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Irving, Washington

(Encyclopedia) Irving, Washington, 1783–1859, American author and diplomat, b. New York City. Irving was one of the first Americans to be recognized abroad as a man of letters, and he was a literary…

Washington Irving

A grand old man of American letters, Washington Irving created two famous characters: the sleepyhead Rip Van Winkle and the scarifying Headless Horseman from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Both…

Ellsworth, Henry Leavitt

(Encyclopedia) Ellsworth, Henry Leavitt, 1791–1858, American agriculturist, b. Windsor, Conn., grad. Yale, 1810. His interests were varied. He was a lawyer, businessman, and farming enthusiast. In…

Paulding, James Kirke

(Encyclopedia) Paulding, James KirkePaulding, James Kirkepôlˈdĭng [key], 1778–1860, American author and public official, secretary of the navy (1838–41) under Van Buren, b. near Millbrook, N.Y. He…

Gotham

(Encyclopedia) GothamGothamgŏthˈəm [key], name for New York City first used by Washington Irving and others in the Salmagundi Papers, with satirical reference to Gotham, England, where the wise men…

Tarrytown

(Encyclopedia) TarrytownTarrytowntârˈētoun [key], village (1990 pop. 10,739), Westchester co., SE N.Y., a residential suburb of New York City, on the E bank of the Hudson opposite Nyack; settled in…

Gratz, Rebecca

(Encyclopedia) Gratz, RebeccaGratz, Rebeccagrăts [key], 1781–1869, American philanthropist, b. Philadelphia; daughter of Michael Gratz. Well known for her philanthropies in Philadelphia, she is…

Knickerbocker

(Encyclopedia) KnickerbockerKnickerbockernĭkˈərbŏkˌər [key], term used almost synonymously with the adjective “Dutch” in respect to Dutch families and customs and the Dutch region of early New York…

Caldecott, Randolph

(Encyclopedia) Caldecott, RandolphCaldecott, Randolphkôlˈdəkət [key], 1846–86, one of the most popular late 19th-century English book illustrators. Born in Chester, he moved (1872) to London, where…

Bonneville, Benjamin Louis Eulalie de

(Encyclopedia) Bonneville, Benjamin Louis Eulalie deBonneville, Benjamin Louis Eulalie debŏnˈvĭl [key], 1796–1878, American army officer and trader who blazed portions of the Oregon Trail, b. France…