1790 - 1872 (~ 82 years)
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Name |
Harriett Douglas |
Birth |
1790 |
Gender |
Female |
Burial |
1872 |
New York City |
Person ID |
I95190 |
My Genealogy |
Last Modified |
31 Mar 2019 |
Father |
George Douglas, b. 1749, Penninghame, Wigtownshire, Scotland d. 9 Oct 1799, Kings Ferry, nr Peekskill, New York State, USA (Age 50 years) |
Mother |
Margaret (Peggy) Corne, b. 1767 d. 31 Dec 1829, Liverpool (Age 62 years) |
Family ID |
F34796 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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Notes |
- Also seen as Harriot
Known for her red-gold hair, Harriet Douglas was the social lioness of the 1800's. She was perhaps the most strong-willed of her family, to the point that once she resolved something in her head, there was no stopping her. She spent most of her life traveling around Europe and America with her siblings circulating amongst the most elite of social societies collecting famous male acquaintances. She kept the company of famous names like Mrs. Anne Grant, with whom Harriet boarded while studying in Scotland and introduced her to the Literary Social Circle. Others include Maria Edgeworth who introduced her to Sir Walter Scott. William Wordsworth and James Fenimore Cooper were other names that frequented her company.
On her 43rd birthday, Harriet married her on-again, off-again suitor Henry Cruger who was of the most distinguished of New York families. Their stormy marriage only lasted eight years on account of her independent spirit and strong nature that tried controlling their relationship from the start. Perhaps examples of her character can be noted in her insistence that Henry take the Douglas name and they were known as Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Cruger.
When she visited her uncle Sir William Douglas' residence, Gelston Castle, in Scotland as a young girl she vowed to one day build a replica of her own. As members of her family died, Harriett gained possession of the Henderson land and resolved to make her lifelong dream a reality and had a stone mansion built 50 ft. from her mother's cottage in 1833. To accomplish her unusual and unique design she insisted it be built with stone blocks to resemble the houses of Scotland, and had them carried all the way from Little Falls, "fourteen miles in the snow". It was published that Gelston Castle contained over 20 rooms, including ten bedrooms and three sitting rooms. They used the large hall as a dining room and the basement had five rooms, a kitchen and sitting room. The castle was adorned with fireplaces throughout.
Harriett wished to be buried on the Henderson family estate, but was instead buried at the family plot in a New York City churchyard in 1872. She died childless.
She inherited to Henderon property, which passed to Fanny, wife of Douglas Robinson, and neice of President Monroe
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