Major John Jordan Jermain (May 20, 1758February 17, 1819) served in the Westchester Militia during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. A library in Sag Harbor, New York was built and named in his honor in 1910.

Biographical information

Jermain was born in

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

. He joined the Westchester Militia and fought in the American Revolution. Following the war, he moved to Sag Harbor and married Margaret Pierson of Bridgehampton, New York. Together, they had nine children. One of their daughters, Margaret Pierson Jermain, was the mother of Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, who married

Russell Sage Russell Risley Sage (August 4, 1816 – July 22, 1906) was an American financier, railroad executive and Whig politician from New York. As a frequent partner of Jay Gould in various transactions, he amassed a fortune. Olivia Slocum Sage, his s ...

, a financier and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Major John Jermain died in 1819 in Sag Harbor.

Memorial library

Margaret Sage organized the effort to fund and build the

John Jermain Memorial Library The John Jermain Memorial Library is a public library located in Sag Harbor, Suffolk County, New York. Built in 1910, it serves the residents of the Sag Harbor Union Free School District, which includes the Village of Sag Harbor, the Village of No ...

in Sag Harbor in honor of her grandfather. The library was designed by

Augustus N. Allen Augustus N. Allen (July 19, 1867 – March 25, 1958) was an architect known for designing buildings on Long Island and in New York City, as well as New Jersey. He also designed the office of American financier and railroad executive John W. Campbel ...

and presented as a gift to the people of Sag Harbor in 1910. The property was bought at a cost of $10,000, and was directly across from Mrs. Sage's then summer home on Main Street. At that time, it was the highest price ever paid for a piece of real estate in Sag Harbor. In 1912, a deed of trust was executed by Mrs. Sage in which the library, its grounds and equipment were deeded to a body of trustees under the laws of New York State. The John Jermain Memorial Library was permanently endowed by Mrs. Sage that it might forever be secured to the people of Sag Harbor and vicinity. She became known as Sag Harbor's greatest benefactor, also providing the village with Pierson High School and Mashashimuet Park. In total, she gave Sag Harbor a total of between $300,000 and $400,000, just a small portion of the $23 million she gave to philanthropy in her lifetime.

References

External links

A brief history of the John Jermain Memorial Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jermain, John 1758 births 1819 deaths People from White Plains, New York People from Sag Harbor, New York People of the Province of New York New York (state) militiamen in the American Revolution