Marinus Willett
Encyclopedia
Marinus Willett was an American soldier and political leader from New York. He was characterized by historian Mark M. Boatner as "one of the truly outstanding American leaders of the Revolution."
Willett was born in Jamaica
, New York, on Long Island
, the son of Edward Willett a school teacher and tavern operator. Marinus was the great-grandson of Thomas Willett
, a Plymouth Colony
merchant who had moved to New York City, where he served as the city's first mayor.
Marinus Willett served in the militia during the French and Indian War
. He received a commission as 2nd lieutenant in a New York regiment under the command of Oliver DeLancey Sr. which took part in General James Abercrombie
's expedition to Fort Ticonderoga
in 1758. His regiment was part of John Bradstreet
's army in the Battle of Fort Frontenac
. He became ill and stayed at Fort Stanwix
until he recovered.
Tradition is between the wars he worked as a cabinetmaker.
, Willett became an informal leader of the Sons of Liberty
in New York City. His main participation was as a rabble-rouser and street brawler. When news arrived on April 23, 1775 of the battles at Lexington and Concord he and others broke into the New York City arsenal and seized the weapons. On June 6, 1775 when the British soldiers in New York decided to evacuate the city, Willett stopped the soldiers from taking spare arms with them. On July 20, 1775 he and other members of the Sons of Liberty procured a sloop, surprised the guard, and captured a British storehouse at Turtle Bay
.
with a commission of captain in the 1st New York Regiment
, commanded by Alexander McDougall
. Six weeks later the regiment took part in Richard Montgomery
's Invasion of Canada (1775)
and in December the Battle of Quebec (1775)
. In January, 1776 the enlistments in the regiment expired and the men started home. Willett arrived in New York City in March. In the defence of New York City later that year Willett lost a captain's commission in the 4th New York Regiment
and participated as a militiaman.
In November, 1776 to has made Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd New York Regiment
which was commanded by Peter Gansevoort
. He spent the winter recruiting. In March, 1777 he was given command of Fort Constitution in the New York Highlands. From this fort he engaged in a success attack on one hundred British soldiers burning a house. The fort was abandoned when other nearby forts fell. In May, he was transferred to Fort Stanwix
to join the rest of his regiment, where he was second in command.
On August 6, 1777, during the Battle of Oriskany
he led a sortie for the fort which plundered the nearly Indian and Sir John Johnson's Tories camp. His force suffered no casualties. He was presented with a sword from the Continental Congress for this exploit. After the American defeat at Oriskany, he and another officer slipped through British lines down the Mohawk to Fort Dayton
for help. They only took spontoon
s as weapons and whiskey, cheese, and crackers for food. At Fort Dayton he learned that Major General Schuyler had already dispatched a second relief force under the command of Benedict Arnold. Willett proceeded to Albany where he meet with Arnold and then returned to Fort Dayton with Arnold's army.
On August 20, Willett presided as a judge of Walter Butler
who had been captured and was being tried as a spy. Butler was found guilty and sentenced to death. Butler was sent to Albany to await execution. In September, he left to visit his wife. While the 3rd New York Regiment was idle spending the winter at Fort Stanwix, virtually all the officers petitioned to be transferred to the main army. Gansevoort gave Willett leave to visit George Washington in Philadelphia and the forts in Connecticut. In June, 1778 he was given leave to join Washington's' Main Army. He served as an aide to General Charles Scott
and took part in the Battle of Monmouth
. On March 15, 1779, he was given command of a new militia regiment, a position he neither accepted nor declined. He was second in command of the attack on Onondaga
in April, 1779.
In the summer of 1779, he was with the 3rd New York Regiment as it took part in the Sullivan Campaign. Afterwards it was for a short time stationed in the New York Highlands before joining the main army at Morristown. In January, he took part in a raid on Staten Island. This raid appears to be a separate raid from that conducted by Lord Stirling.
In early 1780, he was given command of the 5th New York Regiment
a regiment that was severely understrength because of battles in the New York Highlands. In September, he was one of three officers of the New York Line
who presented their grievances to the New York legislator. The men had not been paid since January and they asked for compensation in the form of land. He was made a full colonel of the regiment on December 22, 1779. On January 1, 1781 the number of New York regiments was reduced to two and Willett lost his command. He went home to his wife in Danbury.
In April, 1781, he was made a colonel of the militia and given responsibility for the defence of the Mohawk Valley. Although the Tryon County militia
was nominally 1,100 men, he did not believe that more than five hundred would turn out. His headquarters were at Fort Plain. He had about four hundred men which he split between Saratoga, Ballston, German Flatts, Canajoharie, Fort Hunter, Catskill, Johnstown, and Schoharie. By this time Fort Stanwix had been abandoned. Willett wrote of the militia that "I don't think I shall give a very wild account if I say, that one third have been killed, or carried captive by the enemy; one third removed to the interior places of the country; and one third deserted to the enemy"
In July of 1781, he led the militia in the Battle of Sharon Springs where he ambushed a force of Indians and Loyalists under the command of John Doxtader. In October, he led the militia against a mixed force under the command of Major John Ross at the Battle of Johnstown
. Afterwards, the Americans marched to German Flatts as their scouts tracked the retreating force, which had been reduced to eating its horses. A forced march through a heavy snowstorm brought Willet's force within two miles of the Loyalist camp by nightfall of October 29, but he eschewed a night attack in the storm. Attacking the next morning, he found that the Loyalists had already broken camp. Captain Walter Butler
was killed in the pursuit but the Loyalist force dispersed in the forest.
In late 1781, several companies of New Hampshire troops were added to his command. In February, 1783, George Washington directed him to capture Fort Ontario
, but Willet's force gave up the attempt when the possibility of surprise was lost.
Washington visited the Mohawk valley in 1783 and he instructed Willett to improve the roads and waterway to Lake Oneida. In October, Willett's troops went home after being disbanded without ceremony.
were elected to the State Assembly
in December 1783. He was Sheriff
of New York County from 1784 to 1787 and from 1791 to 1795. He was now in charge of repressing the riotous behaviour he formerly committed. In 1787, he took part in the putting down of Shays' Rebellion
. In 1788, he helped George Clinton in his fight against the United States Constitution. Willett was a delegate from New York City to the state convention where he and other anti-federalist were defeated. As late as 1790, he was still trying to repeal or amend the United States Constitution.
In 1790 he was sent by President Washington to the Creek
Indians to persuade their leader Alexander McGillivray
to continue treaty efforts. Willett was successful and a delegation of Creeks under McGillvray visited New York City, then capital of the United States, resulting in the Treaty of New York
.
In 1791, he was appointed by Clinton to another term as the sheriff of New York City. Willett acquired considerable land and part of the former DeLancey estate.
In April 1792, he was appointed a brigadier-general to serve in the Northwest Indian War
, but he declined. He wrote to George Washington that he thought the United States should not engage in a war with these Indians. He was also offered the position of peace emissary to the Indians which he also declined.
In 1801, he was appointed superintendent of construction of the fortifications of New York.
He was Mayor of New York during 1807-1808, after De Witt Clinton was removed from office. The state's lieutenant governor, John Broome
, died in office in August 1810. Willett ran unsuccessfully for that office in 1811, losing to De Witt Clinton.
He died August 22, 1830 and was buried in the churchyard of Trinity Church, corner of Broadway
and Wall Street
, in New York City. His funeral had 10,000 mourners.
, bordering Washington Park is named for Willett. A memorial plaque commemorating Willett was fixed to a boulder in 1907 in the park. The boulder was struck many times by vehicles missing a sharp turn in the park along Henry Johnson Boulevard. The boulder and its plaque was moved from the traffic island to the corner of State and Willett Streets in 2006 to give the memorial a safer place in anticipation of the park's 200th anniversary. He is buried in the New York City Marble Cemetery
.
.
Willett was born in Jamaica
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
, New York, on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, the son of Edward Willett a school teacher and tavern operator. Marinus was the great-grandson of Thomas Willett
Thomas Willett
Thomas Willett was a British-born American merchant, Plymouth Colony trader and sea-captain, Commissioner of New Netherland, magistrate of Plymouth Colony, Captain of the Plymouth Colony militia and was the first Mayor of New York City, prior to the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City...
, a Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
merchant who had moved to New York City, where he served as the city's first mayor.
Marinus Willett served in the militia during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. He received a commission as 2nd lieutenant in a New York regiment under the command of Oliver DeLancey Sr. which took part in General James Abercrombie
James Abercrombie (general)
General James Abercrombie or Abercromby was a British Army general and commander-in-chief of forces in North America during the French and Indian War, best known for the disastrous British losses in the 1758 Battle of Carillon.-Early life:Abercrombie was born in Glassaugh, Banffshire, Scotland to...
's expedition to Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
in 1758. His regiment was part of John Bradstreet
John Bradstreet
Major General John Bradstreet was a British Army officer during the French and Indian War, King George's War, and Pontiac's Rebellion...
's army in the Battle of Fort Frontenac
Battle of Fort Frontenac
The Battle of Fort Frontenac took place on August 26–28, 1758 during the Seven Years' War between France and Great Britain. The location of the battle was Fort Frontenac, a French fort and trading post which is located at the site of present-day Kingston, Ontario, at the eastern end of Lake...
. He became ill and stayed at Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwix was a colonial fort whose construction was started on August 26, 1758, by British General John Stanwix, at the location of present-day Rome, New York, but was not completed until about 1762. The fort guarded a portage known as the Oneida Carrying Place during the French and Indian War...
until he recovered.
Tradition is between the wars he worked as a cabinetmaker.
Sons of Liberty
During the early stages of the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Willett became an informal leader of the Sons of Liberty
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
in New York City. His main participation was as a rabble-rouser and street brawler. When news arrived on April 23, 1775 of the battles at Lexington and Concord he and others broke into the New York City arsenal and seized the weapons. On June 6, 1775 when the British soldiers in New York decided to evacuate the city, Willett stopped the soldiers from taking spare arms with them. On July 20, 1775 he and other members of the Sons of Liberty procured a sloop, surprised the guard, and captured a British storehouse at Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay, Manhattan
Turtle Bay is a neighborhood in New York City, on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. It extends between 41st and 54th Streets, and eastward from Lexington Avenue to the East River, across from Roosevelt Island...
.
American Revolutionary War
On June 28, 1775, he joined the Continental ArmyContinental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
with a commission of captain in the 1st New York Regiment
1st New York Regiment
The 1st New York Regiment was authorized on 25 May 1775 and organized at New York City from 28 June to 4 August, for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Alexander McDougall...
, commanded by Alexander McDougall
Alexander McDougall
Alexander McDougall was an American seaman, merchant, a Sons of Liberty leader from New York City before and during the American Revolution, and a military leader during the Revolutionary War. He served as a major general in the Continental Army, and as a delegate to the Continental Congress...
. Six weeks later the regiment took part in Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery was an Irish-born soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a brigadier-general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and he is most famous for leading the failed 1775 invasion of Canada.Montgomery was born and raised in Ireland...
's Invasion of Canada (1775)
Invasion of Canada (1775)
The Invasion of Canada in 1775 was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the...
and in December the Battle of Quebec (1775)
Battle of Quebec (1775)
The Battle of Quebec was fought on December 31, 1775 between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of the city of Quebec, early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans, and it came at a high price...
. In January, 1776 the enlistments in the regiment expired and the men started home. Willett arrived in New York City in March. In the defence of New York City later that year Willett lost a captain's commission in the 4th New York Regiment
4th New York Regiment
The 4th New York Regiment was authorized on May 25, 1775 and organized from June 28 to August 4 from Westchester, Dutchess, Kings, Queens, and Richmond counties for service with the Continental Army under the command of James Holmes...
and participated as a militiaman.
In November, 1776 to has made Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd New York Regiment
3rd New York Regiment
The 3rd New York Regiment was authorized May 25, 1775 and organized from June 28 to August 4 from the counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, and Suffolk under the command of Colonel James Clinton for five months service in Canada. The enlistments of the first establishment ended on December 31,...
which was commanded by Peter Gansevoort
Peter Gansevoort
Peter Gansevoort was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for leading the resistance to Barry St. Leger's Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. Gansevoort was also the maternal grandfather of Moby-Dick author Herman Melville.-Early life:He was born...
. He spent the winter recruiting. In March, 1777 he was given command of Fort Constitution in the New York Highlands. From this fort he engaged in a success attack on one hundred British soldiers burning a house. The fort was abandoned when other nearby forts fell. In May, he was transferred to Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwix was a colonial fort whose construction was started on August 26, 1758, by British General John Stanwix, at the location of present-day Rome, New York, but was not completed until about 1762. The fort guarded a portage known as the Oneida Carrying Place during the French and Indian War...
to join the rest of his regiment, where he was second in command.
On August 6, 1777, during the Battle of Oriskany
Battle of Oriskany
The Battle of Oriskany, fought on August 6, 1777, was one of the bloodiest battles in the North American theater of the American Revolutionary War and a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign...
he led a sortie for the fort which plundered the nearly Indian and Sir John Johnson's Tories camp. His force suffered no casualties. He was presented with a sword from the Continental Congress for this exploit. After the American defeat at Oriskany, he and another officer slipped through British lines down the Mohawk to Fort Dayton
Fort Dayton
Fort Dayton is located on the North side of the Mohawk River at West Canada Creek in what is now Herkimer, New York. A fort had previously been built on the same site during the French and Indian War.-American Revolutionary War:...
for help. They only took spontoon
Spontoon
A Spontoon is a type of European lance that came into being alongside the pike. The spontoon was in wide use by the mid 17th century, and it continued to be used until the mid to late 19th century....
s as weapons and whiskey, cheese, and crackers for food. At Fort Dayton he learned that Major General Schuyler had already dispatched a second relief force under the command of Benedict Arnold. Willett proceeded to Albany where he meet with Arnold and then returned to Fort Dayton with Arnold's army.
On August 20, Willett presided as a judge of Walter Butler
Walter Butler (Loyalist)
Walter Butler was a British Loyalist officer during the American Revolution. He was born near Johns town, New York, the son of John Butler, a wealthy Indian agent who worked for Sir William Johnson...
who had been captured and was being tried as a spy. Butler was found guilty and sentenced to death. Butler was sent to Albany to await execution. In September, he left to visit his wife. While the 3rd New York Regiment was idle spending the winter at Fort Stanwix, virtually all the officers petitioned to be transferred to the main army. Gansevoort gave Willett leave to visit George Washington in Philadelphia and the forts in Connecticut. In June, 1778 he was given leave to join Washington's' Main Army. He served as an aide to General Charles Scott
Charles Scott (governor of Kentucky)
Charles Scott was an American soldier and politician who served as the fourth Governor of Kentucky from 1808 to 1812. Orphaned at an early age, Scott served under Edward Braddock and George Washington in the French and Indian War...
and took part in the Battle of Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
. On March 15, 1779, he was given command of a new militia regiment, a position he neither accepted nor declined. He was second in command of the attack on Onondaga
Onondaga (village)
Onondaga was a village that served as the capital of the Iroquois League and the primary settlement of the Onondaga nation. It was the meeting place of the Iroquois Grand Council....
in April, 1779.
In the summer of 1779, he was with the 3rd New York Regiment as it took part in the Sullivan Campaign. Afterwards it was for a short time stationed in the New York Highlands before joining the main army at Morristown. In January, he took part in a raid on Staten Island. This raid appears to be a separate raid from that conducted by Lord Stirling.
In early 1780, he was given command of the 5th New York Regiment
5th New York Regiment
The 5th New York Regiment was authorized on November 30, 1776 as part of the New York Line for service with the Continental Army. It was organized January 26, 1777 from companies in Southern New York and assigned to the Highlands Department....
a regiment that was severely understrength because of battles in the New York Highlands. In September, he was one of three officers of the New York Line
New York Line
The New York Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "New York Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to New York at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the...
who presented their grievances to the New York legislator. The men had not been paid since January and they asked for compensation in the form of land. He was made a full colonel of the regiment on December 22, 1779. On January 1, 1781 the number of New York regiments was reduced to two and Willett lost his command. He went home to his wife in Danbury.
In April, 1781, he was made a colonel of the militia and given responsibility for the defence of the Mohawk Valley. Although the Tryon County militia
Tryon County militia
-Militia regiments:On March 8, 1772, The Province of New York passed a bill for the establishment of organized militia in each county. In 1775, at the start of the American Revolution, the Tryon County militia comprised four regiments, formed according to their geographical locations:* 1st...
was nominally 1,100 men, he did not believe that more than five hundred would turn out. His headquarters were at Fort Plain. He had about four hundred men which he split between Saratoga, Ballston, German Flatts, Canajoharie, Fort Hunter, Catskill, Johnstown, and Schoharie. By this time Fort Stanwix had been abandoned. Willett wrote of the militia that "I don't think I shall give a very wild account if I say, that one third have been killed, or carried captive by the enemy; one third removed to the interior places of the country; and one third deserted to the enemy"
In July of 1781, he led the militia in the Battle of Sharon Springs where he ambushed a force of Indians and Loyalists under the command of John Doxtader. In October, he led the militia against a mixed force under the command of Major John Ross at the Battle of Johnstown
Battle of Johnstown
The Battle of Johnstown was fought in Johnstown, New York. It was one of the last battles in the American theatre of the American Revolutionary War, with approximately 1400 engaged at Johnstown on October 25, 1781...
. Afterwards, the Americans marched to German Flatts as their scouts tracked the retreating force, which had been reduced to eating its horses. A forced march through a heavy snowstorm brought Willet's force within two miles of the Loyalist camp by nightfall of October 29, but he eschewed a night attack in the storm. Attacking the next morning, he found that the Loyalists had already broken camp. Captain Walter Butler
Walter Butler (Loyalist)
Walter Butler was a British Loyalist officer during the American Revolution. He was born near Johns town, New York, the son of John Butler, a wealthy Indian agent who worked for Sir William Johnson...
was killed in the pursuit but the Loyalist force dispersed in the forest.
In late 1781, several companies of New Hampshire troops were added to his command. In February, 1783, George Washington directed him to capture Fort Ontario
Fort Ontario
Fort Ontario is a historic fort situated by the City of Oswego, in Oswego County, New York in the United States of America. It is owned by the state of New York and operated as a museum known as Fort Ontario State Historic Site....
, but Willet's force gave up the attempt when the possibility of surprise was lost.
Washington visited the Mohawk valley in 1783 and he instructed Willett to improve the roads and waterway to Lake Oneida. In October, Willett's troops went home after being disbanded without ceremony.
Post-war Years
After the war he aligned himself with George Clinton and the anti-federalist party. He and several other members of the Sons of LibertySons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
were elected to the State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
in December 1783. He was Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of New York County from 1784 to 1787 and from 1791 to 1795. He was now in charge of repressing the riotous behaviour he formerly committed. In 1787, he took part in the putting down of Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War....
. In 1788, he helped George Clinton in his fight against the United States Constitution. Willett was a delegate from New York City to the state convention where he and other anti-federalist were defeated. As late as 1790, he was still trying to repeal or amend the United States Constitution.
In 1790 he was sent by President Washington to the Creek
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
Indians to persuade their leader Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray, also known as Hoboi-Hili-Miko , was a principal chief of the Upper Creek towns from 1782. Before that he had created an alliance between the Creek and the British during the American Revolution...
to continue treaty efforts. Willett was successful and a delegation of Creeks under McGillvray visited New York City, then capital of the United States, resulting in the Treaty of New York
Treaty of New York
The Treaty of New York is one of several treaties signed between the United States and Native American tribes, conducted in the city of New York.-1790:...
.
In 1791, he was appointed by Clinton to another term as the sheriff of New York City. Willett acquired considerable land and part of the former DeLancey estate.
In April 1792, he was appointed a brigadier-general to serve in the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
, but he declined. He wrote to George Washington that he thought the United States should not engage in a war with these Indians. He was also offered the position of peace emissary to the Indians which he also declined.
In 1801, he was appointed superintendent of construction of the fortifications of New York.
He was Mayor of New York during 1807-1808, after De Witt Clinton was removed from office. The state's lieutenant governor, John Broome
John Broome (politician)
For persons with a similar name, see John BroomeJohn Broome was an American merchant and politician who was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1804 to 1810....
, died in office in August 1810. Willett ran unsuccessfully for that office in 1811, losing to De Witt Clinton.
He died August 22, 1830 and was buried in the churchyard of Trinity Church, corner of Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
and Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
, in New York City. His funeral had 10,000 mourners.
Legacy
A street in Albany, New YorkStreets of Albany, New York
The streets of Albany, New York have had a long history going back almost 400 years. Many of the streets have changed names over the course of time, some have changed names many times. Some streets no longer exist, others have changed course. Some roads existed only on paper. The oldest streets...
, bordering Washington Park is named for Willett. A memorial plaque commemorating Willett was fixed to a boulder in 1907 in the park. The boulder was struck many times by vehicles missing a sharp turn in the park along Henry Johnson Boulevard. The boulder and its plaque was moved from the traffic island to the corner of State and Willett Streets in 2006 to give the memorial a safer place in anticipation of the park's 200th anniversary. He is buried in the New York City Marble Cemetery
New York City Marble Cemetery
The New York City Marble Cemetery is an historic cemetery founded in 1831, and located at 52-74 East Second Street between First and Second Avenues in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
.
Novels
His role in the French and Indian war receives brief mention in the Newbery Award winning children's book The Matchlock GunThe Matchlock Gun
The Matchlock Gun is a novel by Walter D. Edmonds that won the Newbery Medal for excellence as the most distinguished contribution to American children's literature in 1942.-Synopsis:...
.
External links
- National Park Service's Marinus Willett Collections Management and Education Center
- Trinity Church's interactive churchyard map showing the location of Marinus Willett's grave vault