philadelphia on May 1, 1772, and was called "The Sons of
King Tammany." Its purpose was the promotion of charity
and patriotism. The Pennsylvania Chronicle described the
meeting and outlined its purposes in the following words :
On Friday, the first instant, a number of Americans, Sons of King
Tammany, met at the house of Mr. James Byrn, to celebrate the
memory of that truly noble Chieftain whose friendship, was most
17
affectionately manifested to the worthy founder and first settlement
of this Province. After dinner the circulating glass was crowned
with wishes, loyal and patriotic, and the day was concluded with
much cheerfulness and harmony. It is hoped from this small
beginning, a society may be formed of great utility to the distressed;
as this meeting was more for the purpose of promoting Charity
and Benevolence, than Mirth and Festivity.
In 1773 the Society in Philadelphia changed its name to
"Sons of Saint Tammany." and was thus referred to in the
public prints in the notice for the annual meeting of that year.
Invitations to attend this gathering were extended to one
hundred and twenty-one of the most influential men in the
colony, including the Governors of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey, scholars, members of bench and bar, and men of
letters.
On the list of those invited are noted the names of Biddle,
Bradford, Cadwalader. Chew.. Hamilton.. Lawrence, Logan,
Mifflin, Meredith, Xorris. Pemberton, Penrose. Read, Rush,
Rittenhouse, Shippen and Wharton.
Those who attended were imbued with a keen sense of
human sympathy, for a fund was raised for distribution among
confined debtors.
That Society perfected a permanent organization, electing
annually thirteen Sachems as a Board of Directors, a Chief
or President and a Secretary. It also adopted gorgets and
other insignia of office and revived old customs of the earlier
celebrations of May First and smoked the calumet or pipe of
peace at each meeting. During the war for Independence
the Society waned but after the Treaty of Peace was signed
it took on new life and continued its celebrations with renewed
glory. At the conclusion of the fete on May 1st, 1784, the
Society marched in a bodv to serenade General Washington,
who, at that time, was visiting Philadelphia. After the bril-
liant celebration of May 1st, 1786, factions divided the Societv
on questions of internal policies of the National Government,
and it slowly became disintegrated and its activities ceased.
This ended the most important organization in the early
history of the movement.
Spread of the Tammany Idea.
The Philadelphia Society was the parent stem of the
Tammany Societies in the United States. From Philadel-
phia the movement spread into New Jersey, Maryland, Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The
Society's celebration in the City of Richmond in 1785 was
18
j' A LIST |
|St. TA M M ANfYj
*' On TBI mmt or MAY, . 1 773- *
E -r AVF*; Allen Em Jofeph Galloway, Efq. * Samuel PoweJ, Efq; £
I VsLt AflcTUl*. George Glcntworth.! Mr. Jofeph Pemberton. ^
| J Mr. Wdham Allen, J Mr. Benjamin G.bbs. C N r. Edward Penmn^on, £
, r . f J Mr. Thomas Pcnrolc,
£ Mr. Matth.as Afpdcn. j am . H arruUon,Efq; * Mr . Jam „ Pcnrofe . <
5 ... ¥ Andrew Hamilton, Efq;^ &
1 Erf , it mi & ^William Hamilton, Efq >j Dhn Ro r 5 , Efq: 1
lw ?t B t ' E * ? Michael HiUegaft, Efq, *j ofcph Rca d. Efq: 1
£Mr. John Baynton. I Mr wa Uam Hockley, Jofeph tedman, ^
1 K r ' ST"' S ?I ' 1 * Mr " Rcubcn Hames ' W John Rfdn.an. 5
|MuJWham Bradford. ' M j ^r*reysjun.2 M , nav,dV,>nhoufe, g
| Mr. Ubma, Bedford* * JnJj^Hks. fo, * Mr rts , I
I Mr. rhomas Bond, |un.f Mr j acobS amue(Howel.J Dr . Benjamin RuO., t
C Mr. John Bayard. J Mr £ Hepburn, C jHCl)b Rufhi E fq ; *
I J*' Keph Buhock. , Mr. George Henry. ig^. jhornas Read. J
£ Mr. James Eudden. D V 9
> c . ri f Abel Ja,,c. Efq. • £ SamMe i shoeriraker, Efq; ?
I S^r.^be^ 5"* Hobc.W.uclJ.ne^ |
* Mr. John Cadwalader, I Dr. Adam Kuhn. Ijofcph Shipper,. JOB. Elq. g
5 Mr. La.nbt. fcadwalader, 3 Mr. Henry KeppeUe.jun.Cj*. W rn. Sbppen, jun. £
V n i pi l r j" IMr, Joseph Swift; •<
£ »,* , i ;T er ' i r % Hon. John tawrence,Efq; *CapL Robert Sbcwali, X
1 S r £S r» i : r 1 homas I awrence, Elq.W Thomas Smith. %
I Mr- Jrter Chevalier. J Mf ^ L>u . rcnrc> Jim . £ J
I \f* , , P r , ?; v John I awrence,jun. Efq, * Ja mcs Tilghman, Efq; %
3 m r A; J v i illnm Logan. Efq; Vm, Tench T.lghman, *
£ Mr Saber. CUy tf Mr J ame » L °^ n ' %Richard T.l^man. Efq; S
^ Mr, i-jocrt ^ Johrr Lukers, Efq; > Mr. i'eter Turner, |
f r r „ yMr. lehe Luketu, %\lr. Wdliani Turner. \4
v lolfc Dicker.fon. Eiq; ? J ... T ^
f ievd. Mr. Ducbe. k James Luken|, Efiji i |
| Mr. Henry DrinVer. J PcteI Efc l ; jHon. Tho. \ , ltng, Efq; |
!•> il i\tt.u . I a Res - . Mr. \> nte. . ^
I Mr. J.!,„Dumeld. J Mr . Mordecai Lew* 1 M,. jofeph Wharton, fen. J
.... F Samuel MdTlm, Efq: Cstfidicn Watts Ffa <
r.dwalad.r Evans, Mtiflin Efq. K^^^^L 5
iH r 'r?b r Fnl C n f **" M °' ""V 3'* ^Mr. Tho. Wl.anon. fen. |
B Mr. Caleb Emlen. | Mr Samuel Morr.s. JUX1. v Mr . , ofc h Wharton, jun. ^
> 4 Mr. Samuel Cad. Morns, i.. lames Wiarton 4
g E-llencyGovernor ! Samufl Mcre d,th, Efq; *^ /^"v.^.n? 1
| Franklin. Mr. George Morgan, ^ Mr . Tho . Wharton, jun. j
V -n P u Jit Tr *i Mr - Am,,ot, y Morr,s> re "^ Mr. Jofeph Wood. ^
I Judab Fcnjlke. Efq; . Mi.ThomasMurga.royd.ij^, f££ UlLoff> ^
g Mr. rencn Francis, * 3 f. >h Wonall F.fn a
« rurbutt Francis. Efqj J George Koartb. Efq; C^'ViiHamViflei? ^
C Micrs Fifher, Elq; *^ Cv. ' .t- 1 i vr. *
I Mr William Elflier, jun. f Hon. Governor Penn. *Akx. « dcocU. Elq; J
§ Mr. Moore Furman. ^Richard Peters, jun. EfqtjlMr. John WftcoCkS, B
A Tammany Commemoration in Philadelphia, 1773
made notable by the presenee of General Washington, who
recorded the occasion in his diary.
In 1779, we find the first notice of a Tammany celebration
in New Jersey. Because of the strength of the Tory senti-
ment there, however, even the press was loth to give publicity
to the affairs of the Society. It is recorded however, that
William DeHart, an officer in the American Army and later
a prominent attorney of Morristown, New Jersey, was elected
President, and Ebenezer Elmer, an army surgeon was chosen
secretary ; an elaborate certificate of membership was adopted
with a seal containing the famous quotation from Horace : "I
have built a monument more lasting than bronze," showing
that the scholarly gentlemen that organized the Society believed
that the institution which they founded would prove a monu-
men of lasting fame. On May 1st, 1782, a Constitution was
adopted defining the social and charitable purposes of the
Society. This Constitution is the oldest written Constitution
of a Tammany Society in existence and bears the signature
of John Pintard, who later played so prominent a part in the
organization and early development of the New York Tammany
Society.
When opposition to British oppression began to manifest
itself — upon the passage of the Stamp Act, in 1765, and be-
tween that date and the convening of the first Continental
Congress, in 1774 — the Tammany Societies in the middle
Atlantic colonies became leaders of revolutionary sentiment.
They thus gradually changed from purely social to fraternal
and patriotic bodies, for at this time Philadelphia, the birth-
place of the Tammany Societies, was a hotbed of American
patriotism and of the political unrest that lead to American
Independence.
When the success of the American cause seemed assured
the activities of the Tammany Societies were increased. Dur-
ing the years 1780, 1781 and 1782, the public mind was filled
with the economic depression and interest in such organiza-
tions as the Tammany Society waned.
The momentous political controversy over the adoption of
the Federal Constitution overshadowed in interest and impor-
tance the activities of unofficial organizations and agencies
everywhere and even the Sons of Tammany in Philadelphia
went into eclipse. When the seat of the National Government
was transferred from Philadelphia to New York, the light of
the movement of the Tammany Societies was relighted bv the
organization of the Society of Tammany or Columbian Order
in New York.
20
The "Wigwam," Broad Street, 1789-1790
Tammany Society in ]\[ew Tor\\
THE second phase of the movement of the Tammany So-
cieties in the United States begins with the establishment
of the New York Tammany Society. Although the exact time
of its foundation is disputed, an examination of the contem-
porary newspapers clearly indicates the existence of the So-
ciety in 1786. The Tammany Society in Philadelphia at that
period was in the zenith of its prosperity, and the spirit of
its celebrations was contagious.
At the dinner of the Marine Society, held at the Coffee
House in New York, on January 25, 1786, the toast was
offered "St. Tammany and the New Constellatoin." The
other toasts proposed at this banquet bear a striking resem-
blance to those drunk at the St. Tammany Day banquets in
Philadelphia and elsewhere. This was probably due to the
influence of John Pintard, who four years before had been
prominently associated with the Society of the Sons of St.
Tammany in New Jersey. Soon after the British evacuation
however, he came to New York, and in 1784 became a member
of the Marine Society.
The Society of Tammany has preserved the cornerstone of
the first Tammany Hall, erected in 1811 at Park Row and
Frankfort Street, where the reconstructed Sun building now
stands. The stone bears this inscription :
Tammany Society or Columbian Order.
Founded by William Mooney in 1786. Organized under a
Constitution and Laws in 1789. ■
W'm. Mooney 1st Grand Sachem. New York May 12th, 1789.
The inscription may be accepted as evidence of the date of the
founding. Corroboration of this fact is found in the press
notices relating to the Societies' early celebration and from
contemporary reports of the activities immediately following
1786.
In a statement dated November 10. 1817, which is prefixed
to the constitution adopted by the Society in that year, and
signed by "A Brother of 1776 and one of the surviving
Founders." 1786 is given as the date of its founding. In that
year, the statement reads, "a few genuine Whigs — a very few
— assembled together" and formed a National Society.
If the Society held a celebration in 1786 no account of it
is found in the newspapers of that year. It gathered suffi-
22
cient strength, however, to attract attention to its meeting in
Maw 1787. The following notice appeared in New York
Daily Advertiser, April 30, 1787:
The members of St. Tammany's Society in the City of New York
are requested to meet at their wigwam, held at Mr. Talmage Hall's,
No. 49 Cortlandt Street, on Tuesday, the first day of May next, at
Sunset, to celebrate the annual meeting. By order of the Sachem.
Putticatwamina, Sec'ry.
The celebration appears to have been a great success, for it
was elaborately described in the journals of the day.
On May 12, 1789, the Tammany Society held a gala cele-
bration on the Banks of the Hudson about two miles from
the city. "Strangers who are now in this city, and who are
members of this Society in any other state" were invited tc
join in the celebration. Patriotic speeches were delivered and
according to the newspaper accounts :
After singing numbers of Songs adapted to the occasion, and
smoking the Calumet of Peace, each member retired to his own
Wigwam and Hunting Ground, in hopes of meeting on the next
anniversary, in the same brotherly and affectionate manner, to
commemorate the glorious deeds and achievements of their renowned
Patron.
The ceremonial of the festival was borrowed from the Phila-
delphia Society of the Sons of St. Tammany, and is tersely
described in the following excerpt from an early New York
newspaper :
The Society was divided into as many Tribes as there were
States, each tribe distinguished by the name of a State. The mem-
bers were divided or classed into sachems, warriors, hunters, etc.
In their processions they always walked in Indian or single file,
and many of them completely dressed like Indians, with their faces
painted or smeared, and they were decorated with bows, arrows,
tomahawks, and long calumets or smoking pipes, &c, for a covering
a cap nicely fitted on the head, so as to make it a proper depilous
Indian skull. Those of them who appeared in a hat, jacket and
breeches, and left their faces white, wore buck's tail in their hats.
Thenceforth, regular meetings were held at intervals vary-
ing from one week to one month, at which the policies and
purposes of the Order became crystallized and its ritual
elaborated. In 1789, it adopted its first written constitution
With the election of officers, the Society was thoroughlv and
permanently organized, and has since continued its notable and
dignified career, adjusting its customs and ceremonies to con-
form to the changes, taste, and fashion of each decade, but
clinging tenaciously to the ancient traditions that inspired its
foundation.
23
Tammany Society's Object.
The name most prominently associated with the Tammany
Society in its early years is that of William Mooney, a mer-
chant with a place of business in Nassau Street. He first
attracted public attention through the conspicuous part he
played in the great Constitutional Parade in New York City
on July 23, 1788. The various trades furnished floats for
the occasion and Mooney, representing the upholsterers, was
shown on a float in the act of preparing the Presidential chair.
William Mooney's name appears as the Grand Sachem of
the Tammany Society in 1789; after this date he occupied
positions of prominence in the Society continuously for up-
wards of thirty years, as Grand Sachem, Sachem, or chair-
man of important committees.
A guiding influence in the establishment of the Society of
Tammany or Columbian Order in New York is readily
traceable to John Pintard, merchant, philanthropist and scholar
who came to New York from New Jersey soon after the
Treaty of Peace in 1783. In 1788 and 1789 he was an assistant
alderman, and in 1790 was elected to the state legislature.
The scope of his activity was so broad that he became a
participant in every movement of importance in New York,
at this period still the State capital. It is said that he drafted
the by-laws for every society of importance in New York
City in his day, and the first Constitution of the Tammany
Society bears every evidence of his style.
The objects of the Society are briefly stated in the second
paragraph of the Public Constitution as follows :
Tt shall connect in the indissoluble Bonds of patriotic Friendship,
American Brethren, of known attachment to the political Rights
of human Nature, and the Liberties of this country.
In a letter dated October 11, 1790, addressed to the eminent
scholar, Dr. Jeremy Belknap, of Boston, Pintard refers to the
American Museum as having been "instituted by the St. Tam-
many's Society in this city for the express purpose of collect-
ing and preserving everything relating to the natural or political
history of America. I have not time to explain the principles
of this Society, of which I am a member, further than that
it is a political institution founded on a strong republican basis,
whose democratic principles will serve in some measure to
correct the aristocracy of our city."
Although he filled the subordinate office of Sagamore or
Master of Ceremonies, Pintard's activity in the management
and direction of the affairs of the Society was so great that
24
Certificate of Membership in the Tammany Society, 1812
he was in a great measure responsible for the early recognition
it received and the dignity accorded it at the hands of contem-
poraries. Under his influence it expanded its functions and
acquired character and solidarity.
The Society, in an address issued to the people of the United
States on February 2, 1795, described its basic principles as
follows :
This Society * * * is founded on the broad basis of natural
rights and is solely designed to connect American brethren in the
indissoluble bonds of Patriotic Friendship.
The Society, again, in an address published in 1819, described
its principles in these sentences :
The Society of Tammany or Columbian Order is founded upon
the dignified principles of Public Liberty. It is the task of this
Society to adhere with the faith of the magnet to the principles of
the revolution.
At the 42d anniversary celebration of the Society, held on
May 12, 1831, Sachem Grant outlined its principles in the fol-
lowing toast :
Tammany Society or Columbian Order, — a great National In-
stitution, founded on the principles of civil and religious liberty —
the glory of man.
Tammany always had a charitable side and a fund was raised
by collection at the annual festivities for the relief of delinquent
debtors. This brought public favor to the Society, for the Poor
Debtors' Laws were stringent and worked untold hardship. As
the Debtors' Relief Laws were forced on the statute books, the
Society turned its charitable attentions in other directions. This
phase of the Society became a distinguishing feature, which
still endures.
Pintard's declaration that the Tammany Society's "demo-
cratic principles will serve in a measure to correct the aristocracy
of our city," gave rise to the contention that it was organized
to oppose the venerable and venerated Society of the Cincin-
nati. Many writers attributed to it this purpose, although an
understanding of the circumstances surrounding the establish-
ment and early growth of the Society does not warrant such
an inference. By "aristocracy," Pintard undoubtedly meant the
Tory reactionaries, who by reason of wealth and social position
developed strength after the disabilities imposed upon them
during the war had been removed. The line of cleavage was
between the patriots and the loyalists, not between any class or
classes of men who, like the Sons of Saint Tammany and the
members of the Cincinnati, had struggled side by side for
American freedom.
26
Members of the Society of the Cincinnati were also prominent
members of the Tammany Society; invitations to dine were
cordially exchanged, and a committee delegated by the Tam-
many Society at the close of the eighteenth century "to con-
gratulate the Society of the Cincinnati on the happy return of
the day," reported "that they had waited on the Society of the
Cincinnati and were received by the President and members
with every mark of friendly regard and attachment."
Tammany and Columbus.
The Tammany Society as reorganized in 1789 has two patrons
— Saint Tammany and Columbus. Its original constitution
provided that on the first Monday of October in each year a
brother should deliver before the Society a "Long Talk" in
honor of Columbus; and as early as April 6, 1791, Pintard
announced the intention of appropriately celebrating the tercen-
tenary of the discovery of America on October 12, 1792.
At Tammany's reception to the Creek Indians in New York
on August 2, 1790, Dr. William P. Smith, Grand Sachem of
the Society, explained the dual system of patrons as follows :
Although the hand of death is cold upon their bodies, yet the
spirits of two great Chiefs are supposed to walk backwards and
forwards in this great Wigwam, and to direct us in all our pro-
ceedings — Tammany and Columbus. Tradition has brought to us
the memory' of the first. He was a great and good Indian Chief,
a strong warrior, a swift hunter, but what is greater' than all, he
loved his country, We call ourselves his sons.
In all pageantry and ceremonial of the Society the two were
linked in equal importance, and, as late as 1812, no Tammany
procession was complete without a float as its central feature,
presenting in allegorical significance the two great patrons of
the Society — Columbus bearing the emblem of civilization ;
Tammany bearing the constellation of the thirteen American
stars. The two alternately smoked the Calumet of peace. The
figures were shown seated on an elevated car, over which pre-
sided the Genius of America bearing the great standard of the
United States. At the conclusion of the procession, the car
of Tammany and Columbus moved up to the head of the line
and the two patrons were presented to the Genius of America,
who descended from the pedestal to receive them.
In its early history Tammany was designated in various
ways. The first record of the adoption of an ofTicial title by
the Society itself is found in the following paragraph of the
public constitution, printed some time during the year 1789:
This societv shall be called and known by the name of SAINT
TAMMANY'S SOCIETY OR COLUMBIAN ORDER.
27
A radical change in the title appears in the year 1791, when
the name TAMMANY SOCIETY OR COLUMBIAN
ORDER was adopted, the word "Saint" being dropped from
the appellation. By an act of the legislature of the State of
New York, passed April 8, 1805, the Society was incorporated
and its title legally and permanently established as THE
SOCIETY OF TAMMANY OR COLUMBIAN ORDER IN
THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
The Tammany Wigwams.
The Wigwam or meeting hall of the Society at the time of
its early activities was variously located. In 1787 the House
of Talmadge Hall, No. 49 Cortlandt Street was called the
W igwam in the public notices. In 1789 and early in 1790
the Wigwam was located at Barden's Tavern in Broadway.
In July, 1790, the Wigwam was at the City Tavern in Broad
Street, but this like its predecessors was merely a temporary
abiding place of the Society which now began to feel the need
of a permanent home.
On September 10, 1790, the Common Council of the City
assigned to the Society a room in the Exchange. Thus the
Exchange became the Great Wigwam or Tammanial Hall, and
continued to be the home of the Society until 1798 when the
scene of its activities shifted to "Martling's" at the corner of
Nassau and Spruce Streets ; the "Long Room" at the Mart-
ling's became the assembly hall of the Society.
In order that the Society might have a home of its own,
the New York Tammanial Tontine Association was organized
in 179,2. The Tontine was a common device of the day for
raising funds for popular enterprises and in a measure per-
formed the functions of the modern building loan association.
The purpose of this association was to erect "a great wigwam
or Tammany Hall for the convenience of the meetings," but
it was not until May 13, 1811, that the cornerstone of the
first Tammany Hall was laid. The building was located at
the corner of Nassau and Frankfort Streets and was erected
for the purpose of "preserving and strengthening that patriotic
chain which unites its members and for accommodating their
Republican Brothers."
Funds for the enterprise were raised by issuing stock upon
which dividends were to be paid from the income of the build-
ing. A large room was reserved for the use of the society
on certain evenings and the remaining space was rented as a
hotel. The Society reserved in the lease the use of the large
room for every Monday evening and also for May 12th, July
28
4th, November 25th, and the days on which the General Com-
mittee and nominating conventions should meet. The Society
further stipulated that the tenant must "be attached to our
republican principles." Soon after its occupancy of the new
building the Society encouraged the use of the Hall for public
entertainments, receptions and amusements, and in January
of each year the Society itself conducted an annual ball.
On July 4, 1867, the Society laid the cornerstone of the
present Tammany Hall in East Fourteenth Street, near Third
Avenue, with elaborate public ceremonies.
The Hall was publicly dedicated on July 4, 1868, by the
opening of the National Democratic Convention within its
walls. The Convention selected Horatio Seymour, twice
Governor of New York, as Presidential Nominee.
Tammany's Officers and Symbols.
The Tammany Society elects its officers annually on the
Third Monday in April. These officers are thirteen sachems,
who act as a Board of Directors, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a
Sagamore, and Wiskinski. The Sachems organize the Grand
Council of Sachems by electing a presiding officer called the
Grand Sachem, who presides at all functions of the Society,
as well as of the Council. The Sachems also elect a Father
of the Council, and a Scribe to the Council, who records its
proceedings.
The Sagamore is the master of ceremonies at all functions
of the Society. He has charge of the badges and other gorgets
of the Society, and is its Marshal at its public processions.
The Wiskinski (the eyes of the Society) is the doorkeeper or
outer guard. He is also the Custodian of the ornaments,
banners, and standards of the Society.
The Society in the last century was divided into thirteen
tribes, and each member upon his admission was assigned to a
tribe. Under the Constitution adopted November 10, 1817,
the tribes were allotted as follows :
State Tribe State Tribe
1. New Hampshire Otter 8. Delaware Tiger
2. Massachusetts Panther 9. Maryland Fox
3. Rhode Island Beaver 10. Virginia Deer
4. Connecticut Bear 11. North Carolina Buffalo
5. New York Eagle 12. South Carolina Raccoon
6. New Jersey Tortoise k3. Georgia Wolf
7. Pennsylvania Rattlesnake
Each tribe had a separate organization, over which a Sachem,
designated by the Grand Sachem, presided. It also selected
30
by ballot three officers, viz., a Standard Bearer or Warrior,
called an Okemaw ; a tribe hunter called a Mackawalaw ; and
a Scribe or tribe clerk, called an Alank, who kept the roll
containing the tribal proceedings. Each of the tribes was
named after one of the original thirteen states, and as in-
dicated, was dedicated to some animal, a common and wide-
spread custom among the North American Indians. In the
public processions the tribes marched in a body bearing the
arms of their respective states. The custom, however, of
dividing the Society into tribes has now fallen into disuse.
Time is reckoned by the Tammany Society from three
events, and all communications were dated in three ways, i. e.,
from the year of the discovery of America, October 12, 1492;
of Independence, July 4, 1776, and of the Institution, May
12, 1779. The year was divided into four seasons:
Season of snows : December, January and February.
Season of blossoms: March, April and Maw
Season of fruits: June, July and August.
Season of hunting: September, October and November.
The months were designated as Moons, and each had an
appropriate name, thus :
January — Month of Colds. July — Month of Horns.
February — Month of Snows. August — Month of Fishes.
March — Month of Worms. September — Month of Corn.
April — Month of Plants. October — Month of Traveling.
May — Month of Flowers. November — Month of Heavers.
June — Month of Hearts. December — Month of Games.
The Calendar year begins with October, month of Traveling,
the first moon.
The bucktail, regarded as a talisman of liberty by the earlier
Tammany Societies, was adopted by the New York Society
as its emblem; and the regulations provide that it shall be a
part of the insignia worn on all public occasions. It seems to
have borne a superstitious character as a token of good luck,
and was long considered the appropriate badge of a hunter.
With this significance in mind, the original votaries of Tam-
many in Philadelphia, members of the Schuylkill hunting and
fishing clubs, employed it in their ceremonies. The importance
accorded to this symbolism in the Society is illustrated by its
recognition among the toasts offered at the banquets. The
following toast to the bucktail was drunk at the celebration
of May 12, 1819:
The American Bucktail of Tammany ; an emblem of liberty
honored by our ancestors— May it sweep from our soil the last
vestige of unchastened ambition.
31
So prominent was the display of the bncktail in all Tam-
many pageants that its wearers were at one time popularly
known as "Bucktails."
The Cap of Liberty is the paramount symbol of the Society.
It has its origin in antiquity and was a token of freedom among
the ancient Greeks and Romans and the placing of it on the
head of a slave was part of the services attending his manumis-
sion. During the early days of the French Republic it was
the symbol of the supporters of popular rights, and when
sentiment for the principles of the Revolution swept the United
States, the French Cockade, the Cap of Liberty and the Tri-
color of France, became extremely popular in New York City.
The Grand Standard of the Society is the arms of the United
States properly emblazoned. The Society originally adopted
as its motto, the phrase : "Civil Liberty, the Glory of Man."
In recent years, however, this has given way to the inscrip-
tion on the Great Seal of the Society: — "Freedom our Rock."
The latter phrase by custom is now generally accepted as
the motto of the Society.
Each officer of the Society has a specially designed badge,
suspended by a ribbon worn over his shoulders, bearing a
patriotic motto.
The meetings are called Council-Fires, and the tomahawk
and calumet, or pipe of Peace, are given a place in the councils.
The Society in its early career had a well defined order of
procession at its public celebrations. The procession was
always headed by the Cap of Liberty as the Grand Standard
of the Society, and the Father of the Council carrying the
Calumet or pipe of Peace, and the Sagamore carrying the
tomahawk.
In 1813 the practice of appearing in Indian costume at public
functions was abandoned, and in the celebration of July 4th
of that year the Society paraded in civil attire, its membership
distinguished by an appropriate badge. The abandonment of
the Indian regalia was induced by an intense feeling both in
the Society and by the public against Indians because of the
atrocities perpetrated in the border conflict incident to the
War of 1812.
Branches of the New York Society.
Dispensations or Charters were granted by the New York
Society for the formation of subsidiary or branch organizations
in other cities and states. The first dispensation was given in
1790, shortly after the New York Society was reorganized,
to open a Wigwam in Philadelphia, "with the power and
32
^ ^ . ~ 1 / 'do) • ^
f'f tim et.- ^ul^pj-u* *ViU^P»M* tj<~ £^
~& 6*. /*t4/cs/i<£ tt'tt/, a// //t Sp^n/ f}+t~*r*4
Authorization, dated Feb. 4, 1810, from Dr. Michael Leib, Grand
Sachem of the Philadelphia Tammany Society to organize a
branch society in Chillicothe, Ohio.
privileges of initiating sons of freedom into this Illustrious
Order and to grant dispensation for the chain of patriotic
amity" through the State of Pennsylvania.
Applications for these dispensations increased so rapidly
that the New York Society soon became the fountain-head
of a movement that extended south as far as Georgia, north
as far as Massachusetts, and west as far as Missouri. Flour-
ishing branches, or sister societies were found in conspicuous
numbers as late as 1816, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio, District of
Columbia, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, and Missouri.
The movement particularly flourished in Rhode Island where
it was introduced in October, 1809. The movement grew
so steadily in power and influence that the Societies were
powerful enough to hold their weekly meetings in the State
House or Capital at Providence and at Newport and referred
to these buildings as their "Wigwam." For this they drew
the contempt and wrath of the opposition press. In a vain
effort to thwart the success of the movement, the Federalists
in July, 1810, organized the Washington Benevolent Society.
The Societies were most effective in planting the seed of the
Jeffersonian theory of government. Their curious and elab-
orate terminology and their brilliant, well-regulated pageants,
processions and public festivals appealed to the populace and
helped to swell the ranks of the Democratic Party. However,
with the decline of the Federal Party the Societies having
achieved their purpose gradually passed out of existence.
The State of Ohio was dotted with Tammany societies after
the installation of the first one at Chillicothe in February, 1810.
The Societies soon became a leading force in the State.
Here, as well as in other States, the movement aroused the
ire and the open hostility of the Federalists.
The Tammany Society of Ohio it appears, was the first
"Temperance" Party in Ohio, without making temperance the
sole object of its existence. With the election of James
Monroe to the Presidency in 1816, the Societies became in-
active and slowly dissolved in Ohio.
The Tammany Societies in the United States exercised a
powerful influence in shaping the destinies and in crystallizing
the principles of our government, and have contributed much
to the development of our present system of party govern-
ment. The importance of this influence has been inadequately
recognized by students of American history. The Societies
bore the standards of equal rights and popular rule and were
34
the rallying points of Republican activity until the complete
annihilation of the Federalist Party.
Under the favoring leadership of Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison the movement flourished, and in its organized
activities foreshadowed the establishment of national political
parties. With the passing of the Federalists the issues which
had stimulated the movement disappeared, one by one the
societies succumbed to the lethargy resulting from the ces-
sation of violent partisan controversy.
35
Tammany s Unique History
Present Officers
of the
SOCIETY OF TAMMANY OR COLUMBIAN ORDER
In the City of New York
1924-1925
Grand Sachem John R. Voorhis
Secretary Willis Holley
Treasurer William Sohmer
Father of the Council George W. Plunkitt
Sagamore Eugene J. Reilly
Scrihe of the Council Charles J. Ackerson
Wiskinski Frank J. Scannell
Sachems
Thomas C. T. Crain Louis F. Haffen
John F. Curry *Charles F. Murphy
Thomas Darlington Thomas F. McAvoy
Thomas F. Foley George W. Plunkitt
Francis D. Gallatin Daniel L. Ryan
Frank J. Goodwin Alfred E. Smith
Henrv W. Unger
*Died April 25, 1924.
First Officers
of the
SAINT TAMMANY'S SOCIETY or COLUMBIAN
ORDER
1789
Grand Sachem William Mooney
c . . (Anthony Ernest
Secretaries V T . t ,
/John Loudon
Treasurer Thomas Ash
Father of the Council John Campbell
Scrihe of the Council William Pitt Smith
Door-Keeper (Wiskinski) >. Gardiner Baker
Sachems
John Burger Abel Hardenbrook
John Campbell Philip Hone
Gabriel Furman White Matlack
Joseph Jadwin William Mooney
Aliver Glean Jonathan Pearsee, Jun.
Thomas Greenleaf James Tylee
Coertlandt Van Beuren
36
THE Tammany Society of New York occupies an unique
place in the history of American politics. Its develop-
ment includes its activities as a patriotic and fraternal institu-
tion with relationship to an organized force in party politics
of such virility and public confidence that for a century and
a quarter it has dominated the public life of the American
Metropolis. Tammany was never higher in public esteem than
it is to-day.
After its reorganization in 1789, the Society rapidly gained
a place of prominence in the social and patriotic activities of
the city. Its growth was favored by the broadening metro-
politan life of what was then the nation's capital. Its princi-
ples early attracted the attention and received the recognition
of men prominent in municipal, state and national affairs.
Substantial and distinguished citizens were attracted to its
membership and so noted were its public ceremonies and
pageants that the whole city was accustomed to view them with
genuine pride.
In 1790, the population of Xew York, including the City of
New York and the several towns and villages located on the
Island of Manhattan, was not more than 33,000. Greenwich
Village, located in the neighborhood of Christopher Street,
was a remote suburb. The surrounding counties of Kings,
Queens, Westchester, and Richmond, now a part of the city,
were sparsely settled. With the city's growth, the Tammany
Society kept pace, enlarging its membership and extending its
influence.
Early in its career the Society won prestige by the perform-
ance of signal public service in conciliating the representatives
of the Indian Tribes who came to New York to treat with the
National Government. During the Revolution, the sympathies
of many of the tribes were found on the side of the British
and a vexatious problem of the new government was the
pacification of the Indians and the reclamation of their support,
loyalty and allegiance.
On February 15, 1790, the Society tendered a reception to
the Warriors and Sachems of the Oneida Nation, who at that
time were visiting New York to confer with Governor Clinton
and President Washington. The evening was spent in cordial
sociability; punch and wine were served, and complimentary
toasts exchanged. Columbian songs were rendered and
speeches delivered, renewing vows of friendship between the
Society and the Tribe.
In the same year the Chiefs of the Cayuga Indians, who
were in New York on official business, joined with the Society
38
in its anniversary celebration of May 12th. The Cayugas were
tenth in the order of the procession and "the festival was
concluded by an Indian dance led by the Cayuga Indians, in
which the officers of the Society joined."
By its entertainment of the Creek Indians in the same year
the Society mounted at once to national prominence and secured
the recognition and esteem of President Washington and of
Congress. The Chiefs of the Creek Nation, upwards of thirty
in number, came to New York for the purpose of concluding
a treaty of peace with the United States. During the Revolu-
tionary War the Creeks joined with the British against the
colonists and after the treaty of peace was signed, the Creeks
continued to harrass the people of Georgia by conducting a
savage border warfare over boundary disputes. The National
Government invited the Creeks to a conference in New York,
and dispatched a special envoy to greet and escort them to the
Capital. The Government invited the Tammany Society to
participate in the welcome to the Indians upon their arrival
and to entertain them while in the city. The Creeks arrived
July 21, 1790, and "were received by the St. Tammany Society,
who attended on the occasion, attired in the most splendid
dresses and other emblems of that respectable Society." Tam-
many braves escorted the Creeks in procession to President
Washington's Executive Chambers. That evening the visiting
chiefs were entertained at dinner in the Wigwam of the Society
at the City Tavern. There were present, beside the Creeks,
General Knox, Secretary of War. the Senators and Congress-
men from Georgia and officers of the Army. On August 2nd.
1790, a conference was held between the Tammany Society and
the Creeks, attended by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State;
General Knox, Secretary of War; John Jay, Chief Justice of
the United States; George Clinton, Governor of New York,
and James Duane, Mayor of the City. True to Indian custom,
the Calumet of Peace and Friendship was smoked and con-
gratulations were exchanged upon the felicitous relations
between the Indian guests and their hosts. Patriotic songs were
rendered and the Indian chiefs sang and danced. The con-
ference, which was open to the public, delighted the spectator,
with its novelty and brilliancy.
The Society's prestige was enhanced among men of learning
by the establishment under its auspices in June, 1790, of the
American Museum for patriotic mementos and material of
historic value. The Common Council assigned it a room in
the City Hall. Under the guidance of Pintard it grew rapidly
in importance and became one of the show places of the city.
39
In 1794 it was removed from the City Hall to the Exchange in
Broad Street. Later the Museum passed to the custody of
others. In 1865 it was destroyed when Barnum's Museum was
burned 22 .
First Kept Washington's Birthday.
On February 22, 1790, the Tammany Society celebrated the
birthday of President Washington. The regular monthly
meeting of the Society chancing to fall on that date and a
song suitable to the occasion was sung and great patriotic
fervor was evinced by the participants. The Society, at that
meeting by formal motion
Resolved, unanimously that the 22nd day of February * * *
be this day and ever hereafter commemorated by this Society as
the birth of the illustrious George Washington, President of the
United States of America.
This was the first anniversary of Washington's Birthday
after his inauguration as President, and its recognition by the
Society was the first formal notice taken of the event. Even
the Order of the Cincinnati, of which Washington was Presi-
dent-General, took inspiration from the action of the Tammany
Society, and seven days thereafter, March 1, 1790, decided
in the future to celebrate the anniversary of his birthday.
The Tammany Society for many years faithfully observed the
occasion with appropriate patriotic ceremony.
The Society early adopted the celebration of July 4th as one
of its principal annual functions, and the custom in this state
of reading the Declaration of Independence as a part of the
4th of July program was instituted by the Tammany Society.
It is the only institution in America that has since July 4th,
1790, continued this custom without a single interruption.
The establishment of this ceremony has been attributed to
John Pintard, and his strong patriotic sentiment and far-seeing
appreciation of the significance of American Nationalism gives
weight to this opinion. The first four celebrations of Independ-
ence Day were conducted by the Tammany Society alone with
its usual pageantry and ceremonials. On the 4th of July, 17 ( >4,
however, there was a concerted public recognition of the day
and the leading civic and patriotic bodies in the city combined
in the arrangement of an ostentatious ceremony to take the
22 The Tammany Museum was the first museum established in the City of New
York and the second in the United States. Although no vestige of the original col-
lection now remains, nevertheless, that institution performed an important social,
educational and patriotic function in the life of the community and may properly he
regarded as the forerunner of our Historical societies, free library system and public
museums.
40
w
^ 4 9**>4»u