 Despite the fact William and his brother were now by any standard wealthy, they were living in their first log cabin when, in the summer of 1795, the Duke François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt arrived from Canawaugus, New York with his entourage of a young Englishman, servants and a poodle named Cartouche.The duke, who had letters of introduction to "those great American Landlords, Messrs. James and William Wadsworth", was somewhat taken aback by their manorial dwelling.He described it in his memoirs as "a small log house as dirty as any I have ever seen" It was cluttered with stores of all kinds and live chickens.