My Genealogy Hound

RICHARD VARICK. Though the gentleman who bore this name has long since passed from earth, the record of his life has not been forgotten. He holds an illustrious position among the pioneers of Seneca County, who laid the foundation of its present prosperity. In his honor was named the town of Varick, the youngest town of the county, which was formed from the town of Romulus, February 6, 1830. It is the central town of the county, and comprises lots Nos. 43 to 63, inclusive, with the north part of lot No. 69, of the original military town of Romulus, with lots Nos. 58 and 84, inclusive, of the West Cayuga Reservation, lying on the west side of Cayuga Lake, and east of the reservation road leading from Seneca Falls south through Bearytown to Ovid.

The founder of the Varick family in this country was Rev. Rudolphus Van Varick, minister of the Dutch Reformed Church at Jamaica, L. I., who died in 1694, leaving two sons and two daughters. The subject of this sketch was born at Hackensack, N. J., in 1752, and received his collegiate education at Kings (now Columbia) College in New York City, from which he graduated prior to the opening of the Revolutionary War. He selected and entered upon the profession of an attorney, but the great conflict with Great Britain turned his thoughts in another direction. Fired with patriotic fervor, he enlisted in the Colonial service, and was appointed military secretary to Maj or-General Schuyler, who then commanded the Northern army. In February, 1776, Congress appointed him Deputy Commissary-General, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and he joined the Northern army in that capacity in the spring of the same year. He continued with the same division after the command had been conferred upon General Gates, and was present at the memorable battles of Stillwater and Saratoga, in September and October, 1777, which resulted in the surrender of the British army under command of General Burgoyne, October 16, 1777.

After the surrender of Burgoyne’s army to the American troops, Colonel Varick was stationed at West Point, and performed the duties of Inspector-General and aide-de-camp of the troops of that post and vicinity for a number of years, after which he became a member of General Washington’s military family, and acted as his Recording Secretary until the close of the Revolutionary War. That he possessed the confidence of the commander-in-chief in the highest degree, is shown by the following letter, now in the possession of Richard Varick DeWitt, of Albany:

“Mt. Vernon, Va., Jan. 1, 1784.
“Dear Sir: —

“From the moment I left the city of New York until my arrival at this place, I have been so much occupied by a variety of concerns, that I could not find a moment’s leisure to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of the 4th and 7th ultimo.

“The public and other papers which were committed to your charge, and the books in which they have been recorded under your inspection, having come safe to hand, I take this first opportunity of signifying my entire approbation of the manner in which you have executed the important duties of Recording Secretary, and the satisfaction I feel in having my papers so properly arranged and so correctly recorded; and beg you will accept my thanks for the care and attention which you have given to this business. I am fully convinced that neither the present age nor posterity will consider the time and labor which have been employed in accomplishing it unprofitably spent.

“I pray you will be persuaded, that I shall take a pleasure in asserting on every occasion the sense I entertain of the fidelity, skill and indefatigable industry manifested by you in the performance of your public duties, and of the sincere regard and esteem with which I am, dear sir, your most obedient and affectionate servant,
“George Washington.
“Richard Varick, Esq.”

Shortly before the final disbandment of the American army, many of the officers then at the cantonment on the banks of the Hudson met at Newburgh, in May and June, 1783, and formed an association of which Colonel Varick was a member, which they named the Society of the Cincinnati, electing George Washington their first President, and providing for auxiliary state societies. Colonel Varick was chosen President of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati, July 4, 1806, and held this position until his death, a quarter of a century later. This patriotic society is perpetuated by succession from father to son of its membership.

After the evacuation of New York City by the British troops, November 25, 1783, and the restoration of the Civil Government of this state, Colonel Varick was appointed Recorder of that city, a high judicial position, which he held about five years. In 1787 and 1788 he served in the Assembly, and in both years was Speaker, May 14, 1789, he was appointed Attorney-General of the state, but resigned September 29 following. He was one of the editors of the revision of the laws of New York from 1778 to 1789, known as the Jones & Varick Revision. After resigning the office of Attorney-General, he was appointed Mayor of New York City, and served in that capacity for twelve years, the longest period the office has been held by any Mayor since the Revolution. After his retirement he devoted the remaining years of his life to the promotion of religious and benevolent enterprises. He was one of the founders of the American Bible Society, was its first Treasurer, and upon the resignation of Hon. John Jay he was unanimously chosen its President.

In person Colonel Varick was over six feet tall, erect and well proportioned, and a splendid specimen of robust manhood. He left a widow, with whom he had lived in wedlock for nearly a half-century, but no children. He passed away July 30, 1831, aged seventy-nine years, and his death was announced by a general order of the Vice-President of the Society of the Cincinnati, July 31.

The above facts relative to the life of Colonel Varick have been gleaned from his biographical sketch, published in the Seneca Falls Reveille, July 18, 1879.