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117-529: Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories " Rip Van Winkle " (1819) and " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow " (1820), both of which appear in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of Oliver Goldsmith , Muhammad , and George Washington , as well as several histories of 15th-century Spain that deal with subjects such as

234-503: A Traveller —including the short story " The Devil and Tom Walker "—under his Geoffrey Crayon persona. "I think there are in it some of the best things I have ever written", Irving told his sister. But while the book sold respectably, Traveller was dismissed by critics, who panned both Traveller and its author. "The public have been led to expect better things", wrote the United States Literary Gazette , while

351-539: A biography of his namesake George Washington which he expected to be his masterpiece. Five volumes of the biography were published between 1855 and 1859. Irving traveled regularly to Mount Vernon and Washington, D.C., for his research, and struck up friendships with Presidents Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce . He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1855. He

468-463: A deal which guaranteed him 12 percent of the retail price of all copies sold, an agreement that was unprecedented at that time. As he revised his older works for Putnam, he continued to write regularly, publishing biographies of Oliver Goldsmith in 1849 and Islamic prophet Muhammad in 1850. In 1855, he produced Wolfert's Roost , a collection of stories and essays that he had written for The Knickerbocker and other publications, and he began publishing

585-621: A lawyer and abolitionist who studied law under her father, Daniel Cady. Because of her role, Johnstown, together with Seneca Falls, New York , where Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped organize the first Women's Rights Convention held in 1848, lays claim to being the birthplace of the women's rights movement in the United States. Stanton's speech, the Declaration of Sentiments , given at the Seneca Falls convention and modeled on

702-551: A letter to Irving. "I believe that we have had but one man who is so much in the popular heart". By 1859, author Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. noted that Sunnyside had become "next to Mount Vernon, the best known and most cherished of all the dwellings in our land". Irving died of a heart attack in his bedroom at Sunnyside on November 28, 1859, age 76—only eight months after completing the final volume of his Washington biography. Legend has it that his last words were: "Well, I must arrange my pillows for another night. When will this end?" He

819-529: A lifelong personal and professional friendship. Irving composed the short story "Rip Van Winkle" overnight while staying with his sister Sarah and her husband, Henry van Wart , in Birmingham, England , a place that inspired other works as well. In October 1818, Irving's brother William secured for Irving a post as chief clerk to the United States Navy and urged him to return home. Irving turned

936-507: A living helping to supply and service the industry. One of the early industries that established itself in Johnstown was the Knox gelatine plant. It was built in 1890 by Charles B. Knox, a prominent Johnstown resident, who developed the granulated, unflavored gelatin still used in food preparation today. When Knox died in 1908, his wife Rose Knox managed the business. Knox became one of

1053-492: A man planting a carob tree and asked him about it. The man explained that the tree would take 70 years to bear fruit and that he was planting it not for himself but for the generations to follow him. Later that day, Honi sat down to rest but fell asleep for 70 years; when he awoke, he saw a man picking fruit from a fully mature carob tree. Asked whether he had planted it, the man replied that he had not but that his grandfather had planted it for him. In Christian tradition, there

1170-654: A number of manuscripts dealing with the Spanish conquest of the Americas had recently been made public. Irving left for Madrid and enthusiastically began scouring the Spanish archives for colorful material. With full access to the American consul's massive library of Spanish history, Irving began working on several books at once. The first offspring of this hard work, A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus ,

1287-480: A pardon given by the king to some parties suspected of having broken "forest laws". Clancy requested the local pastor to forward his findings to Catholic periodicals in England, and upon publication, send a copy to Irving. Whether this was done is not clear as the disputed text remains in the 1849 edition. Irving also championed America's maturing literature, advocating stronger copyright laws to protect writers from

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1404-458: A person traveling at near light speed would experience only the passage of a few years but would return to find centuries had passed on Earth, provides a broad new scope to express essentially the same literary theme – for example, in the opening chapter of Ursula K. Le Guin 's Rocannon's World . In Robert Heinlein 's Time for the Stars , Earth sends out a fleet of relativistic ships to explore

1521-522: A reward for his safe return. Irving then published A History of New York on December 6, 1809, under the Knickerbocker pseudonym, with immediate critical and popular success. "It took with the public", Irving remarked, "and gave me celebrity, as an original work was something remarkable and uncommon in America". The name Diedrich Knickerbocker became a nickname for Manhattan residents in general and

1638-479: A series of more than 50 loosely connected short stories and essays. While some reviewers thought Bracebridge to be a lesser imitation of The Sketch Book , the book was well received by readers and critics. "We have received so much pleasure from this book", wrote critic Francis Jeffrey in the Edinburgh Review , "that we think ourselves bound in gratitude... to make a public acknowledgement of it". Irving

1755-516: A single volume by John Miller in London. Irving appealed to Walter Scott for help procuring a more reputable publisher for the remainder of the book. Scott referred Irving to his own publisher, London powerhouse John Murray , who agreed to take on The Sketch Book . From then on, Irving would publish concurrently in the United States and Britain to protect his copyright, with Murray as his English publisher of choice. Irving's reputation soared, and for

1872-497: A small watercolor painting which continues to hang in his home. The Irvings lived at 131 William Street at the time of Washington's birth, but they later moved across the street to 128 William Street. Several of Irving's brothers became active New York merchants; they encouraged his literary aspirations, often supporting him financially as he pursued his writing career. Irving was an uninterested student who preferred adventure stories and drama, and he regularly sneaked out of class in

1989-482: A surveying mission, along with companions Charles La Trobe and Count Albert-Alexandre de Pourtales, and they traveled deep into Indian Territory (now the state of Oklahoma). At the completion of his western tour, Irving traveled through Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, where he became acquainted with politician and novelist John Pendleton Kennedy . Irving was frustrated by bad investments, so he turned to writing to generate additional income, beginning with A Tour on

2106-463: A taste to suit my dinner". While visiting Rome in 1805, Irving struck up a friendship with painter Washington Allston and was almost persuaded into a career as a painter. "My lot in life, however, was differently cast". Irving returned from Europe to study law with his legal mentor Judge Josiah Ogden Hoffman in New York City. By his own admission, he was not a good student and barely passed

2223-510: A time from my dear little Sunnyside, but I shall return to it better enabled to carry it on comfortably". He hoped that his position as Minister would allow him plenty of time to write, but Spain was in a state of political upheaval during most of his tenure, with a number of warring factions vying for control of the 12-year-old Queen Isabella II . Irving maintained good relations with the various generals and politicians, as control of Spain rotated through Espartero , Bravo, then Narváez . Espartero

2340-573: A trading firm. The two were reminiscing in June 1818 when Irving was suddenly inspired by their nostalgic conversation. Irving locked himself in his room and wrote nonstop all night. As he said, he felt like a man waking from a long sleep. He presented the first draft of "Rip Van Winkle" to the van Wart family over breakfast. "Rip Van Winkle" was one of the first stories Irving proposed for his new book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Irving asked his brother Ebenezer to assist with publication in

2457-566: A village at the foot of the Catskill Mountains in the years before the American Revolution . One day, he goes squirrel hunting in the mountains with his dog, Wolf, to escape his wife's nagging. As evening falls, he hears a voice calling his name and finds a man dressed in old-fashioned Dutch clothing and carrying a keg. Rip helps the man carry his burden to a cleft in the rocks from which thunderous noises are emanating;

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2574-578: Is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County in the U.S. state of New York . The city was named after its founder, Sir William Johnson , Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York and a major general during the Seven Years' War in North America. It is located approximately 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Albany , about one-third of the way between Albany and

2691-586: Is a foot long and has turned gray, his musket is badly deteriorated, and Wolf is nowhere to be found. Returning to his village, he discovers it to be larger than he remembers and filled with people in unfamiliar clothing, none of whom recognize him. When asked how he voted in the election that has just been held, he declares himself a loyal subject of George III , unaware that the American Revolutionary War has taken place in his absence. He learns that many of his old friends either were killed in

2808-476: Is a similar, well-known story of "The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus ", which recounts a group of early Christians who hid in a cave circa 250 AD to escape the persecution of Christians during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius . They fell into a miraculous sleep and woke some 200 years later during the reign of Theodosius II to discover that the city and the whole Empire had become Christian. This Christian story

2925-484: Is not saddened by the news. He learns via a village elder that the men he met in the mountains are rumored to be ghosts of the crew of the Dutch East India Company ship Halve Maen . His daughter takes him into her home, and he soon resumes his usual idleness (unconcerned by the major political changes during his slumber) and begins telling his story to every stranger who visits the village. The tale

3042-441: Is now known as Old Fort Johnson , also built a large manor house and estate for himself in 1763, Johnson Hall , where he lived until his death. Johnson Hall was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. New York State operates it as a historic site. As the area owned and settled by Johnson grew, he convinced the governor, William Tryon , to establish a new county in upstate New York west of Albany County . This new county

3159-760: Is recounted by Islam and appears in a famous Sura of the Quran , Sura Al-Kahf . The version recalls a group of young monotheists escaping from persecution within a cave and emerging hundreds of years later. Another similar story in the Islamic tradition is of Uzair (usually identified with the Biblical Ezra ), whose grief at the Destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians was so great that God took his soul and brought him back to life after Jerusalem

3276-509: Is solemnly taken to heart (despite some assuming him to be insane) by the settlers, particularly by the children who say that, whenever thunder is heard, the men in the mountains must be playing ninepins. After a failed business venture with his brothers, Irving filed for bankruptcy in 1818. Despondent, he turned to writing for possible financial support, although he had difficulty thinking of stories to write . He stayed in Birmingham , England, where his brother-in-law Henry van Wart had opened

3393-688: The Adirondack Park . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.88 square miles (12.65 km ), of which 4.88 square miles (12.63 km ) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.02 km ), or 0.17%, is water. The city is bordered to the north, east, and west by the town of Johnstown , to the northeast by the city of Gloversville , and to the south by the town of Mohawk in Montgomery County. Cayadutta Creek, which runs through

3510-655: The Alhambra , Christopher Columbus , and the Moors . Irving served as American ambassador to Spain in the 1840s. Irving was born and raised in Manhattan to a merchant family. He made his literary debut in 1802 with a series of observational letters to the Morning Chronicle , written under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle . He temporarily moved to England for the family business in 1815, where he achieved fame with

3627-712: The Finger Lakes region to the west, in the Mohawk Valley region , within the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. The city of Johnstown is mostly surrounded by the town of Johnstown , of which it was once a part when it was a village . Adjacent to Johnstown is the City of Gloversville . The two cities are together known as the "Glove Cities" due to their history of manufacturing gloves and other leather apparel. Gloversville and Johnstown constituted

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3744-615: The Lipton Tea Company. Johnstown is located along the southern edge of Fulton County, in the picturesque Mohawk Valley of upstate New York. It is slightly north of the route developed for the Erie Canal through what is now Montgomery County. Although not a hilltown, Johnstown is close to the Adirondack Mountains that stretch across the northern portion of Fulton County. It is near the southern border of

3861-668: The Mohawks and other members of the Iroquois Confederacy . Johnson's alliances and influence with the Iroquois played a significant part in the French and Indian War , in which he was a major general. As a reward for his services, Johnson received large tracts of land in what are now Hamilton and Fulton counties. Johnson established Johnstown and became one of New York's most prosperous and influential citizens. Johnson

3978-625: The New York Thruway . As of the census of 2000, there were 8,511 people, 3,579 households, 2,208 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,751.1 inhabitants per square mile (676.1/km ). There were 3,979 housing units at an average density of 818.7 per square mile (316.1/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White , 0.6% Black or African American , 0.3% Native American , 1.0% Asian , <0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.4% from other races , and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of

4095-668: The New-York Mirror pronounced Irving "overrated". Hurt and depressed by the book's reception, Irving retreated to Paris where he spent the next year worrying about finances and scribbling down ideas for projects that never materialized. While in Paris, Irving received a letter from Alexander Hill Everett on January 30, 1826. Everett, recently the American Minister to Spain, urged Irving to join him in Madrid, noting that

4212-514: The Sketch Book . Following the success of "Rip Van Winkle" in print and onstage, later celebrated editions were illustrated by Arthur Rackham (Heinemann, 1905) and N.C. Wyeth (McKay, 1921). One story in Judaism concerns Honi HaMe'agel , a miracle-working sage of the 1st century BC, who was a historical character but to whom various myths were attached. While traveling one day, Honi saw

4329-641: The United States House of Representatives . In 1816, he returned to Johnstown from Washington and resumed legal practice. He later served as a judge on the New York Supreme Court , Fourth District, from 1847 until 1855. Cady died in Johnstown in 1859 and is buried in the cemetery there. John D. McDonald (1816–1900) was born in Johnstown. Orphaned at 12, he took off for the Wisconsin Territory at age 20, where he

4446-637: The 20th century Mad magazine. Salmagundi was a moderate success, spreading Irving's name and reputation beyond New York. He gave New York City the nickname "Gotham" in its 17th issue dated November 11, 1807, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "Goat's Town". Irving completed A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker (1809) while mourning

4563-892: The American Revolution, he later served as a member of the New York Assembly (1792–1793) and as a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives (1793–1794) from that district. In 1797 he supervised the building of the USS Constitution ("Old Iron Sides") at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston , Massachusetts . Talbot commanded the USS Constitution , largely in the West Indies , from 1799 to 1801, when he retired from

4680-713: The British to flight after they had burned large tracts of land in the Mohawk Valley. After the war, Johnstown became part of Montgomery County when Tryon County was renamed to honor the Continental General Richard Montgomery , who died at the Battle of Quebec . In 1803, the community of Johnstown was incorporated as a village . In 1838, Johnstown's county affiliation changed yet again when what by then remained of Montgomery County

4797-526: The Conquest of Granada was published a year later, followed by Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus in 1831. Irving's writings on Columbus are a mixture of history and fiction, a genre now called romantic history. Irving based them on extensive research in the Spanish archives, but also added imaginative elements aimed at sharpening the story. The first of these works is the source of

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4914-548: The Continental Army at the battles of Quebec and Saratoga during the American Revolution. Col. Livingston frustrated Benedict Arnold 's attempted treason by firing on The Vulture , the boat intended to carry Arnold to safety. A public servant as well as an astute lawyer and businessman, Judge Cady served in the New York state legislature from 1808 until 1814. In 1814 he was elected as a Federalist to one term in

5031-475: The History of Letters". Rip Van Winkle Inspired by a conversation on nostalgia with his American expatriate brother-in-law, Irving wrote the story while temporarily living in Birmingham , England. It was published in his collection, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. While the story is set in New York's Catskill Mountains near where Irving later took up residence, he admitted, "When I wrote

5148-663: The Knickerbocker and Crayon pseudonyms. He was regularly approached by aspiring young authors for advice or endorsement, including Edgar Allan Poe, who sought Irving's comments on " William Wilson " and " The Fall of the House of Usher ". In 1837, a lady of Charleston, South Carolina brought to the attention of William Clancy , newly appointed bishop to Demerara , a passage in The Crayon Miscellany , and questioned whether it accurately reflected Catholic teaching or practice. The passage under "Newstead Abbey" read: One of

5265-575: The New York Morning Chronicle in 1802 when he was 19, submitting commentaries on the city's social and theater scene under the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle . The name evoked his Federalist leanings and was the first of many pseudonyms he employed throughout his career. The letters brought Irving some early fame and moderate notoriety. Aaron Burr was a co-publisher of the Chronicle , and was impressed enough to send clippings of

5382-561: The Oldstyle pieces to his daughter Theodosia . Charles Brockden Brown made a trip to New York to try to recruit Oldstyle for a literary magazine he was editing in Philadelphia. Concerned for his health, Irving's brothers financed an extended tour of Europe from 1804 to 1806. He bypassed most of the sites and locations considered essential for the social development of a young man, to the dismay of his brother William who wrote that he

5499-679: The Orkney story. The story has been adapted for other media over the past two centuries, in cartoons, films, stage plays, music, and other media. There is a statue of Rip Van Winkle in Irvington, New York. A sculpture of Rip Van Winkle can also be found near the summit of the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort in the Catskills. The name Rip Van Winkle has been used to name: Johnstown (city), New York Johnstown

5616-526: The Prairies which related his recent travels on the frontier. The book was another popular success and also the first book written and published by Irving in the United States since A History of New York in 1809. In 1834, he was approached by fur magnate John Jacob Astor , who convinced him to write a history of his fur trading colony in Astoria, Oregon . Irving made quick work of Astor's project, shipping

5733-520: The Revolution occurred elsewhere, Johnstown did see some fighting late in the war. With area residents not knowing of Cornwallis ' defeat and surrender at the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia , about 1,400 soldiers fought at the Battle of Johnstown , one of the last battles of the Revolution, on October 25, 1781. The Continental forces, led by Col. Marinus Willett of Fort Johnstown, ultimately put

5850-757: The Spanish parliament's debates over the slave trade. He was also pressed into service by Louis McLane, the American Minister to the Court of St. James's in London, to assist in negotiating the Anglo-American disagreement over the Oregon border that newly elected president James K. Polk had vowed to resolve. Irving returned from Spain in September 1846, took up residence at Sunnyside, and began work on an "Author's Revised Edition" of his works for publisher George Palmer Putnam . For its publication, Irving had made

5967-421: The U.S. Navy. One of the men who shaped Fulton County was Judge Daniel Cady , a prominent Johnstown resident. Sometimes called "the father of Fulton County", Cady named the new county after Robert Fulton , who was related by marriage to Cady's wife, Margaret Livingston. Robert Fulton, an inventor, is perhaps best known for devising the improvements that made steamboats commercially viable. Judge Daniel Cady

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6084-446: The United States Senate had refused to confirm him as the new Minister. Consoling Van Buren, Irving predicted that the Senate's partisan move would backfire. "I should not be surprised", Irving said, "if this vote of the Senate goes far toward elevating him to the presidential chair". Irving arrived in New York on May 21, 1832, after 17 years abroad. That September, he accompanied Commissioner on Indian Affairs Henry Leavitt Ellsworth on

6201-505: The United States, particularly A Tour on the Prairies , though British critics accused him of "book-making". In 1835, Irving purchased a "neglected cottage" and its surrounding riverfront property in Tarrytown, New York, which he named Sunnyside in 1841. It required constant repair and renovation over the next 20 years, with costs continually escalating, so he reluctantly agreed to become a regular contributor to The Knickerbocker magazine in 1839, writing new essays and short stories under

6318-467: The United States. As Irving wrote, "I shall feel very anxious to hear of the success of this first re-appearance on the literary stage – Should it be successful, I trust I shall be able henceforth to keep up an occasional fire." A British edition was published shortly afterward, by John Miller, who went out of business immediately thereafter. With help from his friend Walter Scott , Irving was able to convince John Murray to take over British publication of

6435-447: The area had been known as Slapershaven or "Sleeper's Haven" by the Dutch. Irving made several other trips up the Hudson as a teenager, including an extended visit to Johnstown, New York , where he passed through the Catskill Mountains region, the setting for " Rip Van Winkle ". "Of all the scenery of the Hudson", Irving wrote, "the Kaatskill Mountains had the most witching effect on my boyish imagination". Irving began writing letters to

6552-450: The atmosphere. Irving is largely credited as the first American Man of Letters and the first to earn his living solely by his pen. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow acknowledged Irving's role in promoting American literature in December 1859: "We feel a just pride in his renown as an author, not forgetting that, to his other claims upon our gratitude, he adds also that of having been the first to win for our country an honourable name and position in

6669-403: The average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males. The median income for a household in the city

6786-405: The bar examination in 1806. He began socializing with a group of literate young men whom he dubbed "The Lads of Kilkenny", and he created the literary magazine Salmagundi in January 1807 with his brother William and his friend James Kirke Paulding, writing under various pseudonyms, such as William Wizard and Launcelot Langstaff. Irving lampooned New York culture and politics in a manner similar to

6903-451: The basis for his 1837 book The Adventures of Captain Bonneville . These three works made up Irving's "western" series of books and were written partly as a response to criticism that his time in England and Spain had made him more European than American. Critics such as James Fenimore Cooper and Philip Freneau felt that he had turned his back on his American heritage in favor of English aristocracy. Irving's western books were well received in

7020-444: The center of the American glove industry for 90 years until competition from other countries drove most manufacturers out of business. As of the 2010 Census , the city had population of 8,743. The Irishman William Johnson came to the Province of New York from Ireland in 1738. Johnson was a trader who learned Indigenous languages and culture and formed close relationships with many Native American leaders, especially those of

7137-435: The city's merchant class. Washington was born on April 3, 1783, the same week that New York City residents learned of the British ceasefire which ended the American Revolution . Irving's mother named him after George Washington. Irving met his namesake at age 6 when George Washington came to New York just before his inauguration as President in 1789. The President blessed young Irving, an encounter that Irving had commemorated in

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7254-757: The city, provided water power needed to generate the electricity required by the various industries that grew up in Johnstown. The creek flows south to join the Mohawk River at Fonda . East-west highways, New York State Route 29 and New York State Route 67 , intersect in the city and also cross the north-south highway New York State Route 30A . NY 29 leads east 32 miles (51 km) to Saratoga Springs and northwest 8 miles (13 km) to Rockwood . NY 67 leads southeast 11 miles (18 km) to Amsterdam and west 18 miles (29 km) to St. Johnsville . NY 30A leads northeast 4 miles (6 km) to Gloversville and 10 miles (16 km) to Mayfield , as well as south 4.5 miles (7.2 km) to Fonda and 6 miles (10 km) to

7371-473: The confiding period of my literary career, when, poor as a rat, but rich in dreams, I beheld the world through the medium of my imagination and was apt to believe men as good as I wished them to be. With the political situation relatively settled in Spain, Irving continued to closely monitor the development of the new government and the fate of Isabella. His official duties as Spanish Minister also involved negotiating American trade interests with Cuba and following

7488-432: The death of his 17-year-old fiancée Matilda Hoffman. It was his first major book and a satire on self-important local history and contemporary politics. Before its publication, Irving started a hoax by placing a series of missing person advertisements in the New York Evening Post seeking information on Diedrich Knickerbocker , a crusty Dutch historian who had allegedly gone missing from his hotel in New York City. As part of

7605-449: The death of his brother William—Irving worked slowly, finally delivering a completed manuscript to Murray in March 1822. The book, Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley (the location was based loosely on Aston Hall , occupied by members of the Bracebridge family, near his sister's home in Birmingham) was published in June 1822. The format of Bracebridge was similar to that of The Sketch Book , with Irving, as Crayon, narrating

7722-443: The durable myth that medieval Europeans believed the Earth was flat . According to the popular book, Columbus proved the Earth was round. In 1829, Irving was elected to the American Philosophical Society . That same year, he moved into Granada's ancient palace Alhambra, "determined to linger here", he said, "until I get some writings under way connected with the place". Before he could get any significant writing underway, however, he

7839-405: The earliest successful American businesswomen. The Knox family and its philanthropic foundation were generous to the city, giving it the block of land known as Knox Field, where playgrounds, athletic fields, and bridle paths are located. The city named Knox Junior High School for the family. The Knox Gelatin plant, once a major employer in Johnstown, closed in 1975 following the sale of the company to

7956-486: The evenings to attend the theater by the time he was 14. An outbreak of yellow fever in Manhattan in 1798 prompted his family to send him upriver, where he stayed with his friend James Kirke Paulding in Tarrytown, New York . It was in Tarrytown where he became familiar with the bucolic beauty of the region with its Dutch customs and local ghost stories. Though the town of Sleepy Hollow did not exist in Irving's time (North Tarrytown changed its name to Sleepy Hollow in 1996),

8073-500: The fawning biographical account Astoria in February 1836. In 1835, Irving, Astor, and a few others founded the Saint Nicholas Society in the City of New York . During an extended stay at Astor's home, Irving met explorer Benjamin Bonneville and was intrigued with his maps and stories of the territories beyond the Rocky Mountains . The two men met in Washington, D.C., several months later, and Bonneville sold his maps and rough notes to Irving for $ 1,000. Irving used these materials as

8190-436: The galaxy, their crews hailed as stalwart pioneers – but after a century, which they experience as only a few years, faster-than-light ships are developed and the earlier ones are recalled, their crews discovering that they had become unwanted anachronisms on a changed Earth. The protagonist notices a newspaper headline disparagingly announcing the arrival of himself and his shipmates as "yet another crew of Rip Van Winkles". In

8307-444: The investigation into the truth, and promised to correct in future editions the misrepresentation complained of". Clancy traveled to his new posting by way of England, and bearing a letter of introduction from Irving, stopped at Newstead Abbey and was able to view the document to which Irving had alluded. Upon inspection, Clancy discovered that it was, in fact, not an indulgence issued to the friars from any ecclesiastical authority, but

8424-524: The kind of piracy that had initially plagued The Sketch Book . Writing in the January 1840 issue of Knickerbocker , he openly endorsed copyright legislation pending in Congress. "We have a young literature", he wrote, "springing up and daily unfolding itself with wonderful energy and luxuriance, which … deserves all its fostering care". The legislation, however, did not pass at that time. In 1841, Irving

8541-514: The legation's chargé d'affaires until the arrival of Martin Van Buren , President Andrew Jackson 's nominee for British Minister. With Van Buren in place, Irving resigned his post to concentrate on writing, eventually completing Tales of the Alhambra , which would be published concurrently in the United States and England in 1832. Irving was still in London when Van Buren received word that

8658-447: The local Native American inhabitants dubbed him Warragghivage , or "he who does much business." Johnson founded the village of Johnstown – originally "John's Town" – in 1762, naming it after his son John Johnson. Johnson built a school, which was free but not mandatory, to educate both Mohawk and white children. He was also instrumental in the organization of St. John's Episcopal Church . Johnson, who had been living in what

8775-554: The next two years, he led an active social life in Paris and Great Britain, where he was often feted as an anomaly of literature: an upstart American who dared to write English well. With both Irving and publisher John Murray eager to follow up on the success of The Sketch Book , Irving spent much of 1821 traveling in Europe in search of new material, reading widely in Dutch and German folk tales. Hampered by writer's block—and depressed by

8892-586: The next year to negotiate a trade agreement between the United States and the British West Indies , finally reaching a deal in August 1830. That same year, Irving was awarded a medal by the Royal Society of Literature, followed by an honorary doctorate of civil law from Oxford in 1831. Following McLane's recall to the United States in 1831 to serve as Secretary of Treasury, Irving stayed on as

9009-505: The offer down, opting to stay in England to pursue a writing career. In the spring of 1819, Irving sent to his brother Ebenezer in New York a set of short prose pieces that he asked be published as The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. The first installment, containing "Rip Van Winkle", was an enormous success, and the rest of the work was equally successful; it was issued in 1819–1820 in seven installments in New York and in two volumes in London ("The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" appeared in

9126-445: The parchment scrolls thus discovered, throws rather an awkward light upon the kind of life led by the friars of Newstead. It is an indulgence granted to them for a certain number of months, in which a plenary pardon is assured in advance for all kinds of crimes, among which, several of the most gross and sensual are specifically mentioned, and the weaknesses of the flesh to which they were prone. Clancy wrote to Irving, who "promptly aided

9243-519: The politics and warfare were exhausting, and Irving was both homesick and suffering from a crippling skin condition. I am wearied and at times heartsick of the wretched politics of this country…. The last ten or twelve years of my life, passed among sordid speculators in the United States, and political adventurers in Spain, has shewn me so much of the dark side of human nature, that I begin to have painful doubts of my fellow man; and look back with regret to

9360-409: The population. There were 3,579 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and

9477-567: The publication of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. which was serialized from 1819 to 1820. He continued to publish regularly throughout his life, and he completed a five-volume biography of George Washington just eight months before his death at age 76 in Tarrytown, New York . Irving was one of the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe, and he encouraged other American authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , Herman Melville , and Edgar Allan Poe . He

9594-433: The rule of Mongol invaders – whereupon he places himself at the head of the freedom fighters. In Roger Zelazny 's science-fantasy series The Chronicles of Amber , protagonist Corwyn experiences drinking and revelry in an underground lair with otherworldly people who try to entice him into slumber; he knows this is a centuries-of-sleep trap and resists; the passage is similar in theme to both "Rip Van Winkle" and especially

9711-399: The ruse, he placed a notice from the hotel's proprietor informing readers that, if Mr. Knickerbocker failed to return to the hotel to pay his bill, he would publish a manuscript that Knickerbocker had left behind. Unsuspecting readers followed the story of Knickerbocker and his manuscript with interest, and some New York city officials were concerned enough about the missing historian to offer

9828-478: The sheep but could not find it, so he returned to his father's farm, only to discover that it was under new ownership. He went home, only to discover that the people there did not know him. Finally, he encountered his younger brother, who had become an old man, and learned that he had been asleep in the cave for fifty-seven years. According to the different sources that Diogenes relates, Epimenides lived to be 154, 157, or 299 years old. Multiple sources have identified

9945-500: The sixth issue of the New York edition and the second volume of the London edition). Like many successful authors of this era, Irving struggled against literary bootleggers. In England, some of his sketches were reprinted in periodicals without his permission, a legal practice as there was no international copyright law at the time. To prevent further piracy in Britain, Irving paid to have the first four American installments published as

10062-433: The source proves to be a group of bearded men wearing similar outfits playing nine-pin bowling . Not asking who these men are or how they know his name, Rip joins them in drinking flagons of alcohol from the keg he has helped carry and soon becomes so intoxicated that he falls asleep. Rip awakens on a sunny morning, at the spot where he first saw the keg-carrier, and finds that many drastic changes have occurred; his beard

10179-464: The spring of 1823. He returned to Paris and began collaborating with playwright John Howard Payne on translations of French plays for the English stage, with little success. He also learned through Payne that the novelist Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was romantically interested in him, though Irving never pursued the relationship. In August 1824, Irving published the collection of essays Tales of

10296-434: The story of "Rip Van Winkle". The theme is taken up in numerous modern works of science fiction. In H. G. Wells 's The Sleeper Awakes , a man who sleeps for 203 years wakes up in a completely transformed London, where he has become the richest man in the world. In the original Buck Rogers book, the protagonist falls asleep under the influence of a gas in a mine, sleeps for four centuries, and wakes to find America under

10413-399: The story of Epimenides as the earliest known variant of the "Rip Van Winkle" fairy tale. The story of "Rip Van Winkle" itself is widely thought to have been based on Johann Karl Christoph Nachtigal 's German folktale " Peter Klaus ", which is a shorter story set in a German village. It tells of a goatherd named Peter Klaus who goes looking for a lost goat. He finds some men drinking in

10530-541: The story, I had never been on the Catskills." The Mountain Top Historical Society in Haines Falls, New York, has hosted a community reading of the story every year since 2019. The Mountain Top Historical Society is located at the top of Kaaterskill Clove in New York's Catskill Mountains, where the story is set. Rip Van Winkle, a Dutch-American man with a habit of avoiding useful work, lives in

10647-468: The surrounding area for Canada . The state confiscated all of the Johnson property in 1779 because of the family's Loyalist sentiments and support for the British cause. Johnson Hall suffered vandalism at the hands of Continental soldiers quartered there. The house and estate were subsequently sold to Silas Talbot , a naval officer and hero of the American Revolution. Although most of the fighting during

10764-449: The tenth chapter of his book Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , the third-century AD Greek historian Diogenes Laërtius relates the story of the legendary sage Epimenides of Knossos , who was said to have been a shepherd on the island of Crete . One day, Epimenides followed after a sheep that had wandered off and after becoming tired, went into a cave under Mount Ida and fell asleep. When he awoke, he continued searching for

10881-431: The war or have left the village and is disturbed to find a young man who shares his name, mannerisms, and younger appearance. A young woman states that her father is Rip Van Winkle, who has been missing for 20 years, and an old woman recognizes him as Rip. The young woman and the young Rip are his children, and the former has named her infant son after him as well. Rip discovers that his wife has been dead for some time but

10998-479: The wood bark they produced, Johnstown became a center for tanning of leather during the late 19th century. By the early 20th century, Johnstown, along with neighboring Gloversville , became known as the glove-making capital of the world, nicknamed the "Glove Cities". Many fringe businesses once existed to support the glove and leather industries around Johnstown. Box manufacturers, thread dealers, sewing machine repairers, chemical companies, and many others have made

11115-506: The woods and after drinking some of their wine, falls asleep. When he wakes up, twenty years have passed. The story also bears some similarities to stories from East Asia, including the third-century AD Chinese tale of " Ranka ", as retold by Lionel Giles in A Gallery of Chinese Immortals , and the eighth-century Japanese tale " Urashima Tarō ". The Hindu story of Muchukunda from the Bhagavatam also displays many similarities to

11232-457: Was $ 32,603, and the median income for a family was $ 39,909. Males had a median income of $ 30,636 versus $ 22,272 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,324. About 9.3% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. Silas Talbot moved with his family to Johnstown, where he purchased Sir William Johnson's estate and manor house. A hero of

11349-525: Was a farmer (lived on the same farm for 63 years) and served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and in various local offices. Hatch was born in Johnstown. He became mayor of Buffalo, New York and a U.S. House of Representatives member. He was a law partner with Henry K. Smith , who also became a mayor of Buffalo. Daniel Cady is today perhaps best known as the father of the prominent women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton , who

11466-482: Was adopted by the New York Knickerbockers basketball team. After the success of A History of New York , Irving searched for a job and eventually became an editor of Analectic Magazine , where he wrote biographies of naval heroes such as James Lawrence and Oliver Hazard Perry . He was also among the first magazine editors to reprint Francis Scott Key 's poem "Defense of Fort McHenry ", which

11583-514: Was also admired by some British writers, including Lord Byron , Thomas Campbell , Charles Dickens , Mary Shelley , Francis Jeffrey , and Walter Scott . He advocated for writing as a legitimate profession and argued for stronger laws to protect American writers from copyright infringement. Washington Irving's parents were William Irving Sr., originally of Quholm , Shapinsay , Orkney , Scotland, and Sarah (née Saunders), originally of Falmouth, Cornwall , England. They married in 1761 while William

11700-764: Was born in Johnstown in 1815. Stanton, who later worked in partnership with Susan B. Anthony and served for many years as president of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), spent her childhood in Johnstown, where she studied at the Johnstown Academy. It was one of the first schools in New York to receive a teaching certificate issued by the newly formed state education system in the later 19th century. After leaving to continue her education in Troy, New York , Stanton returned to Johnstown with her husband Henry Brewster Stanton ,

11817-538: Was buried under a simple headstone at Sleepy Hollow cemetery on December 1, 1859. Irving and his grave were commemorated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1876 poem "In the Churchyard at Tarrytown", which concludes with: How sweet a life was his; how sweet a death! Living, to wing with mirth the weary hours, Or with romantic tales the heart to cheer; Dying, to leave a memory like the breath Of summers full of sunshine and of showers, A grief and gladness in

11934-444: Was disastrous for many American merchants, including Irving's family, and he left for England in mid-1815 to salvage the family trading company. He remained in Europe for the next 17 years. Irving spent the next two years trying to bail out the family firm financially but eventually had to declare bankruptcy. With no job prospects, he continued writing throughout 1817 and 1818. In the summer of 1817, he visited Walter Scott , beginning

12051-399: Was divided into two separate counties: Montgomery and Fulton . While the village of Fonda became the new county seat of Montgomery County, Johnstown became the county seat of Fulton County. The village of Johnstown became a city in 1895, becoming separate from the surrounding town. Elizabeth Cady Stanton , who became a prominent activist for women's rights, was born in Johnstown in 115 and

12168-623: Was educated at the Johnstown Academy. In 1889, Johnstown suffered a devastating flood. The Cayadutta Creek rampaged, Schreiber's Skin Mill was swept away, as was the State Street bridge, and over twenty people were drowned or missing when the flood carried away the Perry Street bridge. In 1906, the state of New York bought Johnson Hall from its private owners in order to renovate and preserve it. With plentiful forests of hemlock trees and

12285-549: Was elected to the National Academy of Design as an Honorary Academician. He also began a friendly correspondence with Charles Dickens and hosted Dickens and his wife at Sunnyside during Dickens's American tour in 1842. President John Tyler appointed Irving as Minister to Spain in February 1842, after an endorsement from Secretary of State Daniel Webster . Irving wrote, "It will be a severe trial to absent myself for

12402-630: Was hired as an executor of John Jacob Astor's estate in 1848 and appointed by Astor's will as first chairman of the Astor Library , a forerunner to the New York Public Library . Irving continued to socialize and keep up with his correspondence well into his seventies, and his fame and popularity continued to soar. "I don't believe that any man, in any country, has ever had a more affectionate admiration for him than that given to you in America", wrote Senator William C. Preston in

12519-643: Was immortalized as " The Star-Spangled Banner ". Irving initially opposed the War of 1812 like many other merchants, but the British attack on Washington, D.C. , in 1814 convinced him to enlist. He served on the staff of Daniel Tompkins , governor of New York and commander of the New York State Militia, but he saw no real action apart from a reconnaissance mission in the Great Lakes region. The war

12636-503: Was named Tryon , after the governor, and Johnstown became the county seat. The county courthouse , built by William Johnson in Johnstown in 1772, partly at his own expense, still stands today, as the oldest operating courthouse in New York. Sir William Johnson died in 1774 before the American colonies declared their independence from Britain . After the onset of the American Revolutionary War , many British Loyalists , including Johnson's son John and his family, fled both Johnstown and

12753-542: Was notified of his appointment as Secretary to the American Legation in London. Worried he would disappoint friends and family if he refused the position, Irving left Spain for England in July 1829. Arriving in London, Irving joined the staff of American Minister Louis McLane . McLane immediately assigned the daily secretary work to another man and tapped Irving to fill the role of aide-de-camp. The two worked over

12870-415: Was one of Johnstown's most important citizens. With indirect connections by marriage to John Jacob Astor and that family's lucrative fur business interests, Daniel Cady, adept at managing these connections and his own business interests, joined the ranks of the wealthiest landowners in New York. After moving to Johnstown in 1799, he married Margaret Livingston, whose father, Col. James Livingston , fought in

12987-436: Was pleased that his brother's health was improving, but he did not like the choice to " gallop through Italy … leaving Florence on your left and Venice on your right". Instead, Irving honed the social and conversational skills that eventually made him one of the world's most in-demand guests. "I endeavor to take things as they come with cheerfulness", Irving wrote, "and when I cannot get a dinner to suit my taste, I endeavor to get

13104-488: Was published in January 1828. The book was popular in the United States and in Europe and would have 175 editions published before the end of the century. It was also the first project of Irving's to be published with his own name, instead of a pseudonym, on the title page. Irving was invited to stay at the palace of the Duke of Gor , who gave him unfettered access to his library containing many medieval manuscripts. A Chronicle of

13221-456: Was reconstructed. He rode on his revived donkey and entered his native place. But the people did not recognize him, nor did his household, except the maid, who was now an old blind woman. He prayed to God to cure her blindness, and she could see again. He meets his son, who recognizes him by a mole between his shoulders and is older than he was. (see Uzair#Islamic tradition and literature ). Albert Einstein 's theory of relativity , under which

13338-615: Was relieved at its reception, which did much to cement his reputation with European readers. Still struggling with writer's block, Irving traveled to Germany, settling in Dresden in the winter of 1822. Here he dazzled the royal family and attached himself to Amelia Foster, an American living in Dresden with her five children. The 39-year-old Irving was particularly attracted to Foster's 18-year-old daughter Emily and vied in frustration for her hand. Emily finally refused his offer of marriage in

13455-545: Was serving as a petty officer in the British Navy. They had eleven children, eight of whom survived to adulthood. Their first two sons died in infancy, both named William, as did their fourth child John. Their surviving children were William Jr. (1766), Ann (1770), Peter (1771), Catherine (1774), Ebenezer (1776), John Treat (1778), Sarah (1780), and Washington. The Irving family settled in Manhattan, and were part of

13572-562: Was the largest landowner in the Mohawk Valley , with an estate of more than 400,000 acres (1,600 km ) before his death. Having begun as an Indian trader, Johnson expanded his business interests to include a sawmill and lumber business and a flour mill that served the area. Johnson, the largest enslaver in the county and perhaps in the state of New York, enslaved some 60 Africans to labor for these businesses. He also recruited many Scottish Highlander and Irish tenant farmers to work his lands. Observing Johnson's successful business endeavors,

13689-479: Was then locked in a power struggle with the Spanish Cortes. Irving's official reports on the ensuing civil war and revolution expressed his romantic fascination with the regent as young Queen Isabella's knight protector, He wrote with an anti-republican, undiplomatic bias. Though Espartero, ousted in July 1843, remained a fallen hero in his eyes, Irving began to view Spanish affairs more realistically. However,

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