George Clarke (1822-1889) and Anna Maria Gregory (1834–1914)

George Clarke was born at Hyde Hall and inherited his father’s estate at age 13.

When Clarke turned 21 in 1843, he took over management of his inheritance and divided his time between Hyde Hall and a townhouse he rented in Manhattan. He built on his father’s undertakings in several ways. He oversaw the rental properties in 13 different counties and continued acquiring new farmland. Between 1843 and 1858 he expanded the original 850 acres around Hyde Hall to 3,000 acres that supported 15 dairy farms. He constructed five local cheese factories, planted hops, and established a commercial orchard with an initial planting of 1500 trees. He became an early breeder of Hereford beef cattle and established a stud farm. He also invested in early industries, such as the New York and Harlem street railway extending north on the east side of Manhattan to Westchester County.

He kept a staff of 22 people at Hyde Hall during the 1840s, but part of the time he enjoyed being a young and wealthy bachelor in Manhattan. In 1845 he was invited to join the New York Yacht Club, attended musical events and art exhibitions, but became involved with a group of gamblers led by Daniel Edgar Sickles. His gambling debts grew to a substantial amount, but he paid them off through selling various assets by 1846. In 1853 he married Anna Maria Gregory (1834-1914), a daughter of the wealthy Dudley S. Gregory, a prominent Jersey City industrial promoter and two-time member of congress and Ann Maria Lyon.

George and Anna Maria's four children:

Eleanor "Maude" Clarke (1854 - ?)

George Hyde Clarke "The Gentleman" (1858-1914)

Anna Maria Clarke (1860-?)

Katherine Clarke (1866-?)

Anna Maria found Hyde Hall too isolated, preferring New York City society, so they spent only part of the summer months and an occasional Christmas at Hyde Hall. In 1866, Anna Maria and their children moved to England to further their educational pursuits, and George remained in New York to manage the family’s affairs. He was never fond of Hyde Hall, so he closed the house, suspended all maintenance, and lived in hotels in New York City, Albany, or near his various properties. On his rare visits to Hyde Hall, he stayed in one of the servant bedrooms over the kitchen. The house and the outbuildings suffered to such an extent from leaking roofs and lack of attention that some of the ceilings and floors collapsed. When Anna Maria and their children came back in 1876, she found the house “too dilapidated for comfort” and retreated to England. By the 1880s George Clarke Jr.’s poor management of his vast estate and the failure of his speculation in the hops industry had led to serious financial problems. He declared bankruptcy in 1887 and all his property, including Hyde Hall, went into receivership. When he died in 1889 it was said that he owned only his clothes.