George Muirson Woolsey (1772-1840)

G. M. Woolsey, Shipping Merchant & Sugar Refiner, of New York City

Associated Houses

Casina

Hell Gate Neck

He was described as, "a large shipping merchant" at New York and in 1797 married the sister of Gardiner Greene Howland, founder of Howland & Aspinwall. He was a brother-in-law of Moses Rogers. He made a fortune shipping cotton to Europe during the embargo, which led him to reside in Liverpool for several years to avoid being imprisoned or having his property confiscated. He made another fortune through sugar refining, as the founder of the New York Patent Sugar Refinery, originally called Woolsey & Woolsey. They were, "the first that carried on the sugar refinery business (in New York) on a very large scale". George owned Green Hook on Long Island and died at his 400-acre country estate, Casina at Newtown, where he retired to and bred horses. In New York, he lived first at 32 Greenwich Street, and later moved to No. 56 on the same street. His wife predeceased him in London. They had four sons, tow of whom married. Their youngest son, Edward, married Emily Aspinwall
Contributed by Mark Meredith on 07/04/2020 and last updated on 08/04/2020.