... It was at "Morrisania," the old Morris place in Westchester, that my father met my mother for the first time. She was Sarah Hartley Ward, the daughter of Colonel John Ward, of Carolina, and was making the Morrises a visit with her sister Mary, who also met her future husband, Gouverneur Morris Wilkins, on this occasion. I have heard that the coming of the Misses Ward from Charleston to New York was something of an event in the restricted society of that time, and doubtless many young men were interested in the advent of these heiresses. ...
... My mother, who you will remember came from Carolina, was very hospitable and kept open house at Danskammer, most of her guests being our Southern relations. She always kept good horses, and in old times usually drove to Charleston for the winter, with four horses, taking a considerable time for the trip, and as there were few hotels, she was entertained by her friends all along the way. It must have been an ideal way to travel. I remember very well the two large travelling carriages that used to stand in our stable, arranged for four horses, with a high seat for the coachman with a big hammer-cloth below his seat, and platforms behind for footmen and luggage, and flights of folding steps that let down from inside the carriage. ...
