William Irving (1731-1807)
Merchant, Importer of Hardware, of William Street, New York City
He was born and grew up on the Scottish Orkney Islands. During the Seven Years War he worked as a navigator on ships trading between Falmouth and New York City. In 1761, he married Sarah Sanders of Falmouth, "a woman of rare beauty and charm of character," and two years later (1763) they settled in New York City where William worked as a merchant importing hardware from England and France. He was described as, "a man of great decision, of a stern type of piety and sense of duty almost puritanical, and exerted a strong disciplinary influence over his sons. During the Revolution his fervid patriotism exposed him to numerous dangers and difficulties, and at one time he was compelled to take refuge in New Jersey". He lived in, "the quaint, gabled house that he had erected on Vandewater Street" and kept business premises on William Street between Fulton and John Streets. William and Sarah had eleven children of whom eight (listed) survived to adulthood, including the celebrated author Washington Irving.
