Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain, 1768-1844

Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844) was the Count of Survilliers, the exiled King of Naples and Spain, and the older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, Joseph's family, including Napoleon himself, made arrangements to sail for America. Before departure, however, Napoleon decided to remain in France, as did Joseph's wife, Julie, whose poor health prevented her from traveling with her husband. After brief stops in New York and Philadelphia, Joseph purchased a 211-acre estate on the Delaware River near Bordentown in Burlington County, New Jersey in 1815 called Point Breeze. Over the next two years, Joseph purchased ten surrounding farms to increase the size of the estate to 1700 acres, and built a mansion on high ground overlooking Crosswicks Creek. This mansion burned down soon after completion and had to be rebuilt. In 1820, Joseph was offered the throne of Mexico, which he declined in order to remain in the United States. As the political situation in Europe calmed, Joseph sailed for England in 1832, and divided the remainder of his life between Italy, England and the United States. He died in Florence, Italy in 1844.

From the description of Joseph Bonaparte papers, 1816-1917 1816-1836. (New Jersey Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 53034716

...