Samuel Bard, founder or cofounder of several eleemosynary institutions in New York City, was born in Philadelphia where his father, John Bard, was practicing medicine.1 Ancestors on both his father's and mother's side were Huguenots who had fled France; his mother's forebears settled in Hyde Park on the Hudson River; his father's forebears took up residence along the Delaware River below Philadelphia. When Samuel was four years of age, the family moved to New York. There his father established an excellent practice, was recognized in the best social circles, and provided his children with superior educational opportunities for his time. At the age of 17, Samuel entered King's College (later Columbia University), followed the classical course, and, upon graduation in 1761, left for Europe on a British square-rigger to begin his formal instruction in medicine. The journey was made during the unrest between England and France, and the ship