Sayre, Stephen, 1736-1818

Capt. Stephen Sayre was born on June 12, 1736, in Southampton, Suffolk, New York to John Sayre and Hannah Howell, the second to youngest of their eleven children. Having graduated from Princeton, Capt. Sayre served in the French and Indian War, after which he moved to London. While in London, he was appointed as High Sheriff when his friend, John Wilkes became Lord Mayor in 1774. However, since he was a proponent of American Independence, in October of 1775, he was accused of and arrested for high treason for allegedly plotting to kidnap King George III and returning him to Hanover. He was acquitted and had to pay a £1,000 fine. He returned to America where he became the private secretary for Benjamin Franklin and then accompanied U.S. Envoy Arthur Lee to Prussia, then unofficially, he traveled to Copenhagen, Stockholm, and St. Petersburg to gather funds and supplies for American troops. He returned to New York City in 1783, then bought “Point Breeze” in New Jersey, which he later sold to Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s older brother and former King of Spain and Naples. He married twice, his first wife was Elizabeth Noel with whom he had his only son, Samuel William Sayre. His second wife was Elizabeth Dorone. After selling “Point Breeze” in 1816, he and his wife lived with his son until his death on September 27, 1818.