David Franks: Colonial Merchant

15. Exiles

Fifteen exiles New York City, David’s birthplace and original hometown, had been filled with family and friends years earlier. When David and Becky returned in late 1780, few of those friends and relatives remained. His parents were both long dead. His siblings Moses, Naphtali, Richa, and Abigail (Poyer) were in England, as were both of his sons. Abby and Andrew Hamilton were back in Philadelphia. John Watts and his family were also in England, and Oliver DeLancey had accompanied Clinton to the Carolinas to wage the southern campaign. Oliver and Phila’s son-in-law, John Harris Cruger, was with Clinton. Likewise, John André had been with Clinton’s forces until his capture in September along with Benedict Arnold. Margaret’s cousin Thomas Moore was with DeLancey’s brigade. David’s sister Phila DeLancey was still in New York after a harrowing ordeal a year earlier. DeLancey’s family home, “Bloomingdale,” had been burned to the ground by Whig activists at a time when only women and servants were in the house. Phila, almost completely deaf, had hidden in a dog kennel on the property and was nearly burned there. She and her daughters wandered through the woods nearby for hours until the attackers left.1 Compounding the dearth of companions, Clinton’s absence made it impossible for Franks to collect his victualing debts. No one else had the knowledge or the authority to approve the payment of these debts, and there was no way of knowing when or even whether Clinton would return to New York. David obtained permission to return to Philadelphia in February for a stay of four to six weeks. While there, he pursued claims and enlisted Tench Coxe to serve as his attorney. Coxe was brought up to speed on what David considered his holdings and what outstanding debts he had listed or remembered.2 Exiles 159 As soon as David returned to New York, he set out for England, arriving on July 1, 1782.3 Once there, he filed a petition with Parliament for a loyalist’s pension. He obtained letters of support from Adam Drummond, John Peter DeLancey (Oliver’s nephew), and Sir William Howe. Drummond had made an effort to attend the hearing before the American board but had begged off owing to his “very indifferent state [of ] health,” which prevented his coming to town.4 Franks probably anguished over the whole appeal process, being desperate for income. While David was in England, the Hamilton family used their influence in Philadelphia to arrange for the return of Billy Hamilton, who had permission to spend four to six weeks clearing up his affairs. A few weeks later, he was permitted to remain permanently.5 A new hope arose for Franks in March 1781, when Congress listened to a memorial from George Morgan in his capacity as agent for the Indiana Company proprietors. On the same day, a similar but much more extensive memorial by Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Wharton was offered on behalf of the Vandalia Company.6 Morgan’s appeal requested a full hearing before Congress so that the Indiana Company’s case could be presented in an unbiased setting. The Vandalia presentation was to focus upon the great effort and cost already invested by the partners; since British interests were no longer significant, Congress was at liberty to decide the best interests of the United States. James Wilson, president of the Illinois & Ouabache Company, also appealed for the right to make land sales. David Franks had missed a meeting of the company on New Year’s Day at which his sonin -law Andrew Hamilton represented the family’s interests. At that gathering and the subsequent session on January 22, the company concluded that it was willing to show Congress documents of its land titles and any other appropriate materials.7 Affirmative responses from Congress on these three proposals would have made David Franks a wealthy man once again. But Congress assigned a committee to study the offers; the committee delivered its initial report on June 27. Having considered the “Acts of Cession, and from the conditions annexed to them and other circumstances,” the committee members were “of the opinion it would be inexpedient for Congress to accept of them as they stand at present.” They proposed that Congress take into consideration the western limits beyond which it would not extend its guarantee to individual states, and to determine what vacant territory belonged to the United States in common for the...