On the evening of April 14, 1788, an angry mob of almost 5,000 people, or one quarter of the population of New York City, stormed the jail on Broadway yelling, “Bring out your doctors!” To control the crowd Governor George Clinton called in the militia but ordered them not to fire their weapons. He plead…

This month’s blog takes a look at the life of John Clarkson Jay IV (1915-2000), great-grandson of Dr. John Clarkson Jay (1808-1891), son of business executive John Clarkson Jay III (1880-1941) and Marguerite Soleliac (1877-1937). He is referred to as John Jay for here on out. John Jay was one of the most influential ski-film…

The family story this month revolves around Prudence Crandell, a schoolteacher in Canterbury, Connecticut. Crandell, a white woman, was arrested for allowing black students to attend the female boarding school she operated. William Jay, a prominent member in the American abolitionist movement, took an interest in Crandell’s plight and eventual court case, becoming an advisor…