Frederick Augustus de Peyster (1785-1868)
Ship's Captain & Merchant in the China Trade; 2nd Governor of Sailor's Snug Harbor
He became a sea captain in the China trade from a young age and was a veteran of the War of 1812. He was described as, "the courageous master who, in the China trade years, had performed numerous invaluable favors for Astor, for which he had never been repaid. He left the China trade in 1828 when he became a commander of a packet line owned by Francis de Pau that ran between New York and Liverpool. He was the superintendent of the building of the De Rham ship, named for Henry C. De Rham, who had an import house that specialized in French merchandise. The De Rham's first voyage was in 1830 with Captain de Peyster at the helm. After retirement in 1845, he became the 2nd Governor of Sailor's Snug Harbor in Staten Island - the country's first home for retired merchant seamen. In 1816, at Grace Church in New York City, he married Janet, daughter of Garret Gilbert and Maria Varick, sister of Richard Varick, Mayor of New York City and a founder of the Society of the Cincinnati. They had eight children (listed).
