Lewis Peter Clover Biographical Sketch

By his son William Charles Clover
Information dated 1898, provided by his descendant, Holly Clover Gatling
Published in the Clover Family Exchange Vol. 5 Issue 3, March 1990.

     The Clover family came to this country from Salisbury, England where many of this family still reside (1898).  It is said that they came to England from the Rhine provinces of Germany and that the original names were “Kleber,” “Klauver,” “Clay,” and finally “Clover.”  Among these names we have Napoleon’s distinguished Marshal Kleber, the American statesman, Henry Clay, and others named in the biography.  The late eminent British surgeon, Clover, who attended Louis Napoleon, belonged to the same family.

    Lewis Peter Clover was born in Morris County, New Jersey, near the town of Chester, December 16, 1790.  His father, Peter Clover, was the son of a large landowner who came from Salisbury, England early in 1700 and with others purchased a tract of land in Morris County at a small price, about a shilling sterling per acre, and became a gentleman of estate, owning slaves as was the custom at that time in New Jersey.  His estate seems to have been large for he sold at one time to some incomers from Long Island one thousand acres.

    His son, Peter, was brought up on the estate, but as much mechanical work was to be done, such as wheel righting, blacksmithing, harness making, and mechanics were scarce and demanded high wages.  Peter Clover concluded to adopt the profession (unknown- C.G.) of his ancestor of old, who was turned out or kicked out of his father’s house.  This old ancestor, finding himself out of a job, decided to start business for himself in the Isle of Lemnos, and Peter Clover continued the business in New Jersey. [Note: Lemnos is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. ]

    Peter married a young lady of very comely (attractive) appearance and a good family, named Martha Jane Cooper.  She was the granddaughter of Ashley Cooper (probably Astley) a near relative and named after the distinguished English surgeon, Astley Cooper. [Note from June: see the myth of Astley Cooper. This is an error.] This Astley[sic] Cooper was a polished and educated gentleman, I believe, some kind of a “Professor.”  At all events he could the “Time of tides presage (a prediction), ‘twas even said that he could gauge.”  He understood trigonometry, logarithms, and parallaxes [sic], and was a man of considerable argument.  One of the results of this union was a son Lewis Peter Clover, the subject of our sketch.

    Lewis Peter soon grew to be a sturdy lad and needed to be put into some kind of business.  His grandfather at his death had left the boy a considerable patrimony which was contested on the ground that he was not a legitimate heir.  This contest was finally settled after many years by a decree of the court that Lewis was a legitimate heir to his grandfather’s bequest, and he received the property much impaired in value by the litigation.

    In the meantime his father died and his mother married a gentleman by the name of Jacques of Wallkill, Orange County, New York.  His mother not being of circumstances to provide for her son, Lewis, as she desired, sent him to New York to learn a trade.  Mr. Greig, a Scotsman, who had married Lewis’ sister, at that time kept a very fine confectionery and bakery in New York City in the vicinity of Williams Street and Maiden Lane.   Lewis was apprenticed to him as was the custom in those days, and remained there perhaps a couple of years.  When Mr. Greig died, his widow married a Captain Styles who also died.  She again married, this time to a man by the name of Aaron Horton whom she had know in her youthful days.  The descendants of the Horton’s are still in Chester, New Jersey.

    Lewis Peter being thus thrown on his own resources could find no employment suitable to his tastes.  He thought at one time of learning the engraver’s trade, especially as a maternal uncle encouraged the idea, but nothing came of it as the fee exacted by the engraver was beyond his means.  I (author William Chas. Clover –C.G.) have often seen in my early years, drawings and water colors by Lewis Peter that would be creditable to a professional artist.  On one occasion when I asked him about his natural artistic abilities, he told me that he inherited his taste and skill from one of his uncles.

    Finding no employment in New York, and being of an enthusiastic and adventurous disposition, Lewis concluded to try the sea.  Having saved some money, he was induced to join an expedition to sail for the East on a trading voyage.  A North River sloop was purchased and converted into a square-rigged brig.  Lewis invested what money he had in the enterprise and shipped as a sailor.  After getting his traps aboard, the brig which I think was named the Warwick, cleared for Calcutta and a market.

    Sandy Hook (narrow, sandy peninsula in East N.J., at the South entrance to Lower New York Bay) soon disappeared, and the highlands sank from view as the night closed in.  This was in the spring of 1811.  The ship was on the starboard tack heading East South East, winds West North West on her weather beam.  Keeping on her course without mishap, she reached the Azores in about a month, entering the port of Fayal (Faial Island also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central group of the Azores).  Here she laid in supplies and put to sea again, heading nearly south on the port tack, westerly winds still prevailing.  This port of Fayal, as you know if you have read American Naval history, is celebrated for the peppering the English received from Captain Samuel C. Reed with the American Brig. General Armstrong.

    The Warwick was standing nearly south, as I said before, with the intention of stopping at St. Helena ( Island in the South Atlantic Ocean), but a heavy gale from the southeast set in and drove the vessel far out off of her course, but, being well handled she escaped serious injury.  After this the wind settled to the South South East and the Warwick was close hauled on the starboard tack (the side the wind is coming from).  On this tack, the wind being steady, she rounded the Cape and put into Port Natal, South Africa for supplies and to refit. 

    Leaving Port Natal, the ship was put on the port tack heading north by north east.  With the strong and pleasant breezes of the Indian Ocean, she bowled along rapidly and in two weeks found herself at about 20 south latitude and 56 east longitude.  Knowing they were near the Isle of France or Mauritius, in a few hours they entered Port Louis.  This was their third stop on their long voyage.  Nothing delighted Lewis Peter more when he went ashore, than to behold the familiar scenes pictured to his fancy and described in that charming story Paul and Virginia ( by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre).  He feasted his imagination time and time again on those beautiful tropical groves and was loath to sail away.  But time urged their departure and the Warwick again put to sea, this time on the port tack, the wind blowing fresh from the southeast.

    She was making good weather and was out from Port Louis about three days when, one afternoon about sunset, a stranger was observed off the weather bow.  Not desiring to make any new acquaintances, our friend decided to keep on their course and drop the stranger during the night.  On this plan, as soon as it was dark, the Warwick was put on the port tack and headed west by northwest hoping thus to elude the stranger.  But the Englishman, for so he proved to be, anticipating this move on the part of the Warwick, also changed his course, and at daybreak was close abeam on the weather quarter and fired a blank shot for the Warwick to heave-to.  Even then our friends thought to show their heels when at once a round shot was fired by the Englishman across the Warwick’s bows.  War had been declared since the vessel left America though our friends did not know it, and the Englishman was bound to have her prize.

    In obedience to the shot the brig was hove- to with her head to the wind, her foretopsail filled and main topsail backed awaiting the arrival of a boat with men from the cruiser.  There was a Frenchman on board the Warwick who, frightened at the prospect of a prison, ran about the deck crying, “Vat is ze Mattaire?  Qu’est-ce quec’est?  Voila les Anglais perfides (What is this quec’ is?  Veiled the perfidious English)! 

    In the meantime an officer from the ship came on board and after looking at the brig’s papers took possession of her, and all on board were made prisoners of war.  The English took the brig into Calcutta where the vessel and her cargo were confiscated as a prize and the crew imprisoned in Fort William near that town.

    Though penniless and in jail, Lewis Peter was nothing daunted by his bad luck but set himself at work to improve his condition.  He turned his artistic ability to account and made pictures of his surroundings which found a ready sale in the prison and to occasional visitors.  Even the English officers of Fort William patronized and noticed him, and he soon found his pockets filled with small change.  This enabled him to indulge in many little luxuries which in that land were not expensive.  We remember when he came home he brought many little mementos of Calcutta, money with square holes in it and rupees, for example.  This condition of things lasted some months at the end of which, a British East – Indiaman about to sail for England, took Lewis Peter with his companions of the brig and many other prisoners of different nationalities on board bound for an English prison.

    They rounded the Cape again and after several months arrived at Plymouth whence they were transferred to Dartmoor prison as prisoners of war.  Previous to being jailed, however, the most desirable of the prisoners were offered the alternative of enlisting n H.B.M. Navy.  Lewis Peter declined the tempting offer and refused to abjure his country for the sake of liberty and a few shillings bounty.  He was at once put under guard.  In the prison he found many nationalities but mostly French and Americans.  Among the latter was captain of one of the N.L. and G. G. Griswold’s China Ships who called on Lewis Peter when he lived with the writer on Warren Street in Brooklyn, New York.

    In this prison also, Lewis Peter made out to keep himself in small change by his artistic talent.  He made pictures of his surroundings and we remember a creditable bird’s eye view of Dartmoor Prison taken at the time the governor ordered the helpless and unarmed prisoners to be fired upon.  The details of this outrage were published in Lewis Gaylor Clark’s Knickerbocker Magazine about sixty years ago.

     In the course of time in accordance with treaty arrangements between the United States and England, Lewis Peter was returned home at government expense and finally landed in New York.  Finding himself out of money and somewhat out at elbows, he was compelled to look about for employment.  By some means he became acquainted with Mr. Hosea Dugless [sic], a wealthy Englishman well established in business at 11 Park Row, dealing in pictures, engravings, and artist’s supplies.  This man befriended Lewis in many ways, took him into the business, and finally started him in the same business on his own account.  Lewis was successful in this venture and it was not long before he thought to take to himself a wife.

    Some years before this, there arrived in New York from Ireland, William Murphy and his wife, Ann Richardson Clover and their two little girls.  Having a little money, William started a grocery and ship store business somewhere about Corlear’s Slip, but the business did not succeed, and he finally found employment in a mercantile house of a countryman of his.  Both he and his wife died about 1830 or 32.  Lewis Peter married the elder of the two daughters, a very pretty rosy cheeked Irish Maiden about nineteen years old, named Bridget, who made him an excellent wife. 

    The Irish people on the father’s side were ardent Roman Catholics, but the mother, Miss Richardson, belonged to wealthy and influential Protestant people.  This meant a great deal in those days in Ireland, it was the source of discords, desertions, a great deal of trouble, and frequent crimes.  When Miss Richardson married Murphy she was promptly disowned by her family.  Prominent members included Richardsons and O’Tooles who lived in Dublin.

    Lewis Peter pursued his business diligently.  He first opened a shop on Reed Street a little west of Broadway, built expressly for him by the late Henry Cary, part of which he rented to Aaron Burr of historic fame.  Lewis was a man of remarkably fine mind and well developed intellect.  Although self educated, he was familiar with the British poets and authors and had, for that day, a good collection of their books.  He also collected and profusely embellished several works, some of which ought to be valuable to any public library.  Former Judge Clover is in possession of some.  (A reference to Henry Alfred Clover, son of Lewis Peter who became a judge in St. Louis, Missouri.  C.G.)

    Since Lewis Peter’s business was connected with the fine arts, his store naturally attracted gentlemen of taste, culture, and wealth.  Among those who were frequent visitors was John Vanderlyn, a celebrated painter of the day.  Colonel John Trumbull, an aide to General Washington, who painted a number of celebrated pictures and was said to have captured a sword from a British officer at the battle of Bunker Hill.  William Dunlap, a rival artist and author, was quick to ridicule Colonel Trumbull’s story of the sword.  The Colonel admitted he was badly scared and disposed to run away, but he went boldly up to the Englishman and demanded his sword.  The Englishman, more scared than the Colonel was, surrendered his sword at once.  Fenimore Cooper, the novelist, and nearly all the leading merchants of the day were among the patrons of Lewis Peter’s shop.

    If you should ever come across Dunlap’s History of the American Stage, you would find much valuable information on the contemporaries of Lewis Peter Clover.  I have never heard of any Revolutionary “Colonel Clover,” but I have met General Seth Clover of Clarion, Clarion county, Pennsylvania.  The General called on Lewis Peter and said he was a relative.  I saw him again in St. Louis, Missouri about 36 years ago.  He was then settled in Kansas where I believe his family now resides. 

   [These notes on the above were published with the original article. They are notes from Bob and Marguerite Clover, original editors of the Clover Family Exchange.]

Keep in mind this was written in 1898.  Clover Gatlin is the person referred to in notes followed by C.G.
    She also notes that the family children through the years loved to hear tales of Lewis’ captivity in the War of 1812.  These same tales, she says, came down to her when she was a child, from William (the author) through his daughter, Anna Richardson Clover (Morrison) who was the Mrs. Gatling’s grandmother (her mother’s mother).
    At this time, we do not know of a relationship between Lewis Peter Clover and General Seth Clover.  The latter is a descendant of Paul Clover, son of John Peter Clover and Catherine (Sharp) Clover.

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