Charles P. Daly - Personal Life

Personal Life

Daly met Maria Lydig in 1855. Born in 1824, Maria was the daughter of Philip Mesier Lydig, Esq. (1739–1872) of New York. Philip Lydig was the last holder of the land that subsequently became the Bronx Park; the park now contains the New York Botanical Garden. Her mother, Katherine, was the eldest daughter of John Suydam, a Knickerbocker.

Like Daly, Maria was a Democrat and a Unionist. They married September 27, 1856 in West Farms, Westchester County, New York. At age 37, Maria began writing a diary, published as Diary of a Union lady, 1861-1865. She was active in the Democratic Party, the Women's Central Association for the Relief for the Army, and the New York Botanical Garden. She died at their summer home in North Haven, New York (near Sag Harbor) on August 21, 1894.

Like his wife, Daly died in North Haven in 1899, rather than at their home in New York City at 84 Clifton Place. His funeral service was held at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The home in North Haven passed on to Maria's niece, Emma Hoyt. Daly's papers, military record, lectures and diaries were donated to the New York Public Library by Emma. A portrait of Daly, painted by Daniel Huntington, hangs at the courtroom of what was the New York Court of Common Pleas.