William Floyd
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William Floyd was born on December 17, 1735, at Mastic, Long Island, New York, to Nicoll and Tabitha (Smith) Floyd. He was the second of nine children and the eldest son. His family ancestry can be traced to Wales, where his great-grandfather, Richard Floyd, immigrated from in the 1600’s. His father was a prosperous farmer who kept his children busy with chores. As a result, Floyd lacked a classical education, but he was trained in managing a large estate.
Depending on the source, his father died sometime between 1751 and 1754, and as the eldest son, Floyd took over the estate and cared for his mother and siblings. The estate had tenants and grew various kinds of produce and livestock. Some of the estate’s agricultural products include grains, vegetables, and fruit trees. His mother would also die during this time period, but her date of death is unknown. The estate, at the time, overlooked the Atlantic Ocean, and he preferred to be here rather than in the city. The estate is currently a historic landmark and occupies 613 of its original acreage. The Floyd family resided in the home until 1976, when they donated it to the National Park Service.
In 1760, Floyd was an officer in the militia and by 1775 had become a colonel. He would finish out his career in the militia as a Major General. But this was not the only thing he participated in during the 1760’s. He was also elected a town trustee in 1769 and to the New York Provincial Assembly.
On April 20, 1769, he married Hannah Jones, daughter of William Jones of Southampton, Long Island, New York. They have three children together. Nicoll, who was born in 1762 and passed away in 1853. Mary, their first daughter, was born in 1764 and passed in 1805, and their youngest daughter, Catherine, was born in 1767 and passed in 1832. Hannah passed away in 1781 in Middletown, Connecticut, where the family had fled when the British arrived on Long Island. The family had strong ties to Connecticut, and because his home was located there, it was easier to get there than to New York City. The British used his home as a stable and barracks, but before fleeing, Mrs. Floyd buried the silver. Their crops and livestock would be destroyed. She would never see her home again, but he would return in 1783. In October of 1776, he wrote, “I am now going to try to get some of my effects from the island if it is possible, and shall be absent from Congress a few days, I beg you would excuse me as it is the first time I have absented myself.”[1]
But his involvement in the patriots’ cause does not begin as early as that of some of the other signers. Simply because it did not gain steam in New York until the passage of the Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The area where Floyd lives was the most active at this time, and they are sympathetic to Boston’s plight. They send aid and stage protests, but the patriots do not control New York, so any movement at this time is carried out on a county basis. He speaks out strongly against British taxation, which helps him get elected to the First Continental Congress.
Floyd took his seat in the First Continental Congress on September 5, 1774, and was one of 12 New York Delegates. He signs the Articles of Association on October 20, 1774, and the session ends shortly after that. He returned to the Second Continental Congress and took his seat around May 10, 1775. He would serve until 1777. During his time in Congress, he did not take part in many debates. Edward Rutledge describes Floyd as “good men who never quit their chairs…”[2] He would serve on several committees, such as the Clothing committee, and most of his decisions, during his Congressional service, are based on life experiences rather than book learning, due to his lack of formal education. He first signed the Olive Branch petition in July of 1775, voted for the Declaration of Independence, and was the first of the New York Delegation to sign it on August 2, 1776. (It should be noted that they were unable to vote on July 2, 1776, or vote for Lee’s resolution in June because the New York Provincial Assembly had not given its authorization to do so. The Assembly would give authorization on the ninth of July. Word reached Floyd and the other New York Delegates on July 11, allowing them to vote for independence, thus making the Declaration unanimous.)
During this time, the British occupied Long Island, and his wife and children were forced to flee to Middletown, Connecticut. As stated before, she would never see her home again. He returned to Congress in 1779 and would serve until 1783. During this period of service, he served on the Boards of Treasury and Admiralty, as well as serving as a New York State Senator from Long Island. As a New York Senator, he works to adopt a conservative, stable fiscal policy. After his service ended, he returned to his home in Mastic with his children.
Upon his return home, he found that the damage done by the British was not as extensive as he had thought, and he was able to renovate and restore the property. He had to restore fences, and his fields and timber were stripped, but it could have been worse. He still had a home.
On May 16, 1784, he married for the second time to Joanna Strong. She was the daughter of Benjah and Martha Strong and had two children with Floyd. Their daughter, Anna, was born in 1786 and would live until 1859. Their second daughter, known as Eliza or Elizabeth, was born in 1789 and passed away in 1820. A book by Della Gray Barthelmas states that they would have 8 other children, but it lists no names, and no other source makes this claim. They would be married until his death.
In the same time period, Floyd purchased some undeveloped land on the headwaters of the Mohawk River near modern-day Rome and Westerville, NY. In 1787, he received eight certificates for lots in Township 8, totaling 11,158 additional acres. Part of a tract of land was purchased from the Oneida and Tuscarora Indians. From 1783 to 1803, he spent the summers developing it. He would move there permanently in 1803, after deeding his Mastic home and lands to his son, Nicoll. The home he built there was similar to the one in Mastic.
Along with developing his lands on the frontier, he stayed busy serving the public. In 1788, he served in the Poughkeepsie Convention, which ratified the US Constitution, and was an ardent supporter of it. He was then elected as a Representative to the US Congress in 1789 and would serve until 1791. He unsuccessfully ran for Governor of New York in 1795 and served as a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1801. In addition to all of this, he was a presidential elector four different times between 1782 and 1820. In the highly contested 1800 election, he was a firm supporter of Jefferson over Burr. His last political office would be as State Senator for the Western Frontier, which he won in 1808.
Floyd departed this world on August 4, 1821, and is buried in a Presbyterian Cemetery. His wife, Joanna, would pass away four years later, on November 24, 1826, at their home on the frontier. That home is now privately owned, but it is visible from the road.
Tidbits All of his children marry and have issue. He owned slaves and, in 1803, had a total of six. |
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