YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

COMMEMORATIVE

BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

-OK-

DUTCHESS COUNTY,

NKW^ YORK,

CONTAliNi;>;G

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT AND REPRESENTATIVE
CITIZENS, AND OF MANY OF THE EARLY SETTLED FAMILIES.

-IIvLUSTRATED-

CHICAGO:
J. H. BEERS & CO.
1897.

FROM THE PRESS OF WILSON, HUMPHREYS & CO.,
FOURTH ST., LOGANSPORT, IND.

F*1^^^Y^J^CE>.

THE importance of placing in book form biographical history of representative citi
zens — both for its immediate worth and for its value to coming generations — is ad
mitted by all thinking people; and within the past decade there has been a grow
ing interest in this commendable means of perpetuating biography and family genealogy.
That the public is entitled to the privileges afforded by a work of this nature needs
no assertion at our hands; for one of our greatest Americans has said that the history of
any country resolves itself into the biographies of its stout, earnest and representative citi
zens. This medium, then, serves more than a single purpose; while it perpetuates biogra
phy and family genealogy, it records history, much of which would be preserved in no
other way. In presenting the Commemorative Biographical Record to its patrons, the pub
lishers have to acknowledge, with gratitude, the encouragement and support their enter
prise has received, and the willing assistance rendered in enabling them to surmount the
many unforeseen obstacles to be met with in the production of a work of this character.
In nearly every instance the material composing the sketches was gathered from those im
mediately interested, and then submitted in type-written form for correction and revision.
The volume, which is one of generous amplitude, is placed in the hands of the public with
the belief that it will be found a valuable addition to the library, as well as an invaluable
contribution to the historical literature of the State of New York.
THE PUBLISHERS.

•^;i':^^

JOSEPH F. BARHARD.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

ts(9a'fo5^^!^^^^y^c

ARNARD, HON. JOSEPH F.
The family of this distin
guished citizen of Poughkeep
sie, Dutchess county, is of
English origin.
In very early times two
brothers by the name of Bar
nard received a patent from
the king of Great Britain of a considerable
tract of land upon the island of . Nantucket,
and there they and their descendants made
their home until about the year 1818. The
father of Joseph was born upon that island, as
was his father and his father's father, and his
father's grandfather also.
This makes quite a long line of American
citizenship. By birthright the Judge must be
an American of Americans. The bu.siness of all
upon this island from time immemorial was to
"go down to the seas in ships," a life of trial,
adventure and profit, in pursuit of the whale,
principally, but sometimes chartered for com
mercial ventures the world over. At about the
age of twenty years Frederic Barnard, the fa
ther of Joseph, came to the fore and took
command of a ship sailing in all the seas where
the whale was to be found. He seems to have
been the last male representative of the name
and fortunes of the Barnards at Nantucket.
About this time he married a Miss Margaret
Allen, a native of Millford Haven, on the bor
der of Wales and the kingdom of Great Britain.
William and Thomas were born there. Re
maining there a few years, Frederic brought
his family to Nantucket, and having accumu
lated a fair competence he migrated with his
family of two children and wife to the east
bank of the Hudson river about two miles north
of the then village of Poughkeepsie, and settled
upon an estate of about 100 acres of farm and
1

wood lands. It is said that he was attracted
to this location partly by the fact that there
was a company here engaged in sending out a
fleet of whalers to search the seas for whales,
then valuable for oil and bone. But the father
of Joseph engaged in no further business ven
tures. He lived quietly upon his lands, doing
not much more farming than seafaring men
are accustomed to do when upon the seas.
Here were born to this father and mother eight
additional children, six sons — Thomas, Henry,
Joseph F. , John, Frederic, George — and two
daughters — Margaret and Martha. Each of
these lived to adult age except Henry, who
from some child's sickness died as a little one
of some half dozen years.
Capt. Frederic Barnard used his time and
resources most faithfully and wisely for the
profit of his numerous family, for every child,
nine in number, both girls and boys, were as
thoroughly educated as was possible in this
country. William, Thomas, Robert and Fred
eric were each graduates from Union College,
while John, Joseph F. and George G. were
graduated from Yale. This shows remark
able fixedness of purpose in a parent, and
shows also that there were no idle ones in
that family. Capt. Barnard seems to have
taken the bearings of life early and to have
sailed the ship without variation from the true
course. In that day the funds and opportuni
ties for education were far more difficult of
attainment than now since the cities and State
almost fill one with learning with but one
price — the boy must be diligent. In 1836
Frederic Barnard parted with the lands upon
the Hyde Park road and purchased of Walter
Cunningham the premises known as 47 Can
non street, where he died at the age of eighty
years. The house is still owned within the

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

repast; indeed, the writer has often, in the
early days, found great pleasure in the talks
of Judge Charles Wheaton, and those other gen
tlemen of the law. Sometimes the joke would
be upon Judge Barnard — often this way when
Judge Wheaton was to the fore — and the
Judge has not failed since his accession to the
bench to use and fully enjoy these kindly and
and familiar social habits. But, in passing, a
word must be in justice said, that many a hard
knock-down has come to many of us when our
cases did not upon .examination bear his acute
inspection. What a legal fight there was
about the building of the reservoir, about the
walling in of the Fallkill and the Quicksilver
Mining Company case; and cases without
number could be mentioned, especially remark
able, from the public interest as to their de
cision, and by reason of the eminence of the
counsel engaged — but why particularize when
it has been every-day business for him for
thirty years full of work.
"The father of Judge Barnard and his an
cestors for many generations were of the sect
known as Quakers, bringing with them to Nan
tucket this religious faith and practice. The
mother was of the Church of England, and
Joseph and the other children were, through
her influence, brought up in the American rep
resentative of her faith, the Episcopal Church.
The Judge is a most faithful reader of the Bi
ble and a firm believer in the doctrines it sets
forth, and it is often that he speaks with won
der 6f the wealth of wisdom in the book.
' ' Judge Barnard has become the owner of
many farms in the county of Dutchess, and
also of a number in other counties. He has
taken much care of these possessions, and has
put the buildings and the farm appurtenances
in first-class order; indeed, nearly all of them
have new sets of buildings upon them, and,
perhaps, in this opening for personal attention
to the management of lands, crops and nice
stock of farm animals, he may find a charming
employment, in out-door life, in his days of
leisure to come. It has been his constant
pleasure to walk over the roads and fields,
taking close note of all that there is in Nature
— getting health, rest and amusement. All
the roads and ways upon each side of the river
for miles around have been well and frequently
traveled by him. He continues to practice, as
a means of throwing off the burdens of in-door
life. Judge Barnard has always been a Dem
ocrat, and a man in sympathy with the people.

In 1861 he was married to Miss Emily B. Has-
brouck, of Kingston, Ulster county. They
have two children — Frederic Barnard, yet re
siding with his parents in their beautiful home
in Poughkeepsie, and a daughter named Maud,
who is now Mrs. James Lenox Banks, of New
York City; each of these, the son and son-in-
law, are graduates of Yale College, and are
each lawyers working in the profession for its
emoluments and honors. A young lawyer bids
us say, and we cannot refrain from so doing,
since we think it a sure mark of greatness and
broadness of thought in a man who has won
high position by dint of merit, to remember
how weak and timid Joseph F. Barnard once
was as a lawyer; and so we must say that, to
the young lawyer, diffident, strange in the
place, poor, usually, and needing help just
then with his case, no parent with his child
could have been more considerate than Judge
Barnard was with him. No attempt at praise
in this article has been intended, and only the
facts of this useful service to us all has been
the purpose of this story to plainly and truth
fully give. "

JUDGE CHARLES WHEATON (deceased).
The subject of this sketch, one of the most
talented and distinguished members of the
Dutchess County Bar, was born May 21, 1834,
at Lithgow, in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county.
He was connected by marriage and blood
with many well-known residents of this region,
the Bockee, the Carpenter, the Barculo, the
Smith and the Thompson families, and his
ancestors in the direct line were among the
most prominent citizens of their day. His
(Charles Wheaton's) great-grandfather Whea
ton died during the Revolution, in the city of
New York. His grandfather Augustus (born
in 1 774 in New Milford, or town of Washing
ton, Conn., and died in 1851 in New Milford)
was married, about 1796, to Hannah Givan,
of the town of Washington, Conn.; she was
born in 1776, and died in 1825 in Pompey,
N. Y. In about 1802 Augustus Wheaton
came to the town of Northeast, Dutchess
county, where he remained till 18 10, managing
one of Judge Isaac Smith's farms. In 18 10
he moved to Pompey, N. Y. , with his family,
where he bought a farm and Hved tfll about
1840. In 1833 or 1834 he was appointed by
the Governor as Inspector of salt, which posi-

(3 ^^^^^-^^*-'<^^^^^^^*^^>-^^.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tion he held for about five years. Later he
removed to his former home. New Milford,
Conn., where he married Miss Bestwick. He
died in 1851.
On December 15, 1804, Charles Wheaton's
father. Homer, was born about three-quarters
of a mile north of the Square. He commenced
his school life at Pompey, where he entered
the academy at eight years of age. His pre
cocity is evidenced by his being already engaged
in translating Xenophon when nine years old.
He entered Hamilton College in 1819, being
graduated in 1822, and delivering the English
oration. _ He studied law, was admitted to the
bar, and began to practice in Syracuse. On
June 23, 1830, he married Louisa Smith,
daughter of Judge Isaac Smith, a well-known
jurist and large land-owner of Dutchess county,
and as she preferred to live near her old home
he gave up his profession and came to Lithgow,
where his time was largely occupied in manag
ing the estates of his wife. He prepared for
the ministry of the Episcopal Church, was
ordained in 1841, and in 1842 was made
assistant rector of Christ Church, Pough
keepsie, and in 1846 was chosen rector, serv
ing one year, when he resigned and returned
to Lithgow. Here he acted as rector of St.
Peter's Church, building Episcopal churches
in Amenia Union and Beekman during his
ministry. In 1854 he was urged by a number
of the clergy for the bishopric then vacant by
the death of Bishop Wainwright, but his relig
ious views were undergoing a change, and he
discouraged the movement. In 1855 he be
came a Roman Catholic, and thereafter resided
at his beautiful country home till within a few
years of his death, which occurred in his nine
tieth year. He had become quite deaf, and
was accidentally killed by the cars at Mill-
brook, on November 12, 1894.
As to the maternal ancestry of Charles
Wheaton: His mother, Louisa Smith, was
born March 29, 1805, and died May 21, 1863.
Her father, Isaac Smith, was born at the
Square, July 25, 1767, and died at Lithgow in
1825. Early in the century he held the office
of county judge, and served also as member of
the Assembly of the State. For the earlier
history of the Smith family we copy the follow
ing from an old record : ' ' William Smith came
from Gloucestershire, in England, in or about
the year 1635 or 1636, unto Boston, where he
was persecuted for his religious principles. He
left Boston and came to Hempstead, on Long

Island, in the year 1639, where about forty
families that had left Boston on the same ac
count had settled about two years before, under
the States of Holland. He was killed a few
years after by the Indians. He left several
sons: John, Abraham and Morris. Abraham
had two sons — Isaac and Abraham; the young
est removed to Cape May, in New Jersey.
Abraham died, aged eighty-six years. Isaac
Smith, he settled on the side of Hempstead
Plains. He was born about the year 1657 or
'8, and died in the year 1746. He left two
sons — Jacob and Micah. Jacob was born De
cember, 1690; Micah was born 1703. Jacob
died in the. year 1757. He left two sons-
Thomas, born 9th of August, 1720; Jacob was
one of the judges of the Court of Common
Pleas when he died. Isaac Smith was born
the 9th day of September, 1722, and moved
from Hempstead, in Queens county, where his
ancestors had resided nearly a century before,
to the town of Amenia, in Dutchess county,
the year 1769" — and from another section:
"Isaac Smith was born September 9, 1722;
Margaret Platt was born August 16, 1728.
They were married January 2, 1743 or '4. Of
eleven children born to them, Isaac Smith was
the tenth, born July 25, 1767," the grand
father of Charles Wheaton, subject of this
sketch. Of the two sons of Homer Wheaton, the
elder, Isaac Smith, died in November, 1872;
Charles, the younger son, was a graduate of
the College of St. James at Hagerstown, Md.,
and a tutor there for two years. He then
studied law in the office " of Thompson &
Weeks, of Poughkeepsie, was admitted to the
bar, and entering the office of Silas Wodell,
then district attorney, he became assistant
district attorney. In 1863 he was elected
county judge, and on the resignation of Judge
Homer A. Nelson, who had been elected to
Congress, he was appointed to fill his un
expired term in addition to that for which he
had been chosen. He declined a renomina-
tion, and never again held a pubhc office, al
though as an ardent believer in the principles
of the Democratic party he valiantly led a
"forlorn hope" several times against the
overwhelming Repubhcan majority of his dis
trict. He seemed to care nothing for defeat;
the cause was all that he considered; the
principles which he held dear filled him with
enthusiasm, in which the thought of self had
no place. He was candidate for Congress in

6

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1866, for the U. S. Senate in 1873 (against
Roscoe Conkling), and for State Senator in
1877, bearing the party standard as gallantly
as if success instead of defeat were assured.
He was frequently a delegate to State Conven
tions, and on several occasions was chairman,
his clearness of intellect and judicial fairness
making him an ideal presiding officer. He
held minor offices of public trust, fulfilling
their duties with scrupulous care, serving on
the board of education, and on the board of
managers of the Hudson River State Hospital
for many years. With his high intellectual
endowments, and a manner which never failed
to establish a spirit of good-fellowship, it has
been a matter of surprise to many that he did
not make use of opportunities for distinction
in public life which arose from time to time.
But he was genuinely indifferent to official
honors for himself, and preferred rather
to help his friends, when victory was
probable, than to enter into competition^
with them. Again, his high sense of
honor has stood in his way on more than
one occasion, and the story is told that
in 1879, during the preliminary campaign for
the nomination of a governor, a friend asked
his support for the State Treasurership. Judge
Wheaton's promise was readily given, and
when he was afterward notified by several
delegations that he could be named for gover
nor if he so desired he informed them that he
could not accept the nomination as his promise
had been given to support a Dutchess county
man for the Treasurership, and two could not
be chosen from that county. Had he been
nominated, he could certainly have been
elected, as he would have reconciled all fac
tions. Public opinion is united in the belief
that had he possessed greater ambition, and a
less scrupulous sense of honor, he would have
filled a larger place in the public eye. This is
doubtless true, but one may well question
whether he would have found in official place
and power the satisfaction which private life
afforded one of his temperament. A lover of
books and travel, of home and all the refine
ments of cultured society, it is no wonder that
he turned from the turmoil of poHtical Hfe
with perfect contentment. He died Tuesday,
May II, 1886, at the early age of fifty-two,
after a brief illness. The funeral services were
held in St. Paul's Church at eleven o'clock,
Friday, May 14, and the sad event was marked
by sincere grief among all classes. The mem

bers of the Dutchess County Bar, who attend
ed the funeral in a body, passed the foHowing
resolutions of condolence and respect:
Whereas, The members of the bar of the County of
Dutchess have learned, with great sorrow, of the death
of the Hon. Charles Wheaton, and have met in council to
publicly express their appreciation of the man and their
sympathv with his family:
Resolved, That in the loss of our well-beloved associate
and friend, ever upright, courteous and generous, pure of
character, honest of purpose, filling every position with
sagacity and courage, never faltering or hesitating in fol
lowing his convictions of duty, a profound lawyer and
learned man, an impartial and clear-minded judge and a
wise counsellor, always ready to aid the younger and less
experienced of his associates, and a firm and steady
friend, we desire to place on record an expression of our
common loss, and to his family our condolence and our
sympathy in their bereavement.
On further motion it was resolved that, out
of respect for the deceased brother, the mem
bers of the bar attend the funeral.
Judge Wheaton was married in Pough
keepsie, October 26, 1859, to Miss Caroline
Barculo, who survives him. They had five
children: Barculo, born September 24, 1861,
died at the age of thirteen; Louisa, born Au
gust 6, 1863, is a sister in the order of The
S. H. C. J. at the convent at Sharon Hill,
Penn., near Philadelphia; Isaac Smith, born
December 13, 1864, resides at Lithgow, and
is married to Helen Marguerite Fairchild, of
New York; Frank died at the age of fourteen
months; and Agnes, born January 19, 1870, is
in the convent at Sharon Hill. A few years
after his marriage Judge Wheaton built the
brick mansion in North Hamilton street, which
faces Mansion square near the intersection of
Mansion street. There his children were born,
and there he accumulated his library. He
was rarely absent from home, and never for a
long period of time. He made an extended
trip through Europe in 1880 in company with
his family, and returned with probably acilter
and more appreciative knowledge of what he
had seen than most travelers gain. Extensive
reading had prepared his mind for the scenes
and objects he was to visit; therefore, sight of
them was had with a relish that was keen and
intelligent. He loved to talk of his experi
ences; those that were vital with humor or
exhibited striking phases of human nature were
narrated by him with bright phrases and a
verbal coloring that indicated his many-sided
apprehension. His amusements were all of
an intellectual character; outdoor diversions
seemed to have but Httle attraction for him.
In his younger manhood his physique was

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

almost perfect, his sound health imparting a
ruddiness to his skin and a brightness to his
eyes that set him forth one of the handsomest
of men. These qualities, added to his native
bonhomie, made him especially attractive. His
courtesy toward women, and good fellowship
with men, assured him a lasting popularity. It
can be said with literal truth that Charles
Wheaton was one of Nature's noblemen. His
intellect was a noble gift; his perceptions were
of the keenest, his'powers of expression supe
rior; he apparently lacked nothing of a thor
oughly-equipped mind. His knowledge of his
tory was wide and exact; perhaps few men in
this State exceeded him in the wealth of mid
dle-age and modern history. Polite literature
was a favorite study in his younger years, and
as he approached the end of half a century of
life his literary tastes and reading were una
bated. He was especially informed concern
ing the literature of the Elizabethan, the Queen
Anne and the Georgian eras of English drama,
oratory and belles lettres. The law seemed to
possess more attractions for him in his early
manhood than in his later years, and while
such attractions receded from him, the allure
ments of modern and coetaneous literature
exerted their spell upon his receptive mind.
Hon. Seward Barculo, the father of Mrs.
Charles Wheaton, was the son of Rev. George
Barculo, who, at the time of his son's birth,
September 22, 1808, was pastor of the two
churches at Hopewell and New Hackensack,
Dutchess county. Seward was a favorite of
his uncle. Jacobus Swarthout, with whom he
spent much of his time in boyhood, and who
adopted him and provided for his education.
As a boy he was remarkable for the active and
mischievous turn of his mind, while he was at
the same time truthful, generous, fearless, and
firm. He began his academic course in De
cember, 1826, at the academy in Fishkill vil
lage, then under the charge of Rev. Cor
nelius D. Westbrook. He prepared for col
lege at Cornwall, Conn., and entered the
freshman class at Yale in September, 1828,
remaining until August, 1830', when owing to
some difficulty with the Faculty he received
an honorable discharge and went to Rutgers
CoHege, N. J. He was a year in advance of
his class there, and after three months he re
turned home; the Faculty being displeased at
this step, expelled him, and this ended his
college course. He commenced the study of
law with S. Cleveland, Esq., of Poughkeepsie,

and was admitted to the bar in the spring of
1834. He then began to practice under cir
cumstances which, though generally deemed
favorable, are in reality a disadvantage to a
young man anxious to commence the trial of
causes at nisi prius. He entered into part
nership with Mr. Cleveland, whose many cli
ents were always desirous that he should per
sonally conduct their cases. The junior part
ner rapidly acquired confidence, and began to
try his skill unaided by senior counsel, and as
Mr. Cleveland was in New York much of the
time, the young man gradually assumed the
business of the office with credit to himself
and satisfaction to his clients. He was ap
pointed judge of the county court in April,
1845, by Gov. Wright, on the unanimous
recommendation of the Dutchess County Bar,
and in 1846 was appointed circuit judge by
Gov. Wright. In 1847 he was elected one of
the justices of the supreme court for the Sec
ond District, and drew the longest term, serv
ing six years and a half.
Judge Barculo had no negative character
istics; none of the easy and facile utterance of
non-committal expressions which mark the
weak and mediocre man who aims at political
"availability." He was an extensive reader,
possessed of fine literary taste, and he took
great interest in the public library of the city
of Poughkeepsie. Horticulture was a favorite
pursuit with him, and his varieties of straw
berries, peaches, pears and other fruits became
quite celebrated in his section. To the cul
ture of the grape he paid especial attention,
and the manufacture of wine, of which he left
some fine varieties. Some valuable papers
were written by him for the " Horticulturist,"
on the varieties and management of fruit.
In 1846, 1850 and 1854, he visited Europe,
as much for the sake of being on the ocean as
to observe for himself the manners and cus
toms of foreign society, and the machinery of
their social and political life. His fondness
for the water amounted to a passion. He
owned a sail boat, and would occasionally hoist
sail and pass down the river to New York City,
across the bay, and up the Shrewsbury river,
where he would spend weeks in sailing and
bathing. During his last trip to Europe his
health failed perceptibly while he was in Lon
don and Paris, but he never complained. Al
ways kind ind considerate to those about him,
he would insist upon going with his young friends
to places of interest, that their visit might not be

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

marred by his afflictions. Finding himself
growing feebler, in June, 1854, he turned his
face homeward, his one wish being to die in
his own home, surrounded by those who were
near and dear to him. But that home he
never reached, for on June 20, 1854, he died
in New York City. His unconscious dust re
posed for a while in its desolate halls, and
then — Gently we laid him down to rest.
With his own white roses upon his breast.
He was buried with the solemn ritual of the
Episcopal Church, of which he was a member,
on June 22, 1854, in the cemetery which,
shortly before his departure for Europe, he
was most active in procuring, as if in prophetic
knowledge that he would soon occupy it.
Eleven weeks later, September 4, 1854, in
Poughkeepsie, his only son, Sidney, was killed
by an accidental fall, and their remains rest
side by side.
On May 12, 1834, Judge Barculo was mar
ried to Cornelia, daughter of John H. and
Sarah (Somerindyke) Talman, of New York
City. His wife survives him with two daugh
ters — Caroline T., born March i, 1835, and
Marion, born June 5, 1836; Cornelia F., born
March 31, 185 1, died August 6, 1881.
It is one of the consolations of a good man
that his memory shall not die; that the re
membrance of his services and virtues shall be
preserved as an inheritance to his children,
and as an incentive to others who may be
treading the arduous path of public life. The
sentiment, which seeks its gratification in the
desire for honest fame while we Hve, may
legitimately be extended to posthumous re
nown. It is a premonition and prophecy that
we are not all mortal, but that something sur
vives and claims a consciousness of the char
acter it leaves behind. Judge Barculo well
merited the epitaph inscribed upon his monu
ment: In Society, an Ornament;
In the State, a Judge, fearless, dignified and incorruptible;
In habit, simple and pure.
He died young, but mature
In usefulness and fame,
Adorning Jurisprudence by the clearness of his decisions.
And illustrating Religion by
The Strength of his Faith.

WOMER AUGUSTUS NELSON (de-
 ceased). The subject of this memoir, a
native of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, born
August 31, 1829, was at the time of his death

characterized by one of the Poughkeepsie
journals as "the first citizen of this city and
county." This unusual tribute was deserved.
The son of John M. Nelson, a Dutchess county
farmer, Judge Nelson achieved a prominent
place in State and National affairs, solely by
virtue of his inherent abilities. He was edu
cated at the Dutchess County Academy, and
afterward studied law in the offices of TaHman
& Dean, Varick & Eldridge, and Hon. Charles
H. Ruggles, all of Poughkeepsie, and at twenty-
one years of age was admitted to the bar.
He at once began to attract attention as a
lawyer by his keen analysis of legal questions,
while in politics he was speedily recognized as
a leader of the local Democratic party. In
1855, when but twenty-six years old, he was
elected judge of Dutchess county, being the
youngest man ever chosen to that office. He
served upon this bench with distinction for two
terms. In 1859 he was renominated unani
mously, and re-elected by a large majority,
notwithstanding the fact that all the other
candidates on the Democratic ticket were de
feated. At the breaking out of the war of the
Rebellion he was made colonel of the 167th
Regiment, N. Y. V. I., and would have
accompanied his command to the front but for
the urgent pleading of his numerous friends,
who prevailed on him to take his seat in Con
gress, where they considered his services would
be of more value to the country at large. In
the fall of 1862 he was elected to Congress,
and in the following year entered upon his
duties there, having, at the special solicitation
of his bosom friend, Mr. Kelly, of Rhinebeck,
resigned his commission in the army. It may
be fiere mentioned that Col. Nelson's regiment
was among those that suffered most in the
great struggle, a large proportion of its officers
and men having been numbered among the
kHled and wounded. In December, 1863, he
proceeded to Washington, and on New Year's
Day, 1864, he was present at a reception held
at the White House, to which all the generals
in the army were invited, the first and only
occasion of the kind during the war.
During his entire Congressional term Judge
Nelson warmly advocated and supported all
measures for the vigorous prosecution of the
war, and the suppression of the Rebellion. The
adoption of the Constitutional Amendments for
the Abolition of Slavery was doubtless due in a
large measure to his efforts, for he was not

[4.^'

ut^^-^*^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

only one of the few Democrats to vote for
them, but he also exerted his influence to in
duce others of his party to support them at a
time when they could not have been secured
without a partition of the Democratic vote in
the House of Representatives.
In 1867 he was elected a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention of New York State,
wheue he rendered conspicuous service, leading
to his nomination and election the same year
as Secretary of State. He was re-elected two
years later by a majority which at that time
was the largest ever given to a Democratic
candidate in the State. His success in this po
sition was acknowledged even by party oppo
nents; but he generously declined a re-nomina
tion for a third term in favor of a friend, Died-
rich Willers, who was his deputy.
After his retirement in 1871 from the office
of Secretary of State, Judge Nelson removed
his law office to New York City, where he was
engaged in litigations of the greatest impor
tance. He retained his residence at Pough
keepsie, however, and in 1881 was elected
State Senator from Dutchess county, serving
as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, in
which capacity his services were invaluable in
the revision of the penal code. His appoint
ment by the Governor, in 1 890, as a member
of the commission to prepare and propose to the
Legislature amendments to the judiciary article
of the Constitution, was a recognition of his
distinguished services, and of his learning,
abHity, and experience as a lawyer. Alto
gether he was one of the most prominent, act
ive, and influential members, and during his
career in the House served as chairman of
three committees. As a member of the legal
profession, he was highly popular, not only
with his colleagues, but among all classes, and
was universally respected. At the bar he was
as distinguished as when he sat in both Con
gress and Senate, and in 1857 Rutgers CoHege,
New Jersey, conferred upon him the honorary
degree of Master of Arts, in token of the es
teem in which his abHities had thus early won
him. With the young men of his time, and es
pecially with the then struggling law student, or
newly-fledged attorney. Judge Nelson's mem
ory will be ever held in kindly reverence. To
these he was always considerate and helpful,
encouraging and affable, and none ever came
to him for advice or counsel that was not
cheerfuHy given. On one occasion, having

delivered an address in the Opera House, a
reporter waited on him with the request that
he, the Judge, would repeat certain points in
his address. The Judge not only itnmediately
acceded to this, but cheerfully repeated the
whole of the address to the reporter. In fact,
Judge Nelson was one of the most urbane and
courteous of men, and possessed the faculty
of putting at ease all who approached him.
He was also possessed of an extremely gen
erous heart, was charitable to all deserving
causes, and the poor at all times had his coun
sel "without money and without price." All
these characteristics, and more, the outcome
of genuine kindliness of heart, were the com
pletion of his well-rounded character. Physic
ally he was a man of fine presence, handsome,
standing six feet in height, and well built in
proportion. He was fond of sport, even boy
ish in his tastes and enjoyments, and de
lighted to join with chHdren in their games
and sports.
The Judge was married in September,
1855, to Miss Helen J. Stearns, daughter of a
well-known attorney, John M. Stearns, of
Brooklyn, N. Y. Judge Nelson departed this
Hfe at Poughkeepsie, AprH 25, 1891, the cause
of his death being heart trouble, and on the
day of his funeral, out of respect to his mem
ory, the entire business in town was suspended.
He was a member of the State Bar Associa
tion, and was a Freemason.

ON. LEVI PARSONS MORTON, ex-
 Vice-President of the United States, and
ex-Governor of the State of New York, claims
descent from an old French family, one mem
ber of which (supposed to have been Robert
Comte de Mortain) joined WiHiam the Con
queror, in Normandy, in his famous expedition
to England. This Count Robert had a son,
WiHiam, Earl of Moriton and CornwaH, and
from these first of the name in England
sprang many men of renown both in Church
and State.
Prominent among the EngHsh Mortons
who early came to America were Thomas
Morton, Esq., Rev. Charles Morton, Land
grave Joseph Morton, and (I) George Morton,
the ancestor of our subject. He was born
about 1585, at Austerfield, Yorkshire, Eng
land, and about 1622, accompanied by his
wife and five children, he set sail for America,
as one of the "Pilgrims," in the "Ann,"

10

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

reaching Plymouth in June, 1623. He did
not long, however, survive his arrival, dying
in June of the foHowing year. He married
Juliana Carpenter, and by her had five chil
dren: Nathaniel, Patience, John, Sarah and
Ephriam. The mother married a second time,
and died at Plymouth, February, 18, 1665.
(II) Hon. John Morton, second son of
George and Juliana Morton, was born in
1616-17, and came with his parents in the
"Ann." From Plymouth he removed to Mid-
dleboro, in the same county, and there died,
October 3, 1673. He married Lettice  ,
who married again, and died, February 22,
1691. (Ill) John Morton, eldest surviving child
of Hon. John and Lettice Morton, was born
at Plymouth, December 21, 1650, and died at
Middleboro in 1717. He married, about 1680,
Phoebe  , and after her death wedded,
about 1687, Mary Ring.
(IV) Capt. Ebenezer Morton, fourth child
of John and Mary Morton, was born at Mid
dleboro, October 19, 1696, and died there in
1750. He married, in 1720, Mercy Foster,
born 1698, died April 4, 1782.
(V) Ebenezer Morton, fourth child of Capt.
Ebenezer and Mercy Morton,' was born at
Middleboro, August 27, 1726, and married
there, July 23, 1753, Mrs. Sarah Cobb.
(VI) Livy Morton, fourth chHd of Ebe-
nenzer and Sarah Morton, was born at Mid
dleboro, February 4, 1760; removed to Win-
throp, Maine, where his children were born,
but subsequently returned to Middleboro, where
he died July 19, 1838. He married (first)
March 13, 1788, Hannah Dailey, born No
vember 15, 1760, died in 1807; married (sec
ond) in 1808, Catherine Richmond, who died
in 1849. (VII) Rev. Daniel Oliver Morton. A. M.,
eldest son of Livy and Hannah Morton, wasborn
at Winthrop, Maine, December 21, 1788, and
died at Bristol, N. H., March 25, 1852. At
Pittsfield, Vt., August 30, 18 14, he married
Lucretia Parsons, daughter of Rev. Justin and
Electa (Frary) Parsons ; she was born at
Goshen, July 26, 1789, died at Philadelphia,
January 11, 1862. Children of Rev. Daniel
Oliver, and Lucretia Morton, all born at Shore-
ham, Vt. , were Daniel Oliver, Lucretia Par
sons, Electa Frary, Levi Parsons, Mary and
Martha. (VIII) Hon. Levi Parsons Morton, fourth
child of Rev. Daniel Oliver and Lucretia (Par

sons) Morton, was born May 16, 1824. Early
in life he became a merchant's clerk, and later
was a merchant in Hanover, N. H., where he
continued until 1850, in which year he entered
the firm of Beebe, Morgan & Co., then one of
the leading dry-goods houses in Boston. In
the foHowing year the firm opened a branch
house in New York, to which Mr. Morton was
detailed as resident partner and manager.- On
January i, 1854, he withdrew from the firm
to form the dry-goods commission house of
Morton & Grinnell. In 1863 he established
the banking houses of L. P. Morton &
Co., in New York, and L. P. Morton, Burns
& Co., in London. In 1869 the firm be
came Morton, Bliss & Co., in New York,
and Morton, Rose & Co., in London, where
his principal partner was Sir John Rose,
formerly Minister of Finance, Canada. It
was through this house that the United States
Government paid Great Britain the HaHfax
fishing award of five million five hundred thou
sand doHars. Mr. Morton was one of the
noted American bankers whose advice and as
sistance were sought by the Treasury Depart
ment in the movements of specie payments.
Early in his business career in New York
Mr. Morton evinced an interest in public affairs,
and his counsel was frequently solicited in the
political concern of the Republican party,
especiaHy of New York, but not tHl 1876 did
he 'enter actively into poHtical life. In this
year he was, without his knowledge, nomi
nated for Congress by the Republican party in
the Eleventh District, and, although unsuccess
ful, he nevertheless materially reduced the
usual Democratic majority. In 1878 he was
appointed by President Hayes honorary com
missioner to the Paris Exposition, and in the
autumn of the same year he was again nomi
nated for Congress, and after a vigorous can
vass was elected by 6,000 majority, which
majority was larger than the number of all the
votes of his opponent. This was the first time
the district had been carried by the Repub
licans. Mr. Morton took his seat in Congress (the
Forty-sixth) March 18, 1879, and he imme
diately secured a high position in the legisla
tive councils. On April 21, 1879, he was ap
pointed on the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
where he served acceptably and with distinc
tion. In 1880 he was again elected to Con
gress from the same district, by an increased
majority.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

11

When the Convention of 1880 had nomi
nated Mr. Garfield for President of the United
States, it turned to New York to find a candi
date for Vice-President, and Mr. Morton was
urged to permit the use of his name. He,
however, declined the honor, and the choice
then fell upon Mr. Arthur. Mr. Garfield of
fered Mr. Morton the choice of the Secretary
ship of the Navy, or the position of Minister
Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to
France. The latter office he accepted, and in
the summer of i88i sailed with his family for
the French capital.
The pre-eminent fitness of the new envoy
at once became apparent, and the success of
his diplomatic career has probably never been
surpassed, if equalled, by any American repre
sentative to a foreign court. Shortly after
President Cleveland entered upon the duties
of his office Mr. Morton resigned, and May 14,
1885, the retiring minister presented his letter
of recall to the President of the Republic.
In January, 1885, while he was yet in
France, Mr. Morton's name was brought be
fore the Republican caucus of the New York
Legislature as a candidate for the Senate of
the United States, the vote being: William
M. Evarts, 61; Levi P. Morton, 28; Chauncey
M. Depew, 3. Two years later his name was
used in the same connection, but after the first
ballot in the Legislature Mr. Morton withdrew
in favor of Mr. Hiscock, who was elected.
Early in the Presidential campaign of 1888,
when Gen. Harrison was nominated for Presi
dent.. Mr. Morton was nominated for Vice-
President, and both candidates were elected,
after a most hotly contested campaign. The
successful vote in New York was universaHy
conceded to have been largely due to Mr.
Morton's strength and popularity in that State.
On March 4, 1889, he entered upon the duties
of the Vice-Presidential office, and discharged
the same during his four-year term with marked
ability; and it may not be too much to say that
the United States Senate has never been pre
sided over with greater courtesy, dignity and
efficiency. In 1894 Mr. Morton was nomi
nated for and elected governor of the State
of New York, his term of office expiring Janu
ary I, 1897.
Mr. Morton has not only achieved distinc
tion in financial and political circles, but in
charitable deeds as well, as witness his munifi
cent donation to the Irish poor during the
great famine in Ireland, of 1888, and his gen

erosity on several other occasions. A park to
the city of Newport; a house and lot in Han
over to Dartmouth College, that the College
might be enabled to erect an art gallery and
museum; $10,000 toward the foundation of a
professorship of Latin and French in Middle
burg College; $75,000 to Grace Church, New
York, to provide a building for a day nursery,
as a tribute to the memory of his first wife,
Mrs. Lucy Kimball Morton, and her interest in
the children of the poor — all these stand out
from the list of Mr. Morton's public and private
benevolences. From Middleburg CoHege, in 1881, he re
ceived the degree of LL. D. , also from Dart
mouth College in 1882. Socially, he is a
member of the Union, Union League, Metro
politan, Century, and Lawyers Clubs of New
York; the Metropolitan Club of Washington,
D. C. ; the Historical and American Geo
graphical Societies of New York, and the New
England Historic Genealogical Society.
On October 15, 1856, Mr. Morton was
married at Flatlands, Long Island, to Lucy
Kimball (born July 22, 1836, died July 11,
1 871), daughter of Elijah H. and Sarah Wet-
more (Hinsdale) Kimball, of Flatlands, Long
Island. On February 12, 1873, Mr. Morton,
for his second wife, married Anna Livingston
Reade Street, born May 18, 1846, daughter of
William Ingraham Street, Esq., and Susan
Kearney, his wife. The following children
have been born to Levi Parsons and Anna
(Street), Morton: Edith Livingston, born at
Newport, R. I., June 20, 1874; Lena Kear
ney, born at Newport, May 20, 1875; Helen
Stuyvesant, born at Newport, August 2, 1876;
Lewis Parsons, born at London, England,
September 21, 1877, and died there January
10, 1878; Alice, born at New York, March23,
1879; and Mary, born at New York, June 11,
1881. Among the finest country seats of America
is Mr. Morton's "EHerslie," at Rhinecliff-
on-the-Hudson, beautifully laid out and
adorned, a spot that Rhinebeck is justly
proud of.

W WALLACE SMITH has the reputa-
 tion of a strictly first-class business
man, reliable and energetic, and is a citizen of
whom Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, may
be justly proud. He is an offspring of excel
lent stock of stanch Scotch ancestry, his

12

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

grandfather having come from Scotland to the
New World, becoming a cabinet-maker of
New York City. Politically, he was an Old-
line Whig, and in religious faith was a member
of the Reformed Dutch Church.
WilHam Smith, the father of our subject,
was a native of New York City, where he
grew to manhood and foHowed cabinet-mak
ing. There he was married to Miss Jemima
Horn, who was born in that city, and was de
scended from Mathew Van Horn, who, with
his brother James, came from Holland and
located in New York City, where their de
scendants now live. She was a daughter
of Mathew and Margaret (Hagerman) Horn,
who were born, reared and died in that
city, where her father engaged in the real-
estate business, owning a large amount of
property. In the metropolis five children
were born to the parents of our subject: John
H. , who was one of the valiant soldiers of the
Civil war, and died of starvation in Salisbury
(N. C.) prison; W. Wallace, the subject of
this review; George E., who is engaged in the
trunk business in New York City; Margaret.
who died unmarried; and Sarah H. Smith.
For twenty years after his marriage the father
continued to reside in New York City, and
then went to Baltimore, Md., where he en
gaged in the trunk business for five years.
His death, however, occurred in Poughkeep
sie, in 1864, where he had removed in 1859.
His wife died in 1889. In politics he loyally
adhered to the Republican party.
The birth of W. Wallace Smith occurred
in New York City, September 20, 1834, and
there he spent the days of his boyhood and
youth, attending the city schools and learning
the bookbinding business with A. Appleton &
Co. , with whom he remained until the panic of
1857. He then shipped on board the "Ni
agara" to help lay one of the Atlantic cables,
which they commenced to lower on reaching
England; but after it broke he returned to that
country, though the "Niagara" came on to
the United States. He next boarded the ' 'Sus
quehanna," making a trip up the Mediterranean
Sea. In 1858 the vessel was ordered home;
but during the passage the yellow fever broke
out, and only eighty-seven of the three hundred
and fifty on board reached America. Mr. Smith
then followed his trade of bookbinding in New
York until the breaking out of the Civil war,
when he joined Company L, Ninth N. Y. State
MHitia, and remained with the reginient for

two years, during which time he participated
in several battles, but while on picket duty
just before the battle of Bull Run, he caught a
cold which caused the loss of one eye. Re
turning to New York, he was with D. Appleton
& Co., until 1870, when he came to Pough
keepsie and purchased the Poughkeepsie Book
Bindery, of Gidley & De Garmo, at No. 258
Main street, and has conducted a very success
ful business there ever since, doing all kinds of
bookbinding. In 1 869 Mr. Smith was united in marriage
with Miss Martha W. Avery, a native of West
Point, N. Y. , and a daughter of Josiah Avery,
who was of Holland descent. Four chHdren
were born of this union, two of whom died in
infancy. Those 'living are William Wallace,
Jr., and Franklin A., who are with their fa
ther. In his political views, Mr. Smith coin
cides with the Republican party; was elected
alderman of the Fifth ward of Poughkeepsie,
January i, 1887, serving four terms, and in
1893 was elected supervisor of the Seventh
ward. Socially, he is an honored member of
the Grand Army of the Republic. He is highly
respected and esteemed by the entire popula
tion of the city, and looked up to as a man
truly honorable and upright in all things, and
one whom they can depend upon as a friend.

ON. HARVEY G. EASTMAN, LL. D.,
founder of Eastman Business CoHege,
Poughkeepsie, and one of the most remark
able men of his time, was born October 16,
1832, in Marshall, Oneida county. New York.
The earlier years of our subject were passed
upon the farm which his father owned and cul
tivated, receiving as he grew up an academical
education, and while still very young he became
a pupil and afterward a teacher in a commer
cial school in Rochester, N. Y. , taught by an
uncle of his. It was while engaged in this
school that Mr. Eastman conceived the idea
of a Commercial or Business College, and, as
the plan took definite form, he put it into prac
tice by founding, December 19, 1855 (when he
was but twenty-three years of age), the first
school of any prominence of that class in Os
wego, N.Y. In the spring of 1858 he opened
a Commercial College in St. Louis, Mo. , in one
of the finest buildings in the city, equipped
with all the appointments for his method of in
struction, and, by judicious management and
systematic advertising, it at the end of the year

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

18

had become the largest and most popular pri
vate school in the West. Owing, however, to
some differences existing among a certain class
as to the political status of some of the lectur
ers brought to this institution by Mr. Eastman,
he sold his good will in the College and turned
his eye eastward for a new and permanent
location. In 1859 Mr. Eastman came to Poughkeep
sie — a place he had never visited before, but
where his name and his College had by skiH
ful advertising already. become "familiar as
household words " — and here founded the pres
ent Eastman National Business College, which
at once became famed for its practicability and
usefulness, and has for many years now been
the recognized leader in business education
throughout the United States. He rented his
first room in the old Library building for sev
enty-five cents a week, and with temporary
desks started his school, November 3, 1859,
with three students in attendance. The be
ginning of the second week showed an attend
ance of sixteen, and before the end of the
month this new school — started by a stranger
at a few days' notice, and without friends or
capital, and with no small degree of opposition
from a large body of citizens — had outnum
bered in patronage other institutions many
years its senior. By 1861 the attendance had
increased to 500; in 1863 to 1,200, every State,
Territory and several foreign countries being
represented; whHe in 1864-65 the daHy attend
ance had reached the extraordinary number of
more than 1,700 students. By 1864 the col-'
lege proper had increased from one room to
five distinct buildings, used for instruction
alone, and sixty-four teachers were employed,
beside numerous assistants. A secretary and
six assistants were required to attend to the
official correspondence, which, it may be in
ferred, was one of no small magnitude. Each
building was supplied with a stationery store
to supply students, and a bindery belonging to
the college was devoted exclusively to ruHng,
making and binding the blank books used. In
1876 the building was considerably enlarged
to meet the phenomenal growth of the busi
ness which seventeen years before had been
established by Mr. Eastman without the aid of
an endowment to the amount of a dollar, or
a subscription to the extent of a penny.
Mr. Eastman died of pneumonia in the
prime of early manhood, July 13, 1878, at
Denver, Colo., whither he had gone for the

benefit of his health. He was a man of inde
fatigable energy, and through his enterprise
became one of Poughkeepsie's most prominent
citizens. In 1867, and again in 1873, he was
appointed a commissioner of charities for the
Second district; in 1872, and again in 1874,
he represented the Second district of Dutchess
county in the Assembly; in 1871, and again in
1876, he was elected mayor of Poughkeepsie.
The degree of LL. D. had been conferred on
him, and he was repeatedly urged to accept
positions of greater public trust. Personally,
he was one of the most genial, whole-souled
men, a polished and accomplished gentleman;
socially, he was a man of exemplary virtues, a
true and valued friend; in business he was
prompt and reliable. Physically, Mr. East
man was a tall, slim, winning man, with keen,
flashing eyes that lit up when engaged, indi
cating a soaring, restless ambition; he was
compactly built, apparently of an iron consti
tution, with a vast amount of the go-ahead ele
ment in his nature.
Mr. Eastman was the owner of a valuable
property of twenty-seven acres, known as
" Eastman Park," situated almost in the heart
of the city, and celebrated as one of the most
beautiful and valuable private estates in the
country. On the purchase and the elaborate
preparation of the grounds he invested upward
of two hundred thousand dollars, and the en
trances were always wide open, inviting citi
zens and strangers alike to enter. In the midst
of this grand park he erected his own resi
dence, a castellated buHding of much attract
iveness. On an eminence, known as Eastman
Terrace, he also erected two blocks of houses
— twenty-four in number — which have lawns,
gardens, etc., and command an extended view
up and down the Hudson.
In 1857 Mr. Eastman was married to Miss
Minerva M. Clark, of Canastota, N. Y. , and
children as follows were born to them, three
daughters — Cora C, Charlotte C. and Min
erva; Minerva died in infancy. In October,
1884, Mrs. H. G. Eastman was married to
Clement C. Gaines, president of Eastman
Business CoHege, Poughkeepsie, and of the
New York Business College, New York City, a
sketch of whom appears elsewhere.
In his political preferences Mr. Eastman
was a stanch Republican; socially, he was a
member of the F. & A. M. and K. of P., and
he was vice-president of the Poughkeepsie
Bridge Company.

14

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The founder and genius of Eastman Busi
ness College is no more, but the name of Har
vey G. Eastman is held in loving remem
brance by the friends who knew him, the stu
dents who revered him, and the city which
honored him. Other hands picked up the
dropped threads, and continued the work
which his hands had laid aside, and Eastman
Business College remains a lasting monument
to his memory. His motto throughout life
was — " Peace and good will toward all;" atid
his last words were — " I have tried to so live
as to do no man injustice. "

JrOHN DONALD (deceased). The subject
I of this sketch was a member of the firm of
" Donald, Converse & Maynard, one of the
largest dry-goods houses in this section of the
country. He was born in Lanfine, Scotland,
August 17, 1844.
In early life our subject learned the dry-
goods trade in Scotland, and with his brother
WiHiam went to Aberdeen, where they formed
a partnership in that business, continuing it for
four years. In 1869 John came to America
and located at Hartford, Conn., where he had
charge of one of the departments in a dry-
goods store. He remained there about five
years, and in 1874 returned to Scotland and
married Miss Jessie Frew, a native of that
country, and a daughter of Alexander Frew, a
tile manufacturer. Mr. Frew married Miss
Mary Douglas, and they had two children:
Jessie and WilHam, the latter a physician in
Scotland. Mr. Frew and his wife died in
Scotland. In 1875 Mr. and Mrs. Donald came to
Poughkeepsie, and he formed a partnership
with C. E. Converse and R. L. Maynard, the
firm name being as above. Two children were
born to our subject and his wife: William A.
who is in the store at Poughkeepsie, and
Douglas, who is at school. Mr. Donald died
November 20, 1894. Politically he was a Re
publican, and fraternally a Mason. He and
his wife were members of the Congregational
Church, and took a deep interest in all Church
affairs. He was an elder and deacon, and su
perintendent of the Sunday-school at the time
of his death. He was a merchant of high
standing, and greatly respected by all. His
place in the store has been, taken by his son
William. WilHam Donald, the father, was born in

Lanfine also, where he married Janet Kay Mc
Whirter, and they brought up a large family of
children, the youngest of whom was our sub
ject. William spent all his life on a farm.

G\EORGE H. WILLIAMS, the son of Ge-
_r rome and Catherine WiHiams, was born
at Chestnut Ridge, Dutchess Co., N. Y., Sep
tember 16, 1844, and resided there until i860,
when he removed to Poughkeepsie, where he
has since resided.
During his residence in the country he at
tended the district school, and one year in a
private school in the Clove kept by George
Draper, later school commissioner of Dutchess
county. After removing to Pougnkeepsie he
took a course at Eastman Business College,
and then commenced studying under a private
tutor for the purpose of taking an examination
for admission to Yale CoHege; but the wave of
war fever then extending over the country was
too much for him, so, leaving thought of col
lege behind, he, on September 22, 1862, joined
Company G, 150th regiment, N. Y. S. V., and
on October 1 1 left with the regiment for the
front, and continued to serve with it untH it
was mustered out at the end of the war, June
8, 1865. During the time of his service in the
army he was engaged in the battle at Gettys
burg, Penn. , in the campaign from Chatta
nooga, Tenn., to Atlanta, Ga. , in Sherman's
march to the sea, in the campaign from Sa
vannah, Ga., to Raleigh, N. C., and the sur
render of Johnston's army; was wounded in
the arm and hand at New Hope Church, Ga. ;
marched in the grand review at \\'ashington,
D. C, May 24, 1865.
After his return home he studied law with
his father at Poughkeepsie, and was admitted
to the bar May 18, 1866, and has ever since
practiced law there. He has since been ad
mitted to practice in the U. S. Courts.
In 1865 he joined the 21st regiment, N. G.
S. N. Y. , and continued a member until it was
mustered out, he being at that time its Heuten
ant-colonel. Mr. Williams was city chamberlain of
Poughkeepsie in 1875 and 1876, and Deputy
Collector of U. S. Internal Revenue during part
of President Cleveland's first administration.
He is a Knight of Pythias and a P. C. of Ar
mor Lodge 107; a member of the G. A. R. ,
and P. C. of D. B. Sleight Post 331; belongs
to the Masonic order, and is captain-general

COMMEMGLATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL FiECCRD.

15

of Poughkeepsie Commandery No. 43, K. T.,
and a member of the Mystic Shrine; and sec
retary of the Veterans Association of the 1 50th
regiment, N. Y. S. Volunteers.
Our subject is descended on the side of his
father from a brother of Roger Williams, who
settled in Rhode Island, and comes from a line
of soldiers, his grandfather serving in the war
of 1812, and his great-grandfather during most
of the Revolutionary war, and his great-great
grandfather being in the French and Indian
war. On his mother's side he is descended
from Henry Emigh, who came to this country
from Holland about 1696 and settled in Clove,
Dutchess county, buHding a stone house which
is still standing and inhabited.

JAMES SPENCER VAN CLEEF, one of
the most prominent and successful lawyers
of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was
born August i, 1831, at Athens, Greene Co.,
N. Y. He is descended from one of the old
Knickerbocker families, the first American an
cestor being Jans Van Cleef, who came from
the town of Cleve or Cleef, Holland, as early
as 1659, settling in New Utrecht, L. I. He
was probably a descendant of the old Dukes of
Cleve, whose inheritance, now vested in the
Eiriperor of Germany, was the immediate
cause of the Thirty-years War. There is also
a legend that Lohengrin was a Van Cleef.
Jans Van Cleef represented Berwick (now
Bushwick) in the General Provincial Assembly
at New Amsterdam, April 10, 1664, under
Peter Stuyvesant, Director General, in rela
tion to the "protection of the inhabitants
against the malignant English." He married
Enjeltje Lowerons Preterse prior to 1661, and
had eight children, among whom was Ben
jamin, the third child and first son, born No
vember 25, 1683. He married Hendriks
Supten as early as 171 1, and settled in New
Jersey, where they reared a family of twelve
chHdren. One son, Laurens, married Jen-
netje Loan, and had five children, among
whom was Isaac, our subject's great-grand
father, who was born October 24,- 1742. He
married Dorcas Pumyea in 1769, and had
eleven children. Their son, Cornelius, our
subject's grandfather, was born January 2,
1777, and died July 10, 1855. He became a
leading farmer at Harlingen, N. J., and an
active supporter of the Reformed Dutch
Church there. He married Margaret Kershau,

granddaughter of Lucas Nevius, who was a
grandson of the Johannes Nevius who was
clerk of the city council. They had four chil
dren, namely: Cornelius, Isaac, George, and
Matilda, who married Garrett Hegeman. The
family have generaHy been engaged in agricult
ural pursuits, the majority living in New
Jersey, but one branch residing on Staten
Island has engaged in commercial pursuits.
They have always been adherents of the Re
formed Dutch Church, and many have been
ministers. Rev. Paul D. Van Cleef, D. D.,
of Jersey City, is a member of the family.
Our subject's father. Rev. Cornelius Van-
Cleef, was educated at Dickinson College,
Carlisle, Penn., with a view to entering the
ministry. Soon after entering college he
joined with a fellow student in establishing
the first students' prayer meeting ever held
there, meeting once a week in their several
rooms. For more than a year this faithfully-
conducted exercise was treated with ridicule
by the other students, but during the second
year, on the occasion of the death of Rev.
John M. Mason, D. D. , a son of President
Mason, of the college, the attendance at the
prayer meeting became very large and nearly
every student was converted, including all but
one in Cornelius Van Cleef's class. All but
two of his class entered the ministry, the Rev.
Dr. George W. Bethune, of Brooklyn, being
one of the most successful. After leaving
college Cornelius Van Cleef studied in the
Theological Seminary of the Reformed Dutch
Church, then located at New Brunswick, N. J.,
and on graduating, in 1823, he immediately
offered his services to the Board of Domestic
Missions, or what was then called the Board
of Managers of the Missionary Society of the
Reformed Dutch Church. He was sent to
Palatine, N. Y. , where he remained six or
eight months, and as a result of his labors the
foundation was laid for the now flourishing
Church at Fort Plain. He was then trans
ferred to Manayunk, near Philadelphia, where
he remained two years, and there also was
successful in establishing a Church, now known
as the Fourth Church of Philadelphia. From
the missionary field he was called to the Church
at Athens, N. Y. , where he was installed as a
settled pastor. He remained there five years,
and during that time the country was visited
by its first scourge of cholera, Athens being
especially afflicted and losing many of its in
habitants. Mr. Van Cleef remained there

16

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

throughout the plague, ministering to the sick
and the dying, and so generally beloved did he
become that when he returned years afterward
to visit his old charge all the other churches
closed their doors for the purpose of hearing
him. His pastorate there was very successful,
the membership increasing from forty to about
one hundred and sixty. In 1833 Mr. Van-
Cleef accepted a call to the Church at New
Hackensack, and remained there thirty-three
years, when, because of advancing age, he
moved to Poughkeepsie. Here he held no
stated charges, but preached as opportunity
offered, and we may without impropriety call
him the honorary pastor, indeed, almost the
apostle, of many of the Churches in this vicin
ity. It was largely through his efforts that
the Second Reformed Dutch Church was es
tablished in Poughkeepsie in 1848, and the
Church at MHIbrook about 1870. During his
active ministry he was once appointed presi
dent of the General Synod of the Reformed
Dutch Church, which position he filled with
great ability and dignity. As a speaker he
was faithful, earnest and impressive, and be
ing more solicitous concerning truthfulness and
clearness than grace and embellishment, his
discourses were marked by simplicity and
Godly sincerity. As a pastor he had in rare
measure the one qualification which is first of
all in importance, and without which all others
are of little avail — a hearty love for his people.
It has been said of him by one who knew
him well, "As a Christian man his character
was so exquisitely beautiful that I know not
in what character to describe it. " He passed
the borders of the unseen on Sunday morning,
June 13, 1875, in his sixty-seventh year, leav
ing two children, James Spencer and Sophia
Somers Van Cleef.
James Spencer Van Cleef was educated at
College Hill, Poughkeepsie, and Rutgers Col
lege, New Brunswick, N. J., graduating in
1852 with the degree of A. B. , to whcih was
added later that of A. M. He entered the
office of Holden & Thayer, of New York City,
as a law student, and was admitted to the bar
there in 1855. In 1858 he began the practice
of his profession at Poughkeepsie, and in the
following year formed a partnership with Hon.
Mark D. Wilbur, which continued until the
close of the Civil war. During this time Mr.
Van Cleef had almost exclusive charge of the
business, Mr. Wilbur being in the army. About
1870 Mr. Van Cleef entered into partnership

with Prof. Samuel W. Buck, of Lyndon HaH;
but two or three years later this was dissolved,
and for twenty years he has practiced alone.
He has been very successful especially in cases
connected with the Surrogate's court, in which
he has for many years ranked among the lead
ing practitioners. He was married in 1862 to
Harriet Mulford Howell, daughter of Capt.
George Howell, a prominent resident of Sag
Harbor, N. Y. , and has had three chHdren:
Elizabeth Howell, who married Dr. B. C.
Kinnear, then of Boston, and died in 1886,
leaving no children; Ellen Shepard, who mar
ried Walter M. Jones, of the Atlantic Mutual
Insurance Co., of New York, and has four
children; and Henry Howell, now a student in
his father's office.
Mr. Van Cleef was originally a Whig in
political faith, but in 1856 he became an ardent
supporter of the principles of the Republican
party. Prior to the Civil war he took an
active part in the politics of Dutchess county,
and he has now been a member of the board
of education in Poughkeepsie for twenty years,
being the oldest continuous member of same.
During this time he has been largely instru
mental in bringing the schools of the city into
their present satisfactory condition. In any
movement for the public welfare he has taken
a prompt and hearty interest, and one of the
largest industries in the city was located there
a few years ago mainly through his influence.
For many years he has been an active member
ofthe Second Reformed Dutch Church.
Mr. Van Cleef is known as a very success
ful angler; is one of the leading members of
the State Association for the Protection of Fish
and Game, and since its organization has
been a member of the Committee on Law and
Legislation. In the fall of 1894 he was re
tained as counsel for the Senate Committee
on Game and Fish, and at their request drew
up the new fish and game law, which was
passed substantially as the original draft made
by him.

V\EN. ALFRED B. SMITH (deceased;.
Among the leading citizens of Pough
keepsie none holds a higher place in the esti-
Qiation of his fellow men, or has taken a more
active part in the development and growth of
all those enterprises which go to make up a
flourishing city than did the gentleman whose
name introduces this sketch. As a man of

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

17

business; as a member of the legal fraternity;
as an honored veteran of the Civil war; as a
worker in Church and philanthropic matters;
as a friend of education and as a public official,
he always commanded the respect and ad
miration of those more intimately connected
with him. *
Stephen Smith, the great -great-grandfather
of our subject, was a farmer in Massachusetts
in the early Colonial days. He married Doro
thea Matton, a sister of Gen. Matton, of Massa
chusetts, who was a major in the Revolu
tionary war. Three brothers of Stephen
Smith also served throughout that war. Arad,
a son of Stephen, and our subject's great
grandfather, was born in Salem, Massachusetts.
The grandfather, also named Arad, was
born at Amherst, Mass., and married Salome
Elmer, by whom he had fourteen children, of
whom Adolphus H. was the father of our sub
ject. In 1808 Arad Smith moved with his
numerous family to St. Lawrence county,
N. Y. , and settled ona one-square mile tract of
land in the primeval forest. There he made his
home until 1833, when he removed to Elyria,
Ohio, where he died about the year 1865.
Politically he was a Whig, and in religious
belief he was a Congregationalist.
Adolphus G. Smith, our subject's father,
born August 22, 1800, at Amherst, Mass., was
married on July 4, 1824, to Miss Nancy Dodge,
who was born in Addison, Vt., a daughter of
Major Thomas Dodge. Her father was of
English descent, and was one of twelve chil
dren, of whom several sons served in the war
of the Revolution, in the war of 18 12, and
in the Mexican war. After their marriage
Adolphus G. Smith and his wife settled on a
farm in St. Lawrence county, N. Y. , where
they reared a family of eleven children, of
whom the following record is given: Alfred
Baker, the subject of this sketch, was the
eldest; Selome E. married Newcomb Perkins,
a farmer of Augusta, Wis. ; Clarissa C. died in
1850; Hannah D. is the widow of Harvey D.
Hyde, who was a farmer in St. Lawrence
county, N. Y. ; Thomas D. is a farmer in
Rolla, Mo. ; Martin M. is farming at Massena,
Cass Co., Iowa; Wallace H. was a clerk in
the post office at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , and
died in 1875; Silas C. was a carpenter by
trade, and died in 1880, near Rochester, N. Y;
Dorothy became the second wife of Newcomb
Perkins, and died in 1870; Lepha E. is the
wife of Emmett Russell, a carpenter in Mas-
2

sena, Iowa; and Gustavus A. is farming at the
old homestead. The father always followed
the occupation of a farmer, and in politics was
originally an Old-line Whig, in later years be
coming a member of the Repubhcan party.
He died August 26, 1879, his wife passing
away in January, 1894, at the good old age of
ninety years.
Alfred B. Smith was born November 17,
1825, in Massena, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. ,
spent his boyhood days on his father's farm,
and received his early education in the district
school. When seventeen years old he began
teaching, spending his vacations in work in the
fields and other farm duties. In the fall of
1 848 he entered Union College, at Schenectady,
N. Y. , from which he was graduated in the
class of '51. Shortly afterward he came to
Poughkeepsie, and became teacher of mathe
matics in the school of Charles Bartlett, on
College Hill, which position he filled some
four years, during that time devoting his lei
sure hours to the study of law under Judge
James Emott. He was admitted to the bar in
1855, and for three years was a partner of
Mathew Hale; then formed a partnership with
Charles Williams, with whom he practiced until
the spring of 1862.
In the meantime the Civil war had broken
out, and the fighting spirit inherited from his
martial ancestors on both sides proved stronger
than all other incentives. Our subject was
among the first to raise a regiment in Dutchess
county, which became the 150th N. Y. V. I.,
and of which he was made major. His first
commission was that of lieutenant-colonel;
later he was promoted to major, and when he
became colonel he was made brevet brigadier-
general for gallant and meritorious service
under Sherman, in Georgia and the Carolinas.
At the battle of Gettysburg, Gen. Smith's regi
ment (mustering about 500 men) formed part
of the Corps No. 8, No. 12, No. 20 and No.
28, and was on the celebrated march to the sea.
The General served until the close of the war,
and was mustered out with his regiment June
8, 1865. When peace was again restored Gen. Smith
returned to Poughkeepsie, and resumed his
practice of law in partnership with L. B.
Sackett, which connection lasted some twenty
years, after which he practiced alone. At the
time of his death he was the only one living
of the twelve men who were the first members
of the Republican party in Dutchess county.

18

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

and he always took an active part in politics.
Gen. Smiith held various responsible public of
fices, and always fulfilled his duties with faith
fulness and to the satisfaction of all concerned.
For thirty-three years he was a member of the
board of education; was president during eight
years of that time, and also for some years
was chairman of the buHding committee, all
of the school houses in the district having
been erected under his supervision. In 1892,
after being elected city recorder, he resigned
from the board.
just after the war Gen. Smith served as
deputy coHector of internal revenue. In 1867
he was appointed postmaster of Poughkeepsie,
by President Johnson, and was reappointed by
President Grant, holding the office for eight
years. He also served two terms as supervi
sor of the Fifth ward of the city, and did
much to establish the Hudson- River State
Hospital. He always took a leading part not
only in political and public affairs but also in
Church matters, and, indeed, to quote from
an article printed during his lifetime, in one
of the city newspapers, "one cannot men
tion a good cause in which Gen. Smith
has not taken a part." He had been an
elder in the Presbyterian Church and super
intendent of the Sunday-school for many
years, and was sent as delegate to three of its
General Assemblies which met at Madison,
Wis., Philadelphia, and Washington, D. C. ,
respectively. He was instrumental in the
formation of what is known as "the Pough
keepsie Plan, " which has for -its object the
breaking down of the barriers between the
Catholics and Protestants, and which is rec
ognized not only in the United States, but
also in Europe. Gen. Smith was connected
with the Electric Light Co. ; was a member of
the State Bar Association; of the Loyal Le
gion; of the Masonic fraternity, and was a
Knight Templar and chief counsel of King
Solomon's Temple. In 1867 he organized the
first G. A. R. Post in Poughkeepsie, now
know as Hamilton Post No. 20.
On June 20, 1854, Gen. Smith was mar
ried to Ann Eliza Mitchell, who was born at
Jewett Heights, Lexington, Greene Co., N. Y. ,
a daughter of David and Leah (Dunham)
Mitchell. Her parents were of English ex
traction, and her father was a merchant
tailor. Two children — one daughter and one
son — were born to our subject and his wife,
to wit: Margaret J., born September 2, 1855,

died May 3, 1875; and Matthew J., born AprH
21, i860. Mrs. Smith died January 5, 1894;
she was a most estimable woman, affection
ately remembered by a large circle of warm
friends. Gen. A. B. Smith departed this life
at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , January 28, 1896.

^\^ NDREW JACKSON KETCHAM, of
.^^ Poughkeepsie, one of the oldest and
ablest financiers in this section, was identified
with various banking institutions in Dutchess
county for half a century previous to his retire
ment, in 1890, from the position of president
of the Poughkeepsie National Bank.
His famHy originated in England, and his
grandfather, Solomon Ketcham, who was
born there April 6, 1757, was the first of the
line to come to America. He located at Hun
tington, L. I., where he followed agricultural
pursuits throughout the remainder of his life.
He entered heartily into the struggles of the
Colonies for freedom, and in a speech by Hon.
Henry C. Platt, on " Old Times in Hunting
ton, L. I.," this account appears: ''He lent
his energies to the battle-field, and fought for
the birthright of freedom when the storm-
cloud of Revolution burst upon the infant
America and threatened to overwhelm the Na
tion in its fiery torrent." * * * "Among
the prisoners taken by the British during the
Revolutionary war we find the name of Solo
mon Ketcham, and they were carried aboard
the 'Swan' in 1777. Solomon Ketcham
lived on Main street. H'e got into difficulty
with the British soldiers, and snatching a
picket from a fence offered to fight three or
four officers. He was afterward confined in
the fort on Burying HHl, and kept on a diet of
bread and water. He never forgot his impris
onment nor forgave his enemies, and when the
British fleet dropped anchor in Huntington
Bay during the war of 181 2, the old man
might have been seen prowling around the
shores of Lloyd's Neck and Bay, gun in hand,
and woe to the son of Britain who came within
his reach." He married Rebecca Platt, who
died April 17, 1834, and he survived untH Feb
ruary 19, 1 85 1. They had seven children,
whose names with dates of birth and death are
as follows: Jonas, December 4, 1779, died
October 31, 1842; Hannah, born March 29,
1782; Solomon, Jr., December 12, 1784, died
March 28, 1852; OHver, October 11, 1788,
died August 5, 1792; Amos Platt, May 12,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

19

1 79 1, died October 19, 1825; Conklin, Octo
ber 22, 1794, died December 16, 1821 (lost at
sea); John, September 2, 1797.
Amos P. Ketcham, our subject's father,
left the old home in Huntington, and moved to
the town of Amenia, Dutchess county, where
he ran a flouring-mHl and engaged in farming
in a small way. In 1821 he removed to Pough
keepsie and established the first steam-boat
house in the city, about 300 yards from the
dock at the foot of Main street. Later he
moved into a house on the dock which was
known as "The Exchange," and was for some
time the leading hotel of the city. He was
married September 9, 181 1, to Miss Anna
Rogers Platt, who was born November 26,
1793, and died at Poughkeepsie, October 31,
1 86 1. After his death she conducted the hotel
alone until her marriage February 2, 1832, to
Warren Skinner, who took charge of it. By
the first marriage she had five children: Es
ther Emily, Alonzo R. , Zephar Platt, Andrew
J. and Rebecca, of v\hom, the last two are the
only survivors. Two children by the second
marriage died in infancy.
Mr. Ketcham was born in the town of
Amenia, March 18, 18 19, but with the excep
tion of two years in a select school there he
was educated in Poughkeepsie at the Dutchess
County Academy, which stood in his early
years on the corner of Cannon and Academy
streets, but afterward was moved to the upper
part of the city. His education was practical
and quite extensive for the times, and his wide
reading has kept him well abreast of the world's
progress. In early manhood he became a part
ner in a grocery business in upper Main street,
the firm name being Gale & Ketcham. After
a few years there he began his successful ca
reer in finance as clerk in the Farmers & Manu
facturers Bank, under Frederick W. Davis, and
a few years later was appointed teller. In
1852 he was appointed cashier of the First Na
tional Bank of Saugerties, N. Y. , which he had
helped to organize. In 1861 he started the
Saugerties Bank, and in 1865 he wentto Dover
Plains, N. Y. , as cashier of the Dover Plains
National Bank, and held that position nineteen
years. He retired in 1 884 and moved to Pough
keepsie; but in 1886 he was made president of
the Poughkeepsie National Bank, and was in
charge of that institution for four years.
Throughout these years of service he has per-
forriied the duties of every position with marked
ability and unvarying rectitude, and by his wise

management he has not only won success for
himself but has satisfactorily cared for the in
terests of others.
Mr. Ketcham was married first, in 1842, to
Sarah Anderson, daughter of Nathan Ander
son, a well-known resident of Rondout, N. Y.
They had six children: Richard Platt is cash
ier of the Dover Plains National Bank; Annie
married Arthur Bangs, of Dover Plains; and
Gaston is secretary of the Borden Con
densed MHk Co., of Wassaic, N. Y. Of the
others, Andrew Golding died at the age of nine
years, Golding at the age of six, and John at
one year. Mr. Ketcham formed a second
matrimonial union, with Mary Frances Cowles,
daughter of a leading citizen of Stamford,
N. Y., Jessee F. Cowles. They have one son,
Charles Andrew, now a clerk in the First Na
tional Bank, Poughkeepsie. Mr. Ketcham
and his wife are prominent members of the
Second Reformed Church, in which he has
been an elder for ten years. He takes great
interest in public affairs, and while he has
never sought political office, has given strong
support to the party which represents his con
victions. Originally a Democrat, he adhered
to that party until the Civil war broke out,
and since that time he has been a Republican.

JAMES E. DUTCHER, president of the
board of public works of Poughkeepsie, is
" one of the best-known and most prominent
men in Dutchess county, having been a mem
ber of the State Legislature, twice elected sher
iff, and chairman of the Republican County
Committee, besides holding minor offices.
The Dutcher family is of Holland descent,
and Abraham, the grandfather of our subject,
was a farmer in the town of Beekman, Dutch
ess county, where he died. He had a family
of eleven children, of whom, Abraham, Jr.
(the father of our subject), was born in La
grange, Dutchess county, and married Miss
Gertrude, daughter of Stephen Van Vores,
who was of Dutch descent. They settled on
a farm in Lagrange, but afterward removed to
the town of Beekman, where the father died
in 1869; he followed farming all his life. In
his early days he was a Whig, afterward be
coming a Republican. The mother died in
1892. Their family consisted of five children,
as foHows: Daniel V. is a resident of Mattea-
wan, Dutchess county; James E. comes next;
WiHiam H. is a farmer in the town of Beek-

20

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

man; Mary F. is unmarried, and resides in
Beekman; and Allison died in 1882.
James E. Dutcher was born in the town of
Lagrange, January 21, 1838. He was twelve
years old when his parents removed to Beek
man, and after completing his education worked
upon his father's farm until his marriage, in
February, 1 869, with Miss Elizabeth Flagler.
She was born and reared in the town of Beek
man, and is a daughter of Benjamin F. Flag
ler, a farmer of that town. In 1876 Mr.
Dutcher was elected sheriff of Dutchess coun
ty, and was re-elected in 1882, which office he
filled three years longer. During this time he
also served as chairman of the Republican
County Committee. In all these responsible
positions he won the confidence and esteem
of the people by the faithful and impartial dis
charge of his duties, and proved himself a
man of more than usual ability and progressive
ideas. During his term as sheriff, a house on
Pawling hill was blown up with dynamite, one
man being killed, and for this offense three
men were tried, convicted and sentenced to
Sing Sing for life. After retiring from the
shrievalty Mr. Dutcher engaged in the coal
business, which he successfully carried on until
1894, when he retired from that. He is at
present serving as president of the board of
public works of Poughkeepsie, having been
elected to that office in May, 1896.
Socially, our subject is a member of the
F. & A. M. He is public-spirited, always
ready to assist in matters relating to the wel
fare of his city or county, and is held in high
esteem by his fellow-citizens. The family are
identified with the Congregational Church, of
which Mrs. Dutcher is an active member.

[ON. JOHN THOMPSON (deceased) was
a native of Dutchess county N. Y. , born
in the town of Rhinebeck July 4, 1809, a son
of Robert Thompson, a farmer of near the
viHage of Rhinebeck, and his wife, a Miss
Scott, the daughter of Rev. Robert Scott,
who for many years kept a boarding school
for boys. At this institution our subject re
ceived the rudiments of his education, up to
the age of thirteen years, when, the school
being discontinued, he for the next four years
spent the most of his time in establishing his
always extensively delicate health in the light
work about the farm, also in reading and
study.

On October 26, 1826, Mr. Thompson en
tered the office of Francis A. Livingston, then
district attorney of Dutchess county, and at
once began the study not only of law, but of
general literature. Within the first year of
his clerkship he acquired a perfect knowledge
of the routine of the duties of the district
attorney's office, and in many ways soon made
himself an indispensable acquisition to Mr.
Livingston, attending court with him, etc., at
the same time pursuing his studies in English
literature and philosophy.
On the removal of Mr. Livingston to New
York, in 1829, Mr. Thompson went into the
office of Hooker & Tallmadge, in the then
village of Poughkeepsie, and, upon receiving
his license as an attorney, was taken into
partnership by James Hooker, then surrogate
of the county.
In 1834 Mr. Thompson was married to
Miss Mary Smith, youngest daughter of Judge
Isaac Smith, of Lithgow, in the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county, and, she owning a
farm received from her father's estate, much
of her husband's time was taken up in its
management. In 1840, however, he gave this
up and devoted himself exclusively to his pro
fession. He was cotemporary with some of
the most learned of the old school of lawyers,
with whom it is but just to say that he " held
his own," and was engaged in the trial of
every important case from 1845 till his retire
ment. Not the least of his labors was his
acquisition for the Hudson River Railroad Co.
of ihe title of much of the lands needed for
the use of the road from Poughkeepsie to
Albany. Mr. Thompson was for many years
connected in business with James H. Weeks,
under the firm name of Thompson & Weeks,
which firm, by the admission of Frank B.
Lown, in 1878, became Thompson, Weeks &
Lown. Mr. Weeks died in 1887, and the
firm then remained as Thompson & Lown,
which partnership continued until Mr. Thomp
son's death.
In the summer of 1856 Mr. Thompson
was asked to represent Columbia and Dutchess
counties in Congress, and induced to accept
the nomination, though the result seemed
dubious, considering the heavy and influ
ential Democratic majority in the district.
However, he at once organized a series of
meetings in the two counties, and by a
thorough discussion of the momentous issues
then pending, so aroused public sentiment.

JC

2iTgii-lTyZBSc,ILiSm£l33araaii "A.'M.T

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

21

that he was elected by over 1,200 majority on
the side of the Republican ticket. During
the sessions of '57-58 Mr. Thompson entered
into the debates on the floor of the House of
Representatives, and a number of his speeches
were circulated throughout the district and
country. One upon the exciting topic of the
hour, "The Admission of Kansas," and an
other on the ' ' Mormon Question " were
warmly received, thousands of copies being
circulated by members all over the Southern
as well as the Northern States.
A second nomination was tendered Mr.
Thompson, but declined by him on account of
pressing business duties. After his Congres
sional career, he held no public office of a
political nature, but beside his professional
duties, gave his efforts to benevolent and phil
anthropic movements of society and in the
Church, with which he was united while a
student at law. For some ten years in the
earlier history of the organizations of Lyceums
and Young Men's Associations, he lectured in
their aid. He twice delivered the oration be
fore the literary societies at Union College on
commencement day — at New Brunswick and
at Williamstown; was elected a member of
the Phi Beta Kappa at Union, and received
the degree of A. M. from Union and Yale. . He
was a lifelong student, devoting his leisure to
the cultivation of general literature, especially
of theology, delivered many Sunday evening
lectures, and also published numerous essays
— one on "Inspiration," one on the "Atone
ment," and another on the "Inner Kingdom."
He also published an article vindicating the
miracles of the New Testament. When
Matthew Vassar had settled upon devoting his
wealth toward the founding of Vassar College,
Mr. Thompson was among the first persons
consulted by him, and was chosen one of the
trustees of that institution. For many years
he was vice-president of the FallkHl National
Bank, of Poughkeepsie, and at the time of his
death was president of that institution.
Mr. Thompson, in 1835, built his residence
at the corner of Market and Church streets,
and passed the rest of his life there, except
some four or five summers spent by the family
at a cottage owned by Mrs. Thompson, in
New Hamburg, on Wappingers creek. In 1 87 1
Mr. Thompson spent a year in Europe, both
for his health and mental improvement.
Mr. Thompson was possessed of rare for
ensic and rhetorical gifts, which gave grace to

his pen, and beauty and strength to his utter
ances. His style was ornate, without weak
ness, and philosophical without obscurity; on
the platform or at the bar, he was one of the
most effective speakers in the land. His kind
ness of heart, cheerful temperament, abundant
humor and quick repartee, made him an agree
able companion and the best of friends. The
weight of his character from early manhood
had been on the side of Christian principle, in
which regard he was of vast benefit to the
moral and philanthropic movements of his
times. Mr. Thompson died June i, 1890, leaving
surviving him his second wife, Caroline (a
daughter of the late James BaHey, of Pratts-
burg, N. Y.j, and several chHdren.

ON. ISAAC S. CARPENTER, one of
,^31 the most prominent citizens of Dutchess
county, is a worthy representative of an old
and honored family. He is the eighth gen
eration in direct descent from William Car
penter, who was born in England in 1576,
and came to America in 1638 in the ship
" Bevis," landing at Weymouth, Mass. His
son, William (2), born in England in 1605,
accompanied him, bringing also his wife,
Abigail. In 1643 the family moved from Wey
mouth to Rehoboth, Mass. WiHiam and Abi-
gaH Carpenter had seven children : William,
Samuel, Joseph, John, Abiah, Hannah and
Abraham — the last three born in America.
John Carpenter came to Long Island in early
manhood, and in 1663 was chosen townsman
of Hempstead; later his name is on the records
as captain of fusiliers in the Narragansett
expedition. He was married in 1665 to
Hannah Baright, and made his home at
Jamaica, where he died May 23, 1695. He
and his wife had five children: John, William,
Samuel, Hope and Hannah. WiHiam (3), our
subject's great-great-grandfather, was born at
Hempstead, and after his father's death he
bought his mother's right in the estate there,
and moved from Jamaica with his wife, Eliza.
They had three children: Daniel, John and
Elizabeth. Daniel Carpenter, our subject's
great-grandfather, was born in Hempstead,
and in 1752 came to Dutchess county, where
he bought a farm at Crum Elbow, Hyde Park,
and there died in 1777. On February 4,
1729, he married Sarah Hall, of Hempstead,
by whom he had six chHdren: (i) Joseph,

22

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

who was a merchant of Bangall, and a justice
of the peace of the town of Stanford, married
Dorcas Smith, whose father was an officer in
the British army during the Revolutionary
war; they had five chHdren: John and Smitii
(who both entered the naval service), Joseph,
Benjamin and Dorcas. (2) Daniel, who was
a resident of Fishkill. (3) William. (4)
Joseph. (5) Benjamin. (6) Mary, Mrs. John
.Carpenter. Benjamin Carpenter, our subject's grand
father, was born at Hempstead July 11, 1749,
and lived for many years at Crum Elbow on
land given him by his father. He was perse
cuted during the Revolution by the Tories of
his locality for raising a company for the Colo
nial army, having his home robbed three times;
on other occasions he was saved by his immense
greyhound. He bought land of Job Swift in
1782, and of Samuel Pugsley in 1796, and in
1798 he purchased from John MiHer a farm on
"Carpenter HiH," where, in 1804, he buHt
the house now occupied by our subject. On
September 9, 1773, he married Mary Pugsley,
who was born March 25, 1756, the daughter of
Samuel Pugsley, of Westchester. She died
November 16, 1821, he surviving untH January
17, 1837. Eight children were born of this
union, whose names, with dates of birth and
death are as foHows : (i) Sarah, August 6,
1774, died November 30, 1852 (she married
George Ferris, of PeekskHI). (2) Hannah,
February 25, 1776, died in 1845 (she married
Noah Tabor and had two chHdren — Benjamin
and Maria). (3) Maria, April 14, 1778, died
September 2, 1839 (she married Bernard
Matthewson). (4) Daniel, October 29, 1785,
died May 3, 1853 (he was a resident of
Amenia, and was married to Zayde Perlee,
and had four chHdren — Hannah, Benjamin
(who married Tamma Hunting), Edmund P.
(who married Frances Hoag) and Tazde.
(5) Cornelia, November 6, 1789, died March
12, 1840 (she never married). (6) Elizabeth,
AprH 26, 1 79 1, died young. (7) Samuel P.,
March 8, 1780, died January 30, 18 14. (8)
Morgan, November 4, 1795, died November
14, 1871, our subject's father.
Morgan Carpenter received his early edu
cation in the district schools near his home,
and in a private school near Peekskill. He
was for some years associate county judge,
under appointment from Gov. Seward. On
February 3, 18 19, he was married to Maria
Bockee, who was born in the town of North

east, Dutchess county, January 3, 1794, the
daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Smith)
Bockee. In 1852 they moved to No. 333 Mill
street, Poughkeepsie, where they spent their
later years, his wife dying January 29, 1871,
less than a year from the time of his own
death. Nine children were born of this union:
(i) Catherine, born November 23, 1819, died
February 2, 1820. (2) Benjamin Platt, born
November 25, 1821, died December 30, 1836.
(3) .Catharine Bockee, born June 24, 1823,
married George B. Lent, of Poughkeepsie,
October 28, 1847, ^•'^d died September 17,
1879. (4) Mary M., born February i, 1825,
married Edward G. Tyler, October i, 1844
(he died April 21, 1891), and has three chil
dren — Maria Seymour (born February 3, 1846),
Morgan Carpenter (born December 22, 1847),
and Mary Catharine (born December 31,
1856). (5) Jacob Bockee, born July 16, 1826,
was a leading resident of this locality, and was
chosen supervisor of the town of Stanford in
1855, member of the Assembly in 1856, Presi
dential elector in i860, supervisor of the Fifth
ward of Poughkeepsie in 1870, and mayor of
Poughkeepsie in 1875-76. He lived in Stan
ford and Northeast until 1861, and then moved
to Poughkeepsie, later to Little Rest, where
he died April 9, 1894. On January 28, i860,
he was married to Sarah E. Thorne, and had
three children, whose names, with dates of
birth, are here given: Mary Thorne, March
18, 1 861; Jacob B., September 17, 1863 (died ¦
December 15, 1874); and Maria B., October
12, 1865, who was married June 5, 1890, to
Joseph S. Tower. (6) Isaac Smith, June 24,
1828, was twice married, first on August 28,
1 85 1, to Julia WHIson, who died May 22, 1858,
and second on September 5, i860, to Sarah
Rebecca Willson. Three children were born
of the first marriage: Eliza, September 19,
1852; Morgan, June 7, 1854, was married De
cember 14, 1876, to Virginia A. Bartlett, of
Hampton, Va., and has two chHdren, Maria
V. and Miriam; Maria Bockee, November 21,
1856, was married, October 17, 1888, to'
Thomas C. Clark, of Grand Island, Neb., and
has two sons— Henry C. and Isaac C. Of the
second marriage three children were born:
WHIson, October 7, 1861, graduated from
Yale in 1884; Julia, March 25, 1864; and Sarah
Louisa, December 6, 1865. (7) Louisa S.,
November 26, 1830, was married July 21,
185 1, to Abram Staats, of Red Hook, and had
one daughter, Catherine Eliza, born May 23,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

28

1852, died in 1890. (8) Sara Maria, March
25, 1832, took a prominent part in reform
movements, and was a member of the State
Board of Charities. She died March 22, 1894.
(9) Benjamin P., May 14, 1837, was a lawyer
and a prominent politician. He was a super
visor of Amenia in .1861, district attorney of
Poughkeepsie in 1858, member of the Consti
tutional Convention, State senator in 1875,
county judge from 1877 to 1883, delegate to
the National Republican Convention in 1884,
governor of Montana in the year 1884,
; and member of the Code Commission. He
j was married in i860 to Esther Thorne, who
I was born July 3, 1840, daughter of Stephen
Thorne, of Poughkeepsie. Four chHdren were
born to them: Estelle, June 5, 1861 (died
January 9, 1863); Nina, August 26, 1863, was
married April 8, 1885, to Albert E. Tower,
and has one son — -Albert, born November,
1887; Kate, October 12, 1866; and Stephen,
June 14, 1869, is now the city attorney of Hel
ena, Mont. He was admitted to the bar Decem
ber 3, 1890, appointed United States Commis
sioner in March, 1892, and elected Assembly
man in 1892.
Isaac Smith Carpenter, the subject proper
of this sketch, received his early education in
the public schools of Stanford, the Amenia
Seminary, Pittsfield Gymnasium, Warren In
stitute, in Connecticut, and College Hill,
Poughkeepsie. He has always lived at the old
homestead in Stanford. His distinguished
abilities, and high character have enabled him
to sustain well the position in the community
which was his by family inheritance, and he is
foremost among the supporters of any worthy
^ public movement. He was supervisor of the
town of Stanford four terms, and was elected
to the Assembly from the First district in 1879,
and again in 1880, serving each term as a
member of the Ways and Means committee.

t tJfON.- JOHN BOWDISH DUTCHER, one
^L^ of the ablest and most distinguished sons
of Dutchess county, is noted for his ability as
a financier and as an organizer and manager
of large corporate interests, as well as for his
effective work in political lines. The simplest
summary of the various positions of trust and
honor which he holds, or has held, would cover
widely different phases of political, social and
business life.

Mathew Dutcher, grandfather of our sub
ject, came from Holland, and settled in what
is now the town of Dover, Dutchess county,
where he probably passed the remainder of his
life as a farmer. He died at a comparatively
early age, but his wife, Sarah Dutcher, sur
vived him many years, dying in her ninety-
first year. They had five chHdren: Harry,
who located in Ontario county, N. Y. ; David,
our subject's father; Phoebe, the wife of Will
iam Kronkright; Clarissa, who married Eph
raim Kronkright; and Pattie, the wife of Fer
ris Carey. David Dutcher was born in the
town of Dover in 1796, and lived all his life
near South Dover. He was a man of strong
character and great energy, wielding great in
fluence in local affairs, and making a success
of his business as an agriculturist and dealer in
live stock. In the latter branch he had an ex
tensive trade, supplying the local and New
York City markets. He commenced life poor,
but at his death, which occurred June 9, 1853,
he owned about six hundred acres of land. He
married Amy Bowdish, daughter of Asa Bow-
dish, and a descendant of an old Quaker fam
ily, which had settled at an early period near
New Bedford, Mass. She was born in 1799,
and died June 5, 1875. Eight chHdren were
born of this union: Albro, who was quarter
master in the 21st Missouri Regiment diiring
the CivH war, and died in the service; Asa, a
resident of Sharon, Conn.; John B., our sub
ject; Jane Ann, who inarried Frederick Cole
man, df Warren, Conn.; Julia, the wife of
Baldwin Stevens; DeWitt C, who enlisted in
the army and was drowned whHe serving on
the staff of Gen. Viele; and Charles (deceased),
who was a paymaster in the navy during the
Civil war, and later resided at White Plains.
Our subject was born inthe town of Dover,
February 13, 1830, was reared as a farmer
boy, and obtained his education chiefly in the
common schools. He has always been en
gaged in agriculture, at first in his native town,
and later in the adjoining town of Pawling.
In i860 he married Miss Christina Dodge,
daughter ofthe late Daniel Dodge, of Pawhng.,
and in April, 1 861, he located upon his pres
ent homestead in that town. He owns 1,600
acres of fine grazing land in Dutchess county,
stocked with thoroughbred horses and 250
cows. His agricultural interests are now man
aged by his son, J. Gerow Dutcher (the only
offspring of his marriage), who was united in
wedlock in AprH, 1894, with Miss Helen Titus

24

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

WHletts, daughter of Edward WHletts, of
Roslyn, Long Island.
Possessing sound judgment, Hon. J. B.
Dutcher has gained and kept the confidence of
the people at large in an unusual degree. He
was made supervisor of the town of Dover in
1857, and justice of the peace in the following
year. A Whig in early years, he became a
Republican on the organization of that party,
and is still an ardent advocate of its principles.
An injury prevented him from going to the
front during the Civil war, but he was active
and zealous in recruiting and equipping troops.
He was a member of the State Assembly in
1861 and 1862, and of the State Senate in
1864 and 1865. In the Assembly he was
chairman of the committee on Internal Affairs
and a member of the committee on Railroads;
in the Senate was a member of the committee
on Cities, and chairman of the committee on
Internal Affairs. For several years he was a
member of the State Republican Committee.
In 1864 he was a delegate to the National
Convention which nominated Lincoln, and in
1880 he was sent in the same capacity to the
convention that placed Garfield at the head
of the National ticket. He keeps closely in
touch with all the questions of the day, and is
strongly in favor of the curtailment of the
liquor traffic as far as possible.
In 1864 Mr. Dutcher became a director of
the New York & Harlem railroad, and in 1865
he took charge of the department of live-stock
transportation on the New York Central & Har
lem raHroads, and has ever since held this re
sponsible position, to which has been added
the West Shore railroad and the Rome &
Watertown railroad. He is also prominently
identified with other lines, being a director of
the Spuyton Duyval railroad, the Poughkeepsie
& Eastern railroad, and the New York & Put
nam railroad. His other business interests are
legion. He is president of the Union Stock
Yards & Market Co., of New York City, and
was one of its incorporators; president of the
National Bank at Pawling, succeeding Albert
J. Akin; director of the American Safe Deposit
Company; director of the Fifth Avenue Bank;
and one of the original stockholders in its in
corporation in 187s; director of the Mizzentop
Hotel Company at Quaker Hill, and formerly
its president; member of the Chamber of Com
merce and the Produce Exchange; and for
many years before its sale was president of the
St. Louis National Stock Yards, of which he

was one of the founders. Not the least of his
labors have been his successful efforts for the
improvement of the village of Pawling, where
he has built a fine block containing a hotel and
number of stores. He is now the president of
the village, and to his efforts the village is
largely indebted for one of the best water-sup
ply systems in the State; and he is president
of the board of water commissioners. In his
agricultural matters he is regarded as a leader;
he was president of the New York State Agri
cultural Society for two years, and has been
president of the Holstein Friesian Association
of America. Socially he is no less prominent;
he is one of the oldest members of the Union
League Club, and a member of the St. Nicho
las Society of New York City.

JAMES HENRY WEEKS. Among the in
fluential and leading citizens of Poughkeep
sie, none was held in higher esteem, or was
more worthy a place in the records of her his
tory than the subject of this sketch, who is held
in kindly remembrance by all who knew him.
In all the relations of life — as a lawyer, a law
maker, a citizen, and a tender and devoted hus
band and father — he fulfilled his duties with
faithfulness and discretion, aAd left to his chil
dren the best of all legacies, "a good name."
The Weeks family was of old English ori
gin, the paternal grandfather of our subject
having emigrated to America in an early day.
Thomas Weeks, our subject's father, was born
in Connecticut, where he followed farming.
He married Elizabeth Bogardus, a daughter of
James Cornelius Bogardus, and they came to
Dutchess county, settling on a farm and rear
ing a famHy of children, as follows: Elizabeth,
who died in 1892, unmarried; Emily, who mar
ried Isaac S. Vary, at one time teller of the
Farmers' & Manufacturers' Bank, Poughkeep
sie; Ann, married to John DePew, of Dutchess
county; Eloise, who became the wife of Charles
Barrett, a farmer of Putnam county, N. Y.;
and James Henry.
James H. Weeks, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born December 21, 1822, in N.
Hackensack, N. Y. He attended the district
school of his locality in early boyhood, continu
ing his education at the Dutchess County Acad
emy, subsequently reading law with Alexander
Forbes. He was admitted to the bar at Pough
keepsie, May 16, 1845, and shortly afterward
formed a partnership with Hon. John Thomp-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

25

son, which continued for nearly thirty years,
until the time of the death of Mr. Weeks.
This firm was then the oldest law firm in the
State. In 1878 Frank B. Lown vvas taken
into partnership, the firm name at Mr. Weeks'
decease being Thompson, Weeks & Lown.
Mr. Weeks was married June 28, 1866, to
Harriet S. Babcock, a native of Salem, Mass.,
and a daughter of Rev. Rufus Babcock. Her
father was born in Colebrook, Conn. , and was
pastor of a Baptist Church in Salem, Mass.,
and of one in Poughkeepsie; was also president
of Colby University, at Waterville, Maine. He
married Olivia Smith, a native of Barring-
ton, R. I. , born of English descent, and three
children were the result of this union: Caro
line, who married Horatio G. Jones, a lawyer
of Philadelphia; Emily, the wife of George H.
Swift, a lawyer of Poughkeepsie, but residing
in Amenia; and Harriet (Mrs. Weeks).
Mr. Weeks died November 28, 1887, in
Poughkeepsie, which had always been his home.
He was closely identified with the interests of
the city, and took an active part in all public
enterprises. In his early years he was a Dem
ocrat in his political views, afterward, however,
becoming associated with the Republican party,
he was a leading spirit in its councils. He
held several town offices, and in the winter of
1853-54 was a member of the Assembly at
Albany, N. Y., during which incumbency he
was chairman of the judiciary committee, and
won the esteem of his constituency for his
careful and untiring devotion to their interests.
As a lawyer he was well known for his keen
insight into human nature, his correct judgment
on intricate questions, and his thorough knowl-
ledge of law in all its bearings. Personally he
was a man of genial manners, generous and
charitable in his disposition, and greatly beloved
in his home. He was an able financier, and left
some valuable property in Dutchess county
and also in Rhode Island. He was a liberal
supporter of the Presbyterian Church, to which
his family belong. Mrs. Weeks and her daugh
ters — Caroline Babcock and Elizabeth Mauran
— are widely known and highly esteemed in
the community, and are women of culture and
refinement.

HON. JOHN A. HANNA, of Dover Plains,
 Dutchess county, member of the New
York State Assembly froni the First District,
is one of the most distinguished citizens, and

has made his way to the front in business and
political life notwithstanding the fact that he
is still young in years. He was born in WHl-
iamsbridge, near New York City, on October
8, 1859, and received a good education, at
tending first the schools of his native place,
and later a private seminary at Dover. After
his graduation he engaged in mercantile busi
ness, and in 1875 he established a general
store in Dover Plains, which at once became
a prominent factor in the commercial life bf
the town. His father-in-law, H. W. Preston,
is associated with him under the firm name of
J. A. Hanna & Co.
Mr. Hanna possesses the admirable traits
of character which mark the leader in public
affairs, and has been prominent inthe councils
of the Republican party from his first entrance
into poHtics, being elected to various town
offices at different times — including that of
supervisor in 1890, for one year, and in 1893,
for two years. May 20, 1889, he was ap
pointed postmaster of Dover ¦ Plains, under
President Harrison, and held that position un
tH a short time ago, and in 1895 he was
elected to the State Legislature, where he has
served his constituency ably and faithfully.
He belongs to the Royal Arcanum at Wassaic,
N. Y. , and is a leading member of the Baptist
Church at Dover Plains, taking great interest
in the prosperity and growth of that body.
His wife, formerly Miss Ada Preston, is a de
scendant of one of the oldest families. They
have one daughter — Julia E. Hanna.
The Hanna family originated in Mayha-
land. County Londonderry, Ireland, and Mr.
Hanna has made a visit to the old home of
his ancestors while taking an extended Europ
ean tour. Samuel Hanna, his grandfather,
was born in Mayhaland, County Londonderry,
Ireland, and was there reared and educated.
He followed the occupation of a farmer and
also engaged in the operation of a flax and
grist mill at that place. He married Matilda
Furgeson, and to their union were born thir
teen children, namely: Jane, who married
James Sergent; Thomas, who married Mar
garet Hutchinson; James and John, who died
in infancy; Isabella, who married James
Hutchinson; Nancy, who married William
Hanna; John, who remained single; Robert,
who married Matilda Dixon; Eliza, who died
in girlhood; Peggy, who died in infancy;
David, our subject's father; Sarah, who mar
ried a Mr. Livingston; and Alex.

26

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

David Hanna, our subject's father, during
his boyhood attended the schools of his native
land, and assisted his father in the work of the
mHls. On March 15, 1852, he married Miss
Eliza Hutchinson, a daughter of Samuel and
Arabella (Greer) Hutchinson, who lived on a
farm in County Londonderry. Her father was
one of the seven children born to Robert and
Nancy (Patterson) Hutchinson, who were also
agriculturists of the same locality, the others
being: John, William, James, Bettie, Alex and
Thomas. Shortly after his marriage David
Hanna and his wife sailed from the Emerald
Isle for the New World, and made their first
location at Paterson, N. J., where they re
mained for some time. On leaving that city
they went to New York, and for forty-three
years Mr. Hanna was in the employ of the Har
lem road, being fireman for seven years and
five months, and was then given a position as
watchman, which he held untH his resignation
a short time ago, owing to his age. His long
continued service well indicates his faithful
discharge of duty, and the implicit confidence
placed in him by his employers. He had a
family of seven chHdren, namely: Arabella;
Samuel, a conductor on the Harlem raHroad,
married Minnie McGlasson, and they have one
child — Herbert J. ; Matilda is now deceased;
John is our subject; David, a conductor onthe
Harlem railroad, married Mary Hutchinson;
Dorley is deceased; and Lizza A.
The ancestors of Mrs. John A. Hanna were
early settlers in Rhode Island, where her great-
great-grandfather, Ebenezer Preston, was born
and educated. He was the first of the family
to come to Dutchess county, and he became a
successful farmer in the town of Dover. His
wife was a Miss White, and they had five chil
dren: Bijah married Betsey Ross; Smith mar
ried Phoebe Eazener; John married Amy Wing;
Ebenezer remained in single blessedness; and
Hannah married Jackson Wing. John Pres
ton, Mrs. Hanna's great-grandfather, was born
in Dover Plains, and after attending the com
mon schools for some years engaged in farm
ing. He purchased a tract of land on the old
post road near Dover Plains, upon which stood
a house that was one of the historic land-marks
of the locality, having been used for many
years as a tavern. The days of the stage
coach not yet being ended, he maintained it in
that capacity for some years. He married
Miss Amy Wing, daughter of Thomas Wing,
a well-known farmer of Dover, and they had

eight chHdren, whose names with those of their
husbands and wives are as follows: Myron mar
ried Sarah Ward; Shandinett married Sal
lie A. Sheldon; Harvey married Emeline Ta
ber; Uriah, nb record; George married Mary
Germond; John married Sallie Thomas; Han
nah married Oscar Taber; and Phoebe married
David Vincent. The two younger daughters
were twins.
Myron Preston, Mrs. Hanna's grandfather,
was born in 1804, and after a course in the
common schools in the town of Dover engaged
in farming there. He was greatly interested
in local politics, and held a number of offices.
His wife was Miss Sarah Wood, daughter of
Paltira and Anna Wood, who owned a fine
farm near Dover Plains. Of the two children
of this union the younger, Anna, married
Abram Denton. The elder, Henry W. Pres
ton, Mrs. Hanna's father, was born in 1830,
and was educated in the schools of Dover Plains
and at the Amenia Seminary. After graduat
ing from the latter institution he engaged in
farming for a time, but later became connected
with a mercantile firm in Dover Plains as a
clerk. In 1875 he formed the present part
nership with his son-in-law, which has proved
mutually advantageous. He married Miss
Julia M. Pierce, the daughter of a prosperous
saddle and harness maker of Salisbury, Conn.,
and Mrs. Hanna is their only child.

M

ON. ALFRED BONNEY. As one of the
youngest and ablest members of the
State Assembly of 1882, the subject of this re
view rendered good service to his constituency
of the First District of Dutchess County, and
proved himself a worthy descendant of an an
cestry which has numbered more than one man
of ability and note.
The Bonney family is of Anglo-Norman
stock, and the head of the American line came
from Dover, England, about 1604. For sev
eral generations the home of the family was in
Massachusetts; but the numerous descendants
have since become widely dispersed. Peter
Bonney, our subject's grandfather, was born
May 18, 1773, at Chariestown, N. H., and
April 7, 1800, was married to Eleanor Savage,
who was born November 16, 1781. Shortly
after his marriage he settled at Littleton, N.
H., and engaged in business as a tanner, and
dealer in wHd lands. He was a man of much
influence, and in 18 10 represented Grafton

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

27

county, N. H., in the State Legislature. His
death occurred December 15, 1836, his wife
surviving him many years, dying at Jamaica
Plains, Mass., October 7, 1873. They had
eight chHdren, all of whom (except the young
est) are now deceased, their names with dates
of birth, &c. , being as follows: Emily, May
30, 1801; Benjamin West, February 2, 1803;
Elvira, March 14, 1805, married and settled
near Boston; Almeria, September 9, 1807, also
married and lived in New Hampshire; Frank
lin R. , December 6, 18 10; Elizabeth M., Oc
tober 12, 18 1 5, married and resided in San
Francisco, Cal.; Alfred P., August 29, 1820,
was married, and left a widow and four chil
dren, who now reside in Waterford, Caledonia
Co., Vt., about fourteen miles from St. Johns-
bury; and Ellen, AprH 2, 1825, widow of the
late Rev. Oliver S. St. John, a Congregational
minister. Judge Benjamin West Bonney, our sub
ject's father, received an elementary education
in the common schools at Littleton, N. H.,
and then taught school in order to obtain
funds for further study. Later he entered
Dartmouth College, from which he graduated
valedictorian of his class in 1824, and subse
quently settled in New York City, where he
began the study of law. In 1827 he was ap
pointed commissioner of deeds; February 29,
1828, was admitted to practice as attorney in
the Court of Common Pleas; on October 29,
1830, received his license as counsellor, and on
the following day was licensed as counsellor at
law in the Court of Common Pleas. On May
31, 1 83 1, he became a licensed counsellor in
all the courts of the State. He practiced
his profession continuously in New York City
until his death, except while serving as justice
of the Supreme Court of the State of New
York; and was widely influential in public af
fairs, religious, educational and political. He
was an ardent supporter of the Republican
party, from its formation. He was president
of the New England Society in the City of
New York; chairman of the Board of Audits;
and one of the earliest members of the Union
'League Club; a director in the Washington
Life Insurance Co. ; general counsel of the
Merchants Bank, and counsel for many years
of Madame Jumel.
On April 28, 1848, he was married by Rev.
Mancius S. Hutton, D. D., to Adriana Rapalje,
daughter of Sylvanus Rapalje, who was born
July 3, 1795, and died November 12, 1883; he

was a prominent man of his day, in various
lines of effort; he was twice married, first on
June II, 1823, to Susan Roe Van Voorhis,
who was born April 14, 1805, and died Janu
ary 26, 1832. To their union were born three
children: Adelaide, August 7, 1824; Jeromus,
February 25, 1826; and Adriana, our subject's
mother, November 11, 1827. On November
16, 1833, he married, for his second wife,
Rachel Ann Van Voorhis, a native of Fishkill,
Dutchess county, and a sister of his first wife.
She died March 23, 1877. They had three
children, viz.: William, born August 20, 1834;
Susan Augusta, widow of the late Rev. Lester
M. Dorman (Yale '54), January 21, 1839; and
Stewart, September 6, "1843.
Our subject's parents made their home in
New York City, where the father died August
18, 1868, and the mother on August 15, 1891.
They reared a family of seven children, to all
of whom were given unusually good educa
tional advantages. Their names, with dates of
birth, etc., are here given: Eleanor, March 2,
1849, married Edward F. Brown, a lawyer of
New York City; Adriana R., March 30, 1850,
is the widow of Dr. Weber-Liel, late of Bonn,
Germany, where she now resides; and Benja
min W. , AprH 2, 1852, is a farmer at FishkHl
Plains; Susan R., May 20, 1854, married Major
of Cavalry Carl Emil Schultz-Schulzenstein,
of Berlin, Germany, and died in Charlotten-
burg, Germany, September 26, 1895; Alfred,
our subject; Jeromus R., May 6, 1859, who
has never married, is a civil engineer; Elvira
B-, July 5, 1863, married Anton L. Bamber
ger, who died in London, England.
Hon. Alfred Bonney was born February
17, 1857, at No. 18 West 14th street. New
York City, where his education was begun in
its schools, and in 1869 he, in company with
his mother, brothers and sisters, went to Ger
many to study. He spent one year at Dussel-
dorf-on-the-Rhine, and two years at Beriin,
and then returned to the United States. He
attended the Brooklyn Polytechnic and Col
legiate Institute for a time, and later entered
Cornell University, where he remained three
years, making a special study of agriculture.
In 1878 he settled in the town of East Fish
kill, Dutchess county, purchasing his present
estate of 151 acres, then known as the "old
Rapalje farm," but now re-christened the
"Green Meadow farm." Here his thorough
scientific training for his calling has been put
to a successful test in the raising of general

28

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

crops, and he is regarded as one of the lead
ing farmers of that section. His activities are
not confined to agricultural work, however,
and he has been prominent in the Republican
party, being chosen, as has been said, to rep
resent the Assembly District in the Legislature
at Albany. On April 30, 1889, Mr. Bonney married
Miss Sarah A. Luyster, daughter of the late
Peter Luyster, and they have one son, Alfred,
Jr., born April 20, 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Bon
ney are members of the Reformed Church at
Hopewell, in which he has held office as dea
con. He is a member of the Alpha Delta Phi
fraternity, Cornell Branch, and is a life mem
ber of the New England Society.

BilSBEE FAMILY, THE, of which Joseph
 .'1 B. Bisbee, of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, is a worthy and respected representa
tive, is of English origin, and the progenitor of
the American line came to this country in 1734,
the name appearing in the early records as
" Besbedge." He settled at Plymouth, Mass.,
but his descendants located at various points,
being named among the first settlers at Mans
field, Pembroke and Scituate, Mass. Gideon
Bisbee located at Chesterfield, Hampshire Co.,
Mass., and was the father of two sons, Jotham
and Gideon. Jotham had ten children: Jon
athan, Asenath, Elisha, Lucy, Rebecca, Lydia,
Rachel, Jotham, Job and Ashael.
Job was born in 1797, and during his early
manhood was a farmer at Worthington, Mass.
In 1 8 19 he married Miss Susan Buck, who was
born in 1800, and was of the sixth generation
in descent from James Buck, of Hingham,
Mass., who at one time was town clerk of
Scituate. He died in 1695. His son Isaac
married Frances  , and had a son Matthew,
born in 1724, who married Elizabeth Howard.
Their son Thomas married SHence Brett, and
had a son Cyrus (Mrs. Bisbee 's father), who
was born in 1775 and died in i860. About
1830 Job Bisbee removed to EllicottvHle, Cat
taraugus Co., N. Y., with his family, and en
gaged in farming until 1864, when he went to
Poughkeepsie to reside. His death occurred
there March 11, 1866, his wife surviving him
until AprH, 1881. Job Bisbee was a man of
strong character and fine mental ability, and
held a high place in the esteem of his asso
ciates. He was well read, much noted as a
mathematician, and taught with great success

in Worthington, Mass. , and in Cattaraugus
county, N. Y. Although he was not a mem
ber of any Church, he was of unblemished
Christian character, and his influence was al
ways powerful for good. He was especially
pronounced in his views upon public questions.
He and his wife reared a family of nine chil
dren, to whose education he gave careful at
tention: Otis, Alvin (a resident of Nebraska)
and George (deceased) were born at the old
home in Massachusetts; the others were na
tives of Cattaraugus county. Jane married
Manley Fuller, and lives at Rochester, Minn. ;
Mary married Dr. Edwin Kimball, of Hay-
wards, Cal. ; Samantha married Dr. John
Veach (now deceased), formerly of Kentucky,
but later of Portland, Oregon; Susan never
married; Adelia is the wife of Oren Cobb, of
Winthrop, Maine; and Anna married George
Gifford, Esq., of Jamestown, New York.
Otis Bisbee, one of the most successful
educators of the State, and the founder and
principal of Riverview Academy, was born
February 14, 1822, in the town of Chester
field, Hampshire Co., Mass., and came with
his parents to New York State during boy
hood. Until he was fifteen years old his
schooling was limited to two or three months'
attendance each year at the district school, his
help being needed on the farm at other sea
sons. The country was new, much rough
work having to be done, and in that he rapidly
developed the independent spirit and indus
trious habit which carried him through the ex
acting duties of later years. At the age of
thirteen he showed these traits by undertaking
to make maple sugar by himself, and so thor
oughly in earnest was he that he made from
sixty-five trees a larger proportionate amount
than any one else in the neighborhood. One
evening he remained at the camp untH about
ten o'clock, and the next morning traces of
wolves following a deer were found near the
place. His father was a well-informed man,
and encouraged discussion while they were
working about the farm, and thus the boy's
mind was early stimulated to thought, and a
keen desire awakened to learn the answers to
the questions which remained unsolved in their
often -interrupted conversations, while his read
ing in biography and history helped him to
form a determination to leave his narrow life.
An accident in his seventeenth year confined
him to the house, thereby giving him leisure
for study; so he availed himself of the oppor-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

29

tunity by preparing himself for the teacher's
examination, and subsequently secured a school
in a backwoods district. Then followed three
years of work among strangers, in which the
sorrow of being parted from the old home was
only relieved by the thought that he was help
ing to pay off a debt which lay heavily upon
his father. He succeeded in this, and in se
curing a small fund for himself. The next
four years were spent with his uncles in Herki
mer county in dairy farming, and the last
three of these were passed in the town of
Fairfield, where a celebrated academy and
medical college were located. While there he
taught for several winters, and studied as he
could at Fairfield Academy.
In 1847 he entered the sophomore class of
Union College, of which Dr. Nott was then
the head; but young Bisbee was not inclined to
play any pranks, he did not become as well
acquainted with that noted educator as some of
his less steady-going companions. In 1848 he
was president of the Adelphi Literary Society,
and during his term the society held its semi
centennial celebration, imposing upon him the
duty of welcoming back to the old walls the
Alumni who gathered on that happy occasion.
Mr. Bisbee left college in 1849, to teach in
Mr. Charles Bartlett's school in Poughkeepsie,
and on the graduation of his class he was
elected to membership in the Phi Beta Kappa
Society. In 1850 he married Miss Frances C.
Bartlett. and two years later built a house for
a dwelling and school on the southwest corner
of Mill and Hamilton streets, Poughkeepsie.
[The house standing just south on Hamilton
street, of the present building, was the school
room and dormitory.] On the death of Mr.
Bartlett in 1857 he became, in company with
Mr. Charles B. Warring (later the principal of
Poughkeepsie Military Institute), an associ
ate principal of the Poughkeepsie Collegiate
School. Mr. Warring retiring in 1862, Mr.
Bisbee introduced some changes in the school,
notably the military character which it after
ward retained. In 1866 he erected the build
ing known as Riverview Academy, which under
his able management became one of the best
institutions of its grade in the State. In 1885
Mr. Bisbee passed away, and his mantle fell
upon his son, Joseph Bartlett Bisbee.
Joseph Bartlett Bisbee, principal and
proprietor of Riverview Military Academy, was
born in 1853 in the buHding now standing on
the southwest corner of MiH and Hamilton

streets. In 1857, with his father, he moved
to College Hill, and then began his studies
and received his military instruction, which
has been of untold value to him in his career
as a teacher. In 1867 his father moved the
school to its present quarter at Riverview. In
1876 Joseph B. Bisbee entered Amherst Col
lege, where he remained three years, till called
home to assist in the school. In 1 884 Amherst
College recognized his work and conferred upon
him the degree of Master of Arts.
In 1880 Mr. Bisbee married Miss Sarah M.
Pangburn, of Albany, N. Y. They had one
chHd, Elsie P. Mrs. Bisbee died March 3,
1884. In December, 1885, Mr. Bisbee mar
ried Miss Winifred Dana Wheeler, daughter
of the late Francis B. Wheeler, D. D. , who
was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at
Poughkeepsie for nearly forty years. They
have had three children: Francis Wheeler,
who died in 1888; Joseph Bartlett Bisbee, Jr.;
and Eleanor Dana. Mr. Bisbee is a member
of the Masonic order, and an elder in the Pres
byterian Church.

JOSEPH E. ODELL, M. A. The first
Baron Odell was a count of Flanders, and
Matilda, the wife of WiHiam the Con
queror, was a daughter of one of these counts,
and presumably the sister of the first Baron
Odell, whose title and estates were bestowed
by William. These honors were conferred for
distinguished military services in the conquest
of England. The estate consisted of, perhaps,
twenty thousand acres of land, and extended
into two counties, containing within its bound
aries upward of twenty vHlages or small towns.
The head of the Baroncy was at Odell, Bed
fordshire, England, where Odell Church and
Odell Castle still stand, both of which have
been erected within recent times, but are near
or upon the site of the ancient fortress. Here
the church and town records disclose vast
numbers of inhabitants of that name from re
mote times to the present.
The direct descendants of the first Baron
Odell were closely related to at least four
Kings of England: WHliam the Norman, Al
fred the Great, Edward the Second and Henry
the Eighth. They were also related by blood
or marriage to upward of fifty families entitled
to bear arms, that is, those belonging to the
gentry and nobility of England. The title
from which the name was derived was be-

v.^

80

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

stowed in 1066, and from about 795 to the pres
ent time the line from father to son is unbroken,
the name of not a single individual being
wanting. There were many obstacles to the
completion of the early part of this record,
but diligent atid patient research overcame
them. Previous to 795, however, no record
of the family line has been found, and reliance
must be placed upon general historical state
ments discovered here and there, often in rare
and curious forms of ancient record. Assum
ing the correctness of such authorities, there
existed in the possession of the Counts of
Flanders a complete and unbroken record,
traced back, step by step, to Priam, King of
Troy, or to about 1200 B. C.
No remnant of this alleged record has been
discovered. But as such a record would nat
urally be in some French repository of ancient
learning, and therefore difficult of access, it is
scarcely surprising that the discovery has not
been made. It is known, however, that through
out a long period the Counts of Flanders were
almost or quite equal in power to the Kings of
France, and that in the turbulent times of the
Dark Ages they were practically kings, with a
horde of dependents to do their bidding. Such
families make history, and, doubtless, there
were always at hand persons able and willing
to write it as fast as it was ready for the pen.
And astonishing as the statement, of an un
broken record back to Priam, appears at first
glance; on mature reflection, there should ap
pear nothing in it more surprising than that
the record should stand unbroken, as it un
questionably does, from 1066 to the present
time. The keeping of a family history could
not have been more difficult than it has been
subsequently. The line as traced downward includes about
thirty generations from the first Baron Odell
until the present time. His direct descendants
of the same name are now very numerous, and
of these the subject of this sketch is a represent
ative. To his efforts are due in a great degree
the discovery and arrangement of the facts
necessary to furnish proof of the connection
with the ancient baronial family, and he has
laid under contribution legal documents,
church, immigration and shipping records,
pubhc speeches and prints, and many volumes,
ancient and modern. The result of these labors
is a host of facts, sufficient, probably, for a
large volume. As an example of the exhaust-
iveness of the investigation, it has been found

that the name, during a period of about 800
years, has been authentically used under no
less than forty different spellings, Wahul pre
dominating at first, and Odell now. To sum
up, here is a lineage covering 3,000 years, or
about ninety generations, carrying us back to
what it pleases us to call the infancy of the
world. During this time nations have gone to
decay, languages have perished, a new world
has been discovered, time and space have been
annihilated by inventions, the Iliad and Bible
have been written, and Christ and His religion
have illumined the world! It would scarcely
seem presumptuous were the Odells of this
line to issue a challenge to the world to pro
duce a more ancient family record.
William Odell, the first of the famHy in
this country, settled in Concord, Mass., about
1639, and his descendants have since occupied
a prominent place in the annals of this country,
three of them having been Congressmen from
this State, Moses F. Odell and N. Holmes
Odell, from Brooklyn, and Benjamin Odell,
from Newburg. The minor posts of honor held
by members of the family have been number
less. The descendants are widely scattered,
being found in Massachusetts, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Nebraska, Illinois,
Alabama, Minnesota, and also in Nova Scotia.
They are very numerous in eastern Massachu
setts, southern Connecticut, Long Island and
Westchester, Orange, and Dutchess counties,
those of the latter locality being mainly off
shoots from the Odells of Westchester county.
At an early date an intermarriage took place
with the Bolton family, a branch of which has
long been resident in Dutchess county. The
Boltons worthHy boast a noble and honored
lineage, stretching back in unbroken line far
within the luminous mists of the ancient no
bHity of England. At the same time that Will
iam Odell settied at Concord there came also
the Rev. Peter Bulkeley, who had been a cler
gyman in the Odell Church in England, and
had married a near relative of the Odells there.
Having been sHenced for non-conformity, he
came to a freer land, and his descendants have
made the family name widely known and greatly
honored, especially in the eastern States.
In 1639, at Concord, Mass., now a suburb
of Boston, came WHliam: — then in direct line
William; then Isaac; then Joshua; then John;
then Daniel, whose son was Joseph E. Odell,
the subject of this sketch. John Odell came
to Dutchess count^• from \\'estchester about

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

31

1795. He settled at Pleasant Plains, where
for many years he was the proprietor of a coun
try store, but later removed to Beekman, where
he had purchased a large farm, to which his son
Daniel succeeded and where Joseph E. Odell
was born AprH 5, 1848, the third in a family
of four sons, the others being Eliphalet P.,
John D., and Caspar L. , whose biography ap
pears elsewhere. His mother was Malinda,
daughter of John LeRoy, who for a long time
was proprietor qi the store, flourmill, sawmill,
shops of various kinds, and farm, where Frost's
Mills now stand. The church at Pleasant Plains
probably owes its existence to his liberality,
and its later prosperity to the generous support
of his children.
In 1856 Prof. Odell's parents moved to the
town of Hyde Park, a mile south of Pleasant
Plains church, and in 1868 to Schenectady.
He attended the common schools of Beekman
and Hyde Park during boyhood, and in 1867-
68 studied in the High School at Poughkeepsie
under Prof. John M. Clarke. He was grad
uated from the Union Classical Institute at
Schenectady in 1870, and from Union College
in 1874, standing first in his class in both in
stitutions and taking the Nott Scholarship
Prize of $150 offered yearly in the college to
the one who should stand at the head of his
class, not in one but in all studies. He re
ceived the degrees of A. B. and A. M. from
Union College. WhHe a student in the In
stitute he originated . the A. Z. fraternity, ot
which he was the first president, and he was
a member of the Psi UpsHon Society at col
lege. After graduating, he engaged in teach
ing, and was principal of the schools at Fish
kHl Landing, and Scotia, N. Y., and Storm
Lake, Iowa. He studied law, and was ad
mitted to the bar while at Storm Lake, and
returning to the East he taught at Berwick
and Academia, Penn., as principal of the
academies there. In 1879 he was admitted
to the bar at Brooklyn, N. Y. , and practiced
for a short time. He then resumed teaching,
and was principal of the schools at Greenville,
N. Y., and Monroe, La., and of Leslie
Academy, in Poughkee'psie. For the last ten
years he has been a successsful private tutor
at Poughkeepsie, giving thorough preparation
for college to alarge number of students.
Prof. Odell was married in November,
1875, to Miss Clara A. Page, of Schenectady.
They have no children. He has done some
valuable literary work, having been a regular

contributor to the Poughkeepsie Eagle, and in
former years having furnished numerous ar
ticles on various topics to other papers and
periodicals. He is also the author of a work on English-
Grammar, and one on Geometry as applied to
surveying. His learned acquirements include
many languages, ancient and modern; and, as
to proficiency in matters purely scholastic, he
has few superiors. He is remarkably efficient
as a teacher, and many now successful young
men can gratefully attribute the beginning of
their ascent to his wise and helpful instruction
and advice.
Prominent among those who have rendered
assistance in collecting the above facts con
cerning the OdeH family, is Mr. Rufus King,
of Yonkers, N. Y., who is an experienced
genealogist, whose mother was an Odell, and
whose father's family, for several generations,
has taken a leading place in State and National
politics. There are numerous Odells whose
connection with this family cannot be estab
lished with the facts at hand. Whether they
are of a different origin, or are offshoots who
have lost the proofs of connection with this
line, seems difficult of determination.

^ ON. "STORM EMANS. Among the early
J^ comers from Holland to this country
were the ancestors of the Emans family, so
well and favorably known in this section.
They came about the time of the Huguenot
immigration, and located for the most part in
New England, some of their descendants, how
ever, becoming pioneer settlers in Dutchess
county. There is ground for belief that James
Emans, our subject's great-grandfather, was
born in Dutchess county, and it is at least
certain that he spent the greater part of his
life in what is now the town of East FishkHl,
where he obtained a grant of 137 acres of land
from Madame Brett, which tract is still in the
possession of the family, having never been
alienated. Here James Emans followed farm
ing untH his death. He and his wife reared
a family of eight children, of whom the four
sons — Cornelius (who died in 1849), James,
John and Hendrick — all engaged in farming.
Of the daughters, Elizabeth and Catherine
never married; Ann was the wife jf Samuel
Betty, a farmer, and Margaret married John
MHler, also a farmer. John Emans, our sub-

82

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

ject's grandfather, married Abby Way, and
settled at the old homestead where he passed
his life. Five children were born to him:
Albert, who died in 1895, was a farmer in the
town of Lagrange, aad also engaged in freight
ing and speculating; James C. is a farmer in
East Fishkill; John S. is mentioned more fully
below; George (deceased) was a prominent
farmer in Lagrange; and Charles W. is also
an agriculturist in East Fishkill.
John S. Emans, the father of our subject,
was born in 1824, and grew to manhood at
the old homestead. He engaged in agricult
ure there, taking also a keen interest in public
affairs and holding a prominent place in that
locality. Although he was not a lawyer, his
mind was of a judicial cast, and he was very
often called upon to try cases and advise in
legal controversies. He was a justice of ses
sions for some time, represented his town re
peatedly on the county board of supervisors,
and was one of the three excise commissioners
of Dutchess county. In his political views he
was a Democrat, and he was elected many
years ago on that ticket to the State Legisla
ture. A man of commanding influence, he
left a memory which is a cherished legacy
among his descendants. He married Eliza
Storm, a member of an old and highly re
spected family, and a daughter of Garret
Storm, of East FishkHl. The Emans family
have been members of the Reformed Church
from a very early period, and our subject's
parents were both active and faithful adher
ents. The father died September i, 1877,
the mother on May 26, 1882. Of their five
chHdren, the first and third, Catherine and
Abby C, died in early youth; Albert S. is a
merchant at Gayhead, in the town of East
FishkHl; and LHlian married Dr. Leslie A.
Sutton. Storm Emans, the fourth member of this
famHy, was born at the old homestead, June
12, 1856, and after attending the neighboring
district schools for some years went to Pough
keepsie for a course in Bishop's Select School,
but HI health compelled him to give up his
studies sooner than he intended. After leav
ing this school he learned telegraphy, and fol
lowed it five years at Matteawan, Millerton
and MHIbrook, operating a private line for the
president of the Dutchess & Columbia rail
road. He then went to Saratoga Springs,
N. Y., where he met the president of the At
lantic & Pacific Telegraph Co., and was ap

pointed to open and take charge of the office
at Newburgh; but he remained in that position
only a short time, owing to the death of his
father. Returning to his old home, he was
chosen, in 1877, to fill hjp father's unexpired
term as justice of the peace, and in 1881-82-
86-87 he served on the board of supervisors,
and was chairman of various committees. In
1883 he was a member of the State Assembly,
having been elected to the office in the First
Assetnbly District of Dutchess county, and in
1890 he was appointed index clerk of that
body; from 1891 to 1894 he held the office of
clerk of Dutchess county. At present he is
secretary and treasurer of the Mitchell Heater
Co., and his time is devoted to that business
and the management of his farms.
On January 26, 1881, Mr. Emans was
united in marriage with Miss Alice A. Water-
bury, daughter of William Waterbury, a promi
nent hardware merchant of Saratoga Springs,
and they have one son. Storm Waterbury, born
May 22, 1883.

1

EDWARD HAZEN PARKER, son of Hon.

Isaac and Sarah (Ainsworth) Parker, was
born in the city of Boston, Mass., in 1823.
Dr. Parker graduated from Dartmouth
College in 1846, and received his medical
degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1848.
In the same year he was appointed lecturer
on Anatomy and Physiology at Bowdoin Med
ical College, and for the following nine years
was editor of the "New Hampshire Medical
Journal." In 1853 Dr. Parker was caHed to
the chair of Physiology and Pathology in the
New York Medical College, and associated
himself in practice with Dr. Fordyce Barker
in New York City. He at this time estab
lished the "New York Medical Monthly,"
which he continued to edit personaHy for
many years with great ability and success.
In 1854 he received the degree of A. M. from
Trinity College. In 1858, as the result of
overwork. Dr. Parker had serious trouble with
his eyes, necessitating his removal from the
city, and in the out-door life of a country
practice to seek the recovery of his health.
He came to Poughkeepsie, where, as a general
practitioner and consultant, he practiced his
profession for nearly forty years. He was
elected president of the New York State Med
ical Society in 1862, and in the same year,
and in the succeeding one, went to the front

^^^•^.^^c.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

83

as a volunteer surgeon in the service of New
York State.
The Doctor vvas one of the trustees of, and
visiting surgeon to, St. Barnabas Hospita'l
from its opening, until it was closed in 1887.
In 1887 he was appointed visiting surgeon to
Vassar Brothers' Hospital, and elected presi
dent of the medical board. Dr. Parker died
November 10, 1896. He was twice married.
His first wife, Sarah (Heyderk), died in 1880,
leaving three daughters and one son, Dr.
Harry Parker, all of whom are living. In
1883 he married Jeannie C. Wright, who with
one son survives her husband.
Dr. Parker was a physician of signal com
petency and skill, and as a surgeon he had few
superiors. He was a man of very fine fibre,
of unusual cultivation, and of high scholarly
attainments. His classical education was
sound and liberal, his sympathies most acute,
and he was also possessed of a fine poetical
talent, which in his busy life, were less fre
quently exercised than his friends could have
desired. The poem, a single verse of which is
given below, was composed by Dr. Parker in
1879. It applies most fittingly to his life, which
was marked through the long years of his de
votion to his work by a conspicuous purity of
character, great unselfishness and self sacrifice.
"Life's race well run;
Life's work all done;
Life's victory won;
Now Cometh rest."

C^HARLES WALSH, the weH-known editor
^' of the Amenia Times, is conducting this
paper with signal ability and success, and
holds a prominent position among the jour
nalists of Dutchess county.
Mr. Walsh was born at Futtegarh, India,
March 14, 1854, but is descended from a well-
known New York family of Irish ancestry.
William Walsh, his paternal grandfather, was
a native of Newburgh, N. Y. , and in later
years was president of the Bank of 'Newburgh;
he died there in 1847.
Rev. John Johnston Walsh, the father of
our subject, was born at Newburgh, Orange
county, in 1820, received his classical educa
tion at Union College, class of '39, and later
graduated at the Princeton Theological Semi
nary. At the age of twenty-one, he went to
India as a Presbyterian missionary, and there
faithfully served for twenty-eight years. On
account of cataract of the eye, he returned to
3

America, where he found that it was incur
able, and subsequently for three years was
pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Miller-
ton, N. Y. He wrote and published the
"Martyred Missionaries," a memorial to those
massacred during the Sepoy rebellion in 1857,
at which time he was on a trip to the United.
States to leave his children to be educated.
At FishkiH, N. Y., in 1841, Rev. Mr.
Walsh was married to Miss Emma Brett, a
daughter of Henry Brett; she is still living,
making her home at Newburgh, N. Y., but
her husband died at Amenia in 1884. Henry
Brett was a direct descendant of Francis Rom-
bout, proprietor of the famous Rombout Pat
ent. The only child and heiress of Francis
Rombout was Katrina, who married Lieut.
Roger Brett, of the English navy. Lieut.
Brett, dying in early manhood, left his wife
with the management of a large estate, which
she conducted with marked ability. The
name of Madame Brett is a noted one in the
early annals of Dutchess county history; she
died at an advanced age, leaving a goodly
number of descendants.
Although born in India, our subject was
educated in the public schools of New
burgh, and at the Newburgh Academy, pre
paring for college at Cornwall-on-the-Hud-
son. For four years he was then engaged
in the drug business at Newburgh and New
York City. In 1876 he purchased a half
interest in the Amenia Times, which was-
established in 1852, and in 1878 bought out
his partner, William L. De Lacey. He then
conducted the paper alone until 1888, when
he sold a fourth interest to Theron Griffin, who.
has been connected with the office for thirty
years. It is a bright, spicy paper, well edited
and non-partisan in politics. On July i, '
1895, Mr. Walsh also purchased the Pawling
Chronicle, which he has since greatly enlarged
and improved.
On AprH 8, 1890, at Amenia, Mr. Walsh
was married to Miss Georgia A. Thompson,
daughter of Hon. George Thompson, Judge of
the City Court of Brooklyn, N. Y. , and they
now reside at their pleasant home in Amenia.
Mrs. Walsh belongs to the old Dutchess coun
ty family of Thompsons, who migrated from
Connecticut in 1750.
Mr. Walsh has always been an ardent
Democrat in politics, and was appointed post-
mg.ster at Amenia in August, 1893. He has
proved a popular and capable official, and sue-

34

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ceeded in having the office changed to the
third class December 27, 1894. SociaHy, he
belongs to Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M.,
and to the Royal Arch Chapter, Poughkeepsie,
and the Royal Arcanum. He is also con
nected with Amenia Grange. He takes an
active part in the work of the Presbyterian
Church of Amenia, of which he is a consistent
member, and is at present serving as superin
tendent of the Sunday-school.

JEREMIAH S. PEARCE, the present sher
iff of Dutchess county, and a well-known
citizen of Poughkeepsie, was born August
28, 1837, in the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county. The Pearce family is of Welsh ex
traction, and the father and grandfather of
our subject were of the same nativity as
himself. Henry Pearce, the grandfather, married
Miss Rebecca Birdsill, who wasborn in Dutch
ess county, and they settled on a farm in the
town of Pawling. In politics he was a Whig,
and both he and his wife were members of the
Methodist Church. Five children were born
to them: Nathaniel (who was made assessor
of his township), Sally, Rebecca, Amie and
Benoni. Benoni Pearce, the father of our subject,
was reared on the old home farm, and married
Miss Mary Ann Stark, who was born in the
town of Dover, Dutchess county, a daughter
of Benoni Stark, a farmer of that town. After
their marriage they settled on a farm, and
there reared a family of seven children, as
follows: Henry is a physician in Pawling;
Lillius H. married A. J. Brown, a farmer in
Yates county, N. Y. ; Jeremiah S. is our sub
ject; James S. is a druggist and undertaker in
Pawling; Charles W. resides in New York
City; Elizabeth married John Gelder, a farmer
in Yates county, N. Y. ; and Edwin died in
1877. In 1849 the family removed to Yates
•county, where the father carried on farming
untH his death in 1893. He was a Whig, later
a Republican, and at one time was captain in
the State militia. Both parents were members
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Jeremiah S. Pearce, whose name opens
this sketch, spent his boyhood days on the
farm in Pawling, attending the district school
until about fourteen years of age, when the
parents removed to Yates county. He vyas
twenty-two years old when the Civil war

broke out, and the same year, 1861, he en
listed in Company I, 33d N. Y. V. I., and
was sent to Washington. Being taken ill,
however, he was discharged. This did not
dampen his ardor, and as soon as convalescent
and able for duty, he re- enlisted, in the spring
of 1862, this time in the 128th N. Y. V. I.,
being commissioned second lieutenant. In
1863 he was made first lieutenant, and the
foHowing year was promoted to the rank of
captain of Company B. He served throughout
the entire war, and was mustered out July 12,
1865, during which time he participated in
many important battles, among them those of
Cedar Creek, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and
was in the Shenandoah Valley with Gen.
Sheridan, besides taking part in minor skir
mishes, etc. In all these years of fighting he
was so fortunate as to escape without a wound.
At the close of the war Mr. Pearce returned
to Pawling, and for a number of years was en
gaged in various occupations. On September
8, 1875, he was married to Miss Elizabeth
Chase, who was born in Pawling, and is a
daughter of Darius Chase, a station agent on
the Harlem Road railway. They have two
children, Carrie L. and Charles D. Mr.
Pearce is a Republican and prominent in his
party; served several terms as supervisor of
Pawling, and twelve terms as assessor. In
1894 he was elected sheriff of Dutchess county,
in which office he is giving satisfaction to the
public by the faithful and judicious discharge
of its responsible duties. He is a public-
spirited man, believes in progress, and is inter
ested in all projects for the growth and devel
opment of the county and State. He and his
wife are liberal supporters of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and are highly esteemed
citizens.

WELLINGTON C. LANSING, secretary
 and city editor of the Poughkeepsie
Enterprise', is a native of New York City,
where he was born June 20, 1855.
Richard E. Lansing, father of our subject,
was born in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess
Co., N. Y. , January 30, 1830, and there spent
his early boyhood, going to school and work
ing upon the farm. Later he moved to Prince
ton, N. J., and clerked in a store, from there,
after his first marriage, removing to New York
City, where he clerked in a dry-goods store.
In 1859 he came to Poughkeepsie, and for ten

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

85

years was engaged in the grocery business at
No. 1 6 Washington street, being the leading
grocer of his time. He is now, and has been
for the past twenty years, in the real-estate
and insurance businesses at the same location.
In religious circles he is quite prominent, and
has been a director and vice-president of the
Y. M. C. A.; is a trustee of the Old Ladies'
Home and of the Old Men's Home; is one of
the organizers and the first superintendent of
Cherry Street Chapel, and is a deacon and
trustee of the Baptist Church; is also a director
of the Poughkeepsie Lyceum. Politically, he
is a Republican, and has served as city treas
urer of Poughkeepsie, also alderman of the
Third ward, and was a candidate for mayor.
Richard E. Lansing has been twice mar
ried, first time in 1851 to Miss Emily Welling,
by whom there was one child, Wellington C. ,
our subject. This wife was afflicted with heart
disease, and thrice before she was five years
old was laid out for burial, her death finally
occurring May 17, 1863, when she was thirty-
one years old. Her mother is still living at
the advanced age of ninety-five years. In
September, 1876, Mr. Lansing, for his second
wife, married Miss Sarah Hull, a daughter of
Thomas Hull, by which union there is no issue.
Garrett P. Lansing, grandfather of our
subject, was born in Hyde Park, Dutchess
county, in 1790, a son of Peter Lansing, who
died at Hyde Park at the age of ninety-eight
years. Garrett P. was married to Miss Melinda
G. Husted, by whom he had fourteen children,
seven of whom are living, all now over fifty
years old. They are: W^illiam H., of Troy,
N. Y.; George E. ; Lewis L. , of Minneapolis;
James F. , Richard E., Garrett P., Jr., and
Margaret J., of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Lansing
was a cabinet maker by trade, and also carried
on farming. In politics he was a Democrat,
and at one time was collector of the town of
Hyde Park. He served in the war of 181 2.
His death occurred January 7, 1847.
The maternal great-grandfather of Welling
ton C. Lansing was one of the original Nine
Partners, who at one time owned nearly all of
Dutchess county.
Wellington C. Lansing, our subject, spent
his early life in the public schools of Pough
keepsie, and later attended the Classical and
Scientific Institute of Hightstown, N. J. He
was married in CatskHI, N. Y. , May 17, 1877,
to Miss Mary D. Bogardus, who is a lineal
descendant, like himself, of Anneke Jans, who

owned the Trinity Church property in New
York City. To Mr. and Mrs. Lansing the fol
lowing children have been born: Sarah Emily,
who died when eight years old; Charles A.,
born November 7, 1879; Irene E., born Feb
ruary 19, 1 881; Bertha D., born August 12,
1882; May B., born May 11, 1886.
Mr. Lansing was employed in the Eagle
office until 1882, when he and Edward Van-
Keuren bought the paper called the Dutchess
Fanner, an agricultural weekly, which they
conducted until June, 1883, at which time
they formed a partnership with Derrick Brown,
who was then editor of the Poughkeepsie iV^-it/i-,
and they formed a new company, Mr. Brown
becoming editor-in-chief, and Mr. Lansing
city editor, while the name of the paper was
changed to the Evening and Weekly Enter
prise. In 1892 the paper was bought by a
company of Cleveland Democrats, and the
above firm runs the paper for it. Mr. Brovvn
is now business manager and treasurer, and
editor-in-chief, and Mr. Lansing is secretary
and city editor.
Our subject at one time was prominent in
firemen's circles, and was president of Davy
Crockett Hook and Ladder Co. No. i. He is
past chancellor of Armor Lodge, K. of P., of
Poughkeepsie, and past district deputy of the
same order; was vice-president of the Y. M.
C. A., which office he has held two terms;
has been superintendent of the Baptist Sun
day-school; president of the Y. P. S. C. E. ;
president of the Baptist Boys Brigade, and
president of the Young Men's Mutual Improve
ment Association. In principle he is a Prohi
bitionist, but votes independently.

C^OLVIN CARD, editor and proprietor of the
/ MHIerton Telegram, the leading paper of
the northeastern portion of Dutchess county,
is one of the most prominent of the younger
men of that region, and one who has without
doubt a fine future before him. His grand
father, Eason Card, was an early settler upon
the Livingston estate in the town of Ancram,
Columbia county, and his father, Eason H.
Card, was born there in 1826, in early Hfe
coming to Dutchess county and engaging in
farming in the town of Northeast. In 1863
he returned to his native county, and for eight
years was engaged in mercantile business and
farming at Scotchtown Mills. In 1872 he
purchased a farm of 500 acres of land near

86

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Boston Corners, and has since resided there,
being one of the principal farmers of that
vicinity. In public affairs he is prominent
also, taking an active part in the work of the
Democratic organization, and serving for many
years as justice of the peace. He is a leading
member of the Presbyterian Church at Ancram
Lead Mines. In 1856 he married Dorcas
Decker, a daughter of Everett Decker, and
they have two children: Adelbert, born August
28, 1858; and Colvin, our subject. The mother
died in 1892; the father is still living on the
old farm.
The subject of our sketch was born July
20, 1866, in the town of Northeast, on a farm
near Boston Corners, and he was educated
mainly in the common schools, with some ex
cellent practical finishing touches in the office
of the Millerton Telegram. At the age of
nineteen years he left the home farm and
taught school for ten^ years, being principal of
the Millerton public schools for four years.
After two years at Irondale he returned to Mil
lerton for one year, and in March, 1889, he
bought the Van Scriver interest in The Tele
gram, and continued the .paper under the firm
name of Deacon & Card until February 15,
1 89 1, when he became the sole proprietor.
Since his connection with the paper it has in
creased in circulation from 480 subscribers to
1, 108, and has become the principal paper in
the locality. In politics Mr. Card himself is
a Democrat, but his paper is independent.
He is an energetic, enterprising young man,
and finds time to conduct some profitable real
estate transactions, and to carry on a success-'
ful auction business in partnership with W. D.
McArthur. Always loyal to the interests of
the village, he is active and influential in local
politics; has been town clerk for two terms,
and is now a member of the board of educa
tion. Socially he is also prominent, being an
active member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and a leader in the choir, and he also
belongs to Webatuck Lodge No. 480, F. & A.
M., of Millerton, and to Millerton Lodge No.
383, I. O. O. F.

€\HARLES P. LUCKEY (deceased), the
_' founder and, at the time of his death, the
senior partner in the well-known firm of
Luckey, Platt & Co., the leading dry-goods
merchants in Poughkeepsie, was born May 30,

1832, near Ithaca, N. Y. His ancestors set
tled in Dutchess county in early times.
Thomas P. I. Luckey, father of our sub
ject, was born in the city of Poughkeepsie in
1803, and was a farmer by occupation. In
early manhood he removed to Ithaca, later to
Chautauqua county, but he and his wife returned
to Poughkeepsie to spend their declining years.
On April 28, 1824, he was married to Jane
Ann Hoffman, daughter of Loderwick Hoff
man, and they had five children: John,
Theodore H., Catherine, Charles Pinckney
and Francis Drake, all now deceased. The
. father died in Poughkeepsie, September 16,
1868, the mother on March 19, 1879.
Charles P. Luckey, the subject proper of
this review, shortly after the return to Dutchess
county, began his business career as a clerk
for W. H. Nase, Dover Plains, and for some
years he was employed in that capacity in
Hustonville and New Hamburg. In 18 — he
became a clerk in the dry-goods store of Rob
ert Slee, of Poughkeepsie, and in February,
1866, he was admitted to partnership in the
firm. In 18 — he established, at No. 328 Main
street, the firm of Luckey, Vail & Mandeville,
which existed a year and a half, when Mr.
Vail withdrew, and about eighteen months
afterward, or in 1869, the firm became Luckey
& Platt. Later it became Luckey, Platt &
Co., S. L. De Garmo being the third member.
They owned the largest dry-goods store in the
city, with a trade which extended through sev
eral counties, and their name became a syno
nym for enterprise and sound methods.
Mr. Luckey was twice married, the first
time in New York City to Miss Annie E. Brush,
a daughter of Alfred Brush; she died in 1867,
leaving one son, Frank M. R. Luckey, now a
Congregational minister at New Haven, Conn.;
he is remarkably gifted as an orator, in early
life had an inclination for the stage, and spent
three years in the company of William Flor
ence. His education was thorough, and he
was a graduate of both CorneH and Yale; his
wife was Miss Lettie A. Rensley, of Pough
keepsie. For his second wife, Charles P
Luckey was married, on April 6, 1 871, to Miss
Cecelia Reed, a daughter of John Reed, of
Syracuse, N. Y., by which marriage there were
no children. iMr. Luckey died January 30,
1896, of heart failure, having been afflicted for
some considerable time; his widow is now liv
ing in Poughkeepsie.
Mr. Luckey >held high rank among the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

37

business men in this region, and took part in
various enterprises. He was director and
vice-president of the First National Bank, and
president of the Retail Merchants Association
in the city. He never engaged in politics,
and was not a rnember of any club or secret
organization; a thorough home man, he was
ever happiest there. He was a man of large
heart, generous and charitable in all his acts,
and possessed of a well-balanced mind. As
far as his boyhood educational advantages
were concerned, they were limited,' but he
was fond of reading, and he was twelve years
old when he entered the arena of business.
For several years he lived in Eastman Terrace,
in 1893 removing to his late residence on
Garfield Place, Poughkeepsie.

T^HEODORE ADDISON HOFFMAN,
 county clerk of Dutchess county, is a
native of the county, having been born in the
town of Red Hook, May 23, 1844. Theodore
Hoffman, his father, was a son of Zacharias
Hoffman, who owned a tract of land near
Tivoli, along the Hudson river.
Our subject is a member of that steady and
worthy class whose ancestors were among the
first settlers of Dutchess county. He received
his early training at the public schools and at
Trinity School, from which he was graduated
at the age of fifteen years. After leaving
school he was employed as clerk in a general
store, and at the age of twenty-two he
embarked in mercantile business at Tivoli,
N. Y. When twenty-three years old he was
appointed postmaster at Tivoli, N. Y. , which
office he held for eighteen years, and the office
has been in his store for some thirty years.
He was elected president of the village of
Tivoli. In 1888 he was elected county clerk
of Dutchess county on the Republican ticket,
and in 1891 he was removed from office by
Governor Hill for refusing, as he says, to sign
what was known as the Mylod return of the
county canvassers. In 1894, however, he was
re-elected county clerk, which office he now
holds. In 1866, at the age of twenty-two, Theo
dore A. Hoffman was united in marriage with
Harriet Saulpaugh, daughter of Augustus Saul-
paugh, a well-known farmer, and seven chil
dren have been born to this union — three sons
and four daughters : John T. , Harry, Fred
erick, Helen, Maud, Florence and May. In

politics Mr. Hoffman is a stanch Republican;
in religious faith an Episcopalian; and socially
he is a member of the Freemasons, and of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen.

m LBERT R. HASKIN, the well-known
,^^ secretary and manager of the Eastman
Business College, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, and one of the prominent financiers
of that city, was born August 27, 1850, in
Elkhart county, Indiana.
The family is of English origin with a strain
of Scotch blood, and the first ancestor of the
American line was an early settler in Vermont,
his descendants branching out in later years to
all parts of the country. Samuel Haskin, our
subject's grandfather, was for a time a resident
of Ticonderoga, N. Y. , where his son, Caleb
Almon (our subject's father), wasborn in 1826.
When the latter was six years old the family
moved to Addison county, Vt., later to Lock-
port, N. Y. , and still later to Dowagiac, Mich.,
and then to Elkhart, Ind. He became a
farmer by occupation, and in 1855 went to
Marshall county, Iowa, where he entered 200
acres of government land, of which he has
made a fine farm. He is a leader in the com
munity, in both business and political affairs,
has been a justice of the peace and supervisor
of his town for many years, and has been
urged to become the Republican candidate for
Congress. In school matters he has taken
more than ordinary interest, and he is also
active in the work of the Baptist Church, of
which he is a prominent member.
On May 27, 1849, Caleb A. Haskih was
married in Indiana to Miss Rebecca Lacy,
daughter of Laban Lacy, a leading citizen of
Elkhart county, Ind., and a descendant of an
old Virginia family. Seven children were born
of this union, of whom four lived to maturity
— one son (our subject) and three daughters,
namely: Anna C, who married Adam Grimes,
and died in 1893; Melissa J., the wife of
Charles F. Ricker, a hardware merchant in
Grundy Center, Iowa; and Hattie, who mar
ried Edward Shelton, of Michigan. The
mother of this family died in 1884, and in
1887 the father married Miss Elizabeth Bibb,
his present wife.
Albert R. Haskin, our subject, attended
the district schools near his father's farm, and
after acquiring an elementary education there
he entered Iowa CoHege, at Grinnell, Iowa,

88

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and for four years, from 1868 to 1872, pursued
an elective course. In June, 1872, he came
to Poughkeepsie and took a course in the East
man Business College, graduating September
2 of the same year. His work as a pupil had
been so satisfactory that he was appointed
superintendent of the Banking Office depart
ment in the school, a position which he filled
with marked ability for some years. He then
became principal of the Theory department, and
in 1885 was made principal of the school, which
has prospered greatly under his able manage
ment. In November, 1896, he was appointed
secretary and manager.
On December 31, 1874, Mr. Haskin
married Miss Mary A. Cline, a daughter
of Henry Cline, a prominent resident of
Dutchess county, and late of Saratoga, N. Y.
They have had three children, of whom two,
Albert C. and Minerva M., are living. Mr.
and Mrs. Haskin are leading members of the
Baptist Church, in which he has held many
official positions, and is now trustee and
deacon. He is also a director of the Y. M.
C. A. He is an ardent Republican, taking an
active share in local politics, and in any enter
prise for the public benefit. For thirteen
years he has labored for the interests of the
public schools as a member of the board of
education, and he is now president of that body.
His rare business abilities have won him the
esteem and confidence of financial leaders,
and he has become interested in a number of
important business operations, being a di
rector of the Poughkeepsie National Bank, of
the Home Building & Loan Association, and
of the Masonic Mutual Benefit Association of
Dutchess county. He belongs to the I. O.
O. F., FallkHl Lodge No. 297, and has passed
the chairs; is also a member of the F. & A.
M. , Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 266, of which he
is past master; of Poughkeepsie Chapter No.
172, R. A. M., of which body he is high priest;
and of Commandery No. 43, K^. T., also of
Mecca Temple, of New York City.

S\AMUEL MANSFIELD. No citizen of
._) Wappingers Falls is better known, or
stands higher in the estimation of his fellow-
men, than does this gentleman, who for many
years has stood in the front rank of the edu
cators of Dutchess county.
Prof. Mansfield was born in New Baltimore,
N. Y., July 14, 1834, his famHy being of Eng-

lish descent. His grandfather, Samuel Mans
field, was born in Greene county, N. Y. , and
was a soldier in the war of 1812. He married
Hannah Hallenbeck, who was of Dutch stock,
and they reared a family of five children,
namely: William; Jehoiakim, who became a
ship carpenter; Hannah, who married Peter
Doty, a farmer of Saratoga county, N. Y. ;
Margaret, who married James Reed, superin
tendent of a paper factory at Saugerties, N. Y.;
and Sarah, who became the wife of Sylvanus
Rutan, a market man of New Jersey.
William Mansfield, the father of our sub
ject, turned his attention to farming. He mar
ried Nancy Kelsey, who was born in western
New York, and they settled in New Baltimore,
where the following children were born to
them: Samuel; Silas Wiltsey, who was a sol
dier in the Civil war, and is now deceased;
James Reed, a farmer in Greene county, N. Y. ;
Sarah Amelia and Hannah Margaret, both de
ceased, and William Brooks, who died in in
fancy. The parents both died in Greene
county. They were originally members of
the Reformed Dutch Church, afterward unit
ing with the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The father in his early life was a Whig, later
joining the Republican party.
The subject of this sketch spent his boy
hood on his father's farm, and attended the
common schools of his vicinity until he was
seventeen years old, when he entered the sem-_
inary at Charlotteville, N. Y. Afterward he
taught school, and thus assisted in defraying
his expenses while obtaining an education.
He entered the Sophomore class of Union Col
lege in 1857, and was graduated in i860, being
chosen class poet. In 1862 he went to Wap
pingers Falls, and was appointed principal of
the Union Free School, which he taught untH
1878, resigning to accept the principalship of
the Wappingers Falls Graded School, which
position he is filling at the present time. Dur
ing these long years of service in this responsi
ble position. Prof. Mansfield has succeeded in
securing the confidence and esteem of not only
those under his immediate supervision, but of
all those with whom he has been brought into
business and social relations. As a teacher he
has the best interests of his pupils at heart,
and spares no pains in their training. He is
firm in his government, yet so genial and com
panionable that he holds a warm place in the
affections of all who have ever been under his
care. He is a man of fine tastes and scholarly

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

89

habits, and is a student and ardent lover of
nature, as well as of books. Although popu
lar in social circles. Prof. Mansfield has never
been married, his whole life having been de
voted to his vocation.
In addition to his school duties. Prof. Mans
field has always taken a lively interest in mat
ters relating to the progress and welfare of the
vHlage, and has done much to aid in its devel
opment. He has been a member of the board
of trustees of the village for many years, and
was its president for four years. In 1882 he
was made a trustee of the Wappingers Savings
Bank, and in 1884 elected its president, which
office he still holds. He is president of the
board of Park commissioners, to which posi
tion he was elected in 1892. He is also one
of the original trustees of the Grinnell Library,
and chairman of the library committee. In
politics, he is a stanch Republican, and has al
ways taken a lively interest in the success of
his party and the principles for which it stands.
Although not a member of any Church, he is a
regular attendant at Zion Protestant Episcopal
Church, of Wappingers Falls. He ranks
among the best citizens of Wappingers Falls,
and has the respect and esteem of all classes
of people.

L,

UKE D. WYMBS, the present school
 commissioner for the First District of
Dutchess county, has been recognized for many
years as one of the leading educators of this
section. Born in Livingston, .Columbia Co., N. Y.,
August 21, 1845, he passed his youth at that
place, attending the public schools, and mak
ing such good use of his advantages that at
sixteen years of age he was qualified to teach.
He began his professional career February 23,
1862, and among the schools over which he
presided were those of Germantown, Living
ston, Glencoe Mills, Pine Plains and Glenham.
In 1864 he enlisted in Battery M, 3d New
York Light Artillery, assigned to the army of
the James, and his battery was in service
against the fortifications around Petersburg
and Richmond. At the close of the war he
returned home and again engaged in teaching,
spending nineteen years in the Glenham school.
In the fall of 1893 he was elected on the Re
publican ticket to his present position, where
his superior talents and wide experience enable
him to benefit the cause of education through

out a larger field. He has always been promi
nent in teachers' associations, both in Dutchess
and Columbia counties. On November 3, 1896,
he was re-elected school commissioner by a
majority of 2,600, being the largest majority
ever given a school commissioner in his district.
In early manhood Prof. Wymbs married
Miss Mary E. Simmons, of Taghkanick, daugh
ter of Jeremiah and Almah (Tanner) Simmons.
She died May 2, 1873, leaving one daughter,
lola M., now the wife of Bertrand J. Harder,
of Mechanicsville, Saratoga Co., N. Y. On
October 21, 1874, Prof. Wymbs was united in
marriage with his present wife, Mary A. De-
Lamater, daughter of Osterhoudt and Mary
(Decker) De Lamater. The Professor has
always taken keen interest in public questions
and in local affairs. He is a member of the
G. A. R. , and is past commander of Howland
Post No. 48, Department of New York. He
and his wife attend the Reformed Church at
Glenham. The Wymbs family originated in Scotland,
and at the time of religious persecution in that
country moved to the North of Ireland. Our
subject's grandparents, Luke and Mary Wymbs,
were residents of New York City, where the
grandfather was a merchant in the early part
of this century. During the war of 1812 he
was making a voyage to Ireland with a cargo
of linseed, accompanied by his vvife and son,
Luke D., when the vessel was captured by a
British man-of-war, and Mr. Wymbs and his
family were taken to Cadiz, and held as pris
oners for five or six months. Luke D. Wymbs,
the Professor's father, was then a mere boy.
He was born in 1865, and on attaining man
hood became a farmer in the town of Taghka
nick, Columbia county. In 1840 he married
Margaret Ferris, and our subject was their
only son. Both parents passed from earth in
1886, the mother on February 13, the father
on AprH 25. The mother was born in 1807,
one of the fourteen chHdren of her parents,
WHliam Ferris and his wife, Jane (Warren).

v\DWARD BROWN DU MOND, principal
of the Union Free School, in the village
of Fishkill, Dutchess county, is one of the
leading educators of this section, his profes
sional labors covering a period of nearly thirty
years, twenty of them in his present position.
His famHy, which is of Huguenot extrac
tion, has been a resident in this State since an

40

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

early period, and his great-grandfather, Johan
nes Philip Du Mond, was an ensign and lieu
tenant in the American army during the Revo
lution, in the regiment of Col. Johannes Sny
der, and the company of Capt. Evert Bogar
dus. His commission, which is dated October
23, 1779, and signed by George Clinton, is
now in the possession of our subject. He
married Sarah Elmendorf, and their son Con
rad (Prof. Du Mond's grandfather) married
Catherine Copp. Philip Du Mond (our sub
ject's father) was born May 28, 1817, and fol
lowed agricultural pursuits, first in West Hur
ley, N. Y., and later (in the "sixties") near
Kingston, N. Y., where he lived several years,
¦finally purchasing a farm at Accord, N. Y. ,
¦spending the remainder of his active years there.
He died at Fishkill, February 10, 1892, leaving
a widow, Mrs. Cornelia Catherine (Brown) Du-
Mond, and six children, of whom our subject
is the eldest. Mary Catherine is the wife of
John H. Davis, a paper manufacturer of Mill-
hook, Accord, N. Y. ; Martha Antoinette lives in
New Jersey with her sister Frances; John Cal
vin resides at the old homestead at Accord;
Philip Nelson married Miss Kate Davis, daugh
ter of Joseph and Charity Davis, and lives at
Los Angeles, Cal. ; and Frances Augusta
married Joachim H. Davis, with the New York
Mail and Express, and lives in New Jersey.
The mother of this family, who was born June
28, 1817, now makes her home with our
subject. She is a descendant of a well-known
family, a daughter of Matthias and Mary
(Copp) Brown, and granddaughter of Silas
and Martha (Robinson) Brown, of whom the
last named lived to the agfe of 102 years.
Prof. Du Mond was born in West Hurley,
July 9, 1843, and received his education in the
public schools at Kingston, and in the State
Normal School at Albany, where he was grad
uated in 1 867. His first professional work was at
Stuyvesant Falls, Columbia Co., N. Y. , where
he remained a year and a half, and then
taught the same length of time at Schodack
Landing, Rensselaer county. In 1870 he be
came principal of the Fishkill school, and
after twelve years of effective work went to
Pelham Manor, N. Y. , where he fiHed a similar
position for six years. In 1888 he returned
to his former place in Fishkill, and since the
Union School came under the control of the
Regents in 1894, he has also had charge of the
academic department, which was then added.
Prof. Du Mond is one of the honored vet

erans of the Civil war, and his entrance into
the service August 6, 1862, interrupted his
studies. He was a member of the 120th N.
Y. V. I., and participated in all the battles
through which his regiment passed, until
wounded, viz. : Fredericksburg, Chancellors
ville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spott
sylvania, North Anna, Tolopotomy, Cold Har
bor, Strawberry Plains, and the siege of Peters
burg, where his left hand was shot off by a
shell. He is a member of the G. A. R. , and
in 1890 was a delegate to the National En
campment at Boston, where 45,000 men took
part in the parade. In politics he is a Re
publican. '
On March 10, 1870, Prof. Du Mond mar
ried Miss Ellen L. Mathewson, daughter of
Sylvanus and Adelia (Cleveland) Mathewson,
of Oneida, N. Y. Three children were born
of this union: Grace Lavina, Edna Brown
and Marcia Adelle. The Professor and his
family are members of the Reformed Dutch
Church at FishkiH. Their home is a beauti
ful estate comprising two acres — the old Oppie
homestead. Mrs. Du Mond owns desirable
village property at Pelham Manor, N. Y.; she
is also a graduate of the Albany State Normal
School. Mrs. Du Mond's grandfather, Winchester
Mathewson, married Abagail Swift, and lived
in Smithfield, Madison Co., N. Y. , where they
both died. Their family consisted of fifteen
children — seven sons and eight daughters.
Mrs. Du Mond's father, Sylvanus, who was
the eldest, about the year 1830 married Ade
lia Cleveland, and their famHy consisted of ten
children — five sons and five daughters — Mrs.
Du Mond being the sixth child; at the time of
her marriage she was living in Oneida Castle,
Madison Co., New York.

JOHN PETER NELSON (deceased). The
subject of this sketch, who in his day was
was one of the most prominent men of
Dutchess county, was born July 29, 18 10, in
the house now occupied by his widow, at the
corner of Cannon and Liberty streets, Pough
keepsie. Francis Nelson, the first ancestor of the
Nelson family, emigrated from England to
America about the year 1647, he himself set
tling at Mamaroneck, Westchester county,
while part of his family came to Poughkeepsie
and part remained in PeekskHI. Col. Joseph

^r:?^/:?M^ ^^y^ yfcM-*-^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

41

Nelson, born AprH i, 1786, at Clinton, Dutch
ess county, a descendant of this Francis Nel
son, was an editor in Poughkeepsie, and in 1 806
published a paper known as the Political Bar
ometer, and was one of the leading citizens of
his locality. He knew Washington, Hamil
ton, Burr and other prominent men of that
time. He was a colonel in the war of i8j2,
and during his service contracted typhoid
fever, from which he died in New York City,
November 3, 1812. Col. Nelson married
Hannah Fort, a daughter of Maj. Abram Fort,
who fought in the Revolutionary war, and was
well-known in his day. To Col. and Mrs.
Nelson were born the foHowing children: Jane
Ann, who married Henry F. Granger, son of
Judge Granger, of Grangerville; John Peter,
our subject; and James Fort. Maj. Abram
Fort was the father of the following children :
Col. John A. Fort, who was one of Gen. Jack
son's aides in the war of 18 12; Peter Fort, also
an aide on Gen. Jackson's staff, who each
year, on January 8, hoisted the stars and
stripes in honor of the battle of New Orleans;
James Fort; Mrs. Pierson; Mrs. Abram Thomp
son; Alida; Sarah; Catharine; Mrs. Susan
HavHand; Mrs. Maria Granger, and Mrs. Han
nah Nelson.
John Peter Nelson, our subject, was edu
cated in the private schools of New Orleans,
where he spent the most of his boyhood. He
also had a private tutor, and spoke several
languages. After reaching his majority, he
became a commission merchant, and owned
several vessels which plied between New Or
leans and England. Some years prior to 1 845 ,
he became interested in cotton growing in
Louisiana, where he had a plantation of 1,400
acres, and owned 900 slaves who were freed by
the Emancipation Proclamation. At one
time, prior to the war, he was the richest
planter in the State of Louisiana. He con
tinued in business until 1874, when on account
of HI health he retired, and in 1876 went to
Europe, returning in the fall of 1877. His
death occurred March 26, 1878. He was a
remarkable man in many ways, was possessed
of great firmness of character, a kind heart,
great generosity — in fact, he was one of nature's
noblemen. He was a kind father and a good
husband. On December 5, 1839, he married
Julia Ann Keese, who died May 23, 1841,
leaving one child, Julia Keese Nelson, who
married George Wetmore Colles, of New York
City.

Mr. Nelson was married, the second time,
in 1845, to Miss CorneHa Mandeville Nelson,
and the following chHdren were born to them:
Peter Fort, who died of yellow fever at New
Orleans in 1873; William James; Elizabeth
Parker; Edward Beverly, principal of the
New York Central Institution for Deaf Mutes,
at Rome, N. Y. ; Walter Huntington, in busi
ness in Washington, but living in Virginia;
Thomas Grant; and Cornelia MandevHle.
Mr. Nelson was a stanch Democrat, a
strong Union man, and did all he 'could to de
feat the ordinance of Secession. He was a
member of Christ's Episcopal Church, New
Orleans, and contributed liberally to its sup
port. In all matters he was a public-spirited
man, much admired by all who knew him.
WHHam Nelson, the father of Mrs. John
Peter Nelson, widow of our subject, was born
June 29, 1784, in Clinton (now Hyde Park),
Dutchess county, and was the son of Thomas
Nelson, an old citizen and native of the county,
born in CHnton March 17, 1744, and died in
Poughkeepsie, November i, 1823. He mar
ried (first) Sarah Wright, of Somers, West
chester county, AprH 11, 1769, and (second)
Maiy Delavan. WHliam Nelson attended the
Dutchess County Academy, and received his
legal education also in Poughkeepsie. He was
admitted to the bar soon after reaching his
majority, and went to Buffalo with a view to
opening an office in that city. He spent a
short time there, however, moving to Peeks
kHI. He also practiced in the counties of
Rockland, Putnam and Westchester. In the
year 1812 he was elected to the State Senate,
and took his seat there some two or three ses
sions. In 1848-49, and 1850-51, he was sent
to Congress and was urged for re-election, but
declined to accept. He was district attorney
some thirty years, a remarkable length of time
in that office. He was a man of great energy
and will power, an extensive reader, and one
of the foremost men of his community.
William Nelson was married to Miss Cor
neHa MandevHle Hardman, daughter of John
Hardman, a West India merchant, of New
York City, whose other children were: Sarah
Ann, who married Dr. Thomas Mower, a sur
geon in the army; and Eliza, wife of Henry
Starr, of New York City. The children of
WiHiam Nelson were: Joseph, living in Mil
waukee; Dorinda, deceased wife of John Ar
thur, of San Francisco, Cal.; George P., a
lawyer in New York City; Thomas, also a law-

42

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

yer in New York City; William Rufus (de
ceased), who was a lawyer in Peekskill; Sarah
A., who became the wife of J. Henry Ferris, a
lawyer in PeekskHI; Elizabeth, now the widow
of Rev. John Johnson, of Upper Red Hook;
Robert Dean (deceased) ; and Cornelia Man
deville, the wife of our subject. Mr. Nelson
was an Old-time Henry Clay Whig, and per
sonal friend of Daniel Webster, Abraham
Lincoln and Henry Clay. He was a public-
spirited man, and took great interest in all
matters pertaining to his community. He died
in October, 1869, aged eighty-five years; Mrs.
Nelson passed away August 28, same year, five
weeks before her husband.

EV. BENJAMIN E. DICKHAUT, A. M.
As pastor, the subject of this sketch is
one of a long line of able and eloquent work
ers in the cause of Christ, and his labors have
shown him to be well-worthy of a place in
that illustrious company.
His father, Rev. J. Conrad Dickhaut. was
a zealous clergyman of the Reformed Dutch
Church. He was born in Germany, February
17, 181 5, and ordained in New York City, at
the church in N. Williams street, by the Classis
of New York. He at once organized the Ger
man Mission in Greenwich street. New York,
but remained only a short time, as he took a
settled charge at New Brooklyn, where he of
ficiated twelve years, building meantime a new
church edifice. His next pastorate was in the
Presbyterian Church at East Williamsburg,
N. Y., and after four years of faithful toil
there, sickness compelled him to suspend his
labors for two years. On resuming, he or
ganized the Reformed Church at Canarsie and
served as its pastor until April, 1887, when
failing health again caused him to retire, it be-
ingin fact his last illness, as his death occurred
December 30, 1887. In early manhood he
married Miss Eva Ruby, who survives him.
She was a daughter of Michael Ruby, and his
wife, Margaret, who was a daughter of Martin
Leyenberger. The following children were
born to them: Conrad, Amelia, WHliam,
John, Sophia, Benjamin E., Timothy, Sam
uel and David. Of these, only three are now
living: Sophia, Benjamin E. and Samuel.
Benjamin E. Dickhaut, our subject, was
born in Brooklyn, N. Y. , April 29, 1863, and
attended the public schools of the city, and
then the Polytechnic Institute, graduating

from the latter in 1880. In 1884 he was
graduated from Rutgers College with the de
gree of A. B., and in 1887 he completed his
course in the New Brunswick Theological
Seminary, receiving in the same year the de
gree of A. M. from Rutgers. At the begin
ning of his theological course at New Bruns
wick he was chosen for missionary work at
the Middle Collegiate Church, New York City,
and spent his vacation in this field. In j;he
summer of 1885 he was engaged by the CoHe
giate Church to do missionary work in con
nection with DeWitt Chapel, and during the
remainder of his seminary course he continued
working there. On graduating from the semi
nary, he was ordained by the Classis of New
York to do missionary work under the super
vision of the Collegiate Church. In October,
1889, he accepted a call to the First Reformed
Church of Fishkill, Dutchess county, which
was his first independent charge. There he
made his influence felt for good in many lines
of effort. He was president of the Law and
Order League of the village, and was on the
executive committee of the county organization
for good citizenship. On September i, 1896,
he accepted the call of the South Reformed
Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. , and the same ag
gressive methods employed by him at Fishkill
have been productive of very encouraging re
sults in his new field of labor. He is a most
decided temperance advocate, and is frequently
engaged on the platform in this cause. On
March 17, 1888, he was married at New
Brunswick to Miss Margaret P. Maddock,
daughter of Rev. George C. and Mary (Price)
Maddock. Her father is a minister for the
M. E. Church, New Jersey Conference, and
at present is chaplain of the New Jersey State
Prison, at Trenton, N. J. Mr. and Mrs.
Dickhaut have two children, viz. : Margaret
Maddock and Dorothy.
The' following is a list of the pastors of the
Reformed Dutch Church of FishkHl since its
organization in 1716 by Rev. Petrus Vas:
Rev. Cornelius Van Schie, 1731-1738; Rev.
Benjamin Meynema, 1745-1755; Rev. Jacob
Vannist, served two and one-half years
when he died, 1761; Rev. Henricus Schoon-
maker, 1 763-1 772; also Isaac Rysdyck, jointly
with Rev. Schoonmaker, 1765 to 1772, and
alone until 1790; Rev. Isaac Blanvelt, 1783-
1790; Rev. Nicholas Van Vranken, 1791-1804;
Rev. Cornelius D. Westbrook, 1806-1830;
Rev. Geo. H. Fisher, 1830-183 5; Rev. Fran-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

48

cis M. Kip, 1836-1870; Rev. Peter E. Kipp,
1870-1875; Rev. Asher Anderson, 1875-1880;
Rev. M. Bross Thomas, 1 881-1888; Rev. Ben
jamin E. Dickhaut, 1889-1896; Rev. Abel
Huizinga, 1896, present pastor.
In the old Reformed Dutch church the
Tory and other prisoners were confined, and
from this building tradition teaches us that
"Harvey Birch" (Enoch Crosby), having been
arrested as a spy, effected his escape. During
the Revolutionary war a part of the army was
located in FishkHl, and their barracks extended
from the Van Wyck place to the foot of the
mountain. The officers' headquarters were in
the dwelHng well-known to the readers of the
"Spy" as the "Wharton House" (occupied in
1866 by Sidney E. Van Wyck, and now (1896)
by Miss Nettie Hustis); near the residence, by
the large black walnut trees, south of the road
and at the foot of the mountain, was the burial
ground of the soldiers. The Episcopal church
was used as a hospital, as was afterward the
Presbyterian church at Brinckerhoff, about one
and one-half miles north of the village.

EDWARD ELSWORTH, president of the

^Jj FallkHl National Bank, and who has held
various honorable and important offices in the
city of Poughkeepsie, and in the county, was
born January 6, 1840, in New York City. His
parents were John and Martha (Van Varick)
Elsworth, both natives of New York City, the
former born in 1802. The father was a de
scendant of Christoffel Elswart, who was a
free holder in New York in 1655, and the
mother was a daughter of Joseph Van Varick,
who was a merchant of that city.
In 1848 the parents of our subject removed
to Poughkeepsie, where the father died in
May, 1873, the mother surviving him until
1880. Mr. Elsworth was a Democrat, and
both he and his wife were members of the Re
formed Dutch Church. He was a school trus
tee of the town of Poughkeepsie, and a mem
ber and trustee of the Mechanic Society, of
New York City. Their family consisted of
four children: Two died in infancy; John K.
was a merchant in New York City; and Ed
ward, the sole survivor, is the subject of this
sketch. Edward Elsworth was eight years of age
when his parents took up their residence in
Poughkeepsie, and for a number of years was
a pupil in the Dutchess County Academy.

His legal education was acquired in the State
and National Law School, Poughkeepsie, from
which he was graduated in the class of '58.
For the following two years he was in the law
office of Thompson & Weeks, and also in that
of Judge Nelson. He then went to New York
City, and for two years was in the law prac
tice with Bernard Roelker, and later practiced
in Rockland county. In 1866, he returned to
Poughkeepsie, and, after practicing his profes
sion for a time, entered into the hardware
business in partnership with Guilford Dudley.
During this time he was made director and
also vice-president of the Fallkill National
Bank, and in 1891 was elected its president;
he is also vice-president of the Poughkeepsie
Savings Bank.
On November 26, r867, Mr. Elsworth was
married to Miss Mary Johnston. The John
ston family are of Scotch extraction, and Mrs.
Elsworth's father, Samuel B. Johnston, a des
cendant of Capt. Archibald Johnston, a Rev
olutionary soldier, was a cousin of Gen. Al
bert Sidney Johnston. He was a native of
Connecticut, but for many years a resident of
Poughkeepsie, where he was a banker, and for
a long period was vice-president of the Fall
kHl Bank. Four chHdren have been born to
our subject and his wife, namely: Grace
Varick, Mary Johnston, Ethel Hinton and
Edward Wead, all of whom are at home. Mr.
Elsworth is a stanch Democrat, and has al
ways been prominent in his party. In 1874 he
was elected supervisor of the Third ward of
Poughkeepsie, and served one term. In 1880
he was made school commissioner, which of
fice he filled for seven years. In November,
1886, he was elected mayor of Poughkeepsie,
served one term, and in 1891 was re-elected to
the same honorable position. He was elected
a trustee of Vassar CoHege in 1892, and is still
serving as such. Mr. Elsworth also holds the
following offices: Trustee and treasurer of
Vassar Brothers' Institute; and vice-president
for Dutchess county of the Holland Society of
New York. He is also a member of the Sons
of the Revolution. For several years he was
judge advocate of the Eighth Brigade of the
National Guard S. N. Y., and served in other
offices in that organization. In 1891, he re
ceived the degree of A. M. from Rutgers Col
lege. The famHy are members and liberal
supporters of the Reformed Dutch Church,
and stand high in social and religious circles.
From the foregoing facts it will be seen

44

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

that Mr. Elsworth is a man of more than us
ual ability, and business qualifications, and
that his many sterling qualities are appreciated
by his fellow citizens. In the numerous re
sponsible positio"ns in which he has been
placed, he has fully merited their confidence
and esteem, and no man occupies a higher
place in the regard of the public, or in the
friendship of his more intimate associates.

j^LIVER H. BOOTH (deceased) was born
in 1823 upon a farm within the present
limits of the city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, and died March 13, 1896, after an ill
ness of twenty-two days — the first sickness he
ever experienced. During his life of well nigh
three-quarters of a century, he saw a marvel
ous transformation, not only in the outward
appearance of that locality, but in all phases
of our complex and constantly progressing
civilization. His early home was on the south
side of Fallkill creek, opposite the present lo
cation of Pelton's factory, and his father,
George Booth, a prominent citizen of that day,
had a woolen-mHl for manufacturing cloth, the
first of the kind run by machinery in the coun
ty. This was before the days of pins, and
old citizens remember the large thorn bushes
in the neighborhood from which Mr. Booth
obtained thorns to fasten his bundles with. In
the field north of the church of the Holy Com
forter, he raised "teazles, which were used in
" gigging " the cloth.
During his early boyhood our subject at
tended a school that was kept in a small build
ing which is yet standing in the rear of No.
120 Main street, Poughkeepsie, the teacher be
ing Aunt Anna Haight, and he was proud of
being able to say that he also, when a young
boy, attended the old school at Pawling kept
by Jacob WHIets and his wife. It is said that
this Jacob Willets was the author of the weH-
known rhyme about months "Thirty days
hath September" etc.. — which he introduced
into his arithmetic. Later, Mr. Booth studied
at the academy in Poughkeepsie, after which
he was employed in his brother's (Alfred) store
in Boston, Mass., but at the age of fourteen
ran away, joining a sea-going vessel as cabin
boy, and for four years he sailed the ocean.
We next find him in a bank at Detroit, Mich.,
where he remained some time, then returning
to Poughkeepsie, at the age of twenty-one,
became bookkeeper in the Vassar Brewery, of

which he ultimately was the owner. His
mother was a sister of Matthew Vassar, Sr.,
and he became more or less identified with
many of the extensive interests of that dis
tinguished family. He was named as executor
in the wHI of Matthew Vassar, Jr., and John
Guy Vassar, and he was treasurer of Vassar
Hospital, in which he took much pride, per
sonally superintending the extensive improve
ments recently made in the grounds. As a
financier his ability was acknowledged, and
he was a director in several of the banks of
Poughkeepsie, also vice-president of the City
Bank. He left a large estate.
He was always fond of the sea and of ship
ping, and he found time in the midst of his
extensive business dealing to indulge this taste,
having been the owner or part owner of more
vessels than any other resident of the city.
In sailing vessels, he was interested in the
sloops "Surprise" (formerly the "Revenge"),
"Index," "Comet," "Agent," and "Timo
thy Wood;" also in the schooners " Matthew
Vassar, Jr.," " Oliver H. Booth," and another
which he bought in Wilmington, on which to
bring the machinery for the "Underwriter"
up the river. He built the steamer "Joseph
F Barnard," then the finest tug ever seen on
the Hudson, and whose history has a tinge of
romance. During the trouble in Cuba, in the
" sixties," he sold her to the Cubans, but in
1867 she disappeared, supposed to have been
burnt at sea. Mr. Booth owned the news-
yacht, " Herald," which he rebuHt and named
the " Commodore," and then sold to parties in
Norfolk, Va. ; he also purchased and re-built
the " O. M. Freleigh " and the "Idlewild,"
the latter being bought afterward by New
Haven parties. The last boat that he built
was the speedy steam yacht "No. 83." He
owned the four-oared gig "Stranger," which
was manned by workmen from the brewery,
who were considered remarkably fast rowers
in their day. He was also commodore of the
old Poughkeepsie Ice Yacht Club, and the
owner of the ice yacht " Restless."
The onlv political office that Mr. Booth
ever held was that of member of the vHlage
board of trustees, of which he was elected
clerk in 1843, and he held that incumbency
until AprH 18, 1854, when the books were
turned over to the new city government.
Very early in life he became an active worker
in the Fire Department, and June 18, 1844,
he by request organized the Phoenix Hose

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

45

Company of Poughkeepsie. About the year
1850 he resigned as an active member, but
was on the honorary list up to his death. In
1 85 1 he was elected chief engineer of the Fire
Department, and held the office three years,
during which time the Booth Hose Company
was named for him. At the time of his death
he owned one of the old " goose-neck " en
gines "No. 7," and in 1886 he paraded with
her as foreman. In that year the Veteran
Firemen's Association was formed, of which
he was chosen president, -and he held that
office several years, at last refusing a re-election,
at which time his comrades desiring to signify
their high regard for him, presented nim with
a costly loving cup on his retirement. Socially
he was a member of the F. & A. M., Pough
keepsie Lodge No. 266.
Mr. Booth married Miss Ferris, daughter
of Mr. John Ferris, of MHan, Dutchess county.
She died in March, 1893, leaving but one
child, a son, William F. Booth, who now
resides at the old homestead. The family
residence on Market street was the scene of a
solemn and affecting service at the funeral of
Mr. Oliver H. Booth, which took place March
16, 1896, and a large gathering of the prom
inent citizens of the city and vicinity showed
the esteem in which he was held, whHe many
beautiful floral tributes offered their silent
benediction.

JAMES L. WILLIAMS, one of the distin
guished members of the Dutchess county
bar, was born December 12, 1846, in the
city of Poughkeepsie, with whose interests his
entire life has been identified.
When a boy our subject received his educa
tion in the Dutchess County Academy, and
after studying law he was admitted to the bar
in 1867, and began the practice of his profes
sion there. His first partner was Hon. Peter
Borland, ex-surrogate of Dutchess county, the
firm of Dorland & WiHiams continuing until
1873, when Mr. Dorland was elected to a third
term as surrogate. In 1873 Mr. Williams was
elected district attorney, being the first Demo
crat elected to that position in twenty-five
years; but at the expiration of his te;rm he de
clined a renomination. In 1884 he became a
member of the widely-known firm of Hackett
& WilHams, the senior member being John
Hackett, who has since been twice elected dis

trict attorney. In 1883, without his solicita
tion, and even without his knowledge until the
announcement was made, Mr. Williams was
appointed State assessor by Grover Cleveland,
then governor. This office he held until his
resignation in 1892, serving with marked ability
and success, and several important amendments
to the tax laws were adopted by the Legisla
ture at his suggestion. He holds a prominent
place in business circles as well as in profes
sional life, and is a director of the City National
Bank, and other corporations. He organized
and was first president of the Poughkeepsie
News Company, publishers of the Ne-ws Press
and Neivs Telegraph, the leading Democratic
journals in the Fludson Valley, and until 1894
was very active in State and local politics, after
which time till the Presidential campaign of
1896 he devoted his attention to legal business.
Mr. Williams has been a member of the
Democratic State Committee; in 1887 was
chairman of the State Executive Committee,
and met and solved with rare courage and skill
the intricate problems of the campaign of that
year, complicated as it was with the Henry
George and Labor movements. In 1894 he
again served as a member of the Democratic
State Executive Committee. In the fall of
1893 the delegations from Dutchess and other
counties of the Second Department presented
his name at the judicial convention held in
Brooklyn as their candidate for justice of the
supreme court to succeed Hon. Joseph F. Bar
nard, whose term expired that fall; but Mr.
Pearsall, of Brooklyn, received the Democratic
nomination, and was defeated by Hon. WiHiam
J. Gaynor, the Reform and Republican candi
date. Early in 1896 he protested against the
proposed departure of the Democratic party
from what he regarded as the ancient standards
of his party, and on the adoption of the Chi
cago platform and the nomination of Mr. Bryan
he formerly severed his connection with that
party, and entered actively into the campaign
for the Republican candidates. On January
I, 1897, he was appointed corporation counsel
of the city of Poughkeepsie.
Mr. WHliams is a member of many fraternal
organizations, including the Freemasons, Odd
Fellows and Knights of Pythias, and he organ
ized the Odd Fellows Mutual Benefit Associa
tion of Dutchess county with five members,
the membership now being increased to nearly
one thousand. He is president of the leading
social organization of Poughkeepsie, the Dutch-

46

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

ess Club, having succeeded Hon. Homer A.
Nelson, its first president, and is a member of
several clubs in New York and other cities.

^NTHONY UNDERHILL, M. D. (de-
.^^ ceased). Among the talented men who
have done honor to the medical profession in
Dutchess county, the subject of this brief
memoir held a worthy rank. The son of a
prominent physician, his natural aptitude for
the calling had unusual opportunities for
development, and application in early life, and
his later years of effort were rewarded with
well-deserved success.
His family was of English origin, and his
father. Dr. Joshua B. Underbill, was a -life
long resident of Westchester county, N. Y.,
where our subject was born in 1818. The
common schools of that locality furnished him
his academic education, and he then began the
study of medicine with his father, and later
attended lectures at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons in New York City. He opened
a drug store in that city, which he carried on
for some years previous to entering the medical
department of Bowdoin College, at Brunswick,
Me., from which he graduated in 1845. Lo
cating at New Hackensack, Dutchess county,
he engaged in the active work of his profession,
and continued for about forty years, building
up an extensive practice and enjoying the con
fidence of the people throughout a large circuit.
In 1852 he married Miss Charlotte A. Mar-
vine, who was born in 1832, in Wilton, Conn.,
the daughter of, William M. Marvine. They
made their home on a farm near New Hacken
sack, and reared a family of six children:
(i) Charles married Miss Annie M. Rapelje,
and lives at Hopewell Junction, Dutchess
county, where he is the agent for the N. Y. &
N. E. and the D. & C. railroads. (2) George
resides at the old homestead. (3) William
married Miss Mary E. Griffin, and lives at
Fishkill, where he is employed as general pas-'
senger agent for the N. D. & C. R. R. (4)
Frank is a farmer at home. (5) Lottie mar
ried Dr. R. C. Van Wyck, of Hopewell Junc
tion, who was thrown from his buggy and
kHled in February, 1896. (6) Edward A. mar
ried Miss Jeannette E. Schubert, and resides
in Glenham, where he is employed as depot
agent and telegraph operator.
Dr. UnderhHI was prominent not, only in
professional circles, but in local political affairs.

and took great interest also in educational
matters, and in various, movements for the
public benefit. His death, which occurred
September 4, 1889, caused a loss which was
deeply and sincerely mourned among all classes
of people. One of his sons, Frank, conducts
the farm, a fine tract of one hundred acres,
with a handsome residence and other improve
ments.

€\HARLES F. COSSUM, of the well-known
_' law firm of Wilkinson & Cossum, of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born in
New York City, AprH 17, 1859. His father,
Charles Cossum, was born in Hastings, Eng
land, in 1826.
Richard Cossum, grandfather of our sub
ject, was also born at Hastings, and was the
last male of his name of that generation. He
was educated in England, and by occupation
was a draper, or dry-goods merchant. In
1 841 he moved with his family to the United
States and settled in Oswego county, N. Y.,
where he retired from active life. In 1815 he
was married to Miss Caroline Foster, and they
had twelve children, of whom, Charles, Edwin,
Fannie, Decimus, Elizabeth and Caroline are
still living.
Charles Cossum, Sr., spent his boyhood
days in Oswego county, N. Y. , and at the age
of thirteeri years he started out on his own ac
count. When twenty-five years old he was
employed by the Hudson River R. R. Co. as a
brakeman, from which he was promoted
through the various positions to assistant su
perintendent and train master. He has a
record of forty-two years with this road, and is
still in the company's employ, stationed at
Poughkeepsie. In 1858 he was married to
Miss Sarah Wood, who was born in New York
City, and who is a daughter of Peter Wood.
They have four chHdren: Charles F., our
subject; Oscar, now living in Stamford. Conn.,
William H., a missionary in China, and Car
oline. Charles F. Cossum attended the schools of
PeekskiH, N. Y., from 1865 to 1872, at which
time he went to New York City, and in 1873
was graduated from the Thirteenth Street
Grammar School. He was then admitted-
to the CoHege of New York City, but did
not attend as he preferred to work. In 1875
he began the study of law with Homer A.
Nelson, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and subse-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

47

quently entered the office of Robert F. WHkin
son, and was admitted to the bar in 1880. In
that year he was appointed deputy county
clerk, and filled that incumbency five years.
In 1886 he went on a business trip to England,
which occupied him for a year, and upon his
return he opened an office in New York City.
In 1888 he returned to Poughkeepsie and
formed a partnership with Robert F. Wilkin-
^ son, with whom he is still associated. For
five years he was the attorney for the League
of American Wheelmen, and was first vice-
president of the organization during 1896.
He is president of the Amrita Club and Apo-
keepsing Boat Club; secretary and treasurer of
the Poughkeepsie Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, and president of the Mitch
ell Heater Co. Mr. Cossum has not held any
public office except that of deputy county
clerk. Cossum is an unusual family name,
there being but few persons in the world who
bear it, and all of them are descendants of the
grandfather of our subject.

J

TfAMES C. Mccarty, one of the most able
lawyers of Dutchess county, has for many
years successfully engaged in practice at
Rhinebeck. He traces his ancestry back to
Daniel McCarty, who was born February 22,
1754, in Charlestown, then a suburb of Bos
ton, Mass. His father was a Scotchman, who
owned and sailed a schooner plying between
New London, Conn., and Boston, and during
the Revolutionary war he saHed with a full
cargo and crew from the latter place, and, as
they never returned or were heard from, it is
supposed they were captured by the British
privateers, being killed or taken prisoners, and
the vessel and cargo confiscated. At the age
of twenty-one Daniel joined the minute men
in defense of the country against British ag
gression, and AprH 19, 1775, participated in
the battle of Lexington, after which he en
listed for nine months in the company com
manded by Capt. Josiah Harris. On June
17, 1775, he was in the battle of Bunker HHl,
and soon after with his old captain he joined
the Continental service, belonging to the regi
ment commanded by Col. Bond. After six
months spent in New York the regiment was
ordered to Fort Edward, Canada, where they
joined Gen. Schuyler about December i, 1776.
Later a thousand troops, including his com
pany, were; ordered to New Jerse'y to join the

army under Washington, where they arrived
prior to the battle of Trenton, and took charge
of the prisoners captured there.
Although his term of service had expired,
Daniel McCarty remained with his command
untH January, 1777, when the army was en
camped at Morristown, where he was dis
charged, but could not return home, as he had
no money, so re-enlisted for three years, re
ceiving $20 bounty, and liberty to go to his
home in Boston and report for duty when or
dered. In the spring of 1777 his regiment was
reorganized under Col. Grayton, Col. Bond
having died, and he was appointed sergeant, and
afterward served in that capacity. They were
again ordered to Fort Edward, Canada, where
they met Gen. Schuyler's army retreating be
fore Burgoyne, but soon after readvanced
against that general, and engaged in all the
battles that ended in the surrender of Bur
goyne at Saratoga. The troops made a forced
march from Albany to Kingston in one day, a
distance of sixty mHes, hoping to prevent the
British from burning the latter place, but ar
rived just in time to see them escaping in their
boats, after its destruction, October 16, 1777.
Soon after Mr. McCarty accompanied Gen.
Gates to Yorktown, Va., as one of his body
guards and was employed as messenger to and
from Lancaster, Baltimore, and other places.
In May, 1778, he returned . north with that
general, serving under him untH the following
December, after which he remained with his
old company and regiment until honorably dis
charged December I, 1779, at PeekskiH, N. Y.
When his enlistment expired he served as a
substitute for Lieut. Young in Capt. Brown's
company. Col. Mead's regiment of Connecti
cut State troops, employed chiefly in guarding
the lines from Horseneck to Norwalk. About
May I, 1781, Gen. Waterbury took command
of the Connecticut State troops, and gave Mr.
McCarty a regular commission as lieutenant,
in which capacity he served until the close of
the war in 1783.
For a time Daniel McCarty made his home
in Stamford, Conn., where his son Stephen
was born February 14, 17&3, but about 1790,
he came to Rhinebeck, Dutchess Co., N. Y.,
and became head mHler at Schuyler's Mills
(now destroyed) two miles east of the viHage,
on the place now owned and occupied by Dr.
George N. MiHer. In 1794, whHe living there,
his first wife died and was buried in the ceme
tery connected with the Httle Methodist chapel

48

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

near their home. The chHdren of this mar
riage were: Stephen, Robert, Tolbert, Daniel
and Katy. He later married a Mrs. Jay, by
whom he had three chHdren: WHliam, an
Episcopal minister, who lived and died in
Canada; Eliza; and Rev. Dr. John McCarty,
also an Episcopal minister, who was chaplain
in the United States army, and was known as
the fighting priest during the Mexican war.
The father later removed to the viHage of
Rhinebeck, where his youngest son was born
in the old stone house now standing on the
Huntington place. He and his wife spent
their last days on the old homestead of Stephen
McCarty, father of our subject.
On that place the birth of James C. Mc
Carty occurred May 7, 1824, and at Rhinebeck
he was educated by Messrs. Bell and Marcy,
taking what constituted a full academic course,
with the exception of Greek. On leaving
school in 1843 he was made deputy clerk under
his brother, Andrew Z., who was then county
clerk for Oswego county, having been elected
in the fall of 1840 for three years, and served
as a member of the 34th Congress for Oswego
and Madison counties, N. Y. For two years
our subject filled that position, and while
searching the records of that county for Peter
Chandler, conceived the idea of studying law.
As his term of service expired on January i,
1844, he returned to Rhinebeck the following
February and entered the law office of Ambrose
Wager, with whom he remained for twelve
years. In January, 1847, he was admitted to
practice as attorney at law, being admitted at
the supreme court at Albany, and his diploma
signed by Green C. Bronson, and by the con
stitution of 1846 was counseHor at law and
solicitor in chancery. While still with Mr.
Wager he engaged in general practice, but in
the fall of 1856 he was appointed superintend
ent of document room under President Pierce's
administration, holding the position until the
following fall, during which time the 34th Con
gress held both its first and second sessions.
Returning to Rhinebeck, Mr. McCarty
opened an office of his own, where he contin
ued practice until 1861, when he was appointed
assistant assessor of internal revenue for the
district of Dutchess county, and during that
year and the two years following was with
Jacob W. Elsifer, at Red Hook. In 1864,
however, he again resumed practice at Rhine
beck, although he still continued to be revenue
collector. Up to 1872 he had been alone in

business, but at that time formed a partner
ship with George Esselstyn, which connection
StiH continues, theirs being the oldest law firm
in Dutchess county. He takes rank among
the successful and prominent lawyers of the
county, and is one of the most highly respected
legal practitioners in the community.
Mr. McCarty was married in August, 1847,
the lady of his choice being Miss Louisa I.
Cross, daughter of Moulton Cross, of Pulaski,
Oswego Co., N. Y., and two sons were born
to them: J. Canfield, who died of heart dis
ease at the age of seventeen years; and Charles
E. , an attorney and counsellor at law, who is
also engaged in the insurance business at
Rhinebeck. Mr. McCarty is an earnest defender of Re
publican principles, and is a man whose opin
ions are invariably held in respect. He has
ever taken an active part in political affairs, in
the years 1852, i860 and 1861 served as
supervisor of his town, and for several years
has been clerk of the village, which office he is
still holding to the satisfaction of all concerned.
He has been quite prominently identified with
civic societies, being the oldest living member
of Rhinebeck Lodge No. 162, I. O. O. F. ;
belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity;
and in i860 joined the Masonic order, of which
he is now an honorary member. In earlier
years he took an active part in fraternal work,
and passed through all the chairs of the lodges
to which he belongs. For twenty years he
has served as vestryman of the Episcopal
Church, of which he is a faithful and consistent
member.

^ ON. JOHN P. H. TALLMAN, the subject
,KL of this biographical sketch, was born in
the town of Washington, Duchess county,
March 19, 1820. His ancestry for several
generations had been residents of that county.
Darius TaHman, his great-grandfather, emi
grated from Nantucket, married Miss South-
worth, and settled on Chestnut Ridge, near
the place where in later years Mr. Benson J.
Lossing, the historian, Hved. His father's ma
ternal grandfather was Capt. Harris, of the
British army during the Revolutionary war,
whose wife was a Miss Velie, of Lagrange.
Deacon Benham, of New Haven, a Revolu
tionary soldier, was his maternal grandfather;
he lived in the town of Washington, and mar
ried Miss Comstock.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

49

Mr. Tallman's father, Darius TaHman, Jr.,
married Almira Benham in 1817. Both lived
to be over eighty years of age.
John P. H. TaHman, the eldest son of
these parents, worked upon his father's farm
until he was fifteen years of age, when, being
desirous of securing an education which would
enable him to fill a position of usefulness in
life, he entered the Amenia Seminary as a
student, and remained at that institution for
the three years required to complete the course
of study. During that period he supported
himself chiefly upon money borrowed for the
purpose, and these loans were repaid out of his
first earnings after entering upon the practice
of his profession.
On leaving the Seminary he began reading
Law in the office of Hon. James Hooker, then
Surrogate of the County, and Hon. Virgil D.
Bonesteel, in Poughkeepsie. While still a
student his industry was rewarded bj' his pro
motion to the position of first clerk to the Sur
rogate; and upon the appointment of Hon.
Robert Wilkinson to the surrogateship in 1840,
Mr. TaHman became his managing clerk. In
1843, at the General Term in Utica, he was
admitted to practice in the State Courts, and
also in the District and Circuit Courts of the
United States. The next year he was ap
pointed Master in Chancery for Duchess Coun
ty by the Governor, on the recommendation
of a County Convention of Delegates, Mr.
Owen T. Coffin and Hon. Gilbert Dean being
his competitors. In 1847 Mr. TaHman received the unan
imous nomination of the Democratic party for
the office of Surrogate for Duchess County.
His opponent was the Hon. John Thompson,
the nominee of the Whig party. In this con
test he was successful; but before the election,
and especially during the first term of his serv
ice, he was so violently and persistently assailed
by the local organ of the Whigs that he deemed
it necessary that he should lay before his fel
low-citizens a defence of his conduct. This
presentation of his case attracted much atten
tion by its clear and convincing argument.
Among those who read this paper, and were
impressed by the evidence of intellectual vigor
it displayed, was the Rev. Dr. Stephen Olin,
then President of Wesleyan University. Short
ly afterward that institution conferred upon
Mr. TaHman the honorary degree of Master of
Arts. Mr. Tallman's friends insisted upon his be-
4

coming a candidate for re-election to the posi
tion of Surrogate. To this he consented, and
he was re-elected by an increased majority.
At the expiration of his second term, he de
clined to be again a candidate.
An interesting reminiscence of this period is
a document to which Mr. TaHman attached
high value. His political and personal adver
saries carried their opposition so far as to pre
sent to the Governor of the State, Hon. Ham
ilton Fish, a petition for his impeachment.
The petitioners, who belonged to the same
political party as the Governor, naturally hoped
that their request would prevail with him.
The Governor, after carefully considering the
arguments and evidence on both sides, wrote
on the back of the paper: "I see nothing in
the course of the officer complained of but
what is commendable. H. Fish."
After the conclusion of his second term as
Surrogate he never again held a political office.
He was, however, for many years interested in
local and State politics, and for a long time
was chairraan of the County Central Com
mittee. His tact in management and his rare
gift of personal 'influence over men fitted him
for success in political life, had he chosen to
pursue that course. But although tempting
offers of preferment were held out to him, he
concluded to devote himself to the practice of
his profession. His first partnership was vvith Hon. Gilbert
Dean, afterward judge. Subsequently he was
connected with Mr. Charles Powers, Mr.
George W. Payne, Mr. George W. Lord and
in later years with Mr. Walter Farrington,
Capt. Pelatiah Ward, who fell in one of the
battles of the Civil war; Hon. William I.
Thorn, Hon. Homer A. Nelson, and Hon. A.
M. Card were students in his office.
As a lawyer, Mr. Tallman's chief strength
was in his comprehensive grasp of any matter
which he took in hand, and in the cool and
clear estimate which he formed of its bearings
both near and remote. His familiarity with
legal points was clear and accurate, so that he
was eminently wise in counsel. His great in
dustry and unfailing interest in his client's case,
left nothing to the uncertainties of chance.
His cases were carefully prepared, and the evi
dence was presented with convincing effect.
Much of his practice was in the Surrogate's
Court, for which the training and experience
of his earlier professional life specially fitted
him. He was retained in connection with sev-

50

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

eral important and well-known cases, involving
large interests.
In addition to his general law business, he
had a special practice in the United States
District and Circuit Courts. He was a mem
ber of the New York State Bar Association,
and for some years was on the Executive Com
mittee. During the earlier years of his practice and
prior to the period when that class of invest
ments was taken up by insurance and other
financial institutions, large transactions in real
estate, bonds and mortgages were arranged for
m his office. A wide acquaintance with in
vestors was thus formed, which resulted in his
being called to fill various positions of reponsi-
bility and trust.
In 1856 Mr. TaHman was offered the posi
tion of Treasurer of the Iowa Central Railroad
Company. This road was projected from a
point on the Mississippi river, where the City
of Clinton now stands, to Cedar Rapids.
Under another name it now forms part of the
great line to California. He declined the
office, but yielded to the request of the officers
to accompany the reconnoitering party over
the territory. He drew the report of the
commission as to the feasibility of the project
and the route which the road should take.
In 1855 he established a banking house in
Davenport, Iowa, under the name of TaHman,
Powers & McLean. The resident partner was
Mr. Powers, who had been his clerk when he
was Surrogate. The direction of the business
of the firm was necessarily left chiefly in the
hands of Mr. Powers. Though at first this
business enterprise met with much encourage
ment, it was ultimately unsuccessful and in
volved Mr. TaHman in pecuniary losses which
seriously embarrassed him for several years.
In 1859 Mr. TaHman was active in the
effort to establish the City Bank of Pough
keepsie, and was chosen its first President.
He did not accept the office, but favored in
his stead the Hon. Joseph F Barnard, who
retained that position for upward of twenty
years. Mr. TaHman, however, was appointed
attorney to the Bank, and continued to act in
that capacity for nearly thirty years.
Early in his career he' favored the building
of the Hudson River raHroad. He gave his
earnest assistance to the establishment of the
Poughkeepsie and Eastern railroad, and of the
Poughkeepsie City railroad, of which he was
one of the incorporators. In 1853 he aided in

establishing the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery;
he was appointed a Trustee and continued to
hold that position until his death. He was
instrumental in having the Hudson River Hos
pital for the Insane located at Poughkeepsie,
and was a member of the first Board of Trus
tees. In 1852 he helped to organize the Home
for the Friendless; he prepared its Act of In
corporation and was one of the first Board of
Counsellors. At the time of his death he was
one of the Trustees of the Vassar Brothers'
Home for Aged Men.
He was interested in every plan to beautify
the City of Poughkeepsie, and to make it pleas
ant and inviting to all who should seek a place
for elegant and refined homes.
From his youth Mr. Tallman was one in
terested in the cause of temperance, having
when nine years of age signed what was then
known as the partial pledge. At the age of
twenty he became an officer in the Young
Men's Temperance Society, and soon after
signed the total abstinence pledge. Later he
was an officer in the Duchess County Tem
perance Society, and occasionally delivered
addresses before that and similar organiza
tions. He was one of the founders of the
State Inebriate Asylum at Binghampton, of
which for several years he was a Trustee.
Mr. Tallman united with the Methodist
Church at the age of seventeen, while a student
at Amenia Seminary, then under the super
vision of Dr. Merrick, later of the Ohio Uni
versity, afterward Bishop, and Dr. Davis W.
Clark. In 1840 he helped to found the Sec
ond Methodist Episcopal Church in Pough
keepsie, located in Cannon street. In 1842
he became a Trustee of that Society, and con
tinued to hold that position and to maintain
other official relations until his death. He
was the representative of this Society to the
first Electoral Conference of Laymen of the
New York Conference in 1872, and was its
presiding officer. For several years he was an
officer of the Duchess County Bible Society.
He was a member of the first and only State
Council of Methodists of the State of New
York, which met at Syracuse, February, 1870,
and was composed of about 600 representatives
from most of the churches of the denomina
tion in the State. This Council voted to
raise about $200,000 for the Syracuse Univer
sity and favored various reforms for Church
and State. One of these was the establish
ment of the State CouncH of Political Reform,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

51

which was a potent factor in the overthrow of
the Tweed Ring. He was a member of the
State Executive Committee, and, although a
lifelong Democrat, he disregarded any action
inconsistent with the platform of the Council,
which declared: "We leave the party relations
of every man undisturbed, but when parties
command the support of bad principles, bad
measures, or bad men, we must refuse to obey."
In 1884 he was chosen a Lay Delegate
from the New York Conference to the General
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
which met in the City of Philadelphia. In
the assemblage of representative men of Ameri
can Methodism he filled a place of marked
importance. Although his voice was seldom
heard on the floor in the debates, his wise and
judicious counsels had weight in the delibera
tions of the Committees.
For many years it had been his hope that
the Society with which he worshiped in the
Cannon Street church should have a new and
more eligibly located edifice, and to this sub
ject he gave much thought. In the year 1892
circumstances seemed to favor the consumma
tion of the plan. With characteristic earnest
ness Mr. Tallman gave himself to this welcome
work. He encouraged the timid, admonished
the faltering, guided the sanguine, and used his
rare personal influence to create and mould a
united sentiment which should make the move
ment for a new church a success. Largely
through his efforts the site was selected, the
ground purchased and prepared for building,
the plans drawn, the mechanics set to work,
the old property disposed of, the subscriptions
obtained, the enterprise brought to a happy
conclusion, and the Society put into the pos
session of its present beautiful and commodious
place of worship. His whole heart was in the
work, and his cheerful spirit and stimulating
faith made him a leader whom it was a delight
to follow. In his home relations Mr. Tallman was
seen at his best. If the work of the day had
been severe and its results disappointing, no
trace of this appeared upon his face or in his
demeanor when he crossed the threshold of
his home. His personal friendships were
many, and he delighted to entertain his friends
in his own house. Over those with whom he
was brought in contact his influence was mor
ally bracing. He never disguised or com
promised his principle. Although far from ob
trusive of his religious experiences, he never

allowed himself to occupy a questionable atti
tude in that important relation.
Perhaps the most pronounced characteris
tic of Mr. Tallman was his hopefulness. No
situation was so full of danger or doubt that
he could not see a happy outcome. When
others faltered, he smiled and pursued his way.
And this did not result from insensibility or
indifference, but was the endowment of his na
ture and the charm of his character. It was
this that made him a cheerful companion and
an enthusiastic guide.
Mr. Tallman married Miss Mary New
man, of South Egremont, Mass., in 1840; she
died in 1850. In 1851 he married Miss Sarah
J. Anderson, of New York, a lady of rare in
tellectual endowments.
It was permitted Mr. Tallman to enjoy a
cheerful and healthful old age. He was able
to attend the business of his office until within
a few days of his death. His last professional
service was in the Surrogate's Court on March
16, 1895. A few days afterward he was taken
ill and his disease rapidly assumed a threaten
ing character. After a week of great suffering
he passed away, at the age of seventy-five
years and four days. His funeral was attend
ed by a large circle of friends in the Trinity
Methodist Episcopal Church. The Revs. Doc
tors Osbon, Gregory and Stobridge, who had
been his pastors, conducted the service, which
was marked by the evidence of sympathetic
feeling. Dr. Gregory, in the course of his re
marks, said: "He was a manly man. with
strength of principle and great force of char
acter, possessed of refined sentiment and re
ligious feeling, with clear convictions of truth
and duty, which were freely expressed, but
never ostentatiously obtruded. He was tol
erant of the opinions of others who differed
from him. He was not a pessimist, but had
great faith in God, his fellow-men and in the
future." Mr. Tallm.an left four children: Mary E.,
wife of Theodore W. Davis, of New York;
Augusta C, wife of John F. Phayre, of New
York; John Francis, the General Agent in
Brooklyn of the New York Life Insurance
Company; and Katharine Eliot, wife of Rev.
Dr. Maltbie D. Babcock, of Baltimore.
In the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church
in Poughkeepsie, in the erection of which he
had labored with such joyous earnestness, the
loving hands of his son have placed a tablet to
his memory, bearing as its inscription the foi-

52

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

lowing words from the Book which he had
made the guide of his life:
" He that overcometh I will make
"him a pillar in the temple of God."

LEWIS TOMPKINS (deceased). Few citi-
 I zens of Dutchess county have done more
to advance her interests than did the late
Lewis Tompkins, of Fishkill-on-the-Hudson,
who was for many years the acknowledged
head of the wool-hat industry in the United
States, and whose extensive factories have fur
nished a well-earned livelihood to hundreds of
workmen whose homes have sprung up in the
neighboring towns. He was himself familiar
with the trials of honest poverty, though hap
pily his later years were blessed with every
comfort, and doubtless his well-known sympa
thy with the needy had its origin in a remem
brance of his own early struggles.
Mr. Tompkins was descended from an old
English family, and the first of the American
line was Stephen Tompkins, who it is believed
located first in Connecticut and from there
moved to Westchester county, N. Y. , where
his later years were passed in cultivating the
soil. He was the father of sixteen children,
among whom were James, the great-grandfa
ther of our subject, and Jonathan Griffin, both
of whom rendered gallant service in the Revo
lutionary war on the patriot side. James
served in the Seventh Dutchess county regi
ment under Col. Henry Luddington, and> in
company commanded by Capt. George Lane.
This showed high courage, as Westchester
county had a large Tory population, and neigh
bor was arrayed against neighbor, and friend
against friend. Much of it was neutral ground,
but spies were busy on both sides and perils
abounded. The story of Enoch Crosby, the
Harvey Birch of J. Fenimore Cooper's "Spy,"
is familiar to all, and there is no doubt that
many another such romantic history might
have been told. Jonathan Griffin Tompkins
was the father of Daniel D. Tompkins, vice-
president of the United States from 1816 to
1820. His was a notable career. He was
graduated from college, read law and practiced
with distinguished success, was a member of
Congress, judge of the supreme court of New
York, and governor of the same State, his last
act in that office being to recommend the abo
lition of slavery.
Solomon Tompkins, a son of James, had

a son Solomon (2), our subject's father, and
the two left the old home to locate in the
wilds of Greene county, near the present vil
lage of Ashland, in which region settlers were
then few and far between. Although Mr.
Tompkins' father had only limited educational
advantages, he was not lacking in good judg
ment and practical ability, and he took a lead
ing place among his associates. He married
Elizabeth Randall, daughter of Timothy Ran
dall, a citizen of Delaware county, but a native
of Connecticut; she is still living, ina hale and
beautiful old age, with a married daughter at
Matteawan. Lewis Tompkins, the eldest son of this
worthy couple, was born at the old farm near
Ashland, August 5, 1836, and received his
education in the district schools of the vicinity,
working upon the farm in summer and attend
ing school for a few months each winter until
he was about seventeen, when he beg'an to
learn the trade of hat finishing with Strong &
Ruggles, of Ashland. After serving an ap
prenticeship of three years, he established a
new hat factory at Ashland in 1852, in part
nership with Leveritt Conine; but this venture
ended two years later in a complete failure.
With characteristic integrity Mr. Tompkins
gave up everything to the creditors, even part
ing with his watch. Soon after he turned his
face westward with just enough money in his
pocket to carry him to Chicago, and from
that point he made his way on foot to Kansas,
seldom getting a ride, and often passing the
night upon the open prairie. He finally
reached Manhattan, Kans., and located upon
a government claim on Blue river. That was
a memorable period. The fiery discussion of
a few. years before on the Kansas-Nebraska
bill had stirred the whole nation, and those
territories were being rapidly settled. Young
Tompkins was, of course, a Free-Soiler, and
was enrly drawn into the struggle between
the opposing factions, being appointed deputy
sheriff and, later, a delegate to the Constitu
tional Convention at Topeka. He remained
in the West about two years, returning home
in November, 1S59, for a brief visit, which
lengthened into a permanentstay. .At Middle-
town, Orange county, he accepted a position
with Wilcox & Draper, which he held for a
few months, and in the summer of i860 he
went to Matteawan, where he was employed
for several years with the Seamless Clothing
Manufacturing Co., and later he was in busi-

<^^^^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

58

ness as a clothier at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson;
also at Matteawan. He wisely invested his
gains in real estate, buying and subdividing a
large tract. Succeeding in this, he bought
other tracts of land and built a number of sub
stantial dwellings, adding to his own prosperity
and that of the tovvn. In 1872 he sold out
his business interests and made a trip to
Europe, where he remained a year studying
European industries and business methods.
On coming home a new enterprise was begun
— the buHding of a large hat factory near the
river at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson,' and notwith
standing the "hard times" of 1873, the
Dutchess Hat Works was put into successful
operation. The business grew from year to
year, and additions were made to the works as
needed; but it was soon deemed advisable to
establish a branch at Tioronda, a mile away,
and later another branch was opened at Mid
dletown. The efficient hand of the founder of
the business was on it all, mastering every de
tail; but he had capable coadjutors in his
brothers, E. Lakin Tompkins, at Fishkill-on-
the-Hudson, and Edward D. Tompkins, and
Frank O. Tompkins, at Middletown. He be
came the leading manufacturer o'f wool hats in
the United States, and at his death his fortune
amounted to several hundred thousand dollars.
One feature of his enterprise was the erection
of comfortable homes for his employes, which
proved a benefit to all concerned.
He was greatly interested in local progress,
and especially in educational matters. A stu
dent of men and affairs rather than of books,
he still appreciated to the full the advantages
of a thorough system of popular education, and
it was largely through his endeavors that Mat
teawan and Fishkill-on-the-Hudson secured
their new and commodious school buildings.
The building of the handsome hose house of
the Lewis Tompkins Hose Co., at the latter
place, was chiefly due to him, and he was a
constant and liberal giver to the Churches of
both towns. The Highland Hospital was a
charity which found him a steadfast friend,
and his purse vvas ever open to sustain or en
large its usefulness. Many of his beneficences
wiH never be known, as he could never withhold
his help when his sympathies were touched,
and his senr e of justice wounded by the sight
oi suffering. He was a Republican in poHtics,
and an influential one, but sought no office.
He was a member of the board of education at
Matteawan, and was at one time president

of the village of Fishkill-on-the-Hudson. For
more than thirty years he belonged to Beacon
Lodge No. 283, F. -& A. M.
In 1862 Mr. Tompkins married Miss Van-
Voorhis, who did not long survive to bless his
life. One son vvas born of their union, Charles
Randall Tompkins, who died in 1892 in early
manhood. A second happy matrimonial union
was formed on January 3, 1868, with Miss
Helen E. Mather, of Wellsboro, Penn. Her
father was a lineal descendant of Cotton
Mather, of New England, and her mother,
whose name was Beecher, was collaterally
connected with the Lyman Beecher family.
The three chHdren of the second marriage are
aH living: Jennie, Helen M. and Ralph S.
The family residence is a beautiful place. It
is appropriately named "Edgewater, " being
situated on the bank of the Hudson opposite
Newburgh, and it commands a lovely view up
and down the river. Here Mr. Tompkins
proved himself a genial host and generous en
tertainer. He traveled extensively both in
this country and in Europe, spending several
winters in Paris, Nice, Algiers, Mentone-on-the-
Mediterranean, Davos Platz, and other places
rich in associations and delightful for situation.
Mr. Tompkins had fine taste in art, and en
joyed visiting the celebrated galleries in which
the chief works of the gifted artists of the past
are preserved on canvas or in chiseled marble.
In the prime of his manhood, whHe the
past was a pleasant memory and the future a
delightful anticipation, this manly, generous,
upright citizen passed from earth, breathing his
last at his home on the 9th day of January,
1894. It is by his deeds alone that his merit
was manifested, and the simple record of these
shows him worthy of honor in every relation in
Hfe.

C\HARLES E. SEGER, M. D. (deceased).
_/ The expulsion of the Huguenots from
France, however it may have been regarded by
the unhappy exiles at the time, resulted in un
mixed good to this country, bringing into its
rapidly developing civilization a large body of
high-spirited, courageous, intelligent and God
fearing people, whose influence at that critical
period of our history can scarcely be estimated.
Among these early emigrants were the ances
tors of the subject of this biography. They
settled near Kingston, Ulster Co., N. Y., about
1640, and some time afterward two brothers

54

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the name moved to New Salem, Albany Co.,
N. Y. , where the home of this branch of the
family has ever since remained. Garret I.
Seger, our subject's great-grandfather, was
born there January 4, 1753, the son of one of
the brothers alluded to. He became a farmer
there, married and reared a family of ten chil
dren: John, Magdalene, Frederick, Henry,
Mary, David G., Frances, Polly, Francis and
Michael. They located in various places as
they settled in life. Francis was a judge in
Lewis county. New York.
David G. Seger, our subject's grandfather,
was born January 31, 1794, and remained at
the old homestead, farming and conducting a
hotel untH his death, March 31, 1859. He
married Mary Stalker, who died leaving six
children, of whom Garret D., our subject's
father, was the eldest; John A. is a resident
of Schoharie county, N. Y. ; Catherine married
Andrew Allen, a farmer at New Salem; Mar
garet, the wife of William McMillen, formerly
a farmer, is now living in Albany; Laura mar
ried (first) John Van Der Zee, now deceased,
and (second) George Strevell, a carpenter; Ly
man, deceased, was a farmer.
Garret D. Seger was born October 31, 1 8 1 6,
and also settled near the old home. He has
been engaged in farming and mercantile busi
ness, and has taken a leading part in various
local movements. In politics he is a Demo
crat, and he belongs to the Christian Church;
but his wife, formerly Miss Mary Shafer, is a
Presbyterian. She is a descendant of a Ger
man family which has long been prominent in
the town of Bern, Albany county. Her father,
John Shafer, an agriculturist, was a soldier in
the war of 181 2. , Our subject is the elder of
two children. The younger, Florence, mar
ried Charles Wolf, of Albany, a bookkeeper
for a fire insurance company.
On AprH 8, 1842, Dr. Seger entered upon
his life's journey. He received his Hterary edu
cation in the district schools at New Salem
and at Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, and
then began his medical studies in the office of
Drs. Fredenburgh & Mosher, of Coeymans.
He remained with them four years, in the
meantime attending Albany Medical College,
and graduating in the class of 1863. For two
years following he was in partnership with his
former preceptors; but in 1865 he moved to
Stockbridge, where he practiced successfuHy
for nine years. From 1874 to 1885 he con
tinued his professional work in Albany, but

after that time he resided at New Hackensack.
His ability and skill were widely recognized,
and he had a fine practice.
On January 20, 1864, Dr. Seger was united
in matrimony with Miss Agnes Schoonmaker,
a native of Bayonne, N. J. Her father, John J.
Schoonmaker, a shipping merchant of the firm
of Schoonmaker & Johnson, and his wife,
Jane Ann Van Buskirk, were both descended
from old families of that place. Three chil
dren were born of this union : Mary L. , Grace
A. and Garretta K. , who are all at home.
The Doctor Was identified with many progress
ive movements in his locality, and was health
officer of the town of Wappinger for ten years.
In politics he was a Democrat; he belonged to
the F. & A. M., Albany Lodge No. 452, and
to the Dutchess Medical Society. A victim of
typhoid fever. Dr. Seger passed to his final
rest December 10, 1896. Of him the Wap
pinger Chronicle says: "Dr. Seger was a
man of mild and genial demeanor, quiet in
manner, always the gentleman, and had a
kind word for everybody. He was conscien
tious and punctilious to every duty, and this,
added to his advanced medical experience,
made him one, if not the best Health Officer
Wappinger town ever had.
" He leaves a widow and three daughters,
to whom the sympathy of the community is
generaHy extended."

EV. ROBERT FULTON CRARY, D. D.
To the American born, the story of Rob
ert Fulton and the steamboat are matters of
famHiar interest, though it is difficult to realize
that he lived but such a short time ago, and
we here present a brief review of the life of
his grandson, Rev. Robert Fulton Crary, D. D.,
rector of the Church of the Holy Comforter,
Poughkeepsie, New York.
The Crary family have been known in
America for over two centuries. Peter (I)
Crary was a native of Groton, Conn., and
signer of the Patent -of New London October
14, 1704. In 1677 he married Christobel
Gallup, daughter of Capt. John Gallup, one
of the Crown captains who fell in the Narra
gansett Swamp fight, in 1675. In those days
Groton was known as New Lucien. His son,
Peter (II), married Anne Culver on January
II, 1709, and his son, Peter (III), had a son,
Peter (IV), who married Lucretia Palmer De
cember 8, 1771, and their son, Peter (V), a

'^:^^^:*/ ^^i^^

u.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

55

native of New York City and the grandfather
of our subject, married Elizabeth Denison, a
descendant of Maj. George Denison, of Ston-
ington, Connecticut.
Edward Charles Crary, the father of our
subject, was the only son of Peter (V) Crary,
of the well-known firm of Peter & John S.
Crary, wholesale dry-goods importers, the
largest firm of the kind in New York City at
that day. Edward C. was born in New York
City, and spent his early days there, attending
school for a time, but completed his education
from Columbia College, from which he gradu
ated with the class of 1824. In New York,
on June 20, 1831, he was married to Cornelia
Livingston Fulton, second daughter of Robert
Fulton. After his marriage Edward C. Crary
assumed control of the EngHsh branch of the
house, and he and his bride made their home
in Liverpool, where their eldest son, Robert
Fulton, our subject, was born. Their other chil
dren were Edward Francis (deceased) ; Charles
Franklin; Ella Cornelia, who married Her
man H. Cammann; of New York City, and
Lena, who died in infancy. The family, return
ing to this country about the year 1837, made
their home in New York. Cornelia L. (Ful
ton) Crary was born August 6, 18 12, at Rose
HHl, which is now about Nineteenth street.
New York City, but which then was a suburban
place where Robert Fulton was spending the
summer and proceeding with his inventions.
She died October 6, 1893.
Robert Fulton Crary spent his boyhood in
New York City, and in June, 1861, was gradu
ated from the General Theological Seminary.
His first charge was as a missionary in Warren
county, N. Y. , where for six years he labored
for the upbuilding of the Church. As lasting
monuments to his work for these years are
three stone churches, which were erected
through his energies. In 1867 he accepted a
call to become rector of the Church of the
Holy Comforter at Poughkeepsie. This Church
was dedicated in i860, and our subject was
its second rector. His long term as priest in
charge has given him an intimate acquaintance
vvith his parishioners, and he is now baptizing
the children of those little ones whom he bap
tized in the early days of his pastorate.
On September 1 1, 1862, by the Rev. Dr.
Hawkes, Dr. Crary was married at Trinity
Chapel, New York City, to Agnes Boyd Van-
Kleeck, daughter of Rev. Robert B. Van-
Kleeck, D. D., and Margaret Schenck (Teller)

Van Kleeck. Mrs. Crary now owns the old
Teller homestead at Matteawan, Dutchess
Co., N. Y., said to be the oldest house in the
county, having been erected in 1709 by Lieut.
Roger Brett, of the Royal Navy, who married
Katharine Rombout, only child and heir of
Francis Rombout, a famous and influential
citizen of New Amsterdam, who in 1682, with
Gulian Ver Planck, was granted, by King
James II, the large tract of land on the Hudson
river, known as the Rombout Precinct. The
union of Dr. and Mrs. Crary has been blessed
with six children — five daughters and one son:
Amy; Cornelia Fulton; Alice; Ella (deceased);
Edith Livingston, who married Charles H.
van Braam Roberts, June 3, 1896"; and Fulton.
Believing that before God the souls of men
stand stripped of all temporal guises, ' and
whether high or low, rich or poor, each one
alike meets that same justice tempered with
mercy. Dr. Crary has always had a free church,
never having any charge for pew rent. The
degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on
him by St. Stephen's CoHege, Annandale,
Dutchess Co., N. Y., in 1892. Mrs. Crary is
a worthy helpmeet of the Doctor, and nobly
typifies "the mission of woman on earth!
Born to nurse and to soothe, to solace and to
heal the sick world that leans on her." She
is a member of the Daughters of the Revolu
tion and of the Colonial Dames.
Of Robert Fulton, the grandfather of Dr.
Crary, we will give but few words. His life
and works speak so well for themselves, and
have been so exhaustively treated by our most
able writers, that nothing more remains to be
said. He was married in 1806 to Harriet
Livingston, daughter of Walter and Cornelia
(Schuyler) Livingston, the latter an intimate
friend of George Washington. Harriet Liv
ingston Fulton was a niece of Chancellor Liv
ingston, and doubly connected with him by
the marriage of her brother to his daughter.

JAMES C. GRIGGS, the popular proprietor
of the "Morgan House," Poughkeepsie,
- was born at Milt»n, Ulster Co., N. Y. ,
October 10, 1847, and is the son of Lewis and
Eliza (Harcourt) Griggs. The maternal grand
father, Benjamin Harcourt, was also born at
MHton, where his father, who came to this
country from England and located in Ulster
county, secured a large tract of land. On
attaining man's estate Benjamin Harcourt was

56

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

united in marriage with Miss Eleanor Wygant,
a native of Ulster county, and took his bride
to his extensive farm in that county, where
their seven children were born: James C,
Charles A., Eli, Eliza, Althea, Deborah A.
and Sarah. The grandfather was a prominent
Democrat of Ulster county, and filled the office
of sheriff for some time.
The birth of the father of our subject oc
curred at Cornwall, Orange Co., N. Y. , but he
was reared at Milton, Ulster county, where he
afterward taught school. He there married
Miss Harcourt, and the only child born to them
was our subject. Shortly after their marriage
they located upon a farm in Orange county,
to the cultivafion of which the father devoted
his time and attention until his death in 1850.
He supported the Whig party in politics, and
in his religious views was a Presbyterian. His
widow later married his brother, Henry Griggs,
and they now make their home in Washington-
ville. Orange county.
Mr. Griggs, the subject proper of this
sketch, spent his boyhood upon the farm of
his grandfather Harcourt in Ulster county, and
attended the district schools of that locality,
but completed his education at Newburg, N. Y.
At the age of fifteen years he entered the
hardware store of J. C. Hardenbergh, of New
burg, N. Y., where he remained as clerk for
about four years, and for the following six
years was engaged in the crockery business for
himself in that city. He then began the manu
facture of brick at Fishkill, Dutchess county;
but after carrying on that occupation for one
year he leased the " Orange Hotel " at New
burg, which he conducted for five years. Dur
ing the next year he carried on a summer hotel
at Delaware Gap, after which he becam.e the
proprietor of the "United States Hotel" at
Newburg, where he remained for seven years.
In November, 1883, Mr. . Griggs came to
Poughkeepsie and purchased the "Morgan
House," situated on the corner of Main and
Catherine streets, which he has since success
fully conducted. There are found all modern
improvements, including hot and cold water,
electricity, etc.; it is ccTnvenient and comforta
ble, while the cuisine is unexceptionable. The
hotel will accommodate one hundred and fifty
guests, whose interests and comfort are well
looked after by the genial and pleasant land
lord. On the loth of October, 1869, Mr. Griggs
was married to Miss Josephine Cammack, a

native of Orange county, and a daughter of
Robert Cammack, who was of Scotch descent,
and a leading stove dealer and plumber of
Newburg, N. Y. Three children were born of
this union: Lilly, who died at the age of
eleven years; Harry E., who died at the age
of twenty years, and Fred R. , who is with his
father. Mr. Griggs was called upon to mourn
the loss of his wife, who died October 7, 1893.
In politics he is a stanch adherent of the prin
ciples formulated bythe Republican party, whHe
socially he is connected with the Masonic frater
nity, the Order of Friends and the Knights of
Pythias. He has taken a prominent part in
public affairs, always lending his influence to
promote the best interests of the community,
and is one of the most highly-esteemed citi
zens of Poughkeepsie.

C\APTAIN CHARLES W. BRUNDAGE
_^ (deceased), late a well-known forwarding
and freighting merchant and coal dealer at
Fishkill Landing, was born January 16, 1830,
at Gay Head, Dutchess county.
Alton Brundage, father of our subject, was
a native of East Fishkill, born April 30, 1805,
and during his active life was a shoemaker at
Stormville, and a steadfast supporter of the
Democratic party. He married Lucy Ann
Burrus, who was born in 1800, at Hopewell
Junction, the daughter of Joseph Burrus, a
prosperous merchant of New York City. Of
the six children of this union, Charles W. was
the eldest, the others being: James, Alonzo,
Melissa, Catherine and Mary.
Captain Charles W. Brundage attended the
district school of Stormville until he was thir
teen years old, when he entered the em
ploy of Francis H. Bowne as clerk in his dry-
goods and grocery store. Two years later he
went lo Fishkill Landing to clerk for Charles
B. Pugsley in the same business, and remained
with him a year. He then became clerk of
the " Mansion House " at Fishkill viHage, con
ducted by Mr. Lampson; but after a few
months he left to take a position as clerk on
the steamer "WHHam Young," running be
tween Low Point and New York City. On
this boat he spent two years, and one on the
steamer " Caledonia " vvith Captain Wardrop,
of the firm of Wardrop, Smith & Co., of New
burgh. Afterward he became a clerk for
Brett & Cromwell, forwarding and freighting
merchants at Long Dock, Fishkill Landing,

'iJM

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

57

and up to the time of his death he had ever
since been connected with that business, being
at that time the sole proprietor. At Mr.
Cromwell's death in 1869 the firm was
changed to Brett & Matthews, and two years
later it became Walter Brett & Co., composed
of Mr. Brett, John Place (now treasurer of the
Mechanics' Savings Bank at Fishkill-on-Hud-
son) and Captain Brundage. In 1874 Mr.
Brett withdrew from the firm of Walter Brett &
Co., and the firm became Brundage & Place
untH 1885, when Captain Brundage bought
Mr. Place's interest, and up to the time of his
death conducted the business alone. In Au
gust, 1895, he purchased the coal and mer
chandise business of Aldridge & Dorland on
Main street, which he added to his own exten
sive coal trade that was established over twenty-
five years ago, selling in recent years about ten
thousand tons a year. He ran a daily transpor
tation line from Fishkill to New York, trans
ferring all kinds of freight to the Ransdell
Transportation Co. Line of Newburgh. Cap
tain Brundage was for many years captain of
the " Walter Brett " and the "Independence,"
both of which ran from Fishkill to New York
City. On August 2, 1853, Captain Brundage was
married to Miss Mary Boice, daughter of Henry
Boice, a citizen of Williamsburg, N. Y. ; she
died in 1873, leaving no children. His second
wife was formerly Miss Ella E. Murphy, daugh
ter of Prof. John G. Murphy and his wife,
Sarah C. Myer. Mrs. Brundage is a lineal de
scendant of Timothy Murphy, of Revolution
ary fame, who participated in the battles of
Bunker Hill and Saratoga, and was a noted
Indian fighter, the scene of his exploits being
largely laid in Schoharie county. Mrs. Brun
dage has a pleasant home on Ferry street,
Fishkill-on-Hudson; she attends the Reformed
Church of that place. In politics the Captain
was a Republican.

/*^\EORGE ESSELSTYN, a prominent at-
>^ torney of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, is
a man who has brought his keen discrimina
tion and thorough wisdom not alone in pro
fessional paths, but also for the benefit of the
community where he has so long resided, and
with whose interests he has been so closely
identified. He holds and merits a place
among the representative legal practitioners
of Dutchess county.

Mr. Esselstyn was born in Claverack,
Columbia Co., N. Y. , on September 27, 1841,
and can trace his ancestry back to Martin
Esselstyn, who arrived in America about 1640.
He had two sons, Jacob and Cornelius, the
latter of whom married Cornelia Vreden-
burg, of Kingston, N. Y., and among their
seven sons were Jacob and Gabriel, who
removed to Claverack in 17 10. Jacob wedd
ed Magdalen Brodhead, of Ulster county,
and to them were born five daughters
and two sons, the latter being Richard and
Cornelius. Among the chHdren of Cornelius
was Richard, who was born in 1731 and died
in 1783, the year in which peace with Eng
land was declared. He was a patriot and
soldier, holding the rank of major in a regi
ment of mHitia raised in Claverack to resist
the northern encroachments of the British
troops. He had two sons — Jacob, born in
1762; and Cornelius, born in 1765, who were
the more immediate ancestors of the branch
of the family now residing in Rhinebeck town
ship, Dulchess county. From Jacob have
descended Tobias, who occupies the very soH
which has been transmitted down to the sixth
generation in the same family; Jacob, a resi
dent of Wisconsin; and John, of MellenvHIe,
Columbia county.
Cornelius Esselstyn, who was also born
at Claverack, was the grandfather of our sub
ject. He was a large land owner of that
locality, and one of the leading citizens. By
his marriage with Clarissa Vonsburgh, he be
came the father of the following sons: Rich
ard; Jacob, who during his lifetime occupied
the place of the former patroon; Charles, a
distinguished member of the bar; Isaac; Will
iam; Robert, the father of our subject; and
Martin; all of whom were well-known citizens,
worthy of their ancestry.
The birth of the father also occurred at
Claverack, about 1807, and his entire life was
devoted to the occupation of farming. He
was an intelligent, well-read man, of high so
cial ideas and great natural abHity, and was
one of the substantial citizens of Columbia
county. In early life he supported the Whig
party, and was a great admirer of Henry Clay,
later joining the Republican party. Deeply in
terested in educational matters, he served for
many years as trustee of the Claverack Acad
emy, fining that position most of his life. He
was married to Miss Catherine Vedder, daugh
ter of Rev. Herman Vedder, who made his

58

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

home near Mt. Ross, in Gallatin, Columbia
county, and for sixty years served as minister
of the Reformed Dutch Church. After many
years of usefulness he died at the ripe old age
of ninety-six years. The Vedder family, as
well as the Esselstyn, was of Holland-Dutch
origin. Two children were born to Robert
Esselstyn and his worthy wife: George, sub
ject of this review; and Henry, who died in
1883. The preparatory education of our subject
was received at Claverack Academy, where he
took the regularly prescribed course, and at the
age of sixteen entered Rutgers College, taking
the full classical course there, and graduating
in the class of '61. He took up the study of
law in the office of Gaul & Esselstyn (the latter
being a cousin), and was admitted to practice
December 10, 1863, before the supreme court.
He remained with his old instructors until
March 20, 1865, when he opened an office at
Rhinebeck, where he conducted business alone
for seven years. In 1872 he formed the part
nership with Mr. McCarty, which has con
tinued from that time, and is now the oldest
law firm in Dutchess county. He is a man of
imposing presence, and is one of the most suc
cessful attorneys of the community.
On June 17, 1868, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Esselstyn and Miss Florence
Cowles, who belongs to one of the old and
prominent families of Rhinebeck, and is a daugh
ter of William S. Cowles, of that village, where
for years he has carried on merchandising.
Seven children grace this union — two sons and
five daughters: Louise, at home; Catherine,
wife of Rev. William H. Morrison, an Episco
pal clergyman of Stafford Spring, Conn. ;
Florence E. , wife of Charles L. Brooke, son
of Charfes W. Brooke, one of the most promi
nent criminal lawyers of New York City;
Henry, of Stafford Spring, Conn. ; Clara Perle
and Mabel at home; and Robert, who is at
tending school at Sing Sing, New York.
For thirty-one years Mr. Esselstyn has
served as attorney for the First National Bank
of Rhinebeck. He is a stanch Republican in
politics, working hard for the interests of his
party; in 1872 was candidate for the Assembly,
and in 1882 candidate for district attorney.
For two terms he served as supervisor, being
chairman of the board half of the time, and
was also president of the village for two terms,
while he is one of its oldest directors in point
of time. For twenty-five years he has been

one of the trustees of the Starr Institute, of
Rhinebeck, and has served as secretary of the
board the greater part of that time. He takes
a prominent part in the Masonic order, being
a Knight Templar, and for several terms has
been master of the lodge, and past chancellor
commander of the order of K. of T. Relig
iously, he belongs to the Reformed Dutch
Church, but most of his family are Episco
palians.

HENRY H. HUSTIS (deceased), late attor-
 ney and counsellor at law, Fishkill-on-
Hudson, and one of the oldest and most promi
nent members of the Dutchess County Bar, was
born March 9, 1829, at North Highlands, town
of Phillipstown, Putnam county, N. Y., and
died at FishkHI-on-Hudson December 14, 1896.
His family is of English origin, and the first
of the American line came to New England
about 1630. He was of the sixth generation
from Robert, who came from Fairfield county.
Conn., about the year 1664, and settled at
Westchester, Westchester county, N. Y. , where
David Hustis, our subject's great-great-grand
father, was born. He was a captain in the
Revolutionary army in Col. Van Rensselaer's
regiment, and must have been over sixty years
of age at that time. In 1730 he bought from
the Indians several hundred acres of land in
Putnam county, three miles from the present
village of Cold Springs, and this estate has
since been owned and occupied continuously
by the family, a portion of it, 120 acres, being
now owned by our subject. A part of the old
house built by Capt. David Hustis is still stand
ing as it was during the Colonial period, addi
tions have been made to it from time to time.
The farm adjoining is now owned by Samuel
D. Hustis, whose great-grandfather was a
brother of our subject's grandfather. The house
upon that estate was also built in Colonial
times, and Gen. Washington and his staff
stopped there on their way to West Point from
Connecticut, and were met by a messenger
who told them of the treason of Benedict Ar
nold. Capt. David Hustis had a son Joseph,
who married Mary Hunt, and had three sons:
Robert, Joseph and David. Robert Hustis
married Tamar Budd, and had a son Nicholas,
who was born at the old homestead in 1803,
and was a farmer there all his life. He mar
ried Martha Haight, who was born in 1804,
and they reared a family of nine children. The

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

59

father died in 1866, and the mother passed
away in 1886.
Henry H. Hustis attended the district
schools near the old home for some time in
boyhood, and later studied for two years in
a Quaker school, finishing his academic educa
tion at Amenia Seminary. He began the
study of law in Newburg with Judge William
Fullerton, the great criminal lawyer of New
York City, and afterward spent one year in the
office of Judge Monell; and one year with
Judge George. In September, 1852, he was
admitted at Poughkeepsie to the bar of the
Supreme Court, and June 3, 1853, he opened
his office at Fishkill-on-Hudson, taking the
practice of John Owens. For forty-three
years he was continuously engaged in profes
sional work, and won a high reputation as a
practitioner. He took an active interest in
local politics, and was an able worker in the
Republican party. In 1866, 1868, 1870 and
1873 he was president of the village, and in
1874 he was elected supervisor of the town,
and was chairman of the board of supervisors
of Dutchess county in that year. The family
have a pleasant home on South avenue. His
wife was Miss Elizabeth V. W. Anthony,
daughter of Nicholas and Maria (Knapp) An
thony. They had five children.

JOHN P. ATWATER, M. D. This well-
known and highly respected citizen of
- Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is a native
of Carlisle, Penn. , where he was born March
4, 1 81 3, and where his early life was spent.
The rudiments of his education were obtained
at Hopkins' Grammar School, in New Haven,
Conn., then, in 1830, he entered Yale College,
and was graduated with the class of '34, after
which he attended the medical college in New
Haven, where he secured a practical knowl
edge of medicine.
in 1836 Dr. Atwater went to Cincinnati
and practiced medicine there for a few years,
when he retired, and returned to New Haven,
where he lived quietly. In 1870 the Doctor
moved to Poughkeepsie and took up his resi
dence there. On July 27, 1845, he was mar
ried to Miss Lucy J. Phelps, who was from
West Townshend, Vt., where she was born
January 14, 1828. Her father, Charles
Phelps, was a native of Vermont, and a son
of Timothy Phelps, whose ancestors were
English. To our subject and his wife were

born the following children: Edward S. and
Lucy. The Doctor is a Republican and, with
his wife, contributes to the support of the First
Reformed Church. They have a beautiful
home, surrounded by spacious drives and
walks, well-kept lawns, cosy nooks within the
shadow of stately oak trees, and charming
summer houses.
Jeremiah Atwater, father of our subject,
was born in New Haven, Conn., October i,
1774, where he grew to manhood, and was
graduated from Yale College. He organized
Middlebury College, and was selected as its
first president; in 1809 he held the same office
of Dickenson College, Carlisle, Penn. After
moving to New Haven he lived a retired life.
He married Miss Clarissa Storrs, a native of
Sandisfield, Mass., where she was born Janu
ary 7, 1776. Her father, Eleazer Storrs, was
born in Mansfield, Conn. Mr. and Mrs. At
water had three chHdren: John P., our sub
ject; WiHiam, formerly a druggist in Brook
lyn, N. Y., who died AprH 20, 1873; Clarissa,
born in 1803, who became the wife of Rev.
Oliver Butterfield, and died January 16, 1871;
and WHliam, born in 1806.
Jeremiah Atwater, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in New Haven, Conn. He
married Miss Lois Hurd, and they settled in
New Haven, where he followed the occupation
of a merchant. Their chHdren were as fol
lows: Jeremiah; John, a carriage maker;
Charles, who settled in North Branford, Conn. ;
Lewis, who was a carpenter and house builder;
Fannie, who married Zebul Bradley, a jeweler;
Nancy, who died unmarried. Jeremiah died
in 1835. His son, Jeremiah, died July 29,
1858. Edward Storrs Atwater, a son of our sub
ject, was born April 10, 1853, at Cincinnati.
He took a preparatory course at Phillips Acad
emy, Andover, Mass., and was graduated at
Yale College, in 1875, from the classical course.
After leaving coHege he studied law in Pough
keepsie with Judge H. M. Taylor, and was ad
mitted to the bar in 1880. He engaged inthe
practice of law in office work untH 1891, when
he was elected president of the Farmers' & Man
ufacturers' National Bank, of Poughkeepsie,
which position he has held ever since. In
1880 he was married to Miss Caroline P. Swift,
a daughter of Charles W. Swift, and a gradu
ate of Vassar College in the class of ''J7. The
following chHdren were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Atwater :^,Morton, Lucy^^Eliot and Evelym all

>"

¦t^^AxiviToCL^

60

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

living at home. Mr. Atwater was formerly a
Republican, but is now a Democrat, although
he does not take an active part in politics.
He is a member of the First Reformed Church,
and of the Dutchess Club and Amrita Club, of
Poughkeepsie. In public matters he is one of
the leading men of the city, and is a director
of the Poughkeepsie Iron Co. and of the For
est of Dean Iron Co., and a trustee of the
Savings Bank. [Since the above was written
Dr. Atwater died in May, 1897.]

3)EV. ACMON P. VAN GIESON, D. D.,
pastor of the First Reformed Church of

Poughkeepsie, is now in the thirtieth year of
his beneficent service at that charge. He be
longs to one of the old Holland-Dutch families,
the first ancestor to cross the ocean having
been Reynier Bastiansen Van Gieson, who
settled in New Amsterdam prior to 1660, and
later made his home in New Jersey, where
, many of the name now live.
A majority of the early members of the
family were agriculturists, and our subject's
grandfather, Reynier Van Gieson, foHowed
that occupation aH his life. He married
Sarah Kent, daughter of Jacob Kent, who
entered the Colonial army as a volunteer
at the opening of the Revolutionary war,
and served until peace was declared. Ira
Van Gieson, the Doctor's father, was reared
upon a farm, but engaged in business as a
manufacturer, being one of the original
members of the Newark (N. J.) Lime & Ce
ment Company. His wife, Sarah Thompson,
was a native of New Jersey, and a daugh
ter of Thomas J. Thompson. Both parents
died at their home in Newark, N. J. Of their
five chHdren, the Doctor was the eldest.
Another son, Ransford E. Van Gieson, M. D.,
of Brooklyn, N. Y. , was a surgeon in the navy
during the war of the Rebellion, and has a
son, Ira Van Gieson, M. D. , who is a member
of the staff of instructors in the New York
College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York
City, and chief of the Commission on Path
ology of Insanity for the State of New York.
The subject of our sketch was born Janu
ary 13, 1830, in West Bloomfield, Essex
Co., N. J., and at foUr years of age was taken
by his parents to Newark, N. J., where he
grew^ to manhood. Love of study was a marked
characteristic even in youth, but previous to
entering college he taught school and clerked

in a grocery for a time. He took a course in
the University of New York, graduating in
1849, and in 1852 he completed his prepara
tion for the ministry in the Theological Semi
nary of the Reformed Church, located in New
Brunswick. He took charge of the Reformed
Church at CatskiH, N. Y. , in the same year,
and was ordained as its pastor in 1853. In
1855 he accepted a call to the First Reformed
Church in Brooklyn, where he remained until
1859. For rhe six years foHowing he was
stationed at Claverack, Columbia Co., N. Y.,
and in 1865 a call was accepted from the
Church of Greenpoint (Brooklyn), his ministra
tions there being continued until September,
1867, when he assumed the pastorate of the
First Church of Poughkeepsie, one of the
principal congregations in the city. This so
ciety was organized in 17 16, being the oldest
in Dutchess county.
Dr. Van Gieson has added to his cares as
a pastor much literary work, chiefly on theo
logical lines, and the value of his effort has
been recognized without as well as within the
Church. In 1872 he received the degree of
D. D., from Rutgers CoHege, and in 1873 he
was president of the Synod. Among his books
are a history of the Poughkeepsie Church,
published in 1892, an address on the "Type
of Doctrine of the Reformed Church," pub
lished in 1876, as one of the Centennial publi
cations, and a history of the Ratification of
the Constitution of the United States by the
State of New York, published in 1895. He
has urged effectively the erection of a monu
ment in Poughkeepsie, to commemorate that
important historical event, and this wOl un
doubtedly be done by the Daughters of the
Revolution, who have taken the project in
hand. On July 9, 1857, Dr. Van Gieson was
married in Brooklyn, N. Y., to his first wife.
Miss Anna Skillman, daughter of John Skill-
man, a well-known resident of the "City of
Churches," and a descendant of the first white
child born on Long Island. Of the three
chHdren of this union one died in infancy.
The others are: Mrs. D. Crosby Foster, of
Poughkeepsie; and Mrs. Cecil W. H. Jones,
of Bermuda. The mother died February 22,
1865, and December 11, 1878, the Doctor
formed a second union, with Miss Maria Swift,
who is still living. Hale and hearty in ap
pearance. Dr. Van Gieson bears his years
lightly, his tall form being full of the vigor

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

61

which comes from outdoor exercise, while his
kindly, pleasant face has a youthful look in
contrast with his snow-white hair. As a citizen
he has always taken keen interest in public
affairs. Early in life he was a pronounced
opponent of slavery, and he has been a mem
ber of the Republican party since its organiza
tion. In all matters that pertain to the prog
ress of the city vvhere he has made his home,
his influence is a recognized power for good.

i?»V\EORGE W. INGRAHAM, an attorney at
^^ law of Amenia, Dutchess county, is de
scended from Timothy and Sarah (Cowell)
Ingraham, who were residents of Boston, and
later lived at Bristol, R. I. John Ingraham,
their fourth son, was born December 8, 1701,
and was married December 12, 1723, to Miss
Mary Fry. Jeremiah Ingraham, their fourth
child, was born December 8, 1731, married Re
becca Monroe, a cousin of President James Mon
roe, and died at an advanced age in the faith
of the Episcopal Church. Thomas Ingraham,
the third son of Jeremiah, was born Novem
ber 8, 1773, and in 1792 wedded Margaret
\Vardwell. They were the parents of our
subject. George Ingraham, an uncle, was the
first of the family to locate in Dutchess coun
ty, coming from Bristol, R. I., to Amenia in
1785. In 1795 the parents of our subject be
came residents of Dutchess county, arriving
in Amenia on the 3d of July, that year, with
their two children. They had made the jour
ney from Bristol by water to Poughkeepsie,
then overland to Amenia. Here the father
engaged in farming until his death, and was
also a stockholder in the woolen-mill at Leeds-
ville, Dutchess county, during the war of 18 12.
He was a Federalist in politics, and a con
spicuous character in the Methodist Episcopal
Church. For years he held the office of com
missioner of highways, and vvas also overseer
of the poor. He died May 12, 1841, and his
faithful wife was called to her final rest April
30, 1855. In their family were eleven chil
dren: Mary, Samuel, Nathaniel, AHen, Han
nah, Thomas Swan, Abigail, Josiah, John,
George W. and Sally Ann, all of whom are
now deceased with the exception of our sub
ject, and his brother John, of Poughkeepsie.
George Whitfield Ingraham was born No
vember 25, 181 1, in the town of Amenia, where
his boyhood days were passed. His literary

education was received in the district schools
and by one winter's attendance at a select
school. At the age of seventeen years he be
gan reading law under the direction of Robert
Wilkinson, of Poughkeepsie, but did not apply
for a diploma until the close of the Civil war.
For twenty years he served as justice of the
peace, five terms in succession, and his wise
rulings ever showed thought and deliberation.
His practice has been mostly confined to real-
estate law, and he has also engaged in survey
ing and engineering, helping to lay out the
New York & Harlem railroad. He has ever
taken a commendable interest in the cause of
education, and has been inspector and com
missioner of schools.
On October 22, 1834, at Sharon, Conn.,
Mr. Ingraham was united in marriage with Miss
Electa Hunt, a daughter of Rev. Aaron Hunt,
and they became the parents of four children,
as follows: Sarah J., who married Samuel R.
Free, of Willimantic, Conn.; Aaron Hunt, who
during the dark days of the Rebellion enlisted
in the 48th N. Y. S. V., was killed while lead
ing a charge at Cold Harbor, June i, 1864,
and his body was there interred; Phebe H. is
the next in order of birth; and George Irving
(deceased), who had married Fannie B. Payne,
and had one daughter, Margery Starr. Mr.
Ingraham has been called upon to mourn the
loss of his excellent wife, who died October
10, 1889. Our subject cast his first vote in
support of the Whig party, and since its disso-,
lution has been an ardent Republican; in re
ligious faith he is a faithful member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which for the
long period of forty years he has served as
clerk, and for many years was trustee, steward
and class leader. He is the originator of the
law in the State of New York which gives a mar
ried woman the right to hold real and personal
property independent of her husband, which
took him eight years to get passed; but he
never gaveup until his object vvas accomplished.
At the age of twenty-live years he conceived
the idea that the changes of the weather, in
cluding sunshine and clouds, winds and storms,
could be reduced to a science, and at once be
gan to evolve a theory. After close study for
many years he decided that his theory was
correct, and then made known his conclusions
to some of his friends and neighbors. One of
those men is now living in the City of New York.
This company ridiculed his position. Nothing
daunted, he put his ideas vvith his observations

62

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

in a letter and sent the same to Washington,
D. C, in charge of the then member of Congress
from his district. That formed the nucleus
of the present Government weather bureau.
Mr. Ingraham has always made his home
upon his farm in the town of Amenia, and is
widely and favorably known throughout the
community, being held in the highest regard
by all with whom he has come in contact.

C\HARLES W. H. ARNOLD. Among the
^1 leading lights of the legal fraternity of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is Charles W.
H. Arnold, who was born in New York City
May 5, i860. Though born in the city his
boyhood was passed on the farms in the towns
of Hyde Park and Milan, in Dutchess county,
and here in the district schools he received his
common-school education. To an active mind
the law furnished many attractions, as it is a
study never completed, but whose scope is
ever widening and changing. Our subject,
when just out of the school room, followed
various pursuits, but, when twenty, determined
to enter the legal profession, and, accordingly,
entered the office of J. S. Van Cleef, as a stu
dent, and in December, 1883, was admitted
to the bar. He has made a specialty of cor
poration law, and holds the office of attorney
for the Poughkeepsie National Bank (in which
he is also one of the directors) ; is attorney for
the Fallkill Knitting Company, of which he is
also treasurer and general manager, and attor
ney for the New Paltz and Wallkill Valley
R, R. In 1894 he was a member of the Con
stitutional Convention.
On October 11, 1892, Mr. Arnold was mar
ried to Miss Alice Schouten, daughter of Rich
ard A. Schouten, and two interesting chHdren
have come to brighten their home, namely:
Richard Henry and Alice Margaret. Socially
Mr. Arnold is a member of Triune Lodge,
Masonic order. Knights of Pythias, and also of
the Dutchess Club of Poughkeepsie, and he is
at present president of the Staatsburgh Fire
Company. Religiously he is an active worker
in St. Margaret's Episcopal Church at Staats
burgh, in which he is vestryman, and is serving
as clerk of the vestry.
Henry Arnold, father of our subject, was a
native of Saxony, Germany, and came to this
country at the age of fourteen. In Schoharie
county, N. Y., he was married to Margaret
Hemstreet, and the foHowing children were

born to them: Elda, who married Q. F. Shaf-
ford, of the town of Red Hook, Dutchess
county; Charles W. H., our subject; Florence,
who married Frederick Wheaton, of Yonkers,
N. Y. ; George and Henry. The father of this
family was river superintendent of the National
Ice Company.

WALTER D. O. K. STRONG, M. D,
 Despite the salubrious air and other
advantages of this favored region, its inhab
itants have occasional need for the care of a
physician. Among the ablest of the practi
tioners who minister to the many ills that flesh
is heir to, even under the best conditions, is
Dr. Strong, of Fishkill Landing, Dutchess
county, whose history is well worthy of a
permanent record among those of the leading
workers in professional and other lines.
Dr. Strong was born August 10, 1823, at
Owasco, Cayuga Co., N. Y. , and is remotely
of English descent, his ancestors having crossed
the Atlantic at a very early date. His great
grandfather, Asher Strong, had his home in
youth in eastern New York, but later settled at
Cooperstown, Otsego county. Isaac Strong, the
grandfather of our subject, moved to Owasco,
Cayuga county, about the year 1800, and
engaged in farming and the hotel business.
He married Miss Elizabeth Waterman, of
Cooperstown, and had two daughters and one
son : Walter, the youngest of the trio; Nancy,
the eldest, married Thaddeus Thompson, a
wool dresser and the owner of a mill; Eliza
beth married E. Clark, a cabinet maker.
Walter Strong, the father of our subject,
was born at Cooperstown, but when one year
old was taken by his parents to Cayuga county,
where he grew to manhood, and naturally be
came familiar with the details of hotel manage
ment. For a time he foHowed the business;
but, choosing the independence of agricultural
life, he located later upon a large farm. In
1833 he traded this for one of 400 acres in
Crawford county, Penn., where he spent about
fifteen years, and then made an exchange for
a hotel and a farm of lOO acres at Jefferson,
Ohio. He died in 1862, and his wife, Sarah
(De Voe), passed away in 1878. She was of
French descent, and was born in the south
eastern part of New York, the daughter of Hon.
Elijah De Voe, who was elected to the Legis
lature in 1819, and again in 1825. Waiter
and Sarah Strong had eight children: Elijah,

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

68

the eldest, is a prominent resident of Plymouth,
Ohio, and has been mayor of the town, and
has also served for years as justice of the
peace; Malvina, deceased, was the wife of S. C.
Stratton, of LinesvHle, Penn., a tanner and
currier; W. D. O. K. is our subject; Sarah E.
married Horatio Shattuck, who was a soldier
in the Civil war, and is now deceased; Edwin
T. is a farmer at Jefferson, Ohio; Isaac M.,
who died in 1888, was first a merchant and
later a banker at Bancroft, Mich. ; CorneHa M.,
an artist of note and the painter of the " Elec
trical Commission" (which was purchased for
$7,000, and is now in the Capitol at Washing
ton, D. C), married Samuel Fassett, a pho
tographer, and resides in Washington; Nancy J.
married John A. Harvey, of Ashtabula, Ohio.
Dr. Strong's boyhood was spent at his na
tive place, where he received his elementary
education from his grandfather, who was a
teacher. At nineteen he began a business
career as a clerk in a store, but after three
years he engaged in teaching, and gave all his
spare time to the study of medicine. Desiring
further literary education, he attended school
at KingsvHIe, Ohio, taking an academic course,
and later studied at Auburn, N. Y. He then
taught for a few months, and in 1846 he en
tered the office of Dr. Benjamin De Voe, an
uncle, to prepare for entrance to the medical
department of Buffalo University, from which
he was graduated April 19, 1849. For one
year he practiced with his uncle, and then, in
1850, located at Sennett, Cayuga Co., N. Y.,
being accompanied to this place by his bride.
Miss Maria Rosa, daughter of Jacob Rosa,
formerly of Hurley, Ulster Co., N. Y. Five
years were spent at Sennett in successful prac
tice. Dr. Strong serving also as superintendent
of the local schools for two terms. In 1856
he returned to his old home at Owasco, and
during the winters of 1856 and '57 he attended
a course of lectures upon homeopathy in Phila
delphia. Resuming his practice at home, he
continued untH 1870, when he moved to Mil
ford, Del., and followed his profession for ten
years. Since 1880 he has been established at
FishkHl Landing, where he enjoys a large and
lucrative practice, his abHities, developed by
wide experience, gaining the confidence of the
community to a marked degree.
The Doctor is a firm adherent of the Re
pubhcan party, and is interested, as every in
teHigent citizen should be, in the various pro
gressive movements of the time. His only

son now living, Edwin E., holds a responsible
position in the First National Bank of Fishkill
Landing, with which he has been connected
for thirteen years. An elder son, Jacob R. ,
began practice as a physician in the same town,
but his death in 1892 cut short a most prom
ising career.

OOSEVELT. The first of the name to 1
come to this country was Claas Marten- 1
son Van Roosevelt, who emigrated from Hol
land to New York in 1647.
The various members of the family held
prominent positions in New York, and Isaac
Roosevelt was one of the first senators from
that city; one of the framers of the first consti
tution of the State of New York, when the
Constitutional Convention sat at Poughkeep
sie; one of the founders and president of the
New York Hospital; the bank of New York,
and various charitable institutions.
James Roosevelt, son of Isaac Roosevelt,
settled at Mount Hope, a country place near
Poughkeepsie, and his descendants have had
homes in the neighborhood of Poughkeepsie
and Hyde Park ever since.
The present James Roosevelt of Pough
keepsie and Hyde Park, Dutchess county, wast
born at New York City, and has interested him- ]
self in railways, etc; was one of the Govern- i
ment Commissioners for the World's Fair held J
at Chicago in 1893; is vice president of the
Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. ; and holds
various positions of trust.

ENRY PEARCE, M. D., a leading phy-
^ sician and surgeon of Pawling, Dutchess
county, is one of the best known practitioners
of that locality. As a surgeon he has won an
enviable reputation, and his practice extends
over a wide radius, including the northern por
tion of Putnam county. His family is one of
the oldest in the town of Pawling, his great
grandfather. Col. WHliam Pearce, of Revolu
tionary fame, having come from Rhode Island
diiring the Colonial period. He must have
been acquainted with Gen. Washington, as the
latter had his headquarters for some time at
the foot of Quaker Hill. Col. Pearce was a
farmer by occupation, and owned a tract of land
west of the viHage of Pawling, now occupied
by Charles Hoag. This has been in the posses
sion of the family for more than a hundred

64

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

years. By his first wife Col. Pearce had four
children: Henry, Benoni, Roxana and Mary.
Roxana married Mr. Howland, and went to
Canada, and became the mother of Sir Will
iam Howland. Mary also married. Col.
Pearce had two sons, William and John, by a
second marriage.
Henry Pearce, our subject's grandfather,
was also a farmer, and lived about three miles
north of Pawling. He married Rebecca Bird-
sell, and reared a family of five children, of
whom our subject's father, Benoni Pearce,
was the eldest. (2) Nathaniel spent his life
at the old homestead, and his excellent natural
abilities made him a leader in the community,
where for many years he held the office of
assessor. He married Julia Ferris, but had
no children. (3) Roxana married Henry Stark,
and lived in Penn Yan, N. Y. (4) Amy mar
ried Jaleel Billings Stark, a leading ¦ merchant
of Pawling. (5) Rebecca married Daniel
Shove, and lived at Wellsburg, New York.
Benoni Pearce was born in 1808, and fol
lowed farming at Pawling until 185 i, when he
moved to a farm of 200 acres at Penn Yan,
where he spent the remainder of his days, his
death occurring there in 1895. Although he
was never an office holder, he took a keen in
terest in political questions, being a Whig in
early life and afterward a Republican. He
was a devout Methodist, and for many years
was an official in the Church. His first wife
vvas Mary Ann Stark, a daughter of Benoni
Stark, and after her death, in 1853, he mar
ried her sister, Rachel. By his first marriage
he had seven children, of whom the Doctor is
the eldest. The others were Lillius H., wife
of A. J. Brown, of Yates county, N. Y. ;
Jeremiah S.,- sheriff of Dutchess county;
James S., who lives in Pawling, N. Y. ;
Charles W. , who lives in New York City; Ed
win M. (deceased); and Elizabeth M. , who
married John Gelder, a farmer and grape
grower of Yates county.
Dr. Pearce v/as born in Pawling, March i,
1833, and received his academic education
there and in the schools of Yates county. In
1853 he entered the Medical Department of
the University of Michigan, and was graduated
with the degree of M. D. in 1857. He began
his professional career at Ulysses, Potter Co. ,
Penn., but after two years there he came to
Pawling to practice. In 1862 he entered the
army as assistant surgeon of the i 50th N. Y.
V. I., with C. M. Campbell. During the

march to Lookout Mountain his horse fell, and
the Doctor was so injured that his left leg had
to be amputated above the knee; although he
was obliged to resign his former position in
the regiment, he remained in the department
until the close of the war. He spent three
years practicing at Carmel, Putnam county,
but finally settled at Pawling, where he has
now been successfully engaged in practice for
nearly thirty years, his business covering a
larger territory than that of any other phy
sician in that locality. He is also the senior
partner in the firm of Dr. H. Pearce & Co.,
the leading druggists of Pawling.
The Doctor has been three times married.
His first wife was Sarah Hall, of Pawling.
His second wife, Augusta M. (Stark), daughter
of J. W. Stark, died in 1878, leaving one son,
* George Stark Pearce, now a successful phy
sician at Dover Plains; a daughter, Bessie,
died at the age of four years. In r888 Dr.
Pearce married his third wife, Julia (Travis),
of Carmel, Putnam county. The Doctor isan
ardent Republican, and, like all of his family,
is very patriotic and public-spirited. He is a
member of C. W. Campbell Post, G. A. R.,
and also of the medical societies of Putnam
and Dutchess counties. , n,, t) lo_«

rrON. JOHN H. KETCHAM. Dutchess
JE|l county has possessed and possesses many
prominent citizens ; but in all their number
can be found no one more truly representative,
more widely or actively awake to the interests
of the community at large, than the subject of
this article.
A native of the county, Mr. Ketcham vvas
born December 3i, 1832, in Dover, and isa
representative of one of the oldest families in
eastern New York, being the second son and
child of John M. and Eliza A. Ketcham, of
Dover. His education was received in part at
Suffield, Conn., in part at Worcester, Mass.,
where he was graduated in 1S51. At the con
clusion of his studies, and on his return to his
native town, he, in partnership with his older
brother, \^'illiam S., commenced farming, and
the conducting of an extensive marble busi
ness, which they successfully continued several
years. During this period his fellow citizens,
justly recognizing his ability, which was devel
oped in an active business life, soon called
upon him to represent his township on the
board of supervisors, and he served two terms,

J^-^^^T^:^.^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

65

after which he was then sent to the Assembly
for two terms, from which he passed into the
State Senate — his entire career in each of these
responsibilities proving him to be a man worthy
to represent his constituents.
In 1 86 1, at the breaking out* of the war of
the Rebellion, Mr. Ketcham was appointed, by
Gov. Morgan, a member of the war commit
tee for Dutchess and Columbia counties, and
later was commissioned to raise a regiment,
which he did with characteristic zeal and energy,
rapidly filHng out his quota with picked men
of Dutchess county, representing for the most
part the best and most intelligent fatnilies.
His regiment, the i50thN. Y. V. I., proceeded
first to Baltimore, afterward participating ih
the battle of Gettysburg, where it suffered
severely. After recruiting his regiment, and
fiHing up its sadly depleted ranks. Col. Ketcham
moved his command southwest, joining Sher
man, and was with him in the memorable
" March to the Sea. " WhHe on duty on Ar
gyle Island, near the mouth of the Savannah
river, our subject received a wound, from the
effects of which he has never fully recovered.
At Atlanta, for meritorius conduct, he was pro
moted to the rank of brigadier-general by bre
vet, afterward to brigadier-general, and subse
quently to major-general by brevet. While
with his command in Georgia, he was nomi
nated for member of Congress from his Dis
trict, and was elected by a large majority. He
has since served eleven terms in that office, on
each occasion being nominated by acclamation,
and receiving the support of the people of his
District, irrespective of party, his majorities
being unprecedented in that county. At the
termination of his twelfth term he was tendered
a unanimous renomination, but owing to im
paired health he respectfully declined further
service. The great secret of Gen. Ketcham's popu
larity has always been his untiring and unre-^
mitting efforts to promote the interests of his
constituents, irrespective of party. During
the interval of three years when he was not in
Congress, the General was appointed, by Presi
dent Grant, a commissioner of the District of
Columbia, ex-Gov. Dennison, of Ohio, and
Hon. H. T. Blow, of Missouri (since deceased),
being his associates, in which incumbency he
served with his usual energy and fidelity for a
period of nearly three years. About the time
of his retirement, from the office of District
Commissioner, in 1877, he received letters
5

from a large number of the leading citizens of
the District expressing regret at his resigna
tion, and testifying to the ability, industry and
thoughtful consideration manifested by him in
the faithful discharge of his onerous duties.
On February 4, 1858, Gen. John H.
i^etcham was united in marriage with Miss)|
"imugusta A. Belden, daughter of William H.
and Sarah Belden, of Amenia, Dutchess county,
who were among the earliest and representa
tive families of the county. Four children
were born of this marriage, of whom, two
sons, Henry and Charles, and one daughter,
Ethel, are living.
Gen. Ketcham is a man of warm impulses,
always ready to help a friend or do a kind act
for a fellow being, and is known and recog
nized as the poor man's friend. His native
State honors him, and with good reason, for
he is one of her best products — a manly, noble
man in all the relations of life, one who in his
remarkable public career has maintained him
self with dignity, propriety and honor.

C\OL. JAMES VANDER BURGH. Among
__i those who left the shores of the Old World
for those of the New, and settled very early in
the vicinity of Poughkeepsie, was a family of
Vander Burghs, directly from Holland, and it is
to James Vander Burgh, one of the descend
ants of these early settlers, that this sketch
more especially refers. Not only was he des
tined to be named among the noted men of
Dutchess county, but he proved to be one of
the country's most sturdy patriots and defend
ers. Born in Poughkeepsie, September 4,
1729, we know little or nothing about him un
til his marriage to Margaret Noxon, in Sep
tember, 1853, and at this time they lived near
the little hamlet of Poughquag. Seven chil
dren were born to them, and we read in Van
der Burgh's diary, thirteen years later, these
words: " 1776, August ye 9 day my wife de
parted this life. Between the our of 3 and 4
in the morning. Beaing the 8 day from ye
time of her beaing taken sick. " The follow
ing year he married Helena Clark, and of this
union eleven children were born, among whom
were Federal Vander Burgh, a noted homeo
pathic physician, who died in Rhinebeck in
1868; Gabriel Ludlow (named after one of the
first vestrymen of Trinity Church, New York),
who married Margaret Akin, of Quaker HiH;

66

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

and a daughter, Paulina, who married Judge
Albro Akin, of the same place. The latter
had three children: (i) Albert J., born August
14, 1803, StiH Hving, aged ninety-three, mar
ried Jane WHliams, of New York City (no chH
dren). (2) Almira Vander Burgh married
(first) to Joshua Leavitt Jones, and had two
children; married (second) to John Akin Tib-
bits (no chHdren). (3) Helen Maria married
to John W. Taylor, and has two children.
A brief genealogical record of the branch
of the Akin family related to the Vander
Burghs is as follows: (I) John Akin, born in
Scotland in 1663, emigrated to America about
1680, and settled in Dartmouth, Mass. There
in 1687 he married (first) Mary Briggs, who
was born in Portsmouth, R. I. , August 9,
1 67 1, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Fisher)
Briggs. Children of this union: (II) David,
Judith, Deborah, Timothy, Mary, Hannah,
Thomas, Elizabeth and James. The mother
of these died, and for his second wife John
Akin married Hannah Sherman, who bore him
six children. (I) John Akin died June 13,
1746. (II) David Akin, the eldest son of (I) John
Akin, was born September 19, 1689, in Dart
mouth, Mass., and was there married in 171 1,
to Sarah Allen, also a native of that locality,
and by her had the following named children:
(III) John, Mary, Elisha, Josiah, Abigail,
Sarah, Hannah, James, David and Jonathan.
In 1 74 1 the father of this family moved to
Quaker Hill (formerly called Oblong), where
he died in 1779.
(Ill) John Akin, eldest son of (II) David,
was born September 15, 1718, at Portsmouth,
R. I., and January 29, 1742, married Marga
ret Hicks, of Portsmouth, R. I., by which
union children as follows were born: Anna,
Mary, AbigaH and (IV) John. The father of
these died AprH 7, 1779, the mother in Octo
ber, 1803.
(IV) John, the only son of (III) John, was
born November 11, 1753, at Quaker HHl, and
December 27, 1775, was married at Pawling,
N. Y. , to Molly Ferris, who was born April
20, 1759, a daughter of Reed Ferris, of Pawl
ing. ChHdren as follows were born to them:
(V) Albro, Sarah, Margaret, Ann, Daniel and
Amanda. Of these (V) Albro married (first)
Paulina Vander Burgh, of Beekman (three
children); (second) married Sarah Merritt (no
children); and married (third) Jemima Jacacks
(seven chHdren). Their son William H. Akin

married (first) Martha A. Taber (two children);
married (second) Sarah MHler (no children).
Albro Akin, son of William H. Akin, married
Emma Reed (two chHdren), and their son,
Albert J. Akin, Jr., was born November 12,
1882. A brief genealogical record of the branch
of the Ferris or Ferriss (anciently written Fer-
rass) family related, as above, to the Akin
family, is as follows:
(I) John Ferriss, a native of Leicestershire,
England, a holder of land in several counties
of England, emigrated with his family to Fair
field,. Conn, (there are records showing that
the Ferriss family were in America in 1650),
4nd afterward, about 1654, removed to New
York State. He is said to have been one of
five brothers who emigrated to this country
with their famHies, one of whom, Jeffry, lo
cated first, in 1635, in Massachusetts, later,
in 1660, settling in Fairfield, Conn. Another
brother, Benjamin, settled in Massachusetts
in 1640. (I) John Ferriss died in New York
State in 171 5.
(II) Samuel, son of (I) John, came from
Reading, England, about 1658, it is supposed,
and was one of the first settlers of Groton,
Mass. , whence he afterward moved to Charles
town, Mass. He married Jerisha Reed, and
had one son, (III) Zachariah. ^
(III) Zachariah was born, it is supposed,
at Pequenock (now Bridgeport), Conn., and
was a Freeman in 1676. In September, 1698
or 1699, he was married to Sarah Reed, of
Stratford, Conn. About the year 17 10 they
moved to New Milford, Conn. , and their daugh
ter, Sarah, was the first female white child
born there. The children born to (III) Zach
ariah and Sarah (Reed) Ferriss were as fol
lows: David, (IV) Benjamin, Hannah, John,
Zachariah, Sarah Ann, Deborah and Joseph.
From (III) Zachariah are descended numerous
persons of that name in different parts of the
United States.
(IV) Benjamin Ferriss was born Novem
ber 10, 1708; in 1728 married Elizabeth
Beecher, and in 1730 they moved to Oblong
(now Quaker HHl). Their chHdren were Zeb
ulon, (V) Reed, Susannah, Phebe, Lillias,
Benjamin, GHbert and Edmund.
(V) Reed Ferriss was born August 15,
1730, at New Milford, and died at Pawling,
N. Y., in March, 1804. He married Anne
Tripp, and they lived in Pawling. Their
house was occupied by Washington when the

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

67

American troops were quartered on a hill near
by. The children born to Reed and Anne
(Tripp) Ferriss were: Edmund, Benjamin,
Lydia, (VI) Molly, James, Warren, Pitt, Mor
ris, Anne and Seneca.
(VI) Molly Ferriss was born April 20,
1759, and married December 27, 1775, to John
Akin, of Quaker HHl. She died October 30,
185 1, aged ninety-two years. They had chH
dren: (VII) Albro, Sarah, Margaret, Ann,
Daniel and Amanda.
(VII) Albro Akin was born March 6, 1778,
and was married three times, as above related
in the Akin family record.
James Vander Burgh, the subject proper of
this review, is supposed to have been a son of
John an,d Magdalen Vander Burgh, of Pough
keepsie. From a deed in the county clerk's
office of said place, he is given land in Dutch
ess county, in 1752, when his father died. His
mother and ten children are also mentioned in
the deed. One of the daughters, Magdalen,
named for her mother, married Clear Everitt.
He it was, no doubt, who built the historic
' ' Clear Everitt House, " still standing on the
main street in Poughkeepsie, and now known
as "Washington Hotel." This house, evi
dently an hostelry, was the meeting place of
the leading men of the Revolution, Governor
Clinton, Lafayette and Washington being
among its guests. Everitt was at one time
sheriff of the county.
From James Vander Burgh are descended
many of that name, as well as others, who are
scattered in various parts of the United States.
One of his descendants, Edgar H. Vander
Burgh, of Lithgow, Dutchess county, recently
said in a letter to Dr. David W. Vander
Burgh, of Fall River, Mass. : ' 'I had heard
much through Judge Coffin of Colonel Vander
Burgh, of his residence and of his entertain
ment of Washington in the time of the Revo
lution, that he (Washington) frequently stopped
there over night on his way from FishkHl to
Danbury on horseback. He used to stop by
the road side near Colonel Vander Burgh's,
and with the bridle reins over his shoulder
draw water from a well sweep and drink. I
had such a reverence for this history that I
went to Beekman with Judge Coffin, and found
the very weH, and the timbers of the old man
sion laid on the wall. We took pieces of it
and some nails with which it was made, and
have them as sacred relics." Another of his
great-grandchildren remembers, when very

young, being taken by an old colored woman,
formerly a slave in Colonel Vander Burgh's
family, to see the old house in ruins. The
woman told her that there was where General
Washington used to visit, and that she remem
bered seeing him. James Vander Burgh was
commissioned lieutenant-colonel on October
17. 1775. and was made colonel March 10,
1778. James H. Smith's history of Dutchess
county says: "A short distance northeast of
the hamlet of Poughquag lived, during the
Revolution, Col. James Vander Burgh, an
officer of some prominence in that struggle,"
and from the same source we learn that he
was appointed assessor of the town of Beek
man in 1772, and, in 1775, supervisor, which
office he held until 1779. This history also
says: " In the New York Provincial Congress
and Convention from 1775 to 1779, inclusive,
when a State government was formed, Dutch
ess was represented by men of mark, and
among them is the name of Colonel James
Vander Burgh." From Lossing's Field Book
of the Revolution we glean this bit of knowl
edge, which is taken from Washington's diary:
"May 18, 1 78 1. Set out this day for an in
terview at Weathersfield with Count de Ro-
chambeau and Admiral Barras. Reached Mor
gan's tavern, forty-three miles from FishkHl
Landing, after dining at Colonel Vander
Burgh's." A few days later, during one of
Washington's visits, a child was born, and in
Vander Burgh's diary it says: "May ye 24.
1 78 1, on Thursday, about eleven o'clock at
night, my wife was delivered of her fifth son;
we call his name George Washington. God
send him his blessing." So the little son was
evidently named after their honored guest.
Col. Vander Burgh died in Beekman, and was
buried there in the sixty-fourth year of his age.
One of his descendants. Miss H. Pauline Tay
lor, of Quaker Hill, has a copy of his epitaph,
his will and his diary, all very quaint and in
teresting. Of his large family of eighteen children
only one died before the parents, and that he
was able to support his large family and give
each daughter five hundred pounds, and to his
sons either money or a prosperous farm, we
learn from a copy of his will, so that his life
stood out successfully from a financial point of
view. But that is not all. Col. Vander Burgh
was a man who closely watched apd studied
public affairs, he was eminently patriotic, and

68

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

was honored and trusted in civil Hfe as he had
been on the field, a Christian patriot and sol
dier, to duty ever true, to his posterity his
memory is a rich inheritance. May they emu
late his virtues.

years was engaged
and later purchased
the balance of his

S\MITEN (more generally known as S. VIN-
) CENT) TRIPP, one of Dutchess county's
most successful business men, was born in the
town of Clinton, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , August
31, 1822, being one of a family of eight chH
dren, of whom there is oaly one surviving
member, Mrs. Susan Weed, of Clinton Corners.
Smiten Tripp, his father, who was also a
native of Dutchess county, during his early
at the carpenter's trade,
the farm where he spent
life. On November 20,
1806, he married Miss Margaret Wickes, in
what is now known as the Cheesman house,
which was buHt by her father, Jacob Wickes,
in 1800. Her mother was a Miss Nancy Carle.
S. Vincent Tripp's maternal grandfather,
Jacob Wickes, lived during the Revolutionary
war on the Creek road. He was surprised one
night by the English, and after a severe strug
gle he assumed insensibility, and was left for
dead. One of the bullets fired is stHl -to be
seen imbedded in the waH of the room of the
conflict. Vincent was the name of our sub
ject's paternal grandmother, she being Miss
Hannah Vincent.
In 1848 Mr. Tripp was united in marriage
with Miss Catherine Losee, daughter of Will
iam Losee, of Dover. She was a woman be
loved by all who knew her, always liberal in
her charities, and it was greatly by her en
couragement and good judgment that Mr.
Tripp made his business career so successful.
Two children were born to them, a daughter,
Priscilla, and a son, Alfred Noxon, the former
of whom died at four years of age.
In 1854 Mr. Tripp left the homestead, and
removed to New York City, where he engaged
in the carting business for the firm of Earie &
Co. About two years later he located in
Cohoes, Albany county, where he entered the
grocery and feed business, with David Bedell.
The partnership was discontinued after some
three years, and Mr. Tripp removed to the
city of Rochester, from which time he was
always engaged in the grain business. Toward
the close of the Civil war the sudden decline

in grain nearly ruined him, he losing over
thirty thousand dollars within a few days.
Wheat declined one dollar per bushel, corn
seventy cents and oats fifty cents. Oats he
had been offered one dollar and six cents per
bushel he sold for fifty-five cents, and wheat
that he had been offered two dollars and sixty
cents he sold for one doHar and fifty cents per
bushel. Still he did not lose courage, but,
backed by his banking house, he looked for
his money where he had lost it, and in 1865
returned to New York and engaged in the
grain business, until 1867, at Twenty-second
street and East river, with A. P. Clark, under
the firm name of Tripp & Clark. During
1867 and 1868 he was associated with Jacob
Bogart at Thirty-fifth street and East river.
From the fall of 1868 until November i, 1875,
Mr. Tripp continued in partnership with
George E. Ketcham, at Twenty-second street
and North river. In the meantime he had
built the "Tripp Elevator" at Thirty-fourth
street and North river, which he entered
November i, 1875, with George Rogers and
Alexander Bonnell as partners; on November
I, 1879, a new partnership was formed under
the firm name of S. V. Tripp & Co., com
posed of Mr. Tripp, his cousin, Capt. I. C.
Wickes, and Alexander Bonnell. Mr. Bonnell
retired from the firm November i, 1881, and
since that time the grain business at Thirty-
fourth street and North river has remained
under the firm name of S. V. Tripp & Co.,
with only Capt. I. C. Wickes as his partner,
untH Mr. Tripp's death September 22, 1895.
The business continued untH May i, 1896,
when Capt. Wickes bought Mr. Tripp's interest
in the business.
Mr. Tripp was engaged in many other en
terprises. He was a director of the Home
Bank of New York, and a member of thirty
years' standing of the Produce Exchange.
Through all his prosperity and reverses, he
never lost courage and energy, but his great
success was the Grain-elevator business at
Thirty-fourth street and North river, where he
made a large fortune; and the business was
unequalled by any of the twelve firms engaged
in grain business in New York and Brooklyn.
In 1886 he removed to Poughkeepsie, and
purchased the attractive residence on South
Hamilton street.
Mr. Tripp was twice married. His first
wife died in 1890, and three years later he
married Mrs. Jennie Farrar, daughter of

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

69

Thomas MilHgan, a marble dealer of Berkshire
county, Mass. Rev. F. B. Wheeler officiated
at the funeral services of Mr. Tripp September
25, 1895, which were lai=gely attended. Among
those present were the officers of The Pough
keepsie National Bank, of which he was vice-
president; four of his business partners; a
committee of ten from the Produce Exchange;
and twenty-three employes from The Elevator
who had been in the services of the deceased
from ten to twenty-seven years. The inter
ment was in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.
The foHowing resolutions in handsome binding
were presented to Alfred N. Tripp:
Whereas the members of the New York Produce Ex
change have learned with deep sorrow of the death of S.
Vincent Tripp, for many years a member of this Ex
change, Resolved, That in the death of Mr. Tripp the Exchange
has lost a valued member, who by his long career as an
upright and public-spirited merchant has won the respect
and esteem of his fellow members and endeared himself
to all his associates;
Resolved, That we extend to his family our sincere
sympathy in their great loss, and that a copy of these
resolutions be forwarded to them by the Secretary;
Resolved, That as a mark of respect to his memory
the President appoint a committee to attend his funeral.
The son, Alfred N. Tripp, after leaving
business college was for ten or more years as
sociated with his father in the grain business
in the office and as superintendent of the ele
vating department. He was held in great
esteem and affection by the employes, who
were visibly affected on learning of his decease.
In 1888 he married Miss Carrie Eliza Butler,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Egbert C. Butler,
of Clinton, Dutchess county. After the family
removed to Poughkeepsie he assisted his father
in his private business, and was a director of
the Poughkeepsie National Bank. He died
December 27, 1895, and is survived by Mrs.
Tripp and a little daughter, Katherine Grace.
The funeral services, conducted by Revs. W.
Bancroft HHl and Edward G. Rawson, assisted
by a quartette rendering ' ' Lead Kindly Light "
and "Thy WiH Be Done,'' were most beauti
ful, whHe Mr. Tripp, looked as though asleep
among the many flowers he so greatly loved.
Among those present were the directors of the
Poughkeepsie National Bank and a large dele
gation from The Elevator. The interment was
in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. The
carriers were the same who bore to their last
resting place the father and mother of Mr.
Tripp.

ENJAMIN HOPKINS. To have held for
JJ^ forty-two consecutive years the office of
justice of the peace among intelligent, discern
ing and independent people, is of itself con
vincing evidence of the possession of mental
ability of a rare order, combined with the
moral qualities which inspire and firmly retain
public esteem and confidence. Since 1854
the subject of this sketch has presided over '
the lower tribunal, aptly termed the " People's
Court, "in the town of East FishkHl, Dutchess
county, and when one reflects upon the law
less and unsettled conditions which prevailed
here in the earlier days, the force of charac
ter, the courage — moral and physical — and
above all the tact, necessary for the faithful
and effective discharge of his duties seems
notable indeed.
Justice Hopkins comes of an honored ances
try, the first of the line crossing the ocean
from England with the first settlers in Massa
chusetts. It is supposed that Edward Hop
kins came over in the "Mayflower." Stephen
Hopkins, one of the patriots who signed the
Declaration of Independence, was a brother of
Benjamin's great-grandfather. The branch of
the famHy to which our subject belongs settled
near White Plains, in the town of North Cas
tle, N. Y., in Colonial times, and his grand
father, Benjamin Hopkins, removed to the
town of FishkiH, Dutchess county, during the
Revolutionary war. He was a native of
Rhode Island, and prior to his marriage sailed
a vessel along the coast, being engaged in
freighting and trading. He married Sarah
Palmer, about which time his property was
destroyed by the British, and in 1779 he came
to Dutchess county, as already noted, where
he bought a tract of four hundred acres of
land, and where he passed the rest of his life.
John Hopkins, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of FishkHl September 6,
1779, one of a family of eight children. He
early became familiar with agricultural pur
suits upon the home farm, and continued to
follow that occupation as a lifework. In 18 19
he was united in marriage with Miss Mary
BriH, a daughter of John and Hannah (Cor
nell) Brill, natives of Dutchess county. Her
father was of Holland descent. After their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. John Hopkins located
upon the farm now owned by our subject, and
there reared their four children: Benjamin,
our subject; Gilbert P., who was a merchant
of Carthage Landing, Dutchess county, and

70

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

was killed on a boat in 1846; Solomon P.,
who was a freight agent in early life, and later
engaged in the cattle business in Chicago; and
Sarah P., married to S. B. Knox, of Carthage
Landing. The father belonged to the Society
of Friends, while the mother was a member of
the Reformed Dutch Church, and both were
.earnest, conscientious Christians. In politics
he was a Whig, and in his town efficiently
served as justice of the peace and overseer of
the poor.
Benjamin Hopkins, the subject of this
sketch, was born April 18, 1820, in the house
which is StHl his home, and untH he was six
teen years of age was never absent from the
home farm. His early educational advantages
were good, and he took a complete course at
the old Dutchess County Academy, Pough
keepsie, which has since been replaced by the
Poughkeepsie High School. In 1849 the town
of East FishkHl was carved out of the town of
FishkiH, and in the following year Mr. Hop
kins was elected a member of the board of
supervisors, to which office he has been re
elected at intervals for ten terms. Since his
first election as justice of the peace he has
been re-nominated on the Democratic ticket
at the expiration of each term, and his re-elec
tion has never been seriously opposed. His
present term will not expire until 1901. It is
a fact ot which he may well be proud that he
has never had a case reversed in the upper
courts, his decisions being based upon that
exact and impartial justice which, when once
pointed out, commends itself to every honest
man as sound law. So popular is he that one
year (1859) he was elected supervisor on the
Republican ticket by 200 majority, while, as
justice of the peace on the Democratic ticket,
he won by a majority of sixty. In 1862 he
was appointed deputy collector of Internal
Revenue for the towns of East Fishkill, Pawl
ing and Dover, and served three years, He
has twice been appointed justice of sessions,
and since the passage of the first free-school
act of 1847 he has been trustee of the Storm
ville school district. In early life he was a
Whig, but after the defeat of Gen. Scott in
1852 he became a Democrat, and has sup
ported that party ever since. During the Civil
war he was active in raising recruits to sup
press the Rebellion.
As a business man he has been successful
in various callings — farming, clerking, auction
eering and school teaching. In 1842 he began

merchandising at Low Point, Dutchess county,
but the following year returned to the old
homestead, purchasing the interests of the
other heirs, and has since engaged in its care
and cultivation. He has 290 acres of rich and
productive land, on which he has mainly car
ried on general farming.
On December 6, 1844, Mr. Hopkins was
married to Eliza Montfort, a native of the
town of Beekman, Dutchess county, and a
daughter of Peter and Cornelia (Flagler) Mont
fort, both of whom belonged to old families of
the county. Five children were born of this
union: Cornelia, who married John Taber, of
Dover, Dutchess county; Phoebe, who died
unmarried; Sarah, the wife of William H. Og
den, of Kansas City, Mo.; Lodo V., wife of
John Ogden, also of Kansas City; and John
G. , who is engaged in business at the Exchange
Building at Chicago. The wife and mother
was called to her final rest in October, 1859.
Mr. Hopkins afterward married his present
wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret
Lasher. She is a native of Columbia county,
N. Y., and a daughter of Jacob Lasher. Seven
children have been born to this union: Charles,
a promising young lawyer, now of Poughkeep
sie; and Benjamin, Mary, Harry W., Bertha
M., and George and Edith M. (twins), all at
home. Mr. Hopkins is one of the most highly
respected and prominent men of his commu
nity, always faithfully discharging every trust
reposed in him, and has the confidence and es
teem of all with whom he has come in contact.

J- STERLING BIRD, M. D.. a prominent
member of the medical profession of Dutch-
~ ess county, with residence at Hyde Park,
was born August 29, 1836, at Winchester,
Conn. He is descended from an old Connecti
cut family, whose founder in America, Thomas
Bird, a native of England, located at Hartford
about 1644, some ten years after its settle
ment, and became one of the small freehold
ers in the place. His son James was the fa
ther of John Bird, who was born in 1695, and
the son of the latter, Ebenezer Bird, was born
in 1739. The next in direct line is David
Bird, whose birth occurred in Bethlehem,
Conn., in 1776. About 1797 he was united in
marriage vvith Elizabeth Church, by whom he
had the following children: Harmon, Joshua,
Susan, David (the father of our subject).

COJkMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

71

Lucy, Nancy, Anna, John, Sterling, Frederick
and Betsy.
David Bird, Jr., was also a native of Beth
lehem, Conn., born March ii, 1804, and was
reared upon his father's farm. On reaching
manhood he engaged in the manufacture of
woolen goods on a small scale, at Winchester,
and became one of the successful and prosper
ous men of his community. He married
Eunice Phelps, daughter of Wilcox Phelps, of
Norfolk, Conn., and they became the parents
of two children: Sarah and J. Sterling (sub
ject of this review). In religious belief the fa
ther was a Congregationalist, taking a promi
nent part in the work of that Church, in which
he served as deacon. He was activel}' inter
ested in political affairs, an unfaltering Aboli
tionist, and was elected to the State Legisla
ture on the Whig ticket. His death occurred
in 1863, that of his wife in 1882.
J. Sterling Bird was educated at Wilbra-
ham, Mass., taking nearly the entire course,
and completed his literary training at the age
of twenty- two. About i860 he took up the
study of medicine, first entering the Berkshire
Medical College, Pittsfield, Mass., which he
attended for one term, in the following year
entering the College of Physicians & Surgeons,
New York City, where he graduated in 1863.
He then took some special courses, though it
was his intention to engage in general practice.
During his four-months' vacation he was at
the United States Military Hospital at Newark,
N. J. After his graduation he was for a year
and a half on the medical staff of the Bellevue
Hospital, New York City, and in that way se
cured much practical knowledge. On April
3, 1865, he arrived in Hyde Park, where he
immediately opened an office, and, with the
exception of four months in his second year,
has uninterruptedly been engaged in practice
there. The Doctor is now one of the oldest
practitioners in the locality, has been remark
ably successful in his treatment of cases, and
not only does he rank high among his profes
sional brethren, but is one of the leading and
substantial citizens of the town.
Dr. Bird was married, in 1 871, to AHce E.
Jones, of Hyde Park, daughter of Rev. J. W.
Jones, a Baptist minister, and to them were
born two children: John Sterling, at home;
and Alice E., who died when about a year old.
Although the Doctor is a stalwart Republican,
he has taken no active part in political affairs;
but he is a public-spirited citizen, at all times

willing to aid in promoting the welfare of his
adopted county. He has served as health
officer, and is a prominent member of the
Dutchess County Medical Society. An earnest,
Christian gentleman, he is connected with the
Reformed Dutch Church of Hyde Park, in
which he has served as one of the officials.
Though of a retiring disposition, the Doctor
has gained many warm friends in his locality,
and by all he is held in the highest regard.

[fENRY A. HOLMES, a prominent busi
ness man of Pawling, Dutchess county,
is the treasurer of the Pawling Savings Bank,
and the sole proprietor of one of the oldest
and most substantial business enterprises of
that vicinity, the firm having been founded
by the well-known pioneer merchant, J. W.
Stark. Mr. Holmes can trace his descent from
two patriots of Revolutionary times, one being
his great-grandfather, John Holmes. His
paternal ancestors were among the early set
tlers of Westchester county, N. Y. , the family
homestead being at Pound Ridge, where our
subject's grandfather, John Holmes, was born
during the Revolutionary vvar. He followed
farming there until he was about fifty years
old when he came to the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, accompanied by his son
Samuel, our subject's father, who was born at
Pound Ridge in 1808, and at the time of the
removal was about eighteen years old. Sam
uel Holmes remained with his father, who
was a farmer by occupation, until 1836, when
he went to New York City, and was for twelve
years engaged in the trunk business, in which
he was but moderately successful. He was
married in 1834, to Hannah L. Peck, daughter
of Henry and Betsey (Dean) Peck, grand
daughter in the maternal line of Elijah Dean,
an officer in the Revolutionary war. Of their
three children, the subject of this sketch was
the eldest; Caroline L. married J. C. Merritt,
of Putnam county, and died in 1868; and
James G. died at the age of twenty-two. The
mother died in 1854, and the father, soon
afterward, returned to Dutchess county and
bought a farm southwest of the vHlage of
Pawling. He met with success as a farmer,
and was accounted a man of good business
judgment. In later years he was extensively
engaged in the business of furnishing lumber

72

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

and ties for the Harlem railroad. Although
not a politician he was always a Democrat in
principle, and. took an interest in all measures
for local improvements. He was reared a
Presbyterian, and contributed generously to
that Church untH his death in 1885.
Henry A. Holmes first saw the light at Pat
terson, Putnam county, February 13, 1836.
His education was obtained in Public School
No. 4, Rivington street. New York, and at
Mr. Benedict's select school at Patterson, these
advantages and his subsequent reading giving
him a good store of knowledge. On enter
ing business life he spent one year as a clerk in
a retail feed store in New York, and a year
and a half in clerking for his uncle, R. J.
Dean, of Patterson. He then went home and
worked upon the farm for a year, when he
formed a partnership with his uncle in the
lumber and feed business under the firm name
of Dean & Holmes. After three years he sold
his interest to Mr. Dean, and February i,
1865, he bought a one-third interest in the
general mercantile store of J. W. Stark &
Co., the firm consisting of Mr. Stark, WiHiam
J. Mervvin and Mr. Holmes. In 1877, Mr.
Stark withdrew and the firm became Merwin
& Holmes, and so continued until the death
of Mr. Merwin in 1892, when Mr. Holmes
purchased his interest. This business, now
one of the largest in the southeastern part of
the county, had its origin in a small store
opened by Mr. Stark in 1848, near the railroad
at Pawling, and with the exception of a few
years which Mr. Stark spent in New MHford
it has been continued ever since. In addHion
to this enterprise, Mr. Holmes has given
much attention to the affairs of the Pawling
Savings Bank, which was organized under the
act of May 7, 1870, the charter being accepted
September 10, 1890. This is one of the most
carefully managed banking institutions in that
locality, J. I. Wanzer being the president. Mr.
Holmes is one of the trustees, and succeeded
Mr. Merwin as treasurer, the office having
been held by him from the first. In all his
enterprises, Mr. Holmes has displayed con
servative judgment, combined with energetic
execution of plans once decided upon, and to
these qualities his success may be attributed.
In politics he is a Republican, and on all
national issues he has voted for the candidates
of that party at every election, since his first
ballot was given for Abraham Lincoln, but in
local affairs he is independent. He has held

the office of commissioner of highways for one
term. In 1867, Mr. Holmes was united in matri
mony with Ruth A. Shove, a native of the
town of Pawling. Her father, Daniel Shove,
a carpenter by trade, was born in Dover, but
for many years was a resident of Pawling, and
now lives' at WeHsboro, Penn. Three sons
were born of this marriage, and their educa
tion has been carefully conducted at Bisbee's
Military School at Riverview. George S. is
now assisting his father in the store; Frederick
W. has just completed his course at school;
and Henry A., Jr., is still a student. The
family attend the Methodist Church, and Mr.
Holmes is a generous supporter of its work.

OBERT K. TUTHILL, M. D., of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, is of English
ancestry. His great-grandfather, Samuel Tut-
hill, came from England, and settled on Long
Island; but after a time removed to Orange
county, N. Y. , where he remained the rest of
his life. Our subject's father, whose name
was also Samuel, was likewise a member of
the medical profession, and for many years
was a leading practitioner in Poughkeepsie,
N. Y., to which place he came in 1848.
Dr. Robert K. Tuthill was born in New
burgh, N. Y., January 18, 1835. Early in life
he showed an inclination to follow in the foot
steps of his father, and was thoroughly edu
cated, with the view of making the practice of
medicine and surgery his life work, graduating
at the New York Medical College in 1859.
After receiving his degree, he began his pro
fessional career in Poughkeepsie, and was en
gaged in active practice there, at the breaking
out of the Rebellion, in 1861. With charac
teristic patriotism, he offered his services to his
country, and was appointed assistant surgeon
of the Twentieth N. Y. S. M. For faithful
ness in the discharge of his duties in this ca
pacity he was in April, 1863, promoted to the
position of regimental surgeon of the 145th In
fantry, and in June of the satne year was made
brigade surgeon of the First Brigade, First Di
vision, Twelfth Corps. Early in 1864, he was
appointed surgeon-in-chief of Division. He
had charge of the Fredericksburg hospital in
1862, was in all the chief battles of the "army
of the Potomac," and also did duty in the
"army of the Cumberland."
After this .service to his country, the Doctor

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

73

again resumed private practice in Poughkeep
sie, and was a member of the Surgical Staff of
St. Barnabas Hospital, from the time it was
organized, in 1870, until it was closed, in 1887.
He was then selected by the Founders of Vas
sar Brothers' Hospital on its opening, m 1887,
to be one of its surgeons, which position he is
still filling. He is considered a skillful sur
geon, his experience while serving his country
being of great advantage to him. He has
served three times as health officer of Pough
keepsie; for two terms in succession was presi
dent of the Dutchess County Medical Society,
and has been a permanent member of the New
York State Medical Society since 1880. He
also belongs to Hamilton Post No. 20, G. A.
R., Poughkeepsie, and is a member of the
Loyal Legion of America. Dr. Tuthill is also
a Knight Templar. Politically, he is a stanch
Republican, but has never run for an elective
office. In the year 1864 he married a Pough
keepsie lady, and has one daughter.
Constant, untiring work in his profession
has made periods of rest and recuperation a
necessity to him, and these he has found in
quite extensive travel in this and other coun
tries. Twice, accompanied by his family, he
has spent several months abroad visiting the
principal places and nearly all of the capitals
of Great Britain and of the Continent. And
while he was there gaining physical strength,
he also embraced the opportunity of visiting
many of the hospitals and attending clinics in
the Old World, thus seeking new methods and
better knowledge for his great work at home.
His residence is at No. 3 1 3 Mill street, where
he has a capacious office, an extensive and
well-selected medical and general library and
a beautiful home. He is a member of the First
Reformed Church, and has hosts of friends,
who believe in him, because he has proved
himself a true and sincere man and a conscien
tious, faithful and vigilant physician.

MEV. FRANCIS BROWN WHEELER,
 D. D., who has been for more than half
a century a minister of the Gospel, and for
thirty-six years the honored pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church at Poughkeepsie, is de
scended from several families whose names
are conspicuous in the early history of this
country. The ancestors of the Wheeler line came
from Wales about 1650, and settled at Dun-

barton, N. H. William Wheeler, our sub
ject's great-grandfather, was born in 1728,
probably in Salem, N. H., and died March i,
1804. His home was at Dunbarton, where he
was a prominent citizen in his day. He served
through' the French and Indian war, and
throughout the Revolutionary war, being mus
tered into service for the latter struggle by
Gen. Washington. He took part in the battle
of Bunker -HHl under Gen. Stark. In the
earlier war he was a member of the N. H.
Rangers at Fort Ticonderoga, in 1755, com
manded by Capt. Robert Rogers, and was
captured by the Indians, but escaped by his
wit and agHity as they were about to tom
ahawk him. His wife, Sarah  , was
born in 1735, and died March 15, 1803.
Their son WHliam, Jr., was also a soldier in
the Revolutionary war, taking part in the bat
tles of Bennington, Vt. , and White Plains,
New York.
Their son, Daniel Wheeler, the grand
father of our subject, was born in Salem, N.
H., in 1763, and died in Warner, N. H., in
1840. He suffered imprisonment at one time
for refusing to pay the ministerial tax at Dun-
barton. He married Polly Davis, who was
born in Amesbury, Mass., in 1772, and died
in Warner, N. H., in 1862. She was a lineal
descendant of Hannah Dustan, of historical
fame. Hosea Wheeler, our subject's father, was
born March 8, 1791, at Dunbarton, N. H.,
and died January 27, 1823, at Eastport,
Maine. He was a Baptist minister, and for
many years lived at Newburyport, Mass. He
married Sarah Wines, born August 12, 1788,
the daughter of Rev. Abijah Wines, an emi
nent clergyman, and the first professor of the
ology in the Theological Seminary at Bangor,
Maine. Her grandfather, Hon. Benjamin
Giles, was prominent in our Colonial history,
the chairman of the Committee of Safety at
Newport, N. H., and a member of the State
Provincial Congress. To the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Wheeler the foHowing children were born:
•Elizabeth, Sarah A., Francis Brown, Sarah
and Mary.
Dr. Francis B. Wheeler, whose long serv
ice in the Christian ministry has so weH sus
tained the honor of this distinguished ancestry,
was born at North Adams, Mass., September
9, 181 8, and in 1842 was graduated from the
University of Vermont with a number of class
mates who have since attained high standing in

74

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

diplomaticand judicial affairs; amongthem were
ex-Vice-President Wheeler, Hon. John Kas-
son, Hon. Robert S. Hale and Hon. E. J.
Hamilton. His grandfather, father and four
uncles had been clergymen, and from boyhood
he had been filled with the desire to follow in
their footsteps. After studying at Andover
Theological Seminary, and with Rev. J. W.
Ward, an eminent theologian of Massachu
setts, he was ordained and installed as pastor
of the Congregational Church at Jericho
Centre, Vt., January 22, 1845. During his
five-years' pastorate there he was for two years
superintendent of the common schools in Chit
tenden county, Vt. On May 29, 1850, he be
came pastor of the Congregational Church at
Brandon, Vt., and while there was appointed
secretary of the Vermont Sabbath School
Union, and also one of the examining commit
tee of the University of Vermont. He left
Brandon September 7, 1854, and removed to
Saco, Maine, where he assumed charge of the
First Congregational Church December 6,
1854. His work there was attended with
marvelous success, the great revival of 1857-58
being unprecedented in the history of the
State. For three months meetings were held
every day, at which the pastor officiated,
preaching from house to house, and many prom
inent professional and business men with their
families were brought into the Church. The
vigor of the climate there endangered the
health of his family, and Dr. Wheeler was
compelled to relinquish this beloved charge
and accept a call from the First Presbyterian
Church at Poughkeepsie, where he was in
stalled May 12, 1859. It is interesting to
note that whenever he has left a charge the
congregations were reluctant to sever their re
lations, protesting by unanimous and affection
ate remonstrance against his removal. Dur
ing his pastorate in Poughkeepsie the Church
has grown and prospered until it is now one of
the largest in the city.
One of the secrets of his success is the ab
sence of cant and stock phrases so often found
in pulpit oratory. He is simple and practical
in his statements of truth, and bases his ap
peals to conscience and the sense of duty upon
reason, calmly leaving the results to appear in
time as convictions gradually dawn upon the
hearer. He is faithful, also, in the discharge
of the arduous duty of pastoral visitation,
which may be another secret of his helpfulness
and influence. He belongs to the Calvinistic

school, but his sermons are never dogmatic in
tone or controversial in manner, dealing rather
with the practical problems of spiritual prog
ress. Many valuable treatises from his pen
have appeared in the religious and secular
press, and he is the author of several Church
hymns. He is an interesting and forcible
speaker upon general subjects, and has made
special addresses on various occasions. Dr.
Wheeler is a member of the Massachusetts
Society of the Sons of the American Revolu
tion, and of the New York Society of Colonial
Wars. Many honors have been bestowed
upon him, his Alma Mater conferrine the de
gree of A. M. in 1845, and from Hamilton
College he received the honorary degree of
S. T. D. in 1868. In 1888 the University of
Vermont conferred upon him the same degree.
In 1878 President Hayes appointed him a
member of the Board of Visitors at West
Point Military Academy.
Dr. Wheeler has been married three times,
first on September 16, 1843, at Williston, Vt.,
to Charlotte A. Parmalee, daughter of Rev.
Simeon Parmalee, D. D., for many years a
leading clergyman of the Congregational
Church in Vermont. She died March i, 1853,
leaving: no children, and October 26, 1854,
Dr. Wheeler was married to Eliza Dana,
dauehter of Hon. A. G. Dana, M. D., LL. D.,
of Brandon, Vt. Her mother, EHza FuHer,
was a lineal descendant of Samuel Fuller, who
came over in the "Mayflower." She died
September i, 1865, leaving three daughters:
Winifred Dana (now Mrs. Joseph B. Bisbee),
Emma G. and Harriet Wickes. On October
25, 1876, Dr. Wheeler married his present
wife, Charlotte P. Wickes, daughter of Rev.
Thomas S. Wickes. and his wife. Julia Penni-
man, who is a direct descendant of Gov.
Bradford, of "Mayflower" fame. One daugh
ter was born of this union, JuHa Wickes
Wheeler, born March 27, 1878.
On January 23, 1895, a notable anniver
sary was held in Poughkeepsie in honor of
Dr. Wheeler's fifty years of ministerial labor.
Denominational Hnes were broken down, and
representatives of all creeds joined in honoring
a career in which the love for and faith in the
Master whom all aim to follow has been so
abundantly shown. In the afternoon a re
ception was held in the church, followed by a
collation which assumed the aspect of a family
Thanksgiving Dinner. Rev. Father Nilan, of
St. Peter's Catholic Church, was among the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

75

after-dinner speakers, and said that in eighteen
years of his life in Poughkeepsie he has come
to look upon Dr. Wheeler as a friend. They
had talked together and fought together — not
very bitterly to be sure — and it was evidence
of progress that one of their discussions had
been about doctrines which in former times
caused men to burn each other, yet they had
not lost their mutual love and respect. Other
speakers were Rev. Dr. Van Gieson, of Pough
keepsie, and Mr. WHliam W. Smith, who
spoke for the trustees; there were present also
Rev. Dr. D. J. McMillan, secretary of the
Presbyterian Board of Home Missions; Rev.
Dr. T. Ralston Smith, Stated Clerk of the
Synod of New York; Rev. Duncan C. Niven
and wife, of Highland; Rev. Edgar Beckwith
and wife, of Pleasant Valley; Rev. James Otis
Denniston, of Cooperstown; Rev. C. H. Sne-
deker; Rev. Wayland Spaulding; Rev. Dr.
Strobridge; Rev. Robert Farrier; Rev. Fields
Hermance; Rev. W^Hliam Bancroft Hill; and
Mr. Cartland, representing the Society of
Friends. In the evening a large public meet
ing was held, addressed by Dr. McMillan and
Dr. Smith, which closed with the singing of
an original hymn by Rev. John McNaughton,
D. D. Letters were read from friends in all
parts of the Union, many testifying gratefully
to the worth and effectiveness of Dr. Wheeler's
labors, one coming from a successful pastor in
Ohio, who had been influenced by him to
leave the carpenter's bench for the ministry.
A remarkable fact in Dr. Wheeler's life is
that in his half-century of work he has never
been kept from ministerial duty by sickness
more than nine days. This he attributes to a
good constitution, strengthened by the simple
healthful life of his early years upon the farm,
with plenty of work, relieved by wholesome
diversions. On Sabbath morning, September 22, 1895,
owing to the weight of increasing years. Rev.
"Dr. Wheeler presented his resignation, as
pastor of the Church to which he had so faith
fully ministered for thirty-six years. He was
made Pastor-Emeritus; but as his successor
was not chosen, up to the time of his death,
but a few months later. Dr. Wheeler remained
to the end the pastor of the Church. Very
suddenly came the summons for him to enter
into life everlasting. "On the 27th of De
cember, 1895, the Angel of Death entered
into the household of a beloved disciple, the

Rev. Dr. F. B. Wheeler. Scarcely had the
air ceased to vibrate with the joyous Christmas
song of the angelic host, when he who has
walked in white for thirty-six years through
the streets of the city of Poughkeepsie, an
epistle known and read of all men, passed
into his dismantled home with a scholar's love
and care for his books, to arrange for their re
moval to a new habitation. Soon after, the
angel, at first unrecognized, touched him;
there was a brief season of helplessness, in
which it was given his family to gather around
him, a quiet child-like sleep, and then the
angel took his hand and led him through the
group of loving and sorrowing ones, and in a
moment his oft-repeated text was verified, and
his eyes beheld ' the King in His beauty. '
"A man of wonderful poise, of encom
passing catholic spirit, of broad patriotic
views, commanding the respect and love of
all classes and conditions of men, he so
walked with God in the presence of all the
people, that those who knew him feel they will
never look upon his like again, while all feel
the whole city is impoverished because this
gentle spirit is not, for his Lord has taken him."

JOAQUIM MARILL, M. D. , a prominent^!
physician of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess coun-
~ ty, was born at Havana, Cuba, December
21, 1 841, son of Joaquim Marill and Eugenia
Alvarez, the former of whom was a wealthy
planter and sugar grower.
Our subject was educated at his native
place, graduating from the University of Ha
vana in i860, and then went to Paris in order
to study medicine. In July, 1861, he came to
Philadelphia, and in October of the same year
he joined the 137th Regiment, P. V. I., as
surgeon, and was sent to the front. At the
second battle of Bull Run he was taken pris
oner, and was confined in Libby prison until
September 24, 1864, when he was exchanged.
On reporting for duty, he was ordered to
Sickleboro Hospital, at Alexandria, Va. , where
he remained until receiving his discharge from
the service in July, 1865. Returning to Ha
vana, he in 1866, before the Rebellion, joined
the Spanish army as surgeon, remaining until
1870. In that year, on account of his politic
al views being in sympathy with his country
men, he came back to the United States, and
began the practice of his profession at High
land, Ulster county, in 1874 removing to

76

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Poughkeepsie, where he has practiced ever
since, with the exception of eight months he
spent in Vera Cruz during the yellow-fever
epidemic of 1886, during which period he was
commodore-surgeon of the Alexandria fleet.
After his return to Poughkeepsie he resumed
his practice, and has met with remarkable
success. In 1874 Mr. Marill was married, at High
land, N. Y., to Miss Amanda W. Caire, a
daughter of Louis Caire, and they have three
chHdren: Minnie, Maria and- Pilar. The
Doctor is an active member of the K. of P.,
American Legion of Honor, Knights of Honor,
and of the United Friends, while politically, he
is a stanch supporter of the Republican party.
Our subject's father, who was a wealthy
planter and broker, was descended from an
old titled family, known until his death as the
Marquez and Count of Palestine. Our sub
ject's mother, Eugenia Alvarez, was a close
descendant of the house of Alva and Alvarez,
one of the older Spanish titles, dating back to
the sixteenth century, in the reign of Philip II.

ISAAC PLATT came of pioneer ancestry in
 Dutchess county, all of the name in this
country tracing their descent from the same
source. Eliphalet Platt, his grandfather, came
to Dutchess county at an early date, and set
tled northeast of the site of Poughkeepsie,
where he followed agricultural pursuits. His
death occurred in Dutchess county, and his
remains were buried at Pleasant Valley. He
married Hannah Causten, and reared a family
of children, among whom was a son Joseph,
our subject's father, who also engaged in
farming. He wielded great influence in his
locality, in a quiet way, and was a leader in
political and religious affairs. He and his
wife, Hannah Barnes, had three children:
Isaac, Joseph Causten, and Catharine, who
died in girlhood.
Isaac Platt was born in 1803, in Albany
county, N. Y. , where his parents made their
home for a short time, but the greater part of
his early life was spent in the town of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county. He attended
school there, and as a young man became a
member of a debating club which met in a
little school house near his home, and had no
small influence upon his education and his
subsequent career. One of its members,
Horatio Potter, afterward became bishop of

New York; another, Alonzo Potter, was
bishop of Pennsylvania, and another, John
Kennedy, became prominent in the M. E.
Church. These young men were then appren
tices in the printing office and book store kept
by Paraclete Potter, publisher of the Pough
keepsie Journal, and being warm friends of
Mr. Platt, influenced him to enter the same
employment. He served an apprenticeship as
a printer, and then began teaching school.
About the year 1824 the Democratic party
was in need of a new organ in Poughkeepsie,
and Isaac Platt and WHliam Sands were em
ployed to publish it under the firm name of
Sands & Platt. In accordance with this ar
rangement the Poughkeepsie Telegraph was
started, the first issue appearing May 5, 1824.
This afterward became the News-Telegraph,
and is still the Democratic organ of the
county. During the political discussions of 1828 all
the papers in the city favored Andrew Jack
son, leaving the Whigs with no mouthpiece,
and to meet this need the Dutchess Intelli
gencer was started. It failed, however, and was
purchased by Isaac Platt and Frederick Par
sons, who continued it; but the returns were
so small that Mr. Parsons decided to abandon
it. Mr. Platt wished to keep on, and offered
Mr. Parsons $7.00 per week to remain as his
assistant. The offer was accepted, Mr. Par
sons regarding this munificient sum as better
than a share in doubtful profits, and gave up
his interest as a partner. In spite of discour
agements the paper began to prosper under
Mr. Piatt's management. In 1833 it was con
solidated with the Dutchess Republican, which
had been in existence for some time. The
new name — Tlie Intelligencer and Republican
— was changed during the following year to
TJic Eagle. In 1 843 Mr. Platt bought out his
partner, Thomas S. Ranney, who went to In
dia under the auspices of the Baptist Church,
and in 1844 the Eagle was united with the
Journal, William Schram joining Mr. Platt in
the new firm of Platt & Schram. The daHy
issue was started December 4, i860. Mr.
Platt was a fearless champion of the right as
he saw it, and the Eagle denounced the fugi
tive slave law during Fillmore's administra
tion, although Mr. Platt was holding office at
the time as postmaster of Poughkeepsie, hav
ing been appointed by President Taylor. He
was the chairman of the boundary commission
that established the line between New York

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Tl

and Connecticut in i860, and during the CivH
war he served as provost marshal of the Con
gressional district, making the first draft. In
local affairs he always took a keen interest; he
was a warm friend of the public-school system,
and as a member of the board of education
helped to introduce many reforms in the city
schools. He was a pioneer advocate of a rail
road along the river from New York City to
Albany, and wrote a series of articles in the
interests of that project, which were published
in a New York paper, signing himself " Civil
Engineer." All phases of progress command
ed his sympathy, and he was a leader in social
Hfe and in reHgious work as a member of the
Episcopal Church. He died June 5, 1872,
leaving a widow, Mrs. Harriet (Bowne) Platt,
and five chHdren: John I., James Bowne,
Edmund Pendleton, Henry Barnes (now a
resident of New York City) and Harriet
Bowne. Mrs. Platt, to whom he was married
in 1836, was born in 1804, and died in 1892,
aged eighty-eight years. She was a daughter
of Obadiah Bowne, a well-known citizen of
Dutchess county.

(\ J((HoN. John I. Platt, editor of the Pough
keepsie Eagle, is a man whose work in the de
velopment of this section has won for him a
place among our leading citizens, and the fol
lowing history, in its brief resume of his useful
career, furnishes an example which is well wor
thy of emulation.
Mr. Platt is a native of Poughkeepsie, born
June 29, 1839 (his father, Isaac Platt, being
referred to in the preceding sketch). He ob
tained an education in the schools of his native
place, and as a young man learned the printer's
trade in his father's office, being advanced later
to responsible positions in the office of publi
cation. On AprH i, 1865, he purchased Mr.
Schram's interest, and became a partner in the
conduct of the paper with his father, the firm
being Isaac Platt & Son. In 1869 James B.
Platt, another son, took an interest in the
concern, and at the death of Isaac Platt the
two brothers continued the business, the firm
of Platt & Platt being founded. The Eagle is
still published under this firm name, though in
1893 our subject's son, Edmund Platt, became
a member of it. The plant was moved to its
present quarters in 1867. At the time the
Daily Eagle was started, Mr. Platt was tele
graph editor, and during the war he held this
position, taking charge of what was then the

most important news. In 1865 he became
manager, and since 1872 he has been the
editor-in-chief. Political questions interested Mr. Platt
from an early age, and as soon as he attained
his majority he entered into active work as a
supporter of Republican principles, stumping
the county for Abraham Lincoln, and making
eight or ten speeches. He is a talented speaker,
and his services have been called into requisi
tion in each succeeding Presidential campaign.
In 1865 the city of Poughkeepsie was organ
ized in four independent departments, causing
great irregularities in administration, and a
new charter being desired a committee of
twelve was appointed to secure it. Mr. Platt,
as a member of this body, drew up the char
ter as it was presented to the Legislature and
passed. In 1895 he was among the commit
tee chosen to revise the charter; but as the
amendments did not pass, it was again remod
eled, and in 1896 received legislative sanction.
Mr. Platt served three years on the water
board, being its president for the year suc
ceeding the completion of the works, and he
did much to shape the action of the board on
a business basis. In 1886, '87 and '88 he was
a member of the State Assembly, but declined
to run for another term. He served on the
committee on public education, and for two
years was chairman thereof. For three years
he served on the committee on. appropriations,
and during his last year he was chairman of
the committee on revision, each biH, before its
third reading, being sent to this committee for
correction. Mr. Platt did much effective work
while in the legislature, serving ably and faith
fully his constituency and the interests of the
State at large. From AprH, 1891, to April,
1895, he was postmaster of Poughkeepsie, and
for eleven years he was one of the board of
managers of the Hudson River State Hospi
tal, having been appointed by Gov. Cornell.
Mr. Platt is connected with several busi
ness enterprises. He has been a member of
the Poughkeepsie Board of Trade since its or
ganization, has served three years as president,
and is now vice-president. He was one of the
incorporators of the Poughkeepsie City Rail
way Co. (horse-power), and was president for
one year. His earnest advocacy of a bridge
across the Hudson at Poughkeepsie was a
notable service to that section, and the enter
prise wHl always jreflect honor upon him as the
original projector and active promoter. He

78

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

assisted H. G. Eastman (then a member of
the legislature) and P. P. Dickinson, in secur
ing the charter authorizing its erection, and
did much to raise the money needed. Mr.
Platt visited Boston, Philadelphia, and other
cities in his effort to interest capitalists and
railroad men, and through A. L. Dennis, then
a director of the Pennsylvania railroad, secured
a large subscription from the directors of that
company toward the project. The panic of
1873 interferred with this arrangement, how
ever, and some time elapsed before the matter
was revived with a promise of success. The
American Bridge Co. undertook it, but faded
after the work was begun, and again the enter
prise was halted. In 1886 a new construction
company, composed mainly of PhHadelphia
capitalists, took hold of it and carried it to
completion. In 1887 Mr. Platt secured an
extension of the charter, after a bitter struggle
in the legislature, and then, acting upon the
, well-proven principle that ' ' if you want a thing
done well you should do it yourself," he started
the construction of the connecting railroad on
the west, making contracts and grading several
miles on his own responsibility, before the
work was turned over to the company. Mr.
Platt is president and treasurer of the Chazy
(N. Y.) Marble Lime Co., which manufac
tures about thirty-three tons of lime per day.
The oratorical gifts which have made Mr.
Piatt's services sought for in political cam
paigns are valued in other fields, and he was
chosen to deliver an address on July 26, 1888,
at the celebration of the centennial of the
Ratification of the Constitution of the United
States by the State of New York.
On June 3, 1862, Mr. Platt was united in
marriage with Miss Susan F. Sherwood, of
Montgomery, Orange Co., N. Y., daughter of
Benjamin C. and Abbie A. (Strong) Sherwood.
Seven children have brightened their home, of
whom one died in infancy ; jEdmund is his fa
ther's partner; Eliza S. married George L.
HubbeH, of Garden City, L. I.; Sarah S. is
the wife of G. Arthur Hadsell, of Plainville,
Conn. ; and Isaac, Francis W. and Edith M.
are at home.
Active as Mr. Platt has been in business
and political lines, religious and philanthropic
work has found in him a generous helper,
while socially he and his family hold a high
place. For many years he has been a member
of the Presbyterian Church, and he was one
of the founders of the Y. M. C. A., of Pough

keepsie, and served as its president for a term.
He has been a delegate to numerous State and
National conventions of the associations, and
was secretary of the international convention
at Washington, D. C. At the State conven
tion held at Lockport, N. Y. , he was the presi
dent. He was also first chairman of the State
Executive Committee, and served in that ca
pacity for several years.

Edmund P. Platt, member of the well-
known leading dry-goods firm of Luckey, Platt
& Co., Poughkeepsie, and one of the successful
and representative citizens of the county, is a
native of Poughkeepsie, born December 2,
1843, to Isaac and Harriet (Bowne) Platt.
Our subject received his education at the
Dutchess County Academy, Poughkeepsie, and
at the age of sixteen commenced clerking for
W. S. & W. H. Crosby, a well-known dry-
goods firm of the city, with whom he remained
several years, or until they sold out to J. N. &
G. W. Candee, Mr. Platt then continuing with
the latter, in the same store, until 1869. On
March 22, of that year, he formed a partner
ship with C. P. Luckey, under the firm name
of Luck^ & Platt, which later was changed
to Luckey, Platt & Co., by the association of
S. L. De Garmo into the business. In 1896
Mr. Luckey died, and Messrs. Platt and De-
Garmo purchased the deceased's interest, still,
however, retaining the old firm name The
business, which was coriiparatively small at
first, has steadily grown until it is to-day the
largest in the county, in the dry-goods line.
The premises at first occupied by the store were
at No. 328 Main street, whence, in August,
1874, it was removed to the present site No.
332 Main street; since occupying which, the
firm have found it necessary to enlarge the
store from time to time, as business increased,
the last addition being made in 1890, and it
now occupies the entire building, Nos. 332,
334 and 336 Main street.
In 1870 Edmund P. Platt was united in
marriage with Miss Mary Emily Bartlett,
daughter of Charles and Emily (Vedder) Bart
lett, of Poughkeepsie, Mr. Bartlett being the
founder and owner of the Poughkeepsie Colle
giate School on College Hill, which has since
been merged into Riverview Academy. To
Mr. and Mrs. Platt have been born four chil
dren, to wit: Emily, Miriam, Howard and
Alletta. Mr. and Mrs. Platt are members of
the First Presbyterian Church of Poughkeep-

W^^^^e^^^ C^ S^^:c^i^C.-^^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

79

sie, in which he is an elder, and of the Sunday-
school of which he has been superintendent for
eighteen years; has also held several other
offices in connection with the Church and Sun
day-school in the county and State. In the
Young Men's Christian Association he has been
very active, holding office as president, treas
urer or director for more than twenty years.
For the past eighteen years Mr. Platt has been
the chairman of the New York State Executive
Committee of the Young Men's Christian As
sociation. He is also actively engaged as an
officer or director in many missionary and be
nevolent enterprises both at home and in for
eign lands. He is one of the trustees of the
new "Rescue Mission" of Poughkeepsie, and
chairman of its executive and building commit
tees. In his political preferences he has al
ways been a stanch Republican, and at the
same time is an earnest advocate of the Tem
perance cause.
All in all, Mr. Platt has proved himself to
be one of the most useful men in the commu
nity, being assisted in all his works of philan
thropy by his amiable wife, who is also very
active in works of charity. Personally, Mr.
Platt is a gentleman of sterling integrity, inter
ested in everything that is for the good of the
community and the best interests of mankind.
His friendships are of that lasting nature which
close only with the final summons.

JOHN CALHOUN OTIS, M. D., is without
doubt one of the best known and most suc
cessful physicians of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, and to any one familiar with the high
character of the fraternity in that city this will
at once convey an idea of merit far beyond the
ordinary. Dr. Otis is a native of Dutchess county,
having been bornin the town of Stanford, Jan
uary 4, 1847. He is descended from an old
English family, and from James Otis, of Bos
ton, a noted personage in the early days. The
Doctor's grandfather, Henry Otis, was born in
Massachusetts, and passed the greater portion
of his active business life as a contractor in
Boston, where he died in 18 12. He had two
sons and seven daughters, none of whom are
, now living.
Hon. John H. Otis, our subject's father,
wasborn in 1809 at New Brunswick. N. J.,
where the famHy resided for a short time. He
learned the carriage maker's trade, and at eight

een years of age went to Charleston, S. C, to
engage in business in the firm of Otis & Rou-
lane. In 1846 he disposed of his interest and
came to Dutchess county, where he purchased
about 700 acres of land in the town of Stan
ford, three miles from Bangall. This he sold
in 1855, and then moved to Poughkeepsie,
where for some time he was interested with E.
B. Osborne in the Telegraph, now merged into
the News Press. For many years he was a di
rector of the Merchants Bank, and at the time
of his death was the oldest member of the
board. He was a manof strong character and
positive views, an Old-line Democrat in poli
tics, and an active participant in the movements
of his time. During the Nullification troubles
of 1832 he was a member of a company of
"Northern Volunteers " in Charleston, S. C. ,
and he served in Florida during the Seminole
war, as a sergeant under Andrew Jackson.
When the CivH war broke out, he supported
the Union cause, and raised the first company
of soldiers sent from Dutchess county — Com
pany E, 30th N. Y. V. I. He had expected
to go to the front as their captain, but gave
way to Capt. Harrison Holliday, who was killed
in the service. This regiment saw some hard
fighting, and made an honorable record. Later
Mr. Otis was offered the colonelcy of the 150th
Reg. N. Y. V. I., but declined it; he went to
the front, however, in 1863 as captain of Com
pany K, 1 6th Heavy ArtHlery, their first en
gagement being at Yorktown. His health
failed after about nine months' service in the
field, and he returned home.
As a citizen he possessed great popularity
and influence. While in the town of Stanford
he served seven terms as supervisor, and dur
ing the war he once came within seven votes
of being elected mayor of Poughkeepsie, then
a Republican stronghold. For several years
he served on the board of health and the board
of education, and in 1852-3 he was elected to
the State Senate, but after one term of two
years he declined a re-nomination on account
of ill health. He was an active member of
St. Paul's Church, and for twenty years held
the office of vestryman. In 1842, while on a
visit to the North for the summer, he met and
married Miss Ann B. Buckman, a member
of a prominent family of Durchess county,
daughter of Seneca Buckman, and granddaugh
ter of Dr. Amasa Buckman, of the town of
Stanford, a graduate of Oxford University, En
gland. She died in Poughkeepsie, in i860, at

80

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the age of thirty-seven, from pneumonia, leav
ing two chHdren: (i) Mary, wife of Dr. W.
R. Case, of Poughkeepsie, and (2) Dr. J. C.
Otis, of this sketch. The father passed away
in July, 1887, aged seventy-eight years.
Dr. John C. Otis was about eight years old
when his parents moved to Poughkeepsie,
where, in the Dutchess Academy, and in John
R. Leslie's school his education was mainly ac
quired. In 1863 and 1864 he served in the
quartermaster's department at Milwaukee, Wis.
For a time he attended the University of Ver
mont, and then, in 1865, he began his profes
sional studies in Harts Village, with Dr. Case.
In March, 1868, he was graduated from the
New York Homeopathic College, and in June
of that year he completed the medical course
at the University of "Vermont (Allopathic), hav
ing carried on the work of both schools at the
same time. Then came the perplexing ques
tion of a location, and after six months at
Erie, Penn., and two years at MHIbrook, Dutch
ess county, he finaHy settled at Poughkeepsie,
beginning his practice there January i, 1872,
with Dr. Hall, an old practitioner. Two years
later Dr. Otis established an independent office,
and in 1878 he associated with him Dr. Taylor
Lansing, who died in 1883. Dr. Otis then
continued alone until 1884, when he asked
Dr. Case to come to Poughkeepsie as his part
ner, the firm dissolving in 1888. In 1892 Dr.
Otis again took a partner. Dr. John H. Otis,
his son, with whom he is still sharing his large
and lucrative business. Dr. Otis has a general
practice, but gives especial attention to the
diseases of children. On settling at Pough
keepsie, he for two years occupied the house in
which Dr. Van Gieson now resides, but since
1874 he has made his home at the pleasant
residence in Cannon street. His wife, to whom
he was married October 6, 1870, in Millbrook,
was formerly Miss Katherine Haviland. Her
father, Barclay Haviland, a weH-known citizen,
is stHl living at the age of eighty-four. Her
mother, Susan (Tredway), was a daughter of
Dr. Alfred Tredway, and granddaughter of
PhiHp Hart, in whose honor Harts VHlage was
named. The Doctor and his wife have had
two children: Dr. John H. Otis, mentioned
above, and a daughter, Annie S., who died
when ten years old.
Dr. Otis is a member of the Dutchess
County Homeopathic Medical Society, and
was its president for twelve years. He also
belongs to the New York State Medical Soci

ety, and for a number of years he was surgeon
of the old Twenty-first Militia, which was dis
banded when the Nineteenth Separate Com
pany was organized. Notwithstanding his
activity in professional lines he is connected
with several business enterprises, and is the
president of the Delamater Carriage Company
of Poughkeepsie, a director of the Farmers &
Manufacturers Bank, and a trustee of the
Poughkeepsie Cemetery Association. Politic
ally, he is a Democrat; for ten years past he
has served as a member of the board of health,
and for seven years was vice-president of that
body. Socially, he is connected with the
Amrita and Dutchess Clubs, the K. of P.,
and several beneficiary orders. He is a lead
ing member of Christ's Church, in which he
is a vestryman, and also one of the trustees of
St. Barnabus Fund, disbursing the income of
the fund in behalf of the committee.

€\HARLES E. BOWNE, a leading mer-
_^ chant of Poughkeepsie, and founder of the
well-known firm of C. E. Bowne & Son, is a
representative of one of the prominent families
of Dutchess county.
His ancestors were early settlers at Flush
ing, Long Island. His grandfather, Gershom
Bowne, was born there, and about the year
1776 he and two brothers left the old home to
seek their fortunes elsewhere, one settling in
New York City, and one in Westchester county,
while Gershom located in the town of FishkHl,
Dutchess county. He married Nancy Bowne,
and to their union were born five children:
Mary, Elizabeth, Gershom, Samuel and James.
Gershom Bowne (2), our subject's father,
was born in the town of Fishkill, and passed
his entire life there, receiving his education in
the local schools, later engaging in farming.
He was a leader in his locality, holding many
public offices, and his sound judgment and up
right character made him the chosen advisor
of a large circle of acquaintances. He was a
prominent member of the Presbyterian Church
at BrinkervHIe, Dutchess Co. , N. Y. He mar
ried Elizabeth Hasbrouck, of Fishkill, and had
three children: Charles E., our subject; and
Francis Hasbrouck and Ann Elizabeth (both
deceased). Charles E. Bowne was born at the old
homestead June 19, 1818. His father dying
five years later, the family became scattered,
and at the age of seven our subject went to

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

81

Poughkeepsie to live with his uncle, James
Bowne, who was then a member of the firm of
Conklin & Bowne, dealers in merchandise.
After acquiring a good education in the schools
of the city, and in a boarding school at Whites-
boro, near Utica, from which he was graduated
in 1832, Mr. Bowne entered his uncle's store
as a clerk, and there remained sometime after
the change in the firm to Bowne & Trow
bridge. In order to perfect his knowledge of
the business, he went to New York and served
two years in the wholesale house of T. B. &
J. OdeH, No. 207 Pearl street. In 1844, at
the strong solicitation of the firm, he returned
to Poughkeepsie and became his uncle's part
ner, Mr. Trowbridge retiring. The partner
ship then formed under the name of J. Bowne
& Co. lasted thirty-five years, when the senior
member withdrew, and Mr. Bowne continued
the business under his own name. About five
years ago the firm became Bowne, Valentine
& Bowne, the last named being Frederick
Bowne, a son of our subject. Mr. Valentine
has since retired from the business, and Mr.
Bowne intends to give less of his personal at
tention to it in the future, as a stroke of par
alysis, in the spring of 1895, warned him to
release himself from care, although his recov
ery has been rapid. Fortunately the business
is in capable hands, his son being a worthy
successor. Mr. Bowne has been in business
on Main street for more than fifty years, and
has seen many changes, his early associates
and competitors there having all passed away,
their places being filled by another generation.
On December 23, 1846, at Staten Island,
Mr. Bowne married Miss Mary Haggerty, and
of this union five children were born: Emma,
who married J. A. Platt, of Providence, R. I.;
Charles S., a prominent druggist at Pough
keepsie; Henry Haggerty, a leading attorney
at Jacksonville, Fla. ; Frank, a commercial
traveler; and Frederick, junior member of the
firm of C. E. Bowne & Son. On February
27, 1896, the mother of this family passed
from earth kt the age of sixty-six years, after
almost half a century of married life.

f^\REDERICK BOWNE, junior member of
 the firm of C. E. Bowne & Son, of Pough
keepsie, and one of the most capable and en
terprising young business men of Dutchess
county, was born in the city of Poughkeepsie,
AprH 14, 1862.

He was educated in his native place, and
after graduating from the high school he took
a responsible position in the office of a large
jewelry factory at Providence, R. I. , where
he remained three years. In 1887 he re
turned to Poughkeepsie and entered his father's
store as clerk, in 1890 becoming a partner.
Owing to the ill health of his father, the busi
ness has devolved mainly upon him of late,
and his prudent and energetic management
gives promise of the continued success of this
long-established house. It is the only store
in the city which is devoted strictly to the
carpet business, and the firm is in advance of
all competitors in that line, holding the bulk
of the trade.
Mr. Bowne is an ardent supporter of the
doctrines of the Republican party, and is a
leader among the younger men in his locality.
In social life he holds a prominent place, is a
member of the Order of Elks, Knights of
Pythias, and was one of the founders of the
Poughkeepsie Bicycle Club, of which he is now
president.

C\ASPER L. ODELL, a prominent attorney
' of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, and a
representative of an ancient and honored fam
ily, was born in the town of Beekman, Dutch
ess Co., N. Y. , December 16, 1850.
Mr. Odell's genealogical tree affords an in
teresting study, the line reaching back to
Saluart, father of the first Count of Flanders.
The family name is variously spelled in the old
records — Odell, WoodhuH, Wodhull, etc. His
descent may be traced by two lines to Edward
II of England, and also reaches back to Alfred
the Great, and to Charles the Bold of France,
and the famHy was related by marriage to
William the Conquerer, and to Catherine Parr,
Queen of Henry VIII. The biography of
Joseph E. Odell, a brother of our subject,
contains additional information as to the re
mote history, which, it is alleged, dates back to
Priam, King of Troy. The following record,
dating back to 795 A. D. is correct beyond
question, being founded upon documentary
evidence: Generation I — Saluart, who married Mac-
larne Eringarde. II — Prince Dijon, first Count
of Flanders. Ill — Lideric Le Buc, founder
of the famHy of Foresters. IV — Ingleram.
V — Baldwin I, caHed Audacer and Brasle Fer,

82

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

who married Judith, daughter of Charles the
Bold, of France. VI— Baldwin II, the Bold,
married Aelfthry, daughter of Alfred, King of
England. VII — -Arnulf, who married Adelia,
daughter of the Count of Vermandois. VIII —
Baldwin IV. IX — Baldwin V, Le Debonair.
XI — Walter Flandrensis, the last Count and
the first Wodhull or Odell. XII— Simon De-
WodhuH, who married Sibill. XIII— Walter
de Wodhull, who married Roesia. XIV — Wal
ter de Wodhull. XV.— Saber Wodhull, who
married Joan or Alice Whelton. XVI — Wal
ter de Wodhull, who married Helewyse Senes-
challe. XVII — John de Wodhull, Baron, who
married Agnes Pinkeney. XVIII — Thomas
de Wodhull, Baron, who married Hawise de
Praers. XIX — John de Wodhull, Baron, who
married Isabella  . XX — Nicholas Wod
hull, Baron, who married Margaret Foxcote.
XXI — Thomas Wodhull, Baron, who married
Elizabeth Chetwood. XXII — Thomas Wod
hull, Baron, who married Isabella Trussell,
daughter of Sir William Trussell. XXIII —
John Wodhull, Baron, whose wife was Joan,
daughter of Henry Eastwell. XXIV — Fulk
Wodhull, Baron, who married Ann Newen-
ham. XXV — Nicholas Wodhull, Baron, sheriff
of Northumberland county, who married Eliz
abeth Parr, daughter of Baron William Parr
of Horton. XXVI— Fulk WodhuH of Then-
ford, whose wife was Alice Colles of Leigh.
XXVII— Nicholas Wodhull of Thenford, who
married Barbara Hobby of Hales. XXVIII —
"William Odell, born at Odell, near London,
who emigrated to America, and in 1639 was at
Concord, Mass. He removed to Fairfield,
Conn., about 1644, where his will, disposing
•of £aA7> was probated June 12, 1676. He had
three children: William, John and Rebecca
(Mrs. Samuel Moorehouse).
XXIX — ^William OdeH, who was born about
1634, and died about 1700, was one of the
flrst settlers at Rye, N. Y. , where he owned a
large estate. In 1681 he appears on the Fair
field records as owning 362 acres there, and in
1684 he deeded some land at Rye to a "son
Samuel living in the same county." Another
deed appears in 1697, as resident of Rye, and
October 2, 1668, he signed a petition there as
William WoodhuH. Savage mentions him as
"William, of Greenwich, Conn., in 1681,
aged forty-seven." He married a daughter of
Richard "Voles, of Fairfield, a freeholder and
representative in the Colonial government in
1665-68-69. They had eight chHdren: John,

Samuel, Isaac, Jonathan, Michael, HachaHa,
Stephen and Sarah.
XXX — Isaac, of Eastchester, N. Y. , signed
the oath of allegiance to King William at
White Plains, in 1699. He married Anne
Tompkins, and she joined in a deed of lands at
Rye in 1705. They had three chHdren: Will
iam, Tompkins and Joshua.
XXXI — Joshua married Sarah Jones, and
had three children: Joshua, Joseph and John.
XXXII — Joshua married Mary Vincent, and
had nine children: Jphn, Joseph, Abraham,
Daniel, James, Joshua, Sarah, AbigaH and
Isaac. XXXIII — John., of Dutchess county,
was born January 5, 1762, and died January
26, 1853. He married Esther Crawford, and
had eight children: Peter, Daniel, James,
Elizabeth, Abigail, Charlotte, William and
Ann. XXXIV — Daniel was born in Clinton
township, Dutchess county, April 15, 1805,
and died October 22, 1875. He was a farmer;
he married Malinda LeRoy, and had four chil
dren : Eliphalet P. , of Rowland ; John D. , of Salt
Point; Joseph E., of Poughkeepsie, and Cas
per L., our subject.
The thirty-fifth generation of this remark
able family are all worthy representatives, in
telligent, progressive and prosperous. Casper
L. Odell attended during boyhood the public
schools of Hyde Park, where the family moved
when he was only five years old. He entered
Union College at Schenectady, but while in
the sophomore year his father died, and he
was obliged to leave his studies and solve in a
practical way the problem of self-support. For
a year he was a clerk in the law office of Smith
and Jackson, at Schenectady, N. Y. , and the
next year taught school at Scotia. In 1876
he came to Poughkeepsie and studied law with
J. S. Van Cleef and "WilHam M. Lee, and was
admitted in 1879. For some time he con
tinued with Mr. Lee, and then clerked in the
county clerk's office under William A. Fanning
and "WHson B. Sheldon. He is an influential
worker in the Republican party, and has never
been defeated at an election. He was chosen
supervisor of the Third ward in 18 — , serving
two terms, justice of the peace in 1886, and
city recorder in November, 1894. In 1885 he
opened an office and began the practice of his
profession, in which he has been unusually
successful. On December 16, 1879, he was married,
at Lawyersville, Schoharie county, to Katha
rine T. Davis, born December 16, 1854, daugh-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

83

ter of Rev. WHliam P. Davis. Their children,
the thirty-sixth generation of the ancient line,
are LeRoy L., born October 6, 1880; Joseph
D., May 22, 1882; Lawrence C, January 31,
1885; Ralph M., December 31, 1887; Free
man Dewitt, March 11, 1890; and WHHam D.,
March 22, 1893.
Mr. Odell is a member of the K. of P.,
Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 43, and of the F. &
A. M., Triune Lodge No. 782, Poughkeepsie
Chapter No. 172, R. A. M.. King Solomon's
CouncH No. 31, R. & S. M., Poughkeepsie
Commandery No. 43, K. T., Mecca Temple
No. I, A. A. O. N. M. S., and Poughkeepsie
Lodge B. P. O. E.

J^ of

LLISON BUTTS, a well-known member
L of the Dutchess County Bar, is especially
distinguished for his knowledge and skill in
real-estate law and the different questions in
volved in trusts. He is descended from one of
the old pioneer famiHes of New England. The
first American ancestor, Thomas Butts, came
from Norfolk, England, May 18, 1660, and
settled at Little Compton, R. I., which was
then a part of the Plymouth Colony. He mar
ried, and had three sons and one daughter.
One of the sons, Moses, who was born July
30, 1673, married, and had seven chHdren,
among whom was a son John, born August
31, 1707-
John Butts married Alice Wodell, October
26, 1727, and with his family came to Dutch
ess county, locating on the " Little Nine Part
ners Patent," in the town of Washington,
where he purchased a farm of 200 acres from
Isaac Thorn. The original deed, dated Octo
ber 4, 1748, is now in the possession of J. De-
Witt Butts, of Rochester, N. Y. John Butts
died about 1797, leaving a large estate, which
was distributed in accordance with his Will,
probated in the office of the Surrogate of
Dutchess County, July 25, 1797. He had nine
chHdren, of whom one, Moses, had died about
1780, leaving two young chHdren, Daniel and
Hannah. Daniel Butts, our subject's great
grandfather, was born in 1768, and died in
1817. He married Isabella Gardner, and about
179- moved to a farm in the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county, where he built a large and
substantial mansion, which is still standing.
Daniel and Isabella Butts had eleven children,
the eldest being Moses (our subject's grand
father), who was born December 16, 1786,

and, like most of this family, passed his life
in agricultural pursuits. He was married,
March 22. 1806, to Mary Waltermire, of the
town of Stanford, and his death occurred in
the same township, June 4, 1851. He had
eight chHdren: David W., William, Hiram,
Angeline, Daniel, Walter, Alfred, and George
F. , the father of our subject.
The late George F. Butts was born De
cember 13, 1823, in the town of Stanfo'rd,
Dutchess county, and had his home throughout
his life near Cold Spring, in that town. On
December 16, 185 1, he married his first wife,'
Eliza D. Case, by whom he had three sons:
Allison, our subject, born October 2, 1852;
Charles H., born February 5, 1855, now mar
ried and living on the old homestead; and
Elias N., born August 10, 1865, now in the
Department of the Interior at Washington,
D. C. By a second wife, Cornelia AlHng,
there were no children; she is still living at the
homestead, where the father died, September
3, 1893- Allison Butts spent his boyhood upon the
farm occupied by his father. He was edu
cated in the common schools and academies of
Dutchess county, and at twenty began teach
ing, but continued for a short time only. On
January i, 1874, he came to Poughkeepsie as
a clerk for Andrew C. Warren, then county
clerk, and soon aftervvard was appointed dep
uty county clerk, which office he held tltrough
both Republican and Democratic administra
tions, untH January i, 1881, when he re
signed. He had in the meantime read law and
been admitted to the bar, and the large circle
of friends gained during his long term in the
county clerk's office made his entrance upon
his chosen profession a most promising ven
ture. He immediately began a general prac
tice at Poughkeepsie, and has been intimately
associated with the law firm of Hackett &
Williams, occupying offices in connection with
them. His business is an extensive one, trusts
and real-estate practice being now the leading
features. He is often appointed by the courts
to administer trusts, and has frequently served
as executor and attorney for large estates.
While he has conducted many important cases,
his office practice comprises the larger portion
of his work, and in his specialties he is recog
nized as an authority by his fellow lawyers as
well as the laity.
His genial manners make him popular with
all classes. In municipal affairs he is active

84

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and influential. Politically, he is a stanch
Democrat. He served two terms as police
commissioner of the city of Poughkeepsie, and
from 1887 to 1890 was a member of the board
of education. In July, 1890, he was appointed
by the board of managers of the Hudson River
State Hospital to the office of treasurer of that
institution, which office he now holds, and he
has discharged the duties with characteristic
fidelity. Mr. Butts was married December 14, 1876,
to his first wife. Miss Phebe D. Mosher, of the
town of Stanford, Dutchess county. She died
December 15, 1882, leaving one son, Ralph
F. , born April 6, 1878, who is now a student
in the Sophomore class at Harvard College.
Mr. Butts' second wife. Miss Arrie E. Mosher,
to whom he was married September 16, 1885,
was cousin to his first. There are three chil
dren by this union: Norman C, born August
8, 1888; AlHson, Jr., born April 26, 1890, and
Wilbur Kingsley, born September 7, 1895.
Mr. Butts resides in a handsome home on
Academy street, Poughkeepsie, erected in 1895.

JrUDGE D. W. GUERNSEY, for twelve
I years past the judge of the County Court
of Dutchess County, is one of the most
distinguished members of the legal fraternity
in this locality. He is descended from an old
and honored pioneer family, one ot the early
settlers being John Guernsey, his great-great
grandfather, who was born in 1709 in Con
necticut, either at New Milford or "Woodbury.
He had a son, John Guernsey (2), born in
Amenia in October, 1734, who had a son,
Ezekial H. Guernsey, born in the same town
April 19, 1775, who had a son, Stephen G.
Guernsey, the Judge's father, who was born
September 8, 1798, in the town of Stanford.
Judge D. W. Guernsey entered upon his
earthly career March 27, 1834, in the town of
Stanford, and his early education was obtained
in the district schools of that neighborhood,
with one year at Rose Hill Academy at New
burg, under Rev. Baynard R. Hall. On
leaving school, at the age of seventeen, he
taught for two years in Dutchess county, and
then began the study of law with George W.
Houghton, of Buffalo, N. Y. , who was a judge
in the superior court, and a member of the
legal firm of Houghton & Clark. The choice
of Buffalo as the place for study was influenced
by the fact that many relatives lived there.

and a cousin, Guernsey Sackett, was also
pursuing a course in law. In March, 1856,
our subject passed his examination, was ad
mitted to the bar, and in 1857 he and his
cousin went to Leavenworth, Kans., and en
gaged in practice. At that time Gen. Sher
man and Gen. Ewing were practicing law
there. The Kansas-Nebraska bill was an ex
ceedingly live issue, and as the Judge was a
Democrat he met with opposition from many
people, but, notwithstanding, he had a good
business, consisting mainly of cases before the
land commissioners, involving questions of
title. He argued cases before E. O. Perrin,
Shannon and Matthews, of the Interior De
partment. As the time drew near when the
opposing forces of the Union appealed to arms
to settle their differences, the place became
uncomfortable for a man of the Judge's polit
ical views, so in January, 1861, he returned
east. During that year he was managing
clerk for Ira O. Miller, of New York City,
and in the spring of 1862 he enlisted as a
private in Company D, 47th N. Y. V. I.,
which was recruited in Stanford and Pine
Plains. The 47th made a part of the loth and
later the i8th Corps, and was assigned to the
army of the James. The Judge took part in
many engagements, and was at the seige of
Fort Wagner, at Morris Island under GHmore,
the seige of Petersburg, and the mine explo
sion, Drury's Bluff, Chapin's farm, Chester
Station, Cold Harbor, Florida, Fort Fisher,
Wilmington, Bentonville, and Raleigh, serv
ing until mustered out at Washington. At
Cold Harbor, his corps, the i8th, lost three
thousand men in two hours. The Judge was
promoted to the rank of commissary-sergeant.
Col. Allen giving him his commission, and
later was made second lieutenant, his com
mission being given by Col. Fenton, then pro
moted to first lieutenant, and finally to cap
tain. Gov. Seymour being the giver of the last
commission. On his return in 1865, Judge Guernsey be
gan the practice of his profession at Pough
keepsie as a general practitioner, and has con
tinued it successfully ever since. In November,
1893, he was elected judge of the county court
for six years, and in 1889 was re-elected for
another term. Some time ago he was ap
pointed by the supreme court to act as com
missioner for the City of New York, in the
matter of the appraisement of the value of
lands taken by that city.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

85

The Judge has always maintained his home
in the town of Stanford. In June, 1870, he
was married to Miss EmHy Millard, daughter
of Seneca MHlard, a well-known resident of
Dutchess county, and they have an interesting
family of seven children: Eleanor G., at
home; WHliam, a student at Wesleyan Uni
versity; Lydia, studying at Vassar College; and
Daniel W. , MHlard, H. Newport and Ruth are
all at home. In matters of religion the family
incline to the Baptist faith.
Judge Guernsey has shown his public spirit
in many ways, being always ready to encourage
a forward movement. He is a member of the
F. & A. M., of Poughkeepsie, and also belongs
to the Sons of Temperance, Division No. 9.

WILLIAM A. BLISS, M. D., who was
 for many years a leading physician and
surgeon in Brooklyn, N. Y. , is now living in
well-earned leisure at his beautiful country
seat on Spy HHl, near Fishkill-on-Hudson,
Dutchess county, his residence commanding a
charming view of the river with the bay and
the city of Newburg.
The Doctor is a descendant of a family
which has long been distinguished for nobility
of character apd devotion to principle, and is
of the tenth generation in direct descent from
one of the heroic Non-conformists of England
who upheld their faith in the face of the
fiercest persecution. His genealogy is of great
interest, his earliest known ancestor being
Thomas Bliss, of Belstone parish, Devonshire,
England. It is recorded of him that he was
a wealthy land owner, and belonged to the
class which was stigmatized as Puritans, on
account of the purity and simplicity of their
forms of worship. He was persecuted by the
civil and religious authorities under the direc
tion of Archbishop Laud, and was maltreated,
impoverished, imprisoned, and finally ruined
in health (as well as in finances) by the many
indignities and hardships forced upon him by
the intolerant Church party in power. He
was born about 1550 or 1560, and died about
1635 or 1640.
Second Generation: Jonathan Bliss, son
of Thomas Bliss, was born at Belstone about
1575 or 1580, and like his father he was
doomed to bitter persecution on account of his
non-conformity and opposition to the iniqui
tous practices that had assumed control not
only of the government, but also of the con

sciences o{ the people; he was subjected to
heavy fines, much ill-treatment, and a long
imprisonment, during which he contracted a
fever from which he never recovered. His
death occurred about 1635 or 1636. He mar
ried, but his wife's name is not known.
Third Generation: Thomas Bliss, of Re
hoboth, Mass., son of Jonathan, was born at
Belstone, England, and on the death of his
father in 1636, he emigrated to America, land
ing at Boston, whence he removed to Brain-
tree, Mass., thence to Hartford, Conn., and
from there back to Weymfcuth, near Braintree,
from which place he removed in 1643 with
many others, and commenced a new settle
ment, which they called Rehoboth. He died
there in June, 1649.
Fourth Generation: Jonathan Bliss, son
of Thomas and Mistress Ide (or Hyde), was
born in England about 1625, was married about
1648 to Miriam Harmon, and died about the
beginning of the year 1687. He followed the
occupation of a blacksmith at Rehoboth.
Fifth Generation: Samuel, of Rehoboth,
Mass. (son of Jonathan Bliss and Miriam Har
mon of Rehoboth), was born at Rehoboth June
24, 1660, and married April 15, 1686, to Mary
Kendrick, who died February 8, 1705-6. He
died August 28, 1 720: They had nine children.
Sixth Generation : Abraham Bliss, son of
Samuel and Mary Bliss, was born October 28,
1697, at Rehoboth, and on July 11, 1728,
married Sarah Ormsbee, of the same place.
He died in 1787. Twelve chHdren were born
of this marriage.
Seventh Generation: Abraham Bliss, Jr.,
our subject's great-grandfather, was born April
10, 1735, in Rehoboth, Mass., and was a lieu
tenant in the -Revolutionary army. He mar
ried Miss Polly Scudder, and had four children :
Abraham, John, Samuel, Polly.
Eighth Generation: Samuel Bliss, of
Schodack, N. Y., farmer, son of Abraham
Bliss, Jr., and Polly Scudder, was born in
Schodack, August 19, 1771, and died Decem
ber 14, 1846. He married Elizabeth Pem
broke, who was born in Schodack August 26,
1774, and died there AprH 16, 1852 or '53.
They had ten children: Polly, Rebecca,
Abraham, Betsey and Anna (twins), Sandford,
John S., Sally, Clarissa and Christina.
Ninth Generation: John S. Bliss, of
Sand Lake, Rennselaer Co., N. Y., son of
Samuel Bliss and Elizabeth Pembroke, and
father of our subject, was born in Schodack,

86

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

N. Y., May 3, 1809. He was married Janu
ary II, 1 83 1 , to Polly Hunt, born at Sand Lake
January 11, 18 10; she died at Sand Lake Jan
uary 8, 1863. He was a farmer at Sand Lake,
and died at North Nassau, N. Y., September
15. 1873-
In the Tenth Generation of this line there
were six chHdren: (i) William Anson, born
at Schodack March 14, 1833, died May 15,
1835; (2) Sophronia F. , born in Schodack Feb
ruary 17, 1836, died July 17, 1880; (3) La-
rissa C, born in Summit, N. Y. , March 26,
1838, was married IVtarch 17, 1869, to George
G. Merrifield, a farmer at Nassau, N. Y. , who
died August 24, 1895; (4) WHliam A., our
subject, was born at Nassau May 5, 1841; (5)
Mary Frances, born at the same town May 21,
1846, died April 20, 1895 (she was married
September 14, 1874, to Edward T. Norton, of
Greenbush, N. Y. , a timekeeper on the B. &
A. R.). (6) Solon F., born at Sand Lake Sep
tember 7, 1849, was graduated from Albany
Medical College in 1873, and after spending
two years at Tung-Chou, near Chee Foo,
China, as a medical missionary, returned to
this country, took up his practice at No. 646
Herkimer street, Brooklyn, N. Y., and died
here July 24, 1896. He never married.
William A. Bliss was educated at Sand
Lake, attending the common schools for some
years, and later taking a full course at the
Sand Lake Academy. He then entered Al
bany Medical College, and whHe there he had
the good fortune to secure a position in the
office of Dr. Alden March, in his day the
greatest surgeon of northern New York. On
graduating, in 1866, the Doctor began his pro
fessional career in Brooklyn, and continued
for twenty- eight years, building up a large
practice, from which he retired in 1892, re
moving to Matteawan, and two years later he
built his present residence, which can hardly
be surpassed for beauty of situation. His
wife, to whom he was married March 28, 1866,
was formerly Miss Jennie Jaques, of Albany,
N. Y. She was born in the village of Nassau,
N. Y., June 3, 1848, daughter of Edward and
Emily (Lewis) Jaques, and she is now the
only surviving member of her immediate
famHy, as are the Doctor and his sister Larissa
and her daughter (Frances) the only surviving
members of their immediate family. In poli
tics Dr. Bliss is a Republican, but his arduous
professional labors have prevented him from
taking an active part in public affairs.

Genealogy of Mrs. Jennie Jaques Bliss, be
ginning with Henry Va-v^ling^First Generation),
said to have been an officer in the British army.
He had a grant of five thousand acres of land
in PhHadelphia, Penn., from WiHiam Penn
before he emigrated to America. He was
about having a patent of Pawling's purchase,
now Staatsburgh, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , when
he died. This patent was afterward made to
his widow and children. He settled in Ulster
county, and died in Marbletown about 1692,
leaving a widow and seven children living, one
other having died. His will dated January 26,
1691 (1692 new style), and proved March 26,
1695. His widow was living as late as 1745.
Henry Pawling married, in Kingston, N. Y. ,
Neeltje Roosa, daughter of Albert Heymanse
Roosa. Children: Jane, married Jan Con,
Kingston; Wyntie, married John Brodhead;
John, baptized 1681; James, baptized 1683,
died young; Albert, married Catherine Beek
man, widow of John Rutsen, and died in 1745;
Anne, baptized 1687, married Tjerck DeWitt,
Kingston; Henry, married Jacomyntie Kunst;
Mary, baptized 1692, married Thomas Van-
Keuren, Marbletown.
Second Generation: Henry Pawling, Jr.,
lived in Ulster county, N. Y. , until about 1720,
when he removed to Philadelphia, Penn., to
lands granted to his late father. His brother
John also removed to the same place. Henry
Pawling, Jr., married, in Kingston, Jacomyn
tie, daughter of Cornelius Barents Kunst and
Jacomyntie Sleight. They had children bap
tized in Kingston: Henry, 1714; Sara, 1716;
Elizabeth, 17 19; and others born in Pennsyl
vania, as follows: Levi, afterward of Marble
town, colonel in the army of the Revolution;
John (Major), afterward of Staatsburgh; and
doubtless others.
Third Generation: Major John Pawling
married (first) Neeltje Van Keuren (a cousin),
daughter of Thomas Van Keuren and Mary
Pawling. Children: Henry, baptized Novem
ber 30, 1755; Cornelius, baptized January 27,
'758; John, baptized October 24, 1760; Mary,
baptized November 1 1, 1764. Major Pawling
married (second) Maria, daughter of Jacob
Van Deusen and Alida Ostrander. Children:
Levi married (first) Gertrude Knickerbocker,
(second) Hannah Griffin; Jesse married Leah
Radcliff; Jacob married Martha Russell; Elea
nor married Peter Brown; Rachel married
Christopher Hughes; Alida married Peter Os-
trom; Elizabeth married WHHam Stouten-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

87

burgh; Jacomyntie married Wait Jaques (grand
father of Mrs. Jennie J. Bliss); Catharine mar
ried Jacob Conklin; and Rebecca married Fred
erick S. Uhl.
" Major John Pawling was an officer in the
French and Indian war, also in the Revolu
tionary war, and was a leading man in his day.
His remains lie in the cemetery of the Re
formed Dutch Church in the village of Rhine
beck, N. Y." [From Smith's History.] "In
1 76 1 he built the stone house on the post road,
now owned by the heirs of Edwin Berg. It
bears the inscription of J. P. N. P. July 4,
1 76 1. He took an active part in the Revolu
tion and was personally acquainted with Wash
ington and many of the prominent men of the
time." [From History of Rhinebeck.] This
stone house is on the post road between Staats
burgh and Rhinebeck, still standing in nearly
its original condition, beautifully located with
fine river views. This was Jemima Pawling's
(grandmother of Mrs. Jennie J. Bliss) birth
place. "Levi Pawling, brother of Major John
Pawling, was a delegate from Marbletown, Ul
ster county, to the provincial convention held
in the City of New York, AprH 20, 1775, to
elect delegates to the Second Continental Con
gress of the Colonies, and on October 25,
1 77 5 1 was commissioned colonel of the Third
Regiment of Ulster county militia, which had
an excellent record in the war. His son. Col.
Albert Pawling, born in Dutchess county in
1749, was the first mayor of Troy, and first
sheriff of Rennselaer county. He died No
vember 10, 1837, and was buried in Mount
Ida Cemetery, near the banks of the Poesten-
kill." [Here follows the inscription on the
monument]: Albert Pawling joined the Revolutionary army as
second lieutenant June, 1775; in 1776 he received the
commission of brigade major, and in 1779 that of lieu
tenant-colonel. He took a conspicuous part in the assault
on (Quebec, at the taking of St. John's, at the Battle of
White Plains and Monmouth. He was the first sheriff of
Rensselaer county, and the first mayor of the city of Troy.
In 1831 he united himself to the Second Presbyterian
Church, laid his honors at the feet of Jesus, gave up his
earthly in hope of an heavenly inheritance. Col. Albert
Pawling died November 10, 1837, aged eighty-seven years.
Fourth Generation: Jacomyntie (Jemima)
Pawling (grandmother of Mrs. Jennie J. Bliss),
daughter of Major John Pawling and Maria
Van Deusen Pawling, was born in Staatsburgh,
Dutchess Co., N. Y., March 12, 1782, and
died at Nassau, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., March
22, 1867. She married December 18, 1803,

Wait Jaques, a farmer, born at Groton, New
London Co., Conn., AprH 27, 1762, and died
at Nassau, November 27, 1857. He was of
Huguenot descent. They lived in Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, many years, where four chil
dren were born to them: William, born De
cember 4, 1804, died October 26, 1871; Ed
ward, born December 12, 1809, died Novem
ber 4, 181 1 ; Edward (father of Mrs. Jennie
J. Bliss), born June 12, 1813, died February
19, 1886; Janet Montgomery, born November
9, 1 8 17, died February 27, 1839.
Fifth Generation: Edward Jaques, son of
Wait Jaques and Jacomyntie (Jemima) Pawl
ing, was born in Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
N. Y. , June 12, 1813. He was married Jan
uary 2, 1840, to Emily Lewis, born September
22, 1820, in Schodack, N. Y. , daughter of
Jacob Lewis (who was of Holland descent)
and Abigail Hughson. For some twenty years
he was a merchant in Nassau, N. Y. , and ten
years in Albany, N. Y., passing his later years
in Brooklyn, N. Y. , where he died February
19, 1886, andhis wifeon June 21, 1888. They
had five chHdren: Janet Montgomery, born
October 4, 1840, died October 30, 1861; Ed
ward Pawling, born September 10, 1842, died
May 9, 1873; Irving PhHlip, born March 6,,
1844, died July 2, 1863; Jennie (wife of Dr.
W. A. BHss), born June 3, 1848; and Willie
Wait, born February 8, i860, died January
18, 1869.
Sixth Generation: Edward PawHng Jaques,
first lieutenant of Company E, 169th Regiment
N. Y. V. I., served through the RebeHion,
was wounded and captured May 10, 1864, in
the battle at Chester Station, near Richmond,
and confined in Libby Prison a short time.
After the close ofthe war he settled in Albany,
N. Y., and married, February 28, 1867, Laura
D. Bingham, daughter of Anson and Laura
McClellan Bingham. She died November 15,
1867, and he died May 9, 1873. Irving Phillip
Jaques (brother of Edward) was sergeant-major
in the iiith Regiment, N. Y. V. I., and was
kHled July 2, 1863, at Gettysburg.

)URTON GILBERT (deceased) was born
in Warren, Conn., in 1802, and received
his education there. The Gilberts were of
English stock, and Ezra, the grandfather, was
one of the earliest settlers of Warren. Capt.
Samuel GHbert, the subject's father, was a
manufacturer of iron, but failed in business

COMMEMOBA TIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

when his son was a mere boy, leaving him
penniless. Thrown upon the world at the early age of
sixteen, with every discouraging influence
around him, our subject soon manifested those
traits of industry, perseverance, and true
Yankee pluck, which attracted the attention
of business men, convincing them that he had
within him the promise of a future. He made
himself wanted, which is the first element of
success in a young .man. From the humble
position of a boy, hired into a merchant's
family to do common chores, he soon found
himself behind the counter as clerk; and ere
long the height of his ambition was realized,
as he often remarked in after life, when he
caught the first sight of the sign over the store
door of " Hartwell & Gilbert." He continued
in the mercantile business almost uninterrupt
edly to the close of life, carrying to the end
that same energy, industry and decision of
character so early manifested in the boy. He
died in 1882, aged eighty years. A short
sketch, written by a friend shortly after his
death, Hlustrates his life and character:
"The death of Mr. Gilbert removes one
of the most familiar landmarks, known to our
citizens. For more than half a century he
had been engaged in active business, and pur
sued it with untiring energy, an'd with marked
success. Few men in business life have ap
parently loved their vocation more than he, or
left a more honorable record of a busy and act
ive career. He was of genial temperament,
and always had a pleasant and cordial greet
ing to extend to all his friends. For these he
will long be affectionately remembered in this
and other communities. He had a wide circle
of acquaintances, extending over western Con
necticut, Hartford county, etc. He was also
well-known to many merchants in New York,
and distinguished for his high commercial
standing and credit. He cheerfully bore his
share of taxation for civil and reHgious pur
poses. He was a member of the Congrega
tional Church of Warren, and was its principal
supporter. He was three times married: In
1833 he married Maria Carter, of Warren.
Their daughter Maria (now deceased) married
Frederick Whittlesey, of New Britain, Conn.
His second wife was Maria Stone, of New
Preston, Conn. They had four chHdren:
Two are now living — Laura, who married
George S. Humphrey, of New Preston, Conn.,
and Lester H. Gilbert, who now lives in Colo

rado. In 1848 he married Thalia M. MHes,
of New Milford, Conn., whose ancestors were
prominent among the original settlers of that
town. Their daughter Emma married Henry
R. Hoyt, of Poughkeepsie, New York.
" This brief sketch of the life of this, in
many ways remarkable, man, if more extended,
might give many an object lesson for the
young men of the present day."

Jf^ ARON INNIS. Prominent among the
.^^ business men of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess-
county, stands this gentleman, whose entire
life has been closely identified with the history
of the city, while his name is inseparably con
nected with its financial records. For many
years he was president of the city railroads,
and president of the City Bank of Pough
keepsie for a number of years. He is pos
sessed of keen discrimination and sound judg
ment, and his executive ability and excellent
management brought to these concerns a high
degree of success.
Mr. Innis comes of a family that has long
been prominent in the affairs of the city of
Poughkeepsie. The original ancestor, James
Innis, a native of Scotland, was brought to
America in 1737, by his mother and sisters,
who located at Little Britain, Orange Co. ,
N. Y. , where he was educated by George and
James Clinton. He married Miss Sybil Ross,
of Morristown, N. J., and they became resi
dents of Newburg, Orange county, in 1780.
Ten children were born to them: James, who
during the Revolutionary war participated in
the battle of Monmouth, and died unmarried;
Jane, who became the wife of William Irwin,
and removed to Ohio; Keziah, who married
James Owen; Mrs. Lydia Hanmore; Peter,
who died unmarried; Benjamin, who wedded
Margaret Denton; Elsie, wife of Thomas
Aldrich; Aaron, the grandfather of our subject;
Sarah, who became the wife of Anthony Pres-
lor; and Williatn, who married Eliza Warring.
Grandfather Innis was a native of Orange
county, where he followed farming, and by his
marriage with Martha Smith, he had a large
family of children, among whom was Aaron.
Aaron Innis, the father of our subject, was
born in Ulster county, N. Y., and was united
in marriage with Miss Martha Smith, daugh
ter of Eliphalet Smith (who was of EngHsh
extraction), and a leading farmer of Ulster
county. After their marriage this worthy

JhOAir^ ^Xum.2^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

couple located at Poughkeepsie, where Mr.
Innis engaged in the freighting business, run
ning at first a sloop from there to New York
City, and later a steamboat named "Em
erald." He continued this business up to the
time of his death in 1838. Politically he cast
his baHot in support of the Whig party, and in
religious faith both he and his wife were faith
ful members of the Reformed Dutch Church.
Aaron Innis, whose name introduces this
sketch, was born in Poughkeepsie, January
23, 1834, and he is the youngest in a family of
eight children. In the public schools of that
city he began his education, and was grad
uated at College Hill, on the completion of
the course. He entered upon his business
career as general manager of the firm of Gif
ford, Sherman & Co., owners of a large dye-
wood factory, and is still connected vvith that
business, which has proved very profitable.
On May 15, 1856, Mr. Innis was united in
marriage with Miss Catherine Reynolds, a
sister of William T. Reynolds, of Pough
keepsie, and to them were born four children:
William R. , connected with Studebaker &
Co., of New York City, where he makes his
home, and also has an interest in the dye-
wood business of Poughkeepsie; Catherine,
the wife of John F. O'Rourke, a civil engineer,
of New York City; Adele, married to Edmund
Platt, a son of the Hon. John I. Platt; and
Caroline, who died at the age of six years.
The several business concerns which have
been under the management of Mr. Innis at
test his eminent and pronounced ability as a
financier, and he is equally prominent in so
cial life. Whether in public or private life his
integrity is above question, and his honor
above reproach. Poughkeepsie owes much to
him and numbers him among her valued citi
zens, and he is one of the leading Freemasons
in the city. He is an earnest supporter of the
Republican party, and has been a member of
the board of supervisors; for the past nine
years he has been a member of the board of
health of the city of Poughkeepsie; became
the vice-president under the administration of
Mayor Arnold, and reappointed vice-president
under Mayor Hull.

/^\EORGE W. CHASE, the able and popu-
\^ lar cashier of the National Bank of Pawl
ing, Dutchess county, has been in continuous
service in that institution for thirty-eight years.

a record probably unequalled by any contem
poraneous bank officer in the county. His
well-proven ability and integrity, and his untir
ing devotion to any work to which he applies
himself, have received the ample recognition
of his fellow townsmen who have many times
shown their confidence and esteem by choos
ing him for some of the most important posi
tions in their gift, both in business and political
Hfe. The Chase family is of English origin, and
the founder of the branch of which our subject
is an honored member, was Isaac Chase, who
settled at Cape Cod at an early period. His
son Obadiah had eleven children, who settled
chiefly in New York State, where many of
their descendants stHl live. The eldest son,
Isaac, lived in Tompkins county; Alvin in
Dutchess county; Elmer and Ezra in Tomp
kins county; John and Jesse in Westchester
county; Daniel went to Michigan; Hulday
married Edmond Hopkins, and lived in Tomp
kins county; Lydia inarried Judah Baker, of
the same county; Mary married Absalom Col
well, and settled in Rensselaer county; and
Catherine married Absalom CaldweH, also of
Rensselaer county.
Alvin Chase, our subject's grandfather, was
born in 1778, and by his first wife, Ruth Cole,
he had twelve children: Cyrus, a merchant at
Croton Falls; Naomi, who married a Mr.
Beardsley, of Kent, Conn. ; Darius, our sub
ject's father; Susan, the wife of Joseph Smith,
of Carmel, Putnam county; Lyman, who was
a farmer in Iowa, where he reared a large
family, of whom some were bankers and some
ministers, and all held prominent position in
the community; Sarah, the wife of Daniel
Brown, of Republic, Ohio; Henry, who lived
in Erie county, Ohio, near Castalia; Hiram,
who settled in Garden Grove, Iowa, and left
descendant there; Cynthia, the wife of Gilbert
Knapp, a wealthy and prominent citizen of
Erie county, Ohio, residing near Castalia;
Mai^, the wife of Stephen Hawley, of Con
necticut; Frank, a farmer of Erie county, Ohio;
and John, a farmer of Kent, Conn., where his
son is a successful merchant. For his second
wife Alvin Chase wedded Martha Dingee, by
whom he had three chHdren: Alvin, a hotel
keeper of Patterson and Brewster, N. Y. ; Han
nah, who married Moses Peck, a farmer of
Patterson, N. Y. ; and Elmer, a farmer of the
town of Pawling.
Darius Chase, tlie father of our subject.

90

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

was born November i, 1807, and duringhis
early years was a farmer, first in Putnam
county, and later in the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, where he settled in 1841.
In 1853 he entered the employ of the Harlem
Railroad Company, as station agent at Paw
ling, and held the position some twenty-seven
years, when he resigned on account of ill
health. He is still living, and in spite of his
eighty-nine years is in the full possession of
his faculties. He has always been one of the
substantial citizens of the town, and a success
ful business man, being noted for his good
judgment. In politics he has been a steadfast
Democrat, and he has held the offices of town
clerk, collector of taxes, and commissioner of
highways. At one time he was a captain in
the State militia, and by this well-earned title
he is still addressed by his old friends. In
early manhood he was married to Miss Phoebe
Smith, who after many years of wedded life
passed away in 1892, in her eighty-first year.
Her father. Judge Edward Smith, was one of
the leading citizens of Putnam county in his
day, a judge of the county court, and a mem
ber of the State Assembly. Our subject is
one of seven children: Clara, the eldest;
" Emily, who married Egbert M. Toffey, of
Pawling; Ruth; Susan, the wife of Squire R.
Barrett, formerly of Sing Sing, later of New
York City; Elizabeth, who married Jerry S.
Pearce, sheriff of Dutchess county; and
Adelaide, who married James S. Pearce.
George W. Chase was born in the town of
Kent, Putnam county, July i, 1840, and re
ceived his education in the district schools of
Pawling, Dutchess county, these somewhat
limited advantages giving him a foundation for
his subsequent reading by which he has ac
quired for himself a wide range of knowledge.
At the age of fifteen he engaged in clerking,
and spent about three years in this work with
Orwin Theall and J. W. Stark. His prompt
ness and close appHcation to business attracted
the attention of J. W. Bowdish, then cashier
of the National Bank of Pawling, and he se
cured him a position in the bank as messenger,
office boy and assistant bookkeeper. At this
time the institution, which was organized in
1849, was a State bank, with Albert J. Akin
as its president. In 1865 it became a National
bank, and in the same year Mr. Chase was
appointed assistant cashier, his election to the
office of cashier following in 1872. He is in
terested in many other, enterprises, being

treasurer of the Eastern Building and Loan
Association; treasurer of the Harlem Valley
Agricultural Association; secretary and treas
urer of the Pawling Cemetery Association; sec
retary, treasurer and director of the Mizzentop
Hotel Co. ; treasurer of the Akin Hall Library
Association; vice-president of the Pawling &
Beekman Turnpike Co. ; one of the original
incorporators of the Pawling Savings Bank;
and president of the Society for the Detection
of Horse Thieves. He has always been a firm
Republican, and has taken much interest in
town and county politics. In 1882 he was
appointed county treasurer by the board of su-.
pervisors, in place of Seneca V. Halloway, and
in the fall of the same year was elected to the.
office, receiving all but fifteen votes in his
own town. He was the only Republican can
didate elected that year, and his popularity
was again demonstrated by his re-election in
1885. He is a member of Dover Lodge, F.
& A. M., and of the Baptist Church, of which
he is treasurer. In 1885, he was married to.
Miss Emma M. Chapman, a daughter of Rich
ard Chapman, a prominent resident of Paw
ling, and they have had three children: Cor
nelia T., George W. and Theodore F., the
latter of whom died at about the age of seven
months.

A'

LEAN BARRINGER HENDRICKS, the
efficient bookkeeper of the First Na
tional Bank of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
is a descendant of one of the leading families
of this region. Lawrence Hendricks, his great
grandfather, came from Rhinebeck to settle
upon a farm in Red Hook, in 1802, bringing
with him a family of four children: Samuel
H., Jacob L. , Johannes and Elizabeth.
Jacob L. Hendricks, our subject's grand
father, was born May 13, 1773, and followed
farming as an occupation. He married Miss.
Anna Moore, a native of Red Hook, born May
4, 1770, and reared a family of four chHdren,
whose names with dates of birth are as fol
lows: Lawrence Edmund, July 12, 1809;
Magdalene, October 19, 181 1; Jeremiah, No
vember 2, 181 3; and PhHip, January 29, 18 16.
The mother of this family died AprH 17, 1825,
the father on May 24, same year.
Jeremiah Hendricks, our subject's father,
attended the district schools of his day, and
for a time was employed in a store as clerk.
In 183 1 he engaged in the manufacture of to-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

91

bacco in partnership with Albert Near, the
firm changing later to Hendricks & Wells, then
to J. Hendricks & Co. , then to J. & P. Hend
ricks & Co. , the members at that time being
Jeremiah and Philip Hendricks, and R. L.
Massoneau. He was also the owner of aflour-
mHl at Red Hook, and was interested in vari
ous other lines of business. He was married
July i8, 1837, to Miss Eliza C. Barringer, of
Red Hook, by whom he had three children:
AHan B., born November 1 1, 1839; Hattie E.,
August 24, 1 841; and Robert J., July 27, 1843.
After many years as a successful manufacturer,
Jeremiah Hendricks retired to spend his last
days in leisure, and died May 30, 1875; his
widow is still living.
AHan B. Hendricks availed himself of the
educational advantages of his native place, and
later attended the Charlotteville Seminary.
After leaving school he entered his father's
mUl as bookkeeper, but left this position in
1 86 1, to engage in the freighting business at
Barrytown. Six years later he and his brother
Robert took charge of the flouring-mill at Red
Hook, the partnership lasting one year, after
which he continued in the business alone until
1880. After a short period of leisure Mr.
Hendricks was tendei;ed the position of book
keeper in the First National Bank, which he
accepted, and has filled same with marked
ability, commanding the entire confidence and
esteem of the stockholders and the public gen
erally. On June i, 1864, Mr. Hendricks married
Miss Anna Rodgers, of Albany, and has had
four chHdren: (i) Louise Rodgers, born July
3, 1865, was married October 8, 1890, to
Frank B. Shook, and has one chHd Eleanor
Varnum Shook, born July 21, 1891. (2)
Laurence Hutton, born June 8, 1867, was
married September 21, 1889, to Miss Jennie
H. Wilson, and has two children: Marian Wil
son Hendricks, born July 19, 1893, and Lau
rence Hutton Hendricks, Jr., March 16, 1897.
(3) Anna R. and (4) Allan B. (twins), born
January 28, 1874, are stiH at home. Mr.
Hendricks has been superintendent of St.
Paul's Lutheran Sabbath-school continuously
for thirty years.

fEHEMIAH HALSTED (deceased). As
Li a merchant in Clinton Corners and Stan-
fordvHle, Dutchess county, during nearly a
quarter of a century, the subject of this sketch

became well known and highly esteemed
throughout that section, and although his later
years were spent in retirement, his death,
which occurred March 20, 1873, caused sin
cere grief and a keen sense of loss among a
wide circle of acquaintances.
He was a native of the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county, and his father, Richard Hal-
sted, a member of the Society of Friends,
and who was born in Dutchess county, of Eng
lish ancestry, followed farming in the town of
Clinton all his life. He married Hannah Grif
fin, and reared a family of nine chHdren:
Benjamin, Stephen, Richard, Joseph, Jona
than, Nehemiah, Mary, Anna and Hannah.
Mr. Halsted grew to manhood at his fa
ther's farm, and in 1836 was united in mar
riage with Miss Julia Sharpsteen, a native of
the town of Washington, and a descendant of
an old Dutch family, the name having been
originally Von Sharpstein. The early genera
tions of her family were Presbyterians in re
ligion. Her grandfather, Peter Sharpsteen,
was a farmer in the town of Washington and
was probably born there. Her father, WiH
iam Sharpsteen, was born, resided and died
in that town. He married Sarah Lawrence,
a native of Long Island, whose father, an
Englishman, was a descendant of Sir Robert
Laurens (now spelled Lawrence), of Lanca
shire, England, who accompanied Richard
Cour de Lion in his expedition to Palestine.
In the siege of St. Jean d' Acre, in 1 191, he
was the first to plant the Banner of the Cross
on the battlements of the town, for which he
received the honor of Knighthood from King
Richard; also, at the same time, the coat of
arms. In the year 1635 WiHiam Lawrence
came over in the ship "Planter," under the
care of Gov. Clark, appointed, by the Queen,
Governor of Long Island. The Lawrences in
termarried with the Washingtons, and the
coat of arms may be seen at Mount Vernon.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. WHliam
Sharpsteen located in the town of Washing
ton, where he carried on a store for many
years; but in later life he retired to a farm in
the same town. In politics he was a Repub
lican, for years he was justice of the peace,
and town supervisor, and was justly regarded
as a representative citizen. He died in 1878,
aged ninety-three years. He had six children:
Clark Lawrence was a member of the firm
of Arold & Constable, in New York City, and
lived abroad, in Paris; George G. was a dealer

92

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

in trotting horses in the town of Washington;
James and WHliam H. were in business in the
South; Julia, married Mr. Halsted; and Debo
rah married Louis Hutchens.
Mr. and Mrs. Halsted began their married
life at Clinton Corners, where Mr. Halsted
conducted a store for about three years, when
he moved to Stanfordville and carried on his
business some twenty years. He then retired
to a small farm in the town of Washington,
to pass his remaining days. His wife and
seven children survive him. Virginia married
Isaac W. Sherrill, a well-known resident of
Poughkeepsie; Ella, Ida and BeHe are at home;
Irving is a farmer in the town of Clinton; Wil
lis is an express agent in New York City; and
Frank conducts the "Dutchess Restaurant"
at Poughkeepsie. Mr. Halsted always took an
ardent interest in the success of the Republican
party, and was ready to encourage any worthy
enterprise in his locality. In religious faith he
was a Quaker, and his quiet, unassuming man
ners and upright life gave a consistent and
effective illustration of the doctrines which he
cherished.

fEZEKIAH ROGERS COFFIN, one of
the oldest pioneers of Dutchess county,
was born in Mechanic, town of Washington,
April 23, 1807. He remained on his father's
farm (with the exception of one year, which he
spent with Samuel Thorne) until his marriage
March 22, 1832, to Miss Myra Barlow, who
was born in the town of. Amenia, October 29,
1811. In 1833 Mr. and Mrs. Coffin moved to a
farm situated where the county house now
stands, where they remained one year, and
then came to their present farm, sixty-four
years ago, and where both are still Hving,
sound in mind and body and capable of enjoy
ing life to the fullest extent. The following
children were born to them: Robert, who is
engaged in business at Brooklyn; Lucy, who
became the wife of Newton B. Holbrook,
formerly a merchant of the town of Wash
ington, but now deceased; Cora, who married
Homer Fitch, a farmer in Washington town;
Magdalene, unmarried; Zaide, who died at the
age of seventeen, and LHian, deceased at the
age of eight.
Mr. Coffin has a farm of 135 acres, and
still does general farming. He has always
been a Democrat, voting in 1828 for Jackson,

and ever since regularly supporting the ticket
of his party. He takes an active interest in
politics, and has been justice of the peace for
thirty years, but resigned the office when he
reached the age of seventy years. He has
been called to sit on the bench at Poughkeep
sie many times, and has often been appointed
foreman of the grand jury. Although past
eighty-eight years he talks, acts and thinks hke
a patriot, and stands like a sturdy oak in the
forest of humanity. He weH remembers the
transportation of the cannon, and the men
marching through the town on their way to
defend the New York harbor against the Brit
ish in 1 8 12. The younger generation looks
up to him with wonder and admiration. Our
subject has contributed to the local paper (MHI
brook Round Table) articles on the reminiscen
ces of early days, which were highly appreci
ated. His wife has been a faithful, loving
helpmate through many years of joys and
sorrows. Robert Coffin, father of our subject, was
born at Little Rest, town of Washington, Oc
tober 2, 1778, and died November 28, 1842.
He was apprenticed to James Willitts to learn
the tanner's and shoemaker's trade, and after
serving his time, he, with his brother-in-law,
Peter Kipp, bought out the business, which
they continued in partnership for a year, when
our subject bought out Peter, and kept at it
alone until 18 14. He then bought a farm of
180 acres, and lived there until his death.
He married Miss Magdaline Bentley, a grand
daughter of Col. James Van Deberg, of Beek
man, with whom Washington and LaFayette
often stopped. She was born in the town of
Beekman December 26, 1782, and died August
30, 1866. Her father was Taber Bentley, a
farmer in the town of Beekman. To our sub
ject's parents were born the following children:
Jane Ann, who married Caleb Morgan, a mer
chant of Poughkeepsie; Alexander H. was a
farmer and merchant in Unionvale; Hezekiah
R. is our subject; Charles was a farmer in Union-
vale; Sarah became the wife of Henry M.
Swift, also a farmer of Unionvale; Eliza mar
ried George B. Caldwell, a merchant; Owen
T. was surrogate of Westchester county for
many years, and now lives in Peekskill; he is a
graduate of Union College; George is in the
real-estate business in California; Henry was a
farmer and a raHroad man, and owned much
property (he is deceased); Robert G. is a
farmer at South Millbrook. Mr. Coffin was a

A^£^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Democrat, and represented the county in the
Legislature. He was a prominent man, and
settled many estates. Religiously, he was of
the Quaker faith.
Abishai Coffin, our subject's grandfather,
was born in Nantucket, where he grew up, and
later went to sea in a whaler, wintering three
seasons in Greenland. He married Sarah
Long, a native of Nantucket* in 1774, and
shortly after came to Dutchess county and set
tled on a tract of land in the town of Wash
ington. Their children were: Sarah married
Peter Kipp, a farmer living near Hudson;
Tristram owned a farm of about 300 acres in
the town of "Washington; Lois died unmarried;
Robert was the father of our subject; Jeme-
miah married John Rider, a farmer in Ulster
county. Mr. Coffin died on his farm in 1819.
He was a Hicksite Quaker, and overseer of the
poor. His father's name was Tristram. The
family is of English extraction.
Thomas Barlow, father of Mrs. Coffin, was
born at Cape Cod, and was a son of Moses
i Barlow, a native of the same place. Thomas
married Miss Lucy Alerton, and the following
children were born: Sally married a Mr.
Crosby, of Massachusetts, and is deceased;
Jenett also became the wife of a Mr. Crosby,
and is deceased; Thomas is deceased; Aurelia
married Barlow Nye, and is still living; Cath
erine married Edward MHls, of Connecticut,
and is deceased; Mary became the wHe of a Mr.
Bartow, of Brooklyn, and is livingfe. Frank
lin is a farmer in the town of Amenia. Mr.
, Barlow died in 1852, and his wife in i860.
I They were both members of the Presbyterian
Church, and took an active interest in the
work. Elisha Barlow, brother of Thomas, was
one of those who helped to frame the consti
tution of the State.

L

JAMES F. GOODELL, M. D. Among
those who devote their time and energies
to the practice of medicine, and have
gained a leading place in the ranks of the pro
fession is this gentleman, who is located at
Rhinebeck, Dutchess county. He is a native
of RockvHle, Conn., born May 16, 1849, and
traces his ancestry back to. Robert Goodell,
who was one of the Puritans from the east of
England who settled at Salem, Mass., in 1634.
From him in direct line to the Doctor is Zach
ariah, Thomas (i), Thomas (2), Titus, Thomas

(3) and Francis. After his marriage to Miss
Rhoda Grant, Titus Goodell located in New
Hampshire, where he owned property; but
when the colonies resolved to throw off the
yoke of British rule he took up arms, joining
the Continental army, and was killed at the
battle of Stillwater. He had left his family
with his father-in-law in Ellington, Conn.,
and as he never came back the farm descend
ed to his children. It became the property of
Francis Goodell, father of our subject, and
has now been in the family since 1776.
The father v/as a man of unusual natural
ability, and possessed a mind stored with
results of wide reading and extensive obser
vation of men and affairs. He married Sophia
Louisa Burpee, and to them were born the
following children: William, who was a mem
ber of the Union army during the Civil war,
and was kHled at the battle of Gettysburg;
Ellen, wifeof Charles Ames; James F., subject
of this review; Edwin Burpee, a lawyer of
New York City; Thomas Dwight, who studied
in Athens and in the East, and is now pro
fessor of Greek in Yale University; and Mary
Evelyn, wife of W. H. Trippett, of New
Jersey. The father passed away September
16, 1896, at a* ripe old age, as he was born
May 29, 1813; his wife died March 4, 1897.
In early life he voted the Whig ticket, while
in later years he was a strong Republican;
was public-spirited and enterprising, and one
of the prominent citizens of his locality. A
faithful member of the Congregational Church,
he always took an active part in its work,
and at the time of his death was serving as
deacon. In the public schools of RockvHle and
Ellington, Conn., our subject began his liter
ary education, and for one year was a student
in Cornell University. When about twenty
years of age he began teaching, being princi
pal of the Union School at UnionvHIe, Conn.,
for two years, and was successful in that Hne
of work. In 1877 he matriculated .at the
New York Homeopathic Medical College, from
which he graduated two years later, but has
ever kept up his investigations, and is now one
of themost able general practitioners in Dutch
ess county. Immediately after graduation he
began practice in New "York City, remaining
there until 1881, when he opened an office in
Millbrook, Dutchess county. In 1887, he
went to Mont Clair, N. J., but in February,
1889, returned to Dutchess county, this time

94

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

locating at Rhinebeck, where he has since suc
cessfully prosecuted his profession. He has
built up a large and lucrative practice, but has
that true love for his work, without which
there can be no success.
In 1885 Dr. GoodeH was married to Miss
Fanny Tripp, of Millbrook, Dutchess county.
The Doctor is inclined to be independent in
political matters, but usually votes with the
Democracy. He holds membership with the
Episcopal Church, of which he is now serving
as warden, and wherever he goes he not only
wins friends, but has the happy faculty of being
able to retain them.

F

^\RANK ENO, a well-known and successful

lawyer of Pine Plains, Dutchess county,
was born in 1845, in that vHlage, in the house
he is now occupying. The family is of Eng
lish origin, and the name is sometimes spelled
Enos. The first of the name to come to this
country was James Eno (i), who, in 1648, lo
cated in Windsor, Conn., married Hannah
BidweH the same year, and had one son,
James (2), who was born in 165 1, fought in
the King PhiHp's war, and had his home in
Windsor. He married Abigail Bissel in 1678,
and died in the "Swamp fight," 1714. Their
second son, WiHiam (i), wedded Mary North.
The next couple in direct descent was William
(2) and Lillias (Hicks) Eno, the former of
whom was born in Simsbury, Conn., about
1726, and inherited a valuable farm from his
father, William (i). WHliam (2) and his wife
had a son, Stephen, who was the grandfather
of our subject. He was born at Simsbury,
Conn., October 4, 1764, and was the first of
the family to come to Dutchess county, locat
ing at Amenia. Later he removed to Pine
Plains, there building the office which is now
occupied by his grandson, Frank Eno, and
which has always been used as a law office.
He remained at home until ten years of age,
being taught to read by his father, and never
attended school more than two months during
his entire life. At that time he went to live
with an aunt at Egremont, Mass., where he
remained for about five years. He had formed
a great desire for study, and not having the
opportunity to go to school, he taught himself,
slowly acquiring a knowledge of arithmetic
and writing. For a short time he worked at
several places after leaving his aunt's, and then

entered the army at New Haven, Conn.
Learning the shoemaker's trade, he worked at
that occupation at Salisbury, that State, for
six months, and later was employed by a Mr.
Sanders until he reached his majority.
At that time Stephen Eno began teaching,
while his vacations were spent in study. After
following that profession for about six years,
he began lool*ing about him for some other
employment, and began the study of law in
the office of PhHip Spencer, Jr., of Amenia,
where he had been engaged in teaching. For
a while he taught school and practiced law at
the same time. After following his profession
in the towns of Amenia, Stanford and North
east, Dutchess county, he purchased a house
and lot in Pine Plains for $650, paying two-
thirds of the amount down, and the remainder
in one year. He was a man of fine attain
ments, and became one of the most able law
yers of his time in the county. His death oc
curred in Pine Plains, in 1854, at the advanced
age of ninety years. He continued to wear
knee trousers and his hair in a queue up to the
time of his death. He was twice married, his
first union being with Mary Denton, by whom
he had three children: Henry, who went to
California, and there became a judge; William,
the father of our subject, and Edward, who
became a resident of Springfield, 111. His
second wife bore the maiden name of Olive
Shores, and to them was born a son, Rufus.
On AprH 21, 1800, WiHiam (3) Eno was
born, and, like his father, he was largely self-
educated. In the office of the latter he studied
law, was admitted to practice in 1823, and for
forty years he was one of the prominent and
leading members of the Dutchess County Bar,
having a large and lucrative practice. In 1836
he was elected a member of the Legislature on
the Democratic ticket, and for two terms served
as district attorney when the office was filled
by appointment of the supreme'court justices.
Soon after the adoption of the constitution of
1848 he was mentioned as judge of the su
preme court; but, being fond of agricultural
pursuits, he retired, spending the remainder of
his life at Pine Plains, within two miles of his
landed estate. He was a contemporary of
Henry Swift, Charles Johnson, Stephen Cleve
land, Seward Barcolo, Morton Swift, Elias
Cole, R. D. Davis, John V. A. Lyle, John
Armstrong and D. V. N. Radcliff, and was sec
ond to none of them in point of ability and ex
tent of his practice. He was a man of great

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

95

natural ability, and became exceedingly promi
nent throughout the county. He always sup
ported the Democratic party, and attended the
Presbyterian Church. He died November 17,
1874. He was married to Eliza A. Stewart,
daughter of William Stewart, of Pine Plains,
and to them were born four children: WHl
iam Stewart, who was one of the ablest law
yers of Dutchess county, is now president of
the Bunnell & Eno Investment Co., of Phila
delphia, Penn. ; Henry W. , who died Decem
ber 14, 1884; Mary, now the wife of Matthew
Ellis, who is also connected with the Bunnell
& Eno Investment Co., Philadelphia; and
Frank, the subject proper of this review. The
mother's death occurred April 10, 1882.
Frank Eno was educated at College Hill,
under Mr. Bisbee, where he took the four-
years' course. After leaving school he began
the study of law in his father's office, and was
admitted to the bar May 13, 1868, since
which time he has successfuHy engaged in
general practice in the surrogate court, and
has had much to do in the settlement of
estates. He has one of the finest law libraries
in the county, accumulated through three gen
erations, and has ever been a thorough stu
dent of his profession, possessing many of the
traits that distinguished his father and grand
father as sound advocates and able lawyers.
Mr. Eno is also interested in agriculture, hav
ing a fine farm of between 500 and 600 acres,
whereon he has an exceHent herd of Jersey
cattle. He had "Signal Queen" at the
World's Fair, and took a medal in the grand
contest for cheese. On June 15, 1881, Mr.
Eno married Miss Rachel Rudd, daughter of
Charles Rudd, of Gallatin, Columbia Co.,
N. Y., and of this union have been born five
chHdren: William Rudd, Charles, Fanny,
Mary and Rachel.
In political campaigns, Mr. Eno has long
been a potent factor in the support of Demo
cratic principles, and during President Cleve
land's second term he was appointed post
master at Pine Plains. He has always taken
a deep interest in educational matters, is presi
dent of the Seymour Smith Academy, and
established the Pine Plains Free Library.
With Stissing Lodge No. 615, F. & A. M., he
holds membership, of which for fifteen years
he has been master, and also belongs to the
Chapter and Commandery in Poughkeepsie.
He and his wife attend the Methodist Church.
Socially, he is deservedly popular, as he is

affable and courteous in manner, and possesses
the essential qualification to success in public
life, that of making friends readily and of
strengthening the ties of all friendships as time
advances.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS DAVIES (de-
 ceased ) was born in Poughkeepsie,
May 10, 1808. His great-great-grandfather,
John Davis, of Kington Parish, Hereford, En
gland, was of a distinguished Welsh family de
riving an unbroken descent from the famous
Cymric Efell, Lord of Elwys Eyle, who lived
A. D. 1200, son of Madocap Meredith, Prince
of Powys Fadoc, sixth in descent from the heir
of Merwyn, King of Powis, third son of Rodic
Maur. John Davies came to America in 1735, and
settled in Litchfield county. Conn., where he
purchased large tracts of land, and where his
name is still held in honored remembrance for
his good works, especially for his generous
gifts toward the support of his mother Church •
of England, then struggling for existence in the
Colonies. He was the grandfather of Rev.
Thomas Davies, missionary of the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,
who was ordained to the priesthood by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Seeker, in Lam
beth Chapel August 23, 1761. The ministry
of Rev. Thomas Davies, though brief, was ex
ceedingly useful. He had charge of several
parishes in Connecticut, among them St. Mich
ael's Church, Litchfield, of which his grandfa
ther was the founder. He died in 1766 at the
early age of twenty-nine, leaving two children
— a son and a daughter, the former being Will
iam Davies, who settled in Poughkeepsie early
in the present century. William Augustus
Davies was the youngest of William Davies's
seven children, and was born in his father's
house at the foot of Main street, where he lived
(except during the time he was at school and
at Trinity CoHege, Hartford, Conn.) untH
1842. He devoted himself to the management
of his property in Dutchess and Ulster coun
ties, of which he and his brother, Thomas L.
Davies, inherited several thousand acres from
their father; and was one ofthe original Board
of Directors of the Farmers' and Manufacturers'
National Bank of Poughkeepsie, remaining on
the board till his death, and holding the office
of president from 1843 untH 1892.
He was a faithful communicant of the

96

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Church of which his grandfather was a priest,
and for many years represented his paiish in
the conventions of the Diocese of New York,
and was several times a deputy to the general
convention as a delegate from that Diocese.
His greatest work among his many works for
the Church, was the building, entirely at his
own expense, of the Church of the Holy Com
forter, which stands at the corner of Main
street and Davies place, and is one of the
younger Upjohn's best designs. In the noble
work it has done and is still doing, it is a wor
thy monument of his generosity and benevo
lence. In 1842 he married Miss Sarah Van Wag-
enen (daughter of Herbert Van Wagenen),
who died in 1858, leaving no children. It was
in her memory that the Church of the Holy
-, Comforter was buHt. In 1861 he married
7 Miss Frances Mary Barritt, daughter of Josiah
/ Barritt. To them were born two sons, Will
iam and Augustus, the first of whom died in
I infancy.
¦^ Only those who knew Mr. Davies intimately
could fully appreciate the beauty of his char
acter, which was remarkable from his earliest
childhood for the same generosity, unselfish
ness and simplicity which distinguished him
through life. It can be said with truth that
he never intentionally hurt anybody, either by
word or deed, but was ever thoughtful and
considerate, courteous and pitiful, honoring all
men. He died on the sixth of August, 1896,
in the eighty-ninth year of his age.

DARCLAY HAVILAND, a well-known cit
izen of Millbrook, Dutchess county, was
born in the town of Dover, December 18,
1 812. The first of the name to come to
this country was either William or Benja
min HavHand, who emigrated from England
and settled on Long Island at an early day in
the history of the Colonies. From him in
direct descent was his son Benjamin Haviland,
who was born on Long Island; his son, Ben
jamin (2), was born in 1698; his son, Isaac
Haviland, was born in August, 1751, in West
chester county, N. Y. ; his son, Eleazer, was
born May 27, 1777, in New Fairfield, Conn.;
his son, Barclay, is the subject of this sketch.
Benjamin HavHand, our subject's great
grandfather, married Charlotte Park, the
daughter of a French Huguenot. They settled
in "Westchester county, where they owned a

farm of 400 acres, and there reared a family
of thirteen children.
Isaac HavHand, our subject's grandfather,
grew to manhood in his native county, and
after his marriage to Anna Howland, removed
to Fairfield county. Conn., where he owned
and carried on a farm of 800 acres of land,
and was well-to-do. Eleazer, the eldest of
his five chHdren, was married in 1798 to Abi
gaH HHler, daughter of Nathan Hiller, a farmer
in the town of Dover. Like his ancestors,
Eleazar HavHand, was a tiller of the soil,
which occupation he followed throughout his
life. For many years he was a minister in the
Hicksite branch of the Society of Friends, and
made frequent journeys to the different States
and to Canada in that capacity, which journeys
were made either on horseback or in a car
riage. He died December 27, 1863; his wife
passed away March 4, 1848. Five chHdren
were born to this worthy couple, only two of
whom Hved to maturity: Isaac E., the elder
of the two, removed to Long Island in 1828,
and became a prominent resident of Queens
county, where he died in 1885; our subject is
the younger.
Barclay HavHand grew to manhood on his
father's farm at Chestnut Ridge, and at Me
chanic, town of Washington, where the family
moved in 1826. He was educated at the Nine
Partners Boarding School at Mechanic, and
later at the Jacob Willets private school. On
June II, 1845, he was married to Susan
Hart Tredway, daughter of Dr. Alfred Tred
way, of the town of Washington. They made
their first home on the farm at Mechanic, re
maining in that place until 1855, when they
purchased the homestead of Mrs. Haviland's
grandfather, PhHip Hart, at Hart's ViHage,
where they have since resided. Five children
were born to them, three of whom are living:
Katharine A. married Dr. John C. Otis, of
Poughkeepsie; Isaac E. is a resident of Toledo,
Ohio; and Caroline E. resides with her
parents. Mr. Haviland is a Democrat, and has been
justice of the peace two terms. He was pres
ent at the meeting which organized the
Dutchess County Agricultural Society, in 1841,
and of this society he was treasurer for a num
ber of years. Long one of the leading citizens
of Dutchess county, his upright life and
sterling qualities make him respected and es
teemed by all who come in contact with him.
He is a prominent member of the Society of

Cc-tr^

^^^fCL/lf^ -Cc(/nAlW ^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

97

Friends, and is always ready to assist in
works of benevolence.
Elijah Tredway, the grandfather of Mrs.
Haviland, was born in Connecticut, and from
him the genealogy is traced to Nathaniel
Tredway, born in Sudbury, England, in 1637.
Dr. Alfred Tredway, his son (and the father
of Mrs. Haviland), in his day a well-known
physician, merchant and land owner of the
town of Washington, was born in 1782, and
died in 1826. He married Catherine Hart,
who was born in what is now Millbrook, but
at that time was known as Hart's Village, be
ing so named for her father, Philip Hart, who
was then the owner of nearly all the land in
that locality. Philip Hart was the youngest
son of Richard Hart, and was born January
12, 1749, in Little Compton, Rhode Island,
and came to Dutchess county in 1767, where
on December 18, 1774, he was niarried to
Susanna Akin, daughter of Benjamin Akin.
He was a prominent business man in his local
ity, being engaged in the manufacture of cloth.
His death occurred August 31, 1837.
Benjamin Akin came to Dutchess county,
between 1762 and 1765, from Rhode Island;
the family is of Scotch extraction, and his
father, " Squire Benjamin Akin," was born in
Scotland in 1663, became a leading citizen
an^d represented his district in public matters.
He was appointed chairman of a committee
which was formed in 1774 to oppose English
taxation.

JAMES H. DUDLEY (deceased) was a na
tive of Dutchess county, born in the town
of Stanford, July 14, 18 17, and was de
scended from worthy New England ancestry.
The founder of the family in America was
WHliam Dudley, a native of England, where
he was married, August 24, 1636, to Jane
Lutman, and on coming to America in the
spring of 1639 located at Guilford, Conn., on
a tract of 1000 acres of land, which he and
his neighbors bought of the Indians, and which
was divided among them. They gave the
town the name of GuHford, and there Mr.
Dudley followed farming. He was one of the
prominent men of the community, and died
there March 16, 1684. In his family were
four children: WHliam, Joseph, Ruth and
Deborah. Of these, Joseph Dudley was born
m that locaHty in 1643, and on reaching man's
estate he followed coopering in Guilford, where

he died June 3, 17 12. He married Ann
Robinson, and the reared a family of nine
chHdren, namely: Joseph, Benjamin, Caleb,
Joshua, Miles, William, Mary, Mercy and
Anna. MHes Dudley, the next in a direct line to
our subject, was born at Guilford, Conn.,
December 17, 1676. He married Rachel
Strong, by whom he had nine children: Miles,
Timothy (i), Timothy (2), Stephen, Selah,
Beriah, Rachel, Mercy and John. The father
of this family was a blacksmith by trade, and
followed that occupation until his death, August
10, 1753. His son, John Dudley, was born at
Guilford, October 16, 1721, and there passed
his early life. He was united in marriage with
Tryphena Stone, and to them were born
eleven children: Timothy (i), William (i), Try
phena (i), Ruth, John, Tryphena (2), William
(2), Polly, Lois, James and Timothy (2). With
his family the grandfather removed to Berk
shire county, Mass., where he purchased a
large tract of land on the day the battle of
Lexington was fought, and became one of the
best farmers and most prominent citizens of
the county. He died there in 1808.
James Dudley, the father of our subject,
was born November 19, 1772, in Guilford,
Conn., and was a child of three years when
taken by his parents to Massachusetts, where
he married Miss Lydia Leete, a descendant
of the first governor of Connecticut Colony.
Her father was born on Leete's Island, in
Connecticut, January 16, 1746, and wedded
Lydia Leete, by whom he had eleven chHdren:
John, Lydia, Amie, Lois, Eber, Olive, Mina,
brrit (i), Orrit (2), Harvey and EH. In AprH,
1793, he moved to Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , and
in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county,
purchased a farm, where he spent his remain
ing days, dying in 1822. His father, Rowland
Leete, was born at Guilford, Conn., in 1708,
and by his marriage with Mercy Dudley had
eleven children: Timothy, Ruth, Anna,
Sarah (i), John, Asahel, Hannah, Sarah (2),
Abner, Miles and Rachel. William Leete,
the father of Rowland Leete, was born March
24, 1 67 1, and by his marriage with Hannah
Stone had seven children: Anna, Elizabeth,
Margery, Rowland, William, Jordan and Sol
omon. He was a son of Andrew Leete, who
was born in 1643, and wedded Elizabeth
Jordan, by whom he had six children: Will
iam, Caleb, Samuel, Dorothy, AbigaH and
Mercy. The father of Andrew Leete was

m

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD

William Leete, who emigrated from England
in 1639, on the vessel on which our subject's
paternal ancestors came to these shores. He
was joined in wedlock with Anna Rogers, and
to them were born nine children: John,
Andrew, William, Caleb, Gratiana, Perigrine,
Joshua, Anna and Abigail. Both the Leete
and the Dudley families were members of the
Congregational Church, and leading citizens
in the localities where they made their homes.
After their marriage, the parents of our
subject remained for some time in Massachu
setts, but later became residents of the town
of Stanford, Dutchess Co., N. Y. Four chil
dren were born to them: Chester L. , who
was born July 4, 1806, and became a farmer
of Ulster county, removing to Memphis, Mich.,
in 1855, where he died June 24, 1879; George
A. (i), who died in infancy; George A. (2),
who was born in 1810, and became a banker
of Ellenville, Ulster Co., N. Y. , where he
died March 3, 1886; and James H., subject of
this sketch. The father's death occurred Jan
uary 26, 1835, that of the mother on August
22, 1842.
On the farm, in the town of Stanford,
James H. Dudley spent his boyhood until fif
teen years of age, when he went to Ulster
county, and in 1835 he located in Poughkeep
sie, where for three years he worked for others
at the carpenter's trade. He then carried on
that business for himself until 1853, during
which time he erected many houses which are
still standing. In that year he began dealing
in lumber and coal, continuing the same for
sixteen years, at the expiration of which time
he bought the Poughkeepsie Foundry, and
continued its operation until 1880, when he
laid aside business cares.
On January 4, 1842, he married Miss Char
lotte Wiltsie, who was born in the town of
Lagrange, Dutchess county. May 29, 18 19,
and died at Poughkeepsie, September 4, 1895;
she was of Holland extraction. Her father,
John C. Wiltsie, was a prominent farmer and
justice of the peace of that locality. Four
children were born of this union, of whom,
Guilford, a hardware merchant of Poughkeep
sie, is the only one now living; the others were
Lavinia, Jeromus W. and Lydia L.
In Mr. Dudley the Republican party found
an earnest supporter, and he served his fellow
citizens as supervisor for several terms, was
alms house commissioner one term, and one of
the original trustees of the Old Ladies Home.

For half a century he was a member of the
Poughkeepsie Lyceum, was actively identified
with the Temperance cause, and was one of
the leading and influential men of the city.
Both he and his wife were consistent members
of the Congregational Church, of which he
was clerk some forty-four years, and trustee
for many years. He was called from earth
June 30, 1896.

JOHN H. COTTER, M. D., a prominent
physician of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess coun
ty, whose success in general practice has
brought him speedy recognition as a profession
al worker, has given, with his struggle with ad
verse circumstances in early life, a proof ofthe
truth of the old saying — " Where there's a will,
there's a way."
He is a descendant of an old Irish family,
and the ancient freehold known as the "Mt.
Katharine" farm, situated in the parish of Wa
ter Grass Hill, County Cork, Ireland, has
been in the possession of his forefathers con
tinuously for many generations, and is still
owned and occupied by a branch ofthe family.
James Cotter, the Doctor's grandfather,
passed his life there as a farmer, and was also
interested in a weaving-mill. He was a thrif
ty, prosperous man, of unassuming manners,
never taking any part in public affairs, and like
his ancestors and descendants was a devout
CathoHc. He and his wife reared a family of
six sons: John, Patrick, James, William,
Garrett and Cornelius. James came to
America and settled in New Orleans, and
served in the Confederate army as a member
of the Engineer corps.
John Cotter, our subject's father, was born
inthe old home in December, 1805, and was
married in 1840 to Mary Haggerty, a native of
the same county. He was a farmer by occu
pation, and for a short time was engaged in
business as a miller; but in 1850 he left his
native land owing to some trouble with the
English government over the question of
gathering tithes. Naturally he turned to
America as a place of refuge, and on coming to
this country settled in Pleasant Valley, Dutch
ess county, where for many years he worked
as a farm laborer; but gradually he accumu
lated a fund of money which enabled him to
purchase, in 1870, a farm in the town of Clin
ton, Dutchess county. His wife died there in
1872, and. there his own remaining years were

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

spent, his death occurring in 1878. He was a
member of the Roman Catholic Church of
Rhinecliff parish. He had received fair edu
cational advantages in youth, and in later
years he kept well posted upon the topics of
the day, taking especial interest in political
questions and in the success of the Democratic
party, although he was never an active worker
in the organization. The Doctor was the fifth
in a family of nine children. Of the others,
Hannah (Mrs. Patrick Coffey), died in 1877;
James lives at Clinton Cbrners; Lawrence is a
resident of Rock City; Mary married John
Flemming; Catherine died in infancy; William
lives in Dover, N. J. ; Cornelius is a farmer in
SchultzvHle, and Nora Frances married John
O'NeH. Dr. Cotter was born in the town of Pleas
ant VaHey, AprH 6, 1851, and owing to his
father's reduced, circumstances he was obliged
to make his own way from the age of twelve
years, when he began working for John Van-
Wagenen, of East Park, with whom he remained
five years, attending school in the winter and
occasionally finding a chance to go during the
summer term. He was employed as a farm
hand until the age of twenty-three; but his
great desire for knowledge, and determination
to make the most of every opportunity, never
failed him. In 1868 and '69 he attended
Dutchess County Academy under Prof. Pel
ham, but was compelled to give up his studies
one month before graduation, and return to
his labors upon the farm. In 1874 he began
his medical studies with Dr. Denny, and later
continued them with Dr. Hoyt. After a pre
liminary course of reading he entered the Albany
Medical College, a branch of Union Univer
sity, and his vacations were also devoted to
. study in the office of his preceptor. On Feb
ruary 3, 1878, his long toil was rewarded by
the bestowal of the degree of M. D., and he
immediately began practicing at Mt. Ross,
Dutchess county, where he remained until Au
gust, 1880, when he moved to Jackson Corners
and continued his professional work. In May,
1894, his nephew succeeded him there, and
he moved to Poughkeepsie, where he has built
up a flourishing practice.
In August, 1880, the Doctor married Miss
Mary Smith, of Gallatin, Columbia Co., N. Y.,
by whom he had two chHdren : John Isaac,
born in August, 1881, and William Henry,
bornin June, 1885, and died in August of the
same year. The mother passed away in July,

1885, and in February, 1888, the Doctor
formed a second matrimonial union, this time
with Miss Mary Frances Calvey, of Gallatin.
They have had two chHdren: Lawrence, born
in September, 1891, and Mary Alice, born in
February, 1893. The Doctor is a well-in
formed man on general questions as well as on
his special line of work, and he is interested in
politics as a firm upholder of Democratic prin
ciples. He was health officer for Milan and
Gallatin for several years, and at present is
postmaster at Jackson Corners. He is a mem
ber of St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church,
and of the Catholic Benevolent League; he also
belongs to the Order of Elks, and is a member
of the Knights of St. George.

C\YRENUS P. DORLAND, surrogate of
^1 Dutchess county, and a prominent lawyer
of Poughkeepsie, was born February 28, 1848.
The first of the Dorland family to locate in
Dutchess county was Enoch, of Holland de
scent, who came from Long Island and bought
a farm in the town of Lagrange. He had
four children, viz.: Gilbert Dorland, who mar
ried Jennie Hegeman, of Lagrange; Dorcas,
who married George Congdon; Anna, who
married Treadwell Townsend; and Phebe, who
married Joseph Irish. Gilbert Dorland, who
was the grandfather of our subject, left the fol
lowing children: Enoch Dorland, who belonged
to the Society of Friends, and who for a long
time conducted the Nine Partners School at
Mechanic, in the town of Washington, in this
county; Gilbert, who carried on agricultural
pursuits in Dutchess count}'; John, a fanner
of Columbia county; Cynthia, who married
Nemiah Place, who for many years was post
master at Fishkill Landing; James, who was
a lawyer, and who, during the greater part of
his life, lived in the South; Adrian, who in
early life followed farming; Dorcas, who mar
ried Moses Alley, an agriculturist; Abby, who
married John Tripp, a farmer; Peter, the fa
ther of our subject, is next in order of birth;
Zachariah, who was for many years a school
teacher, and is now a commercial traveler;
Philip, a Quaker preacher; and Phebe, who
married John Nelson, a farmer. The father
of this family followed farming exclusively as
a Hfe vocation, and in reHgious faith he was an
Orthodox Friend.
Peter Dorland, the father of our subject,
was born at Fishkill Plains, in the year 181 5;

100

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

was reared upon a farm, and in his younger
days taught school in his home neighborhood.
He married Catherine E. Miller, who was born
in the town of Lagrange, March 8, 1821, a
a daughter of John and Margaret MiHer,
farming people of the same town; the former
was of Holland lineage, and a native of West
chester county; the latter was a native of
Fishkill, Dutchess county. Shortly after their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Peter Dorland removed
to Matteawan, Dutchess county, and he there
taught school for some time. He then moved
to Poughkeepsie, where he taught school a
short time, also studied law, and then returned
to Matteawan, finished his studies and was
admitted to the bar. He served several terms
as justice of the peace of that town. In the
fall of 1859 he was elected, by the Republican
party, surrogate of the county, when he again
moved back to Poughkeepsie, where he lived
until 1890, having been honored by his party
with the nomination and election for the third
time. He held the office for the long term of
fourteen years. He and his wife were earnest
workers in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Six children were born to them as follows:
Emma, who never married; Lettie M., who is
now deceased; John M., an attorney at Pough
keepsie; Cyrenus P., our subject, and Myron
and Kate, both of whom are dead.
Cyrenus P., the fourth in order of birth of
the family, spent his early life at Fishkill
Landing, where he attended the district school.
After his parents removed to Poughkeepsie he
attended the public school some time, and
then entered the Dutchess County Academy,
where he pursued his studies for three years.
At the age of seventeen he went fo New York
City, and was employed for some time in the
wholesale cloth house of S. Hutchinson & Co.;
then returned home and went into an office
with his father, who was then surrogate.
Mr. Dorland studied law, and was admit
ted to the bar in 1875. He has always been
a leading Republican, and in 1879 was elected
by that party a justice of the city, in which
capacity he served seven years, having been
elected the second time. In 1886 he was nomi
nated and elected recorder of the city, and
after serving his term was nominated and
elected surrogate of the county, serving the
term of six years. In 1896 he was again nom
inated and elected by the same party, by a
very large majority, leading the whole ticket
by a very handsome vote, and is at present

holding the office. He has discharged its re
sponsible duties with ability and faithfulness,
and to the satisfaction of the people, and has
now the reputation of a man of integrity and
high principle.
In 1872 Mr. Dorland was united in mar
riage with Miss Kate S. Cary, who was born
in Poughkeepsie, and whose father, Gilbert
Cary, was for many years engaged in the
freighting business in that city. Three chil
dren were born to them: Leslie C, Clarence
(deceased) and Mary W. Mr. Dorland and
his family attended the Washington Street
Methodist Church. He is a public-spirited
man, and is interested in all matters pertaining
to the public welfare.

C\APT. JAMES E. MUNGER, a leading
_^'i business man of Fishkiil-on-Hudson,
Dutchess county, a wholesale and retail dealer
in lumber and building materials, also well
known as a contractor and "builder, is a native
of New York City, born January 29, 1838, the
son of James E. and Julia A. (Albee) Munger.
The public schools of his native city af
forded him excellent opportunities for an edu
cation, and at sixteen he began to learn the
miHing trade, at White Lake, N. Y., with
John T. Linson. The business was not con
genial, but he completed his apprenticeship of
three years, and then learned the carpenter's
trade, and engaged in contracting and building
on his own account at FishkHl, N. Y. With
the exception of three years during the Civil
war, he has followed this ever since, in con
nection with other enterprises. For eight
years of the time he owned a schooner, of
which he took charge as captain, carrying
freight on the Hudson river, and Long Island ,
Sound, and for the last twelve years he has
been engaged in the lumber trade at Fishkill-
on-Hudson, having purchased the business of
Andrew Barnes. His office is on Main street,
whHe his yard is on Elm street, in rear of the
"Holland House," where he has a large cov
ered yard well stored with all kinds of builders'
materials. Capt. Munger is extremely popular through
out this locality, where his family has long
been well and favorably known, his father
having been a native of Dutchess county. As
a leading worker in the Republican party, the
Captain has been tendered nominations for the
best offices in the county; but he does not care

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

101

to go too deeply into politics. He has, how
ever, served for many years as trustee of the
vHlage of FishkHl-on-Hudson; since the spring
of 1892 has been township supervisor, being
re-elected every year; in 1896 was chosen for
a term of two years, and is at present chair
man of the board. His war record is an hon
orable one. He enlisted in August, 1862, in
the 128th N. Y. V. I., and was promoted to
the rank of commissary sergeant, and was also
acting quartermaster for eight months in
the absence of S. H. Mase. Although his po
sition would have excused him from active
service on the field, he voluntarily took part in
every battle in which his regiment engaged.
He rose from a sick bed to join in the fight at
Port Hudson, was in the engagement at Pearl
River, and served all through the Red River
campaign, whHe later he was in the battles of
Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek.
At the latter, when the enemy had all but sur
rounded the Federal forces, Capt. Munger
made a dash to secure the commissary and
quartermaster records; but before he could
reach the tent a shell exploded, overturning
the tent and scattering its contents in all
directions. While gathering up some of the
important papers and placing them in his hav
ersack, another shell exploded near him, a
piece striking the straps of the haversack and
tearing it out of his hand. Even at that mo
ment, with the death-dealing shells flying and
bursting all around him, his sense of humor
did not desert him, for he turned to his com
rades and exclaimed, while holding up the
remnants of the haversack: "Look at that,
boys; pretty hot, ain't it ? " He was at all
times the Hfe of his regiment, full of fun and
ambition, as well as courage, and with his vio
lin he cheered many a despondent and home
sick comrade. He remained in the army until
the close of the war, and was mustered out in
July, 1865. He is a member of several fra
ternal orders: Riverview Lodge No. 560, I.
O. 0. F. ; Melzingale Lodge No. 304, K. of
P.; Beacon Lodge No. 283, F. & A. M. ; How
land Post No. 48, G. A. R. ; and is an honor
ary member of the Lewis Tompkins Hose
Company.

JAMES HERVEY COOK, of FishkHl-on-
the-Hudson, Dutchess county, is a promi
nent member of the legal fraternity. He
is one of the busiest of men, devoted to his

profession, and we found him reluctant to give
any account of himself, telling us he had not
come to the golden middle life with a feeling
that he wanted in any way to become his own
eulogist. He thought by such a time a man
or woman became known to those around
them, and to those with whom they had been
brought into personal friendships. But he
consented to give a little outline, saying that
as it was the wish of the publishers of this en
terprising book to have the life stories in brief
of many for useful reference, it might be mis
construed were he to decline to relate some
thing of the way along which he had come,
when he had so much to be thankful for.
He told us that he was a native of John-
sonburg, Warren Co., N. J., a few miles from
the birthplace of Benjamin Lundy, the very
first of all the great leaders in emancipating
the slave, of whom Horace Greeley gives a
full sketch in the first volume of his history of
the war of the Rebellion. It is in the midst
of a picturesque region, there being a succes
sion of hills richly cultivated, extending from
the Allamuchy Mountain, on the east, to the
Blue Mountain range, on the west, and in full
view some ten miles away, is Delaware Water-
Gap, which has been for a long time a fashion
able resort, being surrounded by wild and
charming scenery. Johnsonburg had an early
significance, and was known as Log Gaol, be
ing the county seat of Sussex down to 1745,
and taking its name from the old log house
that served jail purposes. Sussex was divided
in 1824, and that part became the upper por
tion of Warren county, named in honor of the
patriot who fell at Bunker Hill, and rightly, as
the majority in those two counties were active
in battling for freedom in the Revolution.
Mr. Cook is of PHgrim ancestry. His
great-grandfather, Elisha Cooke, migrated from
the old town of Plymouth, in Massachusetts,
about the year 1745, having the dauntless
spirit of those fathers of New England, locat
ing at first at Mendham, near Morristown.
The oldest tombstone in the old Presbyterian
churchyard there is that of Daniel Cooke, who
was most likely a relative. A Httle later, in
1748, Elisha Cooke became .one of the first
settlers around Johnsonburg, N. J., and pur
chased some five hundred acres of land, which
has been largely occupied by his numerous
descendants. He was of sturdy intellect, in
flexible in the religious faith of his fathers, and
he loved to tell of their virtues. He was the

102

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

fourth in direct descent from Francis Cooke,
who came with Bradford and Brewster in the
"Mayflower," and was one of that historic
company who went with them for conscience
sake to Holland, where he married a French
Protestant, a Walloon, a people that had suf
fered from so-called religious persecutions. He
was one of the most respected members of that
heroic band. He felled trees in their first
winter alongside of Miles Standish; his house
was among the first seven that were built, and
was next to that of Edward Winslow, after
ward Governor; as a surveyor of highways he
was associated with Winslow and Bradford.
It is said that he did much to advance the
growth of the colony, and was one of the most
thrifty of the settlers. He was on intimate
terms with those leading families, his children
marrying into them. One son married a daugh
ter of Richard Warren, as did also the father
of the famous Capt. Church, and another son,
in direct Hne with our Mr. Cook, married Da
maris Hopkins, whose father was the ancestor of
Stephen Hopkins, Governor of Rhode Island,
and a signer of the Declaration of Independ
ence. A daughter married a Capt. Thompson.
Grandsons were with Capt. Church in the
King Philips war, and their famHies, being
connected, were brought near to him, and
were conspicuous when the chieftain fell, one
of them ordering the friendly Indian at his side
to fire the fatal shot, his own flint missing fire.
Mr. Cook's birth was in a farm home, upon
one of the estates of his grandfather, James
Cooke, the honored head of a large family,
with the strict religious views of his New Eng
land ancestry, and who had been from the
first establishment of the Presbyterian Church
a revered elder. His oldest son, Frederick
S., the father of him whom we are sketching,
was of an unusually good and clear under
standing, intelligent, of the strictest integrity,
and could not be otherwise than religious.
Living a quiet life, he was only known fully by
those immediately around him. He thought
the letter " e " in the Cooke name superfluous,
and dropped its use, as others of the family
have done. Edward Cooke, the great Eng
lish lawyer, was of this family, and struck out
one "o" (as we are told by his biographer) to
please his second wife. In the earlier days
there was no regularity in spelling, and in that
way many family names have undergone
changes in spelling. Mr. Cook's father died in
1867, much respected by all who knew him.

His grave is in the family burial plot at Succa-
sunna, N. J., in the old churchyard of the
Presbyterian Church. Among other tombs,
there is that of Mahlon Dickerson, who was
Governor, United States Senator, and Secre
tary of the Navy in Jackson's administration.
Mr. Cook speaks with great affection of his
mother; as being a woman of very superior
mould, and as directing her children with her
wise counsel. She was endowed with the
finest qualities of a Christian mind and heart,
and was always an inspiration to them. She
died a few years ago deeply mourned. Her
father was Gershom Bartow, a leading man in
northwestern New Jersey, and a lineal de
scendant of Francois Barteau, a Huguenot, who
came with other Huguenots to Long Island.
Her mother was an Ogden, a name conspicu
ous for ability and patriotism in the annals of
the State. A noble brother, who did patriotic
service in the Civil war, died in 1894. Two
sisters, who have his warm affection, are in
the old homestead.
Mr. Cook was taught in his home and in
the neighboring schools in early boyhood. He
speaks of his first teachers as being good in
structors, and says that he had a love for
study. His thirst for learning led him to seek
it in every way, and the home had often late
study hours. During his boyhood his father
moved to the site of Ledgewood, a mountain-
encircled plain, near Schooley's Mountain, and
a few miles to the southwest are the famous
Schooley's Mountain Springs. The Morris
canal runs along the farm, and near by is one
of its locks, and a short distance off are two of
the famous inclined planes. About three
miles to the northwest is the romantic Lake
Hopatcong, visited for its great natural beauty.
Upon the farm is a deposit of valuable Infuso
rial Earth, which has attracted the attention
of learned scientists, and is regarded as being
in quality equal to the best German beds, in
which he is interested.
It was there that Mr. Cook grew to man
hood. The public schools were good, and
he says that he owes much to one of those
teachers who had a large acquaintance with
literature, aside from instructing well in math
ematics and introducing them to the study of
Latin. He was a superior elocutionist, and
his pupils became good readers and declaimers,
being taught to read effectively the best liter
ary productions. He took great pains to have
them practice in composition and debating.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

103

and Mr. Cook says he has never known better
readers and declaimers than there were in that
country school. They were made familiar
with the writings of the best authors. Not in
the neighboring academy did he have better
teaching. But he tells most proudly of his
later Principal in the Chester Institute, Will
iam Rankin, as being one of the finest scholars
he ever knew. Of rich natural endowments,
indeed great, he was richer in his scholastic
attainments, being a rare linguist, a scientist
and a historian, with the Master's degree from
Yale. He was a born teacher, and many went
out from his school into advanced college
classes. There Mr. Cook read both Latin and
Greek, and made himself familiar with the
classic authors. He admires Virgil, Horace
and Cicero greatly, and frequently pores over
them, and studies the pages of Homer and De
mosthenes. That Principal was his most inti
mate friend, and gave him every encourage
ment. Another close friend was a teacher in
that school, who loved to argue as well as did
Goldsmith's schoolmaster, and who became a
leading legislator in New Hampshire. With
him he had many friendly contentions in de
bate. Mr. Cook was early interested in politics,
and listened with deep and even passionate
interest to political discussions. He would go
far and near to listen to eloquent speakers,
and heard the foremost orators. In political
meetings he would frequently take part in
speaking, and would report speeches for his
party paper, to which he was an occasional con
tributor. Those political contests were warm,
just preceding the Civil war, and at the Insti
tute, and later, he firmly planted himself on
the side of the old flag, and offered to give his
services in the great struggle. His brother en
listed, and he could not go, but the whole
family contributed largely from their means to
give aid. About that time he began reading
law, under the direction of Jacob Vanatta, a
leading lawyer at Morristown, an eloquent ad
vocate, and afterward one of New Jersey's
ablest attorney generals. In the fall of 1865
he entered the Law Department of the Uni
versity of Albany, graduating in November,
1866. Two of those professors were Ira
Harris, then United States Senator, and
Amasa J. Parker, both distinguished jurists.
Judge Parker was a stanch friend. Among
those classmates were a number who have
risen to distinction, WHHam McKinley, now

President, being the most widely known. Mr.
Cook was a member of two classes, which
numbered many talented young men, and was
chosen President of the Saturday Evening
Congress, a society for general debate, num
bering the foremost of those ambitious law
students, although a majority differed from
him in politics.
After graduating at the Law School, Mr.
Cook was urged to spend the winter of 1866
and 1867 at Dover, N. J., to attend to the law
practice of a prominent lawyer, who had just
been elected to the Legislature, and who in
sisted on his remaining with him as a partner;
but having resolved to locate along the Hud
son, Mr. Cook settled in May, 1867, at Fish
kill-on-the-Hudson, where he has since been
actively engaged in all the courts. He is
widely known in the profession. He is both
counsellor and advocate, and has had many
cases of more or less importance, in which he
has met with a marked success. He has al
ways been painstaking and laborious in ob
taining fully the facts from his clients, and
has been untiring in his efforts to look up the
law, with a determjination to state his cases in
clear arguments to judge and jury.
Mr. Cook has been deeply interested in the
.duties of a citizen, and is pronounced in his
political views, being attached firmly to the
principles of the Democratic party, which he
has never failed to urge in public speech; but
he has never allowed political questions to be
discussed in his office, believing that those who
differ from him politically should not be an
noyed by fruitless discussions, when business
should have undivided attention; with that
reasonable tolerance for the opinions of others
they have shown a like generosity and the re
sult has been that he has as many clients in
the opposite party as in his own. He has
never held public office, feeling it is better for
a lawyer to give himself wholly to his profes
sional duties. To gratify a number in his
party, he was a candidate, in 1886, for the
Legislature, when he made a strong canvass
against great odds; but was nol elected. At
that time he had a warm letter from George
William Curtis, approving of his independent
course. Mr. Curtis mentioned him very hon
orably afterward in an editorial in "Harper's
Weekly," commending him to the whole coun
try. He has not clung to his party when he
has been satisfied that the candidate was unfit
for office, and he was a delegate to the famous

104

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

Syracuse Convention, when independents met
in opposition to leading men among their for
mer political friends, from whom they differed
in regard to political action growing out of the
contest which resulted in seating Senator Os
borne after the miscount in Dutchess county.
Mr. Cook at once disapproved of that course
in a public letter, widely published, and also,
as to the later candidacy of Maynard for Judge
of the Court of Appeals, who became involved
in that controversy, and who was overwhelm
ingly defeated. In 1896 Mr. Cook was again
a candidate for the Assembly, with no hope of
success, being among those in his party who
would not support the majority in his party,
on account of the financial question, and the
un-democratic platform, as he terms it, and
independently gave aid to the Republican can
didate for President, as Mr. Cook did directly
for patriotic motives.
Mr. Cook has always been interested in
historical matters, especially those relating to
our Colonial and Constitutional history, has
corresponded with leading historical scholars,
and given many historical addresses and papers
before public assemblies. He is now first
vice-President of the Historical Society of
Newburgh Bay and the Highland, is a member
(or fellow) of the American Geographical Sot
ciety, and has been connected with other socie
ties. He has been an occasional contributor
to the press. In his own town he has never
failed to take an active and decided part in
public matters. At one time he was a village
trustee, and for several years was President of
the Board of Education, and sought most
earnestly to have the course of study enlarged,
that it might compare favorably with the best
public-school instruction in the State, and
furnish those children, who could not attend
academies and colleges with opportunities to
become good scholars, if so inclined. An im
provement in that direction is now seen. He
is also an officer of the Reformed Church, with
which he has long been connected.
Mr. Cook was married, soon after coming
to Fishkill, to an estimable young 'lady in New
Jersey, whom he had known from boyhood.
Her father was a bank president, and his
brother, himself and two sons were State Sena
tors. She died some twenty years ago, leaving
a son, Pierre Frederic Cook, who graduated at
Princeton in 1 892 . He was afterward a student
in the New York Law School, and under his
father's direction and advice read law in the

office of the late Governor Bedle of Jersey
City. He has been admitted to the bar, and
has before him very good professional pros
pects.

E\LMER DANIEL GILDERSLEEVE, a
 'I leading merchant of Poughkeepsie, was
born in the town of Clinton, Dutchess county,
July II, 1846, son of Smith J. and Rachel
(Alger) GHdersleeve, and is of Scottish descent.
Henry GHdersleeve, the grandfather of our
subject, was born February 13, 1765, at
Hempstead, L. I., and after his marriage with
Eunice Smith (who was born April 16, 1766)
he settled on a farm in the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county. In politics he was a Whig,
in religious faith a Quaker. His family com
prised eight children, whose names and dates
of birth are as follows: Elizabeth, September
5, 1788; Mary, October 5, 1790; Phoebe, Jan
uary 28, r793; Sarah, September 30, 1795;
Henry, October 16, 1797; Ruth, August 27,
1 800; Jane, November 29, 1 805 ; and Smith J. ,
August 21, 1809. Of these, Phoebe married a
Mr. Gurney, a farmer of Saratoga county,
N. Y. ; Sarah became the wife of Edward
White, a farmer in the town of Chatham,
Columbia county; Henry became a farmer in
the town of Hillsdale, Columbia county; Ruth
married Leonard Sackett, a farmer of Dutch
ess county; and Jane married and went west,
where she died.
Smith J. Gildersleeve, the youngest in the
above-named family, and the father of our
subject, was born August 21, 1809, in the
town of Clinton, Dutchess county, and was
reared on his father's farm. He married Miss
Rachel Alger, who was born in the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county, daughter of Daniel
Alger (born July 26, 1773) and his wife Han
nah (born March 5, 1782). Mr. Alger in re
ligious faith was a Universalist, by occupation
a hatter. Four children were born to him
and his wife, their names and dates of birth
being as follows: Ann, AprH 11, 1804; Stephen,
March 5, 1807; Belinda, June 13, 18 10; and
Rachel, February 16, 1816. To Mr. . and
Mrs. Smith J. Gildersleeve were born five chil
dren, as follows: (i) Belinda, born in 1838,
married Robert Halstead, a farmer in the town
of Clinton, and died in 1865; (2) Henry C,
born in 1840, died in infancy; (3) Henry A.,
born August i, 1840, resides in New York

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

105

City, and is a judge of the supreme court,
being the youngest man ever elected to that
office in the city [See sketch of him else
where]; (4) Frank Van Buren, born in 1842,
is a physician in New York City. (These two
brothers, Henry A. and Frank Van B. , served
in the Civil war, and took part in many of the
important battles, including that of Gettys
burg, Henry returning with the rank of major);
and (5) Elmer Daniel, the subject proper of
this memoir, born July 11, 1846.
Smith J. Gildersleeve followed farming
most of his life. He was a member of the Re
publican party, but sympathized strongly with
the Prohibitionists as he was an ardent advo
cate of temperance. At one time there was a
combined effort of the "Washingtonians" (as
the temperance people were called) to put
their men into office, and Mr. Gildersleeve being
one of the leaders was instrumental in electing
their ticket. During the campaign he deliv
ered a number of lectures on the subject of
temperance at which he would sing, and his
sweet notes were so effective that many signed
the pledge under the influence of his music.
In matters of religion he was a Quaker by
birth, but having married outside the Society
he was "disowned," and afterward became a
prominent member of the Christian denomina
tion at Stanfordville, during which time he was
a member of the building committee of a new
church erected at SchultzvHle, within one mile
of his birthplace — the only church in that lo
cality. After coming to Poughkeepsie he
joined the M. E. Church; but aH along he
faithfully held to the faith of his fathers, at
tending the Friends meetings during the later
years of his life. He died in 1881, in Brook
lyn, N. Y. ; his wife had passed away in 1 864.
Elmer D. Gildersleeve, whose name intro
duces this sketch, spent his boyhood days on
the home farm in CHnton, where he attended
the district school, finishing his education at
the Claverack Institute, in Columbia county.
In 1866 he came to Poughkeepsie, and was
employed as a clerk in the general store of
Trowbridge & Co., remaining with them for a
year. He was next employed in the shoe store
of Charles Eastmead for a year, at the end of
which time he went into the shoe business with
his father at No. 361 Main street. This they
carried on for a year when they sold out to D.
L. Heaton, our subject taking the manage
ment of the business for him, and remaining in
charge of it for twelve years. In 1886, Mr.

Gildersleeve formed a partnership with Benson
Van Vliet under the firm name of E. D. Gil
dersleeve & Co., and they are still carrying on
the shoe business at No. 314 Main street,
where they have the largest and finest estab
lishment of the kind between New York and
Albany. Mr. Gildersleeve is a prominent member of
the Society of Friends, or Quakers, in which
he was made a minister June 22, 1879. He
has preached many sermons, and is always in
request at funeral services, and in many ways
takes an active interest in religious matters.
He is a member of the Representative Meet
ing of the New York yearly meeting of Friends,
which is the legislative body of the Church,
and one of the oldest members of the Evange
listic Committee, which has charge of the
Evangelistic work of the Church. He is also
a member of the Y. M. C. A., of Poughkeep
sie, of which he was vice-president for four
years, and one of the board of directors for
twelve years. He has devoted much time and
labor to this cause, for which he has a deep
affection; and in all good works he can always
be relied on for substantial aid and sympath}',
devoting as he does a great deal of time to vis
iting the sick and afflicted, and especially the
aged and infirm. In business circles he holds
high rank as a man of undoubted integrity, ex
cellent judgment and progressive spirit, and
has a large circle of warm personal friends.
He is a member of the Board of Trade, also of
the Retail Merchants Association, and believes
in enterprise and progress. On September i,
1869, Mr. Gildersleeve was married to Miss
Phoebe Haviland, who was born at Clinton
Corners, Dutchess county, and eight children
have been born to them, namely: (i) Frank
(deceased); (2) Alexander Haviland, engaged
in manufacturing business; (3) William Dav
enport, an invalid, the result of service in the
U. S. Regular Army, being one of the young
est of the United States pensioners (he resides
with his parents); (4) Virginia Crocheron, a
graduate of the Poughkeepsie High School,
class of '95, at present devoting herself to the
profession of voice culture (she has a soprano
voice of great compass, sweetness and expres
sion, and takes rank as one of the leading vo
calists of the county; she is at present serving
her second year as soloist of Christ Church,
Poughkeepsie); (5) Elmer Daniel, Jr., a young
man of much promise, who is now preparing
for college in a Friends institute at Westtown,

106

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Penn., near Philadelphia; (6) Henry Alger
(deceased); (7) Edith HavHand; and (8) Roger
Morton. Mrs. Gildersleeve, one of the most
highly educated women of the county, and a
great reader, is possessed of superior mental
caliber and conversational powers to a marked
degree; and withal is a most devoted wife and
mother, her first thought being of her children
and the welfare of her family. In earlier life
she possessed more than ordinary efficiency as
an elocutionist, having completed a course in
that art at Cook's Institute, Poughkeepsie.
Isaac Haviland, the grandfather of Mrs.
Gildersleeve, married Miss Lydia Weaver, and
shortly afterward settled on a farm at Quaker
Hill, Dutchess county. They had nine chil
dren: Joseph, Daniel P., Isaac, Alexander
Y. , Jacob, Abraham, Charlotte, Sarah and
Lydia Ann. The Havilands are of French-
Huguenot stock, and possess a family crest;
but the family in America are all members of
the Society of Friends. Daniel, the second
son of this family, married Lilias Aiken.
Alexander Y. Haviland, father of Mrs.
Gildersleeve, was born August 25, 18 14, at
Quaker Hill, Dutchess county, and was reared
to manhood on the home farm, and on August
8, 1844, he married Judith M. Griffen, who
was born January 11, 1814, in Westchester
county, N. Y., a daughter of Daniel Griffen
(born in 1790, in the same county), and Phoebe
Davenport Griffen. They settled on a farm
at North Castle, where they reared a family
of nine children: Mary D., Judith M. (mother
of Mrs. Gildersleeve), Abigail, Esther H.,
Elihu, William D., Jacob, Catherine E. and
Lydia S. About 1824, Daniel Griffen removed
to Clinton Corners with his family, and spent
the remainder of his life on a farm at that
place. He died August 26, 1858, and his wife,
on June 11, 1874. The Griffen family is of
English and Welsh descent, and the great-
great-grandfather. Elihu Griffen, was born in
Westchester courity, N. Y. After their mar
riage Alexander Haviland and his wife located
on a farm at Clinton Corners, where two chil
dren were born to them: Lydia P., who died
September 23, i860, at the age of fifteen
years; and Phoebe, wife of our subject. Mr.
Haviland followed farming until his death,
which took place May 29, 1853, after which
his wife disposed of the property and removed
to Poughkeepsie, where her daughter was edu
cated and subsequently married. The mother
is StHl living at the good old age of eighty-

three years, and she and her brother Jacob, of
Clinton Corners, are the only two survivors of
this Griffen family.

C\OL. HENRY ALGER GILDERSLEEVE
_' was born in Dutchess county, N. Y.,
August I, 1840. His early life was spent on
his father's farm and in attendance at the dis
trict school. When fifteen years of age he at
tended boarding school, and from that time
up to the breaking out of the Civil war was
either at school or engaged in teaching, that
he might acquire funds with which to pursue
his studies. He recruited for the 150th Regi
ment, N. Y. S. V. Infantry, and was mustered
in as captain of Company C, October 11, 1862.
He served with his regiment in the Middle
Department, under Gen. Wool, and subse
quently in the Army of the Potomac, in which,
with his regiment, he participated in the battle
of Gettysburg and in the subsequent campaigns
in Maryland and Virginia.
After several months of special duty, Capt.
Gildersleeve, in June, 1864, rejoined his regi
ment at Kenesaw Mountain, where it was at
tached to the First Division of the Twentieth
Army Corps of the Army of the Cumberland,
at that time commanded by Maj.-Gen. Hooker,
and forming a part of tbe command of Gen.
Sherman, then engaged in fighting its way to
Atlanta. He served in Sherman's army until
the close of the war, participating in numerous
battles and skirmishes, and making the famous
march with Sherman to the sea. He was
made provost marshal of the First Division of
the Twentieth Army Corps, on the staff of
Gen. Williams, of Michigan. His duties as
provost marshal were delicate, responsible and
arduous. They were discharged, however, in
a manner which met the approval of his
superior. He was promoted to the rank of
major of his regiment, and brevetted Heuten
ant-colonel U. S. v., by President Lincoln,
"for gallant and meritorious service in the
campaigns of Georgia and the Carolinas."
When mustered out of service, in June, 1865,
he chose the law as his profession, and in the
autumn of that year entered the Columbia
College Law School. Prof. Theodore W.
Dwight,. then at the head of the Law School,
in a letter written to the Army of the Cumber
land, referring to Col. GHdersleeve, who had
become famous as a rifleman, through the suc
cessful achievements in Great Britain and

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

107

Ireland, in 1875, ofthe American rifle team, of
which he was captain, used the following
language: " In Col. Gildersleeve I feel an es
pecial interest, as I had the honor of giving
him by personal attention his introduction to
the science of law, and could have predicted
the precision of his rifle from the accuracy and
steadiness of his aim while going through his
legal driH."
Col. Gildersleeve was admitted to the bar
in 1866, and from that time until his elevation
to the bench, in 1875, he was a hard-working
and successful lawyer in the City of New York.
The duties of his profession did not wean him
entirely from his fondness for military life. In
1870 he was unanimously chosen lieutenant-
colonel of the 1 2th Regiment, N. G. S. N. Y.,
and took a keen interest in his military duties,
and in promoting the success of the regiment.
He subsequently became assistant adjutant
general and chief of staff in the First Division
of the National Guard of the State of New
York, with the rank of colonel, which position
he held for more than twelve years. He was
honored with the appointment, by Governor
Dix, of General Inspector of Rifle Practice,
and was once elected colonel of the Ninth
Regiment, both of which high positions he de
clined in order that he might remain at the
head of the staff of the First Division. In
civil life he attracted considerable favorable
comment as a lecturer and as an agreeable, for
cible and interesting speaker. In 1875 he was
elected judge of the Court of General Sessions
of the City of New York, and for fourteen
years sat upon the bench of that court, dispos
ing of an immense number of criminal cases of
every kind and description. He always tem
pered justice with mercy, and his record as a
criminal judge is excellent. He is now in his
fourth year of service on the civil bench, as
judge of the Superior Court of the City of New
York, and has upward of eleven years of serv
ice still before him. Under the new amend
ments to the constitution he will become judge
of the Supreme Court, January i, 1896.
Judge GHdersleeve is now (November,
1894) in the prime of life, blessed with perfect
health and iron constitution. With a past so
varied and eventful, he has still many years of
usefulness before him. He is a tall, strong
and heavily-built man, of dignified and rather
reserved bearing, but with manners of unvary
ing courtesy and kindness. He still flnds some
time in which to indulge his fondness for out

door sports, and is frequently seen at athletic
games. A tramp over the hills, or through the
swamps, wherever game can be found, with
dog and gun, is his favorite pastime. While
he has no longer the skill with the rifle that
he possessed in earlier years, he is still a mas
ter with the shotgun. The frequent allusions
to the fame which he acquired as a rifleman, to
which he is called upon to listen, always afford
him much pleasure. It was truly said by a
prominent editorial writer that though Judge
Gildersleeve might live to write some of the
best judicial opinions reported, they would drop
into insignificance when compared with his
fame as a rifleman. A prominent man, who
had been a political opponent of Judge GHder
sleeve, once said of him that his principal char
acteristics were his evenness of temper, his
kindness of heart and his fidelity to his friends.
[From Report of the Annual Reunion and Din
ner of the Old Guard Association of the Twelfth
Regiment N. G. S. N. Y., AprH 21, 1894.]

LEWIS BAKER (deceased). Perhaps no
 : man was ever known better, or known for
a longer term of years in one community than
was Lewis Baker, late of the town of Beek
man, Dutchess county. Born in that town
June 4, 1792, he grew to manhood there, and
at the age of twenty-one years married Sarah
Allen, daughter of a farmer of the town of
Pawling, and began farming for himself by
purchasing forty-eight acres of land, where he
and his wife lived, in the same house, for over
fifty years.
"With a debt of $1,250.00 this energetic
young man started, having good health and
the aid of a loving wife, to clear himself of
this incumbrance through his own hard toil.
Always honest, sober, reliable and industrious,
and with the success which surely accompanies
a disposition like his, he not only paid for his
first farm, but eventually purchased adjoining
farms untH he had a solid body of 400 acres
of choice farming land, which was all paid
for, well stocked and in good condition. Every
acre was paid for without aid from outside
source of any nature, but from the fruits of
hard, honest labor as a farmer, having never
made a dollar from speculation in his life.
Although he lived far beyond the allotted limits
of man's Hfe, his clear, bright, honest eye was
undimmed, and his wonted expression of self-
reliance was never lost. At the age of ninety-

108

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

three years he could take his " section " after
the reaper, and bind seventy sheaves of rye in
one hour — as he did in the season of 1885; or
he could walk a distance of five or ten miles
as quickly as most men who were but half his
age. Notwithstanding the lack of early educa
tional advantages, he could write a letter which
for style and correctness would be envied by
many who have all the advantages of modern
schools, and his sterling worth and good judg
ment are clearly shown by the high esteem in
which he was held by the neighbors, among
whom he had lived all his life, and by the evi
dence that the people of his town called upon
him to serve them as justice of the peace con
secutively for over a quarter of a century.
He was their steadfast friend, advisor and
counsellor in every emergency. As the Farm
Journal, in its June issue, 1886, says: "He
has a record of which any man may be proud,
and we are proud to show his likeness to all
our one million readers."
He had five sons, one of whom died young,
and another, WHliam, who died in 1885 in
Illinois, where he had become a prosperous
farmer; the other three, Alexander A., Cyrus
and Nicholas, are stiH alive, and for old men
are remarkably hale and hearty, which goes to
show the healthy methods which our old friend
instilled in the minds of his children. Alex
ander A. is a resident of Poughkeepsie, and
until late years has followed the vocation of
farming, and now at over eighty years of age
is StHl vigorous and alert. Nicholas is an at
torney located in the state of Connecticut, and
Cyrus is a resident of Highland Falls, Orange
county, this State.
The death of his loving wife, after fifty-five
years of wedded life, made Mr. Baker's home
seem desolate, and he subsequently divided
his property among his children, and spent the
remainder of his life with them alternately.
Mr. Baker's ancestors are said, on good
authority, to have come from England in the
" Mayflower," and settled in New England,
but his father was a resident of the old town
of Beekman. Mr. Baker belonged to the sect of Friends,
and his Quaker views were exempHfied in his
daily life. He was a man who never used vile
language, was at all times kind and thought
ful for others, always a strong advocate for
justice and peace between man and man.
Honest in every relation, his word was as good

anywhere as a bond. He was, indeed, a man
whose memory should be honored, and this
world would be better had it more of a like
character. He died at the city of Poughkeep
sie January 12, 1894, at the remarkable age of
102 years, and was buried in Rural Cemetery,
leaving three of his children, many grandchil
dren and many great-grandchildren to mourn
the loss of a father and good and wise coun
selor. Among the descendants who mourned
his loss is his grandson and namesake, Lewis
Baker, the well-known attorney and counselor
of Poughkeepsie.

WILLIAM THACHER REYNOLDS,
 senior member of the well-known
firm of Reynolds & Cramer, Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, is a descendant in the ninth
generation of one of the earliest settlers of
Rhode Island — William Reynolds, who was a
signer of the original Providence compact in
1637, and who there is every reason to think
was an offshoot of the manorial family of
Reignoldes of Suffolk.
This pioneer had a son, James, who was a
resident of Kingston, R. I., where he died in
1700. He and his wife, Deborah, had a son,
Francis, of Kingston, who was born October
22, 1633, and died in 1722. He married
Elizabeth, daughter of James and Elizabeth
(Anthony) Greene, and granddaughter of John
Greene, M. D., of Salisbury, WHtshire, Eng
land, whose father was Richard Greene, Esq.,
of Bowridge Hall, Gillingham, Dorsetshire,
England. They had a son, Peter, a resident
of North Kingston, who had a son, John, born
in 1 72 1, and died there in October, 1804. He
married Anne, daughter of William and Anne
(Stone) Utter, and widow of Benjamin Greene.
Their son, WiHiam, of North Kingston, who
was born July 19, 1753, died October 4,
1 84 1. He married Easter Reynolds, his sec
ond cousin, through John, James and Francis.
He was commissioned ensign of the First com
pany of North Kingston in June, 1775, and
performed about two years' active service dur
ing the Revolutionary war, for which he was
pensioned in 1832. His son, James, our sub
ject's grandfather, born in North Kingston,
R. I., April 7, 1777. moved to Poughkeepsie
about 1800, and followed the occupation of
ship carpenter until he established a store at
Upper Landing, which formed the nucleus of
the extensive business now conducted by our

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

109

subject. He was a leading citizen of his time,
and was instrumental in a great degree in the
early development of the city, then a mere
village. A Quaker in religious faith, he dis
played strong moral qualities joined to perfect
liberality as to doctrinal points. His strictly
temperate habits have been followed by all his
descendants without exception, and the family
have been noted for the qualities which consti
tute good citizenship, although they have never
taken any active part in politics. He was
married February 22, 1803, to Elizabeth
Winans, daughter of James and Joanna (De-
Graff) Winans, and granddaughter of James
and Sarah Winans, of Pine Plains, and John
De Graff, of Poughkeepsie, who was a de
scendant in the third generation of Jean and
Mary (Lawrence) le Comte, of Harlem, 1674,
de Graaff being a Dutch corruption of the
French le Comte.
Their son, William Winans Reynolds, our
subject's father, received his education in
Poughkeepsie, and at an early age engaged in
his father's business, to which he and his
brother James succeeded. A man of well-
trained intellect, great energy and sound busi
ness judgment, he developed the trade of the
house extensively, making it the leading one
of its line along the river. From 1840 to
1872 the business was the embodiment of his
own ideas and abilities, owing to his brother's
ill health and distaste for commercial Hfe. He
was an active and prominent member of the
Washington Street M. E. Church, serving many
years on the board of trustees, to which his
brother also belonged. Mr. Reynolds was
married September 10, 1833, to Phebe
Amanda Thacher (daughter of Rev. WilHam
Thacher, who was descended from Colonel
and Hon. John Thacher, of Yarmouth, Mass.,
who served in King Philip's war, and was for
many yejars a member of the Governor's coun
cil. Rev. William Thacher's maternal grand
father was Thomas Fitch, Governor and Chief
Justice of Connecticut), by whom he had six
children: Martha T. (Mrs. WiHiam D. Mur
phy), Catherine R. (Mrs. Aaron Innis), Mary
Louisa (the widow of Walter C. Allen), Will
iam T. (our subject), Hannah M., and Clarence
James (now a partner of the firm of Reynolds
& Cramer). The subject of our sketch was born in
Poughkeepsie, December 20, 1838, was edu
cated in the public schools there, and has
always been identified with the interests of the

city. At the age of sixteen he began working
in his father's wholesale store, taking a place
"at the foot of the ladder," and working up
by degrees until he had famHiarized himself
with every branch of the business. He has
inherited the excellent qualities which made
his father and grandfather useful and honored
citizens, and he has well maintained the credit
of the Reynolds name in religious, social and
commercial life.
On July 6, 1864, WHliam T. Reynolds
was married to Miss Louise Smith, and they
have two children: Harris Smith Reynolds,
born May 19, 1865, also a member of the firm
of Reynolds & Cramer, and May Louise Rey
nolds, born July 5, 1873. Our subject being a
conservative Republican, has never taken an
active part in politics, but is possessed of
strong convictions, and great courage and in
dependence in supporting any cause he be
lieves to be right. He holds many important
positions of honor and trust in the community,
to wit: President of the board of trustees of
the Washington Street M. E. Church; presi
dent of the Vassar Brothers Home for Aged
Men; trustee of the Old Ladies Home; trustee
of the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery; director
of the FallkHl National Bank and the Pough
keepsie Savings Bank.

WALTER C. HULL, weH-known in
 Dutchess and surrounding counties as
a prominent and highly popular attorney at
law, with offices at No. 52 Market street,
Poughkeepsie, is a native of that city, born
July 4, 1857.
Mr. Hull was educated in part at private
schools in Poughkeepsie, afterward attending
McGHI University, Montreal, Canada, and
Harvard, his law studies being completed in
Columbia College Law School, from which
latter institution he graduated in 1880. Such
a thorough education would naturally combine
to accelerate the development of his character,
and the furtherance of his future prospects.
Since 1880 he has resided and practiced his
profession in Poughkeepsie, his specialty being
real-estate law and surrogate'practice, though
he has taken some general practice. During
the years 1893-94 he was associated with Ira
Shafer, of New York, but with this exception
he has had no office partner.
George D. Hull, father of our subject, was
born February 6, 1821. In 1850 he married

110

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Miss Mary E. Cluett, who was connected with
the Adams family, of Boston, and children as
follows were born to them: Louise M. and
Walter C. The father died in 1886, the mother
in 1883. Walter C. Hull was married, in 1882, to
Adele M. Fonda, who died April 5, 1893, leav
ing two chHdren: Crosby Livingston, and
Carlton, born in 1885 and 1890 respectively.
Mr. Hull, socially, is a member of the Amrita
and Dutchess Clubs, of the Veteran Firemen's
Association, Poughkeepsie Gun Club, and of the
Royal Arcanum. In politics he is a Repub
lican, and has served on the Civil Service Com
mission of Poughkeepsie. He is one of the
most prosperous attorneys in his native city,
and his fame as an erudite and accomplished
scholar, a ripe lawyer and a close student of
political economy is not confined to Pough
keepsie and Dutchess county, but extends
throughout the entire State.

C\HARLES A. HOPKINS, an able young
' attorney of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., has made
unusually rapid advancement in his profession,
his success in difficult cases having already
won for him an enviable standing. He is a
native of Dutchess county, and was born in
Stormville October 20, 1864, the son of Ben
jamin Hopkins, Esq., a well-known and highly-
respected citizen of that place, whose biogra
phy appears elsewhere.
Our subject attended the common schools
of his native town until the age of seventeen,
when he entered the employ of Thomas O'Don-
nell, a contractor in the construction of the
New York & New England railroad, as time
keeper; was with him several months in the
summer of i88i,andin the following winter
entered the Eastman National Business Col
lege at Poughkeepsie, graduating May 2, 1882.
On the 31st of the same month he entered the
law office of Hackett & Williams, and was a
student there until he passed the examination
for admission to the bar at the General Term
at Brooklyn, in September, 1885, about one
month before he became of age. After his
admission to the bar he remained with Hackett
& WHliams as managing clerk under salary
until January i, 1889, when he commenced
active practice of law at Poughkeepsie for him
self at No. 4 Garden street, corner of Main,
and he has continued in practice at that place
to date. Mr. Hopkins has a general practice.

and is attorney for several estates. Some time
ago he brought an action to compel the Pough
keepsie Bridge Co. to open up the bridge for
foot passengers, in compliance with the act'
creating the company, and defining its powers
and duties. This was one of his most notable
cases. For five or six years he has been attor
ney for the State Game and Fish Protection
Commission for the Third District of the State
of New York. Mr. Hopkins was elected Jus
tice of the Peace for the City of Poughkeepsie
in November, 1890, his term expiring January
I, 1895; his decisions in this office were never
reversed. Mr. Hopkins is a Democrat in poli
tics, and has always taken quite an active in
terest in his party. In 1894 he was the candi
date for City Recorder, and ran about 300
ahead of his ticket; but, as it was the year of
the Republican tidal wave, he was not elected.
In 1895 he was candidate for the Assem
bly in the Second Assembly District of Dutch
ess county, and again ran ahead of his ticket.
Socially, he is a member of the K. of P.,
Triumph Lodge No. 165, and of the Dutchess
Social Club. He was married October 18,
1888, to Mary Eno Stewart, daughter of Wal
ter Stewart, a leading farmer in Clinton,
Dutchess county, and by this union there are
two sons: Frank Stewart, born August 18,
1889, and Ralph Adriance, born January 31,
1892. The Hopkins family is of English origin,
and the head of the American branch came
over on the "Mayflower." They were Hick
site Quakers in religious faith. Benjamin
Hopkins, our subject's great-grandfather, was
a native of Rhode Island, and in early life was
engaged in the coasting trade; but after his
marriage to Sarah Palmer and the destruction
of his property by the British, which hap
pened soon afterward, he came to Dutchess
county in 1 779, and bought 400 acres of land
in the town of East FishkHl, where he passed
his remaining years as a farmer. He had eight
children, among whom was John Hopkins, our
subject's grandfather, who was born at the old
farm September 6, 1779, and also became a
farmer. In 1819 he married Miss Mary Brill,
daughter of John and Hannah (Cornell) BriH,
both natives of Dutchess county. Four chil
dren were born of this union: Benjamin, Gil
bert P., Solomon P., and Sarah P. (Mrs. S.
B. Knox). John Hopkins was prominent as a
Whig, and served the public interests with
great credit in several town offices. He was a

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

Ill

Friend, but his wife was a member of the Re
formed Dutch Church, and both proved the
sincerity of their faith by their devoted Chris
tian lives.
Benjamin Hopkins, our subject's father, re
mained at home until the age of sixteen, when
he entered school at Poughkeepsie. After
four years of study, he engaged in teaching,
and also traveled extensively in the State. In
1842 he vvent into mercantile business at Low
Point, Dutchess county, but in the following
year he-became the owner of the old home
stead, purchasing the interests of the other
heirs. He has 290 acres of excellent land,
and has been mainly engaged in general farm
ing, but he now makes a specialty of the dairy
business. On December 6, 1844, he married
Miss Eliza Montfort, a native of Beekman
township, Dutchess county, by whom he had
five children: Cornelia (Mrs. John Taber), of
Dover township, Dutchess county; Phoebe, de
ceased, who never married; Sarah (Mrs. Will
iam H. Ogden), of Kansas Cit}', Mo. ; Loda
V. (Mrs. John Ogden), of the same city; and
John G. , a business man of Chicago. The
mother of the family died October, 1859, and
subsequently Mr. Hopkins married Miss Mar
garet Lasher, a native of Columbia county, N.
Y., and daughter of Jacob Lasher. Seven
children were born of this union: Charles A.
(our subject), Benjamin, Mary, Harry W. ,
Bertha M., and George and Edith M. (twins).
Benjamin Hopkins is a successful auction
eer, and has followed the business for thirty
years in addition to his other pursuits. In
politics he was a Whig in early years, and
later a Democrat, and he has repeatedly held
the highest official positions in his township,
his faithful discharge of every duty deepening
the esteem and confidence of the people.

^ILLIAM JAMES CONKLIN, M. D., of
^1^ Fishkill, Dutchess county, is one of the
most prominent members of the medical
fraternity of this section, more than a quarter
of a century having been given by him to the
successful practice of this noble calling.
The Conklin family has been long known
in the vicinity of Cornwall, N. Y. , the Doctor's
grandfather, David Conklin, having been a
leading resident there for mariy years. Be
fore the days of railroads, David Conklin re
moved to Elmira, N. Y., where he spent his
last days. The late Dr. Peter Elting Conklin,

our subject's father, who' vvas born in 1809,
followed his profession at CornwaH for thirty
years, and had an extensive practice. He
married Miss Sarah M. Slater (whose an
cestor in the country was one of the " May
flower's " passengers), a native of Poughkeep
sie, born in 1 808, and had six children, of whom
three died in childhood ; the eldest, Cornelia P. ,
married Henry B. Breed, of Cornwall; and
Sarah Louise resides in New York City. Both
parents are deceased, the father dying August
17, 1867, and the mother on April 3, 1886.'
Dr. Conklin was born at Cornwall, N. Y. ,
January 28, 1846, and after attending the
public schools there for some time spent three
years in the Cornwall Collegiate Institute, and
two years in Madison (now Colgate) University,
at Hamilton, N. Y. He then took a course
in the Eastman Business College at Pough
keepsie, and followed mercantile pursuits for a
time; but in 1867 he began the study of
medicine, and in 1870 was graduated from
the medical Department of the University of
the City of New York. On March 17, 1870,
he opened his office in the village of Fishkill,
where he has built up a large practice. For
five years he was health officer of the town,
and for six years was one of the coroners of
the county. His standing among his profes
sional brethren is high; he has been a member
of the Dutchess County Medical Society for
twenty-five years, and a permanent member
of the State Medical Society for ten years.
He is actively interested also in local affairs
of a non-professional nature, and at present is
a director of the First National Bank of Fish
kill Landing, and a trustee of the Fishkill Sav
ings Institute. His sympathies are always on
the side of progress, and he is an earnest sup
porter of the free-school system, is now, and
has been for fourteen consecutive years, a
member of the board of education of Fishkill,
and for a time its president. He is a member
of Beacon Lodge No. 283, F. & A. M., and
of Hudson River Lodge No. 57, K. of P. On
May 27, 1875, the Doctor was united in mar
riage with Miss Barbra E. B. Walcott, daugh
ter of Halsey F. and Jane H. (Bogardus)
Walcott, prominent residents of Fishkill, of
whom further mention will be made. Three
chHdren were born to them, of whom one died
in childhood; WiHiam E. is now a student in
CorneH University, at Ithaca, N. Y. ; and
Clarence J. is attending school at Cazenovia
Seminary, Cazenovia, New York.

112

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

Halsey F. Walcott is a well-known busi
ness man of Fishkill — one of the oldest now
actively engaged in commercial life in Dutchess
county. His well-preserved energies and
ripened judgment make him a valued adviser,
and aside from the management of his hard
ware store he is interested in some of the
most important enterprises in his town. He
was born May i, 1817, at Cumberland, R. I.,
the old home cf his family. His grandfather.
Dr. Jabez Walcott, was a leading physician
and surgeon of his day in that locality, and
his son, Abijah Walcott (father of Halsey F.
Walcott), passed an honored life there, dying
at the age of sixty-seven. He married Miss
Sophia Smith, daughter of Rev. Jonathan
Smith, a soldier in the Revolutionary army,
and a pastor of the Baptist Church, who
preached for sixty years, his life being pro
longed to the old age of ninety-four years.
Halsey F. was the eldest of four children, the
others being: Angeline, the wife of Rev. T.
W Clark, a Baptist minister, and a chaplain
in the army during the Civil war, now residing
in Boston; and WilHam and Sophia, both now
deceased. Halsey F. Walcott attended the public
schools of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
In 1846 he married Miss Jane Bogardus, whose
father, the late Joseph Bogardus, owned and
conducted the "Union Hotel" at Fishkill,
which was destroyed by fire in 1872, and after
his death, which occurred February 3, 1859,
Mr. Walcott continued the business until 1863.
He then sold the hotel, and after four years of
retirement from business life, purchased the
hardware store of Charles Owen, which he
has ever since conducted. He was a director
of the First National Bank of FishkHl, and
trustee of the Savings Bank at Fishkill, and
has been a trustee of the P"ishkill Cemetery
Association for years, and is now its president.
As a progressive citizen, he has taken great in
terest in educational matters, serving as a
member of the board of education for a num
ber of years, and for part of the time as its
president. In politics he is a Republican; he
was town clerk for two years, justice of the
peace some twenty years, postmaster for four
years, and has held many minor offices, such
as town auditor, etc. He is the oldest mem
ber of Beacon Lodge, F. & A. M., with vvhich
he united forty-one years ago, and he formerly
belonged to the I. O. O. F.
Mrs. Walcott's father was a direct descend

ant of Everardus Bogardus, the first clergy
man in the New Netherlands. Her mother,
whose maiden name was Barbra Moffat, of
Paterson, N. J., was born in Glasgow, Scot
land, the granddaughter of Lady Barbra Gil
more. Of the two chHdren that have blessed
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Walcott, one died
in youth, and the other, Barbra Etta, is now
the wife of Dr. W. J. Conklin, of FishkiH.

WALTER FERRIS TABER, the subject
 of this sketch, is descended from an
cestry antedating the settlement of this coun
try as shown by the family Coat of Arms,
whose motto " "Virtue alone ennobles " carried
the stamp of character.
The Tabers were among the early settlers
in the Massachusetts Colony, and Thomas Ta
ber (great-grandfather of our subject), born in
New Bedford, Mass., in 1732, and his wife,
Annetheresa, came on horseback from Rhode
Island to Dutchess county, in 1760, and located
upon a grant of land of 500 acres obtained from
King George III, on Quaker HHl in the town of
Pawling, a tract known as the "Oblong."
They had two sons, William and Jeremiah
(and several daughters), the latter son remain
ing upon the farm during his life. [For a more
extended account see sketch of Geo. K. Taber.]
He married Delilah Russell, a native of the
town of Dover, and had six children: Russell,
a farmer in Dover; Thomas, a farmer, first in
Dutchess county and later in Broome county;
John, who died in childhood; WiHiam, our
subject's father; Harriet, who married Jona
than Akin, a farmer in Pawling; and Eliza,
who married Joseph Carpenter, a farmer in
Westchester county.
William Taber, our subject's father, was
born at the old homestead December 10, 1796,
and always resided there until his death in
1863. He was a Democrat, and a birthright
member of the Society of Friends. He mar
ried Eliza Sherman, a native of Quaker Hill,
born March 19, 1803, and died February 5,
1 84 1, a daughter of Abiel Sherman (one of the
stalwart family of nine sons that averaged six
feet in height, and were the terror of the Tories
in the Revolutionary war), whose ancestry
traces back on the same lines with Gen. T. W.
Sherman and Senator John Sherman of Ohio.
He was a prominent man, and member of the
State Legislature. Four chHdren were born
of this union: Eliza, who died in infancy;

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

118

WilHam H., who now owns and occupies the
old farm ; Walter F. , the subject of this sketch ;
and George A., who died at the age of six
years. The father died in 1863, the mother on
February 20, 1840.
Walter F. Taber was born October 29,
1830, and attended the schools of his native
town until he was fourteen years of age, after
which he attended boarding schools during the
winter terms for five successive years in Wash
ington, Dutchess county, and in Sherman and
Warren, in Connecticut, afterward teaching,
one winter, a public school, and having charge
of the Willets Boarding School in Washington,
Dutchess county, for one winter. Having a
natural taste for mechanics, while remaining
upon his father's farm, he made and repaired
many farm implements, and after using one of
the first mowing machines that was invented,
which was driven by one wheel, he saw the
necessity for improvement, and after much
study and trial devised the first mozuing ma
chine that was ever placed upon two driving
wheels and having a hinged cutter bar that
could be raised or lowered by a lever while
riding the machine. The model of said ma
chine is in the Patent Office at Washington.
This was when Mr. Taber was but nineteen
years of age. Like many other inventors, he
failed to secure the benefits of his invention,
but it made him an efficient agent for the well-
known Buckeye mower, which he sold for six
teen years after leaving his father's farm, which
he did at the age of twenty-four years to en
gage in mercantile business with his brother,
WiHiam H. Taber, at Pawling Station, where
he resided for about sixteen years.
On February 16, 1859, Walter F. Taber
was married to Miss Mary Emma Arnold,
daughter of Dr. Benjamin F. Arnold, a prom
inent physician of Pawling and a descendant of
one of the pioneer settlers, the family being, like
the Tabers, of English origin. One son was
born of tbis union, Franklin A. Taber, who is
engaged with his father in his present business.
Mr. Taber has been a member of the Soci
ety of Friends for many years; is treasurer of
the Society, and was superintendent of the
Sabbath-school for a number of years. Polit
ically he was formerly a Democrat, but for
several years past has been an advocate of
Prohibition and working with that party, and
its candidate for both State and Congressional
honors. On June 27, 1870, Mr. Taber moved from
8

Pawling to his present residence, which he
had previously purchased, one of the old land
marks, formerly known as the Judge Sweet
place, now known as ' ' Lakeview Fruit Farm, "
a short distance outside the limits of the
city of Poughkeepsie, where he has since re
sided. For nearly twenty years he has been
devoting his attention to the cultivation of
all kinds of fruits, making a specialty of
small fruits, and sparing no labor or ex
pense in preparing the soil and producing
fruits of high quality that should find ready
sale in both home and distant markets. He is
an authority upon his specialty, and a contrib
utor to the horticultural papers. He has given
addresses on fruit culture at many of the State
Farmers Institutes, and at the annual meeting
of the Western New York Horticultural Soci
ety in Rochester in February, 1895, o^ which
Society he is a member. He is also one of
the promoters of the Eastern New York Horti
cultural Society, and its present vice-president.
For nine years he has been connected with
the Dutchess County Farmers Club, and its
president for most of that time. With a desire
to contribute something to help mankind, he is
ever trying some experiment or making some
improvement whereby to arrive at the most
successful results and contribute to the general
good by freely giving of such knowledge as he
may have acquired in his particular line of
horticulture.

ISAAC HAVILAND (deceased). The sub-
 ject of this sketch was born in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, February 28,
18 12, and was the son of Isaac and Lydia
(Weaver) Haviland. After marrying, Isaac
Haviland, Sr., settled on a farm on Quaker
Hill, Dutchess county, where he followed farm
ing and reared the following children: Isaac
our subject; Joseph, a farmer in Washington
town; Daniel, who was a farmer and minister;
Jacob, who was a farmer in the town of
Poughkeepsie; Abram, who farmed in Paw
ling; Charlotte, married to Alfred Moore, a
farmer and Hicksite (Quaker) minister; Sarah,
who died unmarried; Lydia A., who became
the wife of John Martin, a farmer, and Alex
ander, who was a farmer at Clinton Corners.
Mr. Haviland was an Orthodox Quaker, and
died on Quaker Hill.
Our subject was reared on the farm, and
attended the district school, later continuing

114

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his studies at the Providence school. In 1835
he married Miss Maria Ann Swift, who was
born in the town of Washington, June 6, 181 5.
Lemuel Swift, her father, was the twin brother
of Zebulon Swift, whose sketch appears in
that of Isaac Swift. Our subject and wife
went to live on the farm where Mr. Davidson
now resides, near South MHIbrook. It was
in an uncultivated state, and during Mr. Havi
land's residence of thirty years he much im
proved it. He and his wife moved to S. MHI
brook and lived a retired life there for about
twenty years and then came to Millbrook, where
he died March 31, 1894, aged eighty-two
years. No children were born to our subject
and his wife. In politics he was a Democrat.
He vvas a member of the Orthodox Friends
Church, was benevolent and greatly respected,
and died a Christian, with a prayer on his
lips. Mrs. Haviland is still a member of the
Friends Church, in which she is an elder.

SMITH L. De GARMO, member of the
 ,) well-known dry-goods firm of Luckey,
Platt & Co., Poughkeepsie, is worthy of promi
nent mention in the pages of this volume.
The family is of French origin, and were
among the early settlers of the country. The
first of whom we have definite mention was
Rowland De Garmo (grandfather of our sub
ject), who was born November 29, 1785, and
died June 6, 1838. By occupation he was a
tanner, carrying on business near New Paltz,
Ulster Co., N. Y. He married Phebe Sutton,
born March 12, 1791, and died February 24,
1875. Their children were David S., Elias,
William Henry, Mary, Eliza and Daniel.
David S. De Garmo (father of our subject)
"was born March 6, 18 13, and in early life was
a tanner. On November i, 1838, he married
Phebe H. Lawrence, and turned farmer, pur
chasing a farm near Highland. In 1851 they
Temoved to Hibernia, Dutchess county, re
maining there till 1866, when Mr. De Garmo
l)uilt a new house in Salt Point, where he
passed the remainder of his days, dying of
paraJysis of the throat May 29, 1875. His
wife survived him until October, 1894, when
she, too, passed away at the age of eighty-two,
after five years of much physical suffering,
made as comfortable as po ssiblein the care of
her only daughter, Mrs. WHliam E. Smith, in
one of the most attractive of the beautiful

and far-famed homes of Millbrook, provided by
her son, the subject of this sketch.
Capt. Jonathan Lawrence, the maternal
great-grandfather, served as a captain in the
Revolutionary war, and a monument to his
memory stands in an old famHy burying ground
at Esopus, Ulster county. Thomas, his son,
was a Quaker preacher.
Smith L. De Garmo was born October 10,
1842, on the farm above mentioned, at High
land, and as will be seen was nine years old
when his parents moved to Dutchess county.
His education was received in part at the
common schools, partly at the New Paltz
Academy, and later at a private school kept by
Rev. Sherman Hoyt, a Presbyterian minister.
In November, 1868, Mr. De Garmo came to
Poughkeepsie as clerk in the furnishing-goods
store of Thomas A. Lawrence. In the follow
ing spring he entered the service of William
H. Broas, and got his first experience in hand
ling dry goods. Here he found a congenial
occupation, and his marked ability brought
him, in the spring of 1870, to the notice of
Messrs. Luckey and Platt, who were then
doing a moderate but successful dry-goods
business. It was early manifest to his employ
ers that they had secured a valuable factor,
and he was rapidly promoted. He proved a
perfect genius in salesmanship, and tireless in
his efforts. He enjoyed a very large acquaint
ance, and by his rare magnetism attracted
them as customers. Just before his admission
to the firm, Mr. Luckey said to one from whom
we get a part of our data for this article:
"We have been paying Mr. De Garmo prob
ably the largest salary received by any clerk
on the street, and we are satisfied that he
fully earns it by the new business alone which
he brings to us." Such merit had its natural
reward, and February i, 1872, he became a
partner in the concern. When the time came
for Mr. De Garmo to show his capacity as a
buyer, he was found equal to the occasion,
and became conspicuous in the market as hav
ing in a large degree the courage, caution and
knowledge of men, methods and conditions
necessary to the successful buyer. The busi
ness of the firm grew rapidly and steadily,
untH it became, probably, the largest of its kind
in any place of the size in this country, and in
many respects may be considered the model
dry-goods concern in this section of the State.
They were among the first in their line to in
troduce the profit-sharing plan with employees.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

115

In the year 1894 Mr. De Garmo bought
the Taggart place, containing the largest and
most beautifully appointed grounds in the city,
where he has since made his home. Socially,
he is a member of the F. & A. M. Lodge, No.
266, in Poughkeepsie. In politics he is a Re
publican.

JOHN P. ADRIANCE (deceased). Among
the men whose enterprise and sound judg
ment have developed the industries, and
extended the commerce, of the city of Pough
keepsie, the subject of this sketch held a prom
inent place. The family name is derived from
the given name of a remote ancestor, Adriaen
Reyersz, son of Reyer Elberts, of Utrecht,
Holland, whose wife was the mother by a
former husband of Goosen Gerritse van Schaick,
ancestor of the Albany van Schaicks.
Their son, Adriaen Reyersz.. came to Amer
ica in 1646, and settled at Flatbush, L. I.
He was married July 29, 1659, to Anna,
daughter of Martin Schenck, a name of
celebrity in Holland. One of their chil
dren, Elbert, born in 1663, settled in Flush
ing, and was married in 1689 to Catalina,
daughter of Rem. Vanderheeck, the ancestor
of the Remsens. They had three children.
Rem, Elbert and Anneke, with whom the use
of the present surname began. Rem married
Sarah, daughter of George Brinckerhoff, and
died in 1730 at the age of forty. His sons
were Elbert, born in 171 5; George, 17 16;
Abraham, 1720; Isaac, 1722; Jacob, 1727,
and Rem, 1729; of whom, George, Abraham
and Isaac settled in Dutchess county. Abra
ham Adriaanse married Femmetje Van Kleef;
their son Abraham Adriance, born in 1766,
married Anna Storm; their son John Adriance,
our subject's father, born in 1795, married
Sarah Ely Harris. Their home was in Pough
keepsie, where he was among the leading busi
ness men of his day, and one of the first man
ufacturers of harvesting machinery.
John P. Adriance was born March 4, 1825,
and after acquiring such education as the
schools of the city afforded at that time he
spent three years and a half as clerk in the
hardware store of Storm & Uhl. He then
went to New York City, and took a simHar po
sition with Walsh & Mallory, remaining until
1845, when the firm placed him in charge of
their store in Manchester, N..H. He eventu
ally suceeded tb the business there; but in

1852 he returned to New York and went into
the wholesale hardware trade with a brother-
in-law, Samuel R. Platt, and Samuel W' . Sears,
under the firm name of Sears, Adriance & Platt.
About this time he became interested in some
experiments which his father was making with
the Forbush mower, and seeing the possibili
ties opening up in this branch of manufactur
ing he decided to engage in it. In 1854 the
firm purchased the patents of the Manny
mower for the New England States, and began
making the machines at Worcester, Mass., the
business there being conducted under the name
of Mr. Adriance. Theenterprise was not wholly
successful, but in 1857, at a great field trial of
mowers and reapers held at Syracuse, N. Y. ,
under the auspicesof the United States Agricult
ural Society, Mr. Adriance became impressed
with the merits of a mower patented by Aultman
& Miller, of Canton, Ohio, which received the
first premium. Notwithstanding the opposi
tion of his partners to further ventures in that
line, he succeeded in overcoming their objec
tions, and after acquiring the patent rights, he
began the manufacture of a new machine in
Worcester, Mass., giving it the name "Buck
eye," because of its Ohio origin. In 1859 the
factory was transferred to the old ' ' Red Mills "
at Poughkeepsie; -but the business increased so
rapidly as to necessitate the buHding of more
commodious quarters, in 1864, on the banks of
the Hudson, extensive additions and improve
ments having since been made from time to
time. In 1863 the firm of Sears, Adriance &
Platt was dissolved, Mr. Sears retaining the
hardware business, and a new firm for the
manufacture of mowers and reapers was
formed, consisting of John P. Adriance, Sam
uel R. Platt and Isaac S. Platt, and known as
Adriance, Platt & Co., under which name it
was incorporated in 1882 as a stock company,
with the following officers: John P. Adriance,
president; S. R. Platt, vice-president; and I. S.
Platt, treasurer. Mr. Adriance continued his
connection with the business until his death,
which occurred June 18, 1891.
Although his time and energy were so
largely spent in forwarding his business inter
ests, Mr. Adriance was much more than a
business man, taking keen interest in all that
concerned the welfare of his fellows, and
he took a prominent part in the promotion of
many worthy enterprises which might have
failed but for his ready and substantial help.
He never held any public office except that of

116

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

alderman for one year, but was repeatedly
urged to accept the nomination for mayor, his
election being considered certain if he con
sented to become a candidate. But, unwilling
as he was to hold any public office, he was
warmly interested in political affairs, and was
a recognized leader in the local Republican
organization. Possessing pleasing address,
his courtesy readHy won friends whom his
steriing virtues retained. He was married in
1848, to Mary J. R. Platt, who died Decem
ber 24, 1895. One daughter and five sons —
three of whom are connected with the
corporation of Adriance, Platt & Co. — survive
him. John Erskine Adriance, the second son,
was born in New York City, December 23,
1853, and received his education at the Pough
keepsie MHitary Institute, the Churchill
School at Sing Sing, and Riverview Military
Academy. In 1871 he entered the arena of
business, and is now vice-president of the
Adriance, Platt & Co. On April 27, 1882, he
was married to Miss Mary Hasbrouck, of
Poughkeepsie, and they have two daughters:
Jane Hardenbergh and Marguerite Platt.

F

^\ERDINAND R. BAIN, a prominent real-
estate dealer, of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, is among the youngest of the enter
prising and successful business men of his city.
He was born in Chatham, N. Y., May 3, 1861,
the third son of Milton and Charlotte (Nash)
Bain, the others being Francis M., proprietor
ofthe "Palatine Hotel " at Newburgh, N. Y.,
and Horatio N., proprietor of the "Nelson
House," Poughkeepsie.
At the age of sixteen our subject left
school to assist his brother Horatio N. in the
"Poughkeepsie Hotel," and has ever since
been engaged in business, but he has supple
mented his early educational acquirements by
reading on a wide range of subjects. His first
instructor was Miss Wood, a private teacher
from the Lebanon Academy, and he later at
tended the school of George N. Perry, at
Dover Plains, also Bishop's select school for
boys. No. 50 Academy street, Poughkeepsie.
In 1885, after eight years of hotel work, he
embarked in the real-estate and insurance
business, and has built up one of the most ex
tensive enterprises of its kind in the city,
having platted and opened up several import
ant additions, among them Bain avenue, Tay

lor avenue, a portion of N. Hamilton street,
the Dean property, and Livingston Manor.
He has also been influential in securing new
pavements in yarious parts of the city.
Mr. Bain has"^~-been largely interested in
street railways, and for some time was a mem
ber of the syndicate which owned the Pough
keepsie City Street R. R. Selling out his
stock, however, he afterward bought a one-
half interest, and in 1892 was elected presi
dent of the road. Under his management
and upon his suggestion, the Vassar College
and Driving Park line, and the Wappinger
Falls line have been added to the system, and
made electric roads. He is vice-president and
active manager of the West Coast Steam
Line, running from Port Tampa to St. Peters
burg. The latter was anything but a paying
business when he took charge, but he has
placed it on a profitable basis. He is a di
rector of the Farmers' and Manufacturers*
Bank, and Poughkeepsie Gas Co., a member
of the Board of Trade, and has interested him
self in several new manufacturing concerns, to
bring them to Poughkeepsie. As secretary of
the Dutchess County Agricultural Society, he
was successful in raising an incumbrance of
$9, 500, and he helped to incorporate the
organization in 1894; also was instrumental in
securing its meeting in Poughkeepsie in 1890.
His career has been an honorable one, and his
investments have so far invariably proved suc
cessful. Some of his enterprises give em
ployment to large numbers of men.
In 1885 Mr. Bain married Hattie I. Ken-
worthy, a daughter of Richard Kenworthy, who
was at one time sheriff of Dutchess county,
and treasurer of the Hudson River State Hos
pital. Three chHdren were born to this union:
Ethel M., Mary K. and Kathleen. Mr. Bain
and his wife are prominent members of the Sec
ond Reformed Church. He takes an active
interest in the work of the Republican party;
was elected supervisor from the Fourth ward
in 1888, and alderman in 1890 and 1891; and
at present is city assessor. Socially, he is a
member of Triune Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Knights
of Pythias, and of the Amrita, Bicycle, Driving
and Dutchess Clubs.

V\AIUS C. BOLIN, a talented and enter-
t>P prising young lawyer of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, was born in that city Sep
tember 10, 1864.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

117

Abraham Bolin, his father, is a native of
Dutchess county, born at South Dover, Feb
ruary 10, 1830. He lived upon a farm until
he was twenty-five years old, having begun to
make his way in the world at the early age of
seven. In 1855 he moved to Poughkeepsie,
where he married Alice Ann Lawrence, an
educated and refined woman of unusual mental
ability and foresight. She was also a native of
Dutchess county, as were her mother and
grandmother before her. Her father having
died during her chHdhood, leaving his widow
with a large family of children, some kind
friends in New York City took the bright little
girl into their home and gave her an excellent
education and training.
Abraham Bolin is an intelligent and suc
cessful business man, and has conducted at
different times a meat market, a grocery store
and a produce commission business, and has
also engaged in selling live stock. In every
enterprise his wife has been an indispensable
helper and adviser. They have had thirteen
children whose careful and thorough education
has been their main object, and their willing
self-sacrifice is already receiving a reward in
the satisfaction of seeing them fitted for useful
and honorable stations in life. The names of
their chHdren living are: Mrs. Alvaretta Deyo,
George W., Gains C. (the subject of this
sketch), Livingsworth W., Paul C, Rev. Mrs.
Blanche Bolin Crooke, and Miss Oscafora Stra-
deHa Bolin; of these Paul C. Bolin is an ad
vanced student of the piano, and an instructor
on that instrument at the National Conserva
tory of Music, New York City. For more
than thirty-five years they have lived at their
present residence on North Clinton street.
Gains C. Bolin attended the public schools
of Poughkeepsie during his boyhood, and after
graduating from the high school in 1883, he
took a two-years course at Prof. John R. Les
lie's select classical school, then conducted on
Academy street, Poughkeepsie. In the fall of
1885 he entered the freshman class of Will
iams CoHege, WiHiamstown, Mass., and was
graduated from that^institution in June, 1889,
being the first colored man graduated by this
historic old college. For a year after leaving
college he assisted his father in the produce
commission business, and on September 15,
1890, he entered the law office of Fred. E.
Ackerman, Esq., of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., as a
student. He was admitted to the bar at the
General Term of the Supreme Court, held in

Brooklyn, N. Y. , and presided over by Hon.
Joseph F. Barnard, December 15, 1892, but
remained in Mr. Ackerman's employ, extending
his knowledge of legal principles and gaining
experience in their practical application. On
May 23, 1895, he opened an office of his own
at Nos. 46-48 Market street. His watchful de
votion to the interests of his clients, as well as
his upright fair dealing, has won the confidence
of the public, and he has enjoyed a greater
measure of success than falls to the lot of some
practitioners who have no connection with an
established business.
A dutiful and affectionate son, he never
fails to give credit for his success to the advice,
encouragement and Christian example of his
father and mother, and the influence of a home
where love abounds.

1) CUbf l/^AAJf.-iy^ey

VEORGE B. CHAPMAN, M. D., was born
May 20, 1849, in the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, and received his academic
education there and in Phillips Academy at
Exeter, N. H. He afterward entered Bellevue
Hospital Medical College for two years, then
attended the Medical Department of Yale Col
lege for one year, graduating from the latter
in 1875. He began his professional career in
Amenia Union, N. Y. , and remained there for
thirteen years, building up a large practice.
In 1888, on account of the overwork and ex
posure incident to his profession, his health
gave out, and he was obHged to give up active
practice, and spend the two following winters
in Virginia, and the summers in Minnesota
and Dakota, While in the West he became
much interested in real-estate investments,
was one of the organizers, and the first presi
dent of the Webutuck Investment Co. of
Duluth, Minn., and a director in the Amenia
and Sharon Land Co. of North Dakota.
In 1890 he located at Dover Plains, and
became interested in the invention of Charles
E. Buckley, since known as the Buckley
Watering Device, an automatic arrangement
for securing a plentiful supply of fresh water to
cattle and horses while confined in the stable,
a patent being secured in 1891. The im
portance of this invention, both from a eco
nomic and humanitarian standpoint, was soon
appreciated by all intelligent and progressive
stock-breeders and dairymen, and the system
is now in general use throughout the country.
Dr. Chapman has made many improvements

118

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

on the original idea, and is now actively en
gaged in the manufacture and sale of the De
vice, having bought out Mr. Buckley's interest
in 1892. Dr. Chapman is actively interested in local
affairs, and is a member of the Masonic fra
ternity. In 1874, he married Miss Martha
Root (daughter of Oliver and Mary Root, of
Kent, Conn.), who died in February, 1876,
leaving no children. In September, 1877, he
married Sarah Hitchcock, daughter of Homer
and Rebecca Hitchcock, belonging to an old
and well-known family of Amenia, N. Y. One
child blessed this union, Rebecca, born July 3,
2^2^^ " 
Israel Chapman, our subject's great-grand
father, was born at Bethlehem, Conn., and
reared a family of sons, among whom was
William Chapman, the grandfather of our sub
ject. He was educated at his native place,
and early in life followed the carpenter's trade,
but later moved to South Dover, Dutchess
county, and conducted a hotel and general
store. His wife was Miss Rachel Cherrytree,
and their seven children all lived to maturity.
They were Israel, who never married; Homer,
who married (first) Ann Howard, and (second)
Helen Thompson; Reuben Wooster married
Marilla Ward; Lyman married Deborah Sher
man; Alfred, our subject's father, in 1831
married Adaline Mabbett; Maria became the
wife of Charles Thomas; and Betsey became
the wife of William Tabor.
Alfred Chapman was born in South Dover,
Dutchess county, December 11, 1807, and
after receiving a common-school education
learned the carpenter's trade, and engaged in
the business of contracting and building, in
which he was successful, the high order of his
work bringing him custom from an extended
territory. Dr. Chapman is the fifth in a family of
seven children: (i) Ann E., born in 1832,
was married in 1854 to William Tabor, a
farmer. They have had eleven children:
John and Louisa are unmarried; Florence
married Frank Van Auken; Jennie married
William Sebring; Frank and Harriet are still
unmarried; and Mary is the wife of Everett
Travis; the other children died in infancy. (2)
Benjamin F. was born in 1835, educated at
Michigan University and the Albany Law
School. On graduating in i860 from the lat
ter institution, he began the practice of law at
Dover, but his death in 1870 cut short a

promising career. He married Miss Helen
Reed, and left one son, David B. R. Chap
man, who graduated from Columbia College,
and is now in the coal business in New York
City. (3) Mary J. was born in 1836, and in
1865 married Nicholas Ryan, now residing in
Brewster, N. Y. She died in 1867, leaving
two children: Minnie, living in Petersburg,
Va., and George B., now living in Clove
VaHey, N. Y. (4) Sarah M., born in 1839,
married Peter T. Young, a live-stock dealer
in Norfolk and Petersburg, Va. They have
two children, Hattie C, born in 1876, and
Homer T., born in 1884. (5), Our subject.
(6) William and (7) Walter died in infancy.

JOHN VAN WYCK (deceased). The family
name of the subject of this sketch has been
held in high esteem, both in Holland, the
ancient home of the family, and in this coun
try, where many of its representatives have
held positions of usefulness and honor.
Dr. Van Wyck, our subject's grandfather,
a native of Dutchess county, owned a large
tract of land in the town of Fishkill, which he
cultivated, in addition to his extensive labors
as a medical practitioner. His son. Gen. John
B. Van Wyck, our subject's father, was an
officer in the war of 1812. He married Susan
Schenk, by whom he had nine children: Alfred,
a farmer in Fishkill; John, our subject; Jo
hanna, who married Mr. Holmes, a merchant
in New York City; Mary, the wife of Edward
Remsen, also a merchant in New York City;
Catherine; Susan, who married O. Holmes;
Cornelia; Jane, the second wife of Mr. Holmes;
and William.
John Van Wyck, our subject, vvas born in
the tovvn of Poughkeepsie, and was educated
at the Dutchess County Academy. On leav
ing school he went to New York City, and en
gaged in the wholesale dry-goods business.
He married Miss Sarah Mesier, a native of New
York City, born in 18 10. Her father, Peter
A. Mesier, was a native of New England, and
became a bank stationer in New "York City.
He was a Whig in politics, and he and his
family were members of the Episcopal Church.
His wife was Catherine Mesier, a first cousin,
and they reared a family of five children: Mary;
Sarah (Mrs. Van Wyck); Peter, a merchant in
New York; Jane; and Margaret, who married
James Clonny, an artist in New York. The
Mesiers are of French Huguenot ancestry, and

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

119

their coat of arms bears the appropriate motto,
"Tiens a la Foi,"— Hold to thy faith. The
Van Wyck family also possesses a coat of arms,
the nearest description of which in the absence
of any work on heraldry, is as follows: Anns
— ^^A cross or, in each quarter two tassels, arg. ,
inverted, crossed; over all an escutcheon
charged with a cart-wheel, proper. Crest — A
crown, arg. (in English heraldry this would be
a ducal crown). Supporters — Two gryphons
(or griffins), sal., regardant, each supporting a
banner, the dexter banner charged with a cross,
as on the shield; the sinister banner charged
with a cart-wheel, as on the escutcheon.
Shortly after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs.
Van Wyck settled upon a farm near Manches
ter, and, in 1835, nrioved to the present home
stead near New Hamburg, a beautiful estate
overlooking the Hudson river. Here they
built an elegant residence, which has been for
sixty years one of the most charming homes of
this vicinity. Eight chHdren were born to
them: Kate, Mesier (deceased), Sarah, Henry,
John, Mary, Williami, and Edmund (deceased),
who was a physician at Wappingers Falls.
Mr. Van Wyck died September 18, 1878, but
his widow is still living, blessed with unusual
vigor, both physical and mental, and surrounded
by her chHdren who are all at home. The
family has been identified with the Episcopal
Church of Wappingers Falls for more than
half a century, and is well-known in the most
exclusive circles of Poughkeepsie society.

WILLIAM LOUIS De LACY, a weH-
 known attorney of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ,
is recognized as the leading pension lawyer of
that city. He was himself a soldier in the
Civil war, enlisting as a boy of sixteen years,
August 13, 1 86 1, and serving until mustered
out October 1 1, 1865, and his own experiences
on the battle fields and in the prisons of the
South have doubtless turned his attention to
the disabHities that the hardships of that long
struggle have brought upon the brave "boys
in blue," and certainly his record as a soldier
must have done much to gain for him the con
fidence of his large circle of clients.
His family is of ancient lineage, and, it is
thought, originated in Lassy, Normandy, and
was transplanted to England at the time of
the Conquest. The progenitor of the Amer
ican branch, William Lacy, came from the
Isle ot Wight at an early period, and settled in

Bucks county, Penn., where many of his
descendants still Hve. The family is one of
the oldest and most substantial in that region,
and its members have usually been engaged in
agriculture. The first record concerning the
family is that of a marriage which occurred in
1718 in the Quaker Church at Wrightstown,
Bucks Co., Penn. Brigadier-General John
De Lacy, of Revolutionary fame, was a mem
ber of this family. William De Lacy had a
son William, who had a son William, who had
a son William, our subject's grandfather.
There were five brothers of that generation,
and while William remained at the old home,
one went to Michigan, one to Mississippi, one
to Ohio, and the other settled west of the
Mississippi. William married Miss Mary
Chidester, and had three daughters — Mary,
Ann and Jane — and six sons — Israel, the owner
of the Trenton Pottery at Trenton, N. J.;
Joseph, a confectioner; Lafayette and Na
poleon Bonaparte, who were on the police
force in Philadelphia; John P., our subject's
father; and Aaron, a lumberman of Pike coun
ty, Penn. John P. De Lacy was born at the
old homestead January 27, 1814, and became
a prominent citizen there, noted for his
sterling qualities of character. By trade he
was a carpenter, and he was active in local
politics as a Jacksonian Democrat, 'although
he never sought or held office. He was a
birthright Quaker. His wife, Caroline Car-
tier, was a native of Bucks county, Penn. , and
a daughter of Jacob Cartier, who was born in
Leipsic, Saxony. Six children were born to
them: Hester, who married Richard Parsons,
of Bucks county, Penn.; Harriet, deceased;
William L. , our subject; Jacob Alfred, a resi
dent of Lambertville, N. J. ; John Franklin, a
mining prospector in the West; and Charles
Henry, a seaman. The father died October
8, 1878, but the mother is still living, and at
the age of seventy-six has not a gray hair in
her head.
Mr. De Lacy was born at New Hope, Penn.,
July 10, 1845. His opportunities for an edu
cation were meagre, his early years having
been spent mainly upon the Lehigh canal. He
worked for one year in the office of the Peo
ple's Beacon, at Lambertville, N. J., employed
by Clark^ Pierson for a time, and he gained
some knowledge of reading, both in script and
print, but at the age of sixteen, when he was
required to sign the pay roll, on his enlistment,
he could only make his mark. He soon learned

120

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to write, however, and the next time his sig
nature was wanted he was prepared to write it.
He was a member of Company C, 4th N.J.
Inf., 1st N. J. Brigade, of which Gen. Phil
Kearny was the original commander. He
took part in many important engagements,
being at West Point, "Va., May 7, 1862; at
White House Landing; at Mechanicsville,
twice; and at Gaines' Hill, June 27, 1862, on
the second day of the Seven-Days' fight, near
Richmond. Here he was wounded and capt
ured with the bulk of his regiment, and, after
being confined in Libby Prison for some time,
was sent to Belle Isle with the first detach
ment of one hundred prisoners, who were com
pelled to put up the first tent on the island,
intended for prison purposes; he spent about
seven weeks there, and on being exchanged,
August 12, 1862, rejoined his regim^ent at Har
rison's Landing. Then followed the Second
Battle of Bull Run, and the engagements at
Crampton Gap, or South Mountain, Septem
ber 14; Antietam, September 17, and Freder
icksburg, December 12, 1862. He was de
tailed for train guard duty after this, and his
next battle was at Rappahannock Station, in
October, 1863, followed by that of Mine Run,
November 26, after which the regiment went
into winter quarters until May, 1864, when
Grant t'bok command. In the battle of the
Wilderness Mr. De Lacy was seriously wound
ed, and, as he could not take his place in the
field again, he remained in the hospital at
Newark, N. J., until he was mustered out,
October 11, 1865. On his return to the life
of a civilian, he spent eight months in the
Pennington Theological Seminary, and this
may be said to be the only real schooling that
he ever had. He left this institution, reluc
tantly, to enter business life, taking a place as
clerk for James E. Goll, an insurance agent at
Newark, N. J. ; later he went into a market on
Pacific street. In October, 1866, he went to
Poughkeepsie with a physician, and, being left
penniless, he worked for some time in the
offices of the Press and Eagle. On Septem
ber I, 1873, he bought the Amenia Times, in
partnership with William Wiley, the firm being
at first De Lacy & Wiley, and afterward De-
Lacy & Walsh. Mr. DeLacy edited the paper
until 1877, when he sold out to Mr. Walsh,
and during this time he was twice elected jus
tice of the peace, and once appointed to that
office to fill a vacancy. He had also been
studying law in private, and after a further

course with Cyrus Swan, of Poughkeepsie, he
was admitted to the bar in September, 1879,
and has since been in active practice, making
a specialty of pension claims.
In politics he has always been a Democrat,
and formerly he was quite active in party work.
He served two terms as police commissioner
under Mayors Rowley and Arnold. Since De
cember, 1872, he has been a member of the
I. O. O. F., FallkHl Lodge No. 297, and he
belongs to the Order of Chosen Friends,
Dutchess Council No. 50; the Queen City As
sembly Royal Society of Good Fellows, No.
124, and is an honorary member of Phoenix
Hose Comipany. He is also a member of
HamHton Post No. 20, G. A. R. , in which he
takes great interest, and has been a delegate
to the National Encampments at San Francis
co, Denver, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Boston,
Washington and Baltimore. In 1892 he was
senior vice-commander of the Department of
New York.
On March 30, 1868, Mr. De Lacy married
Weltha A. WHey, daughter of Clark Wiley, a
prominent resident of Poughkeepsie. They
have two sons: George W. , an architect and
draughtsman, and Charles, who is a clerk in
the office with his father.

S\HERIDAN SHOOK. The spirit of self-
,^ help is the source of all genuine worth
in the individual, and is the means of bring
ing to man success when he has no advantages
of wealth or influence to aid him. It illus
trates in no uncertain manner what is possible
to accomplish when perseverance and deter
mination form the keynote to a man's life.
Depending on his own resources, looking for
no outside aid or support, Mr. Shook has
secured a handsome property, although he
started out in life with naught save a pair of
willing hands and a determination to succeed.
Our subject is a native of Dutchess county,
born February 19, 1828, in the town of Red
Hook, and is a son of George Shook. He re
ceived his education at Piermont Academy, and
at the early age of fourteen years went to New
York City, "to make his fortune, " in which
he certainly succeeded. For ten years he
clerked for John Boyce, a dealer in butter and
cheese, at the expiration of which time he and
Henry N. Morgan took charge of the business,
Mr. Boyce having retired. At the opening of
the war of the Rebellion^ our subject was ap-

^^%^"-^— ^ .=.^.^_ ^-^^^-w^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

121

pointed treasurer of the "Relief Fund," which
had been raised in the city to meet the needs
of the families of those who had gone to the
front. In 1861 he was appointed by President
Lincoln to the position of Internal Revenue
Collector, which position he held seven years,
and about the same time he was elected to the
board of supervisors of New York City. In
1865, at an outlay of $40,000, he fitted up
" Gilmores Garden," in New York, which he
conducted for two years. In 1871 he built the
Union Square Theatre, corner of 14th street
and Broadway, and for several years conducted
same, under the able management of A. M.
Palmer. Mr. Shook was also engaged in the
brewery business, at New York, under the firm
name of Shook & Everhard, and was also pro
prietor of the " Morton House, " one of the
leading hotels of New York, which he carried
on untH 1895.
Mr. Shook has been twice married, his
second union being on December 21, 1881,
with Miss Ellen M. Gillespie, a native of Al
bany county, N. Y. , born at Greenbush, in
1846, a daughter of Charles GiHespie, of Al
bany, N. Y. She is a member of the Lu
theran Church. Mr. Shook in his political
preferences is a Republican. He is the father
of four children: Louise Week (Mrs. H. A.
Hoffman); Sheridan Shook, Jr., of New York;
Lillie; and one that died in early youth. He
still has business interests in New York and
Red Hook, but is not personally engaged there
in. He has a fine farm and beautiful residence
situated about four miles from his birthplace.
No more genial man can be found than Mr.
Shook, and he and his estimable wife have
many friends to whom their hospitality is ever
extended. They hold a high position in social
circles, having the esteem and respect of all
who know them.

DAVID A. KNAPP, M. D., an eminent
physician and surgeon of Dutchess county,
has for many years successfully engaged in the
practice of medicine in the town of Unionvale.
In his profession he takes a genuine and de
voted interest, making a study of ' ' the ills that
flesh is heir to, " and is one of the most capable
and conscientious men in his profession.
His father, Isaac Knapp, also a medical
practHioner, was a native of Greenwich, Conn.,
where he obtained his literary education, and

later began the study of medicine, graduating
at the New York Medical Institute in 1795.
He commenced the practice of his chosen pro
fession in New Fairfield, near Danbury, Conn.,
and also conducted a select school. In relig
ious belief he was a Presbyterian. He married
Miss Amy Brush, a daughter of Squire Brush,
a prosperous farmer of New Fairfield, and they
became the parents of eight children, one of
whom died in infancy, the others being as fol
lows: (i) Theressa Knapp was born in the town
of New Fairfield, Fairfield Co., Conn., and se
cured a common-school education. She mar
ried Hubbel Platt, but had no children.
(2) Isaac Knapp, also a native of New
Fairfield town, engaged in teaching after the
completion of his own education, and also fol
lowed farming. During the old training days
he held the commission of captain in the
militia. He married Miss Maranda Hall, and
they had one son — Smith, now deceased, who
was born in Connecticut, and for a time was
engaged in the real-estate business. He was
twice married, the first time to a Miss Briggs,
by whom he had two children, Lula and
George F. ; later he wedded a Miss Taylor,
and they had three children.
(3) Enoch Knapp was born and educated in
Connecticut, and also taught school. During
the training days he served as major. He
married Rachel Barnum, of New Fairfield,
Conn., and to them were born seven children:
Almira, who married Daniel Wood, a farmer
of Redding Ridge, Fairfield Co., Conn., and
has five children; Sarah, who married Waite
Brush, a farmer of Rome, N. Y. , and has three
chHdren; Mary, who died in infancy; Charlotte,
an artist by profession, who is now studying in
France and other parts of the Old World;
Isaac S., an agriculturist, who married Lula
Dayton; Mary, who wedded a Mr. Clegett, and
has a son, Clifton; and Fred, a farmer, who
married a Miss Howe.
(4) Sarah Knapp, who was born in the
town of New Fairfield, married Ephraim
Leach, a farmer, and they had three sons:
David (now deceased), a machinist, who mar
ried a Miss Bennett; Isaac, an engineer; and
Henry Q., who married a Miss Roberts, of
Peekskill, N. Y., and has six children: Fannie,
Hannah, Mabel, Myra, Clara and Theressa.
(5) Ezra Knapp (deceased) was born in the
town of New Fairfield, received a common-
school education, and followed the pursuit of

122

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

farming. He married Miss Rachel Meade, of
Greenwich, Conn.; they had no children.
(6) Dr. David A. Knapp, of this review, is
next in order of birth, and like the other mem
bers of the family, was born in the town of
New Fairfield, Fairfield Co., Conn. He at
tended the district schools near his home, and
later pursued his studies in a select school of
that township, in the Danbury Academy and
in the Middletown Academy. For two years
he was then a student at Yale College, New
Haven, Conn., prior to which he engaged in
teaching for a time. At the age of twenty-
two years he entered the University of New
York, graduating from the medical department
in the spring of 1845. He soon after began
practice in the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, where he has since made his home and
has met with excellent results along his chosen
line of endeavor. He is one of the prominent
as well as original members of the Dutchess
County Medical Society. In social circle he
also holds a leading position, and has been
called upon to serve in a number of township
offices. In 1846 the Doctor was united in marriage
with Miss Rebecca Vincent, who was born in
1827, and is the daughter of Jonathan G. and
Loretta (Williams) Vincent, prosperous farm
ing people of the town of Unionvale. Two
sons bless their union: (i) David Vincent,
born in 1863, was educated at Wilbraham,
Mass., and Hackettstown, N. J., and also
studied medicine. He married Miss Anna
Dean, daughter of Ciromaline Dean, of the
town of Lagrange, Dutchess county, and they
had one child that died in infancy. The wife
and mother is also now deceased. (2) Ezra
V. M., the Doctor's younger son, was born in
the town of Unionvale, February 14, 1875.
He also attended school at Wilbraham, Mass.,
and the High School at Meriden, Conn., later
taking a course at the Eastman Business Col
lege, Poughkeepsie. He is now carrying on
farming with his father. In 1895 he took a
trip to the Pacific coast, remaining there six
months. (7) Euphemia Knapp, the youngest child
of Isaac and Amy (Brush) Knapp, married
William H. Morse, an agriculturist, of Mass
achusetts; they had no children.
Gilbert Vincent, the grandfather of Mrs.
Dr. Knapp, was a native of the town of Union-
yale, and married Miss Phoebe Vail. In their
family were twelve children, namely: Isaac,

who married Martha Duncan; Absalom, who
married Hannah Duncan; Jonathan G. , the
father of Mrs. Knapp; Thomas, who married
Eliza Arnold; Richard, who married Helen
Fowler; Margaret, who married John T.
Potter; Betsy, who married Jonathan Hus-
tead; Rebecca and Levina, who never mar
ried; Michael, who married a Miss Carey;
Phoebe A., who married Morris Germond; and
Hepsobeth, who married Edward Wheeler.
Jonathan C. Vincent was born in the town
of Unionvale, and was united in marriage
with Miss Loretta Williams, daughter of
Squire Williams, a surveyor, of the same town
ship. Seven children were born to them, as
follows: (i) Elizabeth married Reuben L.
Coe, and had six children. (2) Rebecca is
the wife of Dr. Knapp, subject of this sketch.
(3) John, ex-county clerk, married Rhoda
IButler, and had four children — Ella, who
married Obed Vincent; Minnie, who married
Charles Andrews; Walter; and Elisha B. (4)
Gilbert married Kate Uhl, by whom he had a
son, Ralph, who married Hannah T. Under
bill; for his second wife Gilbert wedded Eliza
Ham, and they have a daughter, Loretta. (5)
Lewis never married. (6) Michael married
Estella O'Neil, and has five children — Nellie,
Minnie, Jonathan, Thomas and Rebecca. (7)
Mary A. wedded Orin Able, and has two chH
dren — Elanita, who married Oscar Shaffer;
and Claude O. L.

JAMES G. PORTEOUS, M. D. (deceased).
In the romantic annals of Scottish history,
and made immortal in the romances of Sir
Walter Scott, is the name of Porteous, ever
linked in the struggles for freedom, and worthy
a place at the side of a Forbes, or a jSlar, fol
lowing under the leadership of the matchless
Wallace, or Bruce. In direct line of descent
from Capt. Porteous, famous in the "Porteous
mob" at Edinburgh, comes Andrew Porteous,
a native of that city, born in 181 5 or 18 16, a
son of Andrew Porteous, Sr. ; he emigrated to
this country in 1837 or '38, and helped to lay
out Jersey City. He later went to Essex county.
New York, and worked in the mines as a civH
engineer, afterward going to Glens Falls where
he engaged in the cement business, and thence
to Luzerne where he followed agricultural pur
suits. He married Jane Blair, also of an
ancient Scotch family, and they became the
parents of eight chHdren, as follows: James

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

123

G. , Helen, Mary, Jane, Charles, Maggie, An
nie and Scott, only two of whom — Jane and
Scott — are yet living.
James G. Porteous, whose name opens this
review, was born at Moriah, Essex Co., N. Y. ,
January 3, 1839. While in Essex county his
educational training was under the guidance of
a private tutor, and his academic education was
received at Glens Falls. In 1861 he entered
the medical department of Harvard College,
graduating in 1865. During the four years he
was enrolled as a student at Harvard, he was
absent two years in the army. Prompted by
the same spirit that animated the breasts of his
ancestors he offered his services to his country,
to do his part that no star might be missed
from the field of blue. He enlisted as first as
sistant surgeon of the 11 Sth N. Y. V. I.,
and later was promoted to surgeon of the 46th
N. Y. V. I., where he served during the bal
ance of the war. After being mustered out he
returned to college and passed "perfect" in
all of his examinations. In 1865 he began
practice at Luzerne, in Warren Co., N. Y. ,
and for fifteen years he successfully followed
his chosen calling — to which his large symipa-
thies so well adapted him — there; but May i,
1880, he bought out the practice of Dr. Carter,
of Poughkeepsie, and removed to that city,
greatly to the regret of his patients at Luzerne.
His career as a physician in Poughkeepsie was
one of remarkable success, and he remained
there untH his death, one of the best known
physicians in this part of the State.
In 1865 Dr. Porteous was married to Miss
Sarah F. Wilbur, daughter of Samuel and
Sarah Wilbur, of Boston, Mass., and three
children were the result of this union: Effie;
Flora, who became the wife of Allen H. Craft,
of New York City; and Lizzie, who married
Dr. E. E. Hicks, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Soci
ally, the Doctor was a member of the Mystic
Shrine, Knights Templar, and of the Loyal
Legion and the G. A. R. , and was also a mem
ber of the Dutchess Club. In religious belief
he and his wife were faithful attendants of the
Episcopal Church. The Doctor was very
strong in his political views, and was an active
and influential worker in the ranks of the Re
publican party. Though for seven years su
pervisor of Luzerne, and a member of the As
sembly in 1873, he could in no way be regarded
as an office seeker. His interest was only
what every public-spirited and patriotic citi
zen's should be — "to promote the general

welfare" — and in this our subject did not fail
to do his duty, for he was in the fore of any
movement that tended toward the advance
ment of the community. He was one of those
typical self-made men, whose struggles with
adverse circumstances broadened the mind, and
his natural kind-hearted and unselfish nature,
together with his sincere regard for his brother
man, made him a man among men, a friend to
humanity. His heart responded to every call,
and he could laugh with them that laughed,
and mourn with them that mourned. No ap
peal to his aid was ever made in vain, and
though he ranked among the foremost of his
profession in Poughkeepsie, no home was too
humble for him to enter if thereby he could
relieve the suffering of mind and body of some
unfortunate fellow-being. In proof of the high
regard in which he was held, his patients have
collected quite a sum of money for the purpose
of erecting a monument over his grave, that
there might be in chiseled marble a fitting tes
timonial of the life and character of one of na
ture's noblemen.

JOHN J. BROOKS (deceased) was born in
Haverstraw, N. Y. , April i, 1821, and was
' the son of Capt. WilHam Brooks, a native
of Stony Point, New York.
John Brooks was a farmer by occupation,
and was a prosperous man. He married a
Miss Copney, and their children were: Oliver,
Brewster and Samuel (deceased); Nathaniel,
a blacksmith by trade, living at Stony Point,
N. Y. ; John, "WHliam, Lavinia, and Mary, the
latter now living in Marlborough.
William, or "Capt. BHIy," as he was gen
erally known, by trade a ship buHder, spent his
entire life in Haverstravy, where he was well-
known and highly esteemed. He was a man
of unusual ability, and was prominent in all
affairs of the county. He was a brave soldier
in the war of 18 12, and a captain in the State
militia, whence he obtained his title. He was
a Democrat and a leading man in political cir
cles, as well as in the Methodist Church to
which he and his wife belonged. He was mar
ried in the summer of 1817 to Miss Nancy De-
Groot, whose father was a large land owner at
Tompkin's Cove. Eight chHdren were born
of this union, as follows: William D. is a
prominent citizen of Rochester, now retired
from business; John J. comes next; Oliver has
resided in Detroit, Mich., for a number of

124

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

years; Walter was a saHor, and was lost at sea;
Sampson, a builder, lives at Hyde Park; Ed
ward is in the carriage business in Syracuse,
N. Y. ; Sybil died July 3, 1890, unmarried;
and Jane M. married Hewlett Baker, a promi
nent builder in New York City. The father
of this family died at Haverstraw in the sum
mer of 1846; the mother passed away in Pough
keepsie, in November, 1881.
John J. Brooks was reared to manhood in
Rockland county, obtaining only a common-
school education, but being possessed of much
natural abHity and a retentive memory he be
came a well-informed man. He was very fond
of reading, and was one of the best mathema
ticians in his locality. He was a, good business
man, thorough in everything he undertook,
and became a leader in all public enterprises
as a Republican.
Mr. Brooks was apprenticed when quite
young to learn the carriage-trimming business,
and worked for two or three years in Rahway,
N. J., and New York City, then when he was
nineteen years old he bought his time, and
later started a shop of his own on the corner
of Broadway and Walker street. New York.
After moving to Poughkeepsie he started on
the corner of Crannell and Main streets, soon
aftervvard opening a factory at Nos. 424-426-
428, on Main street, which he carried on until
about 1870. His first partner in business was
Marshall, and, later, Thomas Wyatt. This
' factory employed from eighteen to twenty
men, and was the largest in the county. In
1870, in company with A. T. Kear, Mr.
Brooks went into the livery business, which
he carried on until 1876, when he retired from
active work. In 1880 he was elected chief of
police, Poughkeepsie's first chief, which im
portant position he held for nine years. He was
also at one time alderman for the Third ward,
and again for the Fifth ward, performing the
duties connected with this office to the entire
satisfaction of his constituents. He was su
pervisor one term, also a member of the ex
cise board, and always held a prominent place
among the public-spirited men of the city of
Poughkeepsie, being a born leader and full of
enterprise. Religiously, he was a member of
the Congregational Church, and was ever
ready to assist in any good work. In his
death, which occurred July 17, 1891, the com
munity lost one of its best citizens, and his
family a tender, loving husband and father.
Mr. Brooks was married June 18, 1845, to

Elsie A. Hermance, daughter of John Her
mance, who was a shoemaker by trade and a
great temperance advocate. Four children
were born of this marriage: Herman and Char
lie, both of whom died young; Norman J.; and
Emma C. , who married Charles A. Van De-
Water, of Poughkeepsie, and their children are
Irving B., Elsie May and Lena M.
Norman J. Brooks, only surviving son of
our subject, was educated in the public schools
of Poughkeepsie, and in Dutchess County
Academy. When fourteen years of age he
left school and went into the dry-goods store
of WHliam Broas, for a time. He then was in
his father's office for awhile, after which he
learned the wagon-maker's trade, and subse
quently engaged in the livery business for two
years. In 1874 he was employed as clerk in
the New York post office, where he remained
two and a half years. For several years after
this he was in no particular business. In 1877
or 1878 he was appointed, by B. Platt Car
penter, as a clerk in the Custom House,
which position he held for eight years. After
this he became salesman in the clothing house
of M. Schwartz, where he remained four or
five years, and then went into the grocery
business, the firm name being Brooks & Van
De Water. In 1895 he bought out his part
ner, and at present is conducting the store
himself. He has been successful in this en
terprise, and is looked upon as an able busi
ness man.
Mr. Brooks was married September 25,
1872, to Hilah A. Burger, daughter of W. C.
Burger, of Ulster county, and four chHdren
have been born to them: Lulu S. (deceased
when six months old), Arthur N. , Clarence J.
and Elmer Frank. Mr. Brooks is a Repub
lican, and has at times taken quite an active
part in politics, although he has never been
willing to accept office; he attends the services
of the Congregational Church. A public-spir
ited citizen, he is interested in any movement
looking to the growth and welfare of his com
munity.

OBERT G. COFFIN, the subject of this
sketch, was born in the town of Wash
ington, on what is now called the Altamont
stock farm, February 12, 1823. His father
was Robert Coffin, of whom see a biography
in the sketch of Hezekiah R. Coffin.
Our subject spent his boyhood on the farm,

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

125

attending the Nine Partners Boarding School,
and later the Dutchess County Academy. After
finishing his education he resumed his life on
the farm of his parents where he resided until
1887, when he sold the place and bought his
present property in South Millbrook.
On April 9, 1851, Mr. Coffin was united in
marriage with Miss Eliza Sackett, who was
born in the town of Washington, a daugh
ter of Artemas E. Sackett, a farmer in that
town. The Sackett family was an old one of
the town of Stanford, where the father of Ar
temas E. was born. Nine children were born
to our subject and his wife, namely: Kate
died young; Ida L. married Dr. J. O. Pingry;
Clarence died at an early age; Laura married
Beverly W. Howard, a farmer in the town of
Washington; Edwin married Miss Elizabeth
Tomlinson, and is a farmer in Stanford ; Robett
married Miss Elnora Lattin, and lives in Ma
maroneck, N. Y. ; Artemas S. married Julia
Lattin, and is a merchant at Oak Summit;
Helen M. became the wife of Dr. D. H. Mac-
Kenzie, a practicing physician at Mabbetts-
ville; John L. married Miss Emily Grossman,
and lives in Washington. Mrs. Coffin died
November 28, 1894.
Mr. Coffin is a Democrat, and has been
quite a prominent man in his community. He
was instrumental in building the church in
South MiHbrook; was also an active promoter
of the building of the Newburg, Dutchess &
Columbia R. R. He was the first bona fide sub
scriber to its stock; was one of its first direct
ors, and is still one, having served as such
about thirty years. He suggested calling meet
ings along the entire line, at which he and
others addressed the people in favor of its con
struction, which efforts resulted in an almost
unanimous subscription to its stock. After much
more hard work the road was completed, and
its benefits secured to the people. Millbrook
has now a fine church, a railroad, and has de
veloped into a beautiful little village. Mr. Cof
fin is greatly admired for his public spirit, and
possesses the esteem and respect of all who
know him.

€\m CARLETON BAYLEY, M. D., of
'i Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, second
son of Richard and Mary (Dietz) Bayley,
grandson of Dr. Guy Carleton Bayley, and
great-grandson of Dr. Richard Bayley, was
born at Poughkeepsie, October 16, 1850.

Our subject was educated at the Dutchess
County Academy, and in Mr. ChurchHI's school
at Sing Sing, N. Y. In 1867 he entered Dr.
Jacob Bockee's office as a student of medicine,
and, in 1869, the office of Dr. Henry B. Sands,
New York City, by whose advice he took three
courses of lectures at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons, in the City of New York, where
he graduated in 1872. In the same year he
commenced the practice of his profession at
Poughkeepsie, where he was appointed visit
ing "physician at St. Barnabas Hospital, and
physician-in-charge of the Orphan Home and
Home for the Friendless. In 1884 Dr. Bay-
ley accepted an appointment on the visiting
surgical staff of the Womans Hospital of the
State of New York, New York City, and asso
ciated himself in business vvith Dr. Nathan
Bozeman, in that city. In 1887 Dr. Bayley
was appointed resident medical officer of, and
visiting surgeon to, Vassar Brothers Hospital
at Poughkeepsie, and was given charge of the
details of the organizing and carrying on the
work of the splendidly-equipped and richly-en
dowed institution. Dr. Bayley is an original
member of the New York State Medical Asso
ciation, of the American Medical Association,
and of the New York State Medical Society.
In 1875 the Doctor married Angelica Cros
by Wyckoff, who died in 1876; for his second
wife he, in 1885, married Ellen Lorraine
Bulkeley, of New York City.

LAWRENCE C. RAPALJE, a retired agri-
 : culturist and business man of the town of
East Fishkill, Dutchess county, has been for
many years a leading citizen of that locality,
his varied interests identifying him with many
of the most important progressive measures
there. In his veins there flows the blood of sev
eral of the oldest famHies of the county, mem
bers of which have distinguished themselves in
the past by their devotion to principle, and by
their work in public lines. On the paternal
side, the first ancestor came from Holland
about 1623, and located near Newtown, Long
Island, where some of his descendants still
live. Martin Rapalje, our subject's grand
father, was a farmer there throughout his life.
He married Miss Mary Lawrence, daughter of
Col. WHHam Lawrence, and a member of one
of the most prominent famiHes in New York.

126

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

They reared a family of children, among whom
was Daniel L. , our subject's father.
Daniel L. Rapalje was born in January,
1800, spent his early years at the old home
stead, and then engaged in the wholesale dry-
goods business in New York City, where he
passed the remainder of his life, dying in June,
1850. He was a Democrat in politics. His
wife, Phoebe Cortelyou, born in April, 1800,
in Long Island, was a daughter of Peter Cor
telyou, and is also deceased. The Cortelyou
family is of French- Huguenot stock, and'the
first of the American branch came from France
during the religious persecutions. He made
the first map of New York City.
Lawrence C. Rapalje was born in New
York City, August 26, 1826, the elder of the
two sons of his parents; the younger, Adrian,
died at the age of twenty-one. The s.chools
of the city afforded excellent educational ad
vantages, of which Mr. Rapalje availed him
self, and at an early age he began to familiar
ize himself with business methods by clerking
in his father's store. In 1843 he went to the
town of East FishkHl to reside, and October
10, 1855, he was' married there to Miss Anna
Horton, a native of the town. Her family is
of English extraction, and her father, Maj.
Coert Horton, was a native of Dutchess coun
ty, and a well-known farmer and merchant.
Mr. Rapalje settled upon a farm of 250 acres,
which he purchased in 1857, and has ever
since resided there; it is now within the wid
ening limits of Hopewell Junction. Here four
children were born to them: John, who was
formerly the superintendent of a raHroad in
the West, is now a civil engineer in West Vir
ginia, and interested in the development of
coal lands; Lawrence, Jr., who is a farmer
at the homestead; Adrian, a civil engineer;
and Anna, the wife of Charles Underbill, the
agent for the railroads running into Hopewell
Junction. The mother of this little family
passed from life December 30, 1895.
Mr. Rapalje has not only given much at
tention to agriculture, but he has been a
worker in finance as a director and vice-presi
dent of the First National Bank of Fishkill
(now defunct), and he has also taken an act
ive part in railroading, having been a director
and organizer of the Dutchess and Columbia
railroad, and a director of the Poughkeepsie
Bridge Co. He is now a member of the board
of directors of the Dutchess Mutual Life In
surance Co. In local politics he is influential.

and has been a favorite candidate on the Dem
ocratic ticket. In 1861 he was elected super
visor, in which office he has served eight years,
and was justice of the peace for nearly thirty
years. A born leader, he has taken a promi
nent place among his associates and co-labor
ers in every line of effort. The Rapalje fam
ily adopted the faith of the Reformed Dutch
Church at a very early period, and to this Mr.
Rapalje also adheres.

LEWIS E. WOOD, of the well-known firm
 ! of Wood Brothers, leading nurserymen
and florists in the village of FishkHl, Dutchess
count}', N. Y. , has shown rare skill and ability
in his calling, having been chosen at the age of
twenty to superintend the extensive green
houses of Burrow & Wood (who established
the business in 1866), the predecessors of the
present firm. Hereditary influences have doubt
less played a part in his success, as he may be
said to belong to a family of gardeners, his fa
ther, uncle and two brothers having engaged in
the same business.
Mr. Wood is a great-grandson of Isaac
Wood, and a grandson of Joseph W. Wood,
who was married three times, first to Mariam
Odel (mother of Joseph J. Wood, our subject's
father). Joseph J. Wood was born May 4,
1828, and in early manhood began his work in
the nursery business in the employ of John
Burrow, with whom he remained about sixteen
years. He then married Rebecca J. Vernol,
who was born February 20, 1835, a daughter
of Epenetus and Ann (La Due) Vernol, and
five children were born of this marriage:
Lewis E., Eugene V., Annie J., Isaac J. and
Howard E. The parents are still living at
FishkHl. After his marriage the father took
charge of the Rapalje estate, where he re
mained some eighteen years. In 1874 he
bought an equal interest in the nursery busi
ness of Burrow & Wood, the junior member of
the firm being his brother, Isaac C. Wood.
On September 6, 1876, the two brothers pur
chased Mr. Burrow's interest, and continued
under the firm name of I. C. Wood & Bro.,
the partnership lasting untH July i, 1889, when
our subject and his Ijrothers, Eugene V. and
Isaac J., bought the entire property and busi
ness. They have about fifty acres of land un
der cultivation, with some forty greenhouses
which they have remodeled from time to time
since they took possession.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

127

Lewis E. Wood was born at Fishkill, No
vember 20, 1856, and was educated in the
Union Free School. He attended school
steadily, winters and summers, until he was
eighteen years old, when he entered the em
ploy of Burrow & Wood, and after two years
of work in the greenhouses he was placed in
charge. This responsible position he held up
to the time that he and his brothers bought
the business, with the exception of two years
(1879 and 1880) when he conducted a branch
ofthe business at Newburg.
On October 21, 1877, Mr. Wood married
Miss Ada Jackson, daughter of Orry and Cor
neHa (Pink) Jackson, former residents of Milan,
Dutchess county, and has three children:
Eugene Wesley, Frederick Morgan and Flor
ence Emily. Mr. Wood emphatically en
dorses the principles of the Republican party,
but is not an active political worker.

¥ER PLANCK. The first member of this
 family, of whom a definite account has
been preserved, was Abraham Ver Planck,
who often called himself Abraham Isaacse (or
Isaacsen), meaning thereby that he was the
son of Isaac. The exact date of his arrival in
America is not known, some authorities claim
ing that he came previous to his marriage,
vvhich took place about 1635, and others indi
cating that he accompanied Governor Kieft in
1630. His name appears frequently in the
records of the early Dutch settlers, notably in
connection with the purchase of large tracts of
land. This Abraham Ver Planck married Maria
Vinge Ross, and by her had a son, Gulian,
born January i, 1637, who married Hendrika
Wessels; their son, Samuel, born December
16, 1668, married Ariantje Bayard; their son
GuHan, born May 31, 1698, married Mary
Crommelin; their son, Samuel, born Septem
ber 19, 1739, married Judith Crommelin; and
their son, Daniel C, born March 19, 1762,
married Elizabeth Johnson. These latter were
the great-grandparents of Robeft Newlin Ver-
Planck, the subject proper of this biography.
Gulian Crommelin, son of Daniel C. and
Ehzabeth (Johnson) Ver Planck, and grand
father of Robert Newlin, was born August 6,
1786, in New York. His mother died when
he was three years old, and his father having
married again, he was brought up by his grand
mother, Judith Crommelin. At the age of

eleven years he entered Columbia College,
and graduated in the class of 1801. Not long
alter he studied law, was admitted to the bar
in 1807, and at once took up the practice.
As his leaning, however, was rather to litera
ture and politics, he devoted himself to them,
abandoning the practice of law. In 181 1 he
married Eliza Fenno, and in 18 16 they took a
trip to Europe, where, in Paris, Mrs. Ver-
Planck died in 18 17. He subsequently vis
ited Holland, England, Scotland, etc., return
ing to New York in 1818. After this he took
part in the political life of the day, and con
tributed several articles to its literature, as
well as on various other subjects, all his efforts
in that line exhibiting considerable ability.
He was, also, a lover of art, and made a col
lection of several good paintings and engrav
ings. In 1825 he was sent to Congress as a
representative from New York City, there re
maining through four successive terms, and
from 1837 to 1 841 he sat in the Senate of the
State of New York. He then undertook what
may be considered the crowning work of his
literary efforts — the editing of Shakespere's
plays and poems — which occupied him three
years. He died March 18, 1870, at his town ¦
residence in New York, in his eighty-fourth
year, and was buried in the cemetery of Trin
ity Church, Fishkill Village, Dutchess county.
His children were William Samuel (mentioned
below), and Gulian, born April 29, 181 5, died
November 19, 1845.
William Samuel, father of Robert Newlin
Ver Planck, was born in New York City, Octo
ber 15, 1812. After graduating at Columbia
College in 1832, he commenced studying law,
and in due course was admitted to the bar;
but he practiced only a short time, turning his
attention to agricultural pursuits, and taking
charge first of the Mount Gulian farm, and
afterward of his father's farms on the Fishkill
Plains. On November 17, 1837, he married
Anna Biddle, third daughter of Robert and
Mary (Brown) Newlin, and eight children were
born to them, as follows: CO Eliza Fenno,
born September 16, 1838, married Benjamin
Richards, of New York, where they live; (2)
Mary Newlin, born October 18, 1840, married
Samuel W. Johnson, who died in 1881 (she is
now living in New York); (3) Robert Newlin,
a sketch of whom appears presently; (4) Daniel
Crommelin, born AprH 13, 1845, died April 8,
1854; (5) Anna, born November 27, 1846,
married Samuel H. Clapp, who died in 1891

128

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

(she is now living in Albany, N. Y.); (6) Jean
nette, born March 7, 1849, married Theodore
M. Etting, of Philadelphia, where they are
now living; (7) Gelyna, born January 23, 1852,
married Brig. -Gen. Louis Fitzgerald, of New
York, where they are now living; and (8) Will
iam Edward, born April 8, 1856, married Vir
ginia Eliza Darby, and they live at Mount Gu
Han, Fishkill-on-Hudson. The father of this
family died December 23, 1885, and is buried
by the side of tbe mother (who died May 31,
1883), in the Rural Cemetery, Fishkill. He
inherited his father's love of reading, and had
a very retentive memory; was a good farmer
and a successful one; a thorough sportsman
and an excellent shot. At the time of his death
he was president of the Savings Bank, and
vice-president of the First National Bank.
Robert Newlin Ver Planck was born
November 18, 1842, at the family homestead
one and one-half miles north of Fishkill-on-
Hudson. This old house was built in 1730 or
'40 by GuHan Ver Planck, the grandson of the
Gulian Ver Planck, who by royal charter ob
tained from the Indians one-third of the famous
Rombout Patent, the first tract of land granted
within the limits of Dutchess county. It em
braced the present towns of 'Fishkill, East
Fishkill, and Wappinger, the western part of
Lagrange, and nine thousand acres within the
southern limits of the town of Poughkeepsie.
February 8, 1682, Gulian Ver Planck and
Francis Rombout obtained a license to pur
chase this tract from the Aborigines, the grant
making the issue of a patent conditional upon
a prior settlement with them, and the require
ments being met the deed was delivered, and
on the 14th day of August, 1683, was recorded
among the State papers at Albany. The Ver-
Planck homestead was one of the principal
landmarks in this section in the early days,
and one of the important events which the
walls of the historic mansion have witnessed
was the organization of the Society of the
Cincinnati, May 13, 1783, when Baron Steuben,
inspector-general of the Continental army, oc
cupied the house for his headquarters, the
army being then at Newburg. [See Irving's
"Life of Washington," Vol. IV, Page 392,
et seq.] Our subject was prepared for Harvard
College by Otis Bisbee, of Poughkeepsie, and
was graduated from that institution in 1863,
at the age of twenty-one years. He immedi
ately joined the Twenty-second Regiment

N. Y. State Militia, then stationed at Carlisle,
Penn., and on the return of the regiment went
to Washington. On September 15, 1863, he
was made second lieutenant of U. S. Volun
teers, by Gen. Silas Casey's examining board.
He served as provost marshal of the Third
Division, Eighteenth Army Corps, Army of the
James, and participated in all the battles that
were fought on the north side of the river. In
the winter of 1864-65 he was made aid-de
camp to Brig. -Gen. Truman Seymour, Third
Division, Sixth Army Corps, Army of the Po
tomac, and received brevet for gallant and
meritorious services on AprH 2, 1865, when
the line was broken in front of Petersburg. He
was mustered out as captain June 21, 1865.
On his return from the army he engaged in re
fining petroleum in Jersey City, continuing in
this business from September, 1865, till the
spring of 1871, when he sold out to the Stand
ard Oil Company, and took charge of his
father's lands, comprising seven farms in East
FishkiH. On February 24, 1876, Mr. Ver Planck
was married to Katharine Brinckerhoff, daugh
ter of Matthew Van Benschoten and Mary
(Franklin) Brinckerhoff, and they have five
children, viz. : Gulian Cromelin, Judith Crome-
Hn, Mary Brinckerhoff, WiHiam Samuel and
Robert St. Clair.

DAVID E. ACKERT, a leading merchant
of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, the senior
partner of the well-known firm of Ackert &
Son, is a descendant of one of the old Holland-
Dutch families of the county, his great-grand
father, George Ackert, haying been the owner
of a farm three miles south of Rhinebeck.
This property has been in the possession of
the family from that time to this, and is at pres
ent held by George Ackert. George Ackert (2),
our subject's grandfather, who was born about
1780, was a farmer also, and his son, William
G. Ackert, born about 1809, was engaged in
the same occupation early in life. His later
years were speat in Rhinebeck in the employ
of W. S. Cowles & Co. , dealers in dry goods,
groceries, boots and shoes, farm implements
and other commodities. He was never active
in political or religious movements, and his life
passed uneventfully in the careful performance
of his duties. He died in 1876, and his wife,
Permelia Ackert, daughter of George Ackert,
passed away about 1880.

I

iKltlf>.

%.'

\ Q ^jdJC.^^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

129

David E. Ackert, their only son, was born
September 20, 1832, in the town of Rhinebeck,
and received his early education in the public
schools of his native place. At the age of fif
teen he became an errand boy for W. S.
Cowles & Co., and was soon promoted to a
clerkship, which he held until his purchase of
the- business in 1868. For the last twenty-
seven years he has successfully conducted this
store, one of the largest in the town dealing in
dry goods, groceries and crockery. It is sel
dom that one finds such a record of fifty years
of continuous effort in one enterprise. Of late
years his son, Ernest Cowles Ackert, has been
a partner in the firm.
In September, 1853, Mr. Ackert married
Miss Mary Worden, of Rhinebeck, who died
in 1883, leaving two children — the son men
tioned above and a daughter, Emma K. , the
wife of Charles E. Worden, of Saratoga, New
York. Mr. Ackert is a prominent member of the
M. E. Church, with which he united thirty
years ago, and is a constant and devout stu
dent of the Bible. He has been a Church
trustee for many years, and has served as pres
ident of the board. He upholds the principles
of the Repubhcan party, but is not a political
worker, although as a good citizen he is always
ready to respond to any call to duty, and has
been president of the village for four years,
and chief of the Fire Department for five years.
He is a member of the fraternal order of Odd
FeHows.

CiHARLES D. SHERWOOD, a leading ag-
'I riculturist of the town of FishkiH, Dutch
ess county, is one of the younger workers in
local affairs — religious, political, and social.
On the paternal side of the house, he is of
English descent, his ancestors coming to this
country some time during the seventeenth cen
tury and locating in Connecticut. He is of the
eighth generation in descent from Thomas
Sherwood and Alice Seabrook, his wife, whose
son, Matthew, married Mary Fitch, and had
issue, Samuel, who married Rebecca Burr.
Their son Thomas married Anne Burr, and
was the father of Joseph, who was born in
Greenfield HiH, Conn., January 15, 1754.
He served for some time as corporal and was
commissioned, by Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, a
lieutenant in the Twelfth Company of the
Fourth Regiment, of Connecticut Militia, May

20, 1780. As corporal he served during the
Revolution in the force detailed to reinforce
Gen. Putnam, on the Hudson, during Bur-
goyne's expedition, and as lieutenant in the de
fense oi the Connecticut coast. [Evidence
fourid in "Connecticut Men in the Revolu
tion;" pp. 520, 521, 576.] Mrs. John I.
Platt, of Poughkeepsie, has this commission in
her possession. He married Sarah Bradley,
and died in Chester, N. Y. , January 22, 1838.
His son Samuel settled in East FishkHl, and
married Ruth Du Bois. They had nine chil
dren; the youngest, Isaac, born March 25,
1826, married Mary Du Bois, June 24, 185 1,
and had one son.
The Du Bois family, from whom Mr. Sher
wood's mother descended, is of French-Hu
guenot origin, and one of the oldest in the
State. The first of that name who emigrated
to the New World was Jacques Du Bois, who
was born in Leyden, France, and married
Pierromie Bentyn, of the same place. They
reared a family' of eight chHdren: Marie,
Jacques, Marie, Jean, Anne, Jehan, Pierre and
Christian. Pierre Du Bois came with the family to
America in 1675, and located at Esopus, Ul
ster Co. , N. Y. , but spent most of his early
life in Kingston, where he married Jeannetje
Burhans, October 12, 1697. In 1707 they
came to Dutchess county, locating in the town
of Fishkill, about three and one-half miles
east of the village of that name. Here he
secured a tract of land, and lived with his
famHy. His eldest son was born in Kingston,
the other children after he had moved to
Dutchess county. They were as follows:
Petronella (i), Johannes (i). Jacobus, Chris-
tiaan, Jonathan, Peter, Abraham, Johannes (2),
Helen, Elizabeth and Petronella (2). The
fourth child, Christiaan Du Bois, married
Nelltje Van Vliet, and they became the par
ents of three children: Jannetje, Elizabeth
and Christian. The last named was born
June 13, 1746, and was married in 1768 to
Helena Van Voorhis, by whom he had seven
children: Henry, Abraham, Garret, John,
Elizabeth, Catherine and Coert.
Garret Du Bois, the fourth son, was the
great-grandfather of our subject. He married
Hannah Cooper, and located upon a farm near
JohnsvHle (now the town of East Fishkill),
where they reared their family of three chil
dren: Maria, who married Peter S. Montfort,
father of Peter V. W. Montfort, of the town

130

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

of Wappinger, Dutchess county; Eliza, who
married Peter Fowler, a farmer of Orange
county, N. Y. ; and Charles Lewis Du Bois.
Charles L. Du Bois was born in 1799, on"
the home farm in the town of East Fishkill,
where he grew to manhood, and married
Catherine Hasbrouck, who was born in the
same township, in 1800. Her father, Tunis
Hasbrouck, belonged to the same family as
those of the name in Ulster county, N. Y.
After their marriage they lived on the farm
near JohnsvHle, where were born their four
children: Jane Eliza, who married Augustus
Bartow, now a resident of Hackensack, N. J.;
Mary, wife of Isaac Sherwood; Garret, who
married Mary Ida Van Wyck; and Has
brouck, a clergyman of the Reformed Dutch
Church in New York City, who married Kate
Schuyler Anderson. Throughout life the fa
ther carried on farming, and he died in Janu
ary, 1878, while his wife survived him about
two years. She was a sincere member of the
Reformed Dutch Church.
Charles D. Sherwood, son of Isaac and
Mary Du Bois Sherwood, was born September
18, 1854, in the town of East Fishkill, where
his father lived for many years. He was edu
cated in the schools of his native town, New
burg, and New Brunswick, N. J. Failing
health obliged him to abandon his prepara
tions for a collegiate education, and he after
ward engaged in farming at the present home
stead near Brinckerhoff, his father having
moved there some time before. In 1883 he
married Anne R. Cotheal, daughter of Isaac
E. Cotheal and Catherine Elizabeth (Rapalje).
Mr. Sherwood is a trustee of the Fishkill Rural
Cemetery, and trustee and treasurer of the
Rombout Cemetery at Brinckerhoff. He is a
member of the First Reformed Church at Fish
kill, and one of its Consistory.
Mrs. Sherwood is of the Seventh Genera
tion in descent from Jarvis Jansen de Rapalje,
one of the proscribed Huguenots from "Ro
chelle in France," who was the common an
cestor of all the American families of this
name. He came to this country with other
colonists in 1623, in the "Unity," a ship of
the West India Company, and settled at Fort
Orange (now Albany), where he remained three
years. In 1626 he removed to New Amster
dam, and resided there till after the birth of his
youngest child. On June 16, 1637, he bought
from the Indians a tract of land computed at
335 acres, called Rennegaconck, now included

within the city of Brooklyn and comprehend
ing the lands occupied by the U. S. Marine
Hospital. Here Mr. Rapalje finally located,
and spent the remainder of his life. He was
a leading citizen, acting a prominent part in
the public affairs of the colony, and serving in
the magistracy of Brooklyn. He died soon af
ter the close of the Dutch administration, his
widow, Catalyntie, daughter of Joris Trico, sur
viving him many years. She was born in
Paris, and died September 11,. 1689, aged
eighty-four. The original family record pre
served in the library of the New York Histor
ical Society gives the names and dates of birth
of their children as follows: Sarah, June 9,
1625, married first to Hans Hansse Bergen,
and then to Tennis Gysberts Bogart; Marritie,
born March 11, 1627, married Michael Van-
dervoort; Jannetie, born August 18, 1629,
married Rem Vanderheeck; Judith, born July
5, 1635, niarried Pieter Van Nest; Jan, born
August 28, 1639, was killed by Indians; Cata
lyntie, born March 28, 1641, married Jere-
mias Westerhout; Jerominus, born June 27,
1643; Annetie, born February 8, 1646, mar
ried (first) Martin Reyerse, and (second) Joost
Fransz; Elizabeth, born March 28, 1648,
married Dirck Hooglandt; and Daniel, born
December 29, 1650.
Second Generation: Jerominus Rapalje
became a man of some prominence, a justice
of the peace, and deacon of the Brooklyn
Church. He married Anna, daughter of
Tennis Denys, and had nine children, born as
follows: Joris, November 5, 1668; Teunis,
May 5, 1671; Jan, December 14, 1673; Fem-
metie, October 5, 1676, married Jan Bennet;
Jacob, June 25, 1679; Jerominus, born March
31, 1682; Catalina, born March 25, 1685,
married Peter Dumond, of Raritan, N. J.;
Sarah, November, 1687, married Hans Bergen;
and Cornelius, born October 21, 1690.
Tliird Generation: Jan Rapalje, son of
Jerominus, married Annettie, daughter of Coert
Van Voorhees, and was a farmer on a portion
of the family estate, in Brooklyn. They had
three chHdren: George, Jeromus, John.
Fourtli Generation: Jeromus Rapalje, son
of Jan, inherited a farm at Flushing, where he
died in 1754. He was twice married, and left
six children: John, Richard, Stephen, Ann,
Ida, Elizabeth.
Fiftli Generation: John Rapalje, son of
Jeromus, was born in 1722, and died in
Jamaica, at about the age of fifty years. He

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

131

was twice married, and by his first wife Eliza
beth, daughter of Abram Brinkerhoff, had five
children: Catherine, who married Teunis
Brinkerhoff; Jeromus; Abraham Brinkerhoff;
Aletta, who married James Debevoise; Rich
ard. The sons settled at FishkHl, N. Y.,
where their descendants remain.
Sixth Generation: Richard Rapalje, son
of John, was thrice married, and had eleven
chHdren. Seventh Generation : Catharine Elizabeth
Rapalje, daughter of Richard, married Isaac
E. Cotheal, of New York City, son of Henry
and Phebe (Berrian Warner) Cotheal. They
had three children: Elizabeth M., the wife of
Dr. Howell White; Anne Rapalje, married to
Charles D. Sherwood; and Catharine Eliza
beth, unmarried.
On the paternal side Mrs. Sherwood is de
scended from William Cotheal, whose father
was a practicing physician and surgeon. He
came from France and located first in Con
necticut, afterward going to the City of New
York, and from there to the town of Wood-
bridge, Middlesex county. New Jersey.
WHliam Cotheal married Charlotte Dove,
and they had nine children; the youngest,
Isaac, married Elizabeth Evans, and had two
sons, Henry and David. Henry married Phebe
Berrian Warner, and had six sons and four
daughters. The youngest son, Isaac, married
Catharine Elizabeth Rapalje, and had three
daughters.

DANIEL M. SHEEDY, M. D., one of the
successful physicians and surgeons of the
city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is a
native of Norwalk, Conn-., where his parents,
Michael and Johanna (Hanlon) Sheedy, were
married. The father, who was born in Kil
kenny, Ireland, was a stock farmer by occupa
tion, and he and his wife are both living. In
their family were the following children: Dan
iel (deceased); Mary (deceased wife of Dr.
.Sweeney, of Newburgh, N. Y.); Mary Cather
ine, a Sister of Charity; Kate, wife of Law
rence Maguire; Thomas John (deceased), who
was a stock farmer; Dr. B. D. Sheedy, of
Bridgeport, Conn.; Daniel M., subject of this
sketch, and Fannie, wife of Dr. Thomas
Byrne, of'Union HHl, New Jersey.
Our subject attended the public schools of
Norwalk, Conn., from which he was graduated
in 1885. He then began the study of medicine

with his brother, Dr. B. D. Sheedy, at North
ampton, Mass., after which he entered the
New York University, graduating from the
medical department with the class of 1888.
He has also taken special courses under Prof.
Loomis, on the heart and lungs; under Prof.
Harry P. Loomis, on pathology; under Prof.
Whithouse, on chemistry; and under Prof.
Wright, on surgery. After his graduation he
was admitted to the Massachusetts Medical
Society, and also holds membership with the
Dutchess County Medical Society. At the
present time (spring of 1897), he is taking spe
cial studies at the Post-graduate Hospital, New
York City.
On August 6, 1888, Dr. Sheedy arrived in
Poughkeepsie, where he established an office at
his present place of business, and has built up
a large and lucrative practice. He is an ex
tremely busy and successful practitioner, and
stands high among his professional brethren.
In 1890 he made a trip to Europe, which was
mostly for pleasure, though he gave some time
to study. In his religious views the Doctor is
a Roman Catholic, belonging to St. Mary's
Church, Poughkeepsie. On April 28, 1897, he
was married to Miss Agnes Kelly, a graduate
of Lyndon Hall, 1896, the only daughter of
Timothy G. Kelly, a successful business man of
Poughkeepsie, New York.

m NNA C. HOWLAND, M. D., who is suc-
,^^ cessfully engaged in the practice of med
icine in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is a
native of the Pine Tree State, born in the town
of Hallowell, Kennebec county, where she
spent her girlhood, and in the public schools
and seminaries of that county acquired an ex
cellent education. Her father, Henry Cole,
who was born at Vassalboro, was a well-edu
cated man, a county squire and a representjj-
tive to the State Legislature of Maine. He
engaged in teaching many years, then in the
manufacture of blocks for stamping oil cloth.
He is now deceased, and his widow is making
her home with her daughter, our subject. She
bore the maiden name of Esther Pope, and is
the daughter of Elijah Pope, a native of Port
land, Maine, and an architect and ship carpen
ter by occupation. Our subject is the eldest
of three children, and the only survivor, her
two sisters, Sarah and Mary, being now de
ceased. While attending the Quakers' yearly meet-

y

132

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ing school at Providence, R. I., Anna Cole
met William H. Howland, who was there at
tending school, and afterward became his wife,
their wedding being celebrated at Hallowell,
Maine, in 1855. At that time he was engaged
in teaching at Nine Partners Boarding School,
near Millbrook, Dutchess Co., N. "Y. , where
they removed, and there lived for about six
years. Giving up that profession, Mr. How
land began business at Highland, Ulster Co.,
N. Y. , where they remained for four years,
coming, in 1865, to Poughkeepsie. The fol
lowing year the wife entered the New York
Medical College for women, from which she
graduated two years later. As Mr. Howland
died in 1869, she at once began practice in
order to educate her four children: Edward
Cole, who is now the Washington correspond
ent of the New York Press ; Katherine Flint,
who makes her home with her mother; Henry
Cole, on the editorial staff of the Mail and
Express; and Anna Inman, wife of William
Chaning Russel, Jr. , city editor of the Phila
delphia Record, whose father was vice-presi
dent of Cornell University.
In 1868 Dr. Howland entered upon her
career as a physician in Poughkeepsie, where
she remained until 1886, when she removed
to Philadelphia, Penn., practicing there as an
examining physician for five years. In De
cember, 1 89 1, however, she returned to
Poughkeepsie, where she has since continued
to follow her chosen profession, and has
secured a large and lucrative practice. She
belongs to the Homeopathic school, and in
connection with her extensive office practice
conducts a private hospital at her residence.
For many years she has been secretary of the
Dutchess County Homeopathic Medical Soci
ety, and is also a prominent member of the
Homeopathic State Medical Society. The
place she has won in the medical profession
is accorded her in recognition of her skill
and abHity, and the place which she occupies
in the social world is due to her many
noble traits of character, and the love
and confidence which she always inspires.
She is a conscientious and earnest Christian,
a faithful member of Christ Church.

irv\EORGE MORGAN was born July 16,
\j^ 1 8 16, at Chatham, Columbia county,
N. Y. His father, WHliam Morgan, a farmer
and clothier from Hartford, Conn., had re

moved, in 1 8 19, to Salisbury, in the same
State, where the early years of George Mor
gan's life were passed, working on the farm in
summer, and improving the few months of
schooling during the winter time.
The history of American manhood points
unerringly to the fact that while an education
thus obtained is usually meager, it is neverthe
less valuable; for while he who obtains it may
lack the exquisite polish which much learning
is supposed to give, yet he is often better
equipped in the true elements of knowledge
than are they who enjoy large opportunities,
but are devoid of the industry which the ab
sence of wealth enlivens.
At the age of seventeen the subject of this
notice, with the money earned by him at hard
work under summer sun and wintry blasts,
paid his tuition and board for three months'
attendance at Wilbraham Academy, Mass.;
and at the end of this time, by sawing wood
and doing various other odd items of work,
he actually paid his way for another term.
What a commentary we find here on the
possibilities which surround the young men
and women of this, the greatest and grandest
government on earth, where it is decreed that
individual merit only is the standard of per
sonal distinction. The corner stone of the
American Republic is squared and cemented
with the declaration that all are equal, and
that there is no royal road to learning, honor,
or success. His school days ended, Mr. Morgan came
to Pine Plains, Dutchess Co., N. Y., and en
tered upon a clerkship in a country store, re
ceiving for his services the munificent sum of
forty cents per day. But perseverance and
economy overcome all obstacles in the road to
success, and at the age of thirty years he had
accumulated $20,000. He married his first
wife at about this time, and engaged in busi
ness in New York City, only to realize the loss
of nearly the whole of his fortune. About
the year 1846 he removed to Columbia county,
where he purchased a farm and again went to
work. In 1848 he was elected a justice of the
peace, holding the office for a term of years.
In 1857 he leased the Dakin ore mine, in
Dutchess county, for which he paid a heavy
rent, and afterward bought the property.
Soon afterward he sold the mine to C. S.
Maltby, of New Haven, Conn., for $100,000.
In November, 1864, he removed to the city
of Poughkeepsie, where he invested $40,000

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

133

in government bonds. Then came the real-
estate wave, and he was carried along with it,
the prices running high. He purchased the
"Morgan House " and the College Hill prop
erty, for which latter he paid $33,500. He
also bought the Swift farm. In looking over
his farm he discovered several natural springs,
and concluded by excavating the ground and
damming it a lake could be formed, and to-day
"Morgan lake," situated in the suburbs fur
nishes the city with pure spring water ice. It
might appropriately be styled a sparkling
monument to his memory.
On September 21, 1879, the earthly life of
Senator George Morgan was brought to a
close. To-day he sleeps among his kindred in
the cemetery at Pine Plains, in the county of
his adoption, and for whose material interests
he had so nobly contended; his memory cher
ished by a grateful people whose pride is cen
tered in his manliness, honesty, courage and
fidelity. In 1869 Mr. Morgan was chosen by the
people as mayor of the city of Poughkeepsie, be
ing the first Democrat ever called to that posi
tion; and at the general election in November
of that year he was elected a member of the
New York State Senate from the Eleventh
District, including Dutchess county, defeating
his Republican opponent, Jonathan Rider, by
a majority of 1 87. The same district two years
before had elected a Republican by over 700
majority. At about this time is to be recorded one of
the grandest achievements in the life of George
Morgan. The question of locating the Hudson
River Hospital for the Insane was to be de
cided. The representative men of the coun
ties of Orange, Ulster and Columbia were
"leaving no stone unturned " to secure the site
for their respective counties. The Dutchess
county board of supervisors was in session, and
Mayor Morgan was anxious that they should
offer inducements for the State officers to
locate the buHding in his county. Finally a
proper sum was agreed upon, but at the even
ing session it was voted down by one majority.
AH the next day Senator Morgan and others
worked hard to change the vote, and at 6:00
P. M. the question once more came before the
board, and was carried by one majority. There
was no time to lose. The State commission
ers were to meet at Newburgh, Orange coun
ty, that very night to settle the matter of loca
tion. With a party of friends Mr. Morgan

drove through a blinding snow storm, and at
11:45 P- M. they walked into the commissioners'
room at "Orange Hotel." The offer of the
other counties had already been made, and Mr.
Morgan stepped forward and presented Dutch
ess county's offer, and the location was awarded
to Dutchess. For the success of the enter
prise George Morgan never received the full
credit to which he was entitled. But for his
prompt and energetic action the splendid buHd
ing would not to-day grace the eminence on
the eastern banks of the Hudson just beyond
the northerly boundaries of the City of Pough
keepsie.

C\HARLES W. ARRAS (deceased) was
' among the more prominent and enterpris
ing business men of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, who were of alien birth. Like others
of his countrymen, he brought to the New
World the habits of economy and frugality,
which are inherent characteristics of his native
land, and the exercise of which, accompanied
by industry and good management, brought
him success in his business.
Mr. Arras was born at Hessen-Darmstadt,
Germany, November 9, 1841, and was the
eldest in the famHy of nine childi'en of Peter
Arras, a linen weaver in the Fatherland, who
came to America and located in New York
City. In his native land our subject learned
the baker's trade, and on coming to the United
States when eleven years of age he followed
that trade in New York City until about j866,
at which time he located at Poughkeepsie. For
about four years he worked for George Goep-
fert in a bakery, and then bought out his em
ployer, successfully conducting the business
until his death, which occurred November 14,
1885. On October 7, 1866, Mr. Arras was mar
ried to Miss Emma A. Bieber, who was born
in New York City, in 1846, and is a daughter
of John Bieber, a native of Bavaria, Germany..
In his native land her father had learned stone
cutting, but after his arrival in New York City
he took up the shoemaker's trade, which he
followed there until 1851, when he came to
Poughkeepsie and carried on the same occupa
tion until he was called from this life, AprH
29, 1872. He had married Miss Anna Mary
Smidt, who was also born in Germany, Sep
tember 8, 1 82 1, and they became the parents
of five chHdren, namely: Emma A. (now Mrs.

134

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

Arras); Barbara, wife of John Haupt, a baker
doing business on Union street, Poughkeepsie;
Eliza, wife of George Bayers, a bookkeeper of
the same city; Mary E. , wife of John Bayer,
a cigar-maker; and Fred S., a saloon-keeper,
of Poughkeepsie. Six children were born to
our subject and his wife, two of whom died in
infancy. Frederick S., WHliam H., Albert C.
and Carl W. are still with their mother, who,
since her husband's death, has successfully car
ried on the business, and displays tact and en
ergy in the management of her affairs.
In religious matters Mr. Arras belonged to
the German Lutheran Church, and socially he
was a leading member of the Germania Society.
He was one of the representative business men
of the city, wide-awake and energetic, who
dealt squarely and liberally with his patrons,
and merited the confidence of the community.

ISAAC L. VARIAN, a well-known citizen
 of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, where
he has resided since 1879, is conducting one of
the leading meat markets of the city. For a
period of about ten years he carried on busi
ness at Nos. 9, II and 13 Garden street; for
three years afterward he was at No. 299 Main
street; thence removing to No 357 on the same
street, where he has since been located. He
makes weekly trips to New York City in order
to take advantage of the markets, and now
has one of the largest establishments of the
kind in Poughkeepsie, keeping all kinds of
meat, as well as fish and game, and he has
secured a large and lucrative trade.
Mr. Varian was born in New York, August
14, 1852, of which city his father, James Va
rian, was also a native. Isaac Varian, his pa
ternal grandfather, was born in Holland, and
on coming with his two brothers to the New
World, located in New York City, where he
was married, and reared his family of children,
named respectively: Dorcas, Michael, Han
nah, Jane, and James, father of Isaac L. In
politics he was an unswerving Democrat, and
he was a faithful member of the Mfethodist
Episcopal Church.
James Varian was reared and educated in
New York City, where he also learned the
butchering business, which he followed all his
life. He married Angeline Stephenson, a na
tive of Connecticut, and they became the par
ents of thirteen children, as follows: James;
WiHiam H., a farmer of Yonkers, N. Y. ; Gil

bert and Jacob (both deceased); Carman, a
mason by trade; Harriet, wifeof Frederick W.
Denton, who is in the United States service;
George, a carpenter of Kingsbridge, N. Y. ;
Francis L. , who is also engaged in carpenter
ing there; Huram B., a painter at Woodlawn,
N. Y. ; Charles A. (deceased); Isaac L. , sub
ject of this sketch; Eugene, a carpenter of
Kingsbridge; and Angeline, who married How
ard Carlough, formerly a grocer of Kings-
bridge (both now deceased). The father died
in Kingsbridge, July 16, 1867; the widowed
mother is a consistent member of the Method
ist Episcopal Church, to which her husband
also belonged, and in politics his support was
given the Republican party.
The subject of this narrative remained at
home with his parents, who during his boy
hood and youth lived most of the time at
Kingsbridge, N. Y. , where he attended the
city schools, completing his education at In-
wood, Queens Co., N. Y. When his school
days were over he began learning the carpen
ter's trade, which he followed for three years,
and then took up butchering. Shortly after
this he entered into a co-partnership with his
brother Charles in the butcher business, a con
nection that lasted some four years. He then
came to Poughkeepsie, where he has since con
ducted a market with most excellent success,
and as a loyal citizen he feels it a duty as well
as a privilege to aid in all matters of public
interest. On November 8, 1881, Mr. Varian was
married to Miss Clara Marshall, a native of
Poughkeepsie, and a daughter of DeWitt C.
and Harriet G. Marshall. For several years
her father was cashier of the Rhinebeck Na
tional Bank. Four children grace this union:
Bessie E., Eleanor F., Harry B. and Ruth
B. Mr. and Mrs. Varian attend the Method
ist Episcopal Church, and in social circles
they occupy a prominent position. In politics
Mr. Varian is a firm supporter of the Republic
an party; he holds membership with the Ma
sonic fraternity and the Royal Arcanum.

JOSEPH H. STORM, a representative and
prominent citizen of the town of Beekman,
Dutchess county, was born March 25,
1842, in the town of East Fishkill, and sprung
from a good old HoHand family, which was
established on the shores of this country at a
very early day in its history. Derick Storm

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

135

was the first to set foot on American soil,
landing here in 1662 and making a location on
Long Island. He wedded Maria Picters, by
whom he had four children: Goris, Peter,
David and Maria. The birth of the eldest,
Goris Storm, occurred either on Long Island
or before the emigration of his parents. He
married Engletie Van Lyck, and they located
at Brooklyn, where their two sons were born
— Derick in 1695, and Thomas in 1697.
Thomas Storm purchased land of Col.
PhHlips, in the manor of Phillipsburg, Tarry-
town, N. Y. He had nine children: Thomas,
Jacob, Garret, Goris, Abraham, John, Isaac,
Catherine and Engletie. When well advanced
in years he came to Dutchess county, where
he bought about 406 acres of land on the north
side of the Fishkill, 204 acres of which he
gave to his son Goris, and the remaining 202
to Abraham. The latter received the land
which his father had secured by a second pur
chase, with the exception of ten acres on the
south side of the Fishkill. To Isaac he gave
his possessions in Tarrytown, where his birth
occurred, but he traded these with his brother
Abraham, and came to Dutchess county, where
he was married and reared a family of several
chHdren, among whom was Abraham, the
grandfather of our subject.
Abraham Storm was born in the town of
East Fishkill, in 1771, and he married Sarah
Vincent, of the town of Beekman. They lo
cated upon the homestead, and there reared
their five children: Isaac was an attorney in
early life, but later turned his attention to
the tobacco business, and retired at the age of
fifty with a capital of a mHlion and a half;
WHliam was a farmer in the town of Lagrange,
Dutchess county; John V. is the father of our
subject; Charlotte first wedded D. E. Remson,
and, after his death, married Joseph Genung,
both of whom were farmers; and Elizabeth be
came the wife of John Humphrey.
John V. Storm was born on the home farm
in the town of East Fishkill in 1800, and there
passed his boyhood and youth. He married
Jeannette E. Woolley, a native of Beekman
town, and a daughter of William and Hester
(Pell) Woolley, farming people. Her ancestors
were English, John Woolley having come from
England and located on Long Island. His son
Joseph, who was born in 1740, was the grand
father of Mrs. Storm. He engaged in the fur
business with the Astors, and at his death left
a large estate. After their marriage the parents

of our subject continued to live upon the old
Storm homestead, where their seven .children
were born: Abraham, Joseph, William J.,
Frances, Elizabeth, Cornelia and Helen.
During his active life the father always followed
agricultural pursuits, but is at present living
retired in the vHlage of FishkiH. His faithful
wife passed away June 22, 1886. He is a
Democrat in political sentiment, and has been
called upon to fill a number of official posi
tions, being supervisor of East Fishkill town
ship several terms, and also justice of the
peace. The Storm family have mostly been
members of the Reformed Dutch Church,
whHe the Woolleys were Episcopalians.
The early life of Joseph H. Storm, subject
of this review, was passed in the usual une
ventful manner of most farmer boys, upon the
old homestead where his ancestors had long
resided, and in the district schools obtained
his early education. Later he attended an
academy, after which he took a business course
in the Eastman Business College, Poughkeep
sie, and then returned to the farm where he
remained untH his marriage, September 4,
1867, to Miss Sophia D. Sheldon, daughter of
Wilson B. Sheldon, a prominent agriculturist
of the town'of Beekman, and they began their
domestic life upon the farm in the same town
ship which is StiH their home. To them two
chHdren have been born: WHson B., who is
engaged in business with W. J. Storm; and
Jeannette, wife of Frederick Ryer, Jr., of
Mount Vernon, New York.
Upon his valuable farm of 120 acres Mr.
Storm is engaged in general farming, with good
success. Being a popular and influential citi
zen, he has been called upon to serve in sev
eral positions of honor and trust, representing
his district in the State Legislature in 1885
and 1886, and holding the office of supervisor
of Beekman town in 1879 and 1880. He is
an ardent supporter of the Republican party,
and by Secretary Rusk was appointed appraiser
of the Bureau of Annual Industry, which posi
tion he capably filled for two years. He has
been vice-president of the Dutchess County
Agricultural Society many years; vice-presi
dent (and also president pro tem) of the New
York State Agricultural Society for some time;
and at Chicago was elected vice-president of
the Farmers National Congress of New York.
Socially he affiliates with the Masonic frater
nity. Upright and honorable in all the rela
tions of life, Mr. Storm holds an enviable posi-

136

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

tion in the estimation of his fellow-citizens, no
man in Dutchess county being held in higher
regard.

D

ANIEL WASHBURN. In every agricult
ural community there will fortunately be
found men whose progressive management
serves to demonstrate the value of the judi
cious application of modern scientific principles
to the ancient business of farming, and to this
worthy class belongs the subject of this sketch,
who is a successful agriculturist of the town of
Pawling, Dutchess county.
Mr. Washburn is a native of the county,
born in the town of Beekman, November 29,
1850, and his education was obtained in the
common schools near his home. At an early
age he engaged in agricultural pursuits, which
he has followed ever since with unusually satis
factory results. At present he rents the Slocum
farm of 286 acres, also rents the William Lud
dington farm of 176 acres, upon which he em
ploys many assistants. He devotes his time
to the raising of general crops, but has made a
success of tobacco culture, and is an expert in
all its branches, as well as in the more common
details of farming. His business cares do not
prevent him from taking an active interest in
public movements, and although until a few
years ago he was an ardent supporter of the
principles of the Democratic party he is now
one of the leading Prohibitionists of his town.
He has held the office of excise commissioner;
belongs to Patterson Lodge No. 173, I. O. O.
F. , Pawling, and is a member of Christ Church,
Quaker HiH. His first wife. Miss Sarah E.
Roe, was a daughter of Daniel and Maria Roe,
prominent among the farmers of the town of
Dover. The present Mrs. Washburn was for
merly Miss Edith Ette, who was born in 1856,
in New Milford, Conn. , and was educated in
New Fairfield, Conn. Of the three children
of our subject by his first wife, Ella, born Jan
uary 9, 1874, married George Ette, a farmer
of Patterson, and has had one daughter, Se
rena; Serena, born February i, 1876, married
Charles Lutz, a farmer of the town of Pawl
ing, and has had one chHd, Ethel; and Fannie
B., born May 18, 1879, is at home.
The Washburn family has been prominent
in Putnam county, N. Y., from early times,
and Samuel Washburn, our subject's grand
father, was born and reared there, becoming a
farmer by occupation. He was a soldier in

the Revolutionary war. He and his wife,
Phebe (Baker), reared a family of six children:
Jonathan, who married Naomi Dykeman; Levi,
who remained single; Absolom, who died in
boyhood; Zebulum, our subject's father; EHza,
who never married; and Mrs. Hannah Rob
inson. Zebulum Washburn was born in Carmel,
Putnam county, in 1804, and his education
was acquired there in the district schools. He
was a well-known farmer, and was prominent
in local affairs as a Democrat; but, although
he held a number of minor town offices, 'he
never aspired to political distinction. His
death occurred in 1862. He married Miss
Serena Luddington, daughter of Joseph Lud
dington (a leading blacksmith of Pawling) and
his wife, Susan (Ferris). Our subject was the
fourth in a family of seven children. Of the
others (i) Susan never married. (2) George H.
was born in the town of Beekman in 1840,
was educated in the schools there, and in i860
enlisted in Company E, 19th N. Y. V. I., being
the first man from the town of Beekman to
respond to the call for troops. He served
three years and then re-enlisted, and, his regi
ment having moved on, he was transferred to
the 128th N. Y. V. I. He met his death at
the battle of Shenandoah. (3) Samuel was
born and reared in the town of Beekman, and
followed farming there. He married (first)
Miss Hattie Gregory, and had three children —
William, Walter and Louis; for his second
wife he married Miss Carrie Mosier, and has
had one daughter — Ella. (5) William S. was
born at the old homestead in 1853, and after
attending the schools of Beekman engaged in
business, and is now foreman for William B.
Wheeler, taking charge of the Latta estates.
He married Miss Lizzie Lutz, daughter of
Henry Lutz, a well-known gardener of the
town of Pawling, and has had three children —
William, Leo and Fredie. (6) Anna A., born
in 1856, married Horace Orton, a farmer of
the town of Dover, and has had four children —
Sarah, Minnie, George and Herbert; of these,
Sarah married WHliam White, also a farmer
of Dover, and they have one chHd, Jennie.
(7) Jane died in infancy.

LUDWIG PETILLON (deceased) was one
 ! of the best known citizens of the county,
of later years as a wealthy, retired business
man residing on a charming estate two mHes

^a^ ^ /^^^ .^^(^yc<f-n^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

137

from the city of Poughkeepsie. He came of
German origin, and his grandfather, Isaac
PetiHon, who was a farmer in Bavaria, was a
soldier in the German army during the Napo
leonic wars. He reared a family of children,
among whom was a son, J-acob, our subject's
father, who was born December 23, 1813, in
Bavaria, grew to manhood there, and learned
the butcher's trade.
At the age of twenty Jacob PetiHon sailed
for America, landing in New York July 4,
1833. Coming to Poughkeepsie, he found em
ployment at his trade, and with characteristic
enterprise and good management he made his
way to success, continuing in the same busi
ness throughout his life. He was a Republic
an in politics, and took a keen interest in the
questions of the day. He married Catherine
Hey, also a native of Bavaria, born March 28,
181 1, and had four children: Caroline C, the
wife of Charles Kirchner, a well-known resi
dent of Poughkeepsie; John Jacob, who was
born January 16, 1840, and at the time of his
death, May 22, 1884, was a successful business
manof Poughkeepsie; John, now a resident of
that city; and Ludwig, our subject. The fa
ther of this family died July 11, 1861, the
mother surviving him until January 7, 1885.
Both were devout members of the German
Lutheran Church, to which their children also
belonged. Ludwig PetiHon was born in Poughkeepsie,
September 20, 1845, and was educated in the
public schools of that city. He was only
fourteen years old when the death of his fa
ther compelled him to become a ' ' bread win
ner," and he and his brother, John Jacob, con
ducted their father's business from that time
with marked success. At first they had a
wholesale trade, but later they engaged in a
retail business with Charles Kirchner, contin
uing until 1889, when Mr. PetiHon retired
from the active management.
On April 7, 1874, Mr. PetiHon was mar
ried to Miss Catherine Steitz, a native of
Poughkeepsie, and a daughter of Philip and
Catherine Steitz, well-known citizens pf Ger
man birth. They had no children. On his
retirement from business Mr. PetiHon pur
chased from W. S. Johnson a beautiful farm
of eighty acres near the city on the electric-
car line, which he improved with winding
paths and drives, and a residence which com
pares well with those of of the neighboring
wealthy New Yorkers. He was an inteHigent,

progressive man, highly esteemed among all
classes, and was a generous supporter of local
improvements. In politics, he was a Repub
lican, and he and his wife were prominent ad
herents of the Lutheran Church, to which they
contribute liberally. Mr. PetHlon died Feb
ruary 21, 1896.

JOHN HACKETT, of the well and favorably
known lavv firm of Hackett & Williams, of
the city of Poughkeepsie, which enjoys an
enviable reputation throughout the Valley of
the Hudson, for the success each member has
met with in the handling of the extensive legal
business that for years has been entrusted to
their care, is a native of Ireland, born on the
farm of his father, near Clonmell, June 8,
1845- His father, John Hackett, with his family,
came to America in 1852, and located in Hyde
Park, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , where John Hack
ett was reared, and where he was given the
benefit of the public schools of the village; he
also attended the Eastman Business College,
and was graduated therefrom in 1863. Not
content with the idea of being an accountant
through life, young Hackett determined on a
professional career, and began the study of
law, pursuing his studies in the office and un
der the direction of Chester Brundage, at
Poughkeepsie. He was admitted to the bar
in 1866, and at once settled in the practice of
his profession in the city of his adoption, and
where he was reared and educated. In 1873
he was made assistant district attorney under
James L. Williams, and served as such until
the close of Mr. WHliams' term of office. In
1884 he was the Democratic nominee for the
same office, and was elected over George
Esselstyn, the Republican candidate; on the
expiration of his term of office he was again
the nominee for district attorney, and was re
elected over his competitor, W. R. Wooden,
by a large majority. He very ably and suc
cessfully performed the duty devolving upon
, him as a public official, in a position of so
much responsibility, and both socially and
professionally became widely and favorably
known. In 1876 he formed a partnership
with James L. WHliams (under whom he had
served as assistant district attorney), which
partnership continues to exist. They have an
extensive and lucrative practice, and are men
of high standing and position in the community

138

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

in which they have so long resided. The firm
is recognized as one of the strongest in that
section of the country.
On AprH lo, 1880, Mr. Hackett was mar
ried to Miss Hattie V. Mulford, daughter of
Hon. David H. Mulford, of Hyde Park, who
was one of the representatives from Dutchess
county in the Legislature in 1870-71, and to
their marriage the following children have
come: John M. and Henry T. , both of
whom are now attending the Bisbee Military
School, at Poughkeepsie. Mr. Hackett and
famHy reside at Hyde Hark.

JAMES COLLINGWOOD (deceased] was
born in Wigan, England, March 19, 18 14,
and came to America at the time of the
first cholera epidemic, being then eighteen
years old. He came directly to the city of
Newburg, where he worked at the shoemaker's
trade for a few years, and then moved to Fish
kill, Dutchess county, where he engaged in the
shoe trade, and built several houses. From
Fishkill he went to a farm near West Park,
Ulster county, and there engaged in farming.
Mr. Collingwood came to Poughkeepsie
and started in the lumber business, buying a
residence on the river a short distance from
the city. He was first married at Newburg to
Hannah Frost, who died in Poughkeepsie dur
ing the second year of the cholera scourge in
New York, leaving four children: Jennie S.,
who married G. W. Millard, and is now de
ceased; William A. and James H., both also
deceased; and Eugenia Elizabeth, who married
E. B. Taylor, and is now deceased. After
the death of his first wife, our subject married
Miss Mary E. Clark, a daughter of George
Clark, who was born in Poughkeepsie. Of
this marriage five children were born, namely:
(ij Sarah, who married Charles A. Brooks;
(2) John G. , who married Josepha Chichester,
and they have two children — John C. and
Fannie M. ; (3) George married Mary E. Carey;
(4) Fannie married G. W. MiHard, and is de
ceased; and (5) Edwin James married Cora L.
Schickle, a daughter of John Schickel, of
Poughkeepsie. Our subject's parents were WHliam and
Jane Collingwood, the former of whom started
out for himself at the age of eighteen years.
He was a self-made man, and became one of
the largest coal and lumber dealers along the

Hudson river. He was very highly spoken of
in Poughkeepsie, and his career was an exam
ple of thrift and energy to others. He built
the opera house and the block in front of it, in
Poughkeepsie, as a private enterprise. His
death occurred May 16, 1874.

E^DWARD CRUMMEY (deceased). To in-
 'I tellectual gifts and training which fitted
the subject of this sketch to take rank among
the leaders of the legal profession, there was
added the ardent heart of a reformer, and a
steadfast faith in human nature that made him
an inspiration for good in every life that came
in contact with his own. His sympathy and
help have lifted more than one degraded drunk
ard to renewed self-respect and determination,
while his influence among his associates brought
to the various temperance organizations large
numbers of able and cultured workers who in
their turn have carried on the noble work.
Mr. Crummey was born in New York City
in August, 1827, and after the early death of
his parents, James and Sarah Crummey, he
was brought at the age of fifteen to live in the
family of Smiten Vincent Tripp, near Clinton
Corners, Dutchess Co., N. Y. He attended
the district school there for some years, and
pursued a higher course of study in the school
on College HHl, then conducted by Charles
Bartlett, Bisbee and Warring. He taught at
Stanford and SchultzvHle, and then went to
California in 1849, and engaged in gold min
ing with the late Hon. A. P. K. Safford, then
a prominent resident there, and later on Gov
ernor of Arizona. They were successful, and
Mr. Crummey returned home with the means
to carry out a cherished wish to become a law
yer. He prepared for the bar at Prof. Fow
ler's Law School, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and
at Poland, Ohio, in 1856, was admitted to
practice, and he at once opened an office in the
city of Poughkeepsie, where for nearly forty
years he carried on his professional work. In
1857, when a County Board of Excise was ap
pointed under the new law, Mr. Crummey be
came clerk and attorney for that body, serving
with marked ability for several years. At the
time that the 1 50th Regiment N. Y. Volunteers
was raised in Dutchess county, Mr. Crummey
opened a recruiting office in Poughkeepsie,
and succeeded in raising an entire company;
but as he had no liking for military life be

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

139

never asked for the commission as captain to
which he was entitled, but gave it to the late
U. S. Capt. Platt Thom.
In 1865 he became interested in the tem
perance cause, and united with the Sons of
Temperance, his zeal and influence bringing
large accessions to the organization. He was
also instrumental in founding a Father Mat
thew Society in Poughkeepsie, and in starting
a series of public meetings in the court house
and in Old Pine Hall, which aroused and main
tained for several years wide-spread interest in
the total-abstinence movement. To Mr. Crum
mey, more than to any other one person, the
success of these several enterprises was due.
He was a fine extemporaneous speaker, and
an able and dignified presiding officer. In the
Sons of Temperance he seven times held the
office of Grand Worthy Patriarch of Eastern
New York, and later was made Most Worthy
Patriarch of the United States and Canada.
In the formation of the Prohibition party he
gave it his allegiance. He was always a ready
friend to any man, no matter how low and de
graded, who attempted to reform, and he gave
freely of both time and money to secure them
employment, and to establish them in an hon
orable mode of life. He was a member of the
Masonic fraternity.
On November 10, 1857, Mr. Crummey was
married in the town of Stanford to Miss Ger-
aldine B. Arnold, a descendant of a pioneer
family; her great-grandfather, Ahab Arnold,
her grandfather, Welcome Arnold, and her fa
ther, Archibald H. R. Arnold, were all promi
nent residents there. Two sons were born of
this union, Safford Arnold and Edward
Daly, both of whom, with their mother, sur
vive the beloved father and husband, who
passed beyond the gates that separate the seen
from the unseen, July 20, 1894. Surely he
" hath done what he could."

/>\EORGE HUNTINGTON, M. D. The
S^ life of a country physician, who labors
day and night through all seasons for the alle
viation of human suffering, lacks the spectac
ular features which bring some men, in far less
useful callings, into public prominence, but no
one will deny or even question the superior
value of the work done by the unassuming
medical practitioner.
Dr. Huntington is a descendant of an old
New England family, and several of his an

cestors were physicians of note. Simon Hunt
ington, the head of this branch of the family,
came from England with three sons soon after
the settlement by the Pilgrim Fathers. Our
subject's great-grandfather and grandfather
were natives of Norwich, Conn., but the latter.
Dr. Abel Huntington, moved to East Hamp
ton, L. I., when a young man, and began the
practice of medicine. He was a leader among
his associates, and served two terms in Con
gress under Jackson's administration. His
wife was Miss Frances Lee, daughter of Col.
Lee, of Lyme, Conn., and they had four chil
dren: Marrietta, the wife of Dr. David Gar
diner; Cornelia, a well-known writer of prose
and poetry; Abbie L. ; and George Lee Hunt
ington, our subject's father, who also became
an able and successful physician. He passed
his youth at East Hampton, and studied medi
cine with his father for some time, continuing
his course later with Dr. Valentine Mott, of
New York City. He took charge of his father's
practice when the latter was elected to Con
gress, and then for some time followed his
profession in Brooklyn, N. Y. , where he mar
ried Miss Mary Hoogland, a member of an old
Knickerbocker family. Soon afterward he re
sumed his practice at East Hampton, contin
uing until his death in 1884. Of his four chil
dren the eldest, Benjamin H., is president of
the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn. (2) Abel
Huntington, M. D., is medical director of the
New York Life Insurance Co., of New York
City, and Mary E., now a resident of Brook
lyn, is the widow of the late Frederick Bridge,
who was engaged in trade with China and
Japan, and who for several years was a resi
dent in those countries.
George Huntington, the third child of this
family, was born in East Hampton, April 9,
1850, and received his literary education mainly
at Clinton Academy, at that place, studying
the classics under the tuition of John Wallace.
In the fall of 1868 he began the study of medi
cine with his father as preceptor, and later at
tended three courses of lectures at the College
of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City,
graduating in 187 1. In the following year he
located in Pomeroy, Ohio, but after a few
months returned home and united with his fa
ther in practice, remaining there until 1874,
when he established himself at LagrangevHle,
Dutchess county. There he has met with the
appreciation which his thorough mastery of his
profession deserves.

140.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

In 1874 the Doctor married Miss Mary E.
Heckard, daughter of Judge Martin Heckard,
of Pomeroy, Ohio, a well-known mining engi
neer, and for some years the judge of the pro
bate court there. Six children were born of
this marriage: Katharine, Charles Gardiner,
Abel (deceased), Elizabeth, Edwin Horton and
Eleanor. The Doctor holds a high place in
the esteem of his professional brethren, as well
as with the public generally. He is a member
of the Medical Society of Dutchess county, and
was its president in 1887-88; in AprH, 1894,
he was made an honorary member of the
Brooklyn Society for the study of Neurology.
He also belongs to the Audubon Society of New
York City, and he achieved world-wide recog
nition as a scientific observer by a paper on
"Chorea," read before the Meigs and Mason
Academy of Medicine, in 1872, and published
in the ' ' Medical and Surgical Reporter. " This
paper describes a peculiar form of hereditary
chorea existing in Long Island, N. Y. , which has
since attracted much attention both at home and
abroad, and which has been designated "Hunt
ington's Chorea." We quote the following
from an article by William Osier, M. D., pro
fessor of medicine in John Hopkins University,
Baltimore. "Twenty years have passed since
Huntington, in a postscript to an everyday sort
of article on chorea minor, sketched most
graphically, in three or four paragraphs, the
characters of a chronic and hereditary form
which he, his father and grandfather had ob
served in Long Island. In the whole range of
descriptive nosology there is not, to my knowl
edge, an instance in which a disease has been
so accurately and fully delineated in so few
words. No details were given: the original
cases were not (nor have they been) described,
but to Huntington's account of the sympto
matology no essential fact has been added."
In 1897 Dr. Huntington was made one ofthe
auxiliary staff of the new General Hospital at
Fishkill-on-Hudson.

LEWIS FREDERICK STREIT (deceased),
 .' a former well-known carriage manufac
turer of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was
born at Guilderland, Albany Co., N. Y., De
cember 2, 1816.
Frederick Streit, the great-grandfather of
our subject, born in 1709, came from Bavaria,
and settled at a place called Keskatomi Nijse,
northwest of CatskiH, N. Y., owned a farm on

land bought by Henry Beektnan of the Indians
about 1700; he afterward sold this farm and
purchased one at Rhinebeck, N. Y., where he
passed the rest of his days, dying February 8,
1 78 1, aged seventy-two years. He married
Catharine Mowel (Moul) from the west side of
the river, who was born in 1702, and died
February 23, 1785, at Rhinebeck. They had
eight children: Christina, born February 27,
1740, married Caspar Ham; Elizabeth died in
1740; Anna, born May 26, 1734, died May 27,
1740; Mariah, born March 8, 1742; Frederick,
born March 8, 1742, died May 21, 1800;
Lodowick, born April 12, 1745; Catharine
married Frederick Ham; and Anna married
John Ackert.
Frederick Streit, the' grandfather of Lewis
Frederick, was born March 8, 1742, and died
May 21, 1800. He settled at GuHderland,
N. Y. ; married (first) Catharine Benner, Feb
ruary 7, 1762, daughter of Henrich and Cath
arine (Boetzer) Benner (they had one daugh
ter, Catharine, born August 9, 1768); and
(second) Elizabeth Rauh, and to the latter
marriage were born four children: Hannah,
born November 14, 1770, died August 23,
1776; Mary, born July 14, 1773, died August
16, 1776; John, born November 2, 1775, died
August 21, 1776; and Lodowick, born Decem
ber 26, 1777, died July 9, 1783. For his third
wife Frederick Streit married on February 18,
1782, Catharine Moore, born June 8, 1752, at
Red Hook, N. Y., died March 16, 1843, the
only daughter of Phillip Hendricksen (born
December 28, 17 13) and Engel (Dederick)
Moore; they had four children: Frederick,
born May 2, 1780; Phillip, born September
21, 1783, died July 4, 1800, married Eliza
beth Cramer; Lodowick, born February 26,
1785, went to Canada; Hannah, born May 14,
1789, died February 3, 1833, married John M.
Rowe, November 5, 1809.
Phillip Streit, the father of our subject,
born September 21, 1783, died July 4, 1867,
at Rhinebeck, N. Y., married November 6,
1803, to Elizabeth Cramer, born August 24,
1784, died November 25, 1861, daughter of
John Nicholas and Elizabeth (Tipple) Cramer,
the former born January 22, 1743, died Octo
ber 18, 1806, and the latter born in 1752.
They had five children: Caroline Catharine,
born September 9, 1804, at Rhinebeck, mar
ried (first) Lemuel Savage, of GranvHle, N. Y. ,
November 30, 1802, and (second) Seth More
house; Anna Maria, born December 20, 1807,

sie..o<f-(^ ^ ^sg^^U4?^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

141

at Guilderland, married George Lamoree, of
Staatsburg, died Septerhber 20, 1895; Jane
Elizabeth, born January 3, 181 1, married Seth
Morehouse, died January 4, 1862; Lewis
Frederick, born December 2, 18 16, died March
I, 1891; Margaret Ellen, born November 27,
1 82 1, married David Henry Schryver, of
Rhinebeck, New York.
There is a legend in the Cramer family
that the great-grandfather of Elizabeth Cram
er was one of the Princes of a small division
of Germany. They lived in a castle supposed
to have been at Baden-Baden; her grandfather
married a daughter of a famHy with whom his
father was at feuds, and they were conse
quently disowned by both families. John
Nicholas, father of Elizabeth, was one of
three sons born in Baden in 1743. It is
said the children went to their grandfather's
castle gate, and repeated the Lord's Prayer,
according to an old German custom for restor
ing peace, but it was unavailing, so the father,
his wife and three sons sailed for America. The
passage was very long (three months) and
stormy; the father died and was buried in the
deep, and the chHdren were sold, according to
the prevaHing custom of that time, to pay ex
penses; the wife married again in Virginia.
Two sons, John N. and another brother, Jacob
or Wendel, settled in Rhinebeck. They
brought with them an old German Bible print
ed in 1585, which is now in the possession of
one of the members of the family.
Lewis Frederick Streit received the bene
fits of a common-school education. In 1830
he came to Poughkeepsie, and engaged in the
carriage and sleigh-making business with John
P. Myers, afterward carrying it on on his own
account untH 1853, when he took George
Lockwood into partnership with him. The
firm prospered, and in 1888 they sold their
business and retired. Mr. Streit invested in
real estate in Poughkeepsie, which at the pres
ent time is very valuable. In politics, he was
a Republican, although he never sought public
office, was made a member of the board of
viHage trustees of Poughkeepsie, and repre
sented the Fourth ward as alderman in 1854.
In early manhood he became connected with
the Presbyterian Church, with the interests of
which he was associated untH his death. He
was twice married; by his first wife, Martha
Wigg, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (De
Groff) Wigg, and born December 23, 181 1,
married January 31, 1838, died in October,

1 86 1, two children were born: a son who died
in infancy, and a daughter, now Mrs. Elizabeth
Raub, of Poughkeepsie. By his second wife,
Rebecca Matilda Duncan, he had one child, a
son who died in infancy. Mr. Streit died
March i, 1891. He will always be remem
bered as an honorable, upright man, who
gained and held the respect and esteem of his
fellow citizeris. He was identified with the
industries of the city, and for many years was
a director in the Poughkeepsie National Bank.
His taste and enterprise, courtesy and probity,
were noteworthy, and in no sphere was he more
honored than in the Church where his name
was recorded nearly all his manhood. His
widow is living at the old home, and in 1886
she purchased her own old homestead at
Unionvale, near Millbrook, New York.
Elizabeth Streit (the daughter of our
subject by his first wife) was born in the city
of Poughkeepsie, married James M. Raub, of
RaubsvHle, Penn., who died July 20, 1872;
they had two daughters: Alma, now Mrs.
Halsey Haines Cheney, and Lena, now Mrs.
John Morton Swift. . , ",.,4,^-'.^ etU-^ ^H^c,
-', '-^
OBERT FORSTER (deceased)'was born
in Canada March 14, 1821, of English
and French ancestry. The father died when
Robert was a smaH boy, and the latter went to
New York City, where he received his -early
education. Mr. Forster learned the machinist's trade
with John Matthews, with whom he lived for
several years. While in Mr. Matthews' em
ploy as foreman of the factory, our subject was
married June 6, 1843, to Emma Manning. In
1846 he came to Poughkeepsie, and followed
his trade, that of a machinist. In 1847 he
built the apparatus for the manufacture of soda
water, and engaged in the bottHng business,
in which he was the pioneer in Poughkeepsie.
He first started in the retail business, which
soon rapidly increased to wholesale, and he
supplied the trade of Poughkeepsie a»d other
cities. He was an active member of the fire
department, but would never hold a political
office. His business, which is now the largest
in the city, is carried on by his widow, she has
an adopted son, George, who assists her. He
married Miss Emma Louise Hager, and they
have three children: Grace T. , Emma N.
and Robert. Mrs. Forster also has in her
employ James Du Bois, who has been with her

142

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

since 1855, and Robert WHHam Polhemus, a
nephew, who has been with her since 1873.
Mr. Forster died in Poughkeepsie June 28,
1863. Charles Manning, Jr., the father of Mrs.
Forster, was born at Hyde Park, Dutchess
county, in 1795, where he spent his boyhood
attending public schools. He was a soldier in
the war of 1812. On January 4, 1817, he
was married to Miss Maria Travis, who was
born in the town of Pleasant Valley, August
16, 1795, and children as follows were born to
them: Elizabeth and Hester (both deceased);
Emma; Sarah, who married William S. Pol
hemus, of Poughkeepsie; James, and Charles,
the latter being deceased. Mr. Manning was
engaged in farming in Hyde Park until 1826,
when he went to New York City and went into
business there. Later he returned to Dutch
ess county, and died January 2, 1857.
Charles Manning, the grandfather of Mrs.
Forster, was a farmer in the town of Hyde
Park, where he was born July 17, 1771. He
married Miss Elizabeth Myer, who was born
April 20, 1772, and they had fourteen chil
dren. Charles Manning, the great-grand
father, was one of the early pioneers of the
town of Hyde Park. Isaac Travis, the ma
ternal grandfather, was born in the town of
Pleasant Valley, February 10, 1763, and was
married to Miss Elizabeth Conklin, who was
born June 3, 1760. They had nine children,
of whom, Maria, the mother of Mrs. Forster,
was the fifth.

#p\EORGE H. CODDING, M. D., a leading
^^"p"h"y sician and surgeon of Arnenia, Dutch
ess county, was born at Egremont, Berkshire
Co., Mass., August i, 1854, and comes of a
family that for several generations have been
prominent agriculturists of that county. His
great-grandfather, Cobb Codding, whose birth
occurred at Taunton, Mass., in 1774, became
a prosperous farmer and lumberman in the
town o^ Washington, Berkshire tounty.
There, Ephraim Codding, the grandfather,
was born February 20, 1800, and spent his
boyhood days upon his father's farm. At
Colebrook, Conn., he married Miss Ann Eliza
Remington, who died in 1872, and to them
were born three children: Henry E., the
father of our subject, and Ann Eliza and Sarah
Philena, both deceased. After a short resi
dence at Lenox, Mass., he in March, 1845, re

moved to the town of Egremont, Berkshire
county, where he canried on agricultural pur
suits until his death, which occurred August
II, 1870.
Henry E. Codding, born June 16, 1826,
obtained his elementary education in the com
mon schools of Berkshire county, and com
pleted his literary training in the old Lenox
Academy. His active business life was all
devoted to farming in the town of Egremont,
where he died November 24, 1896. A con
scientious, earnest. Christian man, for several
years he was deacon in the Baptist Church,
and officially served as justice of the peace,
being appointed by the governor of Massachu
setts. In December, 1849, he was united in
marriage vvith Miss Emeline, daughter of
Stephen Edgerley, of Glendale, Berkshire Co.,
Mass., and they became the parents of three
children: Marcia R. , who was born November
9, 1850, and is now the wife oi Alfred J. Hub
bard, of LeRoy, N. Y. ; Clara G. , who was
born May 11, 1852, and died in June, 1892;
and George H., of this review. The mother
of these children was called to her final rest
May 26, i860, and Mr. Codding again married,
his second union being with Cornelia Eggles
ton, daughter of David Eggleston, of the town
of Northeast, Dutchess Co., New York.
Dr. Codding was reared upon the home
farm in the town of Egremont, Berkshire Co.,
Mass., and attended the Egremont Academy,
after which he taught school for a year and a
half, and in 1878 took up the study of medi
cine with Dr. Henry M. Knight, of LakeviHe,
Conn. On the death of that gentleman, he
continued to pursue his medical studies under
the instruction of Dr. John C. Shaw, at that
time superintendent of the Kings County In
sane Asylum at Flatbush, Long Island, and
subsequently graduated at the CoHege of Phy
sicians and Surgeons in New York City, in the
class of '81.
The Doctor then entered Kings County
Hospital at Flatbush, as assistant physician,
and later was appointed second assistant at the
Kings County Insane Asylum, thus gaining
much practical knowledge. On January 9,
1882, he arrived in Amenia, where for three
years he was in partnership with Dr. Desault
Guernsey, but since that time has been alone,
and is now at the head of a large practice. He
is a member of the Dutchess County Medical
Society, and was one of the founders of the
New York State Medical Association.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

143

On March 28, 1883, Dr. Codding was mar
ried to Miss Irene Hinman Warner, daughter
of Sherman B. Warner, of Southbury, Conn.,
and to them were born two chHdren — Joel
Hinman, born May 29, 1884; and Desault
Guernsey, born September 28, 1886, and died
July 23, 1887.

C\HARLES BROWN HERRICK(de-
'I ceased). Among the prominent citizens of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, who have
passed to the unseen world in recent years,
the late Charles B. Herrick held an honor
able place, and the announcement of his
d'eath at Haines' Falls, in the Catskills,
July 29, 1896, caused sincere and wide-spread
grief among all classes in the city where the
best of his years had been spent. Although
it was well-known that he was stricken
with a serious ailment — locomotor ataxia —
his unvarying composure under suffering had
led many of his friends to hope that the
disease would not prove fatal. In the prime
of life, having just crossed the half cen
tury line (for he was born August 15, 1845),
he had scarcely begun to reap the rewards and
honors due to his able and conscientious work
in the legal profession, while the community
which he had faithfully served in the various
official capacities has lost an untiring supporter
of its best interests.
Like many of the foremost citizens of the
country, he was born and reared upon a farm,
and his father, William Herrick, still resides
at the old home at Salt Point, Dutchess coun-
ty. Our subject prepared for college at East
Hampton, Mass., and was graduated from
Yale CoHege in 1 869. His legal studies were
prosecuted in the office of Thompson & Weeks,
and in 1870 he began to practice, his office
being located in the old " Lawyers' Row," on
Market street at the site of the present post
office. In 1 876 he formed a partnership with
Col. Henry E. Losey, which continued untH
his death. Mr. Herrick's interest in educa
tional and literary pursuits was shown in many
ways; he was a trustee of Vassar Institute, and
also served three years as a member of the
board of education. In politics he was an act
ive worker, and for a number of years pre
vious to his death he was chairman of the
Democratic City Committee. When the
water board was organized he was appointed
clerk, which office he held for several years.

and his work as city attorney under the ad
ministration of Mayor Elsworth and of Mayor
Ketcham reflected great credit upon him, and
was satisfactory in the highest degree to the
people. The Poughkeepsie Courier said at
the time of his retirement from office:
During Mr. Herrick's incumbency, suits aggregating
between $150,000 and $200,000, have been brought against
the city, and the total recovery has only been $3,700.
This is quite a remarkable record, most of the actions
for damages resulting from slippery sidewalks. In addi
tion to defending all suits against the city, Mr. Herrick
has been the right hand man and confidential adviser of
two mayors, and the official adviser for six years of all
the city boards, at the same time has attended to a large
private practice. "Very little business, however, will re
main uncompleted at the close of his term. Only one
suit is pending against the city.
In all relations of life, Mr. Herrick was a
typical American gentleman. Dignified in ap
pearance, at the same time he was pleasing in
manners, and he fully appreciated the value of
the friendship and esteem of his associates.
Although he was always earnest in the support
of any cause which he espoused, he never
made use of any methods that were not hon
orable and straightforward, and neither in
public or private life was he ever swerved by
criticism, ridicule, or invective from the dis
charge of his duty as he saw it. His innate
kindness and justice were displayed in his
characteristic reluctance to express an opinion
where character or reputation was involved.
His legal brethren held him in the highest
esteem, and a meeting of the Bar Association
of Dutchess County, held shortly after his
death, was largely attended, and eloquent
tributes of respect were paid by Messrs. Frank
Hasbrouck, ex-Judge Henry M. Taylor, Frank
B. Lown, Gifford Wilkinson, J. Hervey Cook,
Safford Crummey, Martin Heermance, and
others. Resolutions of condolence with the
sorrowing relatives were adopted, and the
words of praise of the life so prematurely
ended voiced the feelings of all present.
Mr. Herrick left a widow, formerly Miss
Ada Van Benschoten, daughter of Philip and
Jane Ann (O'Dell) Van Benschoten, of the
town of Lagrange, and three sisters and a
brother also survive him. The funeral serv
ices were held at the home of the deceased on
Hooker avenue, and his remains were interred
in the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, a large
company of friends gathering to pay the last
token of affection. For several years the de
ceased was a member of the University Club
of New York City.

144

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

JOHN WATTS DE PEYSTER, Brevet Ma
jor-General, New York, "with Rank from
20th AprH, 1862," ("for Meritorious Serv
ices rendered to the National Guard and to
the United States prior to and during the Re
bellion "), by " Concurrent Resolution " or Spe
cial Law, New York State Legislature, 25th
April, 1866.
M. A. Columbia College, 1872; LL. D.
Nebraska College, 1870; Lift. D. 1892 and
LL. D. 1896 Franklin and Marshall College;
Life Member ot the Royal Historical Society
of Great Britain; Honorary Fellow of the
Society of Science, Letters and Arts of Lon
don, 1893, and awarded their Gold Medal for
1 894 ' ' for Scientific and Literary Attainments ; "
* Member of the Maatschappij der Ned-
erlandische Letterkunde, Leyden, Holland, &c.
Although the seventh generation resident
in the First Ward of the City of New Amster
dam, afterward New York, and the sixth born
therein : that is, through the course of two
centuries and a half, Gen. De Peyster's con
nection with Duchess county has been just
about as long, seven generations.** He still
holds over 1,000 acres of the thousands which
were in the possession of his ancestors, besides
what he donated for benevolent purposes to
the Order of the Brothers of Nazareth to ena
ble them to establish their hospitals and other
institutions. He himself buHt the first Hos
pital for Consumptives (since burned down),
and a magnificent Training School on a plateau
latterly known as Prospect Hill, but in times
gone by as Guinea Hillf, 965 to 1160 feet
above the sea-level, in such a health-giving and
health-restoring air that it was recognized as
the most salubrious locality in the Thirteen
Colonies. On the summit ridge of the West Moun
tain, overlooking the valley threaded by the
Harlem railroad, partly in the town of Union
vale and partly in that of Dover, is a tract of
between 400 and 500 acres known as the " de
Peyster Ranch," now almost a dense forest
wherein apple trees have shot up to as lofty
1 *Gen. de Peyster's medals and decorations are mentioned at
8 No. tin (560) F. W. E. Gnecchi's "Guida Numisonatica Uni
versale." Milano, 1894.
**General de Peyster was born March 9, 1821, at the house of his
mother's father, Hon. John Watts, Jr., No. 3 Broadway, New York.
tThis nomenclature, Guinea Hill, was doubtless attributable
to the number of black slaves employed as farm hands and laborers
in a region which, within seventy-years, was a great wheat-produc
ing country, although latterly unproductive through the exhaustion
of the soil, and in many places overgrown with a young forest.
Africa was scarcely known at all at that time, and black slaves as a
rule were supposed to come from the Coast of Guinea. "Guinea
Niggers " was the term generally applied to negroes of every shape
and shade of color. Even to-day the traveler remarks with surprise
the number of colored people to be found in this neighborhood.

heights as the forest trees surrounding them.
A recent survey revealed the ruins of five or
six or more homesteads which were once occu
pied by thrifty farmers. A tourist through
this region, who, sixty years ago had visited
these homes and had not returned to the local
ity for about that period, discovered that the
only relic of the former care and horticulture
which he had once beheld was a cultivated
rose bush in flower within what seemed to be
a ruined door-yard.
These farms were once a portion of one of
the patents of the famous Col. Henry Beek
man, whose landed possessions were so ex
tensive that when the question arose whether
or not there was any land in the moon, an old
farmer in Dover township* remarked, that " if
any human being could tell, it would be Col.
Beekman; for he was sure that if there was
any land in the moon, the Colonel must have
a patent for a large share in it." The burial
place of this wealthy proprietor, to the shame,
be it said, of his immediate descendants and
heirs, was so neglected that the spot where his
remains repose is now unknown. When Gen.
de Peyster, who has a Chinese reverence for
his forefathers, sought to discover the location
he could get no clue. All he could learn was
that Col. Beekman's remains were most likely
interred under the chancel of a church which
once stood at Pink's Corners, about three miles
south of Red Hook. Not the slightest vestige
of this sacred building remains, and the fact
that a church once stood there is only known
through tradition.
Gen. de Peyster's great-great-great-grand
mother was Cornelia, born 1690, the sister of
this Col. Henry Beekman, who married Guis-
bert (or Gilbert), second son of the first Liv
ingston in this country. This branch of the
Livingston family never assumed the aristo-
'•¦ When the " History of Duchess County, N. Y.," published in
1882 by D. Mason & Co., Syracuse, N. Y.. was in process of prepara
tion, the town of Red Hook was written up by Mr. Hume H. Cale in
the library of Gen. de Peyster, and it was said that it was the most
thoroughly digested account of any township in the county. The
difficulty of obtaining authentic information in regard to past events
determined Gen. d,e Peyster to keep notes of all the trips he made
to and fro through the county; and ihey constitute a collection of
records which will be very valuable for reference in any other future
historical works on the counties of Duchess and Columbia, partic
ularly the lower portion of the latter.
Doubtless this conversation about "land in the moon " occurred
in the public house referred to in the following sentence, and its
landlord was the speaker. " One of the eccentric characters of the
earlier days was John Preston, who kept a tavern in the town
[Dover] soraewhere about the year 1810, His place was a great re
sort, and he, with his fund of humor, was widely known." — Vol. I,
page 481.
" It does not appear that the slightest reference is made to the
settlement of the town [Dover], except that the' first settlers were
Dutch who came from the vicinity of the Hudson River,"— /6td. 480.
Is it possible that they were brought there by Mac Pheadris to super
intend his iron works? The hard labor at that time was generally
done by slaves.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

145

cratic airs of the other lines, calling their home
steads after different castles of the local Lord
Livingstons in Scotland, to whom, according
to the investigation published in the " Curio,"
Vol. I., 1 887-1 888, pages 45 and 46, they can
not trace their connection. Burke says as
much in his " Lost Peerages." Even E. Brock-
hoist Livingston, F. S. A.: Scot., who has
written so largely on the subject, admits he
cannot supply " the missing link " ("Curio,"
I., 46). There were almost as many so-styled
"Livingston Manor houses" as there were
well-to-do heads of families of that name.
Nevertheless, there was only one real "manor
house, " situated on the north shore of the Roe-
liff Jansen Kill, near the railroad station, just
to the north of its junction with the Hudson
river, which was burned down in the preced
ing century, never rebuilt, and the possession
of its site has passed into other hands.
Like the Hapsburg family, who boasted of
the growth of their possessions by marrying
heiresses, the first Livingston laid the founda
tion of his fortune in his union with the widow
of a Van Renssalaer. Mrs. Martha J. Lamb,
in her " History of the City of New York,"
Vol. I., pp. 275 and 276, furnishes a pen pic
ture of him, moral and physical, and his de
scendants have not lost his peculiar character
istics to this day.
The different scions of the Watts family,
moved by affectionate recollections of the old
home in Scotland — once just without, now
within the city limits of Edinburgh — called all
their rural residences in the Province and State
of New York, "Rose Hill," the title borne by
their forefathers' mansion for several hundred
years. The simple appellation " Rose HHl "
was a common weal. They did not arrogate
to their homes the titles of different castles of
Earls and Lords in Scotland, scattered through
out the realm, not aggregated, as here, in a
small district.
Guisbert, or Gilbert, who married Cornelia
Beekman, had Mills near Rock City, in the
town of Milan, and they were still in existence
and known by his name until recent date, if
not stiH in use. His eldest son, Robert GH
bert Livingston, married Catherine, daughter
of a wealthy man, John Mac Pheadris, who
was the first to introduce the mining and
smelting of iron in Dover Valley in Duchess
county. The brother of this John, known as
Capt, Mac Pheadris, afterward resided in Ports
mouth, N. H., and buHt — 1718 to 1723 — a
10

famous mansion, described at length by Brew
ster in his "Rambles about Portsmouth," ist
ed. , pp. 138-140 inclusive. It cost ;^6,ooo,
equivalent to $30,000 Colonial coinage, pos
sessing at that time a purchasing power equal
to $150,000 to-day.
Helen, eldest daughter of Robert Gilbert
Livingston and Catherine MacPheadris, mar
ried Samuel Hake, a commissary general in
the British army, whose only daughter, again
Helen, married Frederic de Peyster, grand
father of the subject of this sketch. Catherine,
another daughter, married John Reade, of
Poughkeepsie, who was the brother of Sarah
Reade, daughter of Hon. Joseph Reade, mem
ber of the King's Council, etc. This Sarah
married James de Peyster, father of the Fred
eric above mentioned. Samuel, only son of
Gen. Hake, having lost all his children, left
all his landed property in Duchess county to
the sons of his sister, Mrs. de Peyster, whence
(through his honored father, Frederic de Pey
ster) it came into possession of her grand
child, the General, The Century for Decem
ber, 1896, in the article " A Group of Amer
ican Girls," alludes to these ladies.*
Helen Hake had for guardians Nicholas
William Stuyvesant and Vice-President Aaron
Burr, one of the most malignantly misrepre
sented of mortals. She was married to Fred
eric de Peyster, from the house of her great
uncle, Gilbert Robert Livingston, at Upper
Red Hook Landing, now Tivoli. This gentle
man had been an officer in the British service,
and this fact saved his mansion, known as
" Green Hill," on the high ground overlooking
the river, between the Upper and Lower
Landings of the two freighting establishments
which are now embraced within the vHlage of
Tivoli. This title was derived from the resi
dence built by an old French gentleman, M.
Delabegarre, and by him styled the " Chateau
of Tivoli," of which the part of the original
walls of the " end ent e" were, standing until
within the year, and the postern gate still re
mains. M, Delabegarre was a visionary, and
among his' other wild plans he laid out, for a
grand city, a large portion of the domain.
Rose Hill, now belonging to Gen. de Peyster,
as well as the " Chateau " at first given to his
second son, Frederic. The plotting and plan
of this city, a perfect " Chateau en Espagne, "
was drawn and engraved by the famous Saint
*Perhaps the best succinct or properly digested genealogical
statement of Gen. de Peyster's family is to be found in Munsell's
" American Ancestry," Vol. I., Part 3, 1*8, Pages 83-86.

146

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Memin, the artist who took and engraved so
many portraits of distinguished people about
1796, the same time that he laid out the pros
pective city of Tivoli, in which not a spade
has turned a sod for any improvement, or any
structure great or small undertaken. On these
grounds the first — or at all events one of the
first — silk-worm mulberry groves was planted
in the United States. By the way, tradition
holds that Delabegarre was an Americanism
for L'Abbe de Seguard, which, if true, would
indicate that he was a waif of the French
Revolution who, like so many thousands of
others, drifted to the United States.
General de Peyster's residence and asso
ciations with Duchess county have been con
tinuous since 1841. He was an early contrib
utor to the Poughkeepsie Eagle, in the office
of which a number of his works were printed
that won him high distinction at home and
abroad. One, "The Life of Torstenson," re
ceived • an honorable acknowledgment from
His Majesty, Oscar I., the king of Sweden,
accompanied by three exquisite silver portrait
medals. Several of his subsequent works
were reprinted in Europe, and one of them,
the "New American Tactics," was followed by
the inauguration of the ' ' New Method of Fight
ing Infantry;" just as his "Winter Cam
paigns," according to the opinion of Gen.
Wm. P. Wainwright, was succeeded by activ
ity at a season in which, previously, armies
had rested or remained inactive. It is some
what curious that his want of recognition has
been due to his having always been ahead of
his times. Just as he was the first to report
in favor of the mobilized twelve-pounder, or
Napoleon gun, which did so much service
•during the "Slaveholders' Rebellion," just so
his indications were remarkable for their fore
sight and his predictions for their fulfillment,
as in succession he wrote and published on
various military subjects. That these claims
are not an afte/thought or unfounded is sus
ceptible of immediate and the fullest proof,
because his opinions and suggestions were all
in print or preserved in manuscript written long
previous to the events to which they referred.
To the case of General de Peyster most appro
priately apply the lines:
" The man is thought a knave or fool
Or bigot plotting crime.
Who for the advancement of his age
Is wiser than his time."
In 1844 he was a staff officer in an Infantry

Brigade of the Northern Districts of Duchess
county, and next year colonel of the iiith
Regiment N. Y. S. Infantry, recruited in the
towns of Red Hook, Milan and Rhinebeck.
Rendered a Supernumerary officer by the Act of
1845, although the youngest colonel in the
new 22d Regimental District N. Y. — which
comprised the northern towns of Duchess
county and those in the southern half of Colum
bia county, including the City of Hudson — he
was assigned, as a necessity for the complete
organization of the force, to its command over
the heads of a number of officers of his rank
holding older commissions. Within one year
the adjutant-general of the State complimented
him with the decision that Col. Willard, of
Troy, an old army officer, and himself, were
the only two who had completely enforced the
law in their districts, of which the population
were considered the most difficult to handle
and the most unruly at that date in the whole
State. In 1851, when the militia law was
again changed, and anything but for the better.
Col. de Peyster was the first officer selected by
Gov. Washington Hunt for promotion as brig
adier-general, and his was the first such appoint
ment to a rank hitherto elective made by the
chief executive, independently, in this State.
Just as he had been assigned in 1849 for
"meritorious conduct ", he was made brigadier-
general for "important service". On this
occasion Gov. Washington Hunt wrote, in the
summer of 1850, to Hon. George Cornell, who
ran for lieutenant-governor in 1850 on the
same ticket with him, but was defeated, that
"if he had an army of 30,000 regulars he
knew no officer to whom he would entrust
their command with such perfect confidence
as he would to his friend General de Peyster;
but he was not so sure that he was as fit to
command mHitia and what was then styled
volunteers." His meaning was that the Gen
eral simply understood the application of
"must", implying the enforcement of the
strictest discipline; whereas militia and volun
teers — which latter did not signify at the time
— as afterwards — troops subjected to the
sternest articles of war — had to be coaxed,
which is something that the General could not
understand. Sent out to Europe in 185 1 as mHitary
agent of the State of New York, confirmed and
endorsed in the strongest manner by the gen
eral government, the young Brigadier, although
a great invalid, made such a thorough exam-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

147

ination into subjects in which he was expected
to take interest, that on his return he handed
in a report which has stood the test of time as
to its merits, as wHl be shown. One of the
results of his observation and influence was the
establishment of a paid fire department with
steam fire engines, and the present municipal
police of New York City, to which fact letters
or certificates and testimonials exist. For
his reports Gov. Hunt presented to him a gold
medal with a most flattering inscription, and
his officers gave him another gold medal,
equally complimentary for his efforts in elevat
ing and disciplining his brigade.
When Myron H. Clark was elected Gov
ernor of the State of New York in 1854, he
tendered the position of Adjutant-General to
General de Peyster in the most flattering terms,
irrespective of political opinions; and on various
occasions, when the exigencies of the time re
quired, conferred on his Chief of Staff all the
powers which the Chief Executive himself pos
sessed, to meet and suppress riot and other
breaches of the peace. Although Governor
Clark put such impHcit confidence in his Adju
tant-General, he was surrounded by men who
were laboring solely for their own interests,
without regard to the interests of the service,
and did all they could to neutralize General de
Peyster's labors. By the advice of such gen
tlemen as Ogden Hoffman, Attorney-General,
he determined to resign, but the result of his
honest labors in office manifested itself, and
won for him the most flattering attests from
officials most worthy of confidence, and the
best military judges. Perhaps the highest
compliment to his fidelity and judgment was
the privilege of selecting h'is successor, and he
chose Robert H. Pruyn, at one time United
States Minister to Japan, as one whose astute
ness in politics, fitted him to grapple with the
noxious elements which environed the Gov
ernor. General de Peyster had been selected
as an educated soldier, and did not profess to
understand the underhand workings of politi
cians. He would not submit to men v<'ho in
duced the Governor to do many things in his
guilelessness vvhich his Adjutant-General could
not endorse, and would not enforce,' as con
trary to right and propriety. On taking leave
of him, the Governor gave him the strongest
testimonials of his esteem and confidence, and
again and again, at a later date, expressed his
regret that he had not listened to the advice
and warnings of his Chief of Staff.

In 1 86 1, when the Rebellion broke out.
General de Peyster, in spite of the advice of
his physicians and medical friends, proceeded
to Washington to offer his services as Briga
dier-General with three regiments. He had a
long and very extraordinary interview with
President Lincoln, and it is greatly to be re
gretted that all who were cognizant of the facts,
as well as Senator Harris, who introduced the
General to the President, and was present
throughout the interview, are dead. President
Lincoln had just called out 75,000 volunteers,
and said he did not want any more troops, but
offered to take into consideration the General's
offer of his personal services. The only testi
mony of what followed is the memorandum
left by Mr. Halstead, of New Jersey, whose in
timate relations with the White House were
well known at the time.
According to that President Lincoln in
tended to take General de Peyster as Chief of
his Personal Staff, which he purposed to or
ganize; but he was induced to give up this
idea, as it was urged that the influence thus
brought immediately to bear upon him might
contravene and subvert the plans and interested
projects and arrangements of other parties.
Perhaps it is sufficient proof of the confi
dence placed in General de Peyster's military
judgment, that Gen. Kearny wanted his cousin
(whose eldest son and namesake was a volun
teer and aide-de-camp on his staff), to come on
to Washington and draw up a plan for the en
suing campaign. General de Peyster answered
that a fixed plan would not be capable of suc
cessful execution; because with the number of
traitors and spies at headquarters, it would be
betrayed to the enemy, who would be thus en
abled to meet, anticipate and defeat it.
Curious to say, it was only while this
sketch was being written, that it was discov
ered that this was exactly the reply of the
famous Suworrow to a simHar proposition.
He said "that the best conceived plans are
exposed to the gravest difficulties or disadvan
tages, because it is impossible to calculate in
advance the modifications which the resistance
of the enemy or his counter projects, knowing
the fixed plan, may bring to bear in opposition;
secondly, that plans digested and committed
to paper, and thus known to different indi
viduals on whom it was necessary to rely, in
evitably would be betrayed to the enemy, who
would at once take measures- to meet and de
feat the movements which had been divulged

148

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

by some traitor or spy." [See "Thiebault's
Memoirs, " II. , 143 to 177 — same idea; "a fixed
plan always betrayed."]
After General de Peyster's return from
Washington, the haemorrhages from which he
had long suffered became so profuse, that he
could scarcely make up each day, by the aid of
devoted physicians and remedies and food, for
the daily loss of blood. This condition lasted
for many years, and has not been entirely over
come. Notwithstanding the miserable condition
of his health. Gen. de Peyster returned to
Washington late in the fall of 1861, to offer
to the Government two regiments, instead of
the three at first proposed, which he could
still raise in Duchess and Columbia counties,
provided he was appointed to command them,
with the rank of brigadier-general. He was
well-acquainted with Mr. Thomas Scott —
afterward president of the Pennsylvania rail
road — then assistant secretary of war, who re
ceived him very kindly. The General was
offered by Senator Harris the command of the
First Regiment of cavalry, which bore that
gentleman's name, and also a regiment of light
infantry by Edwin D. Morgan, the governor of
New York, with the rank of colonel; but he
told them that he was not in a condition of
health to discharge the duties of such a posi
tion, recalling the remark of the famous Gen.
Wolfe, "that he was grateful for promotion to
the rank of major-general* (equivalent to brig
adier-general), because it enabled him to com
mand those comforts and resources without
which, in his feeble state of health, he could
not undergo the hardships of active service,
and do his duty thoroughly."
As in his previous interview with President
Lincoln, he was told that the Government did
not want any more troops nor general officers.
He afterward learned that at this time, the Gov
ernment, with a want of foresight incomprehen
sible, were actually disbanding regiments which
had cost so much to raise, and could not be
replaced without far greater expense and irre
parable loss of time when fresh calls were
made for troops. He also had an interview
with Gen. McClellan, who told him "they
had no need of testimonials; that his reputa
tion was sufficient, " On returning to the War
Department Gen, de Peyster saw the Sec
retary, Simon Cameron, who was very po-
* "Thiebault's Memoirs," 11 . 2.32. Major-General under Na
poleon, equivalent to General of Brigade.

lite, but assured his visitor that his proposi
tion was altogether inadmissable, because the
Government had no need of more troops or
officers. This decision was confirmed by Mr.
Scott. It is needless to proceed further with such
reminiscences; and refusing to make further
visits to officials. General de Peyster re
turned home, repeating the remarks of Maj.-
Gen. Mansfield, U. S. A., that "if such was
the course pursued towards men worthy of
attention, Jefferson Davis would some day be
warming President Lincoln's chair. "
In 1863 Gen. de Peyster was invited by the
Historical Society of Vermont to deliver a War
speech in the State Capitol of Montpelier, the
CapHal of that State. He chose for his sub
ject, "The Sonderbund; or. Secession War in
Switzerland in 1846," a perfect parallel to the
American Slaveholders' Rebellion down to the
smallest details, its genesis and termination,
with this difference: the Swiss loyal State?
appreciated the incalculable value of time, and
the necessity of determined action, which ours
did not. They called out the whole avaHable
force of the loyal Cantons or States, and over
whelmed the revolution before the neighboring
monarchs, anxious to interfere on behalf of the
rebels, had time or opportunity to interpose.
The whole affair was over in thirty-two days,
about one-third of the term Secretary Seward
erroneously declared from time to time that
our rebels would be crushed, whereas, hostili
ties lasted over four years. The conclusion of
Gen. de Peyster's oration was a perfect pro
phecy, fulfilled to the letter. These are the
exact words spoken:
Here we should observe a few facts extremely perti
nent to our own situation. Xotwithstanding the extreme
defensibleness of the mountain.s of Switzerland — particu
larly those of the original Fore.-tt Canton.-<, embraced
within the limits of the Soxderbund — assoon as Lucerne
(corresponding to the Richmund of the United States
Rebels) had yielded, the Rebel leaders, at once, acknowl
edged that the fate of the Swiss secession depended upon
the possession of the large fortified towns and upon
the maintenance of the masses about them. This should
be a consolation to those who fear that a guerilla war in
the South can lead to any successful result or defer for
raore than a short period its entire subjugation. The
Sonderbund generals saw at a glance the game was up,
after their armies had been dissipated and the principal
places taken. So it will be with our Southern secession.
It will collapse at once when the armies of Lee, Bragg,
Beauregard, Johnson and Magruder are destroyed.
[Page 68 of " .Secession in Switzerland and in the United
States Compared ;" being the Annual .A.ddress delivered
20th October, ISli;!, before the Vermont State Historical
Society in the Hall of Representatives, Montpelier, by J,
Watts de Peyster. CatskiH : Joseph Joesbury, Printer,
Journal o'fficv, 1864,]

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

149

Nevertheless, General de Peyster was not
inactive, and his support of the Government
was so influential that his efforts were ac
knowledged in the most striking manner by the
Legislature of his native State, in 1866. Since
he could not be brevetted by any existing law,
by "Special Act," or Concurrent Resolution
of the New York State Legislature, the brevet
of Major-General, after investigation and de
bate, was conferred upon him. In this. Sec
retary Folger (afterward U. S. Secretary of
the Treasury, and so cruelly slaughtered at the
polls when running for Governor of the State
of New York against Grover Cleveland in 1 88 1 ) ,
then a stranger to the recipient of the honor,
made an address which was conclusive.
There is no instance in the history of this
country of such an honor having been con
ferred upon any citizen by the Legislature of
any State. Only one case resembles it in de
gree; and that was far less complimentary in
the manner, and a general's commission con
ferred under a totally different condition of
circumstances. The General's gifts and benefactions to
public institutions, or to found public institu
tions, have been a characteristic and notable
feature of his life. He has given a number of
special libraries to educational institutions or
library associations — special libraries exhaust
ive of the subjects which they present, and
which were gathered together by him in
furtherance of the laborious investigation which
has always preceded his published works on the
various themes which he has elaborated. Fol
lowing his published studies of the characters
of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Earl of Both-
well (which studies included a drama inspired
by this theme which elicited the highest enco
miums, in addition to the five well-known his
torical analyses of character and of the times),
he gave the Hbrary which he had collected on
this subject to Columbia College. Some of
his other gifts to this university have already
been mentioned. To the New York Historical
Society, in addition to the invaluable "de
Peyster famHy papers," he gave special»Hbra-
ries collected during his studies upon many in
teresting and little-known phases of Dutch his
tory (of which a partial catalogue. Part i,
January, 1868, constitutes a pamphlet of 24
pages), together with a library on Napoleon and
the campaign culminating at Waterloo. Of
this society his father was long the honored
President, as he was also its generous bene

factor. "The special libraries donated to the
New York Society Library* and to Franklin and
Marshall CoHege have been referred to. Thou
sands of volumes have also been distributed
misceHaneously in various directions, including
many valuable books given to the Cazenovia
Lyceum and to the Order of the Brothers of
Nazareth of Unionvale, Duchess county,
which books were destroyed in the conflagra
tion which consumed the original institution,
and valuable volumes donated to the College of
St. Stephens, also of Duchess county.
General de Peyster has given a number of
works of art, of superior excellence and repre
senting the expenditure of large sums of money,
to New York City, the City of Hudson, and
various public institutions. Several of these
are statues of heroic size in commemoration of
historic members of his own family. The most
striking object which salutes the eye of the
visitor to the famous Trinity Churchyard, on
lower Broadway, New York City, is the bronze
statue, heroic size, of the General's eminent
grandfather, Hon. John Watts, Jr. This
notable statue has been characterized as one
of the most artistic of the monuments which
adorn the various parks, squares, and public
places in New York. It is the work of George
E. Bissell, the well-known sculptor of Pough
keepsie, Duchess county, N. Y. The "Year
Book and Register of the Parish of Trinity
Church in the City of New York," for 1893,
contains the following, as introduction to an

*New York Historical Society.
At a Stated Meeting of the Society, held on Tuesday evening
May 3, 1893, the President submitted and read a letter from Gen. J.
Watts de Peyster, presenting to the Society a collection of Family
Papers. The following Resolutions presented by Mr. Edward F. de
Lancey were unanimously adopted :
Resolved : That the thanks ot the New York Historical Society
be and hereby are given to Gen. John Watts de Peyster for
the unique and most valuable gilt ot the ancient historical manu
scripts, documents, maps and deeds, so long in the possession of
this distinguished New York family, of which he is a well-known
representative ; a gift which illustrates in the clearest and strongest
manner New York as a Dutch Colony, an English Province, an Inde
pendent Sovereignty, and the greatest member of the Republic of
the United States of North America.
Resolved : That this collection be added to that formerly given
to this Society by the donor's honored father [Frederic de Peyster],
one ot its Presidents, and that in honor both of the father and the
son, the joint collection be denominated " The de Peyster Papers."
Extract from the Minutes. [Signed] ANDREW WARNER,
Recording Secretar-y.
Came early, hoping to see you and to thank you in person for
your most generous and acceptable gift. It was highly appreciated by
the Society. [Card] JOHN A. KING,
[4th iMay, 1892.] [President N: T. H. S.]
My dear General; 4th May, 1892,
I had hoped to see you this morning, but you were an earlier bird
than myself, and were already on the wing. I wanted to tell you
how gratified the Society was with your generous and noble gift, and
of your still continuing remembrance and friendship. De Lancey
wrote the Resolutions at my request, and the Society welcomed the
gift with universal applause. Again thanking, and hoping we may
always remain fresh in your memory, I am, Very truly yours,
[Signed,] JOHN A. KING,
Gen, J. Watts de Peyster. [President N. Y. H. S.-\

•150

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

account of the famHy and public career of John
Watts.* Another muniflcent gift to the city of New
York is the bronze statue, also heroic size, of
Gen. de Peyster's famous ancestor. Col. Abra
ham de Peyster, who was one of the most
eminent and public-spirited citizens during the
Colonial period of the history of the city and
State of New York. This gentleman was a
friend of WHHam Penn, the most intimate
friend and adviser of the Earl of Bellemont,
perhaps the best of the Colonial governors,
was mayor of New York City from 1691 to
1695; colonel, commanding the city troops in
1700; Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court the
same year; president of the Council and acting
Governor of the Province of New York in
1 70 1, and was Treasurer of the Provinces of
New York and New Jersey from 1706 to 1721,
holding this trust untH his death. The beau
tiful statue of this notable benefactor of early
New York is likewise the work of Mr. Bissell,
and comprises the chief decoration of the
famous square on lower Broadway, ' ' Bowling
Green. " Opposite this square Gen. de Peyster
was himself born, in the handsome old resi
dence. No. 3 Broadway, of his grandfather
Watts. To the city of Hudson the General also
gave the beautiful bronze statue of " St. Win-
efride Evoking the Fountain Which Feeds the
?The Bronze Statue of John Watts.
During the past year there has been erected in Trinity Church
yard, by Gen. John Watts de Peyster, a statue of his distinguished
ancestor, John Watts, the last Royal Recorder of the City of New
York, This fine work of art stands to the south of the churchyard,
nearly on a line with the porch toward Broadway. The statue and
pedestal are together about fifteen feet high. The inscription on the
base runs as follows : VIR ^QUANIMITATIS,
JOHN WATTS.
Born in the City of New Yoek, August 27, 1749 (O. S,) and Died
THERE September 3, 1836 (N. S.)
Last Royal Recorder of the City of New York, 1774-1777 — No
Records during the Revolution! Speaker of Assembly
OF THE State of New York, January 5, 1791, to
January 7, 1794; Member of Congress, 1793-1796!
First Judge of Westchester Co., 1806; Foun
der AND EnDOWER of LeAKE AND WATTS
Orphan House in the City of New
York; one of the Founders and
Afterwards President of the
New York Dispensary, 1821-
1836, &c., &c.
His Remains lie in His Ad.tacent Family Vault in this
[Trinity] Churchy'ard.
Erected in Grateful Reme.mbrance by His Grandson, only
child of His Youngest [Child and] Daughter,
Mary Justina Watts [de Peyster],
John Watts db Peyster.
Gen. de Peyster's idea in erecting this statue was, as stated to
the writer, that there might still be in this city, as there had been for
many years, a visible memorial of his grandfather. His name has
long been connected with the well-known charity, " The Leake and
Watts Orphan House," which was a noble and sufficient monument
to him; but when that building, with the site, was sold to the trus
tees of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the memorial disap-
E eared through the removal of the institution to Yonkers, Therefore
is descendant conceived the idea of erecting a statue of imperish
able bronze, and placing it in some position in which it might stand
for ages, keeping the name and good deeds of an eminent citizen in
view of the public.

Holy Healing Well. " This exquisite work of
art (the adjective is well-deserved) was origi
nally intended for a site in Duchess county,
the " pinetum " surrounding Gen. de Peyster's
new Home for Consumptives, in the town of
Unionvale. But the methods of those for
whom the gift was designed, and who had
been the recipients of numerous and extensive
benefactions, changed the destination of the
donation. It now adorns the beautiful foun
tain in the city of Hudson which issues out of its
rock pedestal. The pedestal itself is a mass of
natural, moss-grown rocks taken from Beacraft
Mountain, in the Lower Claverack Manor, near
the city of Hudson, of which Gen. de Peyster
was the last patroon.
Another statue, also of the distinguished
mayor of New York (executed in Paris, and
pronounced even finer than that which stands
in Bowling Green), has been completed and
but awaits the selection of the proper site for
its reception. If it can be said, on the one
hand, that few Americans can boast an ances
try so Hlustrious and so upright, concededly,
in public estimation, as that of Gen. de Pey
ster, it is equally certain that no one could be
found who more truly appreciates his ancestral
heritage and venerates the memories of those
who have preceded him and rendered the fam
ily name so notable. The philanthropic spirit
of his ancestors he has likewise emulated by
linking their names with memorials which are
lasting public benefactions.
The Home for Consumptives in Unionvale,
before referred to (a donation to the Methodist
American University), was conceived as a
monument to the virtues and gentleness of
those whose memories are dear to the General,
as the following tablet for the Home testifies:
Erected by
GEN, JOHN WATTS DB PEYSTER,
AS A JlE.MORIAL OF
Three E.xemplary' Women:
His GRANDMltTHER,
Jane be Laxcey,
WIFE OK
Hon. John Watts;
His Aunt,
Elizabeth Watts,
Married
Henry* Laight;
t His Mother.
Mary .Iustix..v W.\tts,
Married
Frederic de Peyster.
The General's donation of the extensive
lands occupied by the Brothers of Nazareth,
of Unionvale, has been already mentioned.
More than 130 acres of his ancestral domain,
besides an adjoining farm, a purchase, were
given for this purpose, while the Training

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

151

School represents a still more generous outlay.
This school is one of the landmarks of that sec
tion of the county, and is a model, both for
architectural beauty and in respect to its ar
rangements and appointments. The inscrip
tion above the exquisite marble mantel in the
hall of the Training School is as follows:
This Building,
St. Paul's Training School for Boys,
was Erected Here on Prospect Farji or Hill, which
HAD been in His Family for Seven Generations, by
JOHN WATTS DE PEYSTER,
AS A Memori.\l of His Father,
FREDERIC DE PEYSTER,
AND OF His Maternal Grandfather,
JOHN WATTS,
Founder and Endower of the
Leake .4nd Watts Orphan House in New York.
Mr. O'Connor, Hudson, Architect.
It is not generally known that the estab
lishment of the Order and institutions of the
Brothers of Nazareth within the borders of
Duchess county was entirely due to the gen
erous gift of land by the General, at a time
when the thought of location in this county was
so far from the mind of the authorities of the
Order as even to be deemed at first utterly im
practicable, the county being rejected as too
remote from New York City.
To Gen. de Peyster, Duchess county, and the
Methodist Episcopal denomination in particu
lar, is indebted for the handsome church-build
ing erected in the village of MadaHn. * This
gift called forth the following resolutions from
the Methodist Conference:
This beautiful edifice the General built as a
memorial of his daughters. Upon the outside of
the church is a tablet containing the following:
1892.
This Methodist Episcopal Church, dedicated to God,
the Savior, and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
IS Erected by
JOHN WATTS DE PEYSTER,
AS A Memorial op His Daughters,
Estelle Elizabeth Prudence
AND
Maria Beata,
?The New York Annual Conference
ofthe Methodist Episcopal Church, assembled at Tarrytown, N. Y.,
April 8, 1893, ordered the following minute to be entered upon its
Journal :
Whereas, Gen. de Peyster has presented to the Methodist Epis
copal Church at Madalln a church edifice, as a tribute to the mem
ory ot his daughters, free from debt, beautiful- in architectural
design and wisely adapted in all its appointments for church work ;
and, Whereas, Gen. de Peyster, with a benevolence not prompted by
a denominational relation with Methodism, as he is not a member of
our Church, has not only presented this well-equipped Christian
temple to Methodism, but has also built and paid tor, and presented
to the Church at Madalin a parsonage; therefore,
Resolved, That this Conference extends to Gen. de Peyster its
sincere gratitude for his large and generous benefactions, and assures
him of its earnest prayers that he may share in time and in eternity
the blessings of the Christian faith which his dedicated gifts will
perpetuate on earth, and that the memory of his beloved daughters
may always be associated in his and in our memory with the preach
ing of that Gospel which comforts the sorrowful and pardons the
penitent. Resolved, That the Secretary of this Conference be instructed to
prepare two engrossed copies of this action, signed by the presiding
Bishop and the Secretary, one to be presented to Gen, de Peyster,
and the other to the Quarterly Conference of the Church at Madalin,
[Signed] [Signed]
C, W, Millard, John M. Walden,
Secretary. Presiding Bishop.

Upon a tablet within the church appears
the inscription appended:
This Church was Designed by John W.atts de Peyster,
Embodying Suggestions by its Pastor, Rev.
Thomas Elliot. The Plans were drawn
BY Henry Dudley, Arch't., N. Y. and
the work Carried out and Com
pleted in Accordance with
Specification.? and under
THE Superintendence of
Mr. O'Connor, Arc't.
This church has been the object of much
admiration as one of the most picturesque
country church buildings to be found anywhere.
Another notable example of important benefac
tions in Duchess county is the General's gift
to the Methodist denomination of the large
home for friendless girls, known as the " Watts
de Peyster Missionary Home ", with its build
ings and extensive grounds at Madalin. This
gift inspired the following acknowledgments.*
Important gifts by the General have also
been made in other parts of the country, in
cluding many States. To the city of Kearney,
Neb., he presented a handsome bronze bust
of his distinguished cousin, Maj. Gen. PhHip
Kearny, the typical captain of the Civil war,
in memory of whom that municipality was
named. In acknowledgment of this gift, the
General received a handsome set of resolutions
of thanks from the Mayor and a committee of
the Board of Aldermen of the city of Kearney,
dated January 27, 1892. The General also
donated valuable books to the public library of
Kearney. The State of Nebraska was likewise
indebted to General de Peyster for a handsome
chapel, erected by him at Nebraska City, a gift
through the very Rev. Robert W. Oliver, dean
*Watts de Peyster Missionary Home,
Kingston, N, Y., June 13, 1894.
Rev. A. M. Oriffin, Madalin, N. Y., Pastor of de Pe-yster Memorial
Methodist Ghurch:
Dear Bro. — At the District Convention of the W. H. M. Society,
of the Kingston District, recently held in the St. James Church,
Kingston, N. Y.. Mrs. Mary Fish Park read a communication from
Mrs. Dr. James M. King, stating that Gen. de Peyster had donated a
fine property within the bounds of your charge to the W. H. M.
Society, of the New York Conference, to be used as an Italian Home.
And, on motion, it resolved by a unanimous raising vote that the
thanks of the Convention be tendered General de Peyster for his
magnificent gift through the Rev. A, M. Grifi&n, Pastor at Madalin,
N. Y. We shall esteem it a favor if you will kindly inform the General
of the action of the Convention. Yours Truly.
Mrs. O. a. Merchant, Mrs. E. S. Osbon,
Recording Secretary. President.
Dear General — I take pleasure in presenting this to you,
which explains itself. Yours, Etc., Arthur M. Griffin.
114 W. 133d Street, New York, June 7, 1894.
Gen. de Peijster:
Dear Sir — The ladies ot the Committee on Italian Girls Indus
trial Home, at their monthly raeeting, held at the residence of Mrs,
King, on Tuesday last, passed a hearty and unanimous vote of
thanks to you for your noble and munificent gift to their work, which
i was authorized to convey to you by letter.
Trusting that you may be blessed in the gift, and that the Watts
de Peyster Home may be the means of lightening the burdens from
many lives for years to come, and that our Society rnay prove wise
almoners of your bounty, I am, in behalf of the Committee,
Gratefully Yours,
Martha Griffin, Secretary.

152

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

of Nebraska, and in memory of the General's
dead soldier sons. This building was afterward
taken down, and its materials — at all events,
its tablets in memory of his sons — was re
moved to Kearney.
Something of the same kind occurred to a
church v/hich the General finished in Altoona,
Penn., as a memorial of his youngest daughter,
Maria Beata, which church, contrary to orig
inal understanding, was torn down and rebuilt.
Nevertheless, the Memorial Parish School and
Parsonage which he erected were allowed to
stand unchanged.
Another gift of note by the General will be
the handsome library building which is being
erected at Lancaster, Penn., a donation to
Franklin and Marshall CoHege.* The com
memorative character of this noble benefaction
will be made known in the following simple
and modest tablet, which has been very much
admired: This Library' is Erected
as a
Memorial of
JOHN WATTS,
" ViB iEQUANIMITATIS," AND OF
FREDERIC De PEYSTER,
" Vir .\uctoritatis," BY' A
Grandson and Son,
Who, Bearing both Naiue.s, Seeks to Continue in their
Honor, the Good they did and Taught Him.
To General de Peyster must likewise be
credited the notable gift of the ' ' Annex " to the
Leake and Watts Orphan House, of which
great charity his grandfather, Hon. John
Watts, Jr., was the founder, relinquishing an
immense inheritance that it might be devoted
to the establishment of this splendid institu
tion. The inscription upon the Annex, built
by General de Peyster, is as follows:

'•'Franklin and Marshall College.
Lancaster, Pa., July 6, 1894.
General ,T. Waits de Peyster:
Dear Sir — I have the honor to inform you that the Board of
Trustees at its annual meeting, held on the 17th ult., was officially in
formed that, during the past year, " General John Watts de Peyster,
Litt, D., of Tivoli, Dutchess Co., N. Y., presented to the library of
the College nine hundred and twenty volumes (he had previously
presented three hundred and twenty volumes), many of which are
quite valuable." [Id all some seventy boxes of books have been
presented.] "The corresponding secretary was, therefore, directed to
convey to General de Peyster tne hearty thanks of the Board for his
great kindness; and it was further ordered that this action bespread
upon the minutes.
Permit me to say that it affords me pleasure to be the medium
of this communication, and to assure you that your generosity is
gratefully appreciated by all the friends of the Franklin and Mar
shall college. Yours very truly,
Jos. H. Dubbs, Corresponding Secretary.

This Annex to the
Leake and Watts Orphan House,
Originally' Founded and Endowed by
JOHN WATTS,
was Erected as a Memorial of His Youngest Child,
My Mother,
Justina Mary,
Born 26th October, 1801; Died 28th July-, 1821,
Wife of Frederic de Peyster,
FOR 60 Years Clerk of the Board of Trustees, L, & W. O. H.,
and of her mother,
Jane de Lancey Watts,
Born ,5th September, 1756; Died 2nd March, 1809.
"I call to Rejiembrance the Unfeigned Faith which
Dwelt First in thy Grandmother, Lois [Famous Holiness],
AND Thy Mother, Eunice [happy' victory]." (2 Timothy i. 6.)
BY'
John Watts de Pey'stek.
The following letter from the late Gov
ernor Abbott, of New Jersey, explains itself:
 * State of New Jersey,
Great Seal Executive Department,
: Trenton, February 9, 1891.
: General J. Watts de Peyster,
state of New Jersey: 59 East 21st St.
 ¦ New York City, K. Y.

Dear Sir: It gives me great pleasure to transmit
to you to-day the thanks of the legislature of New Jersey
for your gift to this State of an equestrian portrait of your
kinsman, the gallant General Kearny.
In forwarding to you this certified copy of their ac
tion, please let me express my thanks officially for this
generous act on your part, and believe me.
Yours very truly,
(Signed Leon Abbott, Governor.
Commonwealth of New Jersey.
Whereas, Gen. J. Watts de Peyster, of Nevi^ York
City, has presented to this State a large equestrain por
trait of the late Major-Gen. Philip Kearny; therefore,
Besolved (the House of Assembly concurring), That
the thanks of the Legislature of this State are hereby
given to Gen. de Peyster for his generous gift of the
picture of one of New Jersey's most gallant soldiers ofthe
late Civil war.
Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor be re
quested to forward a certified copy of this Resolution to
Gen. de Peyster.
I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true
copy of the original as passed bv the Senate, February
2, 1891. John Carpenter, Jr.
Secretary of Senate.
I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true
copy of the original as passed by the House of Assembly,
February 3, 1891. Thomas F. Nooxan, Jr.
Clerk of the House of Assembly.
59 East Twenty-first Street. New York,
11-2-91.
His Excellency Leon Abbott,
Governor State of New Jersey.
Dear Sir: I desire to acknowledge in fitting man
ner the receipt of the concurrent Resolutions of the Hon
orable Legislature of the State of New Jersey in regard to
my gift of the equestrian portrait of Maj-Gen. Ph'ilip
Kearny, my only male cousin on my mother's side, with
whom I was brought up in the house of our dear grand
father, Hon. John Watts, and to whom my eldest son and
namesake was Aide-de-Camp, and while doing so I desire
to emphasize my appreciation of the handsome manner
in which you transmitted to me the resolution.
Yours \'ery Truly,
[Signed] J. Watts De Peyster.
Brev: Maj-Gen., S. N. Y.
SimHarly, the following official communi-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

158

cation from the government of the State of
Pennsylvania requires no comment :
IN THE NAME AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GRF.AT SEAL
OF THE
commonwealth OF
PENNSYLVANIA.

PENNSYLVANIA. office of the
Secretary of the Commonwealth,
Harrisburg. Executive Department,
In the .Senate, March S6t7i, 1S91.
Whereas, Brevet Maj.-Gen. J. WATTS de PEY
STER, of No. 59 East Twenty-first street. New York
City, author, soldier and public-spirited citizen, from his
private collection of paintings, has presented to the State
of Pennsylvania an Equestrian Portrait of one of Penn
sylvania's most gallant sons : Maj.-Gen. SAMUEL
PETER HEINTZELMAN, who was born in Manheim,
Lancaster county, September 30, 1805, and whose service
in the Army from his graduation at West Point Military
Academy in 1826, until his death. May 1, 1880, is the
special pride of his native State : therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Senate (the House of Representa
tives concurring). That, as evidence of the appreciation
of this generous and valued gift, the thanks of the people
of Pennsylvania be, and they are hereby extended to- Bre
vet Maj.-Gen. J. WATTS de PEYSTER.
Resolved, That the portrait of General HEINTZEL
MAN be a'ppropriately marked and placed in the State
Library.
E. W. Smiley,
Chief Clerk of the Senate.
John W. Morrison,
Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Approved the 7th day of April, Anno Domino one
thousand eight hundred and ninety-one.
Robert E. Pattison,
' Governor.

GREAT SEAL OF THE
STATE OF
PENNSYLVANIA.

Pennsylvania, ss:

William F. Harrity,
Secretary of the Commonwealth.

59 East Twenty-first Street,
New York, April 18th, 1891.
His Excellency, Robert E. Pattison, Governor of the Com
monwealth of Pennsylvania :
Sir: — Accept this effort inadequately to express my
appreciation of the exquisite manner in which the vote of
thanks for the Equestrian Portrait of Major-General
HEINTZELMAN has been transmitted to.
Very respectfully and gratefully,
J. Watts de Peyster.
The documents subjoined, from Gov.Werts,
of New Jersey, and the Clerk of the House of
Assembly of that State, record another hand
some gift to that Commonwealth of two paint
ings of Gen. then Capt. Kearny's famous
charge up to the very gate of Mexico, and a
bronze medaHion of the General.

Executive Department, State of New Jersey.
Trenton, June 9, 1894.
Gen. j. Watts ue Peyster, Tivoli, N. Y.
Dear Sir: It gives me great pleasure to enclose you
a properly authenticated copy of the resolution passed
by the legislature of the State of New Jersey at its last
session in reference to gifts made by you to this State.
Very truly yours,
George T. Werts, Governor.
The State of New Jersey.
Whereas, Gen, J, Watts de Peyster, of New York
City, has presented to this State two beautiful paintings
of the charge made by Gen. Philip Kearny, of New Jer
sey, in the Mexican war, and a bronze medallion of Brevet
Maj.-Gen. Robert McAllister, of the New Jersey Volun
teers; therefore.
Resolved (the Senate concurring). That the thanks of
the Legislature of this State are hereby given to Gen, de
Peyster for his generous gift of pictures of a spirited
charge in battle made by New Jersey's most gallant
leader, and the bronze relief of one of her truest heroes
in the Civil war.
Resolved, That his excellency, the Governor, be re
quested to forward a certified copy of this resolution to
Gen, de Peyster.
I certify that the above is a true .copy of a resolution
offered in the House of Assembly of New Jersey by Mr.
Olcott, of Essex, on April 17, 1894; duly adopted by said
Assembly on said day, and returned by message from the
Senate, April 18, 1894, as having been duly concurred in
by the Senate. J. Herbert Potts,
Clerk of the House of Assembly, Session of 1894.
Similarly, by a resolution adopted in the
New York Assembly March 20, 1894, and by
the Senate March 31, 1894, "Brevet Maj.-
Gen, J. Watts de Peyster, a public-spirited
citizen of this State," was tendered "the
thanks of the people of the State of New
York " for the gift of a bronze bas-relief repre
senting a notable Revolutionary scene at West
Point. The text of the resolution is as follows:
Assembly Chamber, State of New York.
By unanimous consent, Mr, Gray offered for the con
sideration of the House a resolution in the words fol
lowing. Whereas, Brevet Major-General J. Watts de Peys
ter, a public-spirited citizen of this State, has presented to
the State a bronze bas-relief representing the " Encamp
ment of the Continental Troops at West Point on the
Hudson, during the Revolution;" therefore,
Resolved (if the Senate concur), That, as an evi
dence of the high appreciation of this generous and valued
gift, the thanks of the people of the State of New York
be, and they are hereby extended to Brevet Major-General
J. Watts de Peyster.
Besolved, That the bronze bas-relief, representing
the " Encampment of the Continental Troops at West
Point on the Hudson, during the Revolution," presented
by Major-General J. Watts de Peyster, be appropriately
marked and placed in the Capitol by the trustees.
The Speaker put the question whether the House
would agree to said resolution, and it was determined in
the affirmative. Ordered, That the Clerk deliver said resolution to
the Senate and request their concurrence therein. I
certify that the above is a true copy of the resolution of
fered in the House of Assembly of New York, by Mr.
Gray, of Dutchess, on March 20, 1894, duly adopted by

154

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

said Assembly, on said day, and returned by message
from the Senate, March 31, 1894, as having been duly con
curred in by said Senate.
G. W, Dunn.
Clerk of the House of Assembly,
Session of 1894,
Gen. de Peyster has been a very prolific
writer, and has published a vast amount in the
daily press, weeklies, monthlies and pamph
lets and monographs on the two "Wars for In
dependence " and the "Slaveholders' Rebel
lion." The aggregate, if collected in book
form, would fill many volumes. A partial list
of his volumes, monographs, etc., etc., are ap
pended. With his military information, derived from
distinguished soldiers, and a multitude of the
best works on War, those with whom he con
sulted were of the opinion that no one could
write a history of the Rebellion better than
himself. He was the intimate friend of a
number of our most distinguished generals of
the highest rank, also of some of our grandest
admirals. Gen. George H. Thomas, "our greatest
and our best," talked to him with a confidence
which, it is said, he seldom showed. Gen. A.
A. Humphreys, it is likely our most scientific
major-general, was his most intimate friend.
To cite all with whom he was in the closest
relations would fill pages: McDowell, Heint-
zleman, Wright, Rosecrans, Gordon-Granger,
Cullum, Vogdes. Butler, Fry, Hancock, Hook
er, Warren, and a host of others whose names,
after the war, were in everyone's mind and
mouth; among the admirals, Farragut, Alden,
Nicholson, Baldwin (one of the most lovable
and charming of men). Flag, Capt. Percival
Drayton, and in Europe the Count of Paris,
besides many foreign celebrities.
His works on tbe war have been constantly
and copiously quoted, without giving him the
credit to which he is entitled, and often no
credit at all for wholesale thefts.
With these opportunities of learning the
inner working of operations, his prodigious
memory, industry and capability, he has been
constantly urged and begged to write and pub
lish, or, at all events, to leave behind him
memoranda to enable a future historian to
prepare a more authentic story.
On the other hand his most intimate friends
have advised him not to reveal facts — precious,
indeed, but which might occasion bitter ani
mosities and open wounds which it would be
difficult to heal. Perhaps he is the only man

living, at all events one of very few, who are
aware of several of the "Little Reasons"
which occasioned momentous results — pre
venting successes and causing disasters —
timidities or selfishness, jealousies and rivalries
such as influenced Buonaparte's marshals, es
pecially in Spain, which were "the beginning
of the end " of the Corsican's extraordinary
career. Disgusted at the reception of his articles,
which proved that Truth was the last thing
desired, the General refused to have anything
more to do with writing upon the war of the
Rebellion, and turned to other subjects, in
which he would not make enemies among those
with whom he was brought into daily contact
and forced to associate.
In preparing for the difterent historical
works which General de Peyster wrote as they
appear in the list of his publications, in each
different case he collected a library of authori
ties. Those on Holland, of which the names
alone fill a pamphlet Part I., of twenty-four
pages, besides subsequent additions even more
numerous. He gave a most valuable collection
of works on the Thirty Years' War, and Seces
sion in Switzerland, to the New York Society
Library, to fill an alcove to bear the name of his
father (who died while president of that institu
tion) and himself. Disgusted at the manner in
which this library, to his mind, was conducted,
he ceased donating; and books intended to
complete the sets he had given have been
transferred to other societies, particularly to
Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster,
Penn. He likewise donated a valuable col-
lecton of rare old law books which belonged
to his grandfather, John Watts, last Royal
Recorder of the city of New York, and to his
great-grandfather of the same name, who was
President of the King's Council prior to the
Revolution, to the New York State Library.
For this it is doubtful if the donor ever received
the slightest acknowledgment from a State al
ways ungrateful to her citizens for generations
" native here and to the manner born." But it
must be remembered no State is so thoroughly
in the possession of aliens to its blood, reHg
ious interests and antecedents as New York.
While producing his six Studies upon Mary
Stuart, Queen of Scots, and James Hepburn,
Earl of Bothwell, he gathered a large number
of works and portraits all across Europe, even
to St. Petersburg. This collection, which
may be considered unique, with two marble

COMMEMOBA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

155

busts of Washington, one by Greenough and
one by Crawford, both originals, and the first
most likely without a duplicate; also a beauti
ful bust of his grandfather, John Watts, and
of his father, Frederic de Peyster; likewise a
miniature fac-simile of George A. Bissell's
statue of Lincoln, of which the original was
erected in Edinburgh, Scotland, and paid for
by subscribers in this country, of whom the
General was one; and a medallion in bronze of
his cousin, Maj.-Gen. Phil Kearny, were pre
sented to Columbia College (now University).
One of the most remafkable publications
of General de Peyster was a series of articles
on the Medical Organization of the Roman and
other Ancient Armies, published in the Army
and Navy Journal 'va 1864.
The famous Professor Charles Anthon, bf
Columbia College, who could not be charged
with the crime of being ever complimentary
to pretenders, who had styled General de
Peyster " the Tyrtaeus of the War " on ac
count of some stirring pieces of military poetry
he had written, when applied to to assist
further investigation on this interesting subject,
replied finaHy that he could not offer the
slightest assistance, since the General had ex
hausted all available authorities.*
General de Peyster has also won reputation
as a poet. A number of his published poems are
characterized by a deeply poetical spirit, and
elicited the admiration and praise of the famous
author of " Thanatopsis, " WHliam Cullen
Bryant, who was also one of the ablest of crit
ics. Bryant declared that the General's poems
"had the true ring." His poem on " Oris-
kany" was translated into German, whHe he
*The author notes in corroboration what justifying or justifica
tory vouchers or evidence he has examined :
New York, October 5, 1864,
Dear Sir: — The information which you seek is scattered over
many ancient writerF. I think, however, that one of them. Vege-
tius, will answ er your purpo.se. His work is entitled "Rei Militaris
Instituta," and may be found, I suppose, in the Astor Library, If
not, my copy is at your service. You will find in one part an account
of the duties of the Prefect of the camp, among whicli is the super
intendence of the camp ¦' Medici," physicians who were probably
all freedmen. This alone would prove the existence of a Medical
Department in the Roman armies. In another part (Book III.,
chap. 2), there is a particular chapter entitled " Quemadmodum San-
itas Gubernature Exercitus," embracing plans of encampment, water,
reasons medicinal exercise, etc.
You will flnd some good information also in Le Clerc's "His
toire de la Medicine " and " Sprangell's Histoire de Medicine par
Jourdan," There is also a "Sketch of the History of Medicine,"
founded originally by Bockbock, of which I have a copy. If I can
be of any further aid to you, you may command my services without
hesitation. Very truly yours, CHARLES ANTHON.
Mr. DE Peyster, Tivoli, N. Y, New York, October 8, 1869.
Dear Sir;— Many thanks for the two articles from the Army
and Navy .Tournal, which I herewith return. They do you a very
great deal of credit. My reference to Vegetius was like carrying
coals to Newcastle. The poetry is capital, and I have shown it to
several of my friends— one of whom wants to rechristen you "The
American Tyrtaeus." I handed the two photographs to my sister,
who has placed them, as great prizes, in her album.
Very truly yours, CHARLES ANTHON,
General De Peyster, Tivoli.

himself made a translation of Korner's famous
" My Fatherland," which is remarkable for its
vigor and fidelity to the original, both in re
spect to the warrior rythm and inspiring lan
guage of the notable patriot appeal. This stir
ring battle hymn was one of those trumpet-
blasts of patriotic genius which aroused Prussia
to arms, and led to the subsequent overthrow
of Napoleon. On a certain occasion in 1864, General de-
Peyster paid a visit to the office of the chief
editor of the New York Times, who seemed
lost in thought. This gentleman had previously
observed that he considered his visitor was one
of the very few (about a dozen) original think
ers he had ever met. " What are you think
ing about so intensely.'" "That the ancients,
especially the Romans, should have had no
Medical Administration connected with their
armies." " Nonsense; they had. Who told
you they did not have.'" "Professor  . "
Now Professor  was considered a judge of
last appeal on all questions upon which he
elected to sit in judgment. " The Prof essor
manifests his ignorance in talking so. What
reason does he give for such an opinion.'" ' ' He
says Csesar makes no mention of them [Medical
Men or Medical and Surgical Corps] in his
Commentaries." "A very poor argument.
Does Caesar mention camp-diseases among his
troops.' Do you suppose that his camps were
any more free from disease than any camps
have ever been.' To prove that the great au
thority. Professor  , does not know what
he is talking about I wHl demonstrate the con
trary to be the fact."
The result was Gen. de Peyster wrote a
series of .articles for the Army a7td Navy Jour
nal, in which he showed that the ancients had
far better medical arrangements than mediaeval
troops possessed, and far better than most of
the European armies enjoyed down to within
one hundred and fifty years.
He was proceeding to produce additional
confirmatory testimony when the editor refused
to print any more, remarking, " Are you not
satisfied.' You have got your opponent down,
and I wHl not let you kick him or grind his face
in the dust."
So the balance of the matter remains in
manuscript to this day.
Awriterhas characterized General de Peyster
as "an author of extraordinary fertility and
unlimited scope, the omnivorous character of
whose studies is displayed on every page of his

156

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

writings; an author whose works comprise
scores of volumes, with hundreds of smaller
works, treatises and pamphlets, of which the
entire amount would be doubled by the addi
tion of innumerable articles and series of papers
published in magazines and newspapers, and
never yet collected together; the author of
poetry and drama of an unusual excellence,
and an endless miscellany on almost every
conceivable subject, and who yet, in his own
peculiarly pre-eminent field as a mHitary biog
rapher, military historian and military critic,
has no peer in America."* Some indication
(though merely that) of his misceHaneous
authorship has been given in the preceding
pages. But his special place as a military
critic — and it is not an exaggeration to say
that he " has no peer in America " in this ca
pacity — can be readily shown by the citation
of a few characterizations of him by persons
competent to pronounce judgment.
The late Lieut. (Brevet Capt.) Frederick
Whittaker, author of "Volunteer Cavalry,"
etc., after asserting that "untH the close of
the [Civil] war" we Americans "had been ac
customed to look to Europe, and especially to
France, for our military historians, " adds,
emphatically: " But we are glad to say that
we have changed all that, and now possess in
America a mihtary historian of the first rank."
It is, of course. General de Peyster whom he
thus eulogizes, and whom he describes as the
" author of the best military writings our coun
try has yet produced." It was of de Peyster
also that Gen. Barnard, brother of the former
President of Columbia College, exclaimed:
" His judgment of military matters is almost
infallible ! " It was, again, de Peyster's ex
haustive methods of research and indefatiga
ble energy in coHecting authorities to which
Gen. Adam Badeau bore witness when he
wrote to a friend: "He has accumulated a
wonderful amount of original matter, some of
which is absolutely invaluable, and I expect to
avail myself of it." It was de Peyster, like
wise, of whom Gen. W. T. Sherman, in con
junction with Maj.-Gen. H. W, Slocum, wrote:
" He is thoroughly conversant with all the
military operations of both armies during the
late war. He has written considerably on this
subject, and his writings have attracted much
attention." General de Peyster, also it was,
whom Brev. Brig. -Gen. William P. Wain-
*"Gen. J. Watts de Peyster, Author, Soldier, Historian, Military
Biographer and Critic," New York, 1894, p, 3.

Wright thus characterized: "His keen eye
for topography, his long and still unceasing
military education, his uncommon memory,
his powers of description, and his opportuni
ties for using his abilities, constitute him the
only, as well as the first, mHitary critic in
America." When Maj.-Gen. A. Pleasanton
penned the words: "His great acquaintance
with military matters, his long and faithful re
search into the militar}' histories .of modern
nations, his correct comprehension of our own
late war, and his intimacy with many of our
leading generals ^nd statesmen during the
period of its continuance, with his tried and
devoted loyalty and patriotism," — it was of
General de Peyster of whom he wrote, while
Gen. Grant endorsed this characterization in
writing. Of de Peyster, also, Maj.-Gen. A. A.
Humphreys wrote: Washington, May 30, 1872.
My Dear General: — I fully appreciate your labors,
which I am conscious have brought into clear relief what
was before obscure and ill-defined. Let me for a moment
suppose I am writing to a friend, not yourself, for you are
one of the few persons to whom one may write, as it were,
impersonally, and that implies a very high tribute to your
sense of the just.
Your industry in collecting facts upon any subject
you treat of, is literally untiring. In a long experience
among the working men of the country, I have rarely
found your equal, never, I think, your superior; and I
may pay the same tribute to your conscientious labor, in
the task of evolving the truth from the mass of matter
collected, much of it contradictory and apparently irrecon
cilable with any known truths. Possessing a clear appre
ciation of the great fundamental principles which should
govern military operations and battles, you are quick to
perceive adherence to, or departure from, them, and as
the extended study of the great military writers and his
torians has imbued your mind with just military views,
so has it richly stored your memory with a redundant
supply of apt illustrative examples for every important
event or incident of our war.
To all these qualifications as a military critic, you
have added a ready, rapid, courageous pen, and a power
of application, that physical ailments, growing out of a
delicate physique, have not impaired, though they have
sorely tried it * * * Sincerely Yours,
(Signed) A. A. Humphreys.
To Maj.-Gen. J. Watts de Peyster.
Washington, Sunday, September 29, 1872,
My Dear General (de Peyster): — I returned to
Washington, * * found a letter for me from Gen. Ba
deau, * * intending to send you extracts from Ba-
deau's letter, in which he speaks so highly (and justly) of
your labors and papers, * * * j.jg says, " you
have accumulated a wonderful amount of original matter,
some of which is absolutely invaluable, and I expect to
avail myself of it, etc., etc." You would not think I had
lost interest in the subject of your labors, had you heard
me talk to some Philadelphians about the pursuit of Lee.
I learnt only this summer of the effect of Stanton's tele
gram on the 6th or 7th of April, giving the whole credit
of overtaking and attacking Lee, on the 6th of April, to
Sheridan, "There," they said in Philadelphia, (I am
told,) " the generals of the Army of the Potomac are lag
gards; it required Sheridan and Grant to overtake and
beat Lee," What an outrage on Wright and myself that

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

157

telegram was! We laggards! The impression thus made
on the public in this movement of success, has never been
effaced; it remains to this day. To you, I am indebted,
my dear general, for the first presentation of the subject
to the public, that will tend to efface this impression.
Sincerely Yours,
(Signed) .A. A. Humphreys,
Major-General U. S. V. ; Chief of Stuff, Army of the Potomac,1803-'I ;
Brig.-Gen.; Brev. Alaj-Geu.; Chief of Engineers, U. S. A.
Still more significant was the testimony of
Sir Edward Cust, General, and author of the
nine volumes of "Annals of the Wars" and
six volumes of "Lives of the Warriors," in
dedicating his second series to Gen. de Pey
ster, whom he only knew through the latter's
writings. From this dedication of twenty-eight
pages the following sentences have been extract
ed: "I am desirous of marking my deep obliga
tions to you by requesting permission to dedi
cate my concluding volume to you and to your
mHitary brethren. We appear to be men of
much the same mind, and of common sympa
thies, desirous alike of employing our common
language for a common object — that of en-
Hghtening our comrades of a common profes
sion with the necessity of applying the pre
cepts of military history to the useful compre
hension of their calling. Both of us agreeing
that the best instruction for all officers is to be
acquired from the deeds of the old masters in
the art of war * * * The United States
were on the eve of a melancholy crisis of in
ternational conflict, when you naturally wished
and you very reasonably desired to show, by
the introduction of a better system of war,
how to stay the waste of blood among your
countrymen in a strife' which made every
brother on either side a soldier, * * * I,
on the other hand, had fallen ' upon the sere
and yellow leaf * * - and * * *
had * * * as an old stager, become
disturbed by the intrusion of a new school
at our military colleges, pre-eminently among
the instructors of military history, who were
seeking to introduce a theory of war, against
which I sought to recommend a knowledge of
the past, or, as you put it, ' practical strat
egy-' * * * I do not claim the merit
of originality. * * * My works were
written by me for the use of youths who
have already entered the service of arms, and
whose career has commenced, but whose pro
fession has yet to be learned. * * * You
address the higher ranks of the army, and ap
pear to seek to philosophize the art of war by
showing it to be capable, under its most scien
tific phases, of being less lavish of human

blood. * * * To both our grievances the
remedy is the same — practical strategy. I
readily accept from you this expression. It
comprises all that be said or written upon
skHl in war, and while I agree with you that
this is best evinced by sparing the lives of its
instruments as much as possible, I hold that
this is in fact the whole art of war,"
Reference has already been made to a re
mark of Gen. Adam Badeau, in a letter to a
friend, in view of the help he expected to
receive from Gen. de Peyster's resources in
connection with an important military work on
whichhe was engaged at the time. "He,"
(de Peyster), wrote Badeau, "has accumulated
a wonderful amount of original matter, some
of which is absolutely invaluable, and I expect
to avail myself of it." Not a few have been
under the deepest obligation to Gen. de Peys
ter in this way, although he has not always
received the credit which is, one would think,
the very 'least which a service of this character
deserves. The most astonishing case of this
kind is to be credited to the late Comte de
Paris, who, in spite of the greatest obligation
to General de Peyster, made not the slightest
acknowledgment in his work on our Civil War.
When the Count was preparing the volume of
his history, embracing the battle of Gettys
burg, he enlisted the assistance of General de
Peyster, who himself, or through his friend,
Major-General A. A. Humphreys, U. S. A.,
must have furnished the Count information,
including -statistics and opinions founded on
thorough examination, equivalent to hundreds
of pages of paper. The Count acknowledged
the correctness of his correspondents' judg
ment, and his American editor or translator,
after applying to the General for the trans
lation of a passage which no one else could
explain, wrote that he recognized the influence
of the General throughout the Gettysburg
pages. Although the Count remained in the most
intimate correspondence with the General — a
correspondence which has been preserved —
writing continually from whatever spots the
General's letters reached him, even from the
Escurial in Spain, he did not acknowledge in
his introduction to the Gettysburg volume his
indebtedness to his American correspondent;
most likely because General de Peyster was
not a regular army officer; consequently, the
General refused to meet him when he came to
the United States, although he admitted to a

158

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

relative how much assistance the General had
afforded. So astounding was the Comte's conduct in
this matter that mutual friends in America,
cognizant of all the facts, did not scruple to
express in writing their disapproval of what
he had done. Thus in a letter to General de
Peyster, dated at Philadelphia, June 29, 1893,
soon after the appearance of the Comte's
book, his American editor wrote: "In place
of writing letters he (Comte de Paris) had bet
ter have done you justice. If ever I have a
chance I shall say so to him in pretty strong
language." The same writer, in a letter to General de
Peyster dated at Philadelphia June 23, 1883,
says: It was the Comte's duty, after having used your
pamphlets and reviews to the extent that he did, and as
shown hy the text, to have at least expressed his obliga
tion. And the biographical portion appears in some cases
to he a reprint. That is rather strong, but I mean what
I write. It may have been the unusual method of
appropriating General de Peyster's materials,
alluded to here, which made the Comte so
reluctant to give him credit, very prudently
deeming it unwise to advertise the source of
matter thus laid hold of. The editor's sugges
tion that the Comte should have "done justice"
in "place of writing letters," is in allusion to
the Comte's prolonged correspondence with de
Peyster. Indeed, the Comte seemed to over
look the fact that in this correspondence he
had left behind him the most indubitable proofs
of the obligation which he was so loth to con
fess Such "royal" injustice is of curious in
terest, and some passages from the Comte's
letters to General de Peyster will be given here.
Lest the charge of a deviation from exact lit-
eralness might be made, the precise phrase
ology and spelling of the Comte will also be
preserved. His command of English was won
derfully direct for a foreigner, but not abso
lutely perfect. In a long letter to the General,
dated November 23, 1877, he wrote:
I must apologize for having been so long before re
turning to you my best thanks for the valuable informa
tion concerning the battle of Gettysburg which you were
kind enough to furnish me with, both in your letter and in
the notes which you forwarded to me as a kind of appendix
to your pamplet on that battle. I was so busy upon all
these materials that I had no time to write, I have now
to acknowledge the receipt of your letters dated the 21st
of September, the 6th, 15th and 22nd of October, and the
first of November. I really feel quite ashamed to have
left unanswered until now so many and such interesting
letters, but if I did not write to you I worked hard on these
letters as well as on the notes from your " Decisive Con

flicts," which go as far as No. 68. I dare say I know the
whole set by heart. It is full of varied information of views
w'hich throw a great and often a new light upon the events
and of incidents which the historian carefully picks up to
relieve the barrenness of his narrative. * * * Such are
the main points upon which I think it necessary to tell
you my opinion in answer to the remarks contained in
your letters. Whenever I have only to say amen and fully
agree with you, I do not insist. I shall avail myself of your
kind permission to put you frankly any question which my
future readings may suggest.
He writes to the same, under date Decefm-
ber 18, 1877:
Receive my best thanks for your two letters of No
vember 21st and December 1st, as well as for the notes
which you did send me under the same seal as a continu
ation of those previously received by me. * * * I
knew of the existence of the maps which you mention of
Adams county, Pa., and Frederick county, Md., but I
have not yet been able to get a copy of these through the
American agency of Stevens in London. Where could I
apply to get these?'
On January 29, 1878, he writes again (in a
letter of very great length):
I avail myself of the opportunity to acknowledge the
receipt of your letters of December 19th, 29th, SOth and
of January 1st, as well as of Gen, Whipple's report with
your postscript. You seem to think that some of your let
ters addressed to me last summer have been lost. It would
be indeed very unjortunate and I hope it is not the case; but in
order to ascertain the fact, as I keep all those letters to
gether, so as to he able to consult them as often as I-irant,
as soon as I return home I shall send you a list of every
letter received from you last year. You may be assured
that 1 shall carefully weight the information which you gave
me concerning the numbers engaged at Gettysburg. * * *
I quite agree with you and my excellent friend. Gen.
Humphreys, when you assert that the Army of the Poto
mac did not number as many men on the field of battle as
would appear from the field returns prepared some days
before. * * * You see by the length of my answer how
fully I value your letters and my gratitude for the trouble
you take in giving me erery information icithin your reach.
On March 6, 1878, he wrote:
I thank you very much for your letter of January 29th
and February 16th, the last received yesterday, with the
photographs which you were kind enough to send me,
* * * I shall gratefully accept any papers concerning
reliable and unpublished information on the Civil war,
posterior to July 4, 1863. What you tell me of Sickles'
coolness when wounded is very striking. * * * The
plan and pamphlet on Gettysburg are also received.
Again (March 23, 1878):
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letters
dated February 23rd and March Island ith, and thank
you most heartily for the varied information which these
contain. * * * i received DitterKne's pamphlet, for
which I thank you very much. * * * Jf there is any
thing which seems to me still doahtini I shall not fail to
apply to yon.
Again, writing of Chancellorsville and
Gettj'Sburg, he says (April 19, 1878):
I had not the letters for the 20th of June. I thank
you very much for the whole. * * * Thanks for the
very full explanation given first by Gen. Humphreys and
then by yourself, * * * I thank you for Fitz Lee's
answer to Longstreet, which you took the trouble to send

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

159

me. * * * I am always grateful for the sincere ex
pression of your opinion on things and men, * * *
As for your judgments on men you may rely on my
discretion. The long letter of May 12, 1878, contained
the following acknowledgments:
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
dated April 10th and 20th, as well as of the copy of Gen.
Humphreys' letter, his endorsement of a paper from the
War Office, your Inaugural Address, as well as the num
ber of the Historical Magazine containing Maj. Kearny's
letter, I thought I had already mentioned to you the
latter, as I read these letters with great pleasure. I beg
you to believe, my dear General, that I am always ready
to revise the conclusions to which I may have come when
ever I get hold of documents or facts which throw a new
light upon the questions which I have already studied,
* * * I quite agree with you that Meade did not
actually fight the whole of his men present for duty. I
do not think that he can be blamed for it. In the after
noon of July 2nd he collected on the threatened flank
more troops than he could have fought with on that
ground. On the 3rd, Lee's attack was so quickly and de
cisively repulsed that Meade could not before 4 p, m.
have engaged more men than he did. A great general
would no doubt have seized at once the opportunity of
Pickett's repulse and taken the offensive. A direct attack
on the front of Lee, covered as it was by the artillery,
would in all probability have failed; but the counterpart
of Longstreet's move the day before ought to have been
attempted. Meade ought to have thrown forward from
the Round Tops the Sth and the 6th Corps at once, so as
to strike the Emmetsburg road south of Peach Orchard.
He would no doubt have achieved a great success. Still,
there is some excuse for a commander so new for not
having adopted this bold design. But where I entirely
agree with you, my dear General, it is in the judgment you
pass on Meade's conduct from the 4th to the Hth of July.
Even if Lee's army had been as strong as he believed,
his conduct would be below criticism: but if he was not
aware of its weakness it is his fault, he should have
tested it. He positively acted during these ten days as if
he had no other object than to facilitate Lee's retreat into
Virginia, I have come to that conclusion by the careful
study of Meade's dispatches; but as these papers were
given to me, most kindly by his own son. Col. Meade,
1 beg you to keep that opinion quite for yourself; it will he
time to utter it when 1 publish my account. My deliberate
opinion is that Meade, under the impression of the Con
federate repulse at Gettysburg, had made up his mind
never to attack, and to let Lee have his own ways, rather
than to take the offensive on the field of battle.
On May 22, 1878, he wrote:
I hasten to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
dated May 5th, and to assure you that I received some
time ago the Inaugural address mentioned in that letter.
I read that address with great profit and pleasure, * * *
What you say about Crawford is very striking. It is
doubtless that his forward move was made late in the
evening, * * * Whenever there is something which
seems doubtful to me, I shall take the liberty of asking
your advice.
On June 24, 1878, he says:
I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letters dated
27th of May and June Srd, as well as the pamphlets
mentioned in these letters. * * * The limits which
you give me concerning the real causes of the failure of
Meade's " campaign of mancevres," are very interesting,
and that failure cannot be understood otherwise than by
a great jealousy between his subordinates.

Under date of August 18, 1878, he writes :
Various occupations have prevented me from ac
knowledging sooner the receipt of your interesting letters,
dated June 20th and July 4th and Sth. * * * I quite
agree in your judgment upon Rosecrans. He was not
a brilliant, perhaps, but certainly a very able leader. He
had the qualities most important in an army of volunteers,
firmness of purpose and that obstinacy which springs
from an indomitable will. Very few generals who have
stood as he did at Murfreesboro, very few, indeed, (that)
would not have given up the game and thrown victory
into their opponent's arms. He snatched victory by his
stubbornness. * * * Any new information concerning
Chickamauga would at present be very useful to me.
* * * I received and read with interest the papers you
did send me concerning the American War of Independ
ence. Receive my best thanks for that communication.
Your views on the present situation and the prospects of
the socialists in America are very striking and valuable.
On September 21, 1878, the Count wrote :
I have to thank you for your letters, dated August
21st and Slst, as well as for the number of the Atlantic
Monthly, containing an article by General Lippitt on
Pope's campaign in Virginia. * * * My subject now
is Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. I have not a
great deal of information on that subject,
October 13, 1878, he writes:
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your three
letters, dated September 15th and 24th, containing the
manuscript paper on the campaign of Chickamauga, and
the newspaper articles on the yellow fever and the Peters
burg crater, I beg you to receive my best thanks as well
for the pamphlets mentioned in the first letter, and duly
received shortly afterwards. I have found a special
interest in the particulars which you give me of your talk
with Gen. Humphreys about the operation of Grant in
May, 1864, and his supposed plan of turning the left of
Lee. Again he says, October 20, 1878 :
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of
September 28th and of October 2d, 6th and 7th. I thank you
very much for the trouble you take in supplying me with
whatever kind of information you think may be useful to
me, and still more in giving me your own vieivs onthe military
questions which that information may raise. The papers
of Col. Crane, which I duly received, will no doubt be of
great value to me, I already advised you of the receipt
of the Legend of the Army of the Cumberland. The two
other papers, viz.. Col. Coburn's report of the fight at
Thompson's Station, and the extracts of the Life of For
rest concerning the same fight, reached me at the same
time, I have only rapidly perused the documents, but I
have seen enough to appreciate their importance. The
promised statement of Col. Crane of his treatment as a
prisoner will be very interesting. * * * Thank you
for the information you give me concerning Col. Goddard,
On November 9, 1878, he writes:
I punctually received your two letters, dated Oc
tober 9th and 23rd, as well as the book manuscript you
mention, viz., the Legend of the Army of the Cumberland,
and the papers relating to the fight at Thompson's Sta
tion, including the statement of Col. Baxter Crane's life
after his capture with Coburn's command. These docu
ments are very useful for the study I am now engaged in.
I thank you once more for the valuable assistance which
you give me in my arduous task, and I fully appreciate the
pains which you take to furnish me with the unpublished
documents. As for reading bad handwriting I can man-

160

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

age to do it, but I hate to work on manuscripts hard to
deciper, and therefore am very grateful to your copyist for
his clear hand. * * * i thank you for the notice
concerning Rosecrans.
Again (December 3, 1878):
Col. Crane's statement of the battle of Thompson's
Hill is so plain, so natural, and describes so well what one
feels and sees in his first fight, that it carries conviction
into the reader's mind. It has been of great use to me, as
well as Colburn's reports. The narrative of his prison life
is of the same character. I keep it for the future, as I in
tend to discuss the whole question of the treatment of the
prisoners on both sides quite to the end of my work. I
received the pamphlet on that subject mentioned in your
letter of the 4th. In that of the 6th you mention the bal
ance of the Legend of the Army of the Cumberland, and
the copy of the official notice of the commencement and
termination of the Slaveholders' Rebellion as being dis
patched at the same time; these papers have reached me
safely. I shall look for Gen. T. Oliver's letter on the sup-
ercedure of Rosecrans by Gen, Thomas in the first pack
age sent by you through Humphreys. At the time I re
ceived it I picked out only what was for my immediate
use, and the remainder was put aside for future ex
amination. * * * Van Home's book is very use
ful to me. * * * In answer to your letter of the
11th I shall first thank you for having found out the
maps which you had mentioned to me, and could best
procure, but I am really sorry and ashamed to see what
amount of trouble it gave you.
His acknovvledgment December 21, 1878,
is as follows :
Receive my best thanks for your three letters, dated
November 19th and 2Sd, and December Sth, which have
reached me, as well as the papers mentioned in these
letters. I thank you especially for the copy of Gen.
Paine's memorandum or private diary. * * * i thank
you for the very remarkable articles which you did send
me concerning the battle of Monmouth in 1778, and which
I read with the greatest pleasure and interest. The
report of Gen, Carr, a manuscript, reached me at the
same time as your last letter. I have no doubt that will
prove very useful to me'. As you say, sometimes an inci
dental remark made without premeditation by an eye
witness may give the long-sought-for solution of some of
the most difficult problems of history. I quite agree with
you about Warren in regard to his action at Mine Run.
Again (January i, 1879):
I received your slips concerning the death of Reno.
* * * I thank you for sending me the part of the
Legend of the Army of the Cumberland, which explains
the strange blank in Van Home's returns.
On January 17, 1879, he writes :
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letters,
dated December 21st, 27th and Slst, the two last named
ones adorned with the most picturesque engravings. *
* * What you say in your letter of the 21st concerning
the place where the Federal line was broken at Gettys
burg, viz., near the Peach Orchard, about Birney's right,
is in accordance with all the best accounts of the battle.
* * * I received the installment of Paine's diary men
tioned in your letter of the 27th. It will be very useful to
me, especially on account of its accuracy about the dates.
* * * I thank you very much for having at last fur
nished me with the half page which Dr. Van Home's
printer had left in blank.
Again (February 10, 1879):
I received a few days ago a letter from Gen. Hum
phreys informing me that according to your wish he had

sent me a set of maps completed by Gen. Warren, of the
country of the Rapidan and CentreviHe. * * * i
thank you very much for mentioning the pamphlet of
Col. Brooke Rawle on the operations of the United States
cavalry on the right flank at Gettysburg. * * * As you
say, the maps are very valuable. * * * I received
to-day the copy of the narrative of the part taken by the
Uth N. J. in the Mine Run campaign, by Col. McAllister,
and I shall certainly make use of it when I review my
account already written of that campaign.
On March 30, 1879, he wrote:
I avail myself of the said leisure I can find between
two visits to the sick room, to answer your letters as well
as I can. * * * Nevertheless, I can assure you that I
am most grateful for all the information given in your
letters, as well as for the documents which you take the
trouble to furnish me with. All the papers mentioned in
your letters as having been sent to me separately have
reached me safely. I have in hand the regimental re
port of the 11th New Jersey, and the narrative of events
from November 26th to December 3, 1863, which will be
very useful for the correction of my narrative of the Mine
Run campaign, as well as the " preacher," as you call it, and
I quite agree with you in your judgment on Gen. McAllis
ter. Your conversation with Gen. Palmer, as reported in
your letter, is interesting. * * * Your picture of the
relations between Meade and Webb is very striking, and
I shall keep it in mind. I knew personally very little of
Meade, while Webb was a friend, and still is, and I had
the greatest respect for his military character. I received
also all the papers mentioned in your letter of the Sth of
February, viz., the manuscript copied in two different
inks, which is very good concerning the fall of 1863 in
Virginia, and your account of Gen. John Hartranft. I
thank you for both, as well as for the picture you make of
Hartranft in that letter. The balance of Gen. Mc.-'i.llister's
diary which, as you say, will merely be useful to me by
its great accuracy, reached me at the same time as your
letter, begun on the Sth and closed on the 14th of Febru
ary. It gives very carefully the state of the weather,
which is an important element of military operations very
often overlooked in the best narratives. * * * -phe
particulars given in your letters of February 24th and 26th
about Thomas at the battle of Chickamauga are very in
teresting. I received the manuscript of \'an Home's
chapter on Chattanooga from his Life of Thoraas. It will
no doubt prove very valuable, but I cannot use it before
I have begun myself the account of that campaign, which
implies that I should have ended with Chickamauga.
Please therefore tell me whether you wish it to be re
turned, or whether I may keep it for some time. * * *
I thank you very much for remarks on Van Home's Chat
tanooga, which will be very useful as soon as I reach that
period of the carapaign. * * * You are quite right
when you say that good and clear maps are sadly wanted
for the easy intelligence of Van Home's .\rmy of the
Cumberland. His small map of the battle of Chickamau
ga is perfectly wretched, and unfortunately I know of no
better one.
It would require a volume to record the
notable literary and critical achievements, the
remarkable forecasts of political and mHitary
events, the practical suggestions which have
been adopted and found to be of great public
utHity, and the solution of difficult problems
in medical and general science through intui
tion, close reasoning and the appHcation of
extensive reading, of which General de Peyster
has been the author. A few examples, which

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

161

readily occur to mind, will be noted miscel
laneously, with no attempt to classify them.
Through his wide reading, giving him a
knowledge of a simHar phenomenon following
ancient eruptions of volcanoes, he was one of
the first to give an account of the pink sunsets
which occurred for several years after the fa
mous eruption of the Javanese Krakatoa, in
August, 1883. In the "Bulletin of the Amer
ican Geographical Society" [Vol. XXI, No. i,
March 31, 1889, p. 117, note] he is given
credit for calling the attention of geographers
to a notable case of the kind. ' ' Gen. J . Watts
de Peyster," says the writer, "has found * * *
Berthelot's account of the strange skies seen
after the eruption of Skaptar JOkuH in 1783."
General de Peyster is the author of a re
markable discussion of the question, " Did Our
Blessed Saviour Speak Greek.?" This paper
enjoyed the distinction of being read before
the Society of Literature, Arts and Science of
London, England.
For a number of years he was vice-presi
dent of the Saratoga Battlefield Monument, in
connection with which he did effective work.
He resigned when he found his efforts w^ere
unavailing to restrain what he considered waste
and innocent misapplication of the funds. He
donated an historical cannon to the monument.
In addition to his many other services, and
proffer of services during the Civil war, it
should be noted that the General offered his
extensive new buildings near the corner of
Broadway and Thirty-sixth street, free of
charge, to the city of New York, to the Fed
eral Government, as quarters for recruits in
1861. Again, General de Peyster was one of the
first to recognize the infectious or contagious
nature of consumption. His notable gifts of
hospitals for the care of consumptives has been
already mentioned.
The General defended John Brown, in his
assaults on slavery, on the principle that, un
justifiable as he might be in his method of war
fare upon slavery, he was surpassed in this
respect by the slave-holders in their attacks
upon freedom in the North. The General
was the first to suggest the employment of
negroes as soldiers in the Civil war, and was
reviled by his Democratic neighbors on account
of his advocacy of views so radical. At the
close of the war, however, he protested against
the indiscriminate conferring of the electoral
franchise upon the negroes of the South. It

was not alone the general condition of illit
eracy which influenced his judgment, but a
clear foresight of the condition of things (whicji
he prophesied) which resulted; that the pro
posed measure must inevitably defeat the
political end for which it was intended, and
only give the South increased representation
while leaving the power in the hands of the
whites as securely as ever, and strengthening
their influence materially in national politics.
General de Peyster had a number of unique
experiences during his travels in Europe as
military agent of the State of New York. He
saved the Italian soldier, Siro Pesci, a fol
lower of Mazzini, from condemnation to the
salt mines at Sardinia, from which few ever re
turn alive, after long terms of service. He
secured passports for the Italian as his servant,
and carried him into France (and subse
quently into Switzerland), to the chagrin of
the Gendarmes, who had an inkling of what
was being done, but could not go behind the
passports. When we consider General de Peyster's
many works of mHitary criticism on nearly all
the famous wars of Europe, together with his
contemporaneous interpretation of the Euro
pean wars in progress during his own lifetime,
it is remarkable that he wrote so little on the
Crimean war of 1854-5. But this explained
by the fact that at the time he was immersed
in his historical studies of the Thirty Years'
War, resulting in his various works on this
theme, and notably his remarkable ' ' Life of
Torstenson." But very few men, historians
or' military critics, have mastered the facts as
to this prolonged and general European war,
as General de Peyster mastered them. His
astonishing grasp of the topography of
Europe, and of the military situation of the
European States, was demonstrated in connec
tion with the wars of this century in Europe,
subsequent to that of the Crimea, he being able
to foretell the course of events and the issues of
campaigns with an accuracy which astounded
the best military critics. With the outbreak
of the Franco-Austrian war these remarkable
prophecies began, in his contemporaneous
contributions to the New York Express, in
which he followed and anticipated the military
movements with analysis and forecast. It
chanced that in 1 8 34 he had witnessed j ust such
a flood in Lombardy as that of 1859, which
hindered and thwarted the combatants, and
particularly the Austrians. Again, in the case

11

162

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, he was
completely at home, being well-nigh as famil
iar with the scene of the operations as with his
own farm. He foretold the results of this
struggle, and put his finger upon the decisive
locality. The same thing was true of the
Franco-Prussian war of 1 870-1. He prophe
sied the Prussian movement upon Sedan, and
its results, in such detail, it was almost an
exact prophecy of the genesis and exodus or
result. The contribution of his critical pen
toward the success of the Federal cause in our
own Civil war is little understood. One can
only say that it would be almost impossible to
overestimate his services.
It would, indeed, be a " work of superero
gation " to add anything to such estimates of
General de Peyster's remarkable abilities and
phenomenal labors as those which have been
quoted, and it certainly will not be attempted
here. One might say in passing, however,
that if it be true that ' ' a prophet is not with
out honor save in his own country, " in this case,
honor and recognition abroad, at least, there
assuredly is. Perhaps the best idea of the
honors which have been won by the General
can be conveyed by subjoining a (partial) list
of his many degrees, and memberships. He
would be entitled to write after his name sev
eral formidable titles.
The reader will find subjoined a partial list
of the published works of General de Peyster.
It is by no means a complete list, for time and
circumstances prevented a perfect presentation,
since many of his most interesting articles on
subjects of the greatest moment and widest
range are scattered in magazines and news
papers. Were these collected and republished
(which their merit and interest assuredly justi
fies), they would make many additional vol
umes. But, although incomplete, the following
list will suffice to give some idea of the aston
ishing versatility of the General's authorship.
The immense range of reading, of which these
works show themselves to be the fruit, is
also evidenced on every page of the thou
sands of books to be found in the General's
large library, as well as in connection with the
libraries given away. There probably has
never been a private library of such size brought
together, nor 10,000 to 15,000 volumes given
away, which through marks and marginal notes
in the available space on nearly every page
afford such evidence of close, thorough and
critical reading. These notes are so charac

teristic of the General's entire library that they
enhance the value of these volumes for a stu
dent to a large degree which none but the
student, capable of availing himself of their
help, could understand or appreciate. If books
are a blessing there le also peril connected with
their use; but in the marginal notes of these
volumes (the rich fruit of the General's enor
mous research, astonishing memory and critical
judgment) the student finds that commentary,
or citation of either corroborative or adverse
evidence elsewhere, which only the painstak
ing investigation of innumerable authorities
could supply — and some of them so rare that
the chances are against the ordinary student's
having the knowledge of their existence, much
less suspecting that they contain anything bear
ing upon the subject.
PARTIAL LIST OF PUBLICATIONS.
Reports — 1st. On the Organizations of the National
Guards and the Municipal Military Institutions of Europe,
and the Artillery and Arms best adapted to the State
Service, 1852, (Reprinted by order of the N, Y. State
Legislature, Senate Documents, No. 74, March 26, 1853.)
2d. Organizations of the English and the Swiss Militia,
the French, Swiss, and Prussian Fire Departments. Sug
gestions for the Organization ofthe N. Y. Militia, &c. 1853.
Life of (the Swedish Field Marshal) Leonard Tors
tenson (rewarded with three splendid Silver Medals, &c.,
by H. R, M. Oscar I., King of Sweden). 1855.— Thirty
Years War, and Military Services of Field-Marshal Gen
eralissimo Leonard Torstenson (Series), N. Y. Weekly
Mail, 1873 ; A Hero of the XVII Century (Torstenson).—
The Volunteer, Weekly Mag,, Vol. I., No. 1., 1869.— The
Career of the celebrated Condottiere Fra Moreale, Weekly
Mail, 1873.— Frederic the Great. (Series.) Weekly Mail,
1873.- Eulogy of Torstenson, 4to., 1872,
The Dutch at the North Pole, and the Dutch in
Maine. 1857.*
Appendix to the Dutch at the North Pole, &c. 1858.*
Ho, for the North Pole! I860.— " Little's Living
Age."— The Dutch Battle of the Baltic, 1858.
The Invincible Armada. (Series.) 1860. — Examples
of Intrepidity, as illustrated by the Exploits and Deaths
of the Dutch Admirals. (Series.) 1860-1. Military
Gazette, Gems from Dutch History, (Series.) 1855,— A Tale
of Leipsic, Peabody's Parlor Mag,, 1832.
Carausius, the Dutch Augustus, and Emperor of
Britain and the Menapii. 1858.
The Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Netherlanders.
1858, Address to the officers of the New York State Troops.
1859. Life of Lieut. -Gen. (famous " Dutch Vauban" — styled
the " Prince of Engineers ") Menno, Baron Cohorn.
(Series.) I860,— Military Lessons. (Series.) 1861-3.—
Winter Campaigns. 1862,
Practical Strategy, as illustrated by the Life and
Achievements of a Master of the Art, the Austrian Field-
Marshal, Traun, 1863. — Personal and Military History of
Major-General Philip Kearny, 512 pp., 8vo. 1869.—
Secession in Switzerland and the United States compared ;
being the Annual Address, delivered 20th October, 1863,
before the Vermont State Historical Society, in the Hall
of Representatives, Capitol, Montpelier, 1864.*
*Noticed as well as others in Annual Report ot the American
Historical Association, 1895.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

163

Incidents connected with the War in Italy, (Series,)
1859, Mortalitv araong Generals. (Series.) 1861. — The
Battle of King's Mountain. (Series.) 1861-2,1880, Oris-
kany, 1878— Monmouth, 1878— Rhode Island, 1878.
Facts or Ideas Indispensible to the Comprehension of
War ; Notions on Strategy and Tactics. (Series.) 1861-2.
Eclaireur, Military Journal, (Edited,) 18S4-8,— In Me
moriam, (Edited.) 1st, 1857 ; 2d, 1862. The Bible in
Prison. 1853.— A Discourse on the Tendency of High
Church Doctrines. 1855,
A Night with Charles XII. of Sweden. A Nice Young
Man. Parlor Dramas. 1860-1.
Aculco, Oriskany, and Miscellaneous Poems. 1860.
Genealogical References of Old Colonial Families,
&c. 1851.
Biographical Notices of the de Peyster Family, in
connection with the Colonial History of New York.
1861. — Biographies of the Watts, de Peyster, Reade and
Leake Families, in connection with Trinity Churchyard.
1862.— Military (1776-1779) Transactions of Major, after
wards Colonel Sth or King's Foot, B, A., Arent Schuyler
de Peyster and Narrative of the Maritime Discoveries of
his namesake and nephew, Capt. Arent Schuyler de
Peyster, N." Y., 1870.— Local Memorials relating to the
de Peyster and Watts and affiliated families. 1881. In
Memoriam, Frederic de Peyster, Esq., LL.D., Prest. N.
Y. Historical Society, St, Nicholas Society, St. Nicholas
Club, &c., &c. 1882.
Articles published in United Service Magazine
(equal in matter to 12mo. volumes); Torstenson and the
Battle of Janikau, July, 1879; Joshua and the Battle of
Beth-horon — Did the sun and moon stand still? Febru
ary, 1880; Hannibal, July, 1880; Gustavus Adolphus, Sept,,
1880; Cavalry, I., Sept., 1880; Cavalry, IL, Nov., 1880;
Cavalry, IIL, Dec, 1880; Army Catastrophes — Destruc
tion of Pharaoh and his host; how accomplished, &c., &c.
February, 1881,— Hannibal's Army of Italy, Mar., 1881;
Hannibal's Last Campaign, May, 1881; Infantry, I., June,
1881; Infantry, II. , Aug., 1881; Battle of Eutaw Springs,
1781, Sept., 1881; Siege of Yorktown, 1781, Nov,, 1881;
Infantry, III., April, 1882; Waterloo, July, 1882; Vindica
tion of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, Sept., 1882,
Oct., 1882; From the Rapidan to Appomattox 'Court
House, July, 1883, — Burgoyne's Campaign, July-Oct,,
1777, and Appendix, Oct., 1883. — Life and Achievements
of Field-Marshal Generalissimo Suworrow, November-
December, 1883, -Biographical Sketch of Maj-Gen.
Andrew Atkinson Humphreys, U. S. A., March, 1884.—
Address, Maj.-Gen. A. A. Humphreys, before the Third
Army Corps Union, Sth May, 1884. Character and Serv
ices of Maj.-Gen, A. A, Humphreys, U. S, A., Manhattan,
N. Y., Monthly Magazine, August, 1884.
Suggestions which laid the basis for the present ad
mirable Paid Fire Department in the City of New York,
in which, as well as in the Organization of the present
Municipal Police of New York City, Gen. de Peyster was
a co-laborer with the Hon. Jas. W. Gerard and G. W.
Matsell, for which latter Department he caused to be
prepared and presented a Fire Escape, a model of sim
plicity and inestimable utility. Republished in the New
York Historical Magazine. Supplement, Vol. IX, 1865,
John P. Shea, Editor and Proprietor,
The Pearl of Pearls, or the " Wild Brunswicker " and
his " Queen of Hearts," a novel, founded on facts, 1865, —
Mary Stuart, a Study, 1882; James Hepburn, Earl of Both-
well, a Vindication, 1882; Bothwell and Mary Stuart, an
Enquiry and a Justification, 1883, — Bothwell, an Histori
cal-Drama, 1884,— The Life and Military Services of Sir
John Johnson, Bart, 1882. — Notices and Correspondence
of Col. A. S. de Peyster and Brig. -Gen. Sir John Johnson,
Bart, during and after the American Revolution, 1776,
&c. 1884.
State Sovereignty. 1861, — Life and Services of the
great Russian Field-Marshal Suworrow, 1882, — La Roy-

ale, the Grand Hunt [or Last Campaign of the Army of
the Potomac] Nos, I„ IL, III,, IV., V., VI., 1872; VII.
1873; \'III„ 1871.^Battles of Fredericksburg, Chancel
lorsville and Gettysburg in Onward, a raonthly, 1^69-70.
— And Gettysburg and Wiiliamsport, in the Soldiers'
Friend, a weekly, 1870. — Col, J, Watts de Peyster, Jr,,
U, S. V, A. Threnody, 1874,— Sir John Johnson, Bart.:
An Address delivered before the N. Y. Historical Society,
6th Jan,, 1880, with two voluminous Appendices of author
ities. — Address before the Historical Society of New
Brunswick, 1883,* — Benjamin Fletcher, Colonial Governor
of the Province of New York — Address before Oneida
(N. Y.) Historical Society.*
Centennial Sketches of the American Revolution,
which appeared in the N. Y, Times, and especially in the
N. Y, Evening Mail and Mail and Express. 1776-82. — De
cisive Conflicts of the late Civil War or " Slaveholders'
Rebellion:" I. Shiloh, Antietam, &c., 1867; II. Murfrees
boro to Chattanooga, c&c, 1866; III. Gettysburg, 1867;
IV, Nashville, 1876, — Biographical notices of Major-Gen-
erals Philip Schuyler — Address delivered before the
N. Y, Historical Society, 2d Jan., 1877; Geo. H. Thomas,
(likewise two Addresses delivered upon the same subject
before the N. Y. Historical Society, Sth Jan., 1875, and
Jan., 1876); also of Bancroft, Burnside, Crawford, Heint-
zleman, Hooker, Humphreys, McAllister, Mahone,
Meade, Edwards Pierrepont, Pleasanton, Sickles, Tre-
maine, &c,, &c.
The Battles of Monmouth and Capture of Stony
Point; a series of voluminous and exhaustive articles pub
lished in the Monmouth Enquirer, N. J., 1879, — Eclaireur
(The), a Military Journal, Vols. II. and IIL, edited 1854-5.
History of the Third Corps, Army of the Potomac,
1861-65. This title, though not technically, is virtually
correct, for in a series of elaborate articles in dailies,
weeklies, monthlies, monographs, addresses, &c., every
thing relating to this Corps, even to smallest details, from
1861 to 1865, was prepared with care and put in print.
These articles appeared in the Citizen, and the Citizen and
Round Table-, in Foley's Volunteer, and Soldiers' and
Sailors' Half-Dime Tales of the late Rebellion; in Mayne
Reid's magazine Onward-, in Chaplain Bourne's Soldiers'
Friend; in " La Royale or Grand Hunt [or the last cam
paign] of the Army of the Potomac, from Petersburg to
Appomattox Court House, April 2-9, 1865," illustrated
with engraved likenesses of several of the prominent
Generals belonging to the corps, and careful maps and
plans; in the life of Major-General Philip Kearny; in the
"Third Corps at Gettysburg; General Sickles vindicated"
Vol, I., Nos, xi., xii, xii. The Volunteer; in a Speech de
livered before the Third Army Corps Union, Sth May,
1875, profusely illustrated with portraits of Generals who
commanded or belonged to that organization, &c. These
arranged and condensed would constitute a work of five
or six volumes 8vo., such as those prepared by Prof. John
W. Draper, entitled the "Civil War in America," but
were never given as bound volumes to the public, because
the expense was so great that the author, who merely
writes for credit and amusement, was unwilling to assume
the larger outlay, in addition to what he had already ex
pended on the purchase of authorities, clerk-hire, print
ing, &c,, &c.
A complete list, comprising almost as many
more titles, not included in the foregoing
presentation, was drawn up by the writer, but
mislaid, and was omitted for want of time and
space. The General's latest series of works were a
succession of monographs on the Wars of
*Noticed in Annual Report of the American Historical Associa
tion, 1895.

164

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Buonaparte. One, a translation of the records
of Colonel Pion des Loches in 1812, then be
longing to the ArtHlery of the Imperial Guard,
which ran through five numbers of The Golden
Magazine (January, February, March, April
and May, 1895); with copious notes and along
commentary upon the whole campaign and
upon Buonaparte as a commander by the Gen
eral himself.
2 . Waterloo, ' 'The Campaign and Battle, ' '
a bird's-eye view. (1893).
3, Waterloo. (1894).
4. Prussians in the Campaign of Water
loo; in which it is conclusively shown that,
although too much credit cannot be conceded
to Wellington and his Anglo-Allied Army for
the heroism of the command and the intrepid
ity of the commander, the rescue of Welling
ton from defeat, and the annihilating victory
over the French, was assuredly due to Blucher
and his Prussians. (1895).
5. Authorities treating of the last cam
paigns of Buonaparte — 1812-13-14-15; being
critical reviews of numerous authorities on the
Buonaparte wars, especially of 1814 and 181 5.
(1894-5)- 6. A translation of Vermeil de Conchard's
Life of Blucher, from his correspondence; with
massive notes from the best authorities, in
English, German and French, filling double
the number of pages occupied by the transla
tion. (1896).
7. The Real Napoleon Buonaparte. (1894-
1895)- 8. Napoleone di Buonaparte. Two series;
a sequel to No. 7, which the noted sportsman,
writer, lawyer and railroad man, Charles E.
Whitehead, wrote, "read like volleys of mus
ketry," just equivalent in force of expression
to Adj. -Gen. Pruyn's letter, "the courage to
divide a hornet's nest. "
Frank Allaben.

JOHN P. RIDER was born in Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, N, Y. , January 28, 1835.
His father, Albert A, Rider, was born in
Rhinebeck in 1807, and his mother, Caroline
(Jennings), was born in the same town in
1808, His paternal grandparents were Philip
Rider, born at Dartmouth, Mass,, in 1781,
and his wife, Catherine (Van Freden'burgh),
born at Rhinebeck, N, Y, , in 1786. His ma
ternal grandparents were John Jennings, born

in 1773, at Windham, Conn., and Aurelia
(Bard), his wife, born in 1778, at Sharon,
Conn, His paternal great-grandparents were
Thurston Rider and Hannah (Cummings),
both of Dartmouth, JMassachusetts.
It will thus be seen that our subject traces
his lineage back on one side to genuine Yankee
blood, and on the other to the stalwart Dutch
of New York. His primary education was re
ceived in the district schools of his native
town, and later he attended the old Rhinebeck
Academy, one of the best schools of that day,
where he easily took a leading position among
the students from his exceptional abHity. His
classmates often recalled, in later years, his
quiet, unobtrusive ways, his sterling qualities
of mind and character, his fine progress in his
studies, and his clean, manly record- through
his school-days. When sixteen years old, he
took a clerkship with his uncle, John F. Jen
nings, at Kingston, N. Y. , where he began his
successful business career. He remained there
two years, and then returned to Rhinebeck to
act as deputy to his father, who had been ap
pointed postmaster by President Pierce. In
1855 he accepted a position in a wholesale
dry-goods establishment in New York City, and
has, therefore, a very vivid recollection of the
great financial panic of 1857, for, though but
just of age, his employers furnished abundant
proof of his ability and trustworthiness by
sending him on a collecting tour through the
far Western States.
In i860, a few months before the breaking
out of the Civil war, he was married to Cor
nelia A. De Forest, who is a lineal descend
ant of Col. Johannis Snyder, of the First Regi
ment of Militia in Ulster county, which was
formed at New Paltz on the 19th of January,
1776. In 1863 he was appointed secretary of the
New York Rubber Co. , and held that position
in New York City until 1883, when the com
pany expressed their further confidence in him
by making him vice-president of the company,
and putting him in charge of their affairs at
Matteawan, N, Y,, where their extensive man
ufacturing works are situated. He then be
came a resident of Fishkill-on-Hudson, and
has ever since been identified with the best in
terests of the historic town of Fishkill. In 1886,
whHe absent on a visit to Florida, the people
honored him with an election as supervisor for
the town, and the following year he was re
elected, and was, moreover, chosen chairman

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

165

of the board of supervisors of Dutchess county.
Here he displayed the same marked ability
and unswerving integrity in presiding over their
deliberations that he had shown in managing
the business of the town. He was subsequently
elected president of the village of Fishkill Land
ing, in which capacity he served one term with
signal success. He was afterward Democratic
candidate for member of the Assembly for the
First District of Dutchess County, and although
there was a Republican majority of 1,200 in
the district, his popularity brought him such a
flattering vote that the usual majority was re
duced one third. But Mr. Rider is not quite
the kind of a man to make an all-round poli
tician. He has too fine a sense of right; too
keen an- appreciation of his duty to the
people; too firm a determination to do that
duty on all occasions; and too much self-respect
to make him a subservient tool of the leaders
in practical politics. Whatever political offices
he held came to him unsought, and all their
obligations were faithfully fulfilled. His sterl
ing worth, his business integrity, and public
confidence in his sound judgment caused him
to be elected vice-president of the recently in
corporated Matteawan National Bank, to the
success of which he has largely contributed.
Mr. Rider is a Free and Accepted Mason
of forty years' honorable standing, a member
of Palestine Commandery, Knights Templar, of
the famous Mecca Temple of the Mystic
Shrine, and has attained the exalted position
of the Thirty-second degree in the Ancient Ac
cepted Scottish Rite Masonry in the Valley of
New York, Northern Jurisdiction of America.
These facts serve to emphasize the esteem in
which he is held by his fellow-citizens and by
the Masonic craft. He is a man of quiet, un
obtrusive, retiring manners, yet always a pol
ished gentleman and man of the world, apt at
business, cool, calm and reticent, yet endowed
with a cultivated insight into men and business
which makes him a wise administrator of af
fairs, public or private, a successful employer
of labor, and a valuable citizen. He is a fine
specimen of such as carve out their own careers
in this free land. Not a college graduate, he
is stiH a well-read man, not only in commercial
matters, but also in polite and elegant litera
ture, and in the various departments of science.
Genial and entertaining among his friends, en
dowed with a fund of wit and humor always at
his command, he is respected and loved most
by those who know him best.

CLASSICS M. C. SMITH, the enterprising
^i and popular proprietor of "The Woron-
ock, " at New Hackensack, Dutchess county,
one of the best hotels in this region, is a native
of Columbia county, but his family has been
identified with Dutchess county for several gen
erations. David Smith, his grandfather, was born in
the town of Clinton, and spent his life there,
following agricultural pursuits. He had nine
children: Lewis, Thomas, Stephen, Henry,
Joseph, Solomon, Sarah, Eliza and Carrie.
Lewis Smith, our subject's father, was born
March 14, 1818, and passed his early years at
the old homestead. He married Elizabeth
Hicks, a descendant of one of the pioneer fam
iHes of the town of Pleasant Valley, where her
great-grandfather, Joseph Hicks, and his wife,
formerly Miss Filkins, located in Colonial times,
obtaining a grant of land from Queen Anne.
Her grandfather, Samuel Hicks, a prominent
resident of that locality, married Margaret Doty,
and reared a family of three children: Ben
jamin, Mary (Mrs. Samuel Halstead) and Sam
uel S., Mrs. Smith's father, who enjoyed fine
educational privileges owing to his inability to
perform the hard labors of the farm. He be
came a teacher in Poughkeepsie, but after his
marriage to Miss Mary Peters returned to the
old home to reside. Mrs. Smith was one of
the following children: Margaret, who mar
ried Thomas Smith, a farmer of the town
of Washington; Hewlett P., a resident of the
town of Clinton; Elizabath (Mrs. Smith); Ed
ward S., a retired farmer of Pleasant Valley;
Elias, a merchant in Rochester, N. Y. ; Burtis,
a farmer in the town of Clinton; Hannah, the
widow of Asa Smith; and Mary (deceased),
who married Solomon Merritt, a carpenter at
Rochester. After their marriage our subject's parents
lived upon a farm in the town of Clinton for a
short time, and then moved to Columbia coun
ty, and remained twenty years. On returning
they settled at Clinton Corners, where Mr.
Smith's father was engaged in the cattle busi
ness. In 1859 he bought a farm in the town
of Lagrange, where he died June 12, 1884.
He was a Republican politically, and he and
his wife, who survived him, adhered to the
Quaker faith.
Our subject was born February 6, 1848.
He was only seven years old when his parents
moved to Clinton Corners, and ten, when they
established their home on the farm, where he

166

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

grew to manhood. At twenty-two he engaged
in the butcher's trade, which he followed twen
ty-three years. In April, 1892, he purchased
"The Woronock", at New Hackensack, a
"landmark" of the place, formerly known as
" Yates Tavern ", and moved there November
I, following. Under his business-like manage
ment steam-heat and other modern improve
ments have been added, and it is a favorite
resort of tourists. It will accommodate about
forty guests, and in the summer season it is
well filled. One especially pleasing feature is
the cuisine, as Mr. Smith keeps a farm of forty
acres to supply his table.
On February 26, 1872, he married Carrie
A. Dorland, and they have one daughter, Edith
C. Mrs. Smith's ancestors were early residents
of the town of Lagrange, and her father, Sam
uel Dorland, was a well-known farmer and
blacksmith there. He was a cousin of Peter
Dorland, father of Cyrenus Dorland, surrogate
of Dutchess county. Mr, Smith is a public-
spirited, influential man, his circle of friends
extending far beyond local limits. In politics
he is a Republican,

WILLIAM R. MOORE. The subject of
 this personal narrative, now residing
at Upper Red Hook, N. Y., was born at
Barrytown, N. Y,, in a house standing in Revo
lutionary times. His present residence com
mands one of the finest views of the Catskills
from any inland point, its surrounding forty
acres combining village privileges with space
and comfort,
Mr. Moore's family record runs back to the
time when New York State was but a Province.
The old stone house still standing near Barry
town Corners was in the family for five gener
ations. The tract of land coming into his
possession as he reached his majority, and
which he sold in later years to John Aspinwall,
was originaHy a portion of the grant of Col.
Peter Schuyler, and deeded to Phillipus Hen-
drich Mohr, his great-grandfather, in 1771,
He died in 1775, before the Declaration of
Independence was declared, Peterus Moore,
his son, served in the Revolutionary army,
and family traditions picture his wife subjected
to the depredations of the British soldiery (as
they sailed up the Hudson in their sloops),
hiding her food and begging them to spare her
last horse. The line of descent is as follows:
Phillipus Hendrich Mohr, born about 1723,

died in 1775, married Engel Dederick. Pe
terus Moore, their son, born November, 1743,
died May, 1833, married Christyna Benner,
December, 1770. Garret Moore, their son,
born March, 1793, died June, 1826, married
Lanah Rowe, January, 18 15. William R.
Moore, their son, was born August 22, 1826,
and was united in marriage with Jane Ann
Ten Broeck, who was born on the old Ten
Broeck homestead in Germantown, Columbia
Co., N. Y. , AprH 27, 1830, and was educated
in Hudson Academy. To this worthy couple
have been born five children, namely: Anna
B., WiHiam B., Helen R., Hattie E. and
Minnie. Hattie E, died when she arrived at
maturity. Helen R. is the wife of Rev, John
Morrison, of Fishkill-on-Hudson, by whom
she has two children: Stewart Ten Broeck
and Anna Janette, and the famHy is now loca
ted at Portland, Ore., where Mr. Morrison is
pastor of a flourishing Presbyterian Church.
The early history of the Yen Broeck family,
to which Mrs. Moore belongs, dates back to
1626, when Wessel Ten Broeck, a merchant
from Munster, Westphalia, came over in com
pany with Peter Minuit (pronounced Menewe),
the newly appointed director of New Nether
lands. He settled in New Amsterdam as a
merchant. He had three sons, Derick Wessel,
Hendrick Wessel and Joachim Wessel. Derick
Wessel, the eldest, was born in 1639, and
known in history as Maj. Wessel. As early
as 1662 he was the largest fur-trader at Beaver-
Wyck (now Albany). He was largely engaged
in Indian and other public affairs. The his
torical records of New York show that in 1689
he was employed by Gov. Dongan as ambassa
dor to Canada to settle matters of Provincial
difficulty. He was also major of mHitia, com
missary first recorder of Albany in 1686, mayor
of Albany in 1696, and Indian commissioner.
He bought of the heirs of Anneke Jans, in
1662, her residence on the east corner of State
and James streets, which became his city
dwelling, being the same lot now occupied by
the Mechanical & Traders Bank and the
Evening Journal buildings. He owned much
real estate, and Ten Broeck street in Albany
was named for him. By deed of date Octo
ber 26, 1694, Robert Livingston conveyed to
him a tract of land on both sides of Roeliff
Jansen's KiH, containing about 1,200 acres,
also a tract on the Hudson river of 600 acres,
situated 200 paces south of the old Livingston
Manor House.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

167

In 1663, he married Christyna Van Buren,
who died November 23, 1729; his death oc
curred September 18, 17 17. Their eldest son,
Wessel, was Indian commissioner, recorder of
Albany, and lieutenant of mHitia. From this
line descended Gen. Abraham Ten Broeck, of
Revolutionary fame. As president of the
committee of safety of New York, he carried
on an able and patriotic correspondence with
Hon. John Hancock, President of Congress.
He married Elizabeth, sister of Stephen Van-
Renssalaer, the fourth Patroon of the Manor
of Renssalaerwyck. Their son, Derrick Ten
Broeck, a lawyer, was for three sessions the
eloquent speaker of the House ofthe Assembly,
New York State. All these facts are proved
true in histories and documents in the State
Library at Albany. Up to the present date,
the tract of land on the Hudson, at German-
town, deeded by Robert Livingston to Derrick
Wessel Ten Broeck, in 1694, has descended
from eldest son to eldest son, so that, most
literally, it may be called "old homestead,"
having been in the family over two hundred
years. There is preserved the oldest known
family Bible in the Ten Broeck line, and also
a portrait of an ancestor, Jacob Ten Broeck,
born in 1700, son of the above Wessel. This
ancestor was married in 1725 to Christyna
Van Alen, who died July 28, 1758. His death
occurred September 14, 1774.
From the founder in America to the eldest
brother of Mrs. Moore, this branch of the Ten
Broeck family is«traceable through the eldest
sons, (i) Derrick Wessel married Christyna
Van Buren in '1663, (2) Wessel married
Cathryna Loermans in 1684, (3) Jacob mar
ried Christyna Van Alen, September 29, 1725.
(4) Wessel married Janetje Person, February
4, 1764. (5) Jacob married Christina Schep-
mas. (6) Jacob (the father bf Mrs. Moore),
who married Anna Benner, is the next in
direct descent. (7) Jacob Wessel, her brother,
married Sarah Ann Evarts, May 24, 1848. (8)
Andrew J., his son, married Julia Winans, Oc
tober 26, 1882.
Hon. Jacob Ten Broeck, the father of Mrs.
Moore, was born on the Ten Broeck home
stead at Germantown, May 13, 1800. In
1844 he removed to Hudson, leaving his son,
Jacob Wessel, the old homestead; was made a
charter director of the Farmers National Bank,
of Hudson, at its organization in 1839, and he
was the oldest officer of that institution at the
time of his death in 1883. During the troub

lous times of the Civil war he efficiently served
as mayor of Hudson, and was also a member
of the Assembly from Columbia county in later
years. He married Anna Benner, who was
born November 15, 1798, and was a daughter
of Hendrick Benner, of the town of Red Hook,
Dutchess county. She died March 26, 1879.

RS. CATHERINE E. TAYLOR, the
subject of this sketch, spent her early
life in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county,
attending the district schools and Miss Booth's
boarding school, besides a private school at
Fishkill, She met Edward Preston Taylor in
Poughkeepsie, where they were married. He
was born in Orange, N. J., and was a member
of the firm of Nelson & Taylor, cabinet makers,
with their place of business on the corner of
Main and Crannell streets.
After their marriage our subject and her
husband conducted the ' ' Forbus House, " which
stood where the " Nelson House " now is, and
was where the old stage house was located, a
very historic spot. When Mr. Taylor died,
Mrs. Taylor continued to run the "Forbus
House" until 1875, when she built the new
"Nelson House, " which was opened April i,
1876. The house was named in honor of our
subject's brother. Judge Homer A. Nelson. Two
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor:
Ella Kate, and Nelson (deceased). Ella mar
ried F. J. Jewett, of Albany, N. Y. , and they
have two children — Rev. F'G. Jewett, rector
of St, Paul's Church at Albany, and Edward
Taylor Jewett, of the Albany Engraving Co.
The Rev. F. G. Jewett has one daughter,
Catherine Pauline, and a son, F. G. Jewett (3).
Reuben Nelson, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was born in Dutchess county; was
drafted for the Revolutionary war, and served
as one of the " Minute men, " receiving a pen
sion for his services. He married Miss Han
nah Morse, a native of Delaware county, N. Y.
Reuben Nelson, Jr. , grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in the town of Lagrange, where
he went to school, and later engaged in farm
ing. He married' Miss Catherine Garzee,
whose birth took place in Newport, R. I. She
was a daughter of a French sea captain, who
owned a vessel and came to America and joined
LaFayette's army in the cause of American
Independence. John M. Nelson, the only chHd
of Reuben, was born on the old homestead in
Lagrange, where his early education was ob-

168

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

tained, and where he was married to Miss
Eliza Smith, who was born in Boston of Eng
lish parents. Their chHdren were: Catherine
Eliza, our subject; Laura, Homer A., Charles
and John, of New York City; and Cora, who
married Dr. Vandenser.

JOHN W. SPAIGHT, a prominent resident
of Fishkill-on Hudson, Dutchess county,
whose able editorial management of the
Standard has made that paper influential
throughout the community, is one of the men
whose energies and abilities have been con
stantly and consistently devoted to the best in
terests of the town.
He is a native of Dutchess county, having
first seen the light in Poughkeepsie, May 26,
1833. He attended the common schools of
that city until the age of fourteen, and in 1849
entered the office of the Poughkeepsie Tele
graph as an apprentice, remaining five years.
On attaining his majority he took charge of
the Highland Eagle at Peekskill, the prede
cessor of the present Highlaiid Democrat.
The following year he purchased the paper,
and carried it on successfully for three years,
when he sold it with the intention of going
into business elsewhere; but his plans failing
he remained in charge of the office for another
year. In the spring of 1859 he returned to
Poughkeepsie, and formed a partnership with
A. S. Pease and J. G. P. Holden for the pub
lication of the Daily Press; but this venture
proved a failure, and he lost all that he had
made while in Peekskill. After three years in
Poughkeepsie he purchased the Fishkill Stand
ard with the assistance of his brother-in-law,
James E. Member, and February 10, 1862, he
assumed the control of the paper. The office
was a very small one and the paper only a
seven-column folio; but by untiring industry
and judicious management the enterprise has
been made to prosper, and the Standard has
been enlarged from time to time until it is now
a folio of nine columns.
Mr. Spaight was married January i, 1856,
at Peekskill, to Miss Elizd. J. Diven, of that
village, and they have four children — three
sons and one daughter. The sons are all con
nected with the Standard office in various ca
pacities, and are giving evidence of the same
qualities which have marked their father's suc
cessful work in the journalistic field. The
family are identified with the Methodist I

Church, Mr. Spaight and his wife having be
come members whHe in PeekskHI, and he has
been steward, district steward, trustee (for
thirty-three years), and president of the board
of trustees. In the Sunday-school he was a
leading worker for twenty-five years, having
been a teacher, secretary, treasurer, and super
intendent. He resides in a beautiful part of
the viHage, on high ground overlooking the
river and bay, the view including the mount
ains and city of Newburgh. His place has
been named " The Cedars," from the fact that
the hHl was formerly covered with a fine
growth of cedar trees, only a few of which now
remain. As a public-spirited citizen Mr. Spaight has
always been ready to encourage any worthy
movement and to assist in local affairs. He
was the first treasurer of the village of Fish
kill Landing; holding the office for several
years, and a trustee four terms; was a trustee
of the public schools for about sixteen years,
and is now treasurer of the school district.
He has been connected with the Howland Cir
culating Library, as its secretary, since its or
ganization in 1872; is a trustee of the Mechan
ics Savings Bank, for several years has been
a member of the funding committee, and is
now its second vice-president. He is affiliated
with the Masonic fraternity, was secretary of
Beacon Lodge No. 283, F. &A. M., for some
time, and for the last seventeen years has held
the office of treasurer.

WILLIAM B. MILLARD, for many years
 the senior member of the firm of W.
MHlard Sons, of New Hamburg, Dutchess
county, now the MHlard Lumber Co., is a
worthy representative of a family which has
been distinguished through several generations
for business ability, integrity, public-spirit, and
all those admirable qualities of character which
go to make good citizenship. The head of the
American branch of the family came froip
France at an early date, settling in New Eng
land, and John MHlard, our subject's great
grandfather, lived in Cornwall, Conn., where
he had a sawmHl.
V Charles Millard, our subject's grandfather,
was born in Cornwall, Conn., in 1763, and be
longed to the army of the Revolution in 1780,
in his eighteenth year. His first wife was
Lydia Pride, a native of Poughkeepsie. He

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

169

settled in Marlboro, Ulster county, where he
was engaged in the lumber business untH 1824,
when he moved to New Hamburg and opened
a lumber yard. He manufactured his lumber
from the raw material and had an extensive
trade for that early day, the distance from our
own times being more easily realized when the
fact is recalled that he witnessed the trial trip
of Robert Fulton's steamer on the Hudson in
1807. He was prominent in local affairs and a
leading member of the Presbyterian Church.
On June 17, 18 16, his first wife died, leaving
seven children, and October 22, 18 18, he mar
ried Sarah MHler, by whom he had two chil
dren. ^His own death occurred AprH 30, 1827.
Of the first family the eldest son (i) John was
born May 21, 1789; (2) Charles MiHard, born
September 15, 1792, located in New Orleans,
where he acquired a large fortune. He was a
man of unusual energy and business abHity,
and took a prominent part in affairs in his
adopted city. (3) James, born August 15 ,1795,
was a wholesale dealer in lumber and coal at
CatskiH. (4) Cornelia, born June 27, 1797,
married Hackaliah Purdy, of Marlboro. (5)
WHliam born June 19, 1800, settled in
Galena, 111,, and became a leading business
man there, holding the office of postmaster
at one time. His later years were spent
in traveling in Europe and the United States,
and he died while in Jacksonville, Florida.
(6) Walter, our subject's father, is men
tioned below. (7) Catherine, born August 21,
1803, married Elem Dunbar, then of Pough
keepsie and later of Cortland county. The
children of the second family were Margaret
G., born May 24, 1820, and Franklin, born
February 26, 1824.
Walter MHlard was born in Marlboro, Feb
ruary 27, 1802, and remained there untH the
removal of the family to New Hamburg. Un
til 1834 he was engaged in the lumber business
exclusively, but at that time he became inter
ested in the freighting business and buHt the
barge " Lexington," which ran between New
York and New Hamburg. In 1844 he pur
chased the steamboat "Splendid," which car
ried freight from New Hamburg and Marlboro
to New York City. About 1855 he disposed of
this line of business to give his attention to
dealing in lumber and coal, which he continued
until his death, August 20, 1880. He was a
man of remarkable business acumen and the
energy and enterprise to carry his projects to
completion. A strict Presbyterian in religious

faith, his life was marked by integrity and fair
dealing. In politics he was in early years a
Whig and later a Democrat. He was mar
ried, November 14, 1834, to Martha Hyer
Bull, a native of New York City, who died
June 14, 1896. Her father, WiHiam BuH,
who was of English birth, was a well-known
saddle and harness dealer in New York, and
was the first to import hame collars from Eng
land. He had six sons, viz.: William B.,
Walter P., Howard C. , Charles, I. Edward
and Fenweck T. , the last two named being
now deceased.
William B. Millard was born at New Ham
burg, June 10, 1836. When a young man he
began clerking in his father's office, and in
1863 became a partner in the business, the
firm name being W. MiHard & Son. After his
father's death he conducted the business under
the same name until 1884, when his brothers,
Howard C. and Charles, entered the firm,
which became known as W. MHlard Sons.
On November i, 1893, a corporation was
formed under the present title of the Millard
Lumber Company. They employ about 150
men in the various departments of their work,
which includes the manufacture of the finished
product from sawed green lumber, their mills
and factory being located at Rouse's Point, in
the Adirondack region. They do a wholesale
business there, while their retail trade is sup
plied from their yards at New Hamburg and
Marlboro. On February 8, i860, Mr. MiHard was
married to Miss Cordelia A. Lawson, a lady of
Dutch descent, and daughter of William I.
and Ann (Smith) Lawson, of New Hamburg.
Two chHdren were born of this union: Martha
H., the wife of Harris S. Reynolds, of Pough
keepsie, and William I., who is not married.
Mr. MiHard and wife are prominent members
of the Presbyterian Church, and he has taken
an active interest in many movements tending
to promote the public welfare, being especially
devoted to the temperance reform and to the
improvement of the schools. He has been
president of the board of education, and is a
member of the National Division of the Sons
of Temperance. In poHtics he is a Democrat,
but favors a liberal tariff. He has at times
held minor offices, declining, however, further
honors, although as one of the leading men
in southern Dutchess county, he has more
than once been urged, to enter the political
arena.

170

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

THOMAS McWHINNIE, a weH-known
 manufacturer, of Poughkeepsie, Dutch
ess county, was born in that city, March 20,
1842, and is the son of James and Euphemia
(Hall) McWhinnie, both natives of Scotland,
the former born at Glasgow in 1807, and the
latter at Paisley in 18 19.
Thomas McWhinnie, the grandfather of
our subject, was born it is supposed in Edin
burgh, as he came from there, and was a
weaver by trade. His brother, John, up to
his death, was keeper of Edinburgh Castle,
where the Scottish regalia are kept. Grand
father Thomas McWhinnie was married in
1804 to Janet Crawford, who was the mother
of all his chHdren. She died in 1819, and in
1828 he married Margaret McAllister. In
May, 1829, the family sailed from Greenock in
the sailing vessel "Roger Stewart," arriving,
on the fourth of July following, in New York
City, where they made their first home in the
New World on 20th street, between 8th and
9th avenues. Grandfather McWhinnie's second
wife did not come to this country with him;
but after a year or two's sojourn here he went
back to Scotland, and staid there until her
death, when he again came to the United
States, and died in New York.
Grandfather McWhinnie had six chil
dren, namely: (i) Margaret, married to Alex
ander Cameron, a machinist; (2) Janet, mar
ried at West Farms, Westchester Co., N. Y.
(now a part of New York City), to Robert B.
Wilson, who in his younger days was captain.
of a sloop running on the North, or Hudson,
river, the East river and the Bronx, up to
West Farms; (3) Elizabeth, who became the
wife of James Reed, who was in the Custom
House at Glasgow a great many years until
pensioned off; (4) Peter, who was a weaver by
trade; (5) John, also a weaver, who died in
New York City; and James, the father of
Thomas, Our subject's parents came to
America before their marriage, and resided in
New York City and other places, finally mov
ing to Poughkeepsie, where they were married.
Here the father followed his trade as a weaver
for about thirty-three years. He then re
moved to New York City, where he continued
to work at weaving until his death July 17,
1866; his wife died September 11, 1851. He
was originally a Whig, later a Republican.
They had four children: Catherine and James
died in infancy; Thomas is the subject of this
sketch; and Archibald is a farmer in Wisconsin.

The father was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in
1807, and reared there, being twenty-two years
old when he came to this countr)' in 1829.
Thomas McWhinnie attended the public
schools in Poughkeepsie until he was twelve
years old, when he went to Wappingers Falls,
where he worked in the cotton mills for nine
months at two dollars a week. He then re
turned to Poughkeepsie, and worked for two
and a half years in a bakery at $25 a year and
his board, the first year; at $30 a year and
his board, the second year; and at $35 a year
and his board the remainder of the time, leav
ing the bakery in the winter of 1857, the year
of the financial panic. In the spring (^ 1858
he went to learn the tinner's trade, but left it
after serving about one and one-quarter years,
and went to work in Chichester & Co.'s chair
factory, which stood on the site where his own
factory now stands. In 1863 he was employed
for a few months in repairing railroad bridges,
afterward going to New York City and work
ing in a chair factory for four years, and for
about one year more was a partner in a chair
factory. In 1869 Mr. McWhinnie again returned to
Poughkeepsie, and embarked in the business
in which he has since been successfully en
gaged; manufacturing all kinds of wheelbar
rows — such as canal, coal, garden, ore, stone,
brick and wood barrows; also the celebrated
Dutchess Bolted Canal, and Dutchess Bolted
Garden wheelbarrows. His first location was
at No. 25 N. Water street, but in 1883 he
erected the large brick factory in which he is
now established, at Nos. 39 and 41 South
Water street, and 31 and 33 South Front
street. His products are shipped to New
York City and other points, whence they are
sent all over the world. Mr. McWhinnie is a
man of progressive ideas, of excellent business
ability and great energy, and has worked his
way up from a poor boy to his present posi
tion. He is popular with his associates, and
is a loyal citizen always ready to assist in pub
lic enterprises, Mr, McWhinnie was married June i, 1871,
to Miss Fannie Whitwell, who was born in
Poughkeepsie, Her father, Thomas Whit
well, and her mother Mary (Arnold) Whit
well, were natives of Peterborough, England.
He followed farming in East Park. Three
children were born of this union: Mary E.,
who was married to Frank Brooks on October
7, 1896; Fannie J. and Roy A. ; the last named

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

171

died January 13, 1893. ^Ir, McWhinnie isa
Republican, and in 1882 he was elected alder
man ofthe Second ward, serving some two and
one-half years; in 1896 he was selected by his
party to represent them on the board of super
visors, being elected for two years. He is a
member ofthe Congregational Church, and has
been a trustee of that body for eight years.
Socially he has been a member of the Masonic
order since 1864, and also belongs to the
Ancient Order of United Workmen.

JAMES STUART CHAFFEE. The family
to which the subject of this sketch belongs
•is of good old Puritan stock, having been
founded in the New World in 1635, at Hing
ham, Mass., by Thomas Chaffee, who landed
at Boston a year or two previous. He re
moved to Hull, where he died in 1683. His
son, Joseph Chaffee, married Ann Martin, of
Swansea, Mass., and died in that town in
1689. His son, John Chaffee, removed to
Woodstock, where Joel Chaffee, the son of
John, died. Joshua, the youngest son of Joel,
was born in Woodstock, Conn., in 1733, and
in 1755 moved to Sharon, Conn. On July
22, 1755, he wedded Mary St. John, and they
continued to live at Sharon untH 1760, when
they removed to Ellsworth, Conn., where his
death occurred October 8, 1789, and she
passed away August 28, 1824. Their son,
Joshua Bignall Chaffee, the grandfather of our
subject, was born at Sharon, Conn., March 8,
1 78 1, and became a farmer by occupation.
On June 4, 1809, he was united in marriage
with Ann Seymour, a daughter of Amos and
Sarah (Cook) Seymour, of Plymouth, Conn. ;
her death occurred June 4, 18 19. Later he
was united in marriage (December 25. 1820)
with Hannah Birdsey, who was born at Corn
wall, Conn., September 29, 1791. At the
time of his death, the grandfather was most
acceptably serving as one of the magistrates of
Sharon. The birth of Jerome Seymour Chaffee, the
father of our subject, occurred at Ellsworth,
Conn., December 14. 18 14, and he was there
educated in the common schools. At Kent,
in that State, on October 24, 1839, he was
married to Miss Aritta Stuart, daughter of
James and Melinda Stuart. She was born De
cember 15, 18 12, and was called to her final
rest November 24, 1872. Later, the father
was married (June 8, 1876), at Sharon, to

Adelia Emma Fuller, who was born March
13, 1841, the daughter of Cyrus Sackett
and Harriet Fuller. Until 1855 Jerome S.
Chaffee continued to reside at Sharon, at
which time he came to the town of Amenia,
Dutchess county, where he has since engaged
in farming. He is a consistent member of the
Congregational Church at Ellsworth, Conn.,
and politically cast his first vote in support of
the Whig party, later becoming an Abolitionist,
and since its organization has been a stalwart
Republican. By his fellow citizens he has been
called upon to serve in the positions of high
way commissioner and assessor.
James Stuart Chaffee, whose name intro
duces this review, was born at Sharon, Conn.,
October 3, 1846, and was educated at Wes
leyan Academy, WHbraham, Mass. He was
married at Kent, Conn., on September 17,
1872, to Miss Lydia A. Judd, who was born
December 16, 1850, and is a daughter of Ed
ward Matthew and Laura (Cartwright) Judd.
Of their union there are five children: Jerome
Stuart, born November 11, 1873, is a graduate
of the Yale University, and expects to com
plete the course in the medical department of
the University of Pennsylvania with the class of
'97; Edward Judd, born August 6, 1875, mar
ried Celia M. Cline; Aritta L, , born August 22, ¦
1877, graduated at~"Wesleyan Academy in
1896; Everitte St. John, born November 15,
1879; and RoHo N., born February 28, 1882.
After his marriage Mr. Chaffee removed to
his present residence in the town of Amenia,
and for about four years was engaged in the
flour, feed, grain and lumber business with
WHliam H. Tanner, of Wassaic, but wiih that
exception his entire life has been devoted to
agricultural pursuits, and with excellent results,
showing that he thoroughly understands the
occupation which he has chosen. His unwav
ering support is given the Republican party,
and he has served in several positions of honor
and trust, such as highway commissioner and
justice of the peace and supervisor.

€\HARLES F. HASBROOK, a leading busi-
_' ness man of New Hamburg, Dutchess
county, the senior member of the well-known
firm of Capt. Wm. Hasbrook's Sons, forward
ing and commission merchants, was born Jan
uary 2, 1845, at CortlandvHle, in the town of
East Fishkill, where his ancestors were among
the early settlers. The family originated in

172

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

Holland, and its representatives in this locali
ty are descended from three brothers who came
to this country together, two settling in Ulster
county, and one in Dutchess county, at Fish
kiH. Francis Hasbrook, our subject's grandfa
ther, was born there August 5, 1789, and be
came a merchant at CortlandvHle, where he
was a prominent citizen, an active supporter
of the Whig party and a leading member, of
the Reformed Church, with which most of his
descendants have united. He married Mar
garet Blatchly, a native of Fishkill, who died
July II, 1839, and he survived her until
March 8, 1854. They bad three children, of
whom William Hasbrook, our subject's father,
was the eldest, the others being: Susan H.,
born July 25, 1824, married to Albert Emans,
a farmer in Fishkill, and Sarah R. , born
March 20, 1830, married to John P. Storm, a
farmer at Stormville.
William Hasbrook was born at Cortland
vHle November 12, 1822, and grew to man
hood there. He was engaged in the mercan
tile business with his father for some time,
and later conducted it alone, but in 1857 he
became captain of the steamer "Wyoming,"
which he ran for twelve years. From 186910
1872 he followed the freighting business at
New Hamburg, and then for five years was
captain of the "Walter Brett," a steamboat
running between New Hamburg and New
York, and on leaving this he resumed the
freighting business and continued it until his
death, which occurred December 18, 1893.
He was a Republican in politics, and promi
nent in local affairs, serving some time as clerk
of the town of East FishkiH, and he was the
first postmaster of that village. On August
17, 1843, he married Maria Storm, daughter
of Gory and Anna (Boice) Storm. She died
June 28, 1874, leaving three children, of whom
our subject, Charles F. , was the eldest, the
others being: Emily, born December 11,
1849, died April 9, 1852, and George A.,
born July 27, 1856, is a member of the firm.
Charles F. Hasbrook was educated in the
schools of New Hamburg and Hughsonville.
On leaving school he clerked for four years in
a grocery in New York City, and then came
back to New Hamburg, where he was engaged
for a year in the feed business, afterward in a
grocery. On March i, 1886, he became inter
ested in his father's business, and since the
latter's death the two sons have carried it on

successfully. On January 13, 1869. Mr. Has
brook married Miss Jennie E. Van Voorhis,
who was born September 10, 1845, ^t Brink-
erhoffvHIe. Her parents, William H. and
Elizabeth (Haight) Van Voorhis, were both
natives of Dutchess county, the former having
been born at Matteawan, May 24, 1809. Three
children were the result of this marriage, of
whom only one is now living, Edward G. , born
October 24, 1870.
Mr. Hasbrook, as one of the leading men
of southern Dutchess county, has been influen
tial in local affairs, and is prominent in the
Republican party, although he has never held
office, with the exception of four years as
justice of the peace of the town of Wappinger.
He is a member of the F. & A. M. , Wappingers
Falls Lodge No, 671, of Poughkeepsie Chap
ter No. 172, and Poughkeepsie Commandery
No. 43,

The subject of this
the town of North-
Y., September 24,

time had been one

^EBULON RUDD.
^Jj sketch was born in
east, Dutchess Co., N.
1823. The family for a lon^
of influence in the eastern part of the county,
and also in western Connecticut, from which
locality Mr, Rudd 's~ great-grandfather came.
The following is a brief record of the family:
Lieut. Jonathan Rudd, the founder of the
family in America, came to New England
about the year 1637. He was a resident of
New Haven, Conn,, in 1644, when he took
the oath of fidelity to the government. He
was at Say brook in 1646. In the winter of
1646-47 he was married. The occasion was
a romantic one, and is often referred to. in the
State disputes concerning boundary lines.
The magistrate, who had been engaged to per
form the ceremony, was delayed by a great and
sudden snowfall, and application was at once
made to John Winthrop, then acting as mag
istrate under the jurisdictionof Massachusetts.
In order that he might obviate any infringe
ment of the law, the parties agreed to meet
at a little stream — to this day known as Bride
brook — which served as a, boundary between
New London and Lynn. There, in the
solemn stHlness of the forest, Winthrop, stand
ing upon one bank, joined together the man
and woman who stood upon the other.
Jonathan Rudd was a settler of Norwich,

^^^^u^cJ^l/X

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

173

Conn., later on, and died in 1668, leaving
four chHdren. His eldest son, Jonathan,

born about 1650, married Mercy

(0 W«Vv,vfl^.

in
1678, and died in 1689, leaving a son born in
1684, who afterward became Ensign and Cap
tain Nathaniel Rudd. He "moved to Wind
ham, Conn., where he was a highly respected
member of society, and died at a ripe old age
February 20, 1760. His first wife, the mother
of his children, was Rebecca, daughter of
John Waldo, of Chelmsford, Mass., and his
wife Rebecca, daughter of Samuel Adams, the
progenitor of the Adams family of Massachu
setts. Nathaniel and Rebecca Rudd had four
children, the third of whom was Zebulon,
born at Windham, Conn., in 1717. In 1742
he was married to Jerusha Brewster, and
about 1750 moved to Dutchess county, N. Y, ,
and resided in the town of Amenia, and also
in Northeast. He died in 1802. His family
consisted of eight children — six daughters and
two sons. The eldest child, Nathaniel, born
in 1742, married Naomi St. John, in 1768,
and died in 1774, leaving a widow and three
chHdren. He was the ancestor of the Rudds
of St. Lawrence and Wayne counties, in New
York, and of Litchfield county, in Connecticut,
Zebulon's other son, Bezaleel, born in
175 1, survived his brother seventy -two years,
and died in 1846, aged ninety-five years and
one month. During the greater part of his
Hfe he resided at Northeast, Dutchess Co.,
N. Y. He served faithfully during the war of
the Revolution. Having signed the pledge
with his father, Zebulon, in July, 1775, he
served in the Continental army from August,
1775, to February, 1777, when he^left the
army with the rank of major. That same year
he^arried Ruth Brush, and they had seven
children, of whom the second was Reuben
Brush Rudd, born in 1780. He lived at the
old place at the northern end of Rudd Pond,
Northeast, N. Y. , but in middle life spent
many years at Poughkeepsie. He was presi
dent of the village of Poughkeepsie in 18 14.
He married on February 22, 18 13, Elizabeth,
daughter of Capt. Israel Smith, of Newburg,
N. Y., and his wife, Mary, daughter of Col.
Jonathan Hasbrouck.
Elizabeth Smith was born September 3,
1783, in the house which is now known as
"Washington's Headquarters", Newburg, but
then owned by Col. Hasbrouck's son Isaac.
Mr. Rudd's family stHl possess a brocaded satin
cloak given by Lady Washington as a baptis

mal robe for the child which was born a few
days after Washington's departure.
Reuben B. Rudd had five children: Mary,
born November 25, 1813, married Milton
Smith, and died February 14, 1895; Sarah,
born October 29, 181 5, and married to Alex
ander W. Trowbridge, is stiH living at Ansonia,
Conn. John, born December 28, 1817, died
at MobHe, Ala. , October 9, 1842. Charles,
born March 17, 1820, and married to Frances
E. Folk, is StiH living at Pine Plains, N. Y! ;
and Zebulon, the present representative of the
family in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. His early youth
was spent upon his father's farm. Financial
reverses, however, coming upon the family,
the boys were early compelled to seek their
own livelihood.
In 1842 Mr. Rudd came to Poughkeepsie
to take a position as clerk. in the dry-goods
store of Joseph Wright. Here he remained
two years, and then accepted a clerkship with
Bowne & Co., where he remained eight years.
He was then appointed teller and bookkeeper
in the FallkHl Bank, remaining there six years.
Mr. Rudd was next offered the cashiership of
the Dover Plains Bank. Six years after his
going to Dover Plains the First National Bank
of Poughkeepsie was organized, and the direct
ors tendered the position of cashier to Mr.
Rudd. He accepted the offer, and for twen
ty-five years held the position untH his resig
nation in 1889. Since then he has been en
gaged in the brokerage and investment business
in Poughkeepsie. Mr. Rudd was married May 23, 1855, to
Blandina V. Adriance, second daughter of
John Adriance, the founder of the ' ' Buckeye
Manufacturing Co." Three children have
been born to them: Charles Adriance (now
deceased), who married EHa Robinson, of
Poughkeepsie; John Adriance, who married
Bertha Strawn Morgan, of Trenton, Neb,,
and is now Hving in Poughkeepsie; and Ar
thur Belding, who at the present time is study
ing in New York City. V

m B. STOCKHOLM, a prominent resident
^^^ and leading business man of Poughkeep
sie, Dutchess county, is engaged in the crock
ery and glassware business at No. 306 Main
street, where he has carried on operations
since 1885. He was born in that city January
6, 1849, and is descended from Aaron Stock
holm, whose birth occurred on Long Island,

174

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

but who early came to Dutchess county, where
he located on a farm in the town of Hopewell,"
and there married, reared his family and died.
His brother located in St. Lawrence county,
N. Y., obtaining about one thousand acres of
wild land by a grant from King George, and
there are now four villages in that county
named in honor of him.
The son of this Aaron Stockholm (who also
bore the name of Aaron) was the grandfather
of our subject. He was born in Hopewell,
town of East Fishkill, Dutchess county, and
after his marriage with Miss Painter continued
to reside upon the old homestead, where his
death occurred. In politics he was a Demo-
.crat, and religiously was connected with the
Reformed Dutch Church. His family included
three sons: Aaron, who was a harness dealer at
Peekskill, N. Y. ; Richard, who went west to
Illinois and becarne a general merchant, and
Abram, the father of our subject.
On AprH 2, 1819, Abram Stockholm was
born in Hopewell, town of East Fishkill, and
upon the old home farm spent his boyhood and
youth. He was united in marriage with Miss
Antoinette Lyon, who was born in Westches
ter county, N. Y. , and was a daughter of Wal
ter S. Lyon, a retired minister, of English de
scent. In 1840 the young couple located at
Poughkeepsie, where the father engaged in the
furniture business until his death, which oc
curred in 1872. He was a firm supporter of
the Democratic party, and he and his wife con
tributed to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
She is still living; by her marriage with Mr.
Stockholm she became the mother of three
children: Maria L. , who married John S.
Gilbert, a farmer of the town of Hyde Park,
Dutchess county; Helen L,, who married W,
H, Haight, a brick manufacturer of Pough
keepsie, and A. B., the subject of this review.
When A. B. Stockholm had reached a
sufficient age he entered the public schools of
his native city, and completed his literary
training in the old Dutchess County Academy,
in 1865, after which he entered the general
store of Trowbridge & Co., remaining with
them for eleven years. He then clerked for
Robert W, Frost for three years, and in the
fall of 1877 began the retail carpet business at
No. 150 Main street, as a member of the firm
of Marshall & Stockholm, which partnership
was continued until March, 1885, when our
subject sold out his interest, and has since
engaged in his present business.

In 1874 Mr. Stockholm was united in mar
riage with Miss Jennie Ward, a native of the
town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county, and
a daughter of Daniel I. Ward, a farmer of
that township, whose ancestors came from
England. One daughter has been born of
this union, named Helen. In politics, Mr.
Stockholm affiliates with tbe Republican party,
being an earnest advocate of its principles,
and he is prominently identified with the Royal
Arcanum, of which for three years he served as
regent. He and his wife are consistent mem
bers of the Congregational Church, and for
eight years he has served as its treasurer. He
is a highly respected and esteemed citizen of
Poughkeepsie, and as a merchant bears the
reputation of an honest, upright and trust
worthy man.

MARSHALL HERRICK, a prominent
  merchant of Poughkeepsie, and one of
the most enterprising and prosperous of the
business men of that city, is a native of Dutch
ess county, born at Salt Point, in the town of
Pleasant Valley, December 10, 1852, the son
of William and Catharine Elizabeth Herrick,
whose family are the lineal descendants of Sir
Henry Herrick, of England, in the fifteenth
century. Mr. Herrick, after profiting by the some
what limited course of study offered by the
local schools, prepared for college at Amenia
Seminary. He entered Cornell University
with the class of '74, and for two years pur
sued an elective course. While there he was
a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.
At the close of the Sophomore year he returned
home, intending to take up scientific farming,
but circumstances called him aside, and he set
tled in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , in 1876. In
1882 he and Elmer Van VHet purchased the
good will and business of Crosby & Spaulding,
at No. 395 Main street, Mr. Herrick being the
senior member of the new firm. In 1888 he
bought Mr. Van VHet's interest, and since then
has carried on the business alone, removing it,
in 1890, to Nos. 375 and 377 Main street, its
present location. He has from time to time en
larged, and taken in other lines of goods, and
now styles himself a general house furnisher,
supplying everything needed in fitting up a
house. This is the only place of the Idnd in
the city, and the largest in the Hudson River
Valley, and has proved a profitable venture.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

175

Mr, Herrick has shown unusual ability as a
business man, learning the detaHs of his chosen
line of work by practical experience. His
judgment has always balanced his spirit of
enterprise, and he has now an extensive trade,
with a prospect of even greater things in the
near future.
In 1876 Mr. Heirick married Miss Julia
Allen, a daughter of James M. AHen, a leading
citizen of Salt Point, and a descendant of one
of the old families of Dutchess county. Their
only chHd now living, Harold Allen Herrick, is
at River View Academy preparing for Yale
College. Politically, our subject is a Demo
crat with strong Prohibition tendencies, and of
late years has taken an influential part in the
local work of the latter organization. He is a
man of high moral principle, has been an active
member of the Presbyterian ^Church since he
was twelve years of age, and is now a deacon.
He has done a large amount of reading for a
man absorbed in business cares, his preference
being for writers of a substantial nature and
especiaHy those on history, political economy
and the topics of the day.

WILLIAM J. BROWN, who is well
 known in connection with the Frank-
lindale Company, and is a prominent citizen
of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county, was
born in the latter place, January 10, 1844.
Samuel Brown, the father of our subject,
was a native of County Monaghan, Ireland,
and there followed the occupation of folder.
He was married in 1831, and that year came
to the United States. He found employment
in what is known as the Dutchess Print Works,
at Wappingers Falls, and followed that voca
tion untH 1848, when he went into the mer
cantile business, in which he continued until
his death, January 22, 1876. His wife sur
vived him untH 1880. Their children were
nine in number, as foHows: Elizabeth, Joseph,
Samuel R., John H., WiHiam J., Martha,
Henry, and two who died in infancy. Mr.
Brown was originally a Whig, but later be
came a Democrat. He took an active part in
politics, and held a number of local offices.
He was poor master, justice of the peace
and collector for the town of Poughkeepsie;
was one of the first board of trustees of Wap
pingers Falls, and was a trustee of the Savings
Bank of that vHlage.

William J. Brown attended the district
school of his native village during his boyhood,
and in 1861-62 was a student at Princeton, N.
J., afterward attending Williston Seminary at
East Hampton, Mass, Then went to New
York City, and for four years was employed
as custom-house clerk for the large importing
house of Barclay & Livingston, 24 Beaver
street. On January 4, 1871, Mr. Brown was
married to Miss Esther, daughter of George
Warhurst, of Wappingers Falls, and for a short
time was a clerk in his father's store. On
May I, 1872, he was made bookkeeper in the
Franklindale office. In 1881 he was made
superintendent of the Franklindale cotton-mill,
continuing there untH the destruction of the
mHl by fire in October, 1885. Mr. Brown
has since been bookkeeper for the Franklindale
Company, and in connection with that position
is also superintendent of the outside business
of the CHnton company, under WHliam Bogle,
agent. He is a man of fine business ability,
and has the confidence and esteem of the firm
with which he has so long been engaged. He
has always taken an active part in public af
fairs; has been the vHlage treasurer for eighteen
years, and is still holding that position. He
was collector for the town of Poughkeepsie in
1 871, and supervisor for the town of Wappin
ger in 1892. He has been a trustee of the
Savings Bank for twenty-two years, since 1874;
is treasurer of Zion Episcopal Church, and a
trustee of the cemetery association. Socially,
he is a Knight Templar, and, politically, he
belongs to the Republican party, in whose in
terests he is an active worker. He is popular
with all classes of people, and a good citizen of
Wappingers Falls.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown have an interesting
family of six children, all of whom are at home,
namely: Edward McKinlay, Mary Louisa,
Edith, Violetta, Alice and Clayton W.

C\HARLES I. ROUND, one of the most
^1 prominent builders and contractors of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born Oc
tober 28, 1844, in Birmingham, England, where
he received his early education and had his
home until he was twenty-two years old.
In his twenty-second year Mr, Round came
alone to America, landing at New York, whence
he went to California, where he remained a
year, and then returned to New York. For

176

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

three years he worked for Lyons & Bunn,
buHders, during which time he built the East
man Terrace High School, an addition to
Vassar College, and a gas tank at the gas
works. He then returned to CaHfornia, re
maining there for a few months, subsequently
coming to Poughkeepsie and rebuHding the
rolling mHl. In 1877 he went into the buHd
ing business for himself, and erected the Vas
sar Brothers Institute, the Vassar Brothers
Hospital, and two sections of the State Asylum,
although most of his work has been outside of
the city. He buHt the Thorn Memorial Build
ing at Millbank, a fine buHding for Archibald
Rogers on the Hyde Park road, and at the
present time (spring of 1897) has secured the
contract for the building of the New Adriance
Memorial Library, which is to cost $70,000,
and is to be finished in November, 1897.
Although starting at the bottom he has worked
his way up to the top, and is to-day one of the
most successful business men in the county.
Mr. Round was married in New York City
June 20, 1870, to Miss Mary Seckerson, a
native of Dudley, England, and five chHdren
have been born to them, three of whom are
now living: Maud (who married Frank Sco
field), Bertha and Charles. Our subject is a
member of Triune Lodge, F. & A. M., Pough
keepsie Chapter R. A. M., and of the I. O.
O. F., Lodge No. 21.
Eli Round, father of our subject, was a
buHder by trade, which the Round family for
four generations have followed. Eli married
Miss Mary Ann Staley, who is yet living.
They had seventeen children, six of whom are
living: Staley, Adelaide and Alfred are in
England; Charles I., Eli and Herbert are
living in Poughkeepsie. The father died in
England in November, 1896, at the advanced
age of eighty years.

MELSON LOUIS BOICE, one of themost
 energetic and industrious men of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, was born in Water
ford, N, Y., November 2, 1852, and is a son of
Benjamin Boice, whose birth occurred in 1808,
in Poughkeepsie, where he passed his early
life, receiving his education in its public
schools. For a number of years the father
conducted a hotel at Channingville, Dutchess
county, and for several years was engaged in
the livery business on Catherine street, Pough

keepsie. His death, however, occurred at
Waterford, N. Y. He was twice married, by
the first union having one son, WHliam, of
Worcester, Mass. At Poughkeepsie he wed
ded Lettie A. Ostrander, a daughter of Peter
M. Ostrander, and to them were born three
children: Louisa, wife of Franklin S. Haw
ley, of Broadalbin, N. Y. ; Carrie, wife of C.
B. Olmstead, of the same place; and Nelson
Louis. Our subject was only a year old when his
father died, and by his mother he was taken to
Fulton county, N. Y., where his boyhood days
were spent upon a farm, and in the district
schools he obtained his primary edupation.
This he supplemented by a course in the high
school at Broadalbin. His mother later be-.
came the wife of Giles W. ChurchHl, a farmer
(now deceased). 4 In August, 1872, Mr. Boice
came to Poughkeepsie, where he was first em
ployed by Trowbridge & Co. , with whom he
remained six years, and for the following two
years was with Joseph G. Frost, an under
taker. He then returned to his former em
ployers, for whom he worked two and one-half
years, after which he entered the grocery store
of James H. Mills, at No. 282 Main street. At
the end of two years he secured a situation
with Willard H. Crosby, an undertaker, by
whom he was employed for the same length
of time, and the following year was passed
with Leonard Carpenter. Returning to Mr.
Mills, he remained with that gentleman for
two years, and then formed a partnership with
W. V. Holmes, under the firm name of Holmes
& Boice, grocers, at No. 364 Main street. At
the end of a year, and a half this partnership
was dissolved, and Mr. Boice became book
keeper for Hull & Co., for one year. He
then joined Mr. Selfridge, and they conducted
the undertaking business for Mrs. W. H.
Crosby for a year, when she turned the busi
ness over to Mr. and Mrs. Selfridge, with whom
our subject remained five years. On March
15. 1897, he started in the undertaking busi
ness for himself at No. 395 Main street.
In Poughkeepsie, on October 12, 1881,
Mr. Boice was married to Miss Mary W.
Brown, adaughter of Thomas S. Brown, super
intendent of the Buckeye Works. They are
held in high respect by all who know them,
and are sincere Christian people, faithful mem
bers of the Baptist Church. Socially, Mr.
Boice holds membership with the Royal Ar
canum Lodge.

'''"^ Phato hy ElHatt i Fry-

jH.Hp-ersX-Co.CW-naga.IU.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Ill

WILLIAM H. BADEAU. The subject of
 our sketch is a descendant of French
Huguenots. A numerous band of these, in
cluding the names of Flandreau, Coutant, Ba
deau, and many others, left La Rochelle,
France, and founded New Rochelle, a suburb
of New York City. Elie Badeau, on his arrival
there in 1708, purchased 120 acres of land.
Two generations later, and before Horace
Greeley's "Young Man, go West " was given
to the world, John Badeau, of New Rochelle
(descendant of Elie) went north, acquired a
large tract of land, and in 1775 located at Ma-
hopac Falls, in Putnam county, N.Y. One of
the sons of John Badeau was Isaac Badeau, Sr.
His son, Isaac Badeau, Jr., married Elizabeth
Hart, also of Mahopac Falls. Their chHdren
were: Gilbert H. (deceased), William H. (our
subject), Matilda S., and Joseph N. They also
"went North," locating in Dutchess county in
1846. The restless ambition of W. H. Badeau
(second of the foregoing) begat aspirations for
something beyond the field of possibilities in
sight to him in Fishkill surroundings, and he
accepted an appointment in a wholesale fancy
dry-goods house in the down-town section of
New York City. The proprietor, G. S. Ely,
was a brother-in-law of Col. Richard M. and
Robert Hoe, the great inventors and builders
of lightning printing presses. Mr. Badeau was
more fortunate than many young men resort
ing to great cities, in that he was successful in
arranging residence with the proprietor in his
own home in Brooklyn. He became at once
actively interested in Sunday-school, choir and
Church work at the Clinton Street Presbyterian
Church, Brooklyn Heights, whose pastor was
Rev. Ichabod S. Spencer, D. D., author of "A
Pastor's Sketches " and other works. After
seven years passed in the business house, and
very delightful home of G. S. Ely, Mr. Badeau
arranged connection with the renowned firm
of E. & H.T. Anthony & Co., No. 591 Broad
way, New York, manufacturers, importers,
publishers and wholesale dealers in every class
of photographic requisites.
Transferring now his residence to the Sev
enth ward. New York City (at that time a
pleasant quarter), and making as his Church
home the Allen Street Presbyterian, Rev. W,
W. Newell, D. D., pastor, was afterward
elected a member of its board of trustees. Mr.
Badeau was at this time a member of the
Twenty-second Regiment, New York City,
which was ordered to temporary service in
Pennsylvania, at the time of the battle of Get-
is

tysburg, and at the same time he volunteered
to put a man in the army at his own cost of
several hundred dollars.
The business of E. & H. T. Anthony &
Co. became a rapidly increasing one, and had
for its field every State in the Union, the Can-
adas, Mexico, West Indies, Central America,
South America, Australia, Europe, and even
China. At this juncture, and as showing the
then course of events, we copy from a little
historical brochure issued by E. & H. T. An
thony & Co. not long since:
"After a time these gentlemen found it impossible
to look after all the interests of the firm, and William H.
Badeau, after being associated with the Brothers Anthony
for several years, was admitted to the firm, and became
the representative of the house in Europe."
Mr. Badeau made many voyages across the
water both before and after the formation of
the co-partnership. By the way, one crossing
was by the monster steamship ' ' Great East
ern," which was one-eighth of a mile in
length. It was a smooth August trip, eighteen
hundred merry-making souls being on board.
It soon became necessary that Mr. Badeau
should remain permanently abroad, and he ac
cordingly established his residence by turns at
the capitals of the Old World — Vienna, Berlin,
Paris and London — making occasional tours
through Italy, Austria, Germany and France,
also through all parts of the United Kingdom;
and in midsummer (for recreation) to the Ork
ney and Shetland Islands.
WhHst residing at the Austrian capital, and
during the Vienna Exhibition, Mr. Badeau
(his firm co-operating) set his heart upon and
addressed himself assiduously to the captur
ing, in that international contest, of the
" Medal of Progress." There was only one
prize medal of this rank, and that was to be
competed for by the wide world.
After the close of the World's Fair he shipped
part of his exhibit from Vienna to London, and
entered it at the annual exhibition of British
Photographers. As setting forth the outcome
of his efforts to carry off honors at Vienna, we
quote from the ' ' British Journal of Photogra
phy " of October 31, 1873, a part of its serial
critique upon that autumn exhibition, viz. :
"And first of all let us accord a hearty welcome to a
firm as well-nown in this country as it is in America;
we mean that of Messrs. E. & T. H. Anthony & Co., of
New York — a firm which, although young so far as mere
years are concerned (seeing that it has only recently en
tered upon its fourth decade), is yet as old as it can pos
sibly be, finding as we do that it dates from the introduc-
duction of Photography in 1843. This establishment is
so colossal in its extent and ramifications as to occupy
40,000 square feet of floor room: and its industries are so
numerous and varied as to necessitate the services of 200
skilled work people and forty warehousemen. We are

178

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

glad to see so erainent a firm contributing to our annual
collection of pictures, knowing what personal power they
possess in securing American representation; for much
is gained in raany ways by the international advances
toward each other of two great nations so intimately
connected in lineage and language, thus proraoting the
rautual interchange of whatever is exceptional and valu
able in the pursuit of our art-science as practiced in both
the Old and New Worlds. Let us hope that through the
friendly agency of this, the largest photographie firm in
the World, and through the cordial services of Mr. Will
iam H. Badeau, the English resident partner, American
photography will henceforth be adequately represented
at our annual exhibitions. It is fitting that we should
here remind our readers that the senior member of this
great firm, Mr. Edward Anthony, has generously offered
$500 in prizes to be contested for in February next ; and
as the artistic encounter is an international one, we urge
upon the photographers of the United Kingdom to com
mence the preparation of such works as will enable our
trans- Atlantic brethren to see that, although the progress
ive proclivities of their nation have secured for the firm
to which we have referred the only and much valued
' Medal of Progress ' awarded at the Vienna Exhibition,
yet, that Englishmen will retaliate by wresting from our
Araerican friends, if they can, the raunificent prizes of
fered by Mr, Edward Anthony. We should have been
pleased to have seen the 'Medal of Progress' sent to
England; but as the fates or jurors otherwise decided, it
only remains for us to congratulate the fortunate recipi
ents of this coveted award."
During his whole stay abroad, whether in
visit or in residence, Mr. Badeau was the for
eign contributor to the columns of "An
thony's Photographic Bulletin" over the nom-
de-plume "Viator."
Fifteen years with the firm of E. & H. T.
Anthony & Co., he, after a much varied and
exceedingly pleasant experience, and having
acquired a competency, retired from the firm
(The portrait accompanying this sketch is a
copy of the photographic souvenir made on
that occasion).
Personally Mr. Badeau is a gentleman of
simple habits, culture, well educated, lover of
science, research, art. , To his tastes the
whole co-partnership career was contributive,
bringing him into hand and hand intimacy
with Art of both worlds.
Relinquishment of the bustling activities
foiind installation of appreciations for the frui
tions of Post Commercial Relations. Pleasure
travel, the diversified diversions and numerous
private affairs have made his life (since retir
ing) one of busy leisure, he residing by turns in
Europe, New York City, State of Iowa, and the
counties of Schoharie, Rockland and Dutchess
in New York State. Mr. Badeau has many in
terests in the West. He is a member of the
board of directors, and vice-president of the
First National Bank of Glidden, Iowa.

BENJAMIN H. BREVOORT. The Bre-
voorts came originally from Holland, the
first of this family known in this country being

Hans, who settled in Putnam county, N. Y.
Of his history not much is known. Dean, the
great-grandfather of our subject, was a soldier
in the Revolutionary war, and at one time was
in the employ of Gov. Kemble.
Thomas J. Brevoort, the father of our sub
ject, was born in Putnam county about 1828;
was a farmer by occupation, but for many
years held the position of superintendent of
the Mott Haven Ore Company, of New York
City. For seventeen years he was a justice of
the peace in his county, and was a leading citi
zen, a man of good natural ability, and suc
cessful in whatever he undertook. He was
well acquainted with all the prominent men of
the county, and took an active part in politics,
being a strong Democrat. He belonged to the
Baptist Church, and to the Masonic Order at
Cold Spring, and in all the relations of life
was well thought of by his associates and a
large circle of warm personal friends.
In 1846 Mr. Brevoort was married to
Phoebe White, daughter of Joshua White, who
for many years was a justice of the peace in
the town of Pawling. Her mother was a de
scendant of the Townsend family. Two chH
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Brevoort:
Benjamin H. (our subject) and Jennie (who
married C. W. Horton, of Stormville). The
father died in 1873, and the mother in 1886.
Benjamin H. Brevoort, our subject, was
born in the town of East Fishkill, April 23,
1847. He first attended school at the Pough
keepsie Collegiate Institute, College Hill, aft
erward entering upon his profession at Boyds
Corners, in Putnam county, which public works
were under the management of Gen. George
S. Greene, now the oldest living graduate of
West Point. In 1864 Mr. Brevoort was ap
pointed assistant city engineer of St. Paul,
Minn., and later received the appointment of
civil engineer on the St. Paul & Chicago rail
road. He was then recalled to New York and
put on the Canal Department at White Hall
Harbor, under the supervision of the State.
He was assistant engineer in this work, but
later was put in charge of the Topographical
Department for the enlargement of the Cham-
plain canal. He was afterward assigned to
work on the New Croton aqueduct, where he
remained until that great undertaking was com
pleted. In all these responsible positions he
showed great abHity, and secured the confi
dence and esteem of all with whom he was
associated. He has been in close intercourse
with all the leading civH engineers of the State,
and has had valuable and extensive experience

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

179

in his line of work. In his various undertak-
**ings Mr. Brevoort has been uniformly success
ful, and is now following his profession in the
city of Poughkeepsie. He was also at one
time a clerk under WHliam C. Whitney, with
whom he studied law, and was admitted to the
bar, when the latter was corporation counsel.
Mr. Brevoort was first married in 1873, to
Miss Fisher, of Danbury, Conn., who died in
1882, leaving two chHdren, Thomas and Eva.
The daughter resides in Buffalo. In 1894 our
subject married, for his second wife. Miss
Kittie Riley, a native of Walden, Orange Co.,
N. Y. For a number of years Mr. Brevoort
was a Democrat, and was a delegate" to the
convention at Rochester which ruled Boss
Tweed out of power. Soon after this he went
over to the Republican party, and has been
quite active in its interests ever since. Socially
he is a Royal Arch Mason, and in all public
matters is a generous and progressive citizen,
who is ever ready to do his part.

MUFCUT FAMILY. In early times a set-
 tlement was made along what is now
known as the Ten Miles river, in Dover, in
eastern Dutchess county, by immigrants from
the upper Rhine (now Alsace) and from Hol
land. One of these families who came from
Ingersheim, in Alsace, was named Hoffgoot.
John Lodwick Hoffgoot is the first of which
there is authentic knowledge. He claimed to
be a Lutheran minister. Objection was made
by Rev. Christian Knoll, the Lutheran minis-
ister of the Beekman's Precinct, to his officiating
in Dutchess county, and he was ordered by
the Consistory not to preach. He appealed to
the Colonial Governor, George Clinton, of
New York, who, after investigating the matter,
granted him on the 24th day of February,
1748, a license as a minister to preach the Gos
pel. He is said to have had a son Nicholas,
and that Nicholas was the father of John (born
in 1760), who speHed his name Hoof coot.
John could speak both German and English,
and his wife, Jane Koens, who was of Holland-
Dutch descent, could talk the Dutch language.
John and Jane were the parents of George,
Nicholas and others. Of these, George, who
spelled his name Hoofcut, married Hannah
Benson, and their chHdren were: John, Car
oHne, George, Jane, Henry, Shadrach, WHl
iam, Betsey, Obed and Perry. All of these
married, and left issue, except Jane and Shad

rach. John Hoofcoot, the father of George,
Nicholas and others, died about 1848, and was
buried in the cemetery at Dover Plains. He
was called "Captain John Hoofcoot " on the
tombstone. George, the son of John, was a
farmer and lawyer at Dover, and died about
1853, aged seventy-eight.
George, his son, married Sarah A. Dennis.
The first of her family was John Dennis, who,
in 1647, received a deed of land at Cape May,
in Jersey, from an Indian chief named Pank-
toe, in behalf of the Indians. WhHe the Rev
olutionary war in America was in progress
Thomas Dennis, then a resident of New Jer
sey, was captured by the British, carried off a
prisoner and died. His two children, Joseph
and Sarah Dennis, being left without any one to
care for them, a relative from Beekman, Dutchess
coifnty, brought them from New Jersey to Beek
man, Dutchess county, and they were there cared
for. This Joseph Dennis, who married Re
becca Tanner, was the father of Sarah Dennis,
whom George Hoofcut married. In 1827 this
George Hoofcut changed the spelling of his
name to Hufcut. He was a farmer and law
yer, owning mHls and quarries at Dover Plains,
and carried on considerable business there.
He served his apprenticeship in one of the
small cloth factories which were in almost
every town throughout Dutchess county, from
1 820 to 1835. They made sattinet (a mixture
of cotton and wool), and also dressed and col
ored the homespun woolen cloths made by the
farmers' wives; carding machines were also
connected with these establishments, to make
the rolls of wool which the women spun at
their home. He never engaged in the busi
ness. All the Hufcuts carried on farming at
Dover except John, who resided in Lewis
county, and was a farmer there. George and
Sarah Hufcut were the parents of George,
Horace D. and Rachel, George Hufcut died
in 1881, aged seventy-five; Sarah, his widow,
died in 1885, aged seventy-nine. He was ad
mitted as an attorney and counselor in 1848.
Horace D. Hufcut, now residing at Pough
keepsie, was born in Dover, Dutchess Co.,
N. Y. , October 12, 1837. He was educated
at the schools of Poughkeepsie and at Amenia
Seminary, then studied law with George Huf
cut, his father, at Dover Plains, and was ad
mitted as an attorney and counsellor in i860.
In politics Mr. Hufcut is a Democrat, and
as such ran for the office of school commis
sioner in the first Lincoln campaign, in the

180

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

First Assembly District of Dutchess county.
He was elected and served as town clerk and
also as supervisor of the town of Dover; in
1866 he was appointed and served as clerk of
the board of supervisors. In 1863 he was ap
pointed, by Governor Horatio Seymour, recruit
ing agent for the First Assembly District of
Dutchess county. He enlisted, and had ac
cepted by the United States mustering officer,
150 men. After the war he continued to
practice his profession in partnership with his
father, under the name of G. & H. D, Hufcut,
until January i, 1884, when, having been
elected surrogate of Dutchess county, he re
moved to Poughkeepsie and served in that in
cumbency until January i, i8go, , In 1891 he
was elected district attorney of Dutchess county,
and served as such for three years. In 1892
he associated with him Everett H. Travis, and
since that time has practiced his profession,
under the name of Hufcut & Travis, at No. 54
Market street, Poughkeepsie. In the election
of 1896 he supported the regular Democratic
ticket. He is a member of the M. E. Church.
Mr. Hufcut's wife, Alice M. (Glidden), was
a daughter of Samuel G, and Martha A. Glid
den, and was born at Damariscotta, Maine.
They have two children: Florence G. and
Horace G.

€0L. ROBERT F. WILKINSON, one of
_'¦ the most prominent lawyers of Pough
keepsie, and a veteran of the Civil war, is a
member of one of the most distinguished fam
ilies of Dutchess county.
John Wilkinson, his great-grandfather, was
a well-known citizen of his day, a farmer by
occupation and the father of a large family,
among whom were three sons (triplets) — Rob
ert, our subject's grandfather; Gilbert; and
Livingston, who died when a young man.
They were named for Robert Gilbert Living
ston, a prominent resident of Dutchess county.
John WHkinson lost his life by the fall of a
bridge over the Housatonic river, across which
he was driving on his way to New Haven to
place his son Robert in college,
Robert Wilkinson, our subject's grandfa
ther, was born in 1787, and in 1806 was grad
uated from Yale College as the valedictorian
of his class. He married Phoebe Oakley,
daughter of Jesse Oakley, who was the head
of a large family. Another of his daughters
married Judge Abraham Bockee, a member of

the Court of Errors, and for several years a
representative of this district in the State Sen
ate and in Congress, while still another daugh
ter married Gilbert Wilkinson, one of the trio
above named. Robert Wilkinson moved to
Glens Falls in 18 12, and was surrogate of
Warren county for two years, but returned to
Dutchess county to practice law at Dover
Plains, where he remained until the election of
his brother-in-law, Judge Thomas J. Oakley,
to Congress in 1828, when he moved to Pough
keepsie and succeeded to a considerable part
of Judge Oakley's practice. He was a schol
arly man, eloquent, with many fine natural
gifts. Holding strong convictions upon the
reform movements of his time, he became
widely known as a promoter of religion and of
the temperance cause. He was a Whig, and
a warm personal friend of Henry Clay, but he
never held any official position except that of
surrogate of Warren county, as stated, and
surrogate of Dutchess county, by appointment.
just previous to the adoption of the Constitu
tion of 1846. He died in Poughkeepsie in
1849- His son, WHliam Wilkinson, our subject's
father, was born at Poughkeepsie, May 7, 1810,
and after receiving a common-school and aca
demic education, he .attended the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, N. Y. , then
under the control of the celebrated Prof. Eaton.
He then studied law and practiced with his
father, and later with the late William I.
Street. He was a leading member of the Pres
byterian Church, and a man of considerable
literary attainments, being a frequent writer
upon various subjects. In 1842 he married
Mary E. Trowbridge, daughter of Stephen B.
Trowbridge an.d his wife, Eliza Conklin, both
of whom were members of well-known families
in the county. He died December 12, 1864,
leaving five children: Robert F., our subject;
William; Edward T. ; Eliza, who married Au
gustus E. Bachelder, of Boston, Mass. ; and
Catherine, who married Peter French, and
died in 1885, leaving two children.
Robert F. Wilkinson was born at Pough
keepsie June 10, 1843. He studied at the
Dutchess County Academy, and under a priv
ate tutor, and then spent one year in the State
and National Law Schoql at Poughkeepsie. In
1859 he entered Williams tollege with the
class of 1863, and the next year joined the
class of 1 86 1. He left college in 1861 without
graduating, but he and other students who

f '\

jm^'^

MjU<jCJi^7\uf

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

181

entered the army were given the degree of A.
B. by vote of the trustees, and he has since
received from Williams College the honorary
degree of A, M, Returning home he spent
some time as a student in his father's office,
and in July, 1862, he became captain of Com
pany I, 128th N, Y. V. I., raised in Dutchess
and Columbia counties. They went to the
front in September, 1862, and Mr. Wilkinson,
after serving with his regiment through the
siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, was assigned
to duty as judge advocate of the First Division
of the Nineteenth Corps, on the staff of Gen.
W. H. Emory, and served as a staff officer
until the end of the war. In 1865 he was
promoted to the rank of major, and thereafter
received from the U. S, Government a brevet
commission as Heutenant-colonel for distin
guished gallantry at the battle of Winchester,
September 19, 1864, and later a brevet com
mission as colonel for distinguished gallantry
at Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864, He re
ceived several severe wounds during the latter
engagement, and after some weeks spent in
the hospital he returned home, where he re
mained until his recovery. In February, 1865,
he rejoined the army, and acted as inspector-
general and adjutant-general of the post of
Savannah. In July, 1865, he was mustered out,
having seen service in the departments of the
Gulf, in the Shenandoah Valley under Sheri
dan, and in Georgia.
Returning home to Poughkeepsie at the
close of the war, he was admitted to the bar
in 1866, and has since that time continued to
practice law. He has conducted several of
the most important litigations originating in
Dutchess county, has a large equity practice,
and transacts much railroad and other cor
poration business. Always a Republican, and
formerly active in politics, he nevertheless is
independent in his political belief and conduct.
He has never held office except the recorder-
ship of Poughkeepsie for four years.
In 1867, Col. WHkinson married JuHa
Gifford, daughter of Elihu Gifford, of Hud
son, N. Y., and they have four chHdren:
Edith; Gifford, who graduated at WHliams
CoHege in 1891, and is now a lawyer in Pough
keepsie; Emily C. ; and Robert, a graduate of
Yale College in the class of '95, and now a
member of the Harvard Law School at Cam
bridge, Massachusetts.
Being fond of hunting, fishing, walking,
and all out-door exercises, Mr. Wilkinson

spends his vacations in the Adirondacks and
the CatskHls. He is a member of several
noted social organizations — the University, the
Century, the City, and the Lawyers Clubs of
New York, also the Adirondack League Club
and the Sigma Phi (college) Fraternity, and
to the Bar Associations of the State and City
of New York. He is a warden of St. Paul's
Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie, of which
his family have long been members.

C\HARLES W. PILGRIM, M, D., a lead-
_^'i ing physician of Poughkeepsie, and a well-
known writer on medical topics, was born in
Monroe, Orange Co., N. Y., March 27, 1855,
and is a son of Roe C. Pilgrim, a native ofthe
same place.
Morris B, , the great-grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Holland. The grand
father, also named Morris B,, was born in
Orange county. He married Ann Coleman, a
native of the same county, and settled down
to farming, which occupation was interrupted
by service in the war of 18 12. They had three
chHdren: Aminda, Susan and Roe C. ; of
these, Aminda married Phineas B. Thompson,
of Orange county, and Susan became the wife
of John Knight, a farmer and miHer of the
same county. Roe C, the father of our sub
ject, was reared upon the farm, and married
Frances, daughter of George Wilkes, of Orange
county. The latter was a prominent man of
the county, and for many years a justice of
the peace. After their marriage our subject's
parents located on the old homestead, where
they reared a family of six chHdren, as fol
lows: Augusta A. married Henry Ingram, a
merchant in New York City; Morris B. is a
business man in Jersey City; Mary died in in-,
fancy; Charles W. is our subject; Susan M.
died when eighteen years old; Roetta married
Charles Sumner, an official of the Erie Railway
Company. The father ot this family practiced
law in Orange county. He was a member of
the Episcopal Church, while his wife was a
Presbyterian. He died in October, 1858, and
she in September, 1880.
Our subject's early schooling was obtained
in Monroe, Orange county, and when ten
years of age he went to Jersey City, where he
attended the city and private schools. In
1876 he began the study of medicine with Dr.
Herman Canfield, who was one of the physi
cians in the Bellevue HospHal at New York

182

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

City, and was graduated from Bellevue Hospi
tal Medical CoHege in the class of '80. He
then became house physician to the hospital,
in which position he remained for a year and a
half, when he went to Auburn, N. Y., as as
sistant physician in the Asylum for Insane
Criminals. There he remained about ten
months, and then went to Utica, where he
was engaged in the State Hospital as fourth
assistant, a year later becoming first assistant
physician. Dr. John P. Gray was head phy
sician at that time. Dr. Pilgrim remained in
this institution about five years, and in the
early part of 1885 entered the University of
Vienna, Austria, afterward becoming a volun
teer physician in the Woman's Hospital at
Munich. In 1886 he returned to Utica, and
on June 12, 1889, was married to Miss Flor
ence Middleton. Her father, Robert Middle-
ton, who was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, is
president of the Globe Woolen Co., at Utica.
After their marriage. Dr. Pilgrim and his
wife went abroad, and were absent about five
months. On his return the Doctor was of
fered the superintendency of the Willard State
Hospital, and began his duties as such in Feb
ruary, 1890. In that office he remained about
three years, at the end of that time becoming,
on May i, 1893. the successor of Dr. Cleve
land as superintendent of the Huson River
State Hospital at Poughkeepsie, which posi
tion he is now occupying. Dr, and Mrs. Pil
grim have one chHd, Florence M.
Dr. Pilgrim is a member of the Masonic
Fraternity, and of the Royal Arcanum. He
is also a member of the Physicians' Mutual
Benefit Association, the New York State Medi
cal Association, the Bellevue Alumni Society,
and the County Medical Society of Dutchess
•county. From 1882 to 1890 he was associate
editor of the "American Journal of Insanity,"
and, among other valuable ccJntributions to
medical science, is the author of the foHowing
papers: "Acute Lober Pneumonia with Car
diac Failure" — Independent Practitioner ;
" The Advantages and Dangers of Intra-Ute-
rine Injections" — idem ^wXy, 1882; "A Case
of EpHeptic Insanity wHh the Echo Sign Well
Marked" — American Journal of Insanity,
April, 1884; "A Case of Spontaneous Rupt
ure of the Heart," — idem, January, 1885;
"Pyro- Mania (so called) with Report of a
C^SQ^' — idem, 1885; " A VisH to Gheel" —
idem; ' ' A Study of Suicide " — Popular Science
Monthly; "Genius and Suicide" — idem;

"Schools for the Insane" — idem; "Com
municated Insanity" — -idem.
Dr. Pilgrim is a man of much intellectual
ability and mental culture, a deep student and
thoroughly interested in all matters pertaining
to his profession, especially in cases involving
brain diseases. He is popular, not only with
his patients, but with the public at large.

JOHN POWELL WILSON, M. D., a prom
inent physician of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born January 27, 1845, at
Hobart, Delaware County, New York.
Dr. Wilson's family is of Scotch origin.
John WHson went from Scotland to the North
of Ireland at the time of the Reformation, and
bought two towns of land in Armagh which he
entaHed to pass to the John Wilsons in a
direct line of descent. He was a Covenanter.
John Wilson, our subject's grandfather,
sold his birthright in Ireland, and came to
America in 1795, locating first in New York
City and later in Harpersville, Delaware coun
ty. He sailed from Warrenpoint, Ireland, on
the ship "American Hero," May 12, 1795.
He was a member of the Masonic order, and
by occupation was a farmer and mason. He
married Ann Tate, and their son, Robert Wil
son, our subject's father, was bornin Harpers-
vHle, Delaware county, in 18 18. He was in
the iron business, and was a man of promi
nence in his locality. He married Polly Ann
Powell, and had six children, our subject being
the eldest. Calista married William S. Bon-
ton, of Nebraska; Mary married Charles L.
Hicks, of Roxbury, Delaware Co., N. Y. ;
Charles lives in Nebraska; Frank is a success
ful physician in Brooklyn, N. Y. ; and Egbert
died at the age of twenty-two years.
His mother's great-grandfather was John
McKeel, who was a first lieutenant in Col.
Sam Drake's regiment of Westchester militia,
which did good service in the war of the Rev
olution. John McKeel's ancestors sailed from
Amsterdam, Holland, April 16, 1663, in a ship
known as the "Brindled Cow," otherwise
spoken of as the " Spotted Cow." They set
tled at Fordham, N. Y. Her paternal grand
father, Reuben Powell, lived in Fishkill, and
was a soldier of the Revolution.
Dr. Wilson's boyhood was spent at Rox
bury, Delaware county, where he attended the
public schools. In 1867 he entered the Al
bany Medical College, and later the College of

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

183

Physicians and Surgeons in New York City,
from which he was graduated in 1870. He
practiced one year at Stamford, Delaware
county, and then clme to Pleasant Valley,
where he followed his profession for some years
with marked success. In 1879 he moved to
Poughkeepsie, and has established a fine prac
tice entirely on his own merits. His abilities
have been widely recognized. He has been
health officer of the city of Poughkeepsie, and
held the same position in Poughkeepsie town
for twelve years. He was in the State mili
tary service about twenty-one years; in 1871
was commissioned assistant surgeon of the
2ist Regiment, and in 1883 of the 19th Sepa
rate Company, with the rank of captain.
On August 18, 1885, Dr. WHson was mar
ried to Miss Geraldine Siever, a daughter of
George Siever, a well-known citizen of Pough
keepsie, and they have one son, George Rob
ert, born November 28, 1886. Socially, the
Doctor and his wife occupy a leading position
in the most exclusive circles. He belongs to
the order of Elks and to the Masonic frater
nity, being past master of Shekomeko Lodge
No. 458, F. & A. M. His residence is No. 40
Cannon street, Poughkeepsie, New York.

QEORGE H. WILLIAMS, M. D., M. R.
_ C. S., L. R. C. P. But few members of
the medical fraternity of this locality have
enjoyed the advantage of as thorough prepara
tion for the exacting duties of their calling as
has the subject of this sketch, now a success
ful practitioner at Fishkill. To a course in
one of the best of our American medical col
leges, he has added prolonged study in foreign
institutions, where he has won degrees repre
senting years of research and observation
under the guidance of eminent workers in his
profession. Although he has been among us but a few
years, the standing which Dr. WiHiams has
already won makes it most appropriate that
his biography should be given at some length
in this volume. He was born May 30, i860,
in Johnstown, Fulton Co., N. Y.., and is of
EngHsh descent in both lines of ancestry.
His paternal grandfather, Roger Williams, was
a native of the "Merrie Isle," and followed
the business of carriage manufacturing there
in early manhood, and later in Sing Sing,
N. Y. , and Bridgeport, Conn., where he and

his wife, Elizabeth Spiller, passed their last
days. Rev. W. H. Williams, our subject's father,
was born in Plymouth, England, and was ap
proaching manhood when he came to America.
He received an important portion of his edu
cation under the able instruction of Rev. Dr.
Coit, rector of St. John's Church, Bridgeport,
Conn., who prepared him for entrance to Trin
ity College, Hartford, Conn. He completed
his theological course at Middletown, Conn.,
where he was ordained to the ministry in the
Episcopal Church. His first charge was at New
Canaan, Fairfield Co., Conn., and his second
at Johnstown, N, Y.; but some years after lo
cating there the Civil war broke out, and he
served until its close as chaplain of the 87th
N. Y. V. I. On his return to the North, he
became rector of the Episcopal Church at
Winsted, Conn., and in 1867 he wentto Dixon,
Fulton Co., III., to take charge of the con
gregation there. In 1 87 1 he accepted a call
to the Church at Albany, Ga,, and from 1873
to 1876 he served as rector of the Church at
Pontiac, near Providence, R. I. He returned
to England in 1876; in 1879 he was called as
vicar to Christ's Church, Padgate, Warrington,
and died there in 1889. He was, we believe,
the second American clergyman who held a ben
efice, or "living," in the Established Church.
His wife, Maria (Merritt), to whom he was
married in 1848, was a daughter of John
B. Merritt, a prominent resident of Bridge
port, Conn. She was born in that town,
but her family was of English extraction.
Five chHdren were born of this union, of
whom three died in infancy. Of the two
survivors the elder. Rev. John W. Williams,
is rector of St. Paul's Church (Episcopal) at
. East Orange, New Jersey
Dr. G. H. Williams, the younger son,
passed his youth in various places owing to the
changes of location which are so common an
incident in a clergyman's life. His elementary
education was obtained mainly in the school of
the Rev. C, M. Selleck, Norwalk, Conn., and
in 1876 he entered Trinity College, Hartford,
Conn., where he spent two years. In 1878
he was enrolled as a student in the medical
department of Yale College, and the following
year he joined his father at Warrington, Eng
land, where he pursued his professional
studies at Owen's College (Medical), Manches
ter. Later he graduated at the College of
Physicians at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1883,

184

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and in January, 1884, he was graduated as
a member of the Royal College of Surgeons
at London, these honors conferring the
right to use the titles commonly abbreviated
to L. R. C. P. Edin., and M, R. C. S. Eng.
He served one term as house surgeon of the
Royal Infirmary in Manchester, and two years
as house surgeon of the North Lonsdale Hos
pital at Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, and
in 1887 became assistant surgeon to Dr. J, A,
Hall, of Huddersfield, Yorkshire, with whom
he remained one year. In 1888 he established
an independent practice at Warrington, Lan
cashire; but returning in 1890 to his native
land, he opened an office in New York City,
in West Eighty-first street. During his first
year there he completed his course at Yale,
securing the degree of M. D. from that univer
sity. In 1894 he purchased the practice of
Dr, F, T, Hopkins, at Fishkill, and has now
become well established among the leading
physicians of that place.
On January 12, 1893, Dr. Williams mar
ried Miss Sarah Vacher, second daughter of
John Van Vorst, a prominent resident of Jer
sey City, N, J, Three chHdren — Agnes Van-
Vorst, Helen Merritt and Sarah Vacher — have
blessed this union. The Doctor is a member
of the Episcopal Church, and also belongs to
the Masonic fraternity. While he takes an
intelligent interest in all the questions of the
day, he is not a partisan in politics.

€>HARLES EDWARD LANE, M. D., a
^ prominent and successful physician and
surgeon of Poughkeepsie, is descended from
one of the old families of Dutchess county, his
great-grandfather, Jacob Lane, having resided
here before the Revolution, Jacob Lane had.
two sons, Peter, and John G., our subject's
grandfather, who was born May 22, 1776, and
passed his life in the town of Beekman (now
Unionvale). He married Betsey Emigh, and
had twelve chHdren: Thomas, Benson, Mar
vin, Jackson, WHHam, Rennselaer, Jeremiah,
Edward, Betsey, Hannah, Phoebe and Julia,
all of whom lived in Dutchess county except
Jackson, who moved to Michigan.
Edward Lane, father of our subject, re
ceived a limited education in his youth, and at
an early age left home to support himself. He
embarked upon a whaling voyage, and several
years passed before he returned to his native
land. Having a bright intellect, he spent his

leisure hours in study, trying to gain as best he
could the education denied him in his earlier
years. On his return home he served on sev
eral boats on the Hudson as pilot and captain,
and later became the owner of a schooner,
which at that time was the largest that ran to
Troy. In 1854 he married Jane A. Hall, a
lady of Dutch descent, and daughter of Gilbert
and Mary Hall. Three children were born to
them, as follows: Charles Edward; Celestia
A. died in infancy; and Irvin J. is a prominent
physician at Sing Sing, N. Y. In 1863 Ed
ward Lane sold his schooner after a final trip
to Providence, R. I., accompanied by his family,
and he then bought a farm in Seneca county,
N. Y. , whereon he lived three years, when he
sold it and purchased his present farm in Fish
kiH. The subject proper of these lines, wnose
name appears at the opening, was born at
Clove, Dutchess county, August 16, 1855,
and lived with his parents until he was nine
years old, when he returned to his place of
birth in order to make his home with his uncle
and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Cutler, the
latter being his mother's sister, and as they
had no children they practically adopted our
subject. At sixteen he had obtained such ele
mentary education as was afforded by the dis
trict schools of the neighborhood, and was sent
to the Wesleyan Academy, at Wilbraham,
Mass. ; but before his course there was com
pleted, his uncle's failing health caused him to
return and devote his entire attention to the
sufferer. Upon the latter's death, in 1876,
he bequeathed to our subject the old home
stead of the Hall family, and associated as it
is with memories of mother, grandparents and
others, Dr. Lane still retains it as a prized
possession. In 1876 our subject took the
business course at the Eastman Business Col
lege, Poughkeepsie. On March 28, ofthe fol
lowing year, he married Hattie A. Yoemans, of
Clove, by whom he has had two sons: Theron,
born February 27, 1878, who died in infancy;
and George Edward, born November 30, 1883,
who is at home.
In 1880 Dr. Lane entered the New York
Homeopathic Medical College, from which he
was graduated in 1883, and for five years he
successfully practiced his profession at Clove.
In 1888 he moved to Poughkeepsie, where his
abilities as general practitioner and specialist
in orificial surgery won for him speedy recog
nition from the medical fraternity, as well as

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

185

from the pubhc. From 1889 to 1894 he was
secretary of the board of examining surgeons
ofthe U. S. Bureau of Pensions; he is a mem
ber of the Dutchess County Medical Society,
and of the New York State Homeopathic Med
ical Society. While taking a prominent part
in the social life of the city of Poughkeepsie,
he StHl retains an active interest in local affairs
at his home in Clove, and he is a member of
the Christian Church there. He affiliates with
Triune Lodge No. 782, F. & A. M. ; Pough
keepsie Chapter No. 172, R. A. M. ; Pough
keepsie Commandery No. 43, K. T. ; Mecca
Temple of the Mystic Shrine; Poughkeepsie
CouncH No. 391, R. A.; with the I, O. O. F.,
FaHkill Lodge No. 297; and with the I. O. G.
T. , Lodge No. 80, and the International Su
preme Lodge.

GEORGE MARVIN WELLMAN, A. M.,
_, M, D., a prominent physician of Dutchess
county, residing at Dover Plains, is a de
scendant, in the seventh generation, of (I)
Thomas Wellman,^ who in 1640 came to
America, probably from PoundsfordPark, Som
ersetshire, England, locating in Lynn, Mass. ;
and also in the seventh generation, of Thomas
Bliss^ and his wife Margaret, who likewise came
from England and settled in Springfield, Mass.,
in 1639. Thomas Wellman^ (I) died October
10, 1672, "leaving no will. His estate was
settled by agreement of the heirs, which
agreement was accepted by the court, and is
on the records of the town of Lynn, Massa
chusetts. Thomas WeHman^ (I) married Elizabeth
— [surname not now known], and by her had
six chHdren, as follows: ^I AbigaiP; ^11 Abra
ham,- born about 1643, died in 1717; * III
Isaac, 2 the date of whose birth is unknown,
but record says that he was living December
17, 1710; and^IV Elizabeth^, ''V Sarah^ and
'' VI Mary^ all three of whom were living and
not of age, at the time the agreement was
signed, March 22, 1673. Of this family Isaac^
(4) was the great-great-great-graildfather of
Dr. George M. Wellman. A descendant of
Abraham Wellman^ (3) is Rev. Joshua W.
Wellman, D. D., whose home is at No. 117
Summer street, Maiden, Mass., and who was
born in Cornish, N. H., November 28, 1821.
His grandmother, Althea (Ripley) Wellman,
was a descendant, in the seventh generation,
of Governor William Bradford, of Plymouth

Colony, Mass, Rev. J. W. Wellman, D. D,,
is a member of the New England Historical
and Genealogical Society, and has quite full
records of the descendants of Thomas Well-
man, the immigrant of 1640. To him Dr.
Wellman, the subject of this sketch, is in
debted for many of the events and dates
recorded herein.
Isaac Wellman^ (4) was married March 13,
1679, to Hannah Adams, who, it is thought,
in 1723 (being then a widow), moved with
her son, Isaac, to Norton, North Precinct
(now Mansfield), Mass., as related farther on.
Her chHdren were as follows: * I Isaac,'
born February 7, 1680, died September 19,
1 681; '¦' II Stephen^ born September 6, 1681,
died January 21, 1767, aged eighty-five; ^°III
Isaac (2d),^ date of birth not known, died in
1 740, at Mansfield. Of this family Isaac ^ (2d)
(10) was the great-great-grandfather of Dr,
Wellman. Isaac Wellman** (10) married Mary Slafter,
who was born in November, 1688, the eldest
of ten chHdren of John Slafter, of Lynn, Mass,
[See "Slafter Memorial," pp. 4-7]. In 1723
Mr. Wellman and famHy removed to Norton,
North Precinct, Mass., where he purchased
118 acres of land for the sum of 236 pounds
sterling, lawful money of the province of Mas
sachusetts Bay, the deed bearing the date of
" this twenty-third day of May, Anno Domini,
1723, in the ninth year of the reign of our
Sovereign Lord, George of Great Britain,"
etc, Mrs. Mary (Slafter) Wellman died Jan
uary 12, 1793, "in the 105th years of her age;
a religious woman." At the time of her hus
band's death (1740) there were five children
in the family, the youngest of whom died soon
after, and the name of that child is not on
record. The others were as follows: "I
Isaac,* baptized June 8, 171 8, died in Norton,
North Parish, December 30, 1804; ^^11 Eb
enezer,* born about' 1720, died February 11,
1776, in the fifty-sixth year of his age; ^^III
Hannah,* baptized May 27, 1722; and "IV
Timothy,* born about 1724. Of these Isaac*
(i i) was the great-grandfather of Dr. Wellman.
Isaac Wellman* (11) was a resident of
Mansfield. He married, August 4, 1748,
Hannah Wellman, of Attleboro, Mass., who
died November 29, 1794, at Mansfield. Her
ancestry is as yet unknown. Their children
were: i°I Peter,^ born August 7, 1750, died
May 28, 1 791; ^"11 Ebenezer,"* the grand
father of Dr. Wellman; "HI Mary,* born

186

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

May 12, 1756; unmarried; and ^*IV Sarah,*
born September 19, 1758, unmarried.
Ebenezer Wellman* (16) was born at Mans
field, Mass., September 22, 1752, and died
January, 1831. When a young man he re
moved to Vermont, where he purchased a farm
at Grassybrook, since called Brookline, in
Windham county.
Ebenezer Wellman* (12) (who was born
about 1720), married (first), May 28, 1747,
Sarah Payson, of Stoughton, Mass. ; (second)
March 26, 1761, Priscilla Day, of Stoughton.
Children of first marriage: *' I Joseph,* born
December 28, 1747; '" II Sarah,* born March
27, 1749; ^^III Samuel,.* born March 13, 1751;
^^IV Benjamin,* born March 18, 1753; ^^V
Mary,* born June 9, 1755; ^VI Judith,* born
February 9, 1757; and ^ VII Phebe,* born July
2, 1759. Children of second marriage: ^"VIII
Oliver,* born October 18, 1761; "IX Lucy,*
born November 30, 1763; ^*X Abigail,* born
July 21, 1767; ^ XI Betty,* born March 24,
1769; and *'XII Ebenezer,* born May 4, 1772.
Of these, Joseph* (19) and Oliver* (26) rendered
military service in the Continental army, in
the Revolutionary war.
Timothy Wellman* (14) (who was born about
1734) married, August 14, 1755, Rachel New-
land, of Norton, Mass. Their children (as far
as known) were: '^I Timothy,* born in 1757
in Mansfield, Mass., died in Brookline, Vt.,
March 8, 1842; '^11 John,* [birth and death
unknown]; ^III adaughter [birth and death
unknown] ; ** IV a daughter [birth and death
unknown]; ^V Darius [birth and death un
known]. There is no full record of their chil
dren, but it is believed that it was their eldest
son, Timothy* (31), who married Lucy Skin
ner, of Princeton, Mass. This son Tim
othy* (31) was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war, and was in the fight on Dorchester
Heights, Mass. There is evidence that he
was "a brave, generous and energetic man, a
true Christian and a public benefactor." At
the close of the war he removed to Brookline,
Vt. There is no record of the date of his mar
riage, nor of his wife's family.
Peter Wellman* (15) married February 5,
1780, Hannah Capron, of Mansfield, Mass.
Their children were: ^I Solomon," born De
cember 21, 1780, died at Lowell, Mass., July
13, 185 1 ; ''II Hannah" born January 20,
1783, died September i, 1874, aged ninety-
one years; ^III Deliverance," born February
25, 1785; ^"IV Christiana, " born February 26,

1788, died September, 1809; *''V Isaac," born
June 8, 1790. The widow of Peter* (15) mar
ried, for her second husband, Solomon Grov-
ener, of Jamaica, Vt. , September 15, 1796.
They had children, and she died about 1840,
in Jamaica, Vermont.
Ebenezer Wellman* (16) (grandfather of
Dr. Wellman) married in Mansfield, Mass.,
Miss Sarah Austin [no date of their marriage
given, and no record of her parentage or
birth] ; she died in Brookline, Vt. , September
16, 1803. Their children were: *'I Sarah,"
born November 8, 1783; *^II Ebenezer," born
November 11, 1787, died March 20, 1852;
*'III Isaac," born May 20, 1790, died November
24, 1866; **IV Abigail Ann," born February 25,
1797, died February 28, 1865; **V Marvin,"
born at Brookline, Vt., June 6, 1800; died at
Dover Plains, N. Y., March 20, 1876.
Timothy Wellman* (31), who married Lucy
Skinner, had by her twelve children, as fol
lows: *^I Isaac," born January i, 1784, died
January 26, 1848, at Lagrange, Wyoming Co.,
N. Y.; *TI Lucy," [date of birth unknown];
*^III Lucinda," born 1790; *'^IV Asa," [birth
date unknown] died 1820; *''V William, "[date
of birth and death unknown] ; *^VI De Louis",
born 1796; *^VII Hannah," born 1797; **VIII
Hiram," born 1799; **IX Timothy," born 1801;
**X Daniel," born November 5, 1802; *"XI
Laura, " born 1804, died 1877; *'XII Elmira",
born 1809.
John Wellman * (32) married at Mansfield,
Mass., April 26, 1784, Cloe Wellman, who
was probably youngest daughter of Elkanah
Wellman and his wife, Mehitabel Wellman.
Cloe Wellman was baptized in Lynnfield,
Mass., May 20, 1764. John and Cloe re
moved to Brookline, Vt., and are reported to
have had two sons (58) and (59) [names not
known]. The family afterward removed to
Amherst, Mass., and conducted a forge, about
a mile north of the college buildings.
Solomon Wellman," (36) married Elizabeth
Tripp Leeds, daughter of Thomas Leeds, of
Dorchester, Mass. [date not known]; she
was born September 26, 1791, and died Sep
tember 4, 1849. Their thirteen chHdren were:
™I George,' born March 16, 18 10, in Boston,
Mass., died April 4, 1864; "'II Eliza Ann',
born March 25, 181 1, in Boston, died June 9,
1875; ''Til Caroline Capron,' born August 23,
18 12, married Josiah Shaw, of Abington,
Mass. ; "'I V Lucinda Boyden.'born December
3, 1813, died January 26, 1833; "*V Mary Eliz-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

187

abeth,' born Jaftuary 21, 1815, married Martin
Bayley Pierce, of Abington, Mass. ; "*VI Clar
issa Maria,' born December 9, 1817; ""VII
WilHam Lloyd,' born October 23, i8i9;"''VIII
Henry Ripley,' born March 20, 1821, died
May 14, 1848; "*IX Charles Payson,' born De
cember 13, 1823; "''X Otis,' born January 26,
1827, died in infancy; "*XI Harriet Angehne,'
born March 25, 1828, married John Adams
Floyd, of Abington, Mass.; "XII Elisha,' born
October 21, 1830, went to California; '^XIII
Lucinda Jane," born January 26, 1833.
Hannah Wellman" (37) married April 25,
1805, Jesse George, of Wrentham, Mass. He
was born October 22, 1783, and died Septem
ber 5, 1 85 1. Their eight children were: "I
Emily,' born October 7. 1805; '*II Elizabeth,'
born November i, 1807, died July 8, 1834;
'*III Hannah Maria,' born April 8, 181 1, died
January 31, 1816; '"IV John Capron,' born
November 4, 1813, died November 2, 1882.
Resided in Boston; "V Lyman Augustus,' born
March 17, 1817, resides in Boston, Mass.; "VI
Hiram,' born June 23, 1820, resides in Wrent
ham, Mass. ; ''VII William Emerson,' born
August II, 1823; *'VIII Catharine Augusta,'
born July 20, 1826, died AprH 22, 1879.
Deliverance WeHman "(38) married Wind
sor Wheelock, of Mendon, Mass. Their six
children were: *'I Clara Elizabeth,' born  .
died September 18, 1857. She married her cou
sin Hiram George, '(78) who survives and lives
in Wrentham, Mass. ; ^11 Charlotte,' born  ,
married Marvel Marr, and had as children
Waldo and Maria, who reside in West Thomp
son, Conn. ; *TII Nancy' [birth and death dates
unknown]; ^*IV Mary,' born  , married
Philip Taft; had son Philip; ^V Sylvia,' born
 , married Nelson Steere, and had chHdren
Adelbert and Sarah, who reside in Burrillville,
R. I.;*^VI Peter,' born  , married [name
of wHe unknown], and had Joseph and Mary,
who live in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Christiana Wellman" (39) married Harvey
George, and had Mary'(87), who died in infancy.
Isaac Wellman" (40) married (first) Lucinda
Boyden; (second), Nancy Boy den, sisters, of
Medfield, Mass. He had at least seven chil
dren by his first wife [names and births not
known.] He removed to Alabama, Genesee
Co.. N. Y. After his first wife died he re
moved to Grattan, Kent Co.. Michigan.
Sarah Wellman" (41) married Zachariah
Holden [no dates]. Their chHdren were: ^I
Elmore' [dates of birth and death unknown].

married and lived in DansvHle, N. Y. ; *TI
Elvira' [no dates given] died young.
Ebenezer" (42) married Susannah Moore
[no dates given]. Their ten children were:
'"I Leavit K.,'born December 25, 1809; "II
Elvin M.,' born August 10, i8ii;'*^III Peter
Dallas,' born March 9, 1813; ''^IV Norman An
drews,' born April 15, 181 5 ; '^V Mary Moore,'
born June 8, 1817; '**VI Sarah Austin,' born
September 22, 1819; *VII Abigail Marsh,' born
October 23, 1 821; "'VIII Marvin,' born Novem
ber I, 1823, died in Illinois; ^'IX Luke,' born
January 31, 1826; ^'X Chelis,' born 1829. The
first four were born in Brookhne, Vt,, the next
four in Montgomery, Vt. , and the other two in
Avery's Gore, Vermont.
Isaac Wellman" (43) married July 12, 18 12,
in Brookline, Vt., Kesiah Robbins, daughter of
William and Kesiah (Benson) Robbins. She
was born July 6, 1792, and died November 24,
1866, They had only one chHd, 1* I Everett
Perry Wellman,' born in Brookline, Vt., Jan
uary 5, 1813, died in Brookline, Vt., February
22, 1891.
Abigail Ann WeHman" (44) married June
28, 1814, Allen G. Andrews, of Providence,
R. I. They emigrated in 18 14, to Hardin
county, Ky., and in 1828 removed to Mon
mouth, Warren county. III., where they spent
the remainder of their lives. Their ten chH
dren were: ™I Sarah Elizabeth', born Octo
ber 10, 18 1 7, married AprH i, 1834, Nathaniel
Hopper; '"'II AHen Talbot (ist),' born March
10, 1819, died August 27, 1829; ™III Abby
Ann,' born November 28, 1821, married March
20, 1845, Norman Buck; '"IV Roland Green,'
born March 17, 1823, married November 2,
1848, Ann Carter, and died August 4, 1849;
i''*V Alexine Southgate,'born February 3, 1827,
married October 12, 1847, Elvin M. Wellman;
i(wVI Lydia Beals,' born March 2, 1828, mar
ried April 2, 1845, Seth Gates; ''"VII Cynthia
Jane,' born October 13, 1829, died August 13,
1843; '°^VIII Elkanah W.,'born August 26,
1 83 1, died March 19, 1834; '""IX Lusannah
R.,' born October 17, 1835, married February
25, 1853, William Ward; "°X Allen Talbot
(2nd),' born April 19, 1837, married; Hves in
Monmouth, IHinois.
Marvin Wellman "(45) (the father of Dr.
George M. WeHman), in April, 1822, became
a resident of Springfield, Mass. , where he spent
most of his life, engaged in conducting a store
at the corner of Maine and WHliam streets. In
1866 he sold his property in Springfield, and

IBS

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

returned to Vermont, buying a home in Fay
etteville (near Brookline, his native town),
where he lived until 1872, when he brought
his wife to Dover Plains, N. Y., making his
home with his son. Dr. Wellman. On June 8,
1826, he married Miss Mary Bliss, a daughter
of Zenas and Mary (Babcock) Bliss, of Spring
field, Mass. [See the Bliss genealogy as given
farther on]. The chHdren of Marvin" (45)
and Mary Bliss Wellman: "'I Abigail,' born
June 21, 1827, did not marry; ''^II Mary
Bliss,' born October 11, 1829, married Sep-
temberg, 1861; '''III Isaac Austin (first),' born
December 11, 1831, died February 25, 1833;
"*IV Isaac Austin (second),' born April 27,
1834; "*V George Marvin' (the subject of this
sketch), born February 24, 1837; ""VI Laura
Bliss,' born August 5, 1839, did not marry;'"
VII Emma Lucretia,' born July 18, 1843,
married July 18, 1888, James Y. Robinson, of
Kansas, a veteran Union soldier of the war of
the Rebellion. No children. They reside in
Quenemo, Kansas.
Isaac Wellman" (46), son of Timothy* (31)
and Lucy Skinner Wellman, of Brookline, Vt.,
married April 21, 1808, Sally Bixby, who was
born in Brookline, March 12, 1787. In 1824
they removed to Friendship, Allegany Co., N.
Y. Thence they removed to Wyoming coun
ty, N. Y. , where they spent the remainder of
their lives. They were deeply religious people
and belonged to the Baptist denomination.
Isaac" (46) was a second cousin of Isaac" (43).
There were two branches of Wellmans in
Brookline, Vt. , Isaac" (46) was a deacon and
preacher, and several of his sons were elected
deacons. Their children: "*I Chauncey,'
born July 16, 1810; ""II Nelson H,,' born
April 21, 181 5, died December 2 1, 1885; '^"III
Sarah C.,' born June 14, 18 17, died 1885;'^'
IV Alvin,' born May 17, 1822; i^^V Miriam De
light,' born September 26, 1824, in Friendship,
N. Y. ; '--'VI Harvey,' born AprH 17, 1827.
The first four were born in Brookline.
Everett Perry Wellman' (lOo) married
Electa Butterfield, daughter of Samuel and
Polly (MHler) Butterfield, at Newfane, Vt.,
August 13, 1840. She was born September
10, 1813, and died June 9, 1889. Everett
Perry' (100) was a quiet, industrious farmer,
universally respected; and honored by his fel
low townsmen by a seat in the Vermont House
of Representatives. Their children: '-' I Mary
Abby Ann,' born October 20, 1846, at Brook
line, Vt. ; '^* II Martha Electa," born July 9,

1849, at Brookline, Vt.; Mary Abby Ann" (124),
married at Brookline, November 16, 1882,
Judge Andrew Asa Wyman, who was born
March 12, 1830, and died suddenly November
21, 1894, of heart disease, upon the steps of
the capitol at Montpelier, Vt. , where he was
in attendance as a member of the House of
Representatives. They had no chHdren.
Martha Electa" (125) married, March 25,
1895, at Athens, Vt., Rev. George Henry
Bolster, who was born in Alstead, N. H, , Feb
ruary 26, i860.
Mary Bliss Wellman ' (112) married Sep
tember 9, 1 86 1, at Quincy, 111., John Sprout,
a native of Pennsylvania, a substantial farmer
and stock breeder. After their marriage they
removed to Monmouth, 111., where they have
since remained. Their chHdren: '^"I John
Wellman, " born September, 1864; '^' II Ma
mie," born August, 1867.
Isaac Austin Wellman (second) '(i 14) mar
ried November 5, 1879, at Solomon Rapids,
Kans., Mrs, Sarah Mitchell, of the same place.
Mr. WeHman is a merchant, and resides at
Centropolis, Kans, They have had onl}' one
chHd, '^^ I Emma May," born July 15, 1882,
at Centropolis, Kansas.
Dr. George Marvin Wellman ' (i 15) mar
ried, at Otego, N. Y,, on September 8, 1869,
Miss Jeannie S. Cole, daughter of James H.
and Augusta Cole, substantial farmers of Ote
go, Otsego Co., N. Y. She was born at Ote
go, N. Y. , July 3, 1849, '^'^d died at Dover
Plains, N. Y. , December 13, 1886. Children
of Dr. George M.' (115) and Jeannie S. Cole
Wellman: '^'•'I Marion Augusta," born Novem
ber 25, 1870; '* II Fred Browning," born Au
gust 31, 1877, died June 12, 1878; '"III
Maude Sherman," born December 24, 1884.
Marion Augusta Wellman" (129) married at
Dover Plains, N. Y., July i, 1896, Rev. Ed
ward Duncan Kelsey (a sketch of whom fol
lows). They have one child ''T Marion Wellman
Kelsey,'-' born at Sharon, Conn., May 17, 1897,
Dr. George M. Wellman, the subject of
this sketch passed his early life in Springfield,
Mass. In the high school of that city he pre
pared for coHege, and in 1857 he entered Am
herst College, where, working his own way by
teaching school, he completed the classical
course, graduating in 1861, receiving the de
gree of A. B. Five years later the degree of
A. M. was conferred upon him. In 1861 he
entered the government hospital service at
Washington, D. C, as ward master in Lincoln

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

189

Hospital, serving untH 1864, when he obtained
an appointment in the Ordnance Office of the
War department, where he continued for four
years. In the meantime he had taken up the
study of medicine in the Georgetown Medical
College, Washington, D. C, where he gradu
ated in 1868 with high honors, delivering the
valedictory at the commencement exercises in
Wall's Opera House in that city. Proceeding
to New York City, he then took a one-year's
course of study at the CoHege of Physicians
and Surgeons.
In 1869 Dr. Wellman located at Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, where he soon built
up a large and lucrative practice. His plain
common sense, good judgment, thorough knowl
edge of medicine and skill in surgery, at once
won for him the confidence of the people, and
his success was an assured fact. He is one of
the prominent members of the Dutchess Coun
ty Afedical Society. As a citizen he stands de
servedly high, and has often been urged to ac
cept public office, but cares little for political
preferment. >
Rev. Edward Duncan Kelsey, who married
Miss Marion A. Wellman, is a son of Lysander
and Mary (Duncan) Kelsey, the former of whom
was born October i, 18 17, at Rutland, Vt.,
the latter on March 4, 1826, in MaysvHIe, Ky.
They were married May 30, 1847, and became
the parents of the following children: Rev.
Francis Duncan, born February 15, 1849, re
sides at Oberlin, Ohio; Charles Duncan, born
August 25, 1850, died August, 1874; Rev.
Edward Duncan, born January 16, 1853, at
Wheelersburg, Ohio, resides in Sharon, Conn. ;
Elizabeth Duncan, born March 15, 1855, mar
ried to George S. Van Every, of Portland,
Oregon, resides at Los Angeles, Cal. ; Caro
line Duncan, born October 31, i860, married
to Charles H. Hauks, of Washington, D. C,
resides at Tacoma, Wash.; George Duncan,
born August 28, 1864, has been twice married,
resides at Meadville, Penn. ; and Frederick
Duncan, born June 8, 1866, married and re
sides at Juneau, Alaska. The father of this
family died May 24, 1889, at Portland, Ore
gon, where the mother is yet residing.
Rev. Edward Duncan Kelsey removed, in
1857, to Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated
from the high school; from 1870 to 1874 he
attended Marietta (Ohio) College, graduating
in the latter year; in 1875 he entered Andover
(Mass.) Theological Seminary, where he re
mained two years. In 1877 he went to Ash-

ville, N. Y. , where for two years he was pas
tor of the Congregational Church; then, in
1879, entered Yale Theological Seminary, New
Haven, Conn., graduating there in 1881.
From 1882 to 1884 he was settled as pastor at
Almont, Mich.; from 1884 to 1885 was assist- •
ant pastor of the Seventh Presbyterian Church,
New York City; from 1885 to 1889 he was
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church at
Cutchogue, L. I., N. Y. ; from 1889 to 1890
was settled at Prospect, Ohio; from 1890 to
1894 was pastor of the Presbyterian Church in
South Amenia, N. Y. In 1894 he became
principal of the high school at Sharon, Conn.,
in which position he has since remained. Mr.
Kelsey has been twice married, first time on
June 29, 1 88 1, to Miss Julia C. Baldwin, of
New Haven, Conn, She was born at Milford,
Conn., February 23, 1857, and died February
I, 1894, at South Amenia, N. Y. The chil
dren of this union were: Frank Childs, born
July 19, 1882, died September 3, 1883;
Arthur Baldwin, born September 10, 1884;
Florence Duncan, born October 13, 1886; and
Josephine Dykeman, born July 25, 1893.
The Bliss Genealogy — Zenas Bliss was a
descendant of Samuel Bliss, the younge.st son
of Thomas and Margaret Bliss, who settled in
Springfield, Mass., in 1639. Samuel's son,
Ebenezer Bliss, married Mary Gaylord, of
Madison, Conn., January, 1707. Ebenezer's
son, Jedediah Bliss, was born February 7,
1708, and married Rachel Sheldon July 2,
1733. and had by her eight children, and nine
by his second wife — seventeen in all. They
were: Rachel, born July 24, 1734; Moses,
born January 16, 1735; Jedediah, Jr., born
April 20, 1738; Mary, born December 1 1, 1739;
Lucy, born March 9, 1741; Lucy (second),
born November 24, 1742; Aaron, born 1745;
Patience, born October 24, 1747.
Jedediah Bliss, Sr, , married his second wife,
Miriam Hitchcock, August 19, 1748, and had
by her nine children, viz : Miriam, born May
17, 1749, married SHas Bliss; Ebenezer, born
January 26, 1750, married (first) Miss Nevens,
and (second) Sarah Ferry; Reuben, born No
vember 3, 1 75 1, killed in the war of the Revo
lution; Alexander, born October 11, i753;
Zenas (grandfather of Dr. Wellman), born
February 3, 1756, married Mary Babcock;
Martha, born December 7, 1757, married a
Mr, Gridley; Isaac, born August 10, 1760,
married Welthy Butters; Jacob, born March
12, 1763, married iNlary Collins, who was born

190

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

in 1765; Naomi, born October 22, 1766, mar
ried a. Mr. Kneeland.
Zenas Bliss (grandfather to Dr. Wellman)
married Mary Babcock, December, 1784 (she
wasborn August 20, 1758, and died Septem
ber 25, 1824), and had by her ten children, all
born in Springfield, Mass., at the old home
stead, corner of Main and William streets.
They were as follows: Horace, born Febru
ary 13, 1786, died March 26, 1844; Elisha,
born November 25, 1787, died at Hartford,
Conn., January i, 1881, aged ninety-three
years; Abigail and Harvey (i) (twins), born
November 24, 1789 (AbigaH died March 5,
1807, and Harvey (i) died December 3, 1789);
Harvey (2), born March 27, 1792, died Novem
ber 23, 1869; Lucretia, born May 3, 1794,
died unmarried February 26, 1844; John B.,
born February 17, 1797, died February 22,
1884, aged eighty-seven years; Isaac, born
September 8, 1798, died March 5, 1892, aged
ninety- three years; Mary (the mother of Dr.
WeHman). born January 8, 1803, married
Marvin Wellman, June 8, 1826, died March 10,
1877; Emeline, born February 19, 1805, died
February 2, 1806.
Of these children of Zenas and Mary Bab
cock Bliss: Horace was twice married, and
had by his first wife three children, Eliza,
Mary and EmHy; and by his second wife, had
also three — Horace, Charles and Lucretia.
Elisha niarried Almira Sikes, and by her had
eight children — Elisha, Almira, Harriet, Frank,
Edward, Richard, Mary, and Elizabeth. Har
vey married Abbie Grout, of Putney, Wind
ham Co., Vt., and by her had eight children —
Edwin, Marshall, Isaac, Harvey, Emma,
Laura, Sylvester and Samuel; of these, Edwin
and Isaac were for many years missionaries in
Armenia. John B. married Maria Parker, and
had six children — Roswell, Charles, Abbie,
Hiland, Sarah and Earle. Isaac married
Eleanor Titus, and had seven chHdren — Horace
C. , Isaac R, , Elisabeth L. , Eleanor M.,
Samuel B., Ephraim T, , and Edgar, Mary
married Marvin Wellman, and had seven chil
dren, as shown in the Wellman genealogy.

JOSEPH MARTIN FAMILY. The vHlage
of Red Hook, Dutchess county, was in the
earliest times a favorite point with the Dutch
settlers of this region, and it boasts of one of
the oldest houses in the State of New York,
built for a residence by Hendrick Martin, who

crossed the ocean in 1727. On his arrival he
took a lease from the Beekman patentee, and
at once erected this house, which he located
about one-eighth of a mile from the old New
York and Albany post road, and adjacent to
the present village of Red Hook. It has re
ceived alterations from time to time, but parts
of the original structure stHl stand. In 1751
he leased other lands adjoining, from the Van-
Benthuysen patentee.
When Hendrick Martin's son, Gotlob, was
married, the father cut a big stake, and walk
ing across the farm drove it into the ground,
remarking to the young bridegroom that it was
time for him to "swarm for himself, " and upon
this spot Gotlob built a plain but substantial
stone house, which stands to-day. The car
penters were putting up its rafters while the
Declaration of Independence was being read
in Philadelphia, July 4, 1776. To this house,
in 1789, John Martin, son of Gotlob, brought
his bride, Isabella Fulton, a relative of the
famous Robert Fulton. It had been willed by
Gotlob to his grandchildren, but the sons would
not take it from their mother, and after her
death Edward Martin, a son of John, pur
chased it for a home for his sister, who, like
himself, never married. He was born Febru
ary 18, 1811, and lived beyond the ordinary
limit, dying December 3, 1893. He made a
fortune as a civil engineer by taking his pay in
land from a railroad company he was employed
by, some of which property now lies within
the present boundaries of Chicago.
To John and Isabella Martin eleven chil
dren were born, viz.: PhHip, Michael S., Au
gustus, Henry G., Robert, Claudius G., James,
Edward, Joseph, John and Serena. Joseph
Martin was born February 8, 18 14, and was
educated in the schools of the neighborhood.
At an early age he learned the trade of tanner
and currier; afterward studied law and prac
ticed until his death, November 25, 1889. He
was identified with the old militia, holding all
the offices, from second-lieutenant to colonel,
both inclusive, in the iiith Regiment New
York Militia, and he served a short time in
the war of the Rebellion. On January 10,
1 837, he was married to Miss Margarite S. Bar
ringer, of Red Hook, and had ten children,
whose names, with dates of birth, are as fol
lows: (i) Frederick A,, December 7, 1837;
(2) John D., October 21, 1840; (3) Joseph F.,
April 15, 1842; (4) Claudius E., March 13,
1844; (5) Augustus, October 3, 1845 (died

<7^^WsZ,<>/^<^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

191

AprH 20, 1846); (6) Gertrude A., June 8, 1847;
(7) IsabeHa ¥., May 15, 1849; (8) Elizabeth
B., July 20, 1852; (9) Harriet A., January 7,
1854; (10) Sarah S,, August 6, 1857.
All the boys in this family served in the
CivH war, and one, John D. , corporal of Com
pany B, 7th N. J. V. I., died in the army Jan
uary 3, 1862. Claudius E., at the outbreak
of the Rebellion, offered himself as a recruit
for a New Jersey regiment, but was refused on
account of his youth, being under sixteen years
of age. Returning home, however, he ob
tained his father's written consent, and went
out as one of the original members of the Fifth
New York Cavalry. At the organization of
this regiment as a veteran regiment, he re-en
listed and served until the close of the war.
He had a horse shot under him, and was
wounded and captured at Orange Court House,
but was re-captured by his own regiment the
same day. Returning home at the close of
the struggle, he settled upon a farm in Warners,
Onondaga county, where he still resides. Joseph
F. (or J. Fielding) enHsted at Trenton, N. J.,
AprH 20, 1 86 1, in Company C, First N. J.
Militia, for three months; re-enlisted at Tren
ton, August 27, 1 861, this time in Company B,
7th N. J. V. I., for three years; again enlisted,
this time at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., September
13, 1864, for one year, and October 24, 1864,
was commissioned as first lieutenant in the
59th N. Y. S. V. I., and was honorably dis
charged September 14, 1865. Prior to the
war he had finished his studies in Poughkeepsie,
and after his return he studied law in the West,
then practiced his profession in Illinois, South
Dakota and New York State. WhHe in Illi
nois he was elected justice of the peace in the
town of Seward, Kendall county, and was
commissioned as such by Gov. Shelby M. Cul-
lom AprH 28, 1881. On November 15, 1884,
he was admitted to practice as an attorney and
counselor at law in Sully county, Dakota (now
South Dakota), of which county he was elected
county judge November 3, 1885. On March
3, 1889, he was admitted to practice as attor
ney and counselor at law in the United States
District Court of the Territory of Dakota, at
Huron (now South Dakota), and October 8,
1890, was appointed by the board of county
commissioners of Sully county. South Dakota,
as a member of the board of insanity. On
November 16, 1892, he was admitted to prac
tice in the superior court of Dakota, at
Pierre; on December 6, 1892, was admitted to

practice in the U. S. District and Circuit
Courts of South Dakota, at Sioux Falls; on
May 1 1, 1893, was admitted to practice in the
Supreme Court of the State of New York at
Poughkeepsie, and October 22, 1894, was ad
mitted to practice in the Supreme Court of
the North Grand Division of Illinois, at Ot
tawa, Illinois.
Frederick A. Martin entered the service on
the organization of the 115th N. Y. V., in Au
gust, 1862; was wounded and captured at the
surrender of Harpers Ferry, September, 1862,
and paroled with the surrendered garrison.
At Olustee, Florida, February, 1864, he was
wounded and left on the field, but escaped
with the assistance of mounted officers of his
regiment. For a time he was detailed in
charge of commissary stores at Hilton Head,
S. C, and later as inspector of the Port of
Beaufort, S. C. , then returning to his regiment
served until the close of the war. In his
youth he had learned the tjade of carpenter
and builder, and on returning home he en
gaged for five years in car building; then en
tered the office of the Boston & Albany R. R. ,
remaining some twenty-five years, and he has
since carried on a drug store at Ford Edward,
N. Y. In October, 1865, he was married to
Miss Susan L. Near, of Red Hook, and has
one son, Joseph Louis, who is now in partner
ship with him. He is a member of several
Masonic bodies in Albany, N. Y. , including
Temple Commandery No. 2, K. T. , and is
commander of the G. A. R. Post No. 491,
Fort Edward, N. Y. Joseph Louis, his son,
is also a member of various Masonic bodies,
including Cyprus Temple, Nobles ofthe Mystic
Shrine, Albany, N. Y. , and is also a graduate
of the Albany College of Pharmacy.
Two of the daughters married, Gertrude
A. and Isabella F. , the former of whom is liv
ing in Bayonne, N. J., the latter in Brooklyn,
N. Y. The Misses Elizabeth B., Harriet A.
and Sarah S. Martin occupy an elegant resi
dence on the site of the old homestead of the
Barringer family, to which their mother be
longed, and have always held a prominent place
in the most refined and exclusive social circles.

WILLIAM BOGLE, president of the
 Dutchess Print Works, located at
Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county, is one of
the best known and most highly esteemed res
idents of the county. This extensive plant

192

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

fidelity, and his enterprise and industry have
brought him financial prosperity as well as the
good will of his fellow men. No citizen of
Wappingers Falls is more deserving of respect
and esteem or more worthy a place in this
volume.

was established in 1832, and has been engaged
in printing and dyeing cotton goods for over
sixty years. Some 1,150 hands are employed
in the works, all of whom reside in or near the
vHlage, forming a goodly portion of the popu
lation. Mr. Bogle has been connected with
the establishment for thirty-nine years, fifteen
as its president, and it has been re-organized
three times during the last twenty years in or
der to suit the times and the market.
Mr. Bogle was born near Manchester,
England, September 7, 1834, a son of John
Bogle, who was born in the same locality in
1799, and lived untH 1880. He was a color-
mixer in a cloth-printing business for sixty-five
years. At Middleton parish church, Lan
cashire, he married Ann Brooks, a native of
Ainsworth, England, and they reared a family
of ten children, our subject being seventh in
the order of birth. None of the family except
William ever came to America. James Bogle,
the father of J6hr\, was born in Scotland,
whence he went to England, and in 1805 es
tablished a print works in Lancashire. He
was one of the earliest master printers in that
country. Our subject lived in England until he was
twenty-three years of age, and there learned
the business of color-mixing with his father.
On July 22, 1857, he was married to Miss
Selina Hoyle, of Manchester, and on the first
of August following sailed for the United
States, reaching Wappingers Falls, Dutchess
county, August 14, 1857. He came to that
place under a contract with the Dutchess Print
Works, and for nine years was employed by
them as a color-mixer. He then became as
sistant superintendent, holding that position
for eleven years, and on April i, 1876, was
made superintendent of the works, which of
fice he now holds. Mr. and Mrs. Bogle have
three chHdren: John, born in 1858, has
charge of the cambric department in the print
works; Alice, born in i860, is at home with
her parents; and Mary, born in 1862, married
John Macauley, who is an engraver in the print
works. Our subject is a Republican in his po
litical views, and all the family are members
of the Episcopal Church.
Mr. Bogle, as may be inferred from the
foregoing sketch, holds an important place in
the community. He stands high with his busi
ness associates as a man of ability, strict in
tegrity and of progressive ideas. In all the
relations of life he has fulfilled his duties with

m NTHONY BRIGGS (deceased) was one
^^ of the leading agriculturists of the town
of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county, and one
of her well-to-do citizens. He was widely
known and honored, and in his death Dutchess
county, in whose welfare he always took a
commendable interest, has lost a valued citi
zen. His integrity of character, unbounded
benevolence, and never failing courtesy, made
him beloved by all who had the honor of his
acquaintance. Mr. Briggs was born in the town of Pine
Plains, Dutchess county. May 25, 1829,
and his father, who was a son of Anthony
Briggs, was also born in that town, March 25,
1800. The family is of English lineage. The
father married Clarissa Benham, who was also
of English descent, and a native of New Haven,
Conn. , and they became the parents of three
children: Elizabeth, wife of John H. Jewett,
who is living retired in Poughkeepsie; Harriet,
wife of Benjamin White, a farmer of Wiscon
sin; and Anthony, subject of this sketch. The
parents began house-keeping in the town of
Pine Plains, on a farm, but later removed to
Washington town, Dutchess county, where
they reared their family.
Our subject passed the first three years of
his life in his native town, after which he was
taken to Washington town, where he received a
good education, and became a surveyor, which
business he foHowed in early Hfe, being three
years thus employed in Wisconsin. On Febru
ary 24, 1852, Mr. Briggs was united in marriage
with Miss Hannah White, who was born in
the town of Washington, AprH 9, 1830, and is
a daughter of Ethan White, who was also born
there, the date of his birth being October 19,
1802. Her mother, who bore the maiden
name of Myra Northrope, was born in the town
of Amenia, Dutchess county, April 9, 1801,
and after her marriage with Mr. White they
located on a farm in the town of Washington,
where they reared their seven children as fol
lows: Mary, wife of Hiram T. Beecher, a
farmer of Pleasant Valley town; Benjamin, an
agriculturist of Wisconsin; Abner (deceased),

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

193

who was a farmer of Washington town, Dutch
ess county; Seneca, also a deceased farmer of
Washington town; Catherine, wife of Edward
R. Kinney, of the same town; Hannah, widow
of our subject; and Davis, who operates a farm
in Washington town. In politics the father
was a Republican, and he and his wife be
longed to the Methodist Church; he died in
1 87 1, she in 1868. Abner White, the paternal
grandfather of Mrs. Briggs, was a native of the
town of Washington, and a son of Charles
White, who was a descendant of Peregrine
White, the first white male child born in
America. Her maternal grandfather, Benja
min Northrope, a native of Redding, Conn.,
was the son of Samuel Northrope, who was of
English descent, and became one of the leading
farmers of the town of Amenia. Both the
White and Northrope families were very prom
inent in this part of the State.
For fifteen years after his marriage, Mr.
Briggs engaged in farming in the town of
Washington, but in 1869 he removed to the
farm now owned by his widow, which com
prises 300 acres of good land. There he car
ried on general farming in connection with
surveying, and was very successful in his un
dertakings. In the family were three children:
Davis W., of whom special mention will
presently be made; Mary E. , who died at the
age of three years; and Homer E., a well-
known lawyer of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Briggs
was a stanch advocate of the policy pursued
by the Republican party, held the office of
supervisor for two terms, was justice of the
peace in the town of Washington, eleven years,
and five years in Pleasant Valley, ever dis
charging his duties with promptness and fidel
ity. While in Wisconsin he was elected
superintendent of schools in the town of Em
pire, and after returning to Washington he
taught school several months. The whole
community mourns with the bereaved family
the taking away of this noble-hearted and
generous man, who died February 5, 1895.
He was a sincere member of the Methodist
Church, to which his widow also belongs.
Davis W. Briggs, the eldest son of this
honored couple, was born February 24, 1853,
in the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
and received his education in both Washington
and Pleasant Valley towns. He is now oper
ating the old farm in Washington, and also
the homestead farm in Pleasant Valley. On
October 18, 1882, he married Irene Bower,
13

who was born February 20, 1858, in Pleasant
Valley, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Kirk)
Bower, and four chHdren have been born to
this union: Anthony J., Mary Alida, Harold
G. and Norton Augustus. In politics he is a
Republican. His wife is a member of the
Episcopal Church of Pleasant VaHey.

T^RISTRAM COFFIN is a descendant of
_ the Coffyns, of Devonshire, England.
The Manor of Alwington in that county was
assigned to Sir Richard Coffyn by William
the Conqueror in the eleventh century. It has
remained in the family ever since, and is now
known as Portledge Manor. It is located on
the coast near Plymouth, and contains about
four thousand acres. The family mansion and
one of the churches on the estate are ancient
stone buHdings. Many of the memorial stones
of members of the family are in this old church.
Tristram Coffyn, the first of the race who
settled in America, came to Massachusetts in
1642. He Hved for a time in Haverhill and
Newburyport, and removed to Nantucket in
1660. In company with nine others, he pur
chased the Island from the Crown and the In
dians. He was prominent among the early
settlers, and became chief magistrate of the
Island. He died there in 1681. His letters
to Sir Edmund Andros, the English Colonial
Governor of New York, are preserved in the
State archives in Albany.
The accurate genealogical records existing
in Nantucket, enable members of its old
families to trace their lineage back to England
in unbroken lines. The names of the succes
sive sires of the nine generations of the Coffin
famHy, ancestors of Tristram Coffin, were as
foHows: Nicholas, Peter, Tristram (the pio
neer), John (who died at Martha's Vineyard in
171 1), Peter, Tristram, Abishai (who settled
in the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
in 1774), Robert and Alexander H. With the
exception of the last, these names are inscribed
on the family monument in the burial ground
of the old Friends' meeting house at Nine
Partners (now MiHbrook), New York.
Alexander H. Coffin, father of Tristram,
died in Poughkeepsie in 1890. His wife, Jane
Vincent, also died there, in 1871. They had
three chHdren: Owen Vincent Coffin, ex-Gov
ernor of Connecticut, who resides in Middle -
town, in that State; Tristram; and Harriet M.
Valentine (deceased). Through his mother.

194

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Mr. Coffin is related to the Vincent, Fowler
and Vail famHies of Dutchess county. Capt.
Israel Vail, of the Revolutionary army, was
one of his ancestors. Through his father he is
connected with the Vanderburgh and Bentley
families. Henry Vanderburgh, his ancestor five
generations back, was one of the early settlers
in Poughkeepsie. James, son of Henry Van
derburgh, who was Mr. Coffin's direct ancestor
four generations removed, lived and died in the
town of Beekman. He was a colonel in the
Revolutionary war. Washington mentions in
his journal having dined at Col. Vanderburgh's
on several occasions, while the army was en
camped above the Highlands.
Tristram Coffin was born in the town of
Unionvale, and attended the district school,
and, later, Amenia Seminary. He left home
at an early age, and was in business in New
York for several years. He made a number
of trips through the South and West before
the war of the Rebellion. After the outbreak
of the war, he studied law in the office of
Joseph W. Gott, of Goshen, Orange Co. ,
N. Y. Leaving Goshen in 1 863, he entered the
Albany Law School, from which he was grad
uated in 1864. He then went to Poughkeep
sie, where he was a law student in the office
of the late Hon. Allard Anthony for one year
before commencing practice. In 1870 he was
elected district attorney of Dutchess county,
and held the office for three years. In 1881
Mr. Coffin delivered the principal oration at the
meeting of the representatives of the Coffin
family of the United States held at Nantucket.
He has been asked to compete for different
public positions, and to accept office in monied
and other corporations, but has invariably de
clined. For about twenty years he devoted
himself untiringly to the practice of his profes
sion in Poughkeepsie, in which he was sucess-
ful from the outset. While in the midst of a
lucrative practice, and in the prime of life, he
surprised his clients and friends by refusing to
receive any new business. For several years,
although he has kept an office for the transac
tion of his duties as trustee of a number of
estates, he has been absent much of the time.
He remained a bachelor until 1890, when he
married Miss Ida M. Gardner, a native of
Michigan, and a descendant, of the eleventh
generation, from Sir Thomas Gardner, of
Yorkshire, England.
Mr, Coffin is a gentleman of sterling char
acter, refined tastes, an ardent lover of nature

and an enthusiastic traveler. He has seen much
of his own country, and has made a number of
trips to Europe and the East. He has been
a frequent contributor to newspapers and peri
odicals, and possesses marked literary ability.
He is a collector of antiques, rare books and
autographs. His collection of manuscripts is
especially rich in Colonial and Revolutionary
letters and documents.
Mr. Coffin has an attractive country home
on the Hudson, at Milton, Ulster county,
where he usually spends the summer. — F. C.
Valentine.

E^DWIN JUCKETT, who was called from
 'I this earth on the 2d of February, 1896,
had spent his entire life in Dutchess county,
and for many years was a leading blacksmith
and wagon-maker of Stanfordville, where his
death occurred. His honorable upright life
had secured for him the respect of all.
Mr. Juckett was born in the town of Amenia
September 24, 1824, and was one of the three
children of Lewis M. and Juliette (Bennett)
Juckett, the others being Stephen and Sally,
both now deceased. On both the paternal and
maternal sides he was of French descent, and
his father, who was born in Kent, Conn., be
came a prominent farmer of the town of
Amenia, Dutchess county, where Edwin passed
his school days. On leaving the parental roof,
in 1844, he began working for S. O. Rogers,
Sr. , in an axle factory at Stanfordville, and
five years later bought the Daniel Young place,
near that village, where he erected a house and
shop, the former of which is still standing.
The shop was burned in March, 1873, but he
at once rebuilt, and there carried on black
smithing and wagon-making up to the time of
his death — a period of almost half a century.
On October 31, 1849, Mr. Juckett was
married to Miss Elsie A. Gildersleeve, daugh
ter of Joseph Gildersleeve, a woolen manu
facturer of Stanfordville. Her birth occurred
April 30, 1824, and she died on March 17,
1874. In their family were five children:
(i) Mary B. , after graduating from D. G.
Wright's private school at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ,
engaged in teaching until her mother's death,
after which she kept house for her father, and
still makes her home in Stanfordville. (2)
George B., after learning the blacksmith trade
with his father, followed the trade at Stanford-
vHle and Wassaic, in the town of Amenia, for

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

195

several years. He then engaged in the milk
business with his uncle in Brooklyn, N. Y. ,
with whom he remained several years. Later
he studied stenography under the tuition of
Prof. T. J. Ellinwood, for twenty-five years
the official reporter of Henry Ward Beecher's
sermons. In 1883, after completing his study
of stenography, he entered the employ of Col.
George Bliss, of New York City, a well-known
lawyer and legal author, as his stenographer
and private secretary, with whom he remained
twelve years. During the year 1895, while
Mr. Bliss was traveling in Europe, he was in
the employ of the Grant Monument Associa
tion, under Gen. Horace Porter, president of
the Association, and the present ambassador
to France. During this year Gen. Porter
dictated to him his ' ' Campaigning with Grant. ' '
Upon Col. Bliss' return from Europe he again
entered his employ, with whom he stHl remains.
(3) William M., a native of the town of Stan
ford, attended school there, and began his busi
ness career as a clerk in a store at Bangall,
N. Y. He then held a similar position in
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., after which he became
traveling salesman for his uncle, who was con
nected with the wholesale dry-goods house of
Tefft, Weller & Co. , of New York City. At
the end of three years he left this firm to accept
a position as salesman for the wholesale dry-
goods house of Butler, Clapp & Co., with
whom he remained seven years. He then be
came connected with the dry-goods house of
E. S. Jaffray & Co., remaining with them
until their faHure. He is now a traveling
salesman for Dunham, Buckley & Co., whole
sale dry-goods merchants at No. 340 Broadway,
New York City. He married Margaret Husted,
and they now make their home at Attlebury,
N. Y. (4) DeWitt, after following the black
smith trade for several years, then became
traveHng salesman for Joseph Ruppert, a
wholesale hardware merchant at No. 212
Duffield street, Brooklyn, N. Y. He married
Miss Elma Green, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., by
whom he has had three children : Elsie A. and
Lizzie B. (both deceased), and William. He
resides at No. 313 Glenmore avenue, Brooklyn,
N. Y. (5) Carrie E., after graduating from
the Eastman Business CoHege, Poughkeepsie,
N. Y., entered the employ of Orvis Bros. &
Co., bankers and brokers, of No. 44 Broad
way, New York City, as stenographer, remain
ing with them eight years. She is now the
wife of George C. Trefry, and two children

bless their union: Edwin J, and George Clifford.
They reside at Nc. 36 Morton street. New
York City.

P)ETER BURHANS (deceased). The sub-
 ject of this sketch, who was formerly a
well-known wagon manufacturer of Pough
keepsie, was born in Pleasant Valley, Dutch
ess county, January 2, 1812, and was the sen
of William and Mary (Smith) Burhans. Jacob
Burhans arrived in this country prior to Decem
ber, 1660. Jans, a son, who arrived in April,
1663, married Miss Helena Traphagan, and
from them the subject of this memoir is de
scended through Barent and Johannes and
Petrus. Our subject had no schooling to speak of,
but was a man of good mechanical ability. He
spent his younger days in Pleasant Valley,
coming to Poughkeepsie when about eighteen
years old to learn the wagon maker's trade.
He worked as a journeyman only a few years,
and then started in business for himself in the
city, later forming a partnership which proved
somewhat disastrous. About the year 1 844 he
carried on business at No. 377 (now 385) Main
street. In 1851 or 1852 he purchased the
premises, and continued to carry on business
there until the spring of 1877, when he retired
on account of ill health, and had the building
altered to suit other business. In 1855 he
bought the adjoining lot, and put up a frame
building which was used by various parties as
a blacksmith shop till the summer of 1877,
when it was demolished to give place to a
more substantial brick building — Nos. 387^ and
389 Main street. Both buildings are still in
the possession of the family. He was a self-
made man, very thorough, careful, and pains
taking, and his work had the reputation of
being the very best.
Mr. Burhans was twice married, his first
wife being Miss Johanna B. Smith, a daugh
ter of Uriah Smith, a farmer in the town
of Hyde Park (who died a comparatively
young man), and niece of Judge Isaac
Smith, of Lithgow. She died in 1859.
To Mr, and Mrs. Burhans were born three
children: Albert, who died young; Ella, who
married Isaac Germond; and Mary, who died
in 1875, aged twenty-three years. His sec
ond marriage was, in i860, to Miss Eliza
Pinckney, daughter of Jacob Pinckney, of
Bethel, SuHivan Co., N. Y. Our subject

196

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

was a Republican, and took quite an in
terest in political matters. Although receiv
ing but little schooling, he supplemented it
with a great deal of reading, and was well in
formed on current topics of the day. He was
a member of the Methodist Church, and was
early in life associated with the sons of tem
perance, having strong views and ideas regard
ing total abstinence. He died in 1887, in his
seventy-sixth year. Mrs. Germond has one
daughter, Clara, now (1897) eight years old.
William Burhans was a farmer by occupa
tion. He married Miss Mary Smith, and they
had the following children: Henry, Elmira,
Peter, WiHiam (2), Edwin S., Charles, John,
WHIitt (who died in 1894), and George H.
(who lives in Pleasant Valley, and is the only
survivor), William (Sen,) died about 1855.
Isaac Germond, mentioned above, is a
member of one of the very oldest families in
the county, who formerly owned a large tract
of land surrounding ' 'Germond Hill, " near Ver-
bank, and one of the descendants, Lewis D,
Germond, still occupies a part of the original
tract in the town of Washington. George
Washington Germond, father of Isaac, died in
1 89 1 in his ninetieth year, leaving five sons
and two daughters. The Germonds, Germans
and Jarmans are said by some to be all de
scended from four brothers who came from
France about two hundred years ago, one set
tling on Long Island, one in Harlem, one in
the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
and one in the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county.

pN, SAMUEL K. PHILLIPS, county
^^^ judge of Dutchess county, and a lawyer
of wide reputation for ability and success in
the management of important cases, is a na
tive of Brooklyn, N. Y. , born February 12,
1858, but since the age of four years he has
had his home in the village of Matteawan.
His father, Edmund S. Phillips, was the first
lawyer to locate at Matteawan.
Judge Phillips received his education in the
private and public schools of Matteawan, and
at an early age began his professional studies
in his father's office. He was admitted to the
bar in May, 1879, having just attained his
majority, and immediately engaged in practice.
During the past sixteen years he has made an
enviable record, and has been retained as
counsel, on one side or the other, in nearly all

the cases of note that have arisen in this lo
cality. He was engaged by the State of New
York to take charge of the legal matters in
connection with the location of the State Hos
pital at Matteawan, and later was employed
by the State in the important matter of acquir
ing a right of way for a sewer from that insti
tution to the Hudson river. He is now the
attorney for the Mechanics Savings Bank, of
Fishkill Landing; for The Matteawan Savings
Bank, and for The Matteawan National Bank,
and has been the legal advisor of the pro
moters of many of the leading business enter
prises of the town. In some of the most im
portant of these ventures he is personally
interested; he is president of The Matteawan
Savings Bank, a director of The Matteawan
National Bank, and was one of the projectors,
and is still a director and one of the principal
stockholders of the electric railway system of
the town of FishkHl. He is a trustee and the
treasurer of Highland Hospital; a trustee of
the Fairview Cemetery Association, chairman
of the board of trustees, and for more than
twenty years secretary of the Sunday-school of
the Methodist Episcopal Church at Matteawan.
For the past ten years he has been a member
of the board of education, and during the last
year of his service therein, was its president.
Able and popular, possessing all the quali
ties which insure success in public life, it is
not surprising that he should already have be
come a leader in political affairs. In Novem
ber, 1895, he was elected on the Republican
ticket to the office of county judge. Com
menting upon his nomination, the Poughkeep
sie Star says: " * * -^ young in years
but old in experience, a good lawyer, a man
to be trusted by the people. Although there
are many attorneys in the county who feel
that this is a good year to be the nominee on
the Republican ticket, all were united in en
dorsing Mr. Phillips as the choice of the
party." The FishkiH Standard, the leading
Democratic paper of the locality, said: "As a
citizen of the town of Fishkill, and as an active
professional man, we have only words of com
mendation for Samuel K, PhHlips. Raised in
Matteawan, and educated in the public schools
there, he has always been before the eyes of
the public, and has won his way to distinction
and success by many excellent qualities. That
he will make a good county judge, if elected,
and be a worthy successor of those who have
preceded him, is sme,"

(/. A^,4^tec.C.?->c^t-«a_

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

197

The Judge is a prominent Free Mason, and
at present is master of Beacon Lodge No. 283,
F. & A. M. , a member of Highland Chapter
No. 52, R. A. M., Hudson River Command
ery, K. T., and Mecca Temple, Order of the
Mystic Shrine. In October, 1885, he married
Miss Henrietta Reid, daughter of Luke and
Abigail (Dariing) Reid, of Hudson, N. Y.
They have one son, Samuel Vincent Phillips.

^\UERNSEY FAMILY. (I) John Guern-
S^. sey, the progenitor of the Guernsey fam
ily in America, appears in MHford, Conn.,
about 1634. (II) Joseph Guernsey, son ofthe
above, born in 1639, married Hannah Coley,
daughter of Samuel Coley, Sr. , April 10, 1663,
resided at MHford, and was a " free planter."
(Ill) Joseph Guernsey, son of Joseph, was
born at MHford, 1674. Large land owner.
He married Hannah Disbrow, daughter of
Gen. Disbrow, of Horse Neck, and removed to
Woodbury, Conn., where he died September
15, 1754. (IV) John Guernsey, son of above,
born AprH 6, 1 709, married ' ' Ann Peck, daugh
ter of Jeremiah Peck, and granddaughter of
the Rev. Jeremiah Peck, well known through
out New England. " He removed to Litchfield,
Conn., thence to Amenia, N. Y. , where he
died and was buried, 1783.
(V) John Guernsey, son of John and Ann
Guernsey, was born October 28, 1734. He
married Azubah Buel; removed to Broome
county, N. Y. , where he owned 1,000 acres of
land; afterward returned to Amenia, where he
died in 1799, and was buried near the grave of
his father. (VI) Ezekiel Guernsey, M. D.,
son of the above, was born in 1775, married
Lavoisa Bennett, daughter of Col. Peter Ben
nett, and died at Stanford, Dutchess county,
N. Y., in 1856.
(VIIj Stephen Gano Guernsey, son of Eze
kiel and Lavoisa Guernsey, was born in the
tqwn of Stanford, September 8, 1799, and
died in the town of Stanford in 1875; married
Lienor Rogers, of Litchfield, Conn. , daughter
of Dayton Rogers and granddaughter of a
Revolutionary soldier.
(VIII) Stephen Gano Guernsey, son of
Stephen Gano and Lienor Guernsey, was born
AprH 22, 1848, in the town of Stanford, Dutch
ess county, N. Y., and in his boyhood winters
attended the common schools of the locality;
while in the summers he did general work on

the farm. His education he finished at Fort
Edward Institute, Glens Falls, New York.
In 1870 Mr. Guernsey moved to Pough
keepsie, where he read law with Judge Charles
Wheaton and his brother, D. W. Guernsey,
and was admitted to the bar in 1871. In 1874
he was appointed deputy county clerk, which
incumbency he held until 1876, when he re
signed to commence the practice of law for
himself in the office of Jacob Jewett, who died
some few months later. Mr. Guernsey contin
ued in the same office, and has since remained
in active practice, which is a general one. In
his political preferences Mr. Guernsey is a
Democrat, and has served as member of the
board of education four years — from 1890 to
1894, He was U. S. Loan Commissioner, ap
pointed under Gov. Robinson, and has been
re-appointed by each succeeding governor to
the present time, although, owing to a change
of the State laws, there is little business for
the office at present. In 1892 he was elected
president of the Poughkeepsie National Bank, ^
and is still serving as such.
In 1877 Mr. Guernsey was married to Miss
Marianna Hicks, and children as follows were
born to them: Raymond Gano (IX) Homer
Wilson, Louis Gildersleeve and Emeline. Our
subject is a careful, conservative business man.

E\LIZABETH H, GEROW, M. D., a pio-
 'I neer woman physician of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, whose success has been a
pleasing and convincing test of the ability of
her sex to cope with all the difficulties of her
profession, is a descendant of an old Huguenot
family, the name being originally Giraud.
Her ancestors were early settlers in Ulster
county, and her great-grandfather, William
Gerow, was a resident of Plattekill, where the
homestead has ever since been maintained.
Her grandfather, Elias Gerow, lived and died
there; he married Elizabeth Coutant, and their
son, Elias Gerow (2), our subject's father, was
also a lifelong resident, following farming as
an occupation. He married Sally Ann Baker,
a native of Westchester county, who survived
him and died at our subject's home in Pough
keepsie. Ten children were born of this union
— four daughters and six sons — of the latter
only four are now living.
Dr. Elizabeth H. Gerow attended the
schools of PlattekHI during her chHdhood, and
later studied in the Friends' School at Union

198

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Springs, N. Y. She taught for some time in
Ulster county, and then, desiring to prepare
herself for the medical profession, she entered
the Woman's Hospital in Boston, Mass. After
eight months there she began the course in the
Medical Department of Michigan University,
from which she was graduated in the spring of
1875. She had, in the meantime, continued
her studies in the Woman's Hospital during
her vacations, spending about three years, in
all, in the institution, and gaining an experi
ence which at that time was seldom obtainable
by a woman. She became an expert in deal
ing with the diseases of women and children,
and, from the first, has met with unusual suc
cess in her practice. On May i, 1875, she
opened her office in Poughkeepsie, and in five
years had all the business that she could attend
to. For the past ten years she has devoted
her entire time to her large office practice.
Dr. Gerow is held in high esteem among
her professional associates, as well as with the
general public, and was appointed on the
first Medical Board of the Vassar Hospital in
Poughkeepsie, and she is a member of the
Dutchess County Medical Society, and a cor
responding member of the Boston Gynecolog
ical Society.

WILLIAM L. DAVIS (deceased), a well-
 known farmer and auctioneer of the
town of Washington, was born in Columbia
county, February 10, 1835. His father,
Henry D., was born in the same county, where
he married and settled on a farm. To him
and his wife were born these chHdren: Or
ville, who married Miss Maria Emigh, and is
now farming in the town of CHnton; he has
one son, Henry T. ; Esther died unmarried,
AprH 10, 1896; WHHam L. is our subject. Mr.
Davis farmed in Columbia county and in Wis
consin, dying in the latter place in 1837. His
wife was Miss Jane Ann Lawton, who was
born in the town of Washington May i, 1809,
the only child of Seth Lawton, who was born
June 18, 1782, in Rhode Island, and died in
November, 1869, and Esther (Peck) Lawton,
who was born near New York City, August 25,
1786, and died December 6, 1851. David
Lawton, the father of Seth, was a farmer in
Washington town.
^VHliam L. , our subject, remained at home
in the town of Washington until December 27,
1856, on which date he was married to Miss

Mary L. WHson, daughter of Thomas and
Mary (Streight) Wilson. Mr. and Mrs. Davis
secured a farm in this town, and three chHdren
were born to them, namely: Thomas L., born
March 6, 1859, died October 7, 1862; Seth L.,
born December 17, 1862, died December 20,
1864; Willard H., born September 15, 1865.
Mr. Davis was -.'. Democrat, and he and his
wife were both members of the Methodist
Church. Willard H. manages the farm of 168 acres,
on which he raises Jersey cattle, Berkshire
hogs, and Thorndale horses. The farm is
called " Brookside Stock Farm."
Thomas Wilson, the father of Mrs. Davis,
was born and reared in the town of Unionvale;
his wife was born in Stanford. They settled
on a farm in Unionvale, and reared a family of
six children: Eseck, a retired citizen of
Poughkeepsie; Maria became the wife of Dr.
John Perry, of Amenia, and after his death
she married Moses Conger, a lawyer in the
town of Clinton; Sally A. married Henry
Chamberlin, a tanner and currier (both are de
ceased); Mary L. is our subject's wife; John
died in the Civil war; George, a farmer, died
August 21, 1896, in Ashley, IHinois. Thomas
Wilson died in 1843, and his wife July 3, 1879.
Joseph Wilson, Mrs. Davis' grandfather,
was born in Ireland, where he followed the oc
cupation of a weaver. Henry Streight was
the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Wilson.

WILLIAM R. KIMLIN, who was a prom-
 inent contractor and builder in Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, and whose death
took place December 8, 1891, was born in
that city October 7, 1843. His father, WHl
iam Kimlin, was born in Ireland in 1800, and
came to America in 1839.
William Kimlin obtained a good education
in the public schools, and also in that con
nected with Christ Church (Episcopal). He
was a man of keen perceptions, and, having
always been a great reader, was well informed
on all subjects of general interest. After leav
ing school he learned the trade of a mason,
serving an apprenticeship of three years with
Mr. Harlow while the latter was engaged in
building Vassar College. He was a journey
man mason for some time, and was also fore
man for Elias Spross for several years. About
1874 he started as a contractor and builder in
partnership with James Mathews, the firm

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

199

name being Kimlin & Mathews. This connec
tion continued for three or four years, when
Mr. Kimlin assumed entire charge of the busi
ness for himself. During this time he made
contracts for some of the largest buildings in
the city, among others the post office, which
was begun in the fall of 1884, Mr. KimHn com
pleting his part of the work in 1886. He was
one of the foremost men in his trade, and,
having more than average abHity and judg
ment, was successful in his enterprises. He
possessed strong individuality, and made him
self felt in any matters in which he was
interested. Mr. KimHn was married September 17,
1873, to Miss Mary, daughter of Thomas Conn,
of New York City. Her father was a butcher,
and was of Irish descent, his family coming
from County Down. Five children were born
of this union: William T. is in the employ of
F. J. Nesbitt; Stewart T. , Lottie S. and Edith
B. are at home with their mother; and one
died in infancy. Of these, William T. and
Stewart T. have learned the mason trade, and
expect in about a year or so to enter in the
same business as their father.
Mr. Kimlin was strongly in sympathy with
the Republican party, although he never took
an active part in politics. He belonged to the
Exempt Firemen, and was a member of
Christ Church, Episcopal. He was a loyal
citizen, and always ready to do his share toward
promoting the interests of his community.

QEORGE TOFFEY DOUGHTY (de
ceased) was throughout life identified
with the interests of the town of Beekman, his
birth having occurred at Greenhaven, in that
township, October 6, 18 16. The Doughty
famHy came from England at a very early pe
riod in the history of this country, one of the
first being Francis Doughty, a clergyman of
the Church of England.
Joseph Doughty, the grandfather of our
subject, was born on Long Island, and fol
lowed farming as a life work. He was a sin
cere member of the Society of Friends. He
married Miss Psyche Wiltsie, and to them were
born twelve children, namely: Thomas, who
became a farmer of Beekman town; Joseph,
who in early life was a merchant, and later
lived in Beekman town; Cornwell, a farmer
and merchant of the same township; Nehe
miah, a farmer and miller, also of Beekman

town; WHliam, the father of our subject;
Martin, also a farmer of Beekman town; Jacob,
a merchant of Greenhaven; Psyche, who
married Samuel Vail, a prominent citizen of
Albany, N. Y, ; Mary, who wedded Jonathan
Hoag, a farmer of Nassau, N. Y. ; Jane, who
married PhHip Flagler, an agriculturist; John
and Elizabeth.
WiHiam Doughty, the father of our sub
ject, was a native of the town of Beekman,
and on attaining to man's estate was united in
marriage with Mrs. Sarah Vanderburgh {nee
Van Wyck), by whom he had six chHdren:
Phebe, John J., Pysche,- William, Sarah and
George T. All his life the father carried on
farming in the town of Beekman, where he
was numbered among the highly-esteemed cit
izens. He died in 1854 at the age of eighty-
four years, the mother in 1865 at the age of
ninety-four years.
During his boyhood, George T. Doughty
attended the district schools near his home in
Beekman town, and for three years resided
with his sister at New Lebanon, N. Y. He
was also for a time a student in the Nine Part
ners Boarding School in the town of Washing
ton, Dutchess county. He always followed the
vocation of farming, and erected all the build
ings upon his place with the exception of the
residence. On December 14, 1836, in the town of
Beekman, Mr. Doughty married Miss Eliza
beth Van Benschoten, of the town of Lagrange,
Dutchess county, and to them were born three
chHdren: Mary G. ; William H., of New York
City, who married Mrs. Edith Bryant (iiee
Chatterton), and to them was born one child
— Laura Isabelle; and Edward, deceased
The mother of these died May 17, 1843, and
in the same township Mr. Doughty was again
married, his second union being with Hester
Kelley, by whom were also born three children:
James A., of Torrington, Conn., who was
married to Miss AHce J. Brooker, of the same
place, and to them were born two children —
EHa Brooker (deceased) and Marion Seymour;
Phebe J.; and Cornell, of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
married Miss Anna J. Butts, of New York
City, and to them was born one chHd — Isa
belle Perry.
For three terms, Mr. Doughty filled the
office of supervisor of the town of Beekman,
and enjoyed the popularity which comes to
those generous spirits who have a hearty shake
of the hand for those with whom they coma in

200

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

contact from day to day, and who seem to throw
around them in consequence so much of the
sunshine of life. He was a member of the
Society of Friends, and was one of nature's
noblemen, the world being better for his hav
ing lived. His death, which occurred in the
town of Beekman, June 7, 1887, was widely
and deeply mourned.

i^^\EORGE E, CRAMER, president of the
\^ Board of Trade of Poughkeepsie, and a
leading grain dealer and wholesale grocer of
that city, was born in Pleasant Valley, Dutch
ess county,' August 31, 1841.
Our subject's ancestors came originally
from Holland, settling in Dutchess county at
an early date. His grandfather, PhHip Cra
mer, was born in 1783, near Poughkeepsie,
where he was a farmer for some years before
his removal to Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, where he died at the age of forty-nine
years. He married Susannah Reynolds, and
they had three children: Phoebe, who married
Jehial Smith; Elizabeth, the wife of Henry
Burhans, and George B., our subject's father,
who was born in Poughkeepsie in 18 14. His
schooling was limited to a few years' attend
ance at the public schools of that city, but he
was a man of common sense, and acquired a
good practical education in the course of his
life. He was a carpenter and builder in Pleas
ant Valley for many years, and was quite suc
cessful; but faHing health compelled him to
choose another occupation, and, in 1874, he
engaged in the butcher trade at the same place.
Politically, he was first a Whig, and later a
Republican, but although he was greatly in
terested in the welfare of his party, he was
never an office-seeker. For full half a century
he was a devout and consistent member of the
Presbyterian Church, and was a trustee for
many years. He married Miss Mary A. Dun
can, a daughter of Joshua Duncan, a well-
known manufacturer of cotton goods at Pleas
ant Valley, in partnership with George P, Far
rington. The Duncans are among the oldest
families in that locality. Nine chHdren were
born of this marriage, seven of whom are still
living, and all residents of Dutchess county.
The mother died in 1880, the father surviving
her untH May, 1893.
The subject of our sketch attended the dis
trict schools of Pleasant Valley, and studied
for a time vvith a private tutor, supplementing

these limited opportunities in his later years by
an extended course of reading. At the age of
eleven he began to work for his uncle Duncan
in the grocery business in Poughkeepsie, but
after two years he returned home and clerked
in a country store for about two years. At
the age of sixteen he went to Poughkeepsie as
clerk for John McLean, grocer, remaining four
years; then engaged as bookkeeper for John
H. Matthews in the freighting business at the
Lov/er Landing, and after five years there he
spent two years in the same capacity with
Gaylord, VaH& Doty, at the Main Street Dock.
In 1 87 1 he entered the employ of W. W.
Reynolds & Co., as bookkeeper, and three
years later became a member of the firm, then
known as Reynolds & Co., and composed of
WilHam T. and John R. Reynolds and George
E. Cramer. On January i, 1890, the firm be
came Reynolds & Cramer, and as the senior
member is not in good health, the more active
management of the business devolves upon
Mr. Cramer. This is one of the oldest houses
in the city, dating back to 1820, and under the
able and enterprising direction of Mr. Cramer
its already extensive trade has been enlarged
to five times its volume at the time of his en
trance into the firm, and is now the largest es
tablishment of its kind in the Hudson River
Valley. He holds high rank in commercial
circles, and has been president of the Pough
keepsie Board of Trade for the past four years.
In 1892 he was appointed president of College
Hill Park Commission, by William W. Smith,
who bought this property and donated it to
the city as a public park.
In 1866 Mr. Cramer was married to Miss
Mary A. Barnes, a daughter of Mrs. Jane A.
Barnes, and a descendant of one of the old
families of Poughkeepsie. They have one
daughter, Ella W. Cramer. Although he is a
Republican in principle, and has taken an act
ive interest in the success of his party, Mr.
Cramer is not an office seeker, and has refused
to accept any nominations for public office.
He is ready to assist any movement for the
welfare of the city, and takes especial interest
in the schools, serving for eleven years in the
board of education, and for several years its
president. He belongs to the Washington
Street M. E. Church, of which he is a trustee
and the treasurer, and has been superintend
ent of the Sunday-school for twenty-five years.
At one time he was active in the Masonic fra
ternity, of which he is still a member, and is

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

201

past master of Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 266,
and past eminent commander of Poughkeep
sie Commandery No. 53, Knights Templar.

^ jOWELL WHITE, M. D., a prominent
|fJi physician of FishkHl, Dutchess county,
is a descendant of a family which has been
notable for generations for its connection with
the medical profession. His great-grandfather
was a physician, and had two brothers in the
calling, and the same is true of his grandfather
and his father, three brothers in each genera
tion choosing the deep researches and arduous
labors of the medical practitioner.
Dr. White was born at FishkHl June 12,
1856, the son of the late Dr. Lewis H. White,
whose long and successful career as a physician,
and excellent quaHties as a citizen, won
him a lasting reputation. He was given good
educational advantages, and, after leaving the
public schools of Fishkill, studied two years at
Warring's MiHtary School, in Poughkeepsie,
and four years in the private school of Hugh
S. Banks, at Newburg, and then entered Wil
liston Seminary at East Hampton, Mass. ,
where he was graduated in 1875. A complete
course in Bellevue Medical College, New York
City, followed, and on his graduation in 1879
he became an interne in the Presbyterian Hos
pital in that city, securing invaluable practical
work. He began his professional labors in
Fishkill in 1880, and has been constantly in
practice ever since, meeting with marked suc
cess. He is a member of the Dutchess County
Medical Society, and of the New York State
Medical Society. In politics he is a Repub
lican. On June 9, 1881, the Doctor married a
lady of Huguenot descent, Miss Elizabeth M.
Cotheal, whose interesting genealogical record
is given below. They have four chHdren:
Catherine Elizabeth, Lewis Howell, Richard
Rapalje and Helena. Both the Doctor and
his wife are members of the Reformed Dutch
Church of Fishkill, and take a generous in
terest in all advanced movements.
Doctor White's lineage is a long and hon
orable one, as he is in the eighth generation in
descent from Thomas White, of Weymouth,
Mass., who was Representative in General
Court in 1636-37. He died in 1679, leaving
(according to Farmer) five chHdren: Joseph,
of Mendon; Samuel, born in 1642; Thomas,
of Braintree; Hannah, who married John Bar

ter; and Ebenezer, born in 1648, died August
24, 1703,
Second Generation: Ebenezer, the fifth
child of Thomas, of Weymouth, was the fa
ther of the Rev. Ebenezer White, who was
pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Bridge-
hampton. Long Island.
Third Generation: Rev. Ebenezer White,
of Bridgehampton, was born in 1673, and died
in 1756. He married Hannah  , and they
had chHdren: Elnathan, born 1695, died
1773; James; Rev. Sylvanus, born 1704, died
1782; SHas, born 1710, died 1742.
Fourth Generation: Rev, Sylvanus White,
second son of Rev, Ebenezer White, of Bridge
hampton, L. I., was born in 1704, and went
to Weymouth, Mass., in 171 5, to attend a
classical school. He entered Harvard College
in 1719, graduating in 1723, In 1727 he as
sumed the pastoral charge of the Church at
Southampton, L. I., which he retained for
nearly fifty-five years. He died October 22,
1782. He married Phebe HoweH, only daugh
ter of Hezekiah Howell, and had nine children,
viz. : Sylvanus, Edward, Hezekiah, Daniel,
M. D., Silas, Phebe, Ebenezer, M. D., Eben
ezer (2), Henry, M. D. Except the first Eb
enezer, who died in infancy, they all lived to
adult years.
Fifth Generation: Ebenezer, the seventh
son of Rev. Sylvanus, after being instructed
in the classics by his father, commenced the-
study of medicine, as did also 'his brothers
Daniel and Henry, availing himself of all the
facilities existing in our country, at that time,
for acquiring a thorough knowledge of his cho
sen profession. In early life he married Hel
ena, daughter of Theophilus Bartow, of New
Rochelle, and granddaughter of Rev, John
Bartow, of Westchester, and great-grand
daughter of Gen. Bartow, who fled from France
to England in 1685 (on the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes). This marriage was a union
of Puritan with Huguenot. The young couple
commenced life together where they ended it,
in Yorktown, Westchester Co., N. Y. The
old homestead is still standing, and is occupied
by a grandson, Josephus L. White. The Doc
tor soon acquired an extensive practice, and
engaged in the cultivation of a large farm.
Here, on what afterward became the neutral
ground at the commencement of the Revolu
tionary war, found him, and from the first of
which struggle to the end he was the zealous,
uncompromising advocate of his country's

202

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

cause. Many were the advantages and thrill
ing incidents he would relate to his listening
grandchildren of Tory raids and persecutions,
and many of the wounds received in these af
frays came under his professional care and
treatment. [See Dr. Thatcher's MiHtary Jour
nal — Boston, 1823, page 307; also Bolton, in
his history of Westchester Co., Vol. II. , page
384, relates one of many incidents in Dr.
White's experience during the war.] He was
elected to the State Senate, and afterward as
Presidential elector. He was born in South
ampton in 1746, and died in Yorktown in
1827, after more than half a century's success
ful practice of his profession. His wife sur
vived him only_ a few years. Their children
were: Catharine, Bartow, Ebenezer, Henry,
Lewis, James and Theodosius.
Sixth Generation: Ebenezer, the second
son of Dr. Ebenezer, of Yorktown, also made
choice of the profession of medicine, as did his
brothers Bartow and Henry. He was a pupil
of his father, and finished his studies by at
tending medical lectures in the City of New
York. He married Amy, daughter of the late
Samuel Green, of the town of Somers, West
chester county, and located there in the house
now owned and occupied by his son Samuel.
After a practice of more than sixty years, he
died March 18, 1865, at the advanced age of
eighty-five. He was surrogate of Westchester
county, and represented Dutchess county in
the State Legislature. In politics he was a
Republican; in religion a Presbyterian; and in
theory and practice an ardent temperance man.
He had nine children, of whom three sons
adorned the profession which their father so
long followed.
Seventh Generation: Bartow F. , M. D.,
married Ann Augusta Belcher, of Round HHl,
Conn., and located there; Stephen G. , a mer
chant of Somers, died unmarried, aged twen
ty-three; Helen A. married James Brett, of
FishkHl; Lewis H., M.D. .married Helena Van-
Wyck, of FishkHl; Oliver, M. D., who settled
in New York, married Catharine O. Ritter;
Phebe married Robert Calhoun; John P., a
merchant of New York, married Margaret Bry
son; Euphemia married James W. Bedell, of
Somers; Samuel married Emma Jackson, and
is now living in the old homestead at Somers,
Westchester county.
Dr. Lewis H. White, the father of Howell,
was born in Somers, March 17, 1807. He
studied at Yale College, New Haven, in after

years receiving an honorary medical degree
from the University Medical College of New
York. He settled in JohnsvHle, Dutchess
county, and after several years of practice re
moved to Fishkill, where he resided the re
sided the remainder of his life. He practiced
his profession in FishkiH and JohnsviHe for
fifty-eight years, occupying a position in his
profession equalled by few and excelled by
none. He was a member of the Dutchess
County Medical Society, and for eleven years
its president; also a member of the New York
State Medical Society. On June 7, 1853, he
inarried Helena, daughter of John C. and Delia
Van Wyck, of FishkiH. They had three chil
dren: Howell, born June 12, 1856; Catharine,
born June i, 1859, died July 16, 1862; Kate,
born October 3, 1865, married Hasbrouck
Bartow, of Hackensack, N. J., and now resides
there. It is a noteworthy fact that Dr. Lewis
H. White, his father and grandfather each
practiced his profession for over half a century.
Mrs. White is a daughter of Isaac E.
Cotheal and his wife, Catherine E. (Rapalje),
and on the maternal side is a descendant in
the eighth generation from Joris Jansen de
Rapalje, one of the proscribed Huguenots,
from "Rochelle in France," and the common
ancestor of all the American famHies of this
name. He came to this country with other
colonists in 1623, in the "Unity," a ship of
the West India Company, and settled at Fort
Orange (now Albany), where he remained
three years. In 1626 he removed to New
Amsterdam, and resided there untH after the
birth of his youngest child. On June 16, 1637,
he bought from the Indians a tract of land
computed at 335 acres, called Rennegaconck,
now included within the city of Brooklyn, and
comprehending the lands occupied by the
U. S. Marine Hospital. Here Mr. Rapalje
finally located, and spent the remainder of his
life. He was a leading citizen, acted a prom
inent part in the colony, and served in the
magistracy of Brooklyn. He died soon after
the close of the Dutch administration, his
widow, Catalyntie, daughter of Joris Trico,
surviving him many years. She was born in
Paris, and died September 11, 1689, aged
eighty-four. The original family record, pre
served in the library of the New York Histor
ical Society, gives the names and dates of
birth of their chHdren, as follows: Sarah, born
June 9, 1625, was married (first) to Hans
Hausse Bergen,- and then to Tennis Gysberts

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

203

Bogart; Marritie, born March ii, 1627, mar
ried Michael Vandervoort; Jannetie, born Au
gust 18, 1629, married Rem Vanderheeck;
Judith, born July 5, 1635, married Pieter Van-
Nest; Jan, born August 28, 1637, niarried, but
died in 1662 without issue; Jacob, born May
28, 1639, was kiHed by Indians; Catalyntie,
born March 28, 1641, married Jeremias West
erhout; Jerominus, born June 27, 1643; An
netie, born February 8, 1646, was married
(first) to Marten Reverse, and then to Joost
Fransz; Elizabeth, born March 28, 1648, mar
ried Dirck Hooglandt; Daniel, born December
29, 1650.
Second Generation: Jerominus Rapalje
became a man of some prominence, a justice
of the peace, and a deacon of the Brooklyn
Church. He married Anna, daughter of Tennis
Denys, and had nine children born, as follows:
Joris, born November 5, 1668, married July 27,
1694, Nellie, daughter of Jan Conwenhoven,
died at Cripplebush, in 1697; Tennis, born
May 5, 1671; Jan, born December 14, 1673;
Femmetie, born October 5, 1676, married Jan
Bennet; Jacob, born June 25, 1679; Jerominus,
born March 31, 1682; Catalina, born March
25, 1685, married Peter DeMond, of Raritan,
N. J.; Sarah, born November 4, 1687,' married
Hans Bergen; and Cornelius, born October
21, 1690.
Third Generation: Jan Rapalje, son of
Jerominus, married Annettie, daughter of Coert
Van Voorhees, and was a farmer on a portion
of the family estate in Brooklyn, which at his
death in 1733 he left to his son George. They
had three children: George C, Jeromus, and
John, who married Maria Van Dyke, in 1737.
Fourth Generation: Jeromus Rapalje, son
of Jan, inherited a farm at Flushing, where he
died in 1754. He was twice married, and left
six chHdren: John, Richard, Stephen, Ann,
Ida and Elizabeth.
Fifth Generation: John Rapalje, son of
Jeromus, was born in 1722, and died at Jamaica
at the age of about fifty years. He was twice
married, and by his first wife, Elizabeth,
daughter of Abraham Brinckerhoff, had five
children: Catherine, who married Tennis
Brinkerhoff; Jeromus; Abraham Brinkerhoff,
born 1 76 1, died 1818; Aletta, who married
James Debervoise; and Richard. The sons
settled at FishkHl, N. Y., where some of their
descendants remain.
Sixth Generation: Richard Rapalje, son
of John, was born on Long Island August 30,

1764, removed to Fishkill during the Revolu
tionary war, and died September 2, 1825. He
was married three times, first on January 31,
1795, to Letty, daughter of Isaac and Eliza
beth Van Wyck. She was born November 21,
1775, and died September 11, 1800. They
had chHdren: Elizabeth, born March 21,
1796, died September 13, 1796; John Van-
Wyck, born August 18, 1798, died Septem
ber 13, 1798; Eliza Van Wyck, born Feb
ruary 28, 1800, died January 17, 1801. Mr.
Rapalje married December 2, 1801, for his
second wife, Jane Van Wyck, a sister of his
first wife. She was born March 15, 1782,
and died November 23, 1806. They also had
three chHdren, viz. : William Edward, born
October 11, 1802, died and was buried
at sea while on his return from Europe June
2, 1833; Isaac Van Wyck, born Novem
ber 8, 1804, died December 7, 1809; John
Augustus, born October 6, i8o6, died same
day. On September, i, 18 10, Mr. Rapalje
married Ann, daughter of Archibald and Cath
arine Currie, of New York (born September 13,
1777, died January 31, i860), and they had
children as follows: Jane Ann, born June 18,
181 1, died July 4, 1825; Isaac Van Wyck, born
March 14, 181 3, died August 2, 1824; Richard,
born March 16, 181 5, died December 26, 1846;
Archibald Currie, born January 16, 1817, died
July 28, 1831; Catharine Elizabeth, born July
8, 18 19, died January 8, 1864.
Seventli Generation: Catharine Rapalje
married October 22, 1856, Isaac E. Cotheal,
born August 12. 1817, died May 8, 1884, of
New York City, son of Henry and Phebe (Ber
rian Warner) Cotheal. They had three chil
dren: Elizabeth M.,born February 25, 1858,
the wife of our subject; Anne Rapalje, born De
cember 13, i860, who married Charles D. Sher
wood; and Catharine Elizabeth, unmarried.
The old homestead, known as "Robinia, "
where Mrs. White was born, contained be
tween 500 and 600 acres, and was originally
part of the Madame Brett Patent, transferred
at first to the Van Wyck family, from them to
the Southards, from them, in the year 1795,
to Richard Rapalje (Mrs. White's grandfather),
who built the present residence in 1800. At
his death the estate came to Catharine Coth
eal, his daughter; and, at the death of her hus
band, to Mrs. White. After her marriage to
Dr. Howell White they lived there for eight
years, when they sold it in 1893 to its present
owner, William T. Blodgett.

204

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

|0N. AUGUSTUS B. GRAY, the able
If-X and popular representative from the Sec
ond Dutchess District in the New York Assem
bly, was born April 2, 1861, in New York City,
of New England ancestry, being a descendant
of Henry Gray, one of two brothers, John and
Henry, who settled at Fairfield, Conn,, in
1643, Hiram B, Gray, father of our subject,
was born at Fairfield, Conn., March 22, 1801,
and lived when a child at Pawling, Dutchess
county, and Paterson, Putnam county. At
the age of twenty-one he went to New York
City and engaged in mercantile business. On
December 20, 1847, he was married in Schuy
ler county to Miss Nancy Hager, a native of
that county, and of their children two are now
living: John Hiram, born August 20, 1852,
who is engaged in the building and real-estate
business in New York City; and Augustus B.,
our subject. Hiram Gray, who was a strong
supporter of Lincoln's administration, was
burned out during the draft riot in New York
City, in July, 1 863, and he then went to Schuy
ler county, where he bought two farms where
on he remained until 1866, in that year dis
posing of them. In 1870 he bought the home
stead now occupied by our subject on the out
skirts of Poughkeepsie; he died in New York
City, January 27, 1872; his wife, Nancy
(Hager), still survives.
Our subject was born April 2, 1861, and
spent his boyhood in New York City, attend
ing the public schools and preparing for col
lege. After his father's death he took up his
residence at the homestead which he has man
aged with great ability, gaining a high reputa
tion among farmers throughout the State.
On June 23, 1882, in Tompkins county, N.
Y. , he was married to Miss Mary Case, daugh
ter of Homer Case, of Schuyler county, a gal
lant soldier of the 103rd N. Y. V. I., in the
Civil war, who lost his life in 1862 in defense
of the Union, Four children were born of
this marriage: George W. , January 17, 1885;
Nancy Isabel, April 9, 1886; Harry Augustus,
February 24, 1888; and Homer B., July 10,
1893- Mr. Gray is a Republican, and devoted to
his party. He has taken a deep interest in
town politics, and rendered faithful service on
the board of supervisors in 1888, 1889 and
1890, his constituents showing their apprecia
tion by re-electing him the third time without
opposition. He succeeded in bringing in a
minority report in regard to keeping the pres

ent site of the State Armory, and gained the
good wHI and support of the military men and
taxpayers. In 1893 he was elected to the As
sembly by a plurality of 237 votes over J. W.
De Peyster Toler, and has been re-elected in
the years 1894, 1895 and 1896, having re
ceived increased majorities, and in 1896 hav
ing received 2,144 pliirality.
In 1896 and 1897 he served as chairman
of the Committee on Banks, and has served on
the Labor Committee for three years, and his
support by the laboring classes shows that he
always has the interest of the laborer at heart,
and does all in his power to advance their
cause. He has served for three years on the
Committee on Agriculture, Commerce and
Navigation. In fact, his entire record has
proved him to be a most efficient supporter of
the interests of his district.
He has served on the Republican County
Committee for twelve years, and chairman of
the Town Committee, and is treasurer of the
Dutchess County Agricultural Society. He is
a member of Poughkeepsie Chapter No. 172,
R. A. M. , and Triune Lodge No. 782, F. A,
M., and Armor Lodge No. 107, K. of P.

PHILIP CLAYTON ROGERS. Among
 the leading citizens of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, none hold a higher place in
the estimation of the public than the gentle
man whose name introduces this sketch, and
who comes of a long line of distinguished and
worthy ancestors.
Moses Rogers (the grandfather of our sub
ject), born in 1750, died November 30, 1825,
was one of the merchant princes of New York
City. He was engaged in the West Indies'
trade for many years, and was a wealthy man
for those early days, being one of the fifteen
merchants in the city who could afford to keep
horses and carriage. He was one of the found
ers of Grace Church, and was much devoted
to Church work. He was a brother-in-law of
Archibald Gracie, who was even more cele
brated than himself. He was a man of ex
treme sagacity, and was very successful in all
his enterprises. The family is of English de
scent, and came, probably, from Yorkshire.
They are connected with President Dwight,
the first president of Yale College, and by mar
riage with the Woolseys and Governor Fitch,
first Colonial governor of Connecticut; the Ver-
plancks, the Winthrops, Van Rennselaers, and

^
P^^^^^^^^^'
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

205

Pendletons of Virginia. Moses Rogers mar
ried Sarah Woolsey, and they had four chil
dren: Benjamin Woolsey, Archibald Rogers
(our subject's father) ; Frances married Frank
Winthrop; and Julia became the wife of Sam
uel Hopkins, of Geneva, N. Y. Mr. Rogers
died in 1825, and his wife passed away in 1820,
Archibald Rogers, the father of our subject,
was born in 1791 at Shippan Point, Stamford,
Conn., where his father had his summer home.
He was educated in Yale College, and in about
1 8 16 took a trip abroad at the suggestion of his
father, whose favorite son he was, in company
with Tom Moore, nephew of Bishop Moore, of
Virginia. He spent three years in traveling,
and among other places visited the field of
Waterloo, where he secured some interesting
relics. He was married in 1821 to Miss Anna
Pierce Pendleton, only daughter of Judge Na
thaniel Pendleton, of New York City, who was
on the bench before Judge Emmott. To this
union eight children were born, and the follow
ing record of seven is given: (i) Nathaniel
Pendleton, who was born April 29, 1822, was for
many years a prominent lawyer in New York,
and was associated with Alexander Hamilton,
a grandson of the famous Alexander Hamilton
of history, and Francis Reeves, son of Francis
Reeves, minister to France, the firm name
being Hamilton, Rogers & Reeves. In his
later years he lived at " Placentia, " Hyde
Park, until his death, which occurred at his
town residence in New York City, April 22,
1892. (2) Julian, born February 12, 1824,
died when six months old. (3) Edmond Pendle
ton, born in 1827, father of Col. Arch'd Rogers,
of Gov. Morton's staff, and died at Hyde Park,
February 9, 1895, married Virginia Dummer,
of Jersey City, in 1850. (4) Archibald, born
August 10, 1825, died March 21, 1831. (5)
PhHip Clayton, our subject, was born August
13, 1829 (he was named after Major Phil Clay
ton, of the Catalpas, of whom he was a
lineal descendant, who settled in Culpeper
county, Va., in 1643). (6) Archibald (2), born
November 12, 1832, died in New York City,
December 20, 1836. (7) Susan Bard, born
November 4, 1834, married Herman T. Liv
ingston, only son of Herman Livingston, of
Oake HHl, opposite CatskiH, and lives in New
York. Anna P. Rogers, their mother, died at
Hyde Park, December 26, 1873', in the eighty-
seventh year of her age. After his marriage
our subject's father passed the remainder of
his life in the quiet pursuits of a country gen

tleman. He was a great hunter and fisher
man, and enjoyed these sports to their full ex-^
tent. He was a man of great generosity of
character, and was universally esteemed.
The Pendletons, ancestors of our subject's
mother, were of an old English family (the
name is mentioned in King Edward's time,
" Penniltonns"), members of which came to
this country and settled in Virginia in 1628.
Edmund Pendleton was the first president of
the Virginia State Assembly, and was a close
friend of General Washington and Patrick
Henry. He was one of the most distinguished
of the Pendletons. He lived in Culpeper
county, Va. Martha Washington was a Dan
dridge, and the Pendletons and Dandridges are
closely connected. Judge Nathaniel Pendleton
became a soldier in the Revolutionary war
when only eighteen years old, and by his
bravery rose to the rank of major. He distin
guished hims.elf greatly at the battle of Eutaw
Springs, serving at that time on the staff of
General Nathaniel Greene; the General's pis
tols are still in the family. After leaving the
army he married Susan, a daughter of Dr.
John Bard, of BurHngton, N. J. The Bard
famHy is of good old Huguenot stock, and
came to this country after the Edict of Nantes.
Dr. John Bard was a distinguished physician
of Burlington, N. J., son of Gen. Peter Bard,
of the Revolutionary army, afterward settling
in New York City, where he lived a number
of years. He died at Hyde Park, where he
resided the latter part of his life. His epitaph
reads: " The longer he lived the more he was
beloved." Judge Pendleton was the second to Gen.
Hamilton in the latter's famous duel with
Aaron Burr at Weehawken, in 1804, He was
a noted lawyer of his day in New York City,
and at the time of his death was a judge in the
court at Poughkeepsie. He bought a place at
Hyde Park which he named "Placentia,"
meaning "Rest," where he died in 1821, in
his sixty-first year. His eldest son, Edmund
Henry, who eventually filled his father's place
at the bar in Poughkeepsie, and was judge
from 1830 to 1840, married Frances Maria
Jones, of Jones Wood, N.Y. ; he wentto Europe
in 1836, and spent the balance of his life be
tween Hyde Park and New York City, He
died in 1863 without issue, his large property
being left to his only sister's eldest son, Na
thaniel P. Rogers.
Nathaniel Greene Pendleton went to Cin-

206

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

cinnati, when a young man, and practiced law,
becoming very successful and being twice sent
to Congress. His first wife was Jane Hunt,
a daughter of Gov. Hunt, of Ohio, and his sec
ond, Miss Anna Bullock, of Kentucky. He
left a large family — his most distinguished son
being George Pendleton, of Ohio, who was sent
twice to Congress, was a U. S. Senator from
that State, was minister to Berlin, and was a
candidate for Vice-President on the ticket
with Gen. George B. McClellan, in 1864, He
married AHce Key, daughter of Francis Scott
Key, the American poet (who was born in
1780, and died in 1843), author of the "Star
Spangled Banner. " James M. Pendleton,
M. D., married Margaret Jones, a member of
one of the prominent families of New York
City; he was a distinguished physician, and
having a large fortune spent much of his time
in practicing among the poor people of the
city, never accepting any money for his
services. Philip Clayton Rogers, the subject proper
of this review, was educated in his younger
days in the celebrated school of Dr. Huddart,
in New York City. In 1840 he entered
Columbia College, where he remained until
1845, leaving in the junior year to take a posi
tion in the counting-room of Robert Kermit,
of the old Red Star Line. In 1853 he was
appointed secretary of the Second Avenue
Railroad Co., fiHing that office for three years.
At this time a change took place in the man
agement, and Mr. Rogers removed to Hyde
Park. In 1859 he took a trip to China, going
out as a passenger and coming back ' ' before
the mast," having a strong wish to see strange
climes and people. In 1861 he enlisted as a
private in the famous New York Seventh Reg
iment (Old 8th Company, Capt. Shumway),
and went to Washington, returning in June of
that year in company with his brother, Ed
mund P. Rogers, to whom he was devotedly
attached. The following August he was made
second lieutenant in the 55th N. Y. V,, and
this regiment, next year after, being consoli
dated with another, he was made first lieuten
ant of Company H, 39th Regiment. He was
soon promoted to the captaincy, and was ap
pointed aid-de-camp in the First Brigade,
First Division, of the Second Army Corps. In
the second day's fight at the battle of the
Wilderness, May 6, 1864, he was taken pris
oner and carried to Macon, Ga,, whence he
was sent to the jail at Charleston. On his way

there, he in company with eighty other offi
cers who were prisoners jumped from the cars
at Pocataligo Station, and made a bold dash
for freedom, but were hunted down by hounds,
only one succeeding in escaping. He was
afterward exchanged by special order of Gen.
Foster, and was sent back to New York on
board the steamer "Arago, " in August, 1864.
In October he resumed his duties on the staff
of the First Battalion, First Division, Second
Corps, remaining at his post until February
20, 1865, when worn out by the hard life of a
soldier he took an honorable discharge. He
wears a bronze cross of the 7th Regiment,
N. Y. S. v., which was given him for long and
faithful service, and is among his choicest
treasures. In 1865 Mr. Rogers was married to Miss
Julia Kavanagh, of New Rochelle, a descend
ant of the Kavanaghs of Ireland, a very old
family. To this union four children have been
born: PhHip Clayton, Jr., Juliana, Virginia
and James M. The latter, who was a favorite
child of his father, was killed when seven
years old by the discharge of a gun in the
hands of a playmate.
Capt. Rogers has seen many stirring events
in the course of his long and eventful life, and
bore an active part in one of the strangest and
bloodi'est wars in history, when brother was
arrayed against brother and State against
State. He lived to see a re-united country,
more prosperous and happy than ever before,
and with most brilliant prospects for still
greater power and glory in the future. He is
now passing the evening of his life in peaceful
retirement, happy in his family and friends
and with the consciousness of having done his
part well in whatever he has engaged.

M OBERT RIDER THOMPSON (de-
 ceased), at one time a prominent citizen
of Smithfield, widely and favorably known,
was a native of Dutchess county, born in the
town of Stanford, December 14, 1814, His
grandfather, Elias Thompson, was also a resi
dent of the county, where the birth of his fa
ther, James Thompson, occurred. The latter
served his apprenticeship to the hatter's trade,
but never followed that business, devoting his
time principally to agricultural pursuits in the
town of Stanford, where he died at the age of
seventy-six years. His political support was
given the Democratic party. He was married

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

207

to Rebecca Rider, daughter of Robert Rider,
and to them were born nine chHdren: Eme
line, Robert R., Hannah, Jane, David, Melis
sa, Edwin, Elias M. and Henry P., ail of whom
are deceased except David and Elias M.
After attending the district schools for a
time, our subject entered the Nine Partners
Boarding School, but finished his education in
the Amenia Seminary, after which he aided
in the work of the home farm during the sum
mer season, whHe the winter months were de
voted to school teaching until his marriage.
That important event of his Hfe was celebrated
in 1 84 1, Catherine Sanford becoming his wife.
After a long and happy married life of over
half a century she was called to her final rest in
1893- Four children blessed their union, as follows:
(i) Ellen C. is the wife of WHliam J. Clanney,
of Amenia, by whom she has five chHdren---
Grace, George, Robert, William and Clarence.
(2) George married Nellie Le Roy; he died in
1895, leaving no children. (3) John R., a
leading resident of Amenia, is the superintend
ent of the water works at that place and at
Pine Plains and Wassaic. In 1877 he married
Mary F. Bertine, and they have three children
— Kate, John R. , Jr., and Anna Frances. (4)
Edward B. was born at Smithfield, November
8, 1862, and there spent his boyhood, later
attending the Amenia Seminary. At the early
age of ten years he took quite a fancy to ducks,
which he engaged in raising for a few years,
and then turned his attention to Plymouth
Rock chickens, paying $8 for his first setting
of eggs. He then began dealing in fancy fowls
and eggs, and now makes two shipments a
week. He has successfully exhibited his fowls
in New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia,
and has won many premiums. Socially, he is
connected with Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. &
A. M., of which he has twice served as master,
is a Democrat in politics, and is a member of
the Smithfield Presbyterian Church. At New
burg, Orange Co., N. Y.', in February, 1891,
he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Ada
Smith, daughter of Rev. W. E. Smith, and
has two children — Edward Valentine, born in
1892, and Walter Carlyle, born in 1893,-^-
After his marriage, Robert R. Thompson
located at Smithfield, where he made his home,
and for forty years was successfully engaged
in the fire, life and accident insurance business.
For twenty-five years he also served as post
master of Smithfield, and was school inspect

or. He cast his ballot in support of the prin
ciples advocated by the Democratic party, and
affiliated with Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. &
A. M. He was a pleasant, genial gentleman,
winning many friends, and faithfully discharged
every duty that devolved upon him. He passed
away at his home December 26, 1896, at the
ripe age of eighty-two years and ten days, in
full possession of his business faculties to the
very last.

ILTON H. ANGELL, M. D., one of the
leading physicians of Dutchess county,
is established in Salt Point, where he follows a
career of usefulness, having thoroughly fitted
himself for the duties of a most responsible
position. He gives his entire attention to his
chosen profession, with most satisfactory re
sults to himself and' patrons.
Ephraim Angeli, the paternal grandfather
of our subject, was born in Rhode Island, of
English origin, and after his marriage with
Mary Thorne he located in Columbia county,
N. Y. Their family included nine children,
namely: Augustus carried on farming in
Columbia county; Joseph died in early man
hood; Stephen is the father of our subject;
Henry (deceased) was in early life a farmer,
but later became a coal dealer in Chicago;
William carries on agricultural pursuits in
Columbia county; Ephraim is engaged in the
same occupation in that county; Sarah is the
wife of Elisha Clark, a farmer of Columbia
county; Martha first wedded Ashley NHes, a
merchant of that county, and after his death
became the wife of Nodiah Hill, a very learned
man; and Emma (deceased) married Dr.
William Vail (now deceased), who was en
gaged in the practice of medicine in New
Hampshire, The father of this family fol
lowed farming exclusively in Columbia county
until his death.
Stephen T. Angeli, the father of our sub
ject, was a native of the village of Spencer-
town, Columbia county, where he grew to
manhood. He married Hannah E. Ham, who
was born in the town of Clinton, Dutchess
county, and is a daughter of George Ham, an
agriculturist. They began their domestic life
upon a farm near Salt Point, in Pleasant Val
ley town, where their five children were born
as follows: Evelyn; George H., a merchant
of Wappingers Falls, N. Y. ; Augustus, a physi
cian and oculist, of Hartford, Conn. ; J. Thorne,

208

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

engaged in raHroad business in Pine Plains,
Dutchess county; and Milton, the subject of
this review. Besides general farming the
father was successfully engaged in breeding
Shorthorn cattle and Southdown sheep. For
many years he served as justice of the peace,
was ever identified with the Republican party,
and a man of most estimable character. His
death occurred in October, 1889, his faithful
wife still surviving.
On the family homestead at Salt Point, MH
ton H. AngeH was born October 8, 1856, and
under the parental roof spent his boyhood, dur
ing which period he attended the district
schools. Later he entered the Military Acad
emy at Poughkeepsie, and for three years pur
sued his studies at De Garmo Institute, Rhine
beck, N. Y. , after which he taught school for
one year. He then began the study of medi
cine, taking a course of lectures at the New
York Homeopathic Medical College, where he
was graduated with the class of '82, Shortly
afterward, the Doctor located at Wappingers
Falls, where he engaged in practice for a year
and a half. Then he removed to Stanfordville,
Dutchess county, where he followed his chosen
profession for six years, and in 1890 succeeded
his brother, Dr. Augustus, at Salt Point, where
he enjoys a large and lucrative practice.
On October 13, 1886, Dr. Milton H. AngeH
was married to Miss Frances McKay, a daugh
ter of Robert McKay, a native of Brooklyn, N.
Y., who is now Hving retired; he is of Scotch
descent, and a son of Samuel McKay, a prom
inent hatter and furrier. Two children have
been born to the Doctor and his wife: Evelyn
and Milton. Dr. Angeli stands high in the
ranks of the medical fraternity of Dutchess
county; politically, he is an adherent to the
principles of the Republican party.

^ILLIAM HENRY TABER. One of
 the first grants of land in the far-famed
Oblong Valley, in Dutchess county, was made
by King George III. in 1760, conveying the
title of 500 acres to Thomas Taber, the great
grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He
came from New Bedford, Mass. , where he was
born in 1732, and in 1760 made his home upon
this estate, which has ever since been in the
possession of the family.
His son, Jeremiah Taber, our subject's
grandfather, was born there in 1762, and like

his father was a farmer by occupation. He
was prominent in local affairs, also in the So
ciety of Friends at Quaker HHl, and being a
man of unusual sagacity he was greatly re
spected throughout the locality. He lived un
til 1834, and his wife, Dillalah Russell, daugh
ter of Elihu Russell, departed this life in 1852.
They had six chHdren: (i) Eliza, who mar
ried Joseph Carpenter, a native of Harrison
township, Westchester Co., N. Y. , a farmer,
and they had three children — Harriet A., mar
ried to Daniel Griffin; Mary T. , wife of Joseph
Parks, of the firm of Parks & THford (they had
two sons — George and Herbert — in business
with their father), and Arthur, now deceased.
(2) Russell, who succeeded to his mother's
homestead, and lived there duringhis Hfe, mar
ried Deborah Hoag, and had four children —
Mary H., who married Alfred Wing, brother of
Ebby P. Wing; Eliza, who died when young;
Ann, unmarried, and John, who wedded Delia
Ross. (3) Thomas, a farmer, settled in
Broome county, N. Y. , where he left descend
ants; he married Mary GHbert, and had four
children — Amelia, who married Morton Crane,
of Putnam county; Gilbert, who first married
Amanda Tripp, and had one daughter, Hattie
(now Mrs. Birdsell); Delilah, who married
Warren Merchant, and Jeremiah, who lives in
Delaware county. (4) WilHam, our subject's
father. (5) Harriet, who married Jonathan
Akin, and with her husband was greatly es
teemed in the Society of Friends, as well as in
the community at large, (6) John, who died
at the age of sixteen.
William Taber, who was born December
10, 1796, inherited 260 acres of the old farm,
by buying out the other heirs. He was a suc
cessful farmer, a Quaker in religion and an ex
emplary citizen, noted for his unfailing kind
ness to the unfortunate. Although he never
took an active part in politics, he was a stanch
Democrat in principle. He married Eliza,
daughter of Abial Sherman, a leading resident
of the southern part' of the town of Pawling.
She died February 5, 1841, and he survived
her until 1863, when he breathed his last at
the old homestead. Of their three children,
one died February 4, 1846, at the age of six
years. Walter F. Taber, the youngest of the
two surviving sons, is a well-known resident of
Poughkeepsie. William Henry Taber, the eldest son, was
born May 4, 1825, and has spent the greater
part of his life on the old estate. After finish-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

209

ing the course of study afforded in the district
school of the neighborhood, he attended the
Jacob Willets select school for some time, and
then studied one winter in Poughkeepsie, with
Prof. Hyatt. He received a fair education for
the times, which his naturally active mind has
enabled him to enlarge by reading and observa
tion. He remained at home untH his marriage
in 1852 to Miss Catherine Flagler, daughter of
Benjamin F. Flagler, a prominent citizen of
Beekman, when he settled upon a farm be
longing to an aunt of his wife, conducting same
for two years. In 1854 he bought J. J. Vande-
burg's interest in a general store at Pawling,
and gave his whole attention to the business.
In the following year Mr. Merritt sold his in
terest in the same store, to Walter F. Taber,
and the two brothers continued in partnership
until 1863, when our subject moved to the old
homestead, buying up all other claims upon it.
Here he has carried on general farming, and has
also engaged in other lines of business, dealing
extensively in live-stock, in the slaughter of
cattle, and in the sale of meat at retail. His
purchases of Western cattle to supply the local
demand for milk cows have been large and
profitable — in fact, his enterprises have been
uniformly successful. He was an incorporator
and one of the original trustees of the Pawling
Savings Bank, has been for many years its
vice-president, and for more than twenty years
has been an inspector of the National Bank of
Pawling. Mr. Taber's first wife died on September
26, 1855, leaving two daughters: Eliza, the
wife of William H. Osborne, of Pawling; and
Amelia, who married Edwin R. Ferris, of Jer
sey Heights. In 1,858, for his. second wife,
Mr. Taber wedded Elizabeth Thomas, daughter
of Charles Thomas, a well-known resident of
the town of Dover, and three children were
born to them: George A,; Nellie, wife of
Stephen Moore; and Charles W. , who resides
at Gaylords Bridge. The mother of this family
died April 6, 1874, and Mr. Taber formed a
third matrimonial union January 10, 1888,
with Miss Louise Frost, daughter of Alva Frost.
They have had two sons: WHliam Henry, Jr.,
and Sherman, both at present attending school.
Mr. Taber is an influential worker in the
Democratic party, and served as supervisor
and justice of the peace in 1854. He is active
in local affairs also, and has been assessor for
nineteen years, during which time he has re
vised the entire assessment list.
14

HENRY D. WHITE, M. D., a leading
 physician and surgeon of HopeweH Junc
tion, Dutchess county, belongs to a family
that has had several able representatives in
the medical profession. His great-grandfather,
Ebenezer White, was an eminent practitioner
of Westchester county, N. Y. , where his en
tire life was passed. The White family is of
old English stock, and was founded in this
country during the early period of its settle
ment. In religious belief they have been
principally members of the Reformed Dutch
Church. His grandfather, Dr. Bartow F. White,
was a native of Westchester county, N. Y. ,
but engaged in the practice of medicine in
Connecticut. In politics he was a stalwart
supporter of the Democratic party. He mar
ried Ann Augusta Belcher, a native of Round-
hill, Conn., and a daughter of Elisha Belcher,
M. D., who served with distinction during the
Revolutionary war, and whose ring, worn by
him at that time, is now on the finger of the
Doctor. Four children were born to the
grandparents: Stephen; Alethea, who mar
ried Dr. Henry A. Weeks, of New York City
(and whose son, Bartow F. , was assistant dis
trict attorney of that city) ; and William and
Elisha, deceased.
Stephen White was born at Roundhill,
Conn., was reared to manhood in New York
City, and has been engaged in mercantile pur
suits exclusively, both in that city and in
Brooklyn, but is now living retired. He was
united in marriage with Caroline Elizabeth
De la Pierre, whose birth occurred in New
York City. Her father was a native of Hol
land, but of French-Huguenot parentage. The
Doctor is the third in order of birth in a fam
ily of three children, his sisters being Alethea
A., and Caroline De la Pierre, who died at the
age of six years. His parents are highly-es
teemed people, members of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, and his father is an adher
ent of Democratic principles, always supporting
that party.
Dr. White was born at Brooklyn, Febru
ary 8, 1866, there received his primary educa
tion in a private school, and later attended
the Polytechnic Institute. After the com
pletion of his literary course he entered the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New
York City, where he graduated with the class
of 1887, after which for one year he was house
physician of St. John's Hospital of Brooklyn,

210

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

thus gaining much valuable practical experi
ence. He located at Hopewell Junction in
1896, and from the present outlook will soon
be at the head of a large and lucrative prac
tice. He has that love for his profession
which is sure to win success, and his skill can
not fail to be recognized. Like his ancestors,
the Doctor is also an ardent Democrat, and
socially holds membership in the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and the Royal Arcanum,
both in New Jersey lodges; also in the New Jer
sey Society of the Sons of the Revolution.
Professionally, he is a member of the Dutch
ess County Medical Society.

DAVID COLE (deceased) was one of the
most genial and whole-souled men of
Dutchess county. He had accumulated a
good property by his own thrift and industry,
owning at the time of his death the property
in the town of Red Hook, known as the Will
iam ^yaldorf farm, which contains sixty-nine
acres of rich and fertile land. His tastes
always inclined him to agricultural pursuits,
and that industry found in him a most able
representative. He was a son of David Cole,
a leading farmer of the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county.
In 1846 our subject was married to Miss
Catherine Lewis, who was born in Woodstock,
Ulster Co., N. Y., in 1825, and educated in
the common schools of that place. To this
worthy couple were born six children, (i)
James Lewis was born in the town of Red
Hook, and when eighteen years of age enlisted
in the Union army at Albany, N. Y. , becom
ing a member of the United States Cavalry.
In an engagement he was taken prisoner by
the Rebels, and while confined in one of those
loathsome Southern prisons contracted the
measles, from which he died when in the nine
teenth year of his age. (2) Prudence is the
next in order of birth. (3) Alida married Al
fred Henion, and had four chHdren — Jennie
Louise, born March 24, 1872; Philip Hiram,
born November 9, 1874; Watson Lewis, born
January 9, 1879, and died in infancy; and
Ethel Catherine, born August 21, 1888. (4)
Luella is the fourth in the family. (5) Eliza
beth died in infancy. (6) PhHip Henry was
also born in the town of Red Hook. He be
came a student in Union College at Schenec
tady, N. Y, , and also attended the New York
College for one year. He then became pro

fessor in the former institution, which position
he held untH 1895, at the same time being
pastor of the Second Reformed Church at
Schenectady. He has been quite an exten
sive traveler, having visited Europe several
times. He married Miss Anna Furbeck, of
Schenectady, and they have two children:
Edward Martin, born August 30, 1892, and
Lewis Furbeck, born June 6, 1893.
Garrett Lewis, the father of Mrs. Cole,
was a native of Woodstock, Ulster county,
and during his boyhood and youth attended
the public schools of the locality. He fol
lowed farming as a lifework. He was united
in marriage with Miss Fannie Ewyrie, of the
same place, and they became the parents of
ten children, as follows: Bowen remained
single; William H. married Nellie Kipp; John
married Eliza Smith; Christopher married
Sophia Homer; Marie married Andrew Wol-
vern ; Nellie married John Whittaker ; Leah mar
ried Peter John; Philip died in childhood; Mat
thew died in infancy; and Catherine (widow
of David Cole, of this review) completes the
family.

€\ARPENTER FAMILY. Tradition, Par-
,_i ish and Church records, and other infor
mation quite conclusive, tell us that the first of
the Carpenters, of whom this sketch relates,
was a German of the name of (I) Gotlieb Zim
merman, who about the year 1 500 emigrated
from Prussia to England, where he angliced
his name to Caleb Carpenter. William and
(II) Richard Carpenter are supposed to have
been his immediate descendants, and the only
children of their parents to attain to man's es
tate, (II) Richard being the only one of the two
who left issue. WHliam was engaged exten
sively in ship chandlery, and later in the ship
ping business, chiefly with the West Indies,
and when he died in 1700 at the age of ninety-
seven years, he left an estate said to have been
valued at three million pounds sterling, devised
by wHl (bearing date 1684) to his legal heirs,
who are supposed to have been his nephews
(III) Ephraim and Timothy Carpenter, then
residing in America; and Josiah and Phebe Car
penter (both then residing in Wales), children
of (III) Ephraim Carpenter, only son of (II)
Richard Carpenter.
(Ill) Ephraim Carpenter had issue: Eph
raim, (IV) Timothy, Josiah, and Phebe, who
died in Wales; the other three emigrated to

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

211

America about the year 1678; but Josiah re
turned to Wales a few years afterward, and
died there. Ephraim and (IV) Timothy pur
chased a large tract of land of the Indians on
Long Island, in the then Province of New
York, embracing a large portion, if not all, of
the town of Hempstead, and settled thereon at
or near what is now known as Jerusalem.
(IV) Timothy Carpenter was born in Eng
land December 19, 1665. About 1688 he mar
ried Mercy Coles, of Oyster Bay, Long Island,
and a short time thereafter they moved to
Westchester county. Their family consisted
of the following children: John, born June 13,
1690; Hulda, August 29, 1692; Jeptha, Decem
ber 18, 1693; (V) Benjamin, March 25, 1696;
and Timothy, Jr., AprH i, 1698.
(V) Benjamin Carpenter was born in
Westchester county, N. Y., March 25, 1696,
and for his first wife married, October 30, 17 18,
Dinah  , who was born March 19, 1698.
Children as follows were born to them: Eliza,
Septetnber 12, 17 19; Elijah, December 23,
1722; Ezra, May 6, 1726; Luther, August 16,
1730; Sarah, July 11, 1734, and (VI) Caleb,
September 25, 1736. After the death of his
first wife, November 3, 1758, (V) Benjamin
married Lydia  , born August 4, 1712,
died November 25, 1778. (V) Benjamin died
March 26, 1778 or 1779.
(VI) Caleb Carpenter was born Septem
ber 25, 1736, in Westchester county, N. Y.
For his first wife he married Amy  , who
was born November 25, 1738, and chHdren as
follows were born to them; Sebe, born July 4,
1760; Benjamin, April i, 1762; Mary, June
26, 1767; Lydia, August 4, 1769, died August
27, 1796; (VII) John, October 20, 1771; Zeno,
December 8, 1773, died February 8, 1795;
Ruth, January 24, 1776, and Caleb, October
24, 1778, died December 3, 1814. the
mother of these died January 18, 1795, and
for his second wife (VI) Caleb married Zip-
porah Kip, who died February 12, 1818, aged
sixty-nine years. (VI) Caleb died December
20, 1826.
(VII) John Carpenter was born at White
Plains, Westchester county, October 20, 1771,
and died October 10, 1828. He was married
February 16, 1799, to Amy Green, who was
born January 7, 1781, daughter of Isaiah and
Elizabeth Green, and children as follows were
born to them: Leonard, November 8, 1799;
(VIII) Emory, March 5, 1801; William G, ,
October 24, 1802; Jacob, November 24, 1804;

Caleb, February 5, 1807, and John G, , in No
vember, 1 81 2. The father of these followed
farming exclusively, and he and his wife were
members of the Hicksite Quakers Society.
He died loth 9th Mo., 1828, she on 8th 7th
Mo., 185 1, aged seventy years, six months,
one day.
(VIII) Emory Carpenter was born March
5, 1 80 1, in Westchester county, where he
lived until he was sixteen years old, and then
came to the town of Clinton, Dutchess county,
later removing to Ulster county. In that
county, at New Paltz, by Rev. Bogardus, Oc
tober 22, 1825, he was married to Jane Ann
Du Bois, who was born April 15, 1806, in
Plattekill, Ulster county, daughter of Joseph
and Abigail (Cooper) Du Bois, of Ulster coun
ty, whose children were: Jane Ann, Hannah,
Martha, Rachel, Josiah C. and Elias M.
Joseph Du Bois was a lifelong farmer. Peter
Du Bois, son of Jacques, who was the Hugue
not who emigrated to America in the year
1674, was the great-great-great-grandfather of
William J. and J. Du Bois Carpenter, both of
Poughkeepsie. His descendant, EHas Du Bois,
married Elizabeth Tompkins. Soon after their
marriage (VIII) Emory Carpenter and his wife
located on a farm near Poughkeepsie, later re
moving to New York for a time. They had
the following children: Edmund, born June 29,
1826, died September 10, 1827; Caleb, August
25, 1827, died August 5, 1828; (IX) WHliam
J., December 10, 1828; Amy J., May 8, 1831 ;
(IX) J. Du Bois, March 14, 1833; Harriet N,,
November 13, 1834; George E,, May 13, 1836;
Elias Du Bois, December 11, 1837; and Jacob
G,, August 2, 1843. Of these, WiHiam J. lives
a retired life in Poughkeepsie; Amy J. married
Capt. Smith, who is deceased; Harriet N. be
came the wife of Nathan Williams, of Ulster
county; George E, is a clerk with his brother,
J. Du Bois; Elias D. is captain of a steamer
on the Hudson; and Jacob G. has been con
nected with the Brooklyn FLagle for twenty-
three years. After leaving the farm near
Poughkeepsie, the parents moved to another
in the town of Lagrange, where the father died
August 17, 1844; politically, he was a Demo
crat, in religious faith a Hicksite Quaker. The
mother, for her second husband, married Sel
leck Carpenter, August, 1856. She died June
10, 1891.
(IX) Josiah Du Bois Carpenter, one of the
leading and oldest grocers of Poughkeepsie,
was born at New Paltz, Ulster Co., N. Y.,

212

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

March 14, 1833. When one year old he was
taken to Poughkeepsie, where he attended the
district schools until fourteen years of age, and
then studied with his uncle, Josiah C. DuBois,
after whom he was named. Mr. Carpenter
entered a general store at Highland conducted
by his uncle Josiah C. Du Bois, where he
stayed for five years; then returned to Pough
keepsie and clerked in a dry-goods store for
John W. Miller one year; then clerked for
Cornwall & Heath for the same length of time.
Subsequently he engaged in the grocery busi
ness with his brother, William J. , which he con
tinued from 1854 until 1861, when he left the
grocery business for freighting; but in 1863 he
resumed the grocery trade. On May 28, 1857,
Mr. Carpenter was married to Miss Elizabeth R.
Southwick, who was born August 25, 1835, '"^
Napanoch, Ulster Co., N. Y., daughter of
Adna H. Southwick. The following children
were the result of this union: Stella B., born
AprH 10, 1858; Alice M., born December 31,
1863; Mary A., born January 28, 1866; died
March 16, 1866; Lydia S. , born October 10,
1867; and Du Bois, born March 22, 1873.
Of these, Alice M. was married AprH 2, 1886,
at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., to Clinton D. Park-
hill, son of Mortimer and Eleanor (Shultz)
Parkhill, of Canisteo, N. Y., and chHdren as
follows have been born to them: Clinton D.,
Jr., born August 2, 1887; J. Du Bois, born
May 24, 1892, died September 28, 1892;
Mortimer S., born December 10, 1894; and
Reynolds S., born February 13, 1896, died
July 17, 1896.
(IX) Josiah Du Bois Carpenter is a Repub
lican in politics, a member of the Royal Ar
canum, and he and his wife belong to the
Methodist Church. He has always taken an
active interest in all public matters pertaining
to the welfare of Poughkeepsie ; was first presi
dent (for two years) of the Merchants Associa
tion, and has served on several committees
for the improvement of the city. His place of
business is on the corner of Main and Acad
emy streets, opposite the "Morgan House."

/PV\ EORGE K. TABER, a leading agricult-
\^' urist of the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county, and a director of the Pawling National
Bank, is a descendant of one of the oldest and
most distinguished families of that vicinity.
His ancestors were originally from England.
Thomas Taber, great-grandfather of our

subject, was born in New Bedford, Mass., in
1732, came to Dutchess county in 1760, and
bought a farm at Quaker Hill, where he passed
the remainder of his life. He was a Quaker
in religion, and most of his descendants ad
hered to the same faith. His death occurred
September 18, 1783, when he was aged fifty
years; his wife, Anne Theresa Taber, was born
in 1734, and died August 29, 1805, at the age
of seventy-one years. They had eleven chH
dren, whose names, with dates of birth and
death, are as follows: Hannah (wife of Edmond
Ferris), November 12, 1753 — December 4,
1777; Salome, June 11, 1755 — 1766; Nathaniel
(son), April 26, 1757; Meribah, March 23,
1759 — June 4, 1850; William, November 6,
1760 — November 3, 1836; Jeremiah, August
26, 1762 — May 8, 1834; Anne Therese, April
2, 1766 — 1856; Ruth, April I, 1768 — 1789;
Salome (wife of Charles Hurd), August 29,
1771 — 1827; Almy, August 28, 1773; Mary.
November 18, 1775 — May 27, 1852. Of these,
WHliam, grandfather of our subject, married
Martha Akin, who was born March i, 1761,
and children as follows came to this union,
names and dates of birth being given : Isaac, Oc
tober II, 1782; Hannah, November 25, 1783;
Thomas, May 19, 1785; George P., June 25,
1787; Phebe, January 13, 1790; Sybilla, June
27, 1791; Abigail, December 21, 1793; Jona
than Akin, March 7, 1797; and Ann, February
15. 1799- Of these, Thomas married, Febru
ary 2, 1820, Phebe Titus, daughter of Stephen
Titus and his wife Elizabeth (Holmes), and
their children were: Stephen, born March 7,
1 82 1, and Samuel Titus, April 13, 1824,
died at Roslyn, Long Island, February 4, 1871 .
The father of these died March 21, 1862, at
Roslyn, Long Island, the mother on August
13, 1824, at Chestnut Ridge, Dutchess Co.,
New York.
Stephen Taber, son of Thomas and Phebe
(Titus) Taber, married Rosetta M. Townsend
May 27, 1845, and their chHdren were: Sam
uel T., who was lost at sea in October, 1865;
William T., married to Sarah Canton; Ade
laide, married to Walter R. Willets (their chil
dren — Rosetta, Elsie, Gertrude and Edna);
Gertrude, married to Benjamin Kirk; and
Thomas T. , married to Katharine Brooks (have
one son — William T,). The father of these
died in New York City April 23, 1886, the
mother on March 4, 1883.
Samuel Titus Taber married Katherine C.
HiHer, September 2, 1845, and they moved

^t^ Ttf^^iC^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

213

from Dutchess county to Long Island, in 1856.
Their chHdren are two in number: (i) Martha
Elizabeth, born July 2, 1846, married Will
iam H. Willets, September 12, 1867 (their
daughter, Katherine Taber Willets, born Oc
tober 10, 1868, married Alfred A. Gardner,
.\ugust 22, 1892; they have one son, born
November 8, 1896); and (2) Sarah Phebe,
born November 4, 1847, married WiHiam
Willets in 1869 (their chHdren are: Samuel
Taber Willets, born October 15, 1872;
Stephen Taber Willets, born August i, 1878;
and Robert Henry Willets, born June 24,
1881). William Taber, grandfather of our subject,
became a man of distinction and note. He
was a Democrat in politics, was one of the
judges of sessions in Dutchess county, and in
1790 was a member of the State Assembly,
his strong, upright character and aggressive
disposition giving him great influence with all
classes. He was an extensive land holder,
owning about one thousand acres which he di
vided among his sons. He married Martha
Akin (daughter of Jonathan and Lillias (Ferris)
Akin), who died January 3, 1847, in her eighty-
sixth year. Of their nine children, the eldest,
Hannah, married (first) Mr. Pierson, and (sec
ond) Daniel Rumsey; she left a son, William
T. , who married (in 1842) Caroline Field, and
settled at Fairfax Court House, Va., where he
and his family still live. (2) Thomas married
Phoebe Titus, of Hempstead, L. I., and they
lived at Chestnut Ridge, Dutchess county, un
tH, about 1856, the family moved to Roslyn,
L. I. They had two sons: Stephen (who
went to Congress from there, serving two
terms — 1864 and 1866) and Samuel T.
Thomas lived at Chestnut Ridge, and took a
prominent part in the political movements of
his time, serving as a member of the Twen
tieth Congress. (3) George P. married Helen
Akin, and had three children: WHliam (who
died February 16, 1859), OHver (who died
September 17, 1878), and Philip (the only
one now (1897) living). George P. died in
February, 1870, in his eighty-third year, and
of his three children, above named, WHHam
married Helen Kirby, Oliver married Eliza
Irwin, of East Albany, and Philip is a bach
elor residing on the homestead; William and
Oliver both died without issue. (4) Sybil
married John Pierce, and had one son —
George T. Pierce. (5) Abigail married Cyrus
Tweedy. (6) Phoebe married Thomas Sweet.

(7) Ann married Chesterfield King, and had
two children — William T. and Helen.
Jonathan Aiken Taber, our subject's father,
was born in 1797, and with his two brothers
inherited the homestead, his share being 260
acres, to which he afterward added untH he
owned more than 600 acres. His life was
passed in agricultural pursuits, and he did not
take a prominent part in politics; but he was
always interested in public questions, and took
a decided stand against slavery, becoming a
Republican in his later years. He was one of
the most substantial and public-spirited men
of his town, and he and his cousin, Jonathan
Akin, were among the prime movers in the
construction of the Harlem railroad, to which
he gave much time and energy. Like his
father and a majority of the family, he was a
lifelong supporter of the Society of Friends.
His first wife, Hannah Kirby, daughter of
George Kirby, died December 25, 1832, leav
ing two chHdren, of whom our subject is the
elder. The other, Martha Ann, married Will
iam H. Akin, and had two chHdren: Albro
and Amy. His second wife was AbigaH Ayers,
by whom he had five children: Hannah, who
married Edward Wanzer, and has one daugh
ter, Margaret; William T., who married Emma
L. Crawford, and has one child, Frederick C. ,
who has been bookkeeper in the National
Bank of Pawling some twenty years; James
Ayers, who married Virginia Houghton, and
has three children — WiHiam, James Akin and
Gertrude; Mary, who died at sixteen years of
age; Abbie, who died in 1880, aged thirty-two
years. The father of this famil}' died in 1868,
and his second wife survived him until 1889.
George K. Taber, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born February 5, 1822, at the old
homestead about two miles below the village
of Pawling. He received a common-school
education, which was supplemented with a
three-seasons' course at Dutchess County
Academy, Poughkeepsie, where he graduated
when about twenty-one years old. He has
been engaged in farming all his life, and for
twenty-four years lived on the Ravinewood
farm, about three miles southeast of the vil
lage. In 1869 he bought his present property,
and built the house in which he now resides.
As a business man he is successful, and he is
one of the most influential men of the locality.
In October, 1845, he married Charlotte Field,
who was born January 16, 1826, in the town
of Pawling, only chHd of Comfort Field, and

214

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

granddaughter of GHbert Field. The family
is one of the oldest in this region, and her
ancestors were early settlers at North Salem,
Westchester county, where the old homestead
is still in the possession of lineal descendants.
Of the five children of this union, two are liv
ing : Gilbert Field, the eldest child and only
son, born September, 1846, died August, 1889.
He married Mary B. Allen, and had three
daughters — Hattie A., Hannah and Mary, all
yet living; he was a farmer and cattle raiser,
importing the first Red-Polled cattle ever
brought to this country. Hannah K. died at
the age of twenty. Martha A. and Alicia are
at home. Lottie died in 1880, at the age of
eighteen years. Mr. and Mrs. Taber are Bap
tists in faith, and have always taken great in
terest in the work of the Church, and in all
measures for the public welfare. In politics
he was formerly a Republican, but of late
years he has affiliated with the Prohibition
party, taking a strong stand in the cause of
temperance. His father was one of the first
to prohibit the use of stimulants in the harvest
field and on other occasions, as the custom
then was.

|^\UGENE S. CRAFT, one of the most
straightforward and energetic business
men of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, spent
the first ten years of his life in Port Chester,
Westchester Co., N. Y. , where his birth took
place February 14, 1867. He is a son of
John W. and Phoebe (Merritt) Craft, who were
married in that city; but when he was only
three years of age his mother died, leaving
eight children, namely : Graham, Earls,
Phoebe, John, Manford, Louis, Eugene Sloat
and Washington. The father, who was a
native of Putnam county, N. Y. , became a
highly-educated man, and for seven years fol
lowed the profession of teaching. By trade he
was a stone mason, and while following con
tracting in that line was employed as overseer
on the masonry of the West Shore railroad
passing through Newburgh, N. Y. , where he
is now engaged in the grocery business. For
his second wife he married Eliza Terwilliger.
In the public schools Eugene S. Craft
obtained his education, and was ten years of
age on going to Newburgh, where he remained
eight years. On the expiration of that time
he came to Poughkeepsie, first being in the
employ of Mr. Griggs, at the ' ' Morgan House, "

where he remained some three years. He next
entered his father's grocery store as clerk, and
two years later the business was sold to S. J.
Kelder, for whom he also worked two years.
In 1892 he entered into partnership with J. G.
Bloomer, under the firm name of E. S. Craft,
but at the end of six months he purchased his
partner's interest. In January, 1894, he
bought his present store at No. 466 Main
street, from Mr. Blooiher, and admitted that
gentleman to a partnership in the store at No.
521. Nine months later he sold his interest in
the latter establishment to his partner, retain
ing the store at No. 466, of which he is sole
proprietor. He has been quite successful in
his business ventures, and now receives a
liberal patronage.
While a resident of Newburgh, Mr. Craft
held membership with Trinity Church, and
now belongs to Washington Street Methodist
Episcopal Church, while he is also assistant
superintendent of the Cherry Street Chapel.
Socially he is connected with the Knights of
Pythias Lodge, and in politics is an earnest and
strong advocate of the principles of the Prohibi
tion party. He is a conscientious. Christian gen
tleman, an active worker for the temperance
cause, and upright and honorable in all the
walks of life.

MAJ. WILLIAM HAUBENNESTEL, of
  Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, senior
member of the well-known firm of Hauben-
nestel & Son, dealers in boots and shoes, is
one of the representative men of that place.
He has been identified with the city since his
childhood, for, although he is a native of New
York City, born in 1843, he was taken to
Poughkeepsie six years later by his parents.
After leaving school he learned the shoe-
making trade, and in 1867 started for himself
in the shoe business, which he has conducted
ever since. Mr. Haubennestel is a stanch Re
publican, and has served his party faithfully
on many occasions. He was assessor in 1872-
74-76, and was elected supervisor of the Sec
ond ward in Poughkeepsie in 1887. In that
body he did valiant service, and it was through
his instrumentality that the matter of caring
for the insane was amicably arranged, saving
the city thousands of dollars. In 1894 he was
elected treasurer of Dutchess county with a
majority of 2,290.
In mHitary circles Mr. Haubennestel is

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

215

known throughout the entire State. On May
2, i860, he joined Company D, 21st Regiment,
N. Y. V. I. (now the Nineteenth Separate
Company), as a private, and received rapid
promotion as foHows: July 2, 1861, second
sergeant; July 3, 1862, first sergeant; Novem
ber 3, 1862, second lieutenant; AprH 6, 1866,
first lieutenant; November 12, 1866, captain;
and on January 2, 1876, by virtue of long
service, he was promoted to the rank of brevet-
major. During all these years he had served
his country faithfully without a furlough or
even a leave of absence. At the front his rec
ord is bright. In June, 1863, when the Na
tional Capital and the whole North was threat
ened by the victorious army of Gen. Lee, the
command left Poughkeepsie, reported to Maj.
Gen. Schenck at Baltimore, and was assigned
quarters at Belgier's barracks. It was at this
critical juncture that the history of Company
D and Maj. W. Haubennestel became closely
linked. He was then a lad of only eighteen
years, and was with them in all the exciting
times until mustered out of service in August,
1863. He was repeatedly offered the position
of post adjutant, but his age prevented his ac
ceptance. On February 20, 1897, he was ap
pointed battalion commander of the Eleventh
Battalion, embracing the territories of West
chester, Putnam, Dutchess and Columbia
counties. To this gentleman the city of Poughkeepsie
is indebted for the beautiful armory on Market
street; for almost alone, for seven long years,
he fought for its erection, making at least three
hundred trips to Albany before he secured his
purpose. In May, 1891, on Decoration Day,
the corner stone was laid with imposing cere
monies, and now the grand structure is a mon
ument to his energy and perseverance.
Our subject was married October 10, 1867,
to Alice Buys, and two children have been
born to them: EHa L. and Louis P.
Major Haubennestel's friends are legion,
and he is active in fraternal society work. In
1866 he joined the I. O. O. F., at Poughkeep
sie, Lodge No. 21, in which he has passed all
the chairs, and he has been a representative to
the Grand Lodge several times. He is also an
old member of Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 266,
,F. & A. M., having joined same in 1868. In
1880 he united with Hamilton Post, G. A. R.,
and he is a member of the Veteran Fireman
Association. The Nineteenth Separate Com
pany Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps, the crack

drum corps of the State of New York, was or
ganized in the fall of 1888 by Mr. Haubennes
tel, assisted by his son Louis P. Haubennestel,
who is leader of the corps, and was the promo
ter of the organization.
Louis P. Haubennestel, the junior member
of the firm of Haubennestel & Son, was born
in Poughkeepsie, N. Y,,- August 16, 1870, and
his education was completed at Riverview
Academy, where he held the position of drum
major. He was the commanding officer of St.
Paul's Co., Knights of Temperance, in 1890,
when they won the prize banner for drill, in
New York City. On April 11, 1894, he was
married to Minnie Avis Barton, daughter of
Edward and Mina (Fenn) Barton, of Salisbury,
Conn., where she was born. Her grandfather,
who was a prominent Democrat, in 1842 de
livered a political address in Poughkeepsie, and
in 1852 he carried the official vote of the State
of Connecticut to Washington, From 1852 to
1856 he was a member of the Assembly, and
in 1873 was State senator. He is still living
at Salisbury, Conn. Mrs. L. P. Haubennes
tel's father is also prominent in Democratic
circles and has held several positions of trust.

JfOSE MANUEL GODINEZ, of the firm of
C. H. Gallup & Co. , is as his name would in
dicate, of Cuban origin, born August I, 1853,
on the island of Cuba, where his father, Fran
cisco J. Godinez, was the owner of a large
sugar plantation.
Jose Manuel Godinez passed his boyhood
in his native land, and received his education
in the lower schools, from which he took the
degree A. B., and inthe University of Havana.
When yet quite young he was made one of the
guards of the Captain-General of Cuba, and
stationed at Havana. He served three years,
receiving the rank of Heutenant, and then ob
taining a furlough, came to the United States,
and at once declared his intention of becoming
a citizen; he remained here until after his
final papers were signed, and then went home
on a visit. In 1876 he entered the Eastman
Business College at Poughkeepsie, and took a
full business course. During all this time he
made frequent visits home to see his parents.
Even now, while Poughkeepsie is his home, he
still retains a large plantation of several thou
sand acres in Cuba, though this has been laid
waste and the buildings all burned in the prog
ress of the present Cuban war. In 1890 he

216

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

entered partnership with Mr, Gallup in the
photograph business.
In 1877, in Poughkeepsie, Mr. Godinez was
married to Miss Ella Gallup, daughter of
Charles H. Gallup, and sister of his present
partner in business. To this union one child
has been born, Francisco Laurent, now at
tending Riverview Military College. Mr. God
inez is a member of the Masonic fraternity —
Ancient Scottish Rite — which he joined in
Cuba. He is also a member of the Pough
keepsie Gun Club.

ISAAC W. SHERRILL, who has twice
 served as county treasurer, and who is one
of the most prominent citizens of Poughkeep
sie, was born in New Lebanon, Columbia Co.,
N. Y. , May 16, 1849, a son of Walter and
Amy (Fowler) Sherrill.
The Sherrill family is of English ancestry,
and the first of the name in this country set
tled on Long Island, whence some of them
came to Dutchess county. Isaac Sherrill, the
grandfather of our subject, was born in the
town of Stanford, Dutchess county, where he
carried on farming. On June 18, 1809, he
married Betsy Jackson, and they had five chil
dren, of whom the following record is given:
Jeremiah is a farmer in the town of Washing
ton, Dutchess county; Walter is the father of
our subject; Hunting is a farmer in Columbia
county, N. Y. ; Eliza M. married Lewis Adsit,
also a farmer, and now deceased; and Marga
ret married George Fowler, now deceased.
Walter Sherrill was born in the town of
Stanford, and was reared on the home farm.
He married Amy E., daughter of Israel Fow
ler, who was born at Unionvale, Dutchess
county, and they settled on a farm in Columbia
county, where the father died in 1852, and the
mother in 1854. They were consistent mem
bers of the Christian Church, and in his polit
ical belief the father was a Whig. They had
two children: Isaac W. and Henrietta, the
latter being now deceased.
Isaac W. Sherrill was a child of three
years when his father died, and his mother's
death following two years later, he was taken
by his uncle, Jeremiah Sherrill, with whom he
lived in the town of Hillsdale, Columbia county,
until twelve years of age. His uncle at that
time removed to the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, and there our subject attended
the district school, later taking a course at

the Dutchess County Academy. His educa
tion was completed at Gary's Institute, Pough
keepsie, and when twenty-one years of age he
returned to that city and entered the hardware
store of Uhl & Husted, as clerk. With this
house he remained two years, and then went
into the general store of Budd & Trowbridge.
A year later he bought the interest of Mr, Budd,
and the firm became Trowbridge & Sherrill.
In the following year Peter Adriance was ad
mitted to the partnership, and the name was
changed to Trowbridge, Sherrill & Adriance.
This connection continued for three years,
when Mr. Sherrill sold out his interests, and
for a short time was engaged in the manufac
ture of shoes with Bayly & Halsted.
In 1878, Mr. Sherrill was elected alderman
of the Third ward, on the Republican ticket,
and was re-elected in 1880, serving two terms.
He was afterward appointed city chamberlain,
by Mayor Ezra White, which office he held
four years. In 1886 Mr. Sherrill started as a
dealer in investment securities, a business he
is yet carrying on, at No. 19 Market street.
In 1888 he was elected county treasurer, and
at the expiration of his term was re-elected,
serving in this capacity until January i, 1895.
In April, 1897, Governor Black appointed him
one of the Board of Trustees of the New York
State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, located at
Bath, Steuben Co., N. Y., which is an institu
tion of about fifteen hundred inmates. In
June of the same year he resigned from that
position, and the Governor appointed him to
the honorary position of one of the Board of
Managers of the Hudson RiverState Hospital,
located at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , which is con
sidered a position of prominence in the State.
On October i, 1873, our subject was united
in marriage with Miss Virginia Halstead, a
native of the town of Stanford, Dutchess coun
ty. The Halsteads are of EngHsh descent, and
her father, Nehemiah Halstead, was for a time
a merchant at Bangall, Dutchess county, after
ward following farming. Four children have
been born to our subject and his wife: Wil
fred H., Harold W., VirgH C. and Arthur L.
Mr, and Mrs. Sherrill attend the Congrega
tional Church. Mr, Sherrill is a Republican
in politics, and has always taken a lively in
terest in public matters, lending his influence
to all projects for the growth and welfare of
his community. His ability as a business man
is well-known, and he stands high in the esti
mation of his associates.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

217

JAMES HARVEY SWIFT (deceased) was
born in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , AprH 23,
1825, and was a brother of George H.
Swift, a leading citizen of the town of Amenia,
Dutchess county. His boyhood days were
passed in his native city, attending the Dutch
ess County Academy and College Hill Academy.
For two years later he was a student at Yale
College, after which he entered Rutgers Col
lege at New Brunswick, N. J., taking the class
ical course and graduating with the class of
'44. He then came to the town of Amenia,
where, for a year, he lived upon a farm with
his brother John, and subsequently purchased
the Burton farm, where he lived until his
marriage. On February 4, 1847, Mr. Swift was mar
ried in New York City to Miss Frances Au
gusta Swift, daughter of Thomas Swift, and
they became the parents of seven children,
namely: AHda Warner, born November 9,
1847, died December 12, 1892; Henry, born
December 31, 1849, died January 15, 1865;
Frances Augusta, born December 12, 185 1,
died March 15, 1852; Thomas James, born
March 6, 1853; Charles Rowland, born Janu
ary 28, 1858, died April 30, i860; Freeborn
Jewett, born February 11, 1862, died Decem
ber 15, 1864; and John Morton, born October
6, 1865. In 1857 Mr. Swift purchased the Philo
Reed farm, which continued to be his home
untH his death, on September 27, 1889. Dur
ing his active business life he carried on farm
ing in the town of Amenia, with the exception
of when, in connection with his brother, George
H., he was executor of his brother Charles' es
tate, at which time he resided in Poughkeepsie.
Mr. Swift was a most earnest and consis
tent member of the Presbyterian Church at
South Amenia, in which he served as elder
from 1^64, and politically was a Republican.
His record was an honorable one, and his
memofy will be long cherished by the many
who had the pleasure of his acqaintance, for
his sturdy worth and for his countless acts of
benevolence and kindness, of which often only
the recipient and himself knew. He was an
influential man, and contributed liberally to all
good enterprises.
Mrs. Swift was born in the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, July 25, 1828, and before
her marriage was a distant relative of her hus
band, both tracing their ancestry back to
Judah Swift, their paternal great-grandfather.
14 A

The founder of the family in America was
William Swift, and from him in direct line to
Judah are WilHam, Ephraim and Samuel.
Judah Swift, by his marriage with Elizabeth
Morton, had eight children: Lois; Samuel;
Nathaniel; Moses; Rebecca; Seth, the grand
father of Mr. Swift, of this review; Elizabeth;
and Moses, the grandfather of Mrs. Swift.
Seth wedded Mary Wells, and they had six
children: Henry, Moses, E. Morton, Ann W.,
Maria and Thomas W. Henry, the eldest,
married Rebecca Warner, and to them were
born six chHdren: Charles WeHs, Maria,
John Morton, George Henry, Frances, and
James Harvey, whose name introduces this
sketch. Moses Swift, the grandfather of Mrs. Swift,
spent his entire life in the town of Amenia.
He married Hannah Hurd, of the town of
Dover, on June 9, 1785, and one of their chil
dren was Thomas Swift, the father Mrs. James
H. Swift. He was born in Amenia, January
24, 1789, and was three times married, his
first wife being Maria Barlow, and his second
Mary L. Grant. After the death of the latter
he married Asenath Cline, the mother of Mrs.
Swift. She was born October 6, 1793, and
died AprH i, 1891. The father was principal
ly engaged in hotel keeping throughout life,
conducting the "Forbes House" at Pough
keepsie; the "Atlantic Hotel" at Hoboken,
N. J.; and the "BuU's Head" in New York
City. His death opcurred January 25, 1872.

E^\MERY WING (deceased) was born at
 j^ Wing's Station, on the Harlem railroad,
in the town of Dover, Dutchess county. May
20, 1825. There he remained during his
youth, attending the public schools.
At the age of twenty-two he went to Al
bany, and clerked in the wholesale grocery
store of Cook & Wing; stayed there three
years, and then for one year traveled with the
circus and menagerie of G. C. Quick & Co;
next clerked in the "Northern Hotel," at the
corner of Mill and Washington streets, for four
years. Mr. Wing was married in the town of
Washington to Ann Maria VaH, and then en
gaged in the fancy dry-goods and miHinery
business at No. 304 Main street, later buying
the store at No. 306 Main street, and building
the place now occupied by A. B. Stockholm.
He remained in business from 1855 to 1877,
and in 1872 bought his late residence on South

218

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

avenue, where he passed the rest of his days.
His first wife died November 9, 1875, and
September 17, 1876, he married Miss Mary
Eliza Van Kleeck, a daughter of Levi Van-
Kleeck, Of this union there were two chH
dren: Irene K., born October 7, 1877, died
August 2, 1878, and Emery, Jr., born March
14, 1880. Mr. Wing had a large orchard, and
was a very successful fruit grower, and for the
past twenty years of his life he lived retired
on South avenue, dying May 9, 1896.
Elijah Wing, father of our subject, was
born at Wing's Station, where he spent his
youth. He married Lucy, daughter of Brad
ford Holmes, M. D., and children as follows
were born to them: (1) John, deceased; (2)
Maria H., married (first) to Erastus Burch,
and they had one chHd — Mary E. — and (sec
ond) wedded Edward M. Buckley, by whom
there were three children — Charles, Arthur
and Emery W. (3) Emery, our subject. (4)
Walter F., who was on the whaling vessel,
"Yonkers." (5) Hiram. Mr. Wing was a
farmer, and gave all his time and attention to
that occupation.
Thurston Wing, the grandfather, was born
in Rhode Island, and came to the town of
Dover when a boy. He married Mary Young
er, and they had the following children: Arch
ibald (deceased), Rhodie (deceased) married
Zebulon Ross, Mary Ann became the wife of
Theodorus Sheldon, and Elijah and Thurston
(both deceased). Mr. Wing died in 1844, an
adherent of the Quaker faith.
Thomas Wing, the great-grandfather, was
born in England, and came to America, locat
ing first in Rhode Island, and later in Dutch
ess county. He was the earliest ancestor of
the Wing family in this country.

C\ORNELIUS LAMOREAUX CANNON,
_' the well-known contractor and builder of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born
February i, 1850, at the old homestead of
the family on South Hamilton street, Pough
keepsie. His early education was acquired at the
public schools of his native place, at the
Dutchess County Academy, and at the Eastman
Business College, from which he was gradu
ated in 1867. His father, the late Arnout
Cannon, was prominent in the buHding trade,
and our subject learned the business thor
oughly under his instruction, serving a three-

years' apprenticeship. He was then made
foreman of his father's shop, and held that
position until 1873, when he and his brother
Arnout, an architect, went into business under
the firm name of A. Cannon's Sons. This ar
rangement lasted untH 1881, when they sep
arated, our subject continuing his work as
builder, and his brother following architecture
exclusively. Mr. Cannon is a leader in his
line, and employs about twelve men the year
round. On April 28, 1873, Mr. Cannon was mar
ried in Poughkeepsie to Miss JuHa E. Schon,
a native of St. Croix, Danish West Indies.
Her father, James N, Schon, was born in Co
penhagen, Denmark, in 181 5, and went to St.
Croix when a young man as superintendent of
a large hospital. He was married there to
Miss Maria Schuster, a native of the place,
who had been educated at New Haven, Conn.
They had two children, Julia E. and Charles
E. After twenty-two years at St. Croix, Mr.
Schon came to the United States, spending
one year in New York City before making his
home in Poughkeepsie. He was for a short
time employed as bookkeeper for the iron
works of Edward Beck, and then became pri
vate secretary to the late Matthew Vassar.
On the foundation of Vassar College he be
came registrar and assistant treasurer, and
held those offices until his death, which oc
curred March 26, 1875.
Mr, and Mrs. Cannon have had eight chH
dren, whose names with dates of birth are as
follows: Frederick, March 17, 1874; NelHe,
October 7, 1876; James Schon, October 25,
1878; Clara Louise, November 22, 1880;
Ernest Alton, March 19, 1883; Wallace Cor
nelius, July II, 1885; Francis Jones, April 3,
1887; and Julia Gardner, November 10, 1889.
Politically Mr. Cannon is a Republican, but
while he is a stanch and influential supporter
of the doctrines of his party he is not an office-
seeker. He is a member of the I. 0.*0. F. ,
No. 297, and of the Royal Arcanum.

Ck\APTAIN LUTHER ELTING, one of the
Jl oldest and most highly respected residents
of the city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
was born August 2, 181 5, at Highland, Ulster
county, then known as New Paltz Landing.
His ancestors were early settlers in that
locality, and his grandfather, Noah Elting, was
born there, and became one of the prominent

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

219

business men of his day, being extensively en
gaged in the freighting business and in sloop
building; he was also the originator of the ferry
line between Highland and Poughkeepsie. He
married Hannah Deyo, of Ulster county, and
had the following named chHdren: Deyo,
Henry D., PhHip, David, Abram, Mrs. David
Fowler, Mrs. Clinton Woolsey, Mrs. Bradner
Woolsey and Joseph.
Abram Elting, our subject's father, was
born at New Paltz Landing in 1785, and after
acquiring an education in the Dutch schools of
New Paltz he engaged in freighting and sloop
building, later conducting also a store and a
farm, in all of which lines of effort he met with
success. He was a leading member of the
Presbyterian Church, and stood high in the es
teem of the community. He married Miss
Betsey Ransom, of Highland, and had seven
children: Noah, who died at eighteen years;
Milton, who died at three; Phoebe Ann (de
ceased); Luther, our subject; Albert (deceased) ;
Mary Ellen, who married Ezekiel Elting, of
Highland; and John J. (deceased). The mother
of this family died in 185 1, and the father in
1859. Capt. Elting's school days were spent in
the district school at Highland, and at four
teen and one-half years of age he began the
freighting business with his father. After
twelve years on the sloop "Intelligence," he
ran a barge for another twelve years. In 1854
he moved to Poughkeepsie, where he had
bought his present residence a short tirne be
fore, and he has since Hved a retired life so far
as business is concerned, with the exception of
four years — 1860-64 — when he was in the ice
business under the name of Rockland Lake Ice
Co., now the Knickerbocker Ice Co.
On January 26, 1853, at Middletown,
Orange county, he was married to Miss Sarah
E. Watkins, a lady of Welsh descent, and a
daughter of Hezekiah Watkins. Of their three
chHdren, only one, Irving (the second chHd),
is now Hving. Theodore Hezekiah. died in in
fancy, and Eugene at the age of two and one-
half years.
Irving Elting, born May i, 1856, is a
prominent attorney of Poughkeepsie. After
graduating from Harvard University, in 1878,
he studied law at the Harvard Law School,
and then in his native city. In 1 882 he opened
an office there, and has met with great success
in cases involving patent rights and copyrights,
of which he makes a specialty. On November

5, 1885, he married Miss Susan D. Green, a
daughter of Jacob Green, a well-known resi
dent of the town of Poughkeepsie, and to their
union has been born one child — Elisabeth.

'm IKEN T. BRILL, a well-known residetn
.^k^ of the town of Pawling, Dutchess county,
is one of the leading workers in his chosen
occupation of farming and gardening. An
apprenticeship of six years with J. B. Dutcher
gave him unusual opportunities for perfecting
himself in the details of the latter business, and
his work as gardener for Miss M. B. Monahan,
of Quaker Hill, does credit to both his training
and native ability.
Egbert Brill, father of our subject, was one
of the patriots who served his country during
the Civil war, being a member of Company F,
128th N. Y. V. I. He participated in many
engagements, among which were the battles
of Bull Run, Port Hudson and Gettysburg.
He was finally discharged on account of dis
ability. Aiken T. Brill is a native of the town of
Pawling, and grew to manhood there, acquir
ing his education in the public schools. He
married Miss Georgiana Squires, who was born
in the same town, August 6, 1867. In her
childhood her parents moved to the old home
stead at Roxbury, Conn., and she there at
tended the schools and grew to womanhood;
and there also she and our subject were mar
ried. Mr. and Mrs. Brill have four chHdren :
Clifton, Mabel, John C, and one whose name
is not given.
Mrs. Brill's ancestry deserves especial note
because of the patriotic services rendered dur
ing the Revolutionary war by the representa
tives of the family in that day. Her great-
great-grandfather, Gideon Squires, was born
and educated in Roxbury, Conn., and was
captain of a company in the Colonial forces.
He lost his life in the struggle for freedom
while crossing Lake George. Having raised
up in the boat to see where they were, he was
shot by an Indian who was on the watch for a
chance to take aim at the voyagers. He mar
ried Miss Martha Warner, a sister of Col. Seth
Warner, who was second in command at the
battle of Bennington. . Four children were born
to them: Abyathy, Eben, Martha and Mar
garet. Abyathy Squires, Mrs. BrHl's great
grandfather, was born at Roxbury, Conn. , and
made his home there, following farming during

220

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

his manhood. He served throughout the Rev
olutionary war, as sergeant, and drew a pen
sion of $20 per month until his death at the
age of eighty-nine years. He and his wife,
Rachel Atwell, reared a family of four chHdren,
of whom Mrs. Brill's grandfather, Cyrus Squires,
was the youngest. Of the others Levi died at
the age of ten years; Moses married Clarissa
Curtis; and John married Miss Eunice Hunt.
Cyrus Squires was born at the old home in
Roxbury, June 24, 1804, and after completing
his studies in the common schools there he
engaged in farming. He married Miss Sarah
Wilcox, daughter of Elisha Wilcox, a leading
farmer of the town of Dover, Dutchess county,
and his wife, Elizabeth Bircham. Of their
two chHdren, the elder, Moses, died at the age
of seven years. The younger, George M., the
father of Mrs. Brill, was born at the old home
stead, September 13, 1839. He attended the
common schools there in his youth, and learned
the hatter's trade when it came time to pre
pare for taking a place in the business world;
but after following the trade fifteen years he
gave it up to engage in agriculture. He served
in the governor's guards in the State of Con
necticut, and was drafted during the Civil war.
He died May 9, 1897, when he was aged fifty-
seven years. His wife was Miss Emily Amelia
Woodin, daughter of Henry L. and Laura
(Chaplin) Woodin, of the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, her father being a well-known
farmer. Mrs. Brill was the elder of two
children. Her brother, Origen G. Squires,
an adopted child, was born in New Milford,
Conn., April 4, 1876, and died at fifteen years
of age. He was taken by Mr. and Mrs. BriH
when only eight days old and adopted as their
own child.

J WILSON POUCHER, M. D., a promi
nent physician of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, and a representative of one of the
oldest famHies of this State, was born July 24,
1859, at Claverack, Columbia Co., N. Y. His
family originated in France, but his ancestors
fled to Holland at the time of the "Massacre
of St. Bartholomew", later coming to the New
Worid. Simon Poucher (or Boucher, as the name
was then given) was born in France, came to
America in 1658, and settled upon the Van-
Rensselaer estates which included several
counties, the site of the present city of Albany

being a portion thereof. He was a millwright
by trade, and was employed on the manor by
Patroon Van Rensselaer, his home being in
the vicinity of Claverack, where his descend
ants have since resided, many of them attain
ing to positions of great prominence. His son,
Pierre Boucher, was born about 1675, and died
February 19, 1739. One of his sons, Jacob
(born January 13, 1715, died in 1786), had a
son Antoine (born AprH 30, 1775, died 1856)
who had a son Johannes, our subject's grand
father (born October 11, 1806), who had a
son, Peter, our subject's father (born May 5,
1835). With the exception of the last-named
these all followed the mHlers' trade in the vi
cinity of Claverack. Peter departed from the
rule, engaging in agriculture exclusively, and
being industrious, temperate and thrifty has
made a success of a business which is not al
ways profitable in these days. He is a mem
ber of the Baptist Church, and in politics is a
Democrat, taking no part, however, in the
active work of the organization. He -married
Miss Mary Cummings, daughter of Jacob Cum
mings, a native of New England, and a prom
inent resident of Claverack. She died in 1870,
and of their five children only three are now
living, our subject being the eldest.
Dr. Poucher received his primary education
at the public schools of Claverack, later attend
ing Claverack College, from which institution
he was graduated in 1879, in the classical
course. For one year he taught in the public
schools, and then entered Union College,
graduating in 1883 from the medical depart
ment. Locating at Modena, Ulster county,
he established a general practice; but wishing
to pursue his studies further, he disposed of
his business in 1885 and went to Europe for
two years, spending the first year in Berlin,
then dividing the second between Vienna and
Paris, making a specialty of surgery and gyne
cology. On his return, in 1887, he opened an
office in Poughkeepsie, and has since built up
a large general practice. Although a general
practitioner, he makes a specialty of surgery,
in which respect he is widely known through
out this section of the State, and takes rank
among the foremost of his profes.sion. He is
a surgeon on the staff of Vassar Brothers'
Hospital, a member of the State and County
Medical Societies, and a liberal contributor of
articles to meetings of these societies. He
has lately been appointed to the board of
Pension Examining Surgeons.

\

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

221

In 1892 Dr. Poucher niarried Miss Cath
erine D. Le Fever, daughter of Hon. Jacob
Le Fever, member of Congress, and one
child, a daughter, has been born to them.
Both the Doctor and his wife are prominent
in the social life of the city, and are leading
members of the Washington Street M. E.
Church, of which he is a trustee. He is a
member of the Sons of the Revolution, and
Mrs. Poucher's ancestry entitles her to a place
in the society of the Daughters of the American
Revolution. Dr. Poucher is a member of the
Holland Society, the Society of Colonial Wars,
and the Society of Old Guard. He is inter
ested also in athletics, and belongs to the
Tennis, Golf, and Boat Clubs, and to the
Amrita Club. Of all movements for local im
provement he is a prompt and hearty support
er, and in political affairs his influence is given
to the Republican party. He has served as
alderman of the Fifth ward, and at the present
time is one of the commissioners of the board
of public works, the first member elected to
that board, previous ones having been appoint
ed. Socially he affiliates with the F. & A. M. ,
Triune Lodge; Poughkeepsie Chapter and
Commandery; the Mystic Shrine of New York
City; and he is a life member of the Ancient
and Accepted Scottish Rite of New York,
which gives him the 32nd degree.

C^LARK KIRBY. For over a century the
1 Kirby family has been identified with the
interests of Quaker Hill, town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, New York.
In 1757, in the vHlage of New Bedford,
R. I., was born George Kirby, of English de
scent. In 1780, he came to Quaker HiH and
settled just across the road from where the
new school house now stands. He possessed
about one hundred acres of land at this place,
and here made his home for some time, later
buying what was then known as the old Reed
Ferris farm, but subsequently called the ' ' old
Kirby House." Some time afterward he
bought the farm consisting of about three
hundred acres, and on this he passed his re
maining days. He married (probably after his
coming to Dutchess county) Anna Stocum, and
by this marriage had seven chHdren — five sons
and two daughters: Clark, of whom special
mention is made below; Gideon, who was as
sociated with his brother Clark, and died on

the homestead; Uriah, who lived in Amenia;
William, who lived near Poughkeepsie; Hum
phrey, deceased while young; Hannah, who
married Akin Taber; and Amy, who died un
married. With the exception of the son Hum
phrey, the entire family Hved to advanced
ages. The father died in the year 1831, be
loved and respected by his fellowmen. He
was one of the leading men in the community,
and in his religious faith was a Quaker, prac
ticing in his daily life the simple tenets of that
sect, and in his kindly, courteous manner, an
nouncing his unfaltering belief in the Brother
hood of Man. His wife died February 18,
1894. Clark Kirby, the eldest son of George
Kirby, was born on Quaker Hill, February 16,
1794, and made his home there untH the re
moval of his parents to the Kirby farm below
the Hill. Here he and his brother Gideon
owned a large tract of land, some eight or nine
hundred acres, and followed farming as an oc
cupation all their lives. In this they had
more than ordinary success, and were ranked
among the leading men of the place.
Clark Kirby had acquired an education such
as was obtained by very few men in these
times, and was especially fond of mathematics.
He was a natural student, and his leisure time
was spent in reading, which covered a wide
range, and he became a well-informed man on
general topics of interest — ancient and modern.
On November 28, 1833, he was married
to Charlotte Hungerford, of New Milford,
Conn., and they became the parents of three
daughters, as follows: Caroline, who married
George Miller, of New York City; Helen, who
married WiHiam Akin Taber, of Pawling,
Dutchess Co. , N. Y. ; and Frances. Mr. Kirby
was one of the original board of directors of
the Pawling National Bank, and held this po
sition for over twenty years. In politics he
was first a Whig, later a Republican, and as a
private citizen was much interested in public
affairs, though he had no desire to pose before
the world in the fierce light that beats on pub
lic officials. In his quiet, unassuming way he
served the public only by his conscientious
performance of every duty, a worthy example
for emulation. Like his father before him, he
was a believer in the religion that sprung from
the teaching of George Fox. In 1881 this
gentle spirit was gathered to his fathers, and
1894 his wife, too, entered upon the unseen
life.

222

COMMEMORATIVE HIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

FRANK L. R. TETAMORE, M. D. Al-
 though but a recent acquisition to the
medical fraternity of this section. Dr. Teta-
more, of Matteawan, has a reputation, gained
in other fields of practice, which has at once
placed him in the front rank of the profession
here. In 1882 he began his active practice in
Brooklyn, N. Y. , and continued there until Sep
tember, 1896, when he opened his present
offices in Matteawan, and also established a
sanitarium for the accommodation of his
numerous patients, who will find here pure
air, quiet, and the soothing influences of charm
ing natural scenery. Dr. Tetamore has at
tained prominence as a surgeon, and, to quote
from the Brooklyn Record, is a "specialist"
in those delicate operations which relate to the
restoration of the face by transplanting tissue.
He successfully demonstrated that the bones
of animals could not be utilized in restoring
injured portions of the face, but by the trans
planting of tissue he succeeded in constructing
an artificial face for a lady from Scranton,
Penn., who was fearfully disfigured in an acci
dent on the Reading railroad. " Many natu
ral deformities have been successfully operated
upon by him — crooked limbs, backs and necks
straightened under his methods."
A brief outline of Dr. Tetamore's history
will be of interest to the readers of this vol
ume. His family originated in Holland, the
first of his ancestors to cross the ocean being
his great-great-grandfather Tetamore, who
served in the Revolutionary war. He married
an Indian squaw, and their son, our subject's
great-grandfather, who was born in the north
ern part of this State, served as a soldier in
the war of 181 2. William Tetamore, the
grandfather of our subject, was born in 1806,
in the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
and throughout his mature years made his
home in the vHlage of Red Hook, where he
died in 1895. For seventy years he was a
member of the old Dutch Church of Rhine
beck; his talents were of an unusual, order, and
he invented the old hay press, which has been
in common use for many years, and has not
yet been superseded. He married Hannah
Amie, of the town of MHan, Dutchess county,
and has three children: John W. ; Anna, who
married C. C. Coons, an extensive horticult
urist of Germantown, Columbia county; and
Mary E., the wife of V. O. Ricker, a house-
finisher at 1 1 6th street. New York City.
John W. Tetamore, the Doctor's father,

was a native of Red Hook, where he first saw
the light in 1830; he lived in Dutchess county
until he was twenty-one, when he went to New
York City. He married Elizabeth Martin, a
daughter of Robert and Maria (Done) Martin;
the former, a well-known merchant and tin
smith of Hudson, N. Y. , was a "soldier in the
war of 1 81 2, and the grandfather, Robert
Martin, a native of the North of Ireland, served
in the Revolutionary war; Mrs. Maria Martin
was a daughter of Ezra Done, of Columbia
county. After their marriage the Doctor's parents
settled for a time in Hudson, but at present
they reside in Brooklyn. They are both mem
bers of the Baptist Church, although the Tet
amore family have always been Lutherans.
In politics, however, J. W. Tetamore agrees
with the other members of his family, and is a
stanch Republican. The Doctor is the eldest
of six children, the others being: Lelia mar
ried Geo. W. Granger, of Brooklyn; Jane T. B.
is the wife of E. A. Anderson, an assistant su
perintendent of the New York Life Insurance
Co. ; Henry M. , who died at the age of twenty-
eight, was a dentist in Brooklyn; Lewis J., a
printer in New York City, is married to Miss
Ada Pouch, of Brooklyn; and William, who is
now twenty-one years old, resides in New
York City.
Dr. Tetamore's earthly career began Au
gust 28, 185 1, at Hudson, but until he was
eleven years of age his time was chiefly spent
in Red Hook. He then returned to his native
place, and attended the public schools for
about two years. At thirteen he went to
Albany as clerk in the drug store of Collins &
Kirk, and after two years there he went to
Staten Island in a similar capacity. Later he
returned to Albany and entered the employ of
H. B. Clement & Co., druggists, for a time,
and then he took charge of the drug store of
Dr. William H, Peer, of Brooklyn, remaining
a year and a half. WhHe there he attended
the New York Dental College, and although
he did not graduate, he began to practice at
Brooklyn, and at the same time began to read
medicine with Dr. George R. Fowler, surgeon
of the Second Brigade, N, Y. N. G. Contin
uing his medical course, he was graduated in
1882 from the Long Island Hospital College,
and after spending a short time as Curator of
the college, he established an office at Brook
lyn, and began his work as a practitioner.
His abilities have received recognition from

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

223

many sources. He was appointed hospital
steward of the Fourteenth Regiment, N, Y.
N. G., in 1879, assistant surgeon in 1885,
surgeon in 1890, and State medical inspector
of U. S. Camp at PeekskiH, N. Y., in 1896,
As has been noted, he went to Matteawan in
the fall of 1896, and has leased the residence
of the late Dr. J. P. Schenk, where he has an
office on Leonard street, near Fountain Square.
On November 25, 1873, Dr. Tetamore
married Miss Mary E. Davison, daughter of
WilHam Davison, of Brooklyn. Three chil
dren have blessed this union : Walter D, ,
born in 1874; Florence M., born in 1876;
and Clarence, born in 1878. Politically the
Doctor is a Republican. In religious faith he
is a Baptist, and while living in Brooklyn he
served as superintendent of a Sundaj'-school,
which increased under his care from fifty
pupils to 1,200. He belongs to the I. O.
O. F. , also the Junior Order of American
Mechanics, and is a prominent member of the
N. Y. County Medical Association. Altogether
it will be seen that Matteawan has reason to
congratulate herself upon Dr. Tetamore's
choice of a home.

ip\EORGE NORTON MILLER, M, D., a
\y prominent citizen of the town of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, resides upon a beautiful
estate two mHes from the vHlage of Rhinebeck,
It was there that he first saw the light Sep
tember 27, 1857, and in his mature years
he finds it the pleasantest spot in which to
pass the leisure which culture and refinement
can so well employ in congenial tasks. He
attended school in his boyhood in New York
City, and later entered Harvard College, and
was graduated from the literary department
wkh the degree of A. B, , in 1 879, and from the
medical department, in 1 882. A trip to Europe
followed, with two years of study at Vienna and
Heidelberg, and he then returned to his native
land. April 18, 1886, he was married to Miss
Martha LeRoy Glover, who was born in New
York City in 1864, and received there a liberal
education. Ever since their marriage the Doc
tor and his wife have resided at the old home.
They have three children: George Norton,
born January 6, 1888, the third of the name in
direct line of descent; Helen LeRoy, born July
8, 1889, and Catherine Caroline, born March
7, 1890. The Miller family is of English origin, and

the Doctor is ofthe sixth generation from Will
iam Miller who settled in 1648 at Ipswich,
Mass., where he became a freeholder and was
one of the heaviest tax payers. He and his wife
Patience had a son Abram, who was born Jan
uary 20, 1671, at Northampton, Mass. He
married Harriet Clapp, and had a son Jona
than, who was born in 1703, and died in 1787.
He was married January 2, 1723, to Sarah
Allen, and had a son Elisha, our subject's great
grandfather, who was born in Connecticut in
1730, and died in 1807. October 18, 1764, he
married Sarah Fowler, whose death occurred in
1772. Their son WilHam, our subject's grand
father, who was born in Connecticut in 1768,
became a well-known minister of the Congre
gational Church. He died in 1 8 1 8 ; but his wife,
Anna Starr, who was born in 1772, lived
nearly a century, passing away in 1865.
George Norton MHler, our subject's father,
was born in Hartford, Conn,, July 27, 1805,
and for many years was a prominent business
man in Charleston, S. C. In October, 1855,
he married Miss Caroline Tucker Chace. She
passed to her eternal rest September 19, 1872;
but his life was prolonged until March 10,
1892. Of their four children all but one, a
daughter, survive, viz. : William Starr, H.
Ray, and the subject of our sketch.

JOSEPH FIELD (deceased) was born in
the city of New York, January 7, 1829, and
was a son of .Joseph and Hannah (Dusen-
berry) Field, the former a native of Westches
ter county, N. Y. In that city he was reared
and educated in its public schools. After learn
ing the wagon-maker's trade, in 185 1 he went
to Kings Bridge, N. Y. , where he engaged in
that business. It was there that he met Tem
perance R. Darke, to whom he was married,
December 8, 1853; in the following spring,
on account of ill-health, he gave up wagon-
making. About 1865 Mr. Field removed to a farm
near Sharon, Conn., which he operated until
1868, when he came to the village of Amenia,
where he conducted a market up to the time
of his death, January 27, 1892. He was made
a Mason in Shekomeko Lodge at Washington
Hollow, Dutchess county, and later affiliated
with Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A, M.,
while politically he was an ardent Republican,
but would never accept official positions. He
was faithful in the discharge of every duty, was

224

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

a man of excellent principles and a blameless
life, and thoroughly enjoyed the esteem and
respect of every community in which he re
sided, and died, mourned by a large circle of
friends and acquaintances.
Mrs. Field, a most estimable lady, was
born June 24, 1832, and is the daughter of
Charles and Temperance R. (Hayden)«Darke.
By her marriage she became the mother of
three daughters: Ella, born February 12,
1855, married Charles Jenkins, by whom she
has three children — Maria Louise, Harry and
John Roy; Maria, born May 26, i860, died
March 21, 1864; and Gertrude, born June 14,
1872, completes the family.
Charles Darke, the father of Mrs. Field,
was a native of Bloomingdale, N. Y., and most
of his life was engaged in the market business
at Kings Bridge. However, he spent his last
years in Amenia, where both himself and wife
died and were buried. They had four chil
dren: Temperance; Charles H., of Poughkeep
sie, N. Y, ; Isaac D., of Springfield, Mass. ; and
Emma, wife of George T. Willson.

fEERMANCE FAMILY, THE, now rep
resented in Dutchess county by Martin
and Dewitt Heermance, is descended from
Jan Heermance, who came to America from
Holland in 1659. His wiH, written in Dutch,
is on record in the surrogate's office in New
York City. His descendants settled, at an
early date, in Dutchess county. One of
them, Hendricus Heermance, married adaugh
ter of Gerrit Artsen, one of the partners to the
first purchase of land from the Indians, at
Rhinebeck (the Kipsberger) in 1686, subse
quently confirmed by royal patent in 1688.
In 1 7 16 Hendricus Heermance bought, of his
father-in-law, property now known as EHers
lie, the present home of Governor Morton.
Catharine Heermance, a granddaughter of Jan
Heermance, married John The Baptist Kip, a
grandson of Jacob Kip, one of the original
grantees under the royal patent of 1688.
Jacob Heermance, a grandson of Jan, and
brother of Catharine, married Catharine Vos-
burgh, a daughter of Jan Vosburgh and Cor
nelia Knickerbocker. They had eight chil
dren — four sons and four daughters — Jacob,
John, Andrew, Martin, Cornelia, Anna, Doro
thea and Eleanor. CorneHa Heermance mar
ried Gen. David Van Ness; Eleanor married
Peter Cantine; Dorothea married Henry De-

Witt, and Anna married Isaac Stoutenburgh.
Martin Heermance married a daughter of Dr.
Hans Kiersted, a direct descendant of the Dr.
Hans Kiersted who in 1642 married Sarah
Roeloffe Jans, daughter of Anneke Jans, from
whom came the millions now possessed by the
Trinity Church Corporation of New York City.
Martin was the only son of Jacob Heermance,
who left sons. For many years he was a
leading citizen of the county, and was com
missioned brigadier-general in the war of 18 12.
One of his daughters married Archibald Smith,
a prominent lawyer of Saratoga county, while
another daughter married Dr. Henry Van-
Hoevenberg, at one time health officer of the
Port of New York. Andrew J. Heermance,
one of his sons, bought the property on wh h
stands the house built by the Kips in the year
1700, and which was subsequently owned by
the Beekman and Livingston families. It is
StHl in a good state of preservation. He was
a public-spirited, progressive man, and an
honored citizen, and for several terms repre
sented the town of Rhinebeck in the board of
supervisors of Dutchess county.
Rev. Harrison Heermance, another son of
Gen. Martin Heermance, was a minister of the
Reformed (Dutch) Church. At the breaking
out of the Civil war he was settled in Lenawee
county, Mich. ; but he resigned his charge and
entered the army with the 4th Mich. Cav.,
and subsequently served as chaplain of the
128th N. Y. V. His son, Isaac Henry Heer
mance, then under sixteen years of age, en
li.sted at the same time, in the same regiment,
and died in the service before he was eighteen.
At the close of the war Rev. Harrison Heer
mance resumed his residence at Rhinebeck,
his native town, and died there in 1883. His
wife was Rebecca A. Van Denbergh, of Lan-
singburg, N. Y. Their two surviving sons,
Martin and DeWitt Heermance, were born in
Michigan, but from their early childhood have
Hved at Rhinebeck, and were educated in the
De Garmo Classical Institute, then located in
that town. They have since taken up their
residence in Poughkeepsie. In 1881 Martin
Heermance was elected supervisor of the
town of Rhinebeck, and was re-elected in
1882. In 1883 he was admitted to the bar,
and entered upon the practice of his pro
fession in Poughkeepsie. In 1888 he was
elected district attorney of Dutchess county,
and his brother DeWitt, who had graduated
at the Albany Law School several years be-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

225

fore, and was then in partnership with him in
the practice of law, was assistant district at
torney. In 1896 Martin Heermance was ap
pointed one of the three State assessors of
New York, by Gov. Morton, and was made
chairman of the board. Both Martin and De-
Witt Heermance are members of the Holland
Society. Martin is a member of the Masonic
order, and while residing at Rhinebeck was
twice elected master of Rhinebeck Lodge. In
1 88 1 he married Nina RadcHffe, daughter of
the late David Van Ness RadcHffe, of Albany,
N. Y., and they "have one child, RadcHffe
Heermance. In 1892 DeWitt Heermance
married May Hallenbeck, daughter of the late
John J. Hallenbeck, of Montclair, N. J., and
they have one son, Andrew Hallenbeck Heer
mance. Jacob Heermance, the great-grand
father of Martin and DeWitt, had a brother
Nicholas, who left descendants, none of whom
are known to be residents of Dutchess county.
The late Rev. Henry Heermance, of Kinder-
hook, and Col. William L. Heermance, now
residing at Yonkers, are descended from this
branch of the family.

HENRY L. YOUNG, a prominent resident
 of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, now
living retired from active business, was born in
New York City, August 28, 18 18, the son of
Henry L. and Mary L. (Hyde) Young.
The Young family is of English extraction,
and Quakers in religious belief, Alexander
Young, the grandfather of our subject, was a
farmer at Sing Sing, N. Y. He married Miss
Ann Slausson, and they reared a family of five
children, namely: Jacob, who became captain
of a Hudson-river vessel. Hiram, who was a
sailor; Nathaniel, who was a farmer in West
chester county, N. Y. ; Chariotte, married to
WiHiam H. Smith, a merchant of New York,
and Henry, father of our subject.
Henry Young was born in 1792 at Sing
Sing, N. Y. His wife, Mary L. (Hyde), was
born at Norwich, Conn., and her family was
also of English descent. After their marriage
they lived in New York City, where Mr. Young
carried on a large hardware business. They
had four children, namely: Henry L., our
subject; Mary, who married a Mr. Barnes, a
merchant in New York City (now deceased) ;
James, who Hves in New York City, and is re
tired from business, and Martha, married to
Henry S. Leavitt, a merchant of New York
15

City. The father served in the war of 18 12,
and he and his wife were members of the Pres
byterian Church.
Henry L. Young, the subject proper of this re
view, spent his boyhood days in New York City,
where he attended the private schools, and on
completing his education clerked in his father's
store for four years. He then went to Avon
Springs and settled on a large farm, where he
remained for eleven years. On June 23, 1842,
Mr, Young was united in marriage with Miss
Mary E., daughter of Henry Dwight, of Utica,
N. Y. , andwho was of English descent. Five
children have been born to them: Edmund,
who resides in Poughkeepsie; James H., resid
ing in Brooklyn; Mary D., at home with her
parents; William H., an attorney in New York
City, and Henry D., who died while a student
at college. In the fall of 1853 Mr. Young removed to
Poughkeepsie, which has since been his home.
He has a beautiful residence at No. 98 South
Hamilton street, with fine grounds filled with
flowers, and every comfort and luxury attaina
ble. Here, with no cares of business to annoy
him, he is passing the evening of his life in
peace and happiness, his only sorrow being the
loss of his beloved wife, who passed from
earth January 9, 1890. She was a member of
the Reformed Church (as is also Mr. Young),
and was a most estimable woman.
Mr. Young held various positions of honor
and trust, having been a trustee of Vassar Col
lege for ten years; vice-president and director of
the Farmers' and Manufacturers' Bank for sev
eral years; trustee of the Savings Bank; presi
dent of the cemetery board; and president of
the board of water works for three years. He
was one of the committee who drafted a new
charter for the city of Poughkeepsie, and has
always taken an active interest in its growth
and prosperity. He is a man of sterling integ
rity, and has frequently been made executor of
large estates. In every relation of life Mr.
Young has borne an unblemished reputation,
and his worth as a man and a citizen is well
known and thoroughly appreciated, not only by
the public generally, but by a host of warm
personal friends.

EUBEN WILEY (deceased). During the
 Civil war, the subject of this sketch, then
in the prime of his manhood, offered himself
to the Union cause. Enlisting in the Eighth

226

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

N. Y. H, A., he served with the quiet heroism
of the true soldier until death came to him in
the midst of the hard-fought struggle before
Petersburg, June i6, 1864.
Mr. Wiley was of Scotch descent, his
great-grandfather, Hugh Wylie, being the first
ancestor to come to America. Arriving in early
manhood, he located in the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county, where he became the owner
of a farm of 300 acres near Clinton Hollow.
He married Mary Hall, and had two children:
Reuben and Mary. Reuben WHey's son, John
Wiley, our subject's father, was born and edu
cated there, and also engaged in farming in
mature years. He married Sarah Allen, and
eight children were born of this union: En
sign (deceased), Allen, Reuben (our subject),
Mary Jane, Hannah M. , Martin (who served
as a soldier in the 150th N. Y, V. I.), and
William and Adeline (both deceased),
Reuben Wiley was born at the old home
stead July 17, 1827, and received his early edu
cation in the neighboring schools. At the age
of seventeen he went to Saratoga and engaged
in a general mercantile business, later moving
to New York City, where he went into the
commission business on Washington street.
While there he married Miss Mary T. Adee, a
native of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county.
Of this marriage two chHdren were born:
Samuel, now a resident of Fairbury, Neb,,
and Sarah A., who was married October 13,
¦1875, ii^ the town of Clinton, to John W.
Dutcher, a son of Lotan Dutcher and Eliza
(Doughty) Dutcher, of Lagrange. He was
educated at Clinton Hollow and Pleasant
Plains, later engaging in farming, and is now
one of the agriculturists of his vicinity. After
their marriage they lived in the town of Clin
ton for two years, when they moved to the
town of Washington, remaining there twelve
years. In 1889 they returned to Clinton Hol
low, where they have since resided. They
have two chHdren: Reuben W. and Lotan H.
In politics Mr. Dutcher is. a Republican.

IK RTHUR FRANCIS HOAG, M. D., a
.^k^ prominent physician of MHIerton, is a
native of the town of Northeast, Dutchess
county, born November 1 1 , 1856. His family
is of English origin.
William P. Hoag, our subject's father, was
born in the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess
county, in 18 19, and received a good literary

education. He was of a scientific turn of
mind, and while he was always an interested
reader on general subjects, he made a special
study of geology. Until 1873 he was a farmer
in the town of Northeast, whence he removed
to Wabasha, Minn., where for some years he
conducted a storage elevator for grain, later
going to Cass county. North Dakota, and en
gaging in farming. He married Mary Jane Sim
mons, daughter of John Simmons, a wealthy
farmer of near Chatham, Columbia county,
N. Y. , and had four sons: William Edward,
born May 4, 1852, now a 'traveling salesman;
Arthur Francis, our subject; Robert Henry,
born November 22,^1858, a commission mer
chant of Minneapolis; and Charles Simmons,
born November 25, i860, a farmer at Nor
cross, Minn. On his removal to the West,
Mr. Hoag was accompanied by all of his fam
ily except our subject, and since 1890 has made
his home with his son in Minneapolis. He has
always been a Republican, but has never
sought or held office. In religious belief he is
a Quaker, and has by his upright and consist
ent life commanded the esteem of his asso
ciates. Dr. Hoag received an excellent education
in his youth, studying the English branches,
and also the classics with Rev. A. H. Seeley,
of Smithfield, Dutchess county. At the age of
seventeen he entered the office of Dr. Sidney
Stillman, of Millerton, as a medical student,
where he remained three years, making a spe
cialty of surgery. In 1876 he entered the med
ical department of Columbia College, and was
graduated in 1879, having taken special work
in anatomy and surgery in addition to the pre
scribed course. He took clinics with Dr.
Sands, and did a great deal of hospital work.
On August 16, 1876, he returned to Millerton
and formed a partnership with Dr. StiHman,
which continued three years, since which time
he has practiced alone. His preparation for
his work has been most thorough, and he is no
less painstaking in his practice, and as a result
he has a large business extending throughout
the northeastern part of the county. He holds
in a high degree the confidence of the commu
nity, and has been health officer of the town of
Northeast and the vHlage of MHIerton for about
ten years, being elected on the Republican
ticket. He is also medical examiner for eight
life insurance companies; he- is a member of
the State Medical Society and the County Med
ical Society. The Doctor is a liberal-minded

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

227

man, and holds to the .simple and tolerant
Quaker faith in which he was reared. So
cially, he is a member of Webatuck Lodge No.
480, F. & A. M., in which he has held various
offices. He takes an active interest in local
affairs, and is now a member of the board of
education. In 1 88 1 Dr. Hoag was married to Miss
Jessie L. Wheeler, daughter of the late Nor
man Wheeler, of the town of Northeast, and
they have two sons: Arthur Edmond and
WiHiam Harvey.

irv\EORGE W. CONKLIN (deceased). A
\i^ life so strongly marked by worthy ambi
tion and well-directed energy as that of the
subject of this brief memoir, cannot fail to
convey to every reader a practical lesson which
they would do well to heed. Although of good
family, Mr. Conklin's chief inheritance con
sisted of the vigorous mentality and upright
character upon which his success was based.
His ancestors were among the early settlers of
Putnam Valley, Putnam county, and his par
ents, William and Phoebe (Sirrine) Conklin,
resided upon the old Conklin homestead north
of Oscawana Lake, where on January 3, 1828,
our subject was born.
Mr. Conklin was educated in the schools
near his home, and had no other advantages;
but, being fond of books, he supplemented his
common-school education by extensive read
ing, and became a man of broad information.
As a student of human nature, he enjoyed fic
tion, and Dickens' works were his especial
favorites. He was phenomenally successful in
business. When seventeen years of age he
went to Maryland to get out ship timber, and
immediately after arriving there he was recog
nized as a young man of good ability, and was
put in charge of a gang of men who were en
gaged in that work. He remained there until
1850, when he was married to Miss Elizabeth
Jenkins, of PhHIipstown, Putnam county. He
then gave his attention to building bridges on
the Hudson River railroad, having charge of a
gang of men on the extension from Poughkeep
sie north, and was in the employ of the road
until the last year of the CivH war. He went
to Port Royal in March, 1865, returning in
July of that year, and then entered the em-
ply of the government in the navy yards at
Brooklyn. He laid tracks, and was the gen
eral overseer during his stay of four years.

There he became acquainted with R. G. Pack
ard, and later he formed a partnership with
him in the dredging business. This was an
extensive enterprise, and he was quite success
ful, continuing for twenty-six years at least.
After leaving the navy yard Mr. Packard and
Mr. Conklin went with Morris & Cumings;
but after a whHe Mr. Packard went into busi
ness for himself, and Mr. Conklin accompanied i
him, and continued in the business until within
three years of his death, which occurred May
8, 1893. He helped in the making of dredg
ing machinery, and in aH the different branches
of the business, having a natural talent for
mechanics. By nature he was energetic and
forceful, and would have been successful in
anything. In his political faith Mr. Conklin was a
strong Republican, but he was not especially
active in party work. For some time he was
a member of the fire department at Pough
keepsie, Cataract Company No. 4, and be
came an exempt fireman. In religion he was
was a Methodist.
Mr. ConkHn had a pleasant home and a
charming family. His wife was a daughter of
David and Ann (Stevens) Jenkins, of PhHIips
town, Putnam county. Six children blessed
their union: (i) George L. , born November
14, 1852, is a machinist, and has been in the
dredging business. He married Miss May
Pickert, and has three children: May Eliza
beth, George Wesley and L. Clyde. (2) Lillie
J. is married to William Saltford, an English
man, and a florist by occupation. They have
two sons: W. Arthur and George C. (3)
Minnie C. married William Seeholzer, of Mid
dletown, N. Y. , proprietor of the R. R. res
taurant, and has one daughter, Helen C. (4)
Lizzie M. is at home. (5) Josephine and (6)
Carrie died in infancy.
Mrs. Conklin is the granddaughter of Joel
Jenkins, a native of Maine, who was a soldier
in the Revolutionary war. He and two broth
ers were among the first to enlist in that strug
gle, and the three were engaged in the first
battles. One brother was shot in one of the
early engagements, but Joel Jenkins and other
brother served throughout the war, and after
its close he settled south of the Croft's church,
in the town of PhHIipstown. The Jenkins
family of that place are descended from him.
He married Elizabeth Garrison, and had the
following chHdren: David, Mrs. Conklin's fa
ther; Polly, who married Daniel Bishop; Sarah

228

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

(Mrs. Masters); Isaac, who lived at Garrison;
Abram, the fifth in order of birth; Hannah
(Mrs. Curry); Susan, wife of James Croft;
James; and Ann, who married Mr. Jennings.

fENRY E. ALLISON, M. D., medical
superintendent of the Matteawan State
Hospital, at Matteawan, was born December
I, 1851, at Concord, N. H., a son of William
H. and Catherine (Anderson) Allison.
He received his preliminary education at
the public schools of his native city, later at
tending Kimball Union Academy at Meriden,
N. H., where he graduated in 1871. Inthe
fall of the same year he entered the classical
department of Dartmouth College. He was
elected president of the class in his Senior
year, and graduated with honors in 1875.
Among his classmates was Gov. Frank S.
Black, of New York. After graduation, in
the fall, he taught the high school of Hills
borough Bridge, N. H., and during the follow
ing year attended the full course of lectures
and instruction at Dartmouth Medical Col
lege. In June, 1878, he received the degree
of M. D. at Dartmouth, and in August com
menced the practice of his profession in the
capacity of an assistant physician at the Wil
lard Asylum, in the town of Ovid, N. Y. , an
institution then containing some twelve hun
dred patients. Here he remained in charge of
various medical departments of the service
until March, 1883, when he resigned, although
strong inducements were offered him to re
main. After pursuing a post-graduate course
at the New York Polyclinic, he commenced
the general practice of medicine at Waterloo,
Seneca Co., N. Y. , where he remained some
fourteen months, meeting with excellent suc
cess. During this time (1883-84) he served
as town physician. At the urgent request of
the board of trustees of the Willard Asylum,
he returned in 1884 to that institution as first
assistant physician, passing the State Civil Serv
ice examination for that position held in New
York City. On July i, 1889, he was ap
pointed medical superintendent of the State
Asylum for Insane Criminals at Auburn, Ca
yuga Co., N. Y. , an institution at that time
containing two hundred and nineteen patients.
By virtue of this office he also became, by
statute, a member of the commission created
by the Legislature to erect a new asylum for
insane criminals which was founded at Mat

teawan, Dutchess county, and to which, upon its
completion, the inmates of the old Auburn
asylum were transferred April 25, 1892. This
new institution is now known as the Matteawan
State Hospital, of which Dr. Allison is the med
ical superintendent and treasurer. The total cost
of the buildings and grounds was in the neigh
borhood of $900,000; the hospital has accom
modations for five hundred and fifty patients.
Dr. Allison became a member of the Seneca
County Medical Society in 1879, and was
elected president of the society in 1886; was
also president of the Seneca County Medical
Association. He is a member of the Dutchess
County Medical Society, the Newburgh Bay
Medical Society, and of the American Medico-
Psychological Association, and an honorary
member of La Societe de Medecine Mentale,
of Belgium. Dr. Allison has published the following pa
pers and monographs: "A Case of Multiple
Tubercular Tumor of the Brain " [New York
Medioal Record, August, 1882]; "Cerebral
Lesions in the Chronic Insane " [Alienist and
Neurologist, July, 1885]; "Moral and Indus
trial Management of the Insane " [Alienist and
Neurologist, April, 1886]; "Mental Changes
Resulting from the Separate Fracture of Both
Thighs" [American Journal of Insanity, July,
1886]; "Notes in a Case of Chronic Insanity"
[American Journal of Insanity, April, 1887];
"An Historical Sketch of Seneca County Med
ical Society" [Press of Brandow & Speed. Al
bany, 1887]; "On a General System of Report
ing Autopsies in American Asylums for the In
sane" [Read before the Association of Medical
Superintendents of American Institutions for
the Insane, Newport, R. I., June, 1889; Amer
ican Journal of Insanity, October, 1889]; a
short contribution to " De La Responsibilite
Attenu^e," by Henry Thierry, Paris, 1891; "On
Motives Which Govern the Criminal Acts of
the Insane" [Read before the Association of
Medical Superintendents of American Institu
tions for the Insane, Washington, D. C, May,
1892; American Journal of Insanity, October,
1892]; "The Insane Criminal" [The Summary,
December, 1892]; "Insanity Among Criminals"
[Read before the American Medico-Psycho
logical Association, PhHadelphia, Penn., May,
1894; American Journal of Insanity, July,
1894; Criminal Law Magazine and Reporter^
Vol. 16, 1894]; "On the Care of the Crimi
nal Insane in the State of New York " [Read
at the annual meeting of the Trustees and Su-

Ci

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

229

perintendents of the State Hospitals of New
York, Matteawan, October, 1894; Conglomer
ate, October, 1894]; "Some Relations of
Crime to Insanity and States of Mental En-
feeblement" [Read at the annual meeting of
the American Medical Association, Atlanta,
Ga. , May, 1896; Journal of the American Med
ical Association, September, 1896]; "Simple
Melancholia and its Treatment " [Read at
Newburgh Bay Medical Society; Medical Rec
ord, January, 1897]; four annual reports of
the "State Asylum for Insane Criminals," 1889,
'90, '91, '92; four annual reports of the "Mat
teawan State Hospital," 1893, '94, '95, '96.
In addition, although not seeking the work, he
has been frequently called upon to testify as an
expert medical witness in various important
trials before the courts.
On October 8, 1884, Dr. Allison was married
to Miss Anna M. De Puy, daughter of Lewis
and Sabina E. (Schoonmaker) De Puy, of
Kingston, N. Y., and four chHdren, as follows,
have come to brighten their home: Catherine
De Puy, Elizabeth Shand, William Henry and
Anna, On February 24, 1889, at Ovid, N. Y.,
he united with the Presbyterian Church, and
is now a member and an elder of the First Re
formed Dutch Church at FishkHl Landing, N.
Y. ; socially, he is a member of Union Lodge,
No. 114, F. & A. M.; of Dartmouth College
Association of New York, and of the Associa
tion of the Alumni of Dartmouth College.

The Matteazvan State Hospital was origi
nally established at Auburn, in 1855, and
opened for the reception of patients in Febru
ary, 1859. Next to Utica it is the oldest of
the State hospitals for the insane. Designed
at first for the care of insane convicts, its
scope has been gradually enlarged until it now
provides for all classes of insane criminals, and
occupies a position of highest importance
among the hospitals of the State. Its growth
at Auburn was not rapid, but the buHdings be
came overcrowded in the course of years, finally
rendering it necessary to erect a new institu
tion upon a larger scale and a more convenient
site; and Matteawan, in the Hudson River
Valley, was selected. Modern buHdings, com
plete in every detail, were erected there, and
the new asylum opened in AprH, 1892. Its
name was subsequently changed from the State
Asylum for Insane Criminals to the Matteawan
State Hospital. It receives patients not only
from penal institutions, but also all cases from

the courts of the State where the plea of in
sanity arises as a defense for crime. Such
persons are committed to its custody during
the continuance of their mental disease. The
population again rapidly increased at Mattea
wan, untH, within four years from its opening
on the new site, the hospital was filled to more
than its utmost capacity. The desirabHity of
separating the convicted from the unconvicted
inmates had long been recognized, and it was
recommended that this end should be accom
plished by providing a hospital in connection
with one of the State Prisons, to be buHt by
convict labor, and for the purpose of caring
only for the convict insane. Gov. Morton in
his annual message approved the project, and
an appropriation for this purpose was made
at the legislative session of 1896. Complete
plans for the new Institution, designed when
finished to accommodate six hundred inmates,
were prepared by Dr. Allison, and the buildings
are now under construction. The change will
relieve the Matteawan State Hospital of an un
desirable class of patients, and en,able the hos
pital to expand along lines more favorable to
its proper development and growth.

ISAAC M. CORNELL, M. D., a prominent
 physician of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess
county, was born in Defreestville, Rensselear
Co., N. Y., April 26, 1851, the son of Rev.
WiHiam A. and Helen M. (Wyckoff) Cornell.
Peter Cornell, the great-grandfather of our
subject, wasborn AprH i, 1756, and married
Maria Meserole, who was born October 22,
1758, and their family comprised nine children
as follows: Cornelius, born in 1781, was a
farmer in Lagrange; Isaac (i) died in infancy;
Isaac (2) was the grandfather of our subject;
Sarah married a Mr. Van Valen ; Jane married
Matthew Luyster; Margaret died unmarried;
Maria and Cornelius died in infancy; Eliza
beth, born in 1790, married Oliver Todd.
Peter Cornell and his wife were members of
the Reformed Dutch Church. Of this family,
Isaac married Miss Hoffman, a native of Dutch
ess county, and they settled on a farm in La
grange, where they reared their seven children,
to wit: Peter M. , a farmer in the town of
Lagrange; WHliam A., father of our subject;
Frederick, a farmer in Kansas; Margaret mar
ried to Darius Howland; and Mary, Elizabeth
and Isabella.
WiHiam A. CorneH, father of Isaac M.,

280

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

grew to manhood on his father's farm, and
after completing a common-school education
entered Rutgers College, at New Brunswick,
N. J. , where he prepared himself for the min
istry. During the better part of his life he was
a preacher in the Reformed Church, but his
health becoming impaired he returned to the
farm at Lagrange, where he died August i8,
1876. During his ministry he was pastor of
the churches at Athens and Blooming Grove,
N. Y. , or Defreestville, as it is now called.
About 1853 he gave up regular work, but
preached occasionally until the time of his
death. On AprH 12, 1843, he married Miss
Helen M., daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth
Wyckoff, the former of whom was a native of
New Brunswick, N. J. ; the family was of old
Holland stock. Of this union six children
were born: Elizabeth W., who married
Thomas B. Burnett, of Orange, N. J. ; Helen,
who died in infancy; Sarah L., who married
James Y. Luyster, of New Hackensack, N. Y. ;
Isaac M., our subject; WiHiam A., who mar
ried Bertha Schultz, and lives at Sioux Falls,
S. Dak.; and Jacob W., assistant treasurer of
the Wappingers Savings Bank, who married
Emma Stockholm, and resides in Wappin
gers Falls.
The subject of this sketch was brought up
on his father's farm in Lagrange, and attended
the district school until he was fifteen years of
age. Subsequently he became a student in
the Carey and Pelham Institute, Poughkeep
sie, N. Y., and then began the study of med
icine with Dr. S. S. Greene, of LagrangevHle.
In 1873 he entered the Medical Department of
the University of New York, and graduated
therefrom in the class of ''j'^. After his grad
uation Dr. Cornell went to Buffalo, N. Y. , and
for some time practiced with his old precep
tor; then resided at New Hamburg, N, Y. ,
and in the spring of 1878 settled at Wap
pingers Falls, where he has since made his
home. The Doctor stands high with his pro
fessional brethren, and has been very success
ful in his calling. He has secured the confi
dence of the public, and has made many
friends by his genial manners and kindly dis
position. His practice is one of the largest in
the vicinity.
On October 30, 1878, Dr. Cornell was
married to Miss Kate E. Dorland, a sister of
C. P. Dorland, the county surrogate. She
died July 29, 1880, and June 6, 1883, the
Doctor was married to Elizabeth W., a

daughter of Joseph D; Harcourt, a sketch of
whom will be found on another page. Mar-
tense H., born December 26, 1884, is the
only child of this union. In his poHtical
views, the Doctor is a Republican. From
1883 to 1886 he was health officer of the town
of Wappinger, and in 1878 was appointed to
the same office for the town of Poughkeepsie.
He has been a member of the Dutchess County
Medical Society since 1878; is a trustee of the
Wappingers Savings Bank; belongs to Wap
¬pingers Lodge No. 671, F. & A. M., at Wap
pingers Falls, to Poughkeepsie Chapter No.
172, R. A. M, , and Pougkheepsie Commandery
No. 43, K. T. In all respects he is one of the
leading citizens of Wappingers Falls.

WILLIAM MORGAN LEE, one of the
 prominent attorneys of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, is a member of a family
which has long held a leading position in this
locaHty. Darius Lee, his father, was born July 28,
1794, in East Fishkill, and in early manhood
moved to Poughkeepsie, where he became
identified with several important business enter
prises, a general store, a carriage factory, and
a hotel at Arlington. He was one of the
founders of Heading M, E. Church, was for
many years a class leader and local preacher,
and he held for a long time the office of justice
of the peace in the town of Poughkeepsie. He
married for his second wife Naomi Odell, who
was born July 28, 1812, a native of Putnam
county, and they had seven children, of whom
our subject is the eldest; the others were:
Kate, a successful teacher in the public schools
of Poughkeepsie; Frank K., a physician; Ed
ward, who resides at Mt. Vernon, S. Dak. ;
David (deceased); Sarah; and Henry G. (de
ceased). The father died in 1858, and the
mother on February 26, 1883.
WHHam Morgan Lee was born May 18,
1838, in Poughkeepsie. His literary and
scientific studies were pursued in the public
schools of that city, and with private tutors.
When twenty years old he taught a school at
Pleasant Valley, and in the same year he began
the study of law in the office of WHbur & Van-
Cleef, with whom he remained one year. He
then taught for a few months at SchultzvHle,
and in 1862 entered the office of the provost
marshall at Poughkeepsie, where he was em
ployed for two years and a half. Resuming

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

281

his legal studies in the office of Judge Charles
Wheaton, he prepared for his examination,
and was admitted to the bar in 1866. For
some time he practiced with Judge Wheaton,
and later wkh Judge AHard Anthony. He is
an able and influential worker in the Repub
lican party, and in 1869 was appointed city
chamberlain, serving fiveyears;in 1873 he was
elected supervisor of the Sixth ward, and city
attorney in 1877, which latter incumbency he
held for nine years. In 1883 he was nominated
for surrogate on the Republican ticket against
H. D. Hufcut, but, Hke the other candidates
of his party at that election, he was defeated.
From 1889 to 1893 he was deputy collector of
Internal Revenue for the Fourteenth District.
His well-proven abilities have given him a high
standing in business circles, and from 1893 to
to February, 1895, he was auditor and general
passenger agent for the P. & E. R. R.
Through all the varied and exacting duties of
these different positions he has carried on his
regular professional work, and enjoys an ex
tensive and profitable practice.
On June 23, 1870, in Poughkeepsie, Mr.
Lee was married to Miss Mary Worrall, a na
tive of Pittsburg, and the daughter of John
Worrall. Her grandfather, William Worrall,
was an early settler in Poughkeepsie, and at
one time owned most of the land upon which
the eastern part of the city now stands. Two
children were born of this union: Maud and
Frederick William. Mr. Lee and his wife are
leading members of the Episcopal Church, and
he has been a vestryman for thirteen years,
clerk of the vestry for four years, and is also
the treasurer of the Archdeaconry of Dutchess
county. He is an active rnember of the Masonic
fraternity, and he was received into Pough
keepsie Lodge in March, 1869; Poughkeepsie
Chapter No. 172, Royal Arch Masons, in Sep
tember, 1869; Poughkeepsie Commandery,
Knights Templar, in October, 1870; and was
elected High Priest of the Chapter in Decem
ber, 1872, and re-elected four successive
terms. In May, 1876, he was chosen Com
mander of Poughkeepsie Commandery, and
held the office six years. He was a charter
member and first Master of Triune Lodge No.
782, organized in 1879, and became a member
of King Solomon Council, Royal and Select
Masters, in 1880, serving as Master of the
CouncH for two years. In 1883 he served on
the staff of J. Edward Simmons, and in 1884

with William Brodie as Deputy Grand Master.
In 1887 he was Grand Principal Sojourner of
the State, and he has been Grand Steward in
the Grand CouncH, and is now the Repre
sentative of the State of Wisconsin near the
Grand Council of the State of New York. In
1889 he became a member of Mecca Temple
of the Mystic Shrine in New York City.

ICHARD A. VARICK, M. D. (deceased),
was born in the City of New York, April
24, 1806. His ancestors were Holland- Dutch,
and the name was originally spelled Van
Vaarick. Dr. Varick spent his early days on his fa
ther's farm, after which he took a course of
lectures in a Medical College in New York, from
which he was graduated with the class of 1827.
After completing his course in medicine he
came to Poughkeepsie, and practiced with Dr.
John Barnes, with whom he remained until the
latter's death, after which our subject practiced
alone. He married Miss Eliza Harris, of
Poughkeepsie, and two children — one son and
one daughter — were born to them: John B. is
a wholesale hardware merchant in New Hamp
shire; and Elizabeth Harris married William
R. Pell, of New York. Mrs, Varick died in
1837, and Dr. Varick subsequently married
Miss Isabel Shepherd, who was born in Albany
June 27, 1809. By this union there were
children as follows, five in number: (i)
Robert S. was in the hardware business in
New York City, and died when a young man.
(2) Remsen was in the Civil war, and was on
the first boat that went to Richmond, Va. ;
after the war he returned to Poughkeepsie and
entered the drug business; he died in 1883. (3)
Richard A., Jr., died while attending college.
(4) Ellen S. married Edward Barnes, a drug
gist of Poughkeepsie, (5) William was a
merchant of Boston, and died in 1878. In
politics. Dr. Varick was originally a Whig,
later a Republican. He was a prominent citi
zen, and stood high in the esteem of his fellow
men. He and his wife were liberal contribu
tors of the Reformed Church. He was a mem
ber of the Society of Cincinnati, as eldest son,
in nearest male line, inheriting it through Col.
Richard Varick, of the Revolutionary army,
and being succeeded at his death by his eldest
son, John B. Varick. Dr. Richard A. Varick
died August 10, 1871.
John V. B. Varick, father of our subject,

232

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAJij RECORD.

married Miss Dorothy Remsen in New York
City, shortly after which he located on a farm
in the town of Poughkeepsie, where he followed
agricultural pursuits a few years. Returning
to New York, he there remained until his death.
To him and his wife the following children
were born: Richard A.; Henry, who was an
attorney in Poughkeepsie, and died there;
James L. , a merchant in New York; John was
a farmer on the homestead, where he died;
Abram was a resident of Poughkeepsie; Jane
married Richard V. GHbert, a resident of Bridge
port, Conn., and Poughkeepsie (both are now
deceased); Antoinette married William Pell, a
sea captain; and Kate became the wife of
Abram Van Santvoord, a resident of New York
City. By his second wife, who was a Miss
Romeyn, John V. B. Varick had two children:
Susan, who married Cornelius Van Santvoord,
a prominent lawyer of New York; and Theo
dore R. , who was surgeon general of New
Jersey till his death.

HENRY DU BOIS VAN WYCK, proprie-
 tor of Knickerbocker Lodge, Van Wyck
Lake, near FishkHl Village, Dutchess Co.,
N. Y. , and also the owner of extensive property
interests at Norfolk, Va. , is one of our most
talented and successful men of affairs, having
given to various financial enterprises through
out his life the generalship, the energy, the
insight, and the indomitable wHI which mark
the highest type of business man.
He is a native of Fishkill, born October
27, 1823, at the old Van Wyck homestead,
on the Hudson, a place which has been in the
possession of his family for one hundred years.
The mansion is of the Colonial type, and is
famous as the house in which the proceedings
of the first legislature of the State of New
York were printed, and it is now occupied by
the Misses Vandervort, Mr. Van Wyck's nieces,
the estate having been sold to them by him
for one-tenth of its value. His father, John C.
Van Wyck, was the owner of large tracts of
land in that vicinity, and for many years fol
lowed mercantHe pursuits in New York City.
He married Delia Griffin, and reared a family
of seven chHdren: Letitia, Catherine, Jacob,
Helena, Henry Du Bois, Mary Ida and Adelia.
Mr. Van Wyck was educated in the dis
trict schools near his home, also at College
Hill, Poughkeepsie, and on leaving school he
went to New York City and clerked in a large

wholesale tobacco house for three years. He
then spent two years in the oil business; went
to Kalamazoo, Mich., with a large drove of
sheep, and located there upon a large farm
which he devoted to sheep raising and wheat
growing, his first crop of wheat from 600 acres
of land being the first large crop harvested in
the United States. In 1849 he went to San
Francisco, Cal. , meeting there William Annin,
of Fishkill Landing, and bought the barque
"Galindo," in which Mr. Van Wyck made an
exploring trip to the North along the coast of
California and Oregon. Mr. Van Wyck was
captain, with James Riddell as sailing master,
and they carried sixty passengers, who were
in search of a river which was laid down on
one of Van Couver's charts as flowing into
Trinidad bay. They found the bay, but no
stream large enough to be called a river. One
whale boat was sent north from this point
and one south, with five men in each, but they
returned on the fifth day, having lost four men
while entering the mouth of Humboldt bay.
There was a mutiny on board of the barque,
which lasted several days, the passengers be
ing of a very rough class. The party found a
tribe of Indians at Trinidad bay, who treated
them with great kindness, as did another large
band at Klamath river under Chief Cawtapish,
numbering about 1,800 warriors. Mr. Van-
Wyck's party were the first whites they had
ever seen, as the generation which had greeted
Van Couver's men had gone to the happy
hunting grounds.
James Johnson and Mr. Van Wyck were
the discoverers of the great Gold Bluff claims,
eight miles south of the Klamath river, which
are stHl being worked. In 1850 Mr. Van-
Wyck sold his interest tb A. J. Butler, brother
of Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, and then having
procured thirty mules from San Francisco, he
started on an exploring expedition through the
Indian country, following the Klamath river,
and at the end of forty-four days they struck
the rich camp known as Yreka Mining camp,
near the foot of Mt. Shasta. They had passed
through several different large tribes of Indi
ans, viz.: The "Chora," "Mad Rivers,"
"Klamaths," " Smith Rivers," " Rogue Riv
ers," "Scott Rivers," "Shastas," "Mo-
docs, " and others, always being treated well,
although the Indians had never seen a white
person before, and Mr. Van Wyck thinks there
never would have been any trouble with the
Indians if the white men had used them justly.

.y.H.HHers ^; Co Chin,3,'5o. ILL.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

233

Many noted chiefs were among these tribes,
and Mr. Van Wyck says, "he never saw
more beautiful women than were many of
these Indian maidens," particularly on the
coast. The Modoc Indian Jim, afterward
known as " Shack Nasty Jim," rode for one
year the bell animal, leader of a train of mules,
that Mr. Van Wyck was running from Yreka
to Portland, Oregon, and also to MarysvHle,
Cal. , and other towns, where goods could be
procured. Mr. Van Wyck gave him a furlough
that he might visit his people, who were sup
posed to be camping at the Lava Beds, sixty
miles from Yreka. When he reached the Lava
Beds, he found they had gone to Pitt river,
fishing for salmon, and he came back after
three or four days in a very filthy condition,
having laid on the earth after heating it, so as
to keep warm, during the cold nights. He
had lived for two days on shack berries (a very
nutritious fruit), and when he appeared before
Mr. Van Wyck, the latter said to him, "Jim,
you look so filthy, and having lived on shack
berries, I think your name ought to be changed,
so I will give you a new one, that of ' Shack
Nasty Jim;' " and this nickname clung to him
until his death.
The Modocs were always very kind to the
whites, until the whites by misusing them
caused them to be enemies instead of friends.
As an instance: In 1853, during the immense
immigration across the plains (all the men and
women being sick, and the cattle exhausted,
on account of the shortness of supplies), a
party of 300 emigrants went into camp near
the Modoc country, and one of the Modocs
volunteered to carry word of their sad plight
to "Yreka." On his arrival the message was
delivered to Mr. Van Wyck at his store, as he
was the largest dealer in that country. He im
mediately called a meeting of the citizens, and,
as gold dust was as plenty as dirt, quickly
raised enough to purchase cattle, provisions,
medicines and everything needed to bring them.
through. An expedition was sent out under
the charge of a supposed merciful man, who
distributed the supplies among the suffering
emigrants. Having one fat ox left, he killed
it, barbecued a quarter of it, and invited the
leading men of the Modoc tribe to partake of
the feast. It was said at the time that strych
nine had been put on this quarter, which he
had taken out to kill wolves in order to get their
pelts. At any rate, the party returned to
Yreka with eleven Indian scalps, and said that

they had had a terrible fight with the Modocs,
and the scalps were the trophies of their vic
tory. Yreka people learned afterward that
there had been no fight, but that the Indians
had been poisoned. This accounts for the
manner in which Capt. Jack of the Modocs
treacherously killed Gen. Canby, of the U. S.
Army, as he always said he would get even by
killing some " big Boston fighting man." Mr.
Van Wyck remained at Yreka until i860, when
he went to Portland, Oregon, and remained
there six months, forming another expedition
which started for Idaho Territory, passing
through the Dallas, Umpqua, Umatilla, and
the place where the city of Walla Walla now
stands, on through Grand Ronde valley, and
over the Blue mountains, to the site of Boise
City, then a wilderness; from there they went
north and camped on a small stream sixty
miles from Boise City, and finding placer gold
in abundance, they started Idaho City, and in
nine months 18,000 miners were there at work
washing out the precious metal in enormous
quantities. On this trip the party passed
through the " Nez Perces" Umatillas, Grande
Ronde, Boise Rivers, Bannocks, and other
tribes of Indians without losing a man or even
having any trouble, being treated well all the
time. The Yreka camp and the Idaho City
camp were two of the richest mining places
ever discovered in the United States, and Mr.
Van Wyck was the leader of the party who dis
covered both camps. In attempting to cross
Boise river with their mules they were detained
over twelve hours to allow a school of salmon
to pass up the stream, as the mules could not
be persuaded to go into the water until the fish
had passed. At this early period these rivers
were literally filled with salmon, and other fish.
Mr. Van Wyck ran stages from Yreka to
Red Bluff, Cal. (160 mHes), for several years,
carrying Wells, Fargo & Co.'s express daily,
and having at times from 500 to 1,000 pounds
of gold dust to be minted at San Francisco and
carried back as coin. He never lost one dol
lar by the "road agents," and it was said that
he was "in with the ' road agents, ' " as, know
ing them all, and being very kind to them,
loaning them money whenever they needed it,
they had promised him that his stage coaches
should never be attacked, while the robberies
of other coaches were constant. Both Idaho
and Yreka Camp were filled with the roughest
elements in the world in those days, and mur
ders were of daily occurrence, as from one to

234

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

seven men were found murdered every morn
ing in the streets. Mr. Van Wyck ran the
Bonaparte Gold & Silver (in which he was a
quarter-owner) for five years, doing his own
amalgamating, retorting and assaying, having
received a perfect knowledge of this science as
a student of the celebrated Joseph ©esstricher,
the gold and silver assay er of Idaho City.
Mr. Van Wyck was at one time given a
pass-word by Caw-Ta-Pish, chief of the Klam
ath's tribe (whose life he had saved on one
occasion), which was often of great service to
him among the tribes who understood the
jargon language. The pass-word was this —
Cho, Ko, Nez, Wa, Gee, which expresses that
Mr. Van Wyck had been a great friend of the
Indians. Mr. Van Wyck at this point again
asserts his belief that there never would have
been bad Indians if it had not been for the bad
whites, some of whom would shoot a poor
Indian for their own amusement.
George P. Gordon, the inventor of the
Gordon printing press, with whom Mr. Van-
Wyck had been acquainted since 1839, induced
him to sell his interests in Idaho and join him
in Southern speculating, and in 1869 Mr. Van-
Wyck went to Norfolk, Va. , to look after
property to purchase. Being pleased with the
outlook and location, he wrote for Mr. Gordon
to come down immediately, and their first pur
chase was the Mallory plantation, for which
they paid $51,000 cash, at the same time buy
ing four other estates adjoining at a cost of
$21,000 more, making three thousand acres in
all of the most beautiful trucking land in Vir
ginia. Mr. Gordon died in 1879, and three
years later Mr. Van Wyck married his widow,
who died in California- in 1890 of pneumonia.
Mr. Van Wyck was the pioneer in the garden
truck business in Virginia, working 180 negroes,
and eighty mules, and six horses daily, and he
still has an interest in the plantations which
will soon be sold to close up the estate of the
late Mrs. Van Wyck. He also owns many
buildings in Norfolk, Va. , including Van Wyck's
Academy of Music on Main street, which was
buHt twelve years ago at a cost of nearly $171,-
000, and is a temple of the dramatic and lyric
arts, of which Norfolk is justly proud. It is
four stories high, 200x150 feet ground plan,
and has an auditorium seating 1,600 people,
at the same time affording standing room for
some seven or eight hundred more. Its stage
is 45 X 60 feet, with a height of twenty feet to
the grooves, and a height in the clear of sixty-

five feet. The proscenium arch is thirty-two
feet wide by forty feet high. These dimensions,
the general design of the house and its hand
some decorations and finish, have earned for it
the reputation of being the finest theatre south
of Washington. The best talent on the Amer
ican stage is engaged for this house. The
present manager, who has had charge for the
past five years, is A. B. Duesberry, a Rich
mond man of considerable experience in the
atrical matters. The treasurer, C. M. Mayes,
has been with the house, in various capacities,
for the last seven years.
In 1890 Mr. Van Wyck purchased the
property known as the Ross farm, at Fishkill,
Dutchess Co., N. Y., and constructed the lake
and buildings known as Knickerbocker Lodge,
Van Wyck Lake, improving and beautifying
the place at a cost of $51,000. The spring of
water located there has no equal in the world
for the cure of diabetes, and the charming
scenery and other advantages make it a delight
ful summer resort.

E\DMUND L. HENDRICKS (deceased).
 'I The family nam^e of Hendricks has long
been prominent in business circles in this re
gion, and the subject of this sketch sustained
well the reputation for enterprise, good judg
ment and public-spirit which was his birth
right. His grandfather, Lawrence Hendricks,
was a well-known resident of Red Hook. He
had a son, Jacob L. Hendricks, our subject's
father, who married Anna Moore, and reared
a family of children whose names with dates of
birth are as follows: Edmund L., July 12,
1809; Magdalene, October 19, 1811; Jeremiah,
November 2, 1813; and Philip, January 29,
1816. Edmund L. Hendricks received the name
of Lawrence Edmund at his baptism, but in
later years he transposed it to Edmund Law
rence. He was educated at the Upper Red
Hook Academy; then learned harness making,
and afterward engaged in the manufacture of
harness at Red Hook. He retired in Septem
ber, 1863. On September 25, 1832, he was
married to Miss Barbara Ann Davis, of Red
Hook, and six chHdren were born of this union:
Francis Theo, Mary Elizabeth, Cornelia A.,
Edmund D., WiHiam E. and Magdalene A.
Of this family all are now deceased except Mary
E. and Magdalene A. Their home was char
acterized by refinement and quiet devotion to

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

285

Christian principles. After fifteen years of
wedded life, the mother died August 19, 1847,
the father surviving untH November 27, 1883.
The Misses Hendricks still occupy the resi
dence built by their father in 1842. They
were educated in Red Hook, and have taken
a leading position in social, religious and phil
anthropic enterprises, and both are regarded
as most ready, active and generous supporters
of any measure tending to promote the welfare
of their community, or of that wide circle which
includes all humanity as one family.

21^ BRAM WRIGHT, one of the most prom-
.^L. inent business men of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, was born November 8, 1812,
in the town of East Fishkill, and now carries
the burden of his eighty-five years with a
sprightliness and vigor which many men
younger than he might envy.
Isaac Wright, his father, was born in 1764
in Westchester county, N. Y. , where he grew
to manhood and married Miss Mary HamHton,
who was born in 1763, a native of' the same
county. Her father was born in the North of
Ireland, of Scotch-Irish parentage. Thirteen
children came of this union, of whom our sub
ject is the youngest and now the only survivor.
Isaac Wright engaged in farming at his native
place after his marriage, and a few years later
moved to East Fishkill, being one of the ear
liest settlers there. He was a man of very
strong constitution, and never knew what ill
ness was until his last years. He died in 1839,
his wife surviving him nine years. They were
members of the M. E. Church, and so hospit
able were they to ministers and other travelers
in those days that their home was known far
and near as the " Methodist Tavern ."
Abram Wright passed his boyhood on the
farm where he was born, his educational op
portunities being limited to the neighboring
district school. His first money-making em
ployment was in a country store at Coldspring,
Putnam county, at $4 per month and board.
Later, while visiting a brother at New Orleans,
he was persuaded by him to go into the cotton
commission business at Manchester (now Yazoo
City), Miss. There he remained six years,
when "he was burned out, sustaining a loss of
$50,000. Gathering up what he could, he
again embarked in business, locating at Vicks
burg, where for eight years he dealt extensively
in plantation supplies. He then returned to

New Orleans, holding an interest with his
brother Hamilton for two years, but sold out
and came back to his early home. After a few
years passed at Coldspring he moved to
Poughkeepsie, where in 1857 he bought his
present place. He is a man of great energy
and business acumen, and has engaged in vari
ous profitable enterprises. He was a stock
holder in the company which built the Pough
keepsie bridge, a director in the Farmers' and
Merchants' Bank, and is now one of the trus
tees of the Poughkeepsie Savings Bank. He
has also speculated in real estate to some ex
tent, and has built five stores on Main street
between Academy street and Eighme place.
Business cares have not, however, engrossed
his thoughts to the exclusion of matters of
public moment, for he has always been ready
to forward any movement for the welfare of
the city; he has held office on the board of ed
ucation, and on the alms house commission;
has been alderman from the Sixth ward, and
has served several times on the waterworks
board, having been a member of that board at
its organization. Politically, he has always
been a stanch Democrat.
Mr. Wright was married, in 1837, to Mary
Warren, a daughter of Judge Warren, of Cold-
spring, and has had seven children: Eliza,
Charlotte, Webster, Sarah (Mrs. Leonard Car
penter), Cornelia, Ida and William, of whom
only two are now living: Webster, a resident
of Plainfield, N. J., and William, who lives in
Poughkeepsie.

C\HARLES DAVIS, whose death occurred
^' in 1895, was one of the leading and influ
ential agriculturists of the town of Dover,
Dutchess county. Timothy Davis, his grand
father, was a native of Delaware county, N. Y.,
and was also a farmer. He wedded Miss Mary
Wilbur, by whom he had five children: Zilla,
Wilbur, Silas, Ruth and Sarah.
WHbur Davis, the father of our subject,
was born and educated in Delaware county,
N. Y. , and followed the occupation to which
he was reared. He married Miss Ethel Man
chester, and seven children came to bless their
union, as follows: (i) William, who was born
and educated in the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, there engaged in farming, and married
Miss Janet Clark. To them were born six
chHdren — Walter and Chester, who died in
infancy; Mary, who wedded James Wood;

236

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

George, who married Emily Tripp; Mina, who
married Lewis Waldron; and Harry, who died
in infancy. (2) Betsy married William Smith,
a farmer of Dover Plains, Dutchess county,
and they had two children — Frances, who
married Charles Cooper; and Jane, who mar
ried James Deacon. (3) Charles, subject of
this sketch, was the next in order of birth.
(4) Silas, a hat manufacturer, enlisted in a
Connecticut regiment, and served all through
the war of the Rebellion. He married Miss
Margaret Abbott, but no children were born
to them. (5) Sarah was never married. (6)
Theron was engaged in the foundry business,
and married Miss Anna Hart, by whom he had
three children — Mary, John and Albert. (7)
Henry carried on farming in the West. He
married Miss Margaret O'Conners, but they
had no children. All of the above-named
family were born in the town of Dover, Dutch
ess county, and were there educated.
The subject proper of this sketch was born
in the town of Dover, Dutchess county, in
1824, and like the other members of the fam
ily attended the common schools near his
home. He early became familiar with the
work that falls to the lot of the agriculturist,
and made farming his life work. He was a
highly-respected citizen, having the confidence
and esteem of all who knew him, and many
friends mourned his death.
Mr. Davis was united in marriage with
Miss Elizabeth Benson, a daughter of Jeffer
son and Fannie (Glenn) Benson, of Amenia,
Dutchess county, and they became the par
ents of eight children, namely: George, born
in 1849, has for several years been a conductor
on the Harlem railroad; he married Ellen
Duncan, and has one child — Ed J.; John,
born in 1851, was for years conductor on the
Harlem railroad, and had his arm crushed in
1891; William, born in 1853, was on the same
road for years, and is now on the Brooklyn
bridge; he married Eliza Benson, and has
eight children — Charles, Albert, Nellie, Anna,
Emma, Sophia, Arthur and Lula. Edward,
born in 1855, died at the age of nineteen years.
Frank, born in 1857, was a conductor on the
Staten Island road, and was killed in a colli
sion in 1893; he married Katie E. Spencer.
Walter, born in 1859, is a fireman on the
Harlem road; he married Jennie Proper, and
has two children — Ida and Ethel. Jefferson,
born in i860, is an engineer on the Brooklyn
bridge; he married Emily Duncan, and has

three children — Edith, Harry and Mabel.
Arthur, born in 1862, was a policeman at the
time of his death in 1888; he married Georgia
Schamerhorn, and had one chHd — Katie E.,
who died in infancy.

BiENJAMIN N. BAKER, M. D., one of the
 ) ablest and most successful medical practi
tioners of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was
born October 2, 1833, in Montgomery county,
Pennsylvania. His famHy is of English origin, and has
long been established in Nottingham, England,
where his grandfather, John Baker, was a well-
known resident in his day. Rev. John J. Baker,
our subject's father, was the first of the family
to come to America, and fifty years of his life
were spent as a devoted minister of the Baptist
Church in Philadelphia and in different towns
in New Jersey. He married Miss Elizabeth
Nicholson, daughter of Benjamin Nicholson, a
Revolutionary soldier, who was at one time
imprisoned in a man-of-war in New York har
bor. Thirteen children were born of this union,
of whom the following seven lived to adult age:
Benjamin N., William, Lansing B., John J.,
Catherine, Margaret and Allie. The father
died in 1890, and the mother in 1891.
Dr. Baker received a good education in his
youth, graduating in 1848 from the Central
High School in Philadelphia, to attend which
he walked three miles each day. Soon after
leaving school he engaged in the drug business
in the same city, and later took the general
course in medicine in the Pennsylvania Med
ical CoHege, and was graduated in 1857. He
then began the practice of his profession at
Lawrenceville, N. J., and remained there twelve
years, with the exception of one year in the
army, in 1862-63. He entered as second as
sistant surgeon of the ist N. J. C, and later
became first assistant of the 28th N. J. I., and
then first surgeon of the Third Division, Second
Corps, Hospital in the field, and was mustered
out while holding this rank. He returned to
Lawjrenceville, but in 1868 moved to Rhine
beck, and has been in general practice there
ever since, winning an enviable reputation
throughout the surrounding country for the
successful and scientific treatment of difficult
cases. In his professional work he is naturally
a diligent reader, and he keeps well informed
also on the topics of the day. PoHtical work
he has left entirely alone. He votes the Dem-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

237

ocratic ticket, though formerly a Republican,
and he is interested in all movements for the
public benefit, and has been health officer for
several years.
On AprH 7, 1858, he was married to Miss
Sarah S. Exton, daughter of Thomas Exton,
a well-known citizen of Clinton, N. J., and
granddaughter of Hugh Exton, who came
from England at an early date and purchased
one thousand acres of land, now known as
Union farms. They have had eight children,
four of whom are now living: Lizzie, who
married Edward Holley, of Hudson, N. Y. ;
EHa, the wife of R. R. Jarvis, of Arlington,
N. J.; Harriet, the wife of Thomas J. Sinclair,
of PhHadelphia; and Mae, who is at home.
The Doctor united with the Presbyterian Church
in his youth, but he and his wife are now active
members of the Reformed Dutch Church. The
Doctor takes great interest in the G. A. R.,
being a member of Armstrong Post, and he also
belongs to the Masonic order.

T^HOMAS W. EMBLEY, M. D., of Fish-
 kill, Dutchess county. Among the tal
ented young physicians of this region, we
should name the subject of this sketch as hav
ing demonstrated in an unusually short time
the possession of native ability for his profes
sion, as well as the thorough training which,
however necessary to a successful practitioner,
is useful only where the other exists to be de
veloped. Dr. Embley is a native of FishkHl-on-Hud-
son, where he was born July 22, 1874. His
family originated in England, and for 300 years
there has been a Thomas Embley in the direct
line of descent. The Doctor's great-grand-'
father, Thomas Embley, lived in Lancashire,
England, and was a mason by trade. He was
accidentally killed by the falling of a scaffold,
and left a small family, among whom was a
son, Thomas, our subject's grandfather, who
was born at Clitheroe, in northern Lancashire.
He became a carder of cotton goods in his
youth, and later followed teaming, but finally
engaged in the grocery business. He died in
1857, aged seventy-five years, and his wife,
Ann (Tiplady), followed him a year later, aged
fifty-eight. Her father, John Tiplady, was a
lead miner of Yorkshire, England. Thomas
and Ann Embley were devout members of the
Church of England. Of their three children,

the youngest, Thomas, our subject's father, is
now the only survivor. Mary A. married
William Fitton, now deceased, and Alice was
the wife of the late John Seddon.
Thomas Embley, the Doctor's father, was
born at Hyde, Cheshire, England, August 6,
1839, and was the only one of the family to
cross the ocean. The first eleven years of his
life were spent at his native place, and he then
became a switch-tender in a railroad yard at
Gorton. At fourteen he went to Manchester
to learn the art of decorating interiors, and for
several years he was successfully engaged in
painting and paper-hanging. In 1873 he came
to America, and visited Fishkill and neighbor
ing towns in his search for a suitable location.
The prospects there being favorable he began
working at his trade, but in 1876 he estab
lished a saloon business at Fishkill Landing,
and has met with' marked success. In 1889
he built the brick block at the corner of Wal
nut and Main streets, where he has since con
ducted his business, and until taking possession
of that place he was also engaged to some ex
tent at his old trade of decorator. At present
he is treasurer of the Liquor and Beer Deal
ers' Association of FishkHl.
In his political views Mr. Embley is inde
pendent, voting for the best men and measures
without regard to party. He inclines toward
the Episcopal Church, having been a member
of the Established Church before coming to
the United States. While living in Godley,
England, he was active in Church work, and
was a teacher in the Sunday-school. He also
joined the I. O. O. F. in his native land. He
was married in the old country, August 6, 1 869,
to Miss Lucy J. Fisher, daughter of William
Fisher, of Leiston, Suffolk, England. Only
one child, our subject, lived to adult age, and
to him we will now return.
Dr. Embley was educated in Fishkill, and
on completing his course in the local schools
he began the study of medicine with Dr. J. G.
Dawson, of Matteawan. After eighteen months
of preparatory reading he was enrolled in Oc
tober, 1893, as a student at Hahnemann Med
ical College at Philadelphia, Penn. He was
graduated in 1896, and in July of .that year
opened his office at Fishkill viHage, where he
is making his way by his own merits. He has
already had some difficult cases, and was asso
ciated with Dr. Dawson, his former preceptor,
in a very important operation requiring intelli
gence and skill, by which they saved a leg for

238

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a man who had been run over by the cars. So
far the Doctor has not donned the Hymeneal
yoke.

EV, JAMES NILAN, D, D,, pastor of
St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church,
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is a native of
Ireland, born in County Galway, in 1836. At
the age of seventeen he came to this country,
and was educated at St. John's College, Ford-
ham, N. Y., from which he graduated with
the first gold medal conferred by Archbishop
Hughes. Subsequently he pursued his theo
logical studies at Rome, where, in 1863, he
was ordained to the priesthood, at St. John
Lateran. On his return to this country he was as
signed to missionary service at the Church of
the Holy Cross, New 'York, and in 1868 he
was sent by Cardinal McCloskey to the charge
of the CathoHc Church at Port Jervis, N. Y.
Here, during his pastorate, he succeeded in
securing the erection of one of the finest
church buildings in that diocese. In Novem
ber, 1877, on the appointment of Dr. Patrick
McSweeney to St. Bridget's Church, New
York, Dr. Nilan was transferred to the pas
torate of St. Peter's Church, Poughkeepsie.
During the pastorate (i 844-1 870) of Rev.
M. Riordan, the present St. Peter's church
building was begun and completed, two large
school buHdings and a rectory being also
erected. In 1872, during the pastorate of
Rev. Dr. McSweeney, the rectory was en
larged, and arrangements were made whereby
the parochial school buildings were placed
under the control of the city board of educa
tion. The parish of St. Mary's was estab
lished in the upper part of the city. During
Father Nilan's pastorate the church buHding
has been enlarged, and provided with stained-
glass windows at a cost of $10,000. Its Sab
bath-school numbers nearly seven hundred.
It has five sodalities for the young members of
the congregation; a young people's literary
society, with a good library; a boys' temper
ance society of over 300 members; and a total
abstinence and benefit society of several hun
dred men and women. The average income
of the church is $8,000, nearly $5,000 of
which is from pew rent.
Few churches present a more complete ar
ray of parish organizations, in successful oper
ation to-day, than does the Church of St.

Peter's. Dr. Nilan's pronounced temperance
principles, his warm sympathies with the hum
blest of his flock, and his frank acceptance of
all the responsibilities of citizenship, have com
bined to give him an enviable position, not only
with the members of his parish, but in the
community at large. In the general benevo
lent, temperance and literary movements of
the city. Dr. NHan has always taken a promi
nent part, and he possesses in a marked degree
the esteem of all classes of the people.

T. PULTZ, M. D., a prominent physi-
jy^ cian of Stanfordville, Dutchess county,
is a great-grandson of one of the pioneer agri
culturists of the town of Rhinebeck, David
Pultz, who came from Germany at an early
day to make a home in this country. His son,
Michael D.' Pultz, our subject's grandfather,
was reared to the occupation of farming, and
also worked at the carpenter's trade. He was
a member of the old militia, and took an act
ive part in the local affairs of his day. He
and his family belonged to the Lutheran
Church, attending at Wurtemburg. By his
first wife, who was a Miss Cookingham, he
bad six children: JuHa, Reuben, Mary, Mar
tin, Griffin and Lavina, of whom Mary is now
the only survivor.
Martin Pultz, our subject's father, always
resided at the old homestead, receiving his
education in youth in the neighboring schools.
In politics he was a Whig, and in movements
of his time and locality he was influential, be
ing especially interested in the early agitation
of the temperance question, and an active
worker in the Sons of Temperance. He mar
ried Catherine Traver, a daughter of Phillip I.
Traver, of MHan. His death occurred in
1850; his widow makes her home with our
subject. Monroe Traver Pultz, the only chHd of
this union, was born at the old home farm
July 17, 1843. After making the most of the
somewhat Hmited facHities afforded by the
local schools, he studied for some time at
Rhinebeck Academy, then one year at WHbra
ham Academy in Massachusetts, and a year at
Fort Edwards, N. Y. He then for a time
pursued the scientific course in Union College
with the class of '67, and later began the
study of medicine with Dr. I. F. Van VHet, at
Rhinebeck, after which he took a three-years'
course in the CoHege of Physicians and Sur-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

239

geons, New York City, graduating in 1868.
In June of the same year he located at Stan-
fordviHe, where he has since practiced with
great success, his native abHities and fine
scholarship giving him high rank in his profes-
He has been twice married, first to

sion.

Miss Emma Amelia Bailey, a daughter of
Richard BaHey, a well-known resident of
Rhinebeck. She died in 1877, leaving two
sons, Fred A. and Lee, the latter a graduate
of the Albany Medical College in the class of
'95. In 1878 Dr. Pultz was married, the sec
ond time, in the town of Stanford, to Miss
Alice Clark, daughter of Almon Clark.
In poHtics the Doctor is a Democrat, but
he takes no share in party work, although he
is a supporter of all measures tending to the
public welfare, and has served as health offi
cer of the town of Stanford. He is a member
of the Christian Church, and of the F. & A.
M., Rhinebeck Lodge; he holds a prominent
place in the Dutchess County Medical Associa
tion, in the New York State Medical Asso
ciation, and in the American Medical Associa
tion.

E\DWIN R. PEASE. Among the old resi-
 'I dents of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
probably none were better known that the late
Edwin R. Pease. Mr. Pease was born June
22, 1820, and died March 16, 1885. He was
a son of Dudley S. Pease, an early settler in
the village, who came from the East.
In early life Mr. Pease learned the shoe-
making industry, and at the age of twenty-two
years he established business for himself, man
ufacturing shoes and running a retaH store.
He started in business on the north side of
Main street, near Bayeau street, where he re
mained for about ayear, when he moved to No.
309 Main street, and there continued the bus
iness up to the time of his death. He was one
of the most prominent merchants of the city,
always identified with all matters of public in
terest. Although one of the most substantial
and respected residents, and owner of much
real estate, he never aspired to official honors.
He was a Democrat, but never held any polit
ical office, except that of police commission
er, which incumbency he was holding at the
time of his death. For many years he was a
trustee of the old Cannon Street M. E. Church,
to which he was a liberal contributor.
Mr. Pease married January 11, 1844, Cor

nelia Stanton, a daughter of Morris and Eliza
Stanton. Morris Stanton, the father of Mrs.
Pease, was born in Ulster county, and followed
the cooper's trade. Eliza Stanton, the mother
of Mrs. Pease (more familiarly known as Eliza
Bates, which name she inherited by marriage
to her second husband, Joseph I. Bates, in
June, 1835), was born November 10, 1798, in
a house on Academy street, standing where
George W. Scott's livery stable is now located.
She built the handsome buHding now occupied
by the Dutchess Restaurant and the Dutchess
Club, at No. 309 Main street, where she lived
for many years, and died February 25, 1888,
honored as the oldest Methodist in Pough
keepsie. She was a member of the first
Methodist Sunday-school in Poughkeepsie,
holding their meetings in the old church on
Jefferson street. She was a daughter of Til-
man Seabury, a sergeant in the Revolutionary
army, who married Cornelia Kip, a direct
descendant of Anneka Jans, of Trinity-Church
fame. Tradition affirms that while the Revolu
tionary soldiers were stationed at Poughkeep
sie, Tilman Seabury, wishing to make the
acquaintance of Cornelia Kip, whom he had
seen, purchased some handkerchiefs, and
asked her to hem them for the soldiers, as
the ",girls" were all anxious to do work for
the soldiers. She accepted, and an acquaint
ance was then formed which resulted in court
ship, and the records of the old Dutch Church
at New Hackensack show that on February
27, 1778, Tilman Seabury and Cornelia Kip
were married by the Rev. Isaac Rysdyke.
Mrs. Stanton (Mrs. Bates) was a grand-
niece of Bishop Seabury, the first Episcopal
bishop in America. Mrs. Stanton (Mrs. Bates)
was also a direct descendant, through Samuel
Seabury, of John Alden and Priscilla Mullens,
who came to this country in the " Mayflower."
Mrs. Stanton, by her marriage to Morris
Stanton, had three children : Sarah, who
died August 14, 1873, unmarried; Cornelia
(Pease), who lives at No. 117 Academy street,
and Mary, who married the Rev. B. D.
Palmer, now living at Paterson, New Jersey.
Dudley S, Pease, the father of Edwin R.
Pease, came from Connecticut to Poughkeep
sie, where he engaged in the shoe business.
He also kept a grocery store. He was
born March 5, 1785, and died March 17,
1855. On November 14, 1805, he married
Lewrelly Loomis, by whom he had two chil-

240

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

dren, Charles and Sylvia L. For his second
wife he married, June 14, 18,10, Maria Scares,
by whom he had two chHdren, Maria L. and
Albert. For his third wife he married, De
cember I, 1 8 14, Sarah, daughter of Samuel
(and Margaret) KHley, a descendant of Seth
Killey, of Yarmouth, by whom he had six sons
and two daughters: Richard P., Margaret,
Edwin R., Catherine J., FrankHn, Albert S. ,
Walter S. and Egbert K., aH of whom are
now dead except Albert S. , who lives at Sara
toga, N. Y. Edwin R. and Cornelia Pease
had four children — two sons and two daughters
— all of whom are now living.

OBERT SANFORD, a prominent citizen
and a lawyer of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, who has been a resident of that city
for the past forty years, was born in Albany,
N. Y., December 10, 1831.
When he was three years of age, his par
ents, Nathan and Mary (Buchanan) Sanford,
removed from Albany to Flushing, L. I., where
they resided four years, or until the death of
the father in October, 1838. During the fol
lowing two .years, Mr. Sanford traveled with
his widowed mother, and at the age of ten
years entered schools at Hartford, Conn. , where
he remained for five years', then becoming a
pupH in the school of the celebrated instructor.
Dr. Muhlenberg, at College Point, L. I., where
he remained four years. During the next two
years he was under private tutors, one of them
being Rev. Dr. George H. Houghton, rector of
the historical ' ' little church around the cor
ner " on 28th street, just east of Fifth avenue.
New York City, who coached him in Greek,
and said to him: "Bob, you are the most
stupid jackass lever saw!" After that mental
castigation, "Bob" respected his tutor, and
improved in that ancient language so much as
to write a letter in Greek, into which the asin
ine still existed, according to the worthy Doc-,
tor. For one year after this he was a student
at the Kinsley MHitary Institute, West Point,
N. Y. , and the next two years were passed by
him at Schenectady, N. Y. He then traveled
in Europe for a couple of years with his mother.
In 1857 Mr. Sanford located at Poughkeep
sie, and began the study of law at the New
York State and National Law School, graduat
ing with the class of '58. For two years he
was in the law office of Joseph H. Jackson,
and during the following two years practiced

law for himself. In i860 he set out on another
extended European trip, which occupied two
years, during which he attended a course of
lectures at the Sorbonne, in Paris, and was
presented at the Court of Napoleon III. . Re
turning to the United States, he practiced law
in Poughkeepsie for three years, or untH 1865,
at which time he commenced his third trip
across the Atlantic, the winter being spent at
Ventnor, Isle of Wight, hunting, and the sum
mer in London, where he was presented at
Court by his cousin, Charles Francis Adams,
then minister of the Court of St. James. At
the end of about two years he returned to the
United States, and to Poughkeepsie.
On May 23, 1867, Mr. Sanford was united
in marriage with Miss Mary Helen Hooker
Stuyvesant, eldest daughter of John R.
Stuyvesant, a resident of Edgewood, Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, and a great-grand
daughter of Petrus Stuyvesant, Colonial Gov
ernor of the State of New York. Five chil
dren have been born of this union: Mary
Buchanan, Henry Gausevoort, Helen Stuyves
ant and Desire McKean. Of these, Stuyves
ant died August 13, 1890; the others are at
home with their parents.
Mr. Sanford in his political predilections is
a Republican, but no partisan, and while a
loyal citizen has always declined office. So
cially, he is a member of the Sigma Phi Fra
ternity, the Aztec Society (a Mexican war so
ciety); the Amrita Club, of Poughkeepsie; the
Dutchess Hunt Club; the Union League Club,
of New York City; the Society for the Pre
vention of Cruelty to Animals, in which
society he has always taken great interest; the
American Geographical Society; the Church
Club of New York, besides many others. He
is a trustee of the Church of the Holy Com
forter, at Poughkeepsie; and was a member
ot the board of education from 1862 to 1866,
having to resign on account of his going to
Europe. Physically, Mr. Sanford, who is now (1897)
sixty-six years of age, is of about medium
height, and of the blonde type; is possessed of
a well-knit frame, having from his youth kept
up his out-door exercise — skating, riding, walk
ing, etc. , as well as fencing — in fact, he is a
moderate all-round athlete, without ever ex-
celHng in any one exercise. VentHation, sew
erage, and sanitary matters in general, and,
above all, pure air, have been his "hobbies,"
so much so that he has sometimes been called

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

241

a " crank "on these subjects; indeed, he claims
that the foul air of the court rooms finally drove
him away from active practice in them.
Mr. Sanford has a delightfully picturesque
home in Poughkeepsie, beautified with wide
lawns, winding walks, and a romantic little
brook; whHe the house is commodious, and
elegantly designed and furnished. Everywhere
are seen evidences of cultivated taste and re
fined associations, whHe souvenirs of his travels
in foreign countries recall to him many pleas
ant memories of years of sight-seeing. No
family stands higher than that of Robert San
ford, and the hospitable home is always open
to a large circle of warm friends.
Sanford Family. The ancient family of
Sontford, Sonforde, or Sanford of Sandford,
came to England with William the Conqueror,
and the name of its founder occurs in every
known copy of the " Battle Abbey Roll.'.' [See
Burke's " Landed Gentry of Great Britain and
Ireland."] Thomas Sanford, the grandfather of Rob
ert Sanford, was born in Connecticut, married
Phoebe Baker and settled on Long Island, at
Bridgehampton, where he practiced medicine,
and also followed farming, and where he died.
He had two children, Nathan, our subject's
father, and Phebe, who married Dr. Rufus
Rose, a physician.
Nathan Sanford, father of our subject, was
born at Bridgehampton, L, I., November 5,
1777, and grew to manhood on his father's
farm. He received an elementary education
at Clinton Academy, Easthampton, L. I., and
in 1793 entered Yale College, but did not grad
uate. In 1797 he studied law wHh Samuel
Jones, Sr., and was admitted to the bar in
1799- In 1800 he was one of the United
States Commissioners of Bankruptcy, and in
1803 was made United States District Attor
ney for the Southern District of New York,
which position he held twelve years. In 181 1
he was chosen speaker of the State Assembly,
being the last speaker to preside in a cocked
hat. The following year he was elected to
the State Senate, and his portrait, ordered by ¦
the State, is now in the Capitol at Albany.
In 18 1 5 Mr. Sanford was elected to the
United States Senate, and soon after relin
quished the practice of his profession, devoting
himself in his legislative capacity to the inter
ests of his country. In 1 82 1 , after the expi
ration of his term of office, he was chosen a
member of the convention for framing a new

constitution for the State of New York. In
1823 he was appointed to succeed the Hon.
James Kent as chancellor of the State, which
position he filled with honor untH 1825, when
he was again elected to the U. S. Senate, in
place of Dr. Rufus King, by a unanimous vote of
both branches of the Legislature. He was
chairman of the committee on Foreign Affairs,
the most prominent of all Senate Committees.
In the Presidential election of 1824 Senator
Sanford was one of the candidates for the vice-
Presidency of the United States. At that
period candidates were not formally nominated
by their parties as at the present day. In this
election there were four candidates for that
office: WHliam H. Crawford, nominated by
the Democratic members of Congress; Andrew
Jackson, nominated chiefly by numerous con
ventions; the candidate of the people, John
Quincy Adams, nominated by the Legislatures
of most of the Eastern States; and Henry
Clay, nominated by his friends in various
States. Mr. Sanford was put on the ticket
with Clay, and the other candidates for the
Vice-Presidency were: Calhoun, Macon, Van-
Buren, Jackson and Clay. Neither candidates
received a majority of votes, but Adams was
elected when the vote was thrown into the
House of Representatives. Calhoun received
a large majority for Vice-President.
Among the many eminent men of New
York, no one served in more important posi
tions in the same length of time than did
Nathan Sanford. He was an educated man,
and master of many languages. At the expi
ration of his senatorial term, he retired to his
estate at Flushing, L. I. , where he resided
until his death, which occurred October 17,
1838. He was married three times, his third
wife being Mary Buchanan, who was born in
Baltimore, November i, 1800, a daughter of
Andrew and Anne (McKean) Buchanan, the
former of whom was a merchant in that city.
Mrs. Sanford was the second in a family of
four children, the others being Susan, Thomas
and Ann.
Dr. George Buchanan, the maternal great-
great-grandfather of Robert Sanford, our sub
ject, was born in Scotland in 1698, and emi
grated to Maryland in 1723. His son George,
also a physician, was born in Baltimore, Sep
tember 19, 1763, and married Laetia McKean,
by whom he had eleven children, Andrew, the
grandfather of Robert Sanford, our subject,
being the fifth in order of birth. Laetia Mc-

242

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Kean was the daughter of Thomas McKean,
one of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde
pendence, and at one time governor of Penn
sylvania and Delaware. The McKeans were
of Irish extraction.
The marriage of Nathan Sanford and Mary
Buchanan took place in the White House at
Washington, President John Quincy Adams,
Miss Buchanan's nearest relative, giving away
the bride. But one child, Robert, was born
of this union. Nathan Sanford died October
17, 1838, and his wife on April 23, 1879, at
Poughkeepsie. [The above historical facts in
relation to the Hon. Nathan Sanford are taken
from Appleton's Encyclopedia of American
Biography, Vol. V, p. 391.]

JOHN F. MARQUET (deceased), who in
his lifetime was a prominent agriculturist
~ of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
was a descendant of one of the pioneer settlers
in that vicinity, and was born July 13, 1828,
upon the farm he lately occupied.
His great-grandfather, George Marquet,
¦emigrated from Holland, and at an early date
settled upon a tract of land near the present
site of Wurtemburg, and it has ever since been
the home of his family. George Marquet, our
subject's grandfather, passed his life there; he
married Anna  , and reared a family
of children: John G. and William H., both
farmers in Rhinebeck; David; and Margaret,
who married Philip Pultz, a farmer of the
same locality.
David Marquet, our subject's father, was
born November 8, 1794, and was married
November 5, 181 5, to Savina Cookingham,
born November 13, 1794, a daughter of Fred
erick Cookingham, of Rhinebeck. They also
settled at the old farm where four children
born to them, as follows: Anna E. , March
30, 1817; MatHda, June 2, 1820; Margaret,
April 8, 1824; and John F., our subject. The
father of this family died at the old home
AprH 3, 1838, the mother on July 28, 1889.
The youth of John F. Marquet was passed
much the same as that of any other healthy
country boy, and as he grew to manhood he,
too, determined to become a general farmer.
He was married October 2, 1851, to Emily
Cookingham, whose ancestors came from Hol
land in the early days, and settled in the town
of Rhinebeck, where her grandfather, George
Cookingham, was a leading farmer of his time.

Her father, David I, Cookingham, also a
farmer there, married Mary Schryver, a lady
of German descent, and daughter of John
Schryver, of Rhinebeck. After their marriage
Mr. and Mrs. Marquet lived for fifteen years
upon a farm near the church, a part of which
they then sold for the beautiful Wurtemburg
Cemetery. In 1866 they moved to the 118-
acre farm at the old homestead. Two daugh
ters blessed their home only to be taken away
in early womanhood: Ida, born January 31,
1853, died June 20, 1877; and Mary, born
May 19, 1857, died May 10, 1884. 'The par
ents are both also now deceased, the father
passing away February 15, 1896, and the
mother on February 19, 1896. This family
was always connected with the Lutheran
Church, and Mr. Marquet and his wife were
leading members of the congregation at Wurt
emburg. In politics he was a Republican, but
he never was in any sense a politician, and
sought no office.

JOHN MILLARD (deceased). The subject
of this sketch was born in Poughkeepsie,
~ Dutchess county, May 21, 1789, and was
the son of Charles and Lydia (Pride) Millard,
the former of whom was born in Cornwall,
Conn., February 19, 1763.
Our subject lived but a short time in
Poughkeepsie, moving in early life to Marl
borough, Ulster county. He married Miss
Sarah Purdy, a daughter of John S. and Eliza
beth (Jennings) Purdy, who was born in White
Plains, Westchester county, in 1793, where she
lived until fourteen years old. After their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Millard located in New
York and subsequently in Brooklyn, where our
subject carried on a wholesale and retail gro
cery business. The following children were
born to them: Lydia resides in Poughkeep
sie; Elizabeth; Hester lives in Poughkeepsie;
Sarah; Charles; Martha J.; John P. is a resi
dent of Poughkeepsie; Samuel N. is a retired
citizen of Marlborough, Ulster county; James.
Our subject, with his wife, was a member of
the Presbyterian Church, and he took an act
ive interest in all public matters. His death
took place April 28, 1871, and that of his wife
October 6, 1881.
Charles Millard was in the army at New
burgh, N. Y., under Washington, when Ar
nold, the traitor, fled from West Point. In
1800 Mf. Millard was living in Marlborough,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

243

Ulster county, and was engaged in the lumber
business. He was married to Miss Lydia
Pride, of Poughkeepsie, a daughter of John
and Magdaline Pride. The latter couple were
proprietors of the half-way house between Al
bany and New York, on the old post-road
north of the City of Poughkeepsie. To Mr.
and Mrs. MiHard were born the following chH
dren: John, our subject; James, who was a lum
ber merchant at CatskiH, N. Y. ; Charles, who
was a merchant of New Orleans; William, who
was a man of means and traveled extensively;
Walter, who was engaged with his father in
the lumber business; Cornelia, married to
Hackaliah Purdy, a farmer of Ulster county;
Catherine, who became the wife of Elam Dun
bar, a farmer of Connecticut, who previously
had conducted a hat factory in Poughkeepsie;
Caroline, who died unmarried ; and by a second
marriage, Margaret and Franklin. Mr. Mill
ard moved his lumber business to New Ham
burg, in 1824, and died there in 1827. John
Millard, the grandfather, was born January 15,
1736, in Massachusetts, and died November
22, 1 81 3. He married Miss Christiana Rust,
who was born November 21, 1742, and died
June 17, 1831. Their chil dren were: Charles;
Rufus; Philo, who was a musician; Ira, who
was a manufacturer at Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess county; Russell, who was a resident
of Connecticut. Robert Millard, the great
grandfather, was a native of Massachusetts.
His ancestors were of French-Huguenot stock.
John S. Purdy. the father of Mrs. MiHard,
was born in Westchester county, N. Y., July
II, 1763, and died September 23, 1856. He
was a patriot, and when a mere boy served in
the Revolutionary war. He married Miss
Elizabeth Jennings, a daughter of Peter Jen
nings, who was born May 12, 1765, and died
in 1842. They were married March 21, 1786,
and had the following children: Hester, born
June 1 7, 1 787, married Dennis H. Doyle, who, in
the year 1807, with Robert Fulton, took the
first trip up the Hudson, on the "Clermont";
Peter, born January 19, 1789; Elisha, born May
3, 1 791 ; Sarah, born April 17, 1793; Lydia, born
December 15, 1795, married William Smith,
who was in the war of 181 2; HackaHah, born
November 22, 1797; Eliza, born July i, 1799;
Martha, born April 3, 1801 ; Maria, born March
5, 1803; Dennis, born December 4, 1805;
WHHam J., born October 16, 1809. Dennis
is the only one living now (1897), at the age of
ninety-one. Elisha Purdy, father of John S.,

was born at White Plains, Westchester county.
He married Mehitable Smith, a daughter of
Rev. John Smith, D. D, , and they reared these
children: John S., Thomas, James, Hetta,
ChaHie, Elizabeth, Winfred, Nancy, and Ainee.
Elisha was a farmer in Westchester and Ulster
counties. Nathaniel Purdy, father of Elisha,
was a native of Westchester county, and was
an Episcopal minister. His father was John
Purdy, a son of Joseph, a son of Francis, who
came from Yorkshire, England, in 1658, and
settled in Fairfield, Conn. The Purdys were
originally from Wales, and settled in England.
Two sons of Francis Purdy, Joseph and Fran
cis, were commissioned surveyors bythe Crown,
and sent to America.
Rev. John Smith, D. D., above referred
to, was born in England in 1702. He was
educated at Oxford, and for thirty years, until
his death in 1771, served as pastor of the
Presbyterian Church at Rye, Westchester Co. ,
N. Y. He married Mehitable Hooker, a great-
granddaughter of Rev. Thomas Hooker, the
founder of Hartford, Conn., in 1636.

P)ETER B. HAYT, of the firm of Peter B.
 Hayt & Co., was born in Poughkeepsie
October 8, 1835. In the spring of 1836 his
parents moved to a farm in New Hackensack,
Dutchess county, where he was reared, early
in life attending a private school and later a
district school, and finishing his education at
Amenia Seminary.
In 1854 Mr. Hayt went to Newburgh and
clerked for Stephen Hayt & Co., dry-goods
merchants, where he remained until 1862,
when he came to Poughkeepsie and entered in
the merchant-tailoring business under the firm
name of Seward, Vail & Hayt. The firm was
subsequently changed to Seward & Hayt, Sew
ard, Hayt & Co., Seward & Hayt, Peter B.
Hayt & Co., Hayt & AHey, Hayt & Lindley,
and, in 1892, to Peter B. Hayt & Co. The
business at present is located corner of Main
and Garden streets.
Mr. Hayt is a Republican, but has never
held a political office; he is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, and is a director and vice-
president of the Poughkeepsie Electric Light &
Power Co. He is a member of Davy Crockett
Hook and Ladder Co., which organization he
joined in 1862, and has been treasurer of the
company since 1873.

244

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

WILSON B. SHELDON. Among the
 citizens of mark of Dutchess county no
one is more worthy of consideration than this
gentleman. Although now well advanced in
years, he is still one of the most energetic
and wide-awake citizens in the town of Beek
man. A native of Dutchess county, he was
born in the town of Dover, August 3, 18 10,
and is of English extraction.
Caleb Sheldon, his grandfather, was also
born in the town of Dover, and there he
learned the blacksmith's trade, which he fol
lowed in early life, later, however, turning his
attention to farming. He married a Miss
Waldo, by whom he had four children — two
sons (Agrippa, a cattle dealer; and Luther,
father of our subject) and two daughters, all
born in Dover township.
Luther Sheldon grew to manhood upon a
farm, and was married to Miss Mary Butts,
who was also born and reared upon a farm in
the town of Dover. Their entire lives were
there passed in rural pursuits, the father
dying in 1863, and the mother in 1865. They
were earnest Christian people, devout mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
in politics he was first a Whig and later a Re
publican. Eleven children were born to this
honored couple, as follows: Phoebe, Anor,
Delilah, Theodorus and Electa (twins),
Ophelia, Albro, Wilson B., Jeremiah, Har
rison and Almira, all of whom married and
had children, but all are now deceased, except
Wilson B.
Our subject received a somewhat limited
education, and his boyhood time was much
occupied in the arduous work of the farm, so
much so that his schooling was limited to
about two months during the winter seasons.
Later, however, he was a student at the Nine
Partners School, in the towtfi of Washington,
Dutchess county, and on leaving school he re
turned to the old farm, where he remained un
til attaining his majority. In starting out in
life for himself, he commenced as a drover,
his first experience in that line being in the
year 1831, when he loaded one hundred sheep
into a boat, to be taken to New York City.
Near Tarrytown, the boat sank, but his sheep
were taken ashore, and he drove them to the
city, which he reached after thirty-six hours.
Having sold them for a high price, he was so
encouraged that he decided to remain in the
stock business, which he continued to follow
with good success for twenty-five years, dur

ing which time he did an extensive business.
In 1842 he purchased his present farm in the
town of Beekman, to which he removed four
years later, and has since engaged in agri
cultural pursuits.
On April I, 1840, Mr. Sheldon was mar
ried to Miss Hannah Maria Doughty, who was
born upon their present farm, a daughter of
Joseph Doughty, whose ancestors came from
Holland. Seven chHdren were born to this
worthy couple, three of whom died in infancy,
and WiHiam H. at the age of twelve years and
six months. Sophia is the wife of Joseph H.
Storm, a leading farmer of the town of Beek
man; she has two children — Wilson B. and
Jeannette, the former of whom married Mary
T. Berry (he is in the coal and lumber business
at Storm Lake), the latter being the wife of
Frederick Ryer, and living at Mount Vernon,
N. Y. Ida first married William A. Storm, a
farmer in the town of Lagrange, and her sec
ond husband was Augustus A. Brush, warden
in the prison at Sing Sing, who is now deceased
(she had one child by her first husband, named
Susie Sheldon Storm). Allie is the wife of
Frank St. John, a farmer of the town of Beek
man, and has two children — Sheldon and Ida.
Mr. Sheldon has an excellent farm of 500
acres, all under a high state of cultivation and
well improved. He has made a specialty of
cattle raising, sometimes fattening as high as
eighty head in a season, but now devotes his
time to the dairy business. Fo'r over fifty-six
years he and his wife have traveled life's jour
ney together, and to-day seem as happy and
almost as young as when starting out. In
their hospitable home they have entertained
both friends and strangers in a most praise
worthy manner, and many are the kind deeds
which have not only brightened their own
pathway, but have contributed to the comfort
and happiness of those about them. Although
now eighty-six years of age, Mr. Sheldon does
not look over sixty, as he has not a gray hair,
and is quite active.
In 1 83 1 he cast his first vote for John Q.
Adams, and has always taken a prominent
part in political affairs, now supporting the
Republican party. For four terms he served
as supervisor of his township; was elected
county clerk in 1858, which position he filled
for six consecutive years; in 1867 was a dele
gate to the Constitutional Convention held in
Albany; and in 1880 was again elected county
clerk, being at that time seventy years of age.

c-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

245

Socially he is a member of the F. & A, M.,
Lodge No. 1 66, Poughkeepsie. He has ever
been true to the duties devolving upon him,
both in public and private life, and is one of
the most public-spirited citizens of Dutchess
county. Joseph Doughty, father of Mrs. Wilson B.
Sheldon, was born in the town of Beekman,
Dutchess county, and was there married to
Elizabeth BriH, by whom he had four children,
viz.: Hannah Maria (Mrs. Sheldon); Sophia,
who married a brother of our subject; Phoebe
Jane, wife of James S, Hopkins; and Thomas
J. (deceased), who married Mary Tompkins,
and had one daughter. The father of this
family, who was a lifelong farmer, died in 1833,
the mother in 1859.

S\AMUEL H. BROWN, M. D., an eminent
) physician of Dutchess county, is success
fully engaged in practice at Madalin. He was
born August 4, i860, in New York City, and
he belongs to a family of French Huguenots,
who early came to this country to escape re
ligious persecution. His grandfather, Samuel
Brown, was born in New Canaan, Conn., in
1786, and was the son of Abram Brown, a na
tive of the same place. On reaching man's
estate the former was united in marriage with
Abigail Young, also of French origin, and a
descendant of one of the Revolutionary heroes.
Five children were born to this worthy couple,
namely: WiHiam, Charles, Jeannette, Samuel
H. and Sylvester. All his life the grandfather
engaged in agricultural pursuits, and he passed
away in October, 1867,
Samuel H, Brown, Sr., the father of our
subject, was born at Greenwich, Conn., June
24, 1824, and when a young man began the
study of medicine in the University of Harvard,
where he waS graduated with the class of 1850.'
He immediately began the practice of his pro
fession in New York City, but on the breaking
out of the Civil war' was commissioned sur
geon of the 174th MetropoHtan Regiment, and
became one of Gen, Banks' staff officers.
While at the siege of Port Hudson, he con
tracted typhoid fever, which terminated his
life, August I, 1863, he thus laying down his
life on the altar of his country. His first vote
was cast for the Whig party, but on its or
ganization he joined the Republican ranks,
and ever afterward fought under its banner.
He had married Miss Sarah Tripp, a native of

Westchester county, N, Y., and a daughter of
Benjamin Tripp, who was of Holland descent
and a farmer by occupation. Her death oc
curred August 13, 1 891.
Our subject spent his boyhood days in New
York City until thirteen years of age, when he
entered Oakhill Seminary, where he pursued
his studies for four years, after which he be
came a student in St. Stephens College, Ann
andale, Dutchess county, and graduated with
the class of 1881, receiving the degree of A. B.
He next took a two-years' course at the College
of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City.
On May 9, 1883, the Doctor was united in
marriage with Catherine Tanner, a daughter of
Henry and Almena (Staats) Tanner, farming
people of the town of Red Hook, where her
birth occurred. Her paternal grandfather.
Job Tanner, was a native of Columbia county,
N. Y, , and probably of German descent, while
her maternal grandfather, Henry Staats, who
was of Holland extraction, was born in the
town of Red Hook, Dutchess county, and in
religious belief his family were Lutherans.
On May 17, 1883, only a few days after their
marriage. Dr. Brown sailed with his bride for
Europe, where he took a two-years' course at
Wurzburg, Bavaria, receiving the degree of
M. D. onthe nth of June, 1885. Returning
to America, he located at Madalin, Dutchess
county, where he has since engaged in practice.
His thorough knowledge of medicine and skill
in surgery have won him the confidence of the
people to such an extent that he has secured a
large and lucrative patronage. He is a prom
inent citizen, a member of the Masonic fra
ternity, and is a Democrat.
Mrs. Brown is an only child. Her father,
Henry Tanner, was born in the town of Galla
tin, Columbia Co., N. Y, , in 1821, and for
some time was a leading merchant of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county. He was called from
this life March 8, 1872, but his wife is still
living.

HOMER WALLER (deceased) was one
 of the representative agriculturists of the
town of Dover, Dutchess county. He was a
man of excellent Christian character and of a
blameless life, and thoroughly enjoyed the es
teem and respect of the community in which
he resided. He was a native of Connecticut,
born at GaylordsvHIe, in the town of New
MHford, Litchfield county, in 1823, and there

246

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

attended the public schools, finishing his edu
cation at the Amenia Seminary. His training
in farm work was under the instruction of his
father upon the old homestead. In later life
he devoted his time and attention to that oc
cupation. He always took quite an active in
terest in politics, and held a number of minor
township offices, including that of justice of
the peace, in which capacity he served for
some time.
On the paternal side Mr. Waller traced his
lineage in an unbroken line to Samuel Waller,
who was born in England in 1702, and was a
member of a large family, all of whom were
educated and reared in the northern part of
that country. Three of these children, of
whom Samuel was one, emigrated to America
after they had reached their majority. He lo
cated in the town of Kent, Conn., which at
that time was one of the colonies of England,
and from King George III obtained a grant of
land three mHes long at Kent, running from
Warren Pond to Spectacle Pond. There he
founded the present Waller family in America,
and died at that place in 1797. He married a
Miss Ransom, and to them was born a large
family of children.
One of these, Peter Waller, grandfather of
Homer Waller, Jr. , was born at Kent Hollow,
in the town of Kent, Litchfield Co., Conn.,
and received his education in that locality.
He followed the occupation of farming, oper
ating the original tract belonging to his father,
which descended to him. Most of his life was
passed upon that place, he dying at Gaylords
vHIe, at the age of eighty-four years. He was
united in marriage with Miss Hannah Baldwin,
of GaylordsvHIe, Conn. , and to them were born
ten children, namely: Pinina d) died in in
fancy; Pinina (2) married John Elliott; Samuel
married Sally Taylor; Homer was the father of
our subject; Rebecca remained single; Almeda
became the wife of Solomon Brown; Love
died in infancy; Celestia wedded Theodore
Buck; Betsy married David Sterling, and Electa
died while young.
The birth of Homer Waller, Sr., occurred
on the 29th of March, 1781, at the old home
stead in Kent Hollow, and he attended the
schools of the neighborhood. He succeeded
to the home farm, which he conducted many
years; was prosperous as a farmer, and a de
vout member of the Methodist Church. In
1 811 he married Miss Martha Merwin, and the
wedding of this couple was one of the great

society events of the time, especially in the
town of New Milford, Conn., where it was
celebrated. All the traveling in those days
was by carriage or horseback, and most of the
guests came the latter way, with their wives or
intended wives back of them. The trousseau,
which was considered quite expensive for those
days, was purchased in New York, and sent
to New Milford by saddle-bags. The wedding
journey was made on horseback, from New
Milford to Kent, the bride riding behind her
husband on what was called a pillion. Forty
couples accompanied the pair to their destina
tion. This saddle and wedding outfit are still
in the possession of the family, together with a
great many other relics of Colonial days.
Upon the old homestead at Kent two children
were born to this worthy couple: Merwin and
Elizabeth .M. The former was born January
15, 1 81 3. They removed in 1 8 19 to Gaylords
vHIe, town of New Milford, Litchfield Co., and
Homer was born there. Merwin was educa
ted in the public schools at home, and at the
"Friends Boarding School" in the town of
Washington, Dutchess Co., N. Y. Smith M.,
his youngest son, now owns and occupies the
handsome old Waller home, he being of the
fourth generation. He was married April 8,
1896, to Miss Julia S. Coleman, of Dover,
N. Y. The Waller family, from the time
their ancestor settled in Kent unto the present,
have been a respected and prominent family.
The old homestead at Kent Hollow is still
owned by members of the family, their title
still being from the King of England.
Merwin Waller was a prominent farmer of
New Milford township, Litchfield Co., Conn.
On October 15, 1845, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Julia Ann Mitchell, by whom
he had one son, Edwin M., born July 24, 1848.
After the death of his first wife Merwin Waller
was married, December 31, 1850,^0 Miss Julia
Morehouse, and they had one son, Smith M.,
born April 6, 1853. Elizabeth M. Waller, the
sister of our subject, was born July 24, 18 16,
and on January 2, 1856, she became the wife
of John Fry, son 6i WHliam Fry. After his
death she married CornwaH Hoag, of Dover,
Dutchess county. She had no children.
On January 31, 1850, Homer Waller mar
ried Miss Elizabeth Fry, and they became the
parents of three children: George S., born
May 4, 1851; Martha D., born March 25, 1853,
and died December 9, 1875; and WHliam H.,
born July 21, 1855. The elder son, George

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

247

S. Waller, was married in 1879 to Miss Mary
A. Beeman, daughter of Edwin Beeman, of
New Preston, Conn., and three children bless
their union : Martha U. , born in 1 88 1 ; Homer,
born in 1884; and Everett, born in 1891 . With
his family George S. Waller resides in Minne
apolis, Minn., where he is engaged in the com
mission business.
Christopher Fry, the grandfather of Mrs.
Homer Waller, was a native of New Bedford,
Mass., where he obtained his education, and
was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary
war. For his services in that struggle he ever
afterward received a pension. He married Miss
Elizabeth Allen, by whom he had three chil
dren: John, MHHcent and William, the last
named being the father of Mrs. Waller. He
was born in Dover, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , April
14, 1800, and with his father he learned the
trade of a tanner, after which he conducted a
plant in his native town for a number of years.
He married Miss Deborah Hoag, a daughter of
Isaac and Mary Hoag, of Quaker Hill, Dutch
ess county. Her father lived to the extreme
old age of one hundred years, and was ever
a very prominent member of the Society of
Friends. To William Fry and his wife were
born seven children: Harriet and Mary, who
never married; John, who wedded Elizabeth
M. Waller; Cordelia, who remained single;
James, who married Elizabeth Dutcher; Eliza
beth, the widow of our subject; and Albert,
who first married Sarah Edmonds, and after
her death wedded JuHa Thompson.

JOSHUA BENSON (deceased), who was so
well known throughout Dutchess county,
was numbered among the leading and rep
resentative agriculturists of the town of Ame
nia. His father, John Benson, was born in
Rhode IsIanS, and there attended the common
schools during his boyhood and youth. Whe«
quite a young man he accompanied his brother
to Dutchess county, N. Y., and they took up
land in the town of Amenia, where they suc
cessfully engaged in farming. That property
is still in the possession of the famHy. The
father of our subject took an active interest in
the affairs of his country, and served as a sol
dier in the war of 1 812. He married Miss
Rachel Dariing, of Rhode Island, and to them
were born seven chHdren: Samuel, Joshua,
Peltiah, John, Polly, PhHadelphia and Abigail.
Upon the old homestead in the town of

Amenia our subject was born in 1786. When
he had reached a sufficient age he entered the
public schools of the locality, and there ac
quired a practical education. He early be
came familiar with the duties that fall to the
lot of an agriculturist, and continued to op
erate the old home farm throughout life. The
place was one of the most noticeable in the
township for the air of thrift and comfort that
surrounded it, and the evidence of enterprise,
taste and skHl, Mr. Benson married Miss
Amanda Hopkins, daughter of Prince and
Jemima Hopkins, of Warren, Litchfield Co.,
Conn., where her father foHowed merchandis
ing. Fourteen children were born of this
union, as follows: Lodema married MHton
Pray; Henry married Annis Ferris; George
died in childhood; Vanness married Frances
Tompkins; Amanda married Charles Darling;
Jeannette married WHliam Dutcher; Zadie is
next in order of birth; Dewitt married Susan
Bartlett; Rachel died unmarried; Edwin mar
ried Emily Ensign; Sarah married Henry
Walker; Maria married Henry Morgan; The
resa married Robert Ryan; and Egbert mar
ried Sarah Hopkins.
Mr. Benson .always took a deep interest in
political affairs, and steadfastly adhered to the
principles formulated by the Whig party, al
though not a seeker after official position. He
was one of the leaders of his party in the com
munity where he so long made his home, and
his opinions were invariably held in respect.
He. lived to the advanced age of ninety-four
years, and when called to the rest and reward
of the higher world his best monument was
found in the love and esteem of the community
in which he had lived for so many years.

DR. FRANCIS M. ROBINSON, a leading
dentist of Pawling, N. Y., is one of
Dutchess county's most enterprising sons.
Born in Matteawan, October 9, 1857, he was
educated in the schools near his home, and his
success reflects credit upon the section which
afforded him his opportunities, as well as upon
himself. His family is of English and French de
scent, and his great-grandfather was one of
the early settlers of the town of Kent, Putnam
Co., N. Y. His grandfather, Adonigee Robin
son, a man of fine native abilities, was born
there and became one of the prominent men
of his locality. He w-as a colonel in the State

248

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

Militia when they used to train at Boyd's Cor
ners, and his business interests were varied
and extensive, as in his early years he carried
on a foundry, store and mHl at Farmers MHls
or Milltown, and later was engaged in business
at Matteawan. In politics he was a Democrat,
and in religious faith he was an active and in
fluential member of the Baptist Church. His
death occurred in 1892, but his wife, whose
maiden name was Sophia Russell, is still living
in her eighty-seventh year. They had ten
children — Keziah, Jane, Peter A,, Julia, Levi,
Hattie, Coleman, Nathan, Ophelia and Emma,
of whom all but two are living.
Peter A, Robinson, our subject's father,
was born at the old home in Putnam county,
in 1834, and in early manhood engaged in
business .at Wappingers Falls, and later was
interested in broom-making for a short time.
He became blind when about twenty-four
years old, and, as a consequence of this sad
hardship, his life has been somewhat secluded.
Although he has been totally blind for nearly
forty years, he goes about freely, his memory
and sense of touch having become marvelously
developed. He married Miss Matilda Badeau,
daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Badeau, who
were natives of Putnam county, but have re
sided in Matteawan since 1845, The Badeau
family is noted for energy and mental ability,
and has held a high position in this section.
General Adam Badeau, well-known as a writer,
as well as in military affairs, especially in con
nection with Grant's Memoirs, is a near rela
tive of Mrs. Robinson. The Doctor was sec
ond in a family of five chHdren. Of the others
WiHiam Badeau is a dentist in Middletown,
N. Y. ; Lenora died at the age of two years;
Lizzie Badeau is at home; and Charles Cole
man is a recent graduate from the Pennsylva
nia College of Dental Surgery.
Dr. Robinson finished his academic course
in the schools of Fishkill Landing at about
sixteen years of age, and then clerked for a
year with C. F. Brett, and for three years
with S, G. & J, F, Smith, In 1876 he spent
a short time in a dry-goods house in Fulton
street, Brooklyn, N. Y, , and then began the
study of dentistry with Dr. Barlow, of Fishkill
Landing, now of Poughkeepsie, After one
year with him, and one year with Dr, Cornell
in Brooklyn, he began the practice of his pro-,
fession at Patterson, N, Y., where he remained
seven years. During this time a law was
passed requiring all practicing dentists to regis

ter before the county clerk. In 1885 he re
moved to Pawling, and has since been actively
engaged there in his chosen calling. He has
an office in Amenia also, where he spends
Monday and Thursday of each week to accom
modate his numerous patrons in that vicinity.
In 1876 the Doctor married Miss Henrietta
Dodge, daughter of Thomas Dodge, a well-
known citizen of East Fishkill. Three chil
dren were born of this union: Edwin Dodge,
Harry Sanford and Francis Adams. Although
a Republican in principle, the Doctor is not
active in politics. He is interested in local
improvements, and is always ready to take
part in any movement tending to progress.
Like many professional men, he finds recrea
tion in different forms of work, and for ten
years has given much attention to the breeding
of Black Langshans. His strain have become
famous throughout the United States, England
and Canada. The Doctor exhibits his birds
annually at the Madison Square Garden, New
York City, where they have made a world
wide reputation, winning the grand special
prize for best and finest display three years in
succession.

JEREMIAH SHELDON (deceased) was a
leading agriculturist of the town of Beek
man, and as a valued citizen, a kind father,
and an affectionate husband, his memory should
be cherished and perpetuated by all. He was
born in the town of Dover, Dutchess county,
December 29, 1812, and was a son of Luther
and Mary (Butts) Sheldon. In his native town
ship he spent his boyhood days, and attended
the district schools. While yet a young man
he became a cattle dealer, driving his stock to
New York City, and later followed that busi
ness there. In 1849 he returned to Dutchess
county, purchasing the farm now occupied by
his daughter, Mrs. A. B. Andrews, and there
continued to make his home up to his death,
which occurred May 19, 1882.
On January 1 1, 1843, in the town of Beek
man, Mr. Sheldon married Miss Sophia M,
Doughty, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth
Doughty, and of their union were born three
children: Amelia B,, wife of Kromaline An
drews; Mary J.; and William H,, who was
engaged in the coal and lumber business at
Poughkeepsie, but is now deceased. The
mother was called to her final rest February i,
1886. Mr, Sheldon took an active interest in

oa-

¦roery^x^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

249

all affairs tending to the improvement of his
town and county, and for several terms he
served as supervisor of the town of Beekman.
In early life his political support was given to
the Whig party, and, on its dissolution, he
became a Republican.
Kromaline Andrews is a native of the
town of Unionvale, Dutchess county, and is
the son of PhHip Schuyler Andrews, who is
now living at Shaffers Mills, town of Lagrange,
Dutchess county. The son attended the dis
trict schools near his home in Unionvale, and
later was a student in Carey's school in Pough
keepsie, after which he clerked in the dry-
goods store of George Van Kleeck in that city
for awhile. Returning to the town of Union
vale he operated his father's farm, and while
thus engaged was married October 22, 1879,
to Miss Amelia B. Sheldon. After the death
of her father, they removed to the old Sheldon
farm, where they have since resided and are
numbered among the highly respected people
of the community. In politics Mr. Andrews
is a Republican. Mary J. Sheldon, a single
lady, and sister of Mrs. A. B. Andrews, makes
her home with Mr. and Mrs. Andrews.

CHARLES H. GALLUP, of the firm of C.
_ H. Gallup & Co., which is in the front
rank along with the leading art firms of the
State, and which in the city of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, is not excelled in the class
of work executed, has descended from one of
the intelligent and educated families of New
York State.
The first representative of the family in
America was John Gallup, who came in 1630
from England in the pilgrim ship "Mary and
John," and located near Stonington, Conn.
One of his sons founded GaHupsvHle, Schoharie
Co., N. Y. Samuel Gallup was the great-
great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch,
and the latter's grandfather was Nathan Gal
lup, a mHlwright by trade, who resided in
Schoharie county. Of Nathan's chHdren,
Henry GaHup, A. M., the father of Charles
H., of whom we especially write, was born in
181 1. He was educated at WHliams CoHege,
from which he was graduated and received the
degree of A. M. Subsequently he spent three
years at Berlin University, Berlin, and trav
eled through Europe, crossing the Alps on
foot with a friend, and in so doing acquired the
language of that section of the continent.

For years Prof. Gallup was principal of the
Academy at Monticello, N. Y., as well as of a
number of other institutions of learning, and
later was principal of New Paltz Academy in
Dutchess county for three years. In l866,
retiring from active business, he came to
Poughkeepsie, where he died in 1887. In
1849 he had married Julia Stone, who is now
living with her daughter in Poughkeepsie.
Their children are: Charles H., Ella (Mrs. J.
M. Godinez) and Albert C.
Charles H. Gallup was born in the Acad
emy at Monticello, N. Y. , on November 17,
1852. He was educated in the schools of
which his father was principal, then served an
apprenticeship in a machine shop at Pough
keepsie, N. Y. , which occupation he followed
some ten or more years. In 1879 he went to
Cuba, where for five years he was in charge
of a large sugar plantation near the center of
the island. In 1884 he returned to Pough
keepsie to visit his parents, and was persuaded
by his mother to remain. In the following
year he purchased the Seeley photograph gal
lery, which business was established in 1857,
and carried on by S. L. Walker, one of the
pioneers in the art of photography. Mr.
Walker had been a pupil of and was aided by
Prof, S. F, B. Morse, who had brought with
him from France the ideas of Daguerre, and
imparted them to Walker, who introduced the
daguerrotype process in the city of Pough
keepsie. Our subject seemed well adapted to
the business which he entered upon with his
intelligence and his usual energy and snap,
and the result is the building up of a first-class
art gallery complete in all appointments,
where a successful business is being carried
on. He and his partner are progressive men,
affable and courteous, and have kept abreast
of the times. At their art emporium is dis
played good work; they employ a number of
specialists, and all the work there executed is
of the highest order, first-class in every re
spect. A man of tact, Mr. Gallup has seen
what the people want, and has met that want.
He has spared no pains in the use of printers'
ink, but advertised extensively, and is meeting
the popular demand of a good quality of work
at a low price. His ten-dollar life-size crayon
work, and three-dollar cabinet pictures re
ceived the highest medal awarded at the
Dutchess County Fair, for superior work.
His motto is " Superior Work at Reasonable
Prices." It remained for our subject to intro-

250

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

duce the process of instantaneous photography
into Poughkeepsie.
On September 20, 1893, Mr. Gallup was
married to Edna M., a daughter of O. W.
Eggleston, assistant general roadmaster of the
N. Y. C. & H. R. railroad, now a resident of
White Plains, N. Y. Mr. Gallup erected in
1895 one of the most tasty and convenient, as
well as attractive, homes in the city, located on
Balding avenue. He designed his own plans,
and the building was erected entirely under
his own supervision.
Many of Mr. Gallup's ancestors fought in
the Indian wars, in the war of the Revolution,
and in that of 1812, three bearing the rank of
captain and two that of colonel. In the his
tory of the family are given the names of over
sixty Gallups who fought in the Revolution
and in the war of 18 12, besides of those who
participated in the Indian wars of the colonies.
They were rewarded with many grants of land
for bravery, etc. Capt. John Gallup, in 1637,
off Block Island, had an encounter with a band
of Indians who had captured a sloop from
Capt. John Oldham, which was the first naval
engagement fought in this country. Capt.
Gallup captured the Indians, and took them
prisoners to Boston. They were of the Pequot
tribe, and this was the opening of the cele
brated bloody Pequot war of American history.

JOHN TROWBRIDGE. No family in the
city of Poughkeepsie is better known than
that of which our subject is a member, and
which has held a prominent place in the busi
ness community for over half a century, dur
ing that tirne establishing in financial circles
an enviable reputation for judicious manage
ment, integrity and abHity.
John Trowbridge was born in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, July 20, 1829,
and traces his paternal ancestry to Thomas, of
the sixth generation, who was born in Somer
setshire, England, and was the first of the
name to settle in America. From him the or
der of descent was as follows: William, born
about 1634, in Connecticut; Samuel, born Oc
tober 7, 1670; Samuel, born August 26, 1700;
Stephen, born in Connecticut January 30,
1726; Stephen, born in Danbury, Conn., Jan
uary 18, 1756; Stephen B., father of our sub
ject, born in the town of Northeast, Dutchess
Co., N. Y., March 19, 1799. The grandfather
of our subject was a soldier in the Revolution

ary war. [For a history of our subject's father
see following sketch of N. C. Trowbridge,]
The subject of our sketch was six years of
age when his parents removed from their farm
in the town of Washington to Poughkeepsie,
in which latter place he attended both the
academy and the Poughkeepsie Collegiate
School on College HiH. He was married on
January 18, 1853, to Miss Eliza Robinson, who
was born in the town of Fishkill, Dutchess
county, the daughter of Duncan and Mary
Robinson, the former of whom was a farmer
by occupation. Three children were born of
this union, viz.: (i) Mary R., married to John
W. Pelton, now a resident of Poughkeepsie,
formerly a member of the well-known firm of
C. M. & G. P. Pelton, for fifty years manu
facturers of carpets in Poughkeepsie. (2) EHa,
the wife of S. C. Nightingale, a son of Rev.
Crawford Nightingale, of the well-known fam
ily of that name in Providence, R. I. ; he is
head of the firm of S. C. Nightingale & Childs,
of Boston, Mass., dealers in railroad and mill
supplies. (3) George S., who died when two
years of age. When a young man Mr. Trow
bridge began in the mercantile business, hav
ing a general store on Main street, and for
nearly forty years was engaged in that line,
handling during that time nearly all kinds of
mercantile goods. His establishment became
one of the largest and most important in the
county, and his reputation as a merchant was
of the best. The business in which the Trow
bridge family was prominent was founded and
conducted as follows: (i) Nathan Conklin, Jr. ,
& Co. ; (2) Conklin, Bowne & Co. ; (3) Bowne
& Trowbridge; (4) Bowne, Trowbridge & Co.;
(5) by retirement of Mr. Bowne the firm be
came Trowbridge & Wilkinson, which con
tinued till 1 86 1, when it became Trowl^ridge
& Co., consisting of the brothers, N. Conklin
and John Trowbridge. In 1887 John retired,
and in 1888 N. Conklin also retired, and in
his elegant home, having amassed a comforta
ble fortune, our subject is now living a quiet
Hfe, in the enjoyment of the results of his
early labors.
Until the formation of the Republican
party Mr. Trowbridge was a Whig, but since
that time has been in sympathy with the latter
party, although he has never taken an active
part in politics, and has never consented to
hold public office. He has, however, always
been a' loyal citizen, and a generous con
tributor to all enterprises having for their ob-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

251

ject the welfare of the city and county. Since
1853 he has been a member of the Masonic
fraternity, in which he has held several of the
higher offices. Both he and his wife are mem
bers of the Reformed Dutch Church, and are
prominent members of society.

CONKLIN TROWBRIDGE, who was
one of the oldest and most prominent
citizens of Poughkeepsie, and a brother of
John Trowbridge (a sketch of whom appears
above), was born in the town of Northeast,
Dutchess county, July 20, 1821.
Stephen B. Trowbridge, the father of our
subject, was also a native of Northeast, and
was born March 19, 1799. He married Miss
Eliza Conklin, whose birth took place August
29, 1802, in the same town in which her hus
band was born. She was a daughter of Na
than Conklin, who was a descendant of the
East Hampton, L. I., family of that name,
formerly spelled Conkling, which came at an
early day to Northeast, Dutchess county.
After their marriage our subject's parents loca
ted on the old farm in Northeast, living there,
however, but a short time, when they moved
to the town of Washington. Of their eight
children the following record is given: N.
Conklin is the subject of this sketch; Mary E.
married William Wilkinson, a lawyer in Pough
keepsie; Nathan was druggist in Poughkeep
sie, and died in early manhood; John is
living at Poughkeepsie, retired from business;
Phoebe E. married John G. Boyd, a business
man of Poughkeepsie; Cornelia B. married
Henry Seymour, of New York City; and JuHa
and Eliza reside at the old home in Pough
keepsie. The parents of our subject remained
upon the farm in the town of Washington
untH 1834, when they removed to Poughkeep
sie, Mr. Trowbridge becoming one of the firm
of ConkHn, Bowne & Co., with whom he con
tinued in business for many years. He died
March 25, 1884. Nathan and Mulford Conklin,
of the above-mentioned firm, were two brothers
who came from the town of Northeast in 18 10,
and established themselves in business in
1 8 14, the firm name at first being Nathan
Conklin, Jr., & Co. In 1835 they built their
brick store house, which is still standing, and is
one of the old landmarks of the city. They
were very prominent men in their day, and
Conklin street was nam.ed for them. They
were the maternal uncles of our subject.

Stephen Trowbridge, grandfather of our
subject, was born in Danbury, Conn., and be
came a farmer. He married Elizabeth Bar
num, who was a connection of the well-known
Barnum family of Connecticut, and six chH
dren were born to them. He enlisted May
12, 1775, as a private in Company 6, of the
Artesian Corps, which was recruited mainly
in Fairfield county, and took part in the bat
tles of Hubbardston, Bennington, Saratoga
and Fort George. While in the army he
learned the saddle-making trade, and mended
Gen. Washington's saddle.
N. Conklin Trowbridge, the subject of this
sketch, was seven years old when his parents
moved from the town of Northeast to a farm
in the town of Washington, where he spent
the following seven years. In 1835, at the age
of fourteen years, he went to Poughkeepsie,
where he attended school at College Hill for
two years, after which he entered the general
store of Nathan Conklin, Jr., & Co., as clerk.
He steadily advanced in this business, finally
•becoming the proprietor and carrying on the
establishment until 1888, or more than half a
century, when he retired from the firm. Mr.
Trowbridge died April 19, 1897.

JAMES LYNCH is one of the reliable and
progressive young business men of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, where his birth
occurred November 20, 1869.
His father, James Lynch, Sr. , was a na
tive of Ireland, and on coming to the United
States when a small boy located at Pough
keepsie, there being employed by a Mr. Bis
sell, a sculptor, until 1878. Mr, Lynch then,
in that year, established himself in the marble
business, which he conducted with success up
to his death, which occurred on August 25,
1 89 1. He was a very quiet, conservative
man, giving the strictest attention to his busi
ness, and well deserved the success which
came to him. At Newark, N. J., he had mar
ried Miss Maria O'Mera, and they became the
parents of five chHdren: Catherine, Annie,
James, Mary and Ellen.
Since the death of his father our subject
has had complete charge of the business, and
has displayed excellent ability in its manage
ment. He takes quite an active interest in
civic societies in Poughkeepsie, belonging to
the Knights of Pythias, the Order of Good
FeHows, and to the Fire Department. He

252

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

enjoys the esteem and confidence of all with
whom he comes in contact, and no doubt a
brilliant future awaits him.

©EORGE W. LUMB, senior member of
the firm of George W. Lumb & Son,
proprietors of one of the most important in
dustries of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
was born in Yorkshire, England, September
1 6, 1837, and when about two years of age
was brought to Poughkeepsie by his parents,
Thomas and Elizabeth (Beaumont) Lumb, na
tives of the same country. He is the eldest
in their family of three children, the others
being Levi and Elizabeth, the latter of whom
died in infancy. On his arrival in Poughkeep
sie in 1839, the father secured employment in
the carpet factory of C. M. & G. P. Pelton,
but later opened a grocery store, which he
conducted until about two years before his
death. He held membership with the Con
gregational Church, and in politics was first a
Whig, later a Republican.
Our subject, spent his boyhood days in
Poughkeepsie, attending Mrs. Wheeler's school
and the grammar schools, after which he
worked in the factory where his father was
employed. Later he entered the sash and
blind factory of William E. Beardsley, where
he learned his trade, and there remained
eleven years. For three years thereafter he
was employed as foreman in the John E.
Price Sash and Blind -Factory, after which he
entered the service of the New York Central
Railroad Co., as fireman on an engine, first
running between Poughkeepsie and Albany,
afterward between Albany and New York.
In 1863 he entered the United States navy,
was stationed on the Grand Gulf, making
three trips to Aspinwall, and was in the block
ading squadron at Galveston. The vessel
later acted as flag ship at New Orleans, in
which city our subject received an honorable
discharge. On his return north, Mr. Lumb again en
tered the employ of the Railroad Co., but at
the end of a year he and his brother Levi
started a sash and blind factory in Pough
keepsie, at the corner of Dutchess avenue and
Water street, which for two years was op
erated by horse power. They then removed
to the present factory of our subject, and ad
mitted WiHiam T. Swart as a member of the
firm, it being known as Swart, Lumb &

Brother. This partnership was continued
untH 1885, Mr. Lumb in that year buying out
his brother's interest, and his son Charles L.
becoming a member of the firm, which assumed
the name of Swart, Lumb & Son. Two years
later, however, Mr. Swart sold out, and the
name was changed to George W. Lumb &
Son. They do an extensive business, and
well deserve the liberal patronage which is ac
corded them. In 1892 Mr. Lumb purchased
the old Vassar House property, where he
erected a four-story brick building for Mrs.
Brazier's knitting mill, which was then con
ducted by himself, his son, C. W. H, Arnold
and Miles Hughes. Mr. Lumb is not now con
nected with this industry, and has rented the
building. Our subject is connected with sev
eral of the leading industries of the city, being
a stockholder in the new piano factory and the
electric-light plant, and also owns about fifty-
three houses and forty vacant lots in the city.
In Poughkeepsie George W. Lumb and
Sarah W. Dean, a native of Taunton, Mass.,
were united in marriage, and to them have
been born four children, namely: Charles L. '
Jessie B. , for whom her father has named a
boat; George J., a graduate of both the high
school and Eastman Business College; and
Maud D. In his political principles Mr. Lumb
is an unswerving Republican, devoted to the
best interests of his party, yet has never sought
or desired political preferment, having only
served on the water board for one term. So
cially he is a member of the F. & A. M., Lodge
No, 266, and in religious faith he is a Congre
gationalist. The family now live at No. 16
Davis place, which residence our subject pur
chased of Mayor Harloe.
Charles L. Lumb, the eldest son of our
subject, is a native of Poughkeepsie, where he
secured his education, being a graduate of the
high school, and in 1880 he received a diploma
from Eastman Business College. After work
ing in the factory of his father for five years
he was admitted to partnership, and is now
general manager of the business, doing all of
the office work. He is also secretary of the
Fallkill Knitting Co., and is a director of the
Reimer Piano Factory. On October 2, 1889,
in Poughkeepsie, he was united in marriage
with Minnie E. Lovejoy, daughter of J. Fred
Lovejoy, and a daughter graces their union,
Ethel Dean, born July 11, 1893. Mr. Lumb
is a stockholder in the Electric Light Co., in
the Masonic Temple and other enterprises. In

V^ L. ^' ^ J(L C'L^T.-n..'*-^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

253

reHgious belief he is an Episcopalian, holding
membership with Holy Comforter Church; so
cially he affiHates with the F. & A. M., Triune
Lodge No. 782, with Poughkeepsie Chapter,
Commandery and CouncH, the Mystic Shrine,
and the Royal Arcanum, and is a prominent
member of the Lincoln League Club. He is
secretary and treasurer of the Poughkeepsie
Branch ofthe New York Mutual Savings & Loan
Association, also of the Mason Mutual Benefit
Association, of Massachusetts, and is now presi
dent of the Poughkeepsie Horse Owners Associ
ation. A gentleman of fine address and thor
ough culture, he occupies a first place in
society as well as in the commercial circles of
Poughkeepsie. Since January, 1895, he has
served as president of the water board, and
since 1 89 1 has been notary public.

WILLIAM ADRIANCE, for over thirty
 years one of the most prominent and
highly respected citizens of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, and a member of an old and
much esteemed family of that locality, was
born December 12, 1814, in what was then
the vHlage of Poughkeepsie.
Theodorus Adriance, his grandfather, was
probably a native of Dutchess county, and was
a successful farmer, owning a large tract of
land near Stormville. He was one of the
early members of the Hopewell Reformed
Dutch Church, and was a leader in the vari
ous local movements of his day. He married
Miss Hacheliah Swartout, and had six chHdren,
of whom we have mention of : Elizabeth,
who married a Mr. Doughty; Caroline, who
married a Mr. Wilson; Theodorus, Jr.; and
Charles Platt, our subject's father.
Charles Platt Adriance was born in Hope
weH October 12, 1790, and received his first
instruction in the district schools there. When
he was ten years old he went to Poughkeepsie,
to the home of his sister, Mrs. Abram Storm,
and he and John Adriance were apprentices
together in the shop of Abram G. Storm, a
silversmith, learning the mysteries of jewelry
making, watch repairing, and all other branches
of the trade. On beginning business for him
self, he followed the trade for a short time in
Poughkeepsie, but in 18 16 he went to Rich
mond, Va. , where he found a more profitable
field for his efforts in that line. There he
remained untH August, 1832, when he returned
to Poughkeepsie and bought a farm on what is

now known as College Hill, comprising eighty
acres of land, where he followed agriculture for
more than thirty years. Although he never took
an active part in politics, he was an interested
observer of current events, and in early life
was in principle a Henry Clay Whig, later a
Republican. In all local movements he was a
leading worker, especially in religious move
ments. He was a member of the First and
Second Reformed Dutch Churches when
formed, and was one of the organizers of the
latter, and an elder until the time of his death.
In 1864 he removed to the corner of Mill and
Garden streets, Poughkeepsie, where he died
November 25, 1874. On June 13, 1813, he
was married to Miss Sarah Camp, a daughter
of Aaron Camp, a well-known resident of
Rhinebeck. Together they spent over sixty
years of wedded life, and she survived him
but a short time, dying August 22, 1877. Six
children were born to them, as follows: Will
iam is our subject; Thomas Edward died
February 18, 1832; Mary Frances (Mrs. John
R. Weeks, of Newark, N. J.) died April 2,
1880; Elizabeth (Mrs. John B. Pudney, of
Passaic, N. J.); Harriet Newell, born January
II, 1830, died February 20, 1832; and John
Rice, born February 11, 1833, died December
30, 1843. Of these, Mrs. Elizabeth Pudney
is now the only survivor.
Williailft Adriance, our subject, received a
good education in youth, attending the sub
scription schools of Richmond, Va., and later
studying for some time at Amherst, Mass. He
has been a great reader, and has kept well
abreast of the times. On leaving school he
became a clerk in his father's store, and after
a time went to New York City, where he re
mained two years. In November 1835, he
engaged in the jewelry business in Natchez,
Miss. , carrying same on successfully for seven
years. In May, 1843, he went to St. Louis,
and opened a dry-goods store, making a success
of the venture. In 1864 he disposed of it,
and in May of that year moved to Poughkeep
sie, where he has since lived a retired life. On
July 26, 1837, Mr. Adriance was married to
Miss Mary Elizabeth Harrington, whose father
was a prominent resident of New York. Nine
children were born of this union, as follows:
Cornelia Hyde, born May 30, 1838, died De
cember 14, 1847; James Edward, borti June
I, 1840, died January 6, 1849; Charles Henry,
born October 8, 1842, died in March, 1869;
and WilHam Nevins, born July 26, 1848, died

254

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

July 19, 1849. Of the others, Edward Cor
nelius, born June 23, 1850, is a dry-goods mer
chant in Brooklyn; Samuel Winchester, Janu
ary 9, 1853, is a Congregational minister at
Winchester, Mass. ; Mary Elizabeth, born De
cember 2, 1855, married Elias G. Minard; and
the youngest, John Rice, born February 13,
1858, died March 6, 1858. The mother of
this famHy died August 2, i860, and Septem
ber 17, 1862, Mr. Adriance married Miss Abbie
Lovell Bond, of Norwich, Conn., daughter of
Rev. Dr. Alvan Bond. Mr. Adriance died of
heart disease January 2, 1897, after three days'
illness. Politically, our subject was in early years
an Old-line Whig, but in 1856 he espoused the
principles of the Republican party, to which
he afterward adhered. He was no political
" wire-puller, " but always gave his influence
to secure the election of good men for posi
tions of trust. He was a leading member of
the Presbyterian Church of Poughkeepsie (Rev.
Dr. Wheeler, pastor), and was a strong sup
porter of many important movements for the
benefit of the community.

JAMES M. HADDEN, president of the
Poughkeepsie Gas Company, and one of
the leading citizens of that enterprising city,
to which he came twenty years agS^ as an as
sistant engineer, is descended from a sturdy,
industrious, intelligent ancestry to which his
own career does credit.
The first of the family in this country, of
whom there is any knowledge, was Ephraim
Hadden, who died at Woodbridge, N. J., Jan
uary 15, 1725. One of his children, and the
one from whom James H. descended, was
Thomas Hadden (i) a carpenter and farmer by
occupation. He was appointed many times to
attend and represent Woodbridge at the Quar
terly Meetings of the Quakers held at Shrews
bury; also as a member of various boards, be
ing the medium by which all disputes were set
tled. His second wife was an Episcopalian,
and for this marriage he was disowned by the
Quakers. When the Episcc^al Church of
Woodbridge received its charter from George
III in 1769, Thomas Hadden was named as
one of the vestrymen. He served as overseer
of the ^oor, 1733-36; as a surveyor of high
ways, 1736-39; again as overseer of the poor
in 1 742-1 75 5, and 1770. He was married
three times, having issue only by the first mar

riage to Margaret Fitz-Randolph in 1727. one
of whom, Thomas (2), was the great-grandfa
ther of James M. He was born at the old
homestead in Woodbridge in 1736, of which
upon reaching his majority he became the pos
sessor; married in 1758 Annabel Crowell. He
was by occupation a carpenter, farmer and mill
wright. In 1755 he was captain of the first
regiment of Middlesex county militia under
Col. Nathaniel Heard; became first major of
the regiment, and in 1778 Heutenant-colonel.
The militia of New Jersey performed good serv
ice at Trenton, Princeton, Germantown and
Monmouth, in all of which it is probable the
men of Monmouth took part. Thomas Hadden
(2) died in 1788 while in commission, and his
wife in 1821. Of their children, Nathaniel
Hadden, the grandfather of our subject, was
born in Woodbridge, N. J., January 8, 1765,
and became a prominent ship-builder and lum
ber dealer. He was a quiet man, of upright
life and strong religious convictions, and for
many years was an elder in the Presbyterian
Church, his honorable and consistent life win
ning for him the esteem of the entire commu
nity. He was three times married: first time,
in 1788, to Mahala Martin, to which union
three children were born: (i) Annabel, born
October 9. 1789, died August 5, 1872, was
married three times, first to John Hampton,
second to William Ford, and last to Abram
Webb; (2) Nancy, born August 15, 1798, died
January 10, 1878, married Smith Martin; and
(3) Ephraim, born September 28, 1806, died
January 12, 1842. The mother of this family,
born May 20, 1767, died Nov. 19, 1807, and
for his second wife, August 13, 1808, he wedded
Sarah Marsh Brown, born March 6, 1776; of
this union came Samuel Brown, our suljject's
father, born June 29, 1809. Sarah Marsh
Brown Hadden died on November 23, 18 14,
and on July 13, 1819, Mr. Hadden was mar
ried to Mary Halsey Marsh, born March 26,
1769, and died December 6, 1828.
Samuel Brown Hadden remained at his
birthplace, Rahway, N. J., until 1845, and
during this time was engaged in ship buHding
with his father. He purchased a farm of 100
acres in the outskirts of Ehzabeth, N. J., where
the suburban town of Linden now stands, and
by subsequent additions became the owner of
200 acres there. He was a practical, thorough
going farmer, unusually successful in business,
and one of the leading citizens of the locality.
Although his manner was quiet and retiring,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

255

he possessed a strong character, and was a
man of firm purpose. On May, 12, 1833, he
was married to Miss Phoebe Woodruff Winans,
born February 20, 18 14, and of their nine
children seven Hved to maturity, of whom
James M. Hadden is the youngest. The
mother of the latter died February 16, 1882,
and the father on May 28, 1892.
James M. Hadden, the subject proper of
this review, received his early education at
Elizabeth, N. J., where he attended a private
school conducted by John Young. At the age
of seventeen he left school, but he has ever
taken a deep interest in literature and science,
and by reading has acquired a fund of informa
tion. His first employment was as a clerk for
Jeremiah Lambert in the Greenwich block.
New York City; but at the end of two years
he returned home on account of ill health.
After a short vacation he became bookkeeper
for the Seymour Manufacturing Company, at
Elizabeth, N. J., remaining with them seven
years. On AprH 13, 1875, he went to Pough
keepsie as assistant engineer for George W.
Harris (a relative by marriage) in the Citizens
Gas Company, and worked in that capacity for
two years, when he became chief engineer.
On the consolidation of the business -with that
of the Poughkeepsie Gas Company in Decem
ber, 1887, he was made superintendent of the
works, and in 1891 was elected president of the
company, a position which he has filled with
distinguished ability.
On April 30, 1879, Mr. Hadden was mar
ried to Miss Mary McAdam Hay, who was born
July 8, 1852, in Ayrshire, Scotland — about
nine mHes from the home of Robert Burns.
She is a daughter of William and Elizabeth
(McKinley) Hay, and granddaughter of Mary
(Anderson) McKinley, who was an acquaint
ance of the poet and familiar with many of the
circumstances which inspired his writings. A
great-uncle of Mrs. Hadden was the subject of
one poem. A great-great-uncle was the invent
or of the MacAdam pavement, for which valua
ble service he was titled by the English govern
ment. Mrs. Hadden is, through her mother,
a niece of WHliam McKinley, of Elizabeth,
N. J., and a distant relative of President Mc
Kinley. Two daughters and one son gladden
the home of our subject: Elizabeth G. , Helen
S. and WHHam McKinley Hay.
Mr. Hadden and his wife are members of
the First Reformed Church, in which he is a
leading official. He is a Mason, a member of

Triune Lodge No. 782. In local matters he
lends his assistance to all worthy measures and
movements. He is not a politician in the
strict sense, but he is a strong supporter of the
Republican party.

F\RANK LATSON, D. D. S., a leading
 dentist of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
was born in that township, August 26, 1853,
his family having been residents of that local
ity for four generatio'ns.
Dr. Latson's ancestors were French Hugue
nots, who were among the early settlers of this
region, and his grandfather, Peter Latson, a
native of Rhinebeck, was a prosperous carpen
ter there. He married Betsey Hannaburgh,
and had nine children: Henry; William, a
dentist in New York; James, a carpenter;
Regina, who married Stephen H. Powers, of
Brooklyn; Margaret, the wife of Philip Van-
Steenburgh, of Red Hook; Rachel; Amanda;
Maria; and Matilda.
Henry Latson, our subject's father, was
born in the town of Rhinebeck in 18 14, and,
after learning the carpenter's trade, engaged in
the business of contracting and building, which
he carried on successfully for about fifty years.
He was a self-educated man, possessed great
natural ability, at the same time displaying
marked originality of thought and keen analyt
ical powers. He was his own architect, and
the many structures designed and erected by
him give evidence of fine artistic taste. His
business was extensive, four-fifths of the build
ings constructed in Rhinebeck and vicinity,
during his active life, being his work. The
beautiful interior of the M. .E. church was de
signed by him, and was but one proof of his
devotion to the welfare of that society, of which
he was a member and an official for many years.
He was not active in politics, although he was
an ardent Republican in principle, and fre
quently served as trustee of the village. He
married Maria Teal, daughter of Peter W.
Teal, a well-known resident of the town of
Stanford, and had three children, of whom our
subject was thciyoungest. John is a physician,
and Norman L, died at the age of twenty-nine
years. The father died May 19, 1885; the
mother, now at the age of seventy-eight, re
sides with our subject.
Dr. Latson was educated at De Garmo
Classical Institute, and later took a course in
the New York College of Pharmacy. In 1878

256

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

he entered the New York College of Dentistry,
from which he was graduated in 1880. He
located in his native place, where he has built
up an extensive practice, and ranks among the
most successful men of the town. He was
married in 1886 to Miss Bertha Bradley, of
New York City, daughter of Perry Bradley,
and a descendant of one of the old families of
Kinderhook. They have two children: Lillian
Kirkland and Frank Waldo. Politically, the
Doctor is a Republican, but he is not a party
worker. He is, however, greatly interested in
local improvements, and is a member of the
village board of trustees and the local fire
department.

gENJAMIN MALTBY FOWLER, a promi
nent attorney of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born at Durham, Conn., April
27, 1854, He comes of pure New England
stock. William Fowler, of whom he is a direct
lineal descendant, arrived at Boston from
England in 1637, with Rev. John Davenport.
He was one of the prominent founders and
officials of the New Haven Colony, which was
afterward annexed to and became a part of
Connecticut. Many of the early ancestors of
Mr. Fowler (the subject of this sketch), took
an important and conspicuous part in public
affairs in the early days of the colonies; one of
the most prominent among them being John
Read, who was Queen's attorney for the
Colony of Connecticut in 17 12, and later
attorney-general of Massachusetts for several
years, and also a member of the Governor and
Council. Robert Treat Paine, one of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
was a member of the family from which he
also traces descent.
Jonathan C. Fowler, his grandfather, was
a highly-respected resident of Northford, Conn.
He married Eliza Maltby, a descendant of a
large and influential family of that name in
Connecticut. Dr. Benjamin M. Fowler, our subject's
father, was born at Northford, Conn., in 1821.
After practicing his profession for awhHe at
Durham, Conn., he in 1856 moved to Pough
keepsie, where he died two years later (Sep
tember 8, 1858) full of promise and greatly
beloved and respected by a large circle of
acquaintances, which he had formed in the
short time that he resided there. On Sep

tember II, 1850, he married Mary Payne,
whose ancestors were among the early settlers
of America. Three chHdren came of this mar
riage : WilHam S., born May 31, 1852, died
February 7, 1871; Benjamin M., our subject;
and Harriet J., born March 16, 1856, married
Julius Maltby, of Waterbury, Conn. Thomas
Payne, the father of Mary Payne, was a lead
ing resident of Amenia. Dr. John C. Payne,
her brother, has been for many years a leading
physician in Poughkeepsie. Although the
Paynes early settled in Amenia, Dutchess .
county, yet they also came from New England.
Thomas Payne (or Paine, as the name was
then spelled), the first one of that branch of
the family to arrive in America, landed at
Plymouth in 162 1, having emigrated from the
County of Kent, England. Most of his descend
ants settled in Connecticut.
Thomas Payne, grandfather of our subject,
married Sarah Bartlett. The Bartletts were a
distinguished family of Redding, Conn., but
many members of which settled in Amenia.
Daniel C. Bartlett, the father of Sarah Bart
lett, was a valiant soldier of the Revolutionary
war; her grandfather, Rev. Nathaniel Bart
lett, second pastor of the Congregational Church
in Redding, Conn. , served as such for fifty^
seven years — the longest pastorate, it is said,
known to the New England Churches. He
was an ardent supporter of the Revolutionary
cause, as appears from the local histories of
Redding, Conn.
Benjamin M. Fowler has lived in Pough
keepsie since boyhood. After graduating at
the high school there, he took a special course
at Riverview Military Academy, and shortly
afterward began the study of law with Thomp
son & Weeks, with which firm, and its suc
cessor, Thompson, Weeks & Lown, he spent
most of his clerkship, although for a time he
was with Anthony & Losey and Robert E. Tay
lor. He was admitted to the bar May 13,
1875. While studying law Mr. Fowler also
took up the study of shorthand. As he was
the pioneer stenographer in Dutchess county,
his services were in constant demand in the
various courts in that locality, and he was fre
quently caHed upon to report speeches and lec
tures of various sorts, as weH. He was official
stenographer of the Dutchess County Court,
Surrogate's Court and State Board of Assess
ors, for a number of years. Many important
cases were reported by him during this time.
His experience in the surrogate's court and his

C^-M^-'l^jf^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

257

connection with Thompson & Weeks, who
were largely employed in the settlement of es
tates, gave him unusual opportunities for ac
quiring a knowledge of the procedure in that
line of legal business.
In 1889 he gave up the practice of stenog
raphy to give attention to the settlement of the
late John Guy Vassar's estate; he having been
appointed by Mr. Vassar an executor of his
will. As the estate was an unusually large
one, and was the subject of considerable liti
gation, it attracted much public attention.
Notwithstanding the litigation was carried
through the various courts, including the court
of appeals, the estate was finally settled and
distributed within three years, a remarkable
record, which reflected great credit on Mr.
Fowler and his associates. In 1891 he was
appointed one of the administrators of the es
tate of the late Hon. Homer A. Nelson, and
since 1888 he has been secretary and assistant
treasurer of Vassar Brothers' Hospital. While
he has never sought or held public office, the
fact that these and other large interests have
been committed to his care, indicates the es
teem and confidence which his energetic and
conscientious discharge of duty has won for
him. On December 15, 1881, at Jersey City, N.
J. , Mr. Fowler married Miss Ada M. Douglas,
daughter of the late M. S. Douglas, a New
York merchant. Of this union three chHdren
were born: Douglas P., August 11, 1883;
Maltby S., July 18, 1886; and Benjamin M.,
Jr., September i, 1890.

D

R. W. E. ACKERT, a well-known veter
inary surgeon in the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, and an agriculturist of prom
inence, was born in that town October 5,
1840. Like so many of the substantial and pros
perous citizens of tjiis country, his famiily was
of German origin, the first of the American
line coming from the Fatherland at an early
date. The grandfather of our subject, John
M. Ackert, born about 1784, in the town of
Rhinebeck, was a leading farmer in his day;
his son WiHiam, our subject's father, also a
native of Rhinebeck, was born in 1809, and
married Maria Pultz, of the same town, born
in 1812, a descendant of an old Holland fam
ily. In politics Mr. Ackert was a Republican;
and in religious faith was a devout and consist-
17

ent adherent of the Lutheran Church, as is
also his wife. They were the parents of four
children: John H. , a farmer of Rhinebeck,
now deceased; Virgil A., a farmer near the old
home; Sarah A., who married Egbert G. Tra
ver, also a farmer of that vicinity; and W. E.,
the subject of this review. The mother is
still living and makes her home with her
daughter, Mrs. Traver.
Reared as a farmer's boy, the Doctor en
joyed the educational opportunities afforded by
the public schools, and his natural abHities
have enabled him to improve upon them by
private reading, until he is an unusually well-
informed man. In his specialty, the treatment
of that noble animal — the horse — he has made
thorough study of all the related branches, and
stands at the front of his profession. He owns
a farm of fifty acres, of which his sons assume
the active work, while he devotes his time to
his extensive practice.
On November 24, 1864, Dr. Ackert was
married to Miss Sarah Hanaburgh, a daughter
of Peter H. and Eliza Ann (Montfort) Hana
burgh, of Rhinebeck, the former bornin 18 12,
in the town of Rhinebeck, of German descent,
and the latter born October 2, 1849. Four
children have been born to the Doctor and his
wife, as follows: Edward E., who died March
5, 1891; David H., Jennie and Raymond P.,
who are all at home. Mrs. Ackert has in her
possession a quilt made from the dress of an
old slave — Aunt Betta — in the Montfort family.
" Aunt Betta " was at least one hundred years
old at the time of her death, and had worked
in the Montfort family when Mrs. Ackert's
mother was a child. In politics the Doctor is
a Republican, and takes an active interest in
all movements of the day.

EV. DOCTOR CORNELIUS VINCENT
MAHONY, pastor of the Catholic Church
at Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county, is a
native of New York City, where his birth took
place December i, 185 1, and he is a son of
Cornehus and Anna O'ConneH Mahony, both
natives of County Cork, Ireland, the former
born on January 18, 18 18. After their mar
riage they emigrated to the New World, and in
New York City the father engaged in mercan
tile pursuits for about thirty years. He then
lived retired untH his death in 1893. His wife
had long preceded him to the other world, dy
ing in 1 869. In their family were two children:

258

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Michael Joseph, who was born in 1849, and
Cornelius Vincent, subject of this sketch.
Doctor Mahony spent his boyhood days in
New York City, attending the public schools
until eleven years of age, when he entered the
Jesuit College, where he remained for seven
years. After graduating there he became a
student in the Troy Seminary, completing the
theological course there at the age of twenty-
one; but being too young for ordination he
went to Rome, where he took the entire theo
logical course, receiving the degree of D. D.
He then traveled through Europe with Dr.
McGlynn for three months, after which he re
turned to America, and was located for one
year at St. Stephens, in New York City. Dur
ing the following five years he was professor of
mental philosophy and ethics in the Troy Sem
inary, which position he then resigned, and in
1884 came to Wappingers Falls, where he has
since been located.
His force of character, talent and ability
are phenomenal, and he possesses great power
for good among his people. Father Mahony
is himself a very intelligent and cultured man,
and has done much toward instilling into the
minds of his parish children a taste for
literature.

1

\GBERT VAN WAGNER (deceased).

The subject of this sketch was born July
21, 1 82 1, in Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county,
where he passed his youth, following farming.
On May 31, 1848, he was united in marriage
with Miss Cornelia B. Pulver, who was born
in the town of Pine Plains August 3, 1826, a
daughter of Andrus Pulver, a native of the
same place. He married Miss Margaret
Thomas, and the following children were born
to them: Mary, who became the wife of
Lewis D. Hedges, a merchant of Pine Plains
(now deceased); Frances, who married Henry
Myers, a farmer and speculator (now deceased);
Cornelia B., our subject's widow; Elizabeth,
and Nicholas, who died in infancy. Andrus
Pulver was a farmer and hotel keeper. Both
he and his wife are deceased.
Our subject and his wife, after their mar
riage, lived a few years on the farm in Pleasant
Valley, and five years in Pine Plains. They
then moved to Poughkeepsie, in 1856, and
bought the farm on which Mrs. Van Wagner
now resides. The following chHdren were
born to them: Henry, a farmer here, married

to Miss Ruth Brown; Margaret, married to
Eley R, Deyo, a merchant, who died August 4,
1887; Albertson, who died October 19, 1855,
at the age of twelve years; Walter, who died
March 7, 1880; and Elizabeth, who became
the wife of John J. C. Howe, a farmer. Mr.
Van Wagner was a Democrat, and held the
office of commissioner of highways for several
terms. He took an active part in politics.
He was public-spirited, and took a deep in
terest in all matters pertaining to the town
and its affairs. He donated the site of the
present depot, and was postmaster of the
Van Wagner station for about twenty years.
His wife was a member of the Presbyterian
Church. John Van Wagner, the father of our sub
ject, was a native of Pleasant Valley, where he
was reared, and where he was married to Miss
Elizabeth Albertson, born in Pleasant Valley.
These children were born to them: Sarah,
who became the wife of David Doty, a farmer
of Pleasant Valley; Isaac, married to Sally
Ann Vincent; Hiram, a farmer, who married
Mary Badgley; Elsie, who became the wife of
Tunis Conklin, a farmer; Mary A., who died
unmarried; Willett, married to Catherine Sill
(he was a farmer and merchant); Egbert, our
subject; Susan, who died unmarried; and Eli,
who died in infancy.
Nicholas Van Wagner, the grandfather,
came from Long Island and settled on the
farm in Pleasant Valley, where he reared the
following chHdren: John, our subject's father;
Jacob, a farmer in Pleasant Valley, where he
Hved and died ; Evert, who farmed for a while
in Clinton, and then went to the western part
of the State, where he died; Solomon, who
farmed in Schoharie county; and Esther,
married to John Van Wagner, a farmer in the
town of Poughkeepsie. The Van Wagners
were in the war of 1776.

/PV\EORGE W. CANNON, a prominent resi-
S^ dent of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
was born July 31, 1834, in New York City,
which had been the home of his ancestors for
many years.
His grandfather Cannon was a man of note
in his day, a soldier in the war of 18 12, and
at one time the sheriff of New York City.
The late Arnout Cannon, our subject's father,
was a prominent contractor and builder in
Poughkeepsie. He was born July 13, 1805,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

259

in New York City, and there learned the trade
of a mechanic, in 1836 coming to Poughkeep
sie and engaging in the buHding business, in
which he continued until his death, September
12, 1882. He was a member of the Masonic
fraternity. Lodge No. 266, Poughkeepsie, and
held a leading place in many of the pro-
.gressive movements of the day in his locality.
He was married in New York City to Miss
Naomi Chilson, a native of Orange county,
N. Y. , born June 11, 181 2, and eight children
<:ame to this union: Hester (deceased) ; George
W., our subject; Charles H., a well-known
carpenter of Poughkeepsie; Arnout, Jr., a
prominent architect there; WHliam H., a
resident of Chicago; Maria, widow of James
Gifford; Cornelius L., a leading contractor
and builder of Poughkeepsie; and Emma Kate,
the wife of Charles E. Schon. The mother
of this family is still living in Poughkeepsie.
George '\V. Cannon, the subject of this
review, attended the public schools of Pough
keepsie until he was twelve years old, and then
entered the Dutchess County Academy on
South HamHton street. After completing his
¦course there he learned the carpenter's trade
in his father's shop, serving an apprenticeship
of seven years. His first independent business
venture was the establishment of an art store
with a photograph gallery attached, which he
conducted successfully for six years in the
buHding now occupied by W. H. Van Keuren.
He sold this, giving up the artistic surround
ings of oil paintings, and bronze and marble
statuary for the prosaic business of a coal
dealer, which he followed for three years on
Hooker avenue. In this as in all his proj
ects he displayed great enterprise, and he
bought and operated the first wood-splitting
machine ever seen in the city. After dispos
ing of this business Mr. Cannon traveled
through the West for twenty years, and then
returned to Poughkeepsie to reside. In 1890
he purchased the old Hicks place, with a man
sion now known as River 'Villa, the building
of which cost over $35,000. Here he enter
tains his friends with lavish yet elegant hospi
tality. During the triangular boat race on
the Hudson in June, 1895, between CorneH,
Pennsylvania and Columbia, the Cornell crew
made their home there; also in 1896. Mr.
Gannon has been married three times, first
time, in the city of Poughkeepsie, to Miss
Harriet HaH, who died leaving three children:
Irene, now Mrs. Charles Wells, of Indianapo

lis; Julia, who resides in Indianapolis; and
Arnetta, a trained nurse in New "York City.
Mr. Cannon's second wife was Miss Elizabeth
Wyley, of Detroit, Mich., who lived less than
a year after their 'marriage. At Detroit he
subsequently married Mrs. Emma Rich, a
native of Deep River, Conn., but at that time
a resident of Bay City; she has one daughter,
Mary B. Rich, a" graduate of the School of
Music of Vassar College, and now the wife of
David Gibson, of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mr. Cannon has a high standing in financial
circles, his business abilities being widely rec
ognized. He owns the patents for the New
York Safety Dumb Waiter, also for the Dia
mond Point Nail Set, and derives a large roy
alty from each.
Charles H. Cannon, a younger brother of
our subject, was born in Poughkeepsie Novem
ber 6, 1826, and was educated in the city pub
lic schools and the famous old Dutchess County
Academy. He learned the trade of sash and
bhnd making with Harry Seaman and Joseph
Irish, and after an apprenticeship of two and
one-half years he opened a shop of his own on
South HamHton street, where he did weH for
a few years. But the breaking out of the war
bringing "hard times" to his line of work, he
gave it up and became foreman of a large car
penter shop at Providence, R. I, , having charge
of over forty workmen. After three years
there he went to Detroit and spent five years,
when he returned to Poughkeepsie and em
barked in the saloon business on Main street,
but was burned out in 1871, since which time
he has been engaged in the carpenter's trade.
On June 24, 1855, at Buffalo, N. Y., Mr.
Cannon was married to Miss Margaret O'Con
nor, and in i860 he built his residence on
Hooker avenue, Poughkeepsie, where the fam
ily still resides. Of his ten children five are liv
ing: Ettie (Mrs. Albert Jenks) ; Fannie, wife of
William Brown, of New York City; Emma
Kate (Mrs. Fred Rogers); William', a resident
of Pittsfield, Mass. ; and Minnie, who married
Clarence Martens, of Mt. Vernon.

BURTON A. SNYDER (deceased) wasborn
in 1867, in the town of Gallatin, Colum
bia Co., N. Y. , and died on Easter eve, April
18, 1897.
Henry Snyder, paternal grandfather of our
subject, was born in the town of Livingston,
Columbia Co., N, Y. , received a common-

260

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

school education, and at an early age began
farming, which occupation he continued to
follow throughout life. When quite a young
man he married Miss Eliza Robison, who was
the daughter of a farmer of the town of Liv
ingston. To this worthy couple were born five
children: Celia, who married Charles Moore;
Mary, who became the wife of William Finger;
Catherine, who wedded Theodore Hapeman;
Annie; and Charles. The last-named, who
was the father of our subject, was born in the
town of Livingston, Columbia county, and
after completing his literary training in the
public schools he took up farming as a life
work. He married Miss Mary Warehouse,
daughter of John Warehouse, a farmer of the
same township, and one child graced this
union. Burton A., our subject.
Burton A. Snyder, like his ancestors, re
ceived only a common-school education. At
the early age of twelve years he began farm
ing with his uncle, and afterward followed
that occupation. In 1889 he married Miss
Gertrude Snyder, a daughter of Albert Snyder,
a farmer of the town of Red Hook, Dutchess
county. The farm, which belongs to Mrs.
Snyder, has been in the possession of her fam
ily for many years. It contains 225 acres of as
fine farming land as is to be found anywhere
in the locality, and is supplied with all the
accessories and conveniences to be found upon
a model farm of the nineteenth century.
WHliam Z, Snyder, the grandfather of Mrs.
Snyder, was a native of the town of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, where he acquired his
education in the district schools, and he also
followed farming as a life work. He wedded
Miss Margaret Traver, of the same township,
and to them were born two chHdren: Albert;
and Anna, who became the wife of Edgar L.
Traver. The former was also born, reared
and educated in the town of Rhinebeck, but
he later purchased the farm in the town of
Red Hook,* which his daughter now occupies.
He was united in marriage with Miss Gertrude
M. Burger, of Rhinebeck town, and their only
child is Mrs. Gertrude M. Snyder.

^/|t most straightforward, energetic and
successful business men who ever lived in
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, where he de
parted this life in March, 1890. In his death
the community was deprived of one of its best.

most useful and public-spirited citizens, and
rich and poor alike mourned his departure from
their midst, for he was beloved by men in every
walk of life.
Mr. Lasher was born at Tivoli, Dutchess
county, AprH 8, 1841, and was the only son of
PhHip and Catherine (Millham) Lasher, though
he had one sister, Carrie C. , now the wife of R.
C. Brewster, who resides in Brooklyn, N. Y.
His father was a merchant of Tivoli, and quite
a prominent man in the locality, who served as
brigadier-general in the State Militia in the
old training days, as postmaster of Tivoli, and
as a member of the General Assembly in 1858.
He was twice married, his second wife being
the mother of our subject.
The education of Warren P. Lasher was
obtained in the schools of Tivoli and Claverack,
N. Y., and when only sixteen years old he
served as Assemblyman's Clerk, while his father
was a member of the Legislature. Three
years later he became a clerk in the general
store of Faulkner Brothers, at Wappingers
Falls, where he remained until he was twenty-
three years of age, when he came to Pough
keepsie and secured a position in the dry-goods
store of Cornwell & Elting. He was after
ward with Spring & Thalheimer, whom Saun
ders & Lasher bought out in 1871, and the
firm later became Lasher, Haight & Kelley.
They also began the manufacturing business,
making ladies' skirts; and after selling out the
retail dry-goods business, the firm was changed,
Mr. Lasher associating with Luckey & Platt,
while still later it became Forbey & Lasher. In
the manufacture of skirts and overalls they ran
forty machines by water power. The new
firm had been in existence about a year when
Mr. Forbey, the silent partner, died, and his
interest was purchased by Frank Hull, the
name being then changed to Lasher & HuH.
At the end of eight years our subject sold out
his interest to Mr. HuH, and formed a company
composed of Lasher, Eastmead & Osborne,
for the manufacture of overalls. Mr. Lasher
was also a member of the firm of Hermance
& Hance, manufacturers of shirts, but later
Messrs. Eastmead & Osborne purchased Mr.
Hermance's interest, and the name was changed
to Hance & Co. On account of faHing health,
in 1889, Mr. Lasher disposed of his share in
in the company of Lasher, Eastmead & Os
borne, but retained his interest in Hance &
Co. up to the time of his death.
While clerking at Wappingers Falls Mr.

./

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

261

Lasher met Miss Almira J. Hermance, who
was visiting a cousin there, and on January 19,
1870, they were united in marriage. They be
gan their domestic Hfe in Poughkeepsie, where
were born to them two sons: Claude, a member
of the firm of Lansing & Lasher, real estate
and insurance; and Frank H. Mr. Lasher
was a conscientious, earnest Christian, a trus
tee of the Baptist Church of Poughkeepsie,
and an active worker in the Young Men's
Christian Association. His benevolence was
unostentatious and genuine, and there is noth
ing in the story of his life to show that he
ever, for a moment, sought to compass a given
end for the purpose of exalting himself, as he
was a man of retiring disposition and averse
to making any show. He was a member of
the Amrita Club, and as a man held the honor
and esteem of all classes of people.
Richard M. Hermance, the father of Mrs.
Lasher, was born at Clifton Park, Saratoga
Co., N. Y., June 3, 1817, and was the son of
Cornelius and Anna (Westfall) Hermance, the
former a native of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
and the latter of Claverack, Columbia Co.,
N. Y. For many years her father carried on
farming in Saratoga county, and, on disposing
of his land, went into the foundry business,
manufacturing stoves and plows at Stillwater,
Saratoga county; he patented many articles,
among which was the low reservoir used on
cooking stoves. He wedded EmeHne Du Bois,
daughter of Richard Du Bois of Round Lake,
Saratoga county, and they became the parents
of six children, namely: Almira J.; Theodore;
Albert; George C. ; Mary; and Emma J., wife
of Henry Richmond. The mother of this fam
ily died in 1886.

J BED W. VINCENT (deceased). The
Vincent famHy, which is one of the oldest
and most prominent in Dutchess county,
is of English origin, the ancestors of the sub
ject of this sketch having come to America at
a very early date, settling as pioneer farmers
in the town of Unionvale.
Isaac Vincent, our subject's grandfather,
was a farmer and merchant in Unionvale, and
his son, David D. Vincent, the father of our
subject, foHowed the same pursuits, in which
he proved an unusually successful business
man. He was always a Republican, and took
great interest in local politics, holding various
offices, including that of supervisor. He mar

ried Phoebe Preston, whose ancestors were
leading farmers in the town of Dover, where
he died in 1888. He and his wife had three
children: ^Isaac^ who was a farmer and store- %'
keeper at the Clove, and died in 1889; Martha
(deceased), who married Stephen Moore; and
Obed W. , who died July 14, 1892.
Our subject was reared by an aunt on a
farm at Chestnut Ridge, and was married April
15, 1880, to Miss Mary Ella Vincent, a grand
daughter of Jonathan Vincent. Her father,
John W. Vincent, was born in the town of
Unionvale, and was a school teacher in early
life, later removing to Poughkeepsie and be
coming an influential politician. He was
county clerk and justice of the peace for a
number of years, and was otherwise prominent
in political affairs; he died in 1881. He at
tended theM. E. Church, and was interested in
various progressive movements. He married
Rhoda Butler, who was born at Chestnut Ridge,
and is still living. This family is of English
descent. Her father, Peter L. Butler, was a
well-known farmer in the town of Dover. Of
the four children born to John and Rhoda
Vincent our subject's wife was the eldest;
Minnie married Charles Andrews, of Lagrange
vHle; Walter, who married JuHa O'Brien, is
in business at the stock yards in Chicago; and
George E. resides with Mrs. Vincent.
After their marriage Obed Vincent and his
wife lived at Chestnut Ridge with his aunt,
where their only chHd, Hazel Blanche, was
born. Mr. Vincent was a man of influence in
his locality, a Republican in politics, and ably
sustained the high reputation which was his
birthright. Since his death Mrs. Vincent has
managed the large fortune with great ability.
In May, 1895, she bought a beautiful residence
at Manchester Bridge, three miles from Pough
keepsie, where she now resides, her home be
ing the center of a refined and gracious
hospitality.

WILLIAM THOMSON, a wealthy retired
 merchant of New York City, now re
siding upon a fine estate near Rhinebeck, was
born at No. 92 Watt street. New York, Sep
tember II, 1836. His family had long been
prominent in that city, and his father, 'William
A. Thomson, was born there on Cedar street.
May 29, 1808. He served during his life as
president of the MercantHe Fire Insurance Co. ,
also serving for many years as president of the

262

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Merchants' Exchange National Bank. He
was one of the last of an old Knickerbocker
family for which New York was noted years
ago. As an architect and builder he caused to
be erected in the lower part of the city some
elegant structures, which remain to this day a
monument to his skill, notably the present
Assistant Treasurer's office, corner of Wall and
Nassau streets, formerly the United States
Custom House, including the present magnifi
cent building of the Merchants' Exchange Na
tional Bank, on lower Broadway.
Samuel Thomson, our subject's grand
father, was an early director in the Merchants'
Exchange Bank, and was also concerned in the
establishment of the New York Life and Trust
Co. , in which he was a trustee until his death
in 1850. He was one of the oldest builders in
the city. He built the Rev. Dr. John M.
Mason's church in Murray street as early as
18 12, and was the architect (in connection with
his son, William A.) of the New York Custom
House (now the Treasurer's office), and many
other fine buildings.
The subject of our sketch was educated at
William Forrest's Collegiate School and the
New York Grammar School, and at the age of
nineteen became a clerk with Ivison & Phin-
ney. In i860 he left this employment to en
gage in business with his brother Samuel, as
dealers in books and stationery at 1 107 Broad
way, the firm being known as Thomson Bros.
In 1873 the brother retired and Mr. Thomson
continued alone until 1879, when he sold the
business to Messrs. Dempsey & CarroH. Dur
ing this time Mr. Thomson buHt up an exten
sive trade, especially in engraving, being for a
time one of the three principal engravers of the
city. Tiffany and Gimbrede being his rivals,
and later he shared the honors with Tiffany
only. Among his customers were the Astors,
Livingstons, Rheinlanders, and other people
of note, and he designed and engraved the
cards for the reception given to .Gen. Grant
by Marshall O. Roberts. His unusually suc
cessful career was interrupted by his failing
hea,lth, and, after disposing of his business, he
came to Rhinebeck and purchased the beauti
ful farm upon which he has since resided, its
management affording him healthful and pleas
ing recreation.
On May 13, 1863, Mr. Thomson married
Julia Laura Clearwater, daughter of Rickerson
Clearwater, a well-known resident of Red
Hook, who, for over fifty preceding years, had

been a merchant in New York City, and who
was born at Pleasant Valley, March 15, 1796.
Her grandfather, Philip Clearwater, came from
Holland. Her mother, Mrs. Clearwater, passed
away August 20, 1891, at the age of ninety-
three years, eight months and ten days.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Thomson has
been blessed with one daughter: Nettie, born
April 30, 1864, who married Eugene Cooking
ham, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and treasurer of the
Crandell & Godley Co., New York City, one
of the largest companies for the mianufacture
of bakers' and confectioners' supplies in the
United States. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Cook
ingham have two sons: William Thomson,.
born March 20, 1893, and Joseph Thomson,
born March 21, 1896. The Thomson family
have been connected with the Presbyterian
Church from early times, and in politics were
Whigs until the organization pf the Republicaa
party, when they gave it their allegiance, but
they have never taken an active share in par
tisan work.

F\RANK HOWELL, one of the best-known
 drivers and horse trainers in Dutchess
countj', was born in Niagara county, N. Y. ,
June 28, 1861.
The Howell family is of English origin,
coming to this country from their old home in
Plymouth, England. Joseph Howell, the grand
father of our subject, was a shoemaker, and
lived and died in England. He married Miss
Rebecca Smith, and they became the parents
of a large family of chHdren, of whom four are
yet living, namely: Jennie; WHliam, still re
siding in Plymouth, England; Elizabeth, who
also makes her home in England; and Joseph,
the father of our subject.
Joseph Howell was born in Exeter, Eng
land, and, like all English boys, his early edu
cation and reading were particularly adapted
to inspire a longing to go to sea. When quite
young Joseph was apprenticed on a merchant
man and started for the West Indies. The
captain was coarse and brutal, and the young
apprentice had a hard struggle. For three
years they sailed along the English coast, and
then again crossed the Atlantic, this time com
ing to New York. The fabulous stories con
cerning the New World had much impressed the
youth, and, on landing, he, in company with
three other boys, ran away, and by working
his way on the Erie canal finally reached Buf-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

268

falo. This was in 1849, during the great epi
demic of Asiatic cholera that swept over almost
the entire country. Buffalo was suffering from
this dread disease, and while on the canal Mr.
HoweH was stricken with the scourge, and was
laid out on the bank to die, whence he was
taken to the hospital. Hundreds died of the
disease; but Mr. Howell, after a long Hlness,
finally recovered, and on gaining his strength
started for New York; he, however, engaged
again on the canal for a few months.
After some years he became interested in
horses, and was superintendent of the Samuel
Townsend stock farm in Niagara county, where
he continued for nine years. In 1871 he came
to Dutchess county, and for twenty years man
aged the large stock farm of Edwin Thorne,
well known as Thorndale Stock Farm, located
near Millbrook, Dutchess county. The horse
department here has from 100 to 150 horses
all the time. Since 1891 he has engaged in
the hotel business, first at Hopewell Junction,
and later in Arlington, at the edge of Pough
keepsie. Mr. Howell married Miss Sophia
Barton, and they have become the parents of
fourteen chHdren, eleven of whom are living.
Frank Howell came with his parents to
Dutchess county, where, surrounded by fast
horses, he developed a taste for handling and
breaking them, assisting his father in his work
untH he gradually learned by actual practice
all the work of a practical trainer. He devel
oped unusual skHl in his undertaking, and Mr.
Thorne selected him as his trainer. Then,
assisted by his former employer, he started out
for himself, working his horses on the Pough
keepsie track. Mr. Thorne at one time owned
the Poughkeepsie Driving Park, which Mr.
HoweH superintended until it was sold, in
1888, to the present owner, Jacob Ruppert.
His training stables are finely equipped and
conveniently located near the tracks. Among
the horses he has driven or owned may be
mentioned: Kate C, record 2:15^; Elber,
2:15^; Mithra, 2:17; Prince, 2:20^; Niel
Whitbeck, 2:21^; Carlton Chief, 2:21^; Marks
man Maid, 2:21^; Kentucky Blanch, 2:26;
Edwin Thorne, 2:i6J; Daisy Dale, 2:19!;
Oxford Chief, 2:22^, and Miss Murray, 2:28.
On June 24, 1882, Mr. HoweH was mar
ried to Miss Julia Webb, daughter of Edward
and Lucy (Clarke) Webb, of English origin.
Mr. Webb was a skilled florist and landscape
gardener by occupation, and after selling out
his business in England, came to America with

his family in 1 868, making his home in Dutchess
county, where he spent the remainder of his
life. He expired suddenly from heart disease,
December 5, 1892, but his wife still survives.
In their family of children were: Jonathan
Edward; Julia E. ; Marie C, and Louise A.
To Mr. and Mrs. Frank Howell have been born
the following children : Lucy Clarke; Julia
Webb; Nellie Viall and Louise Webb. Mr.
Howell is a very public-spirited man, and
takes an active interest in all movements for
the advancement of the community.

JOHN HAUPT, the proprietor of a well-
known bakery situated at the corner of
Church and Gate streets, Poughkeepsie, is
one of the thrifty German-born citizens of the
county. His present success is emphatically
due to hard work and economy, and reflects
great credit upon him.
Mr. Haupt was born August 24, 1845, at
Gross-hen Zog, um Hessen, a son of Jacob
Haupt, also a nativeof Germany, born in 1801.
The father was the owner of a stone quarry,
and was engaged all his life in the business of
taking out rough building stone. He and his
wife, Magdalena (Uhink), both died about the
year 1887. Of their ten children, nine grew
to adult age: Barbara (the eldest); Mattice,
now living in Germany; Agnes, who lives in
New York City; Jacob, in Germany: Lizzie, in
East New York; Mary, in Germany; Sybilla, in
Brooklyn; Frank, whose whereabouts are not
known; and John, our subject.
John Haupt came alone to America when a
boy of thirteen years. He made his home
with a sister in New York City for a short time
in 1857, while looking for employment, and as
he had already acquired a common-school edu
cation, he devoted his thoughts from that time
to making his way in the business world, a
sufficiently difficult task as it proved. He has
always been engaged in the baker's trade, his
first work being with a baker in Williamsburg
at $3 per month, with whom he remained six
months, and from that time was employed by
various parties at increasing wages, working
one year at one place for $5 per month, and
six months at another for $7. He became
third helper in a large establishment at $3 per
week, and then going to New York secured a
place as second hand at $4 a week, remaining
during one winter. His next employer, Mr.

264

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Feltz, gave him $9 a week, and after seven
months he entered the service of Mr. Rein
hardt at the corner of nth avenue and 45th
street, for $12 a week. Here he injured his
eyes so that he gave up the position in four
months, and went to work in 9th avenue for
$9 a week. In December, 1865, he came to
Poughkeepsie as head baker for Mr. Bice, at
$12 a week and his board, and in July, 1866,
he began to work for P. S. Rowland as a cake
maker. With him he remained fourteen
months, and then returned to New York as
foreman for Mr. Doring at the corner of 3rd
avenue and 46th street, at $15 a week and
board; after three months, however, he went
back to Poughkeepsie and worked for Charles
Arras a little over a year. In 1869 he spent
five months in Hoboken, N. J., as foreman for
Mr. Weidner on First street, and then en
gaged in business for himself in East New
York; but the venture proved unprofitable, and
after five months he returned to Poughkeepsie
and again worked for Charles Arras for six
years. In August, 1876, he bought his present
establishment of George Mallmann, and has
successfully conducted same for over twenty
years, building up a large and profitable trade.
On June 9, 1867, Mr. Haupt was married
to Miss Barbara Bieber, daughter of John and
Mary Bieber, highly respected residents of
Poughkeepsie. Four children were born of
this union: John, born September 26, 1868,
is a clerk in his father's establishment; Rai-
mund, born January 25, 1871, assists as a cake
baker; Alfred E., born December 2, 1872,
died at the age of sixteen; and George W.,
born July 26, 1879, is in school. The family
attend the Lutheran Church, but Mrs. Haupt
is an Episcopalian. Mr. Haupt has won the
respect of the people wherever he is known,
and is prominent among the self-made men of
his locality. He has taken an active interest
in politics, voting the Republican ticket as a
rule, and in 1895 was elected supervisor of the
Second ward. Socially, he is a member of
the I. O. O. F.

ip.EORGE H. BONTECOU. The first an-
\^i cestor of the Bontecou family, of whom
we have a definite account, was William Is-
brand Bontekoe, who lived in the early part of
the seventeenth century. In 1618 he was cap
tain of the " Nouvelle Hoorn," a ship of 1,110
tons burden, and a crew of 206 men, which in

that year set sail for the East Indies. He
had touched at the uninhabited island of Mas-
caruque and at Madagascar, and was nearing
Batavia when a fire broke out in the vessel,
and while making efforts to extinguish it he
was deserted by sixty-six of his men, who es
caped in a shallop and a smiall skiff. He was
unable to subdue the flames, and when they
reached the magazine the ship was thrown into
the air and totally destroyed, but BontekSe in
falling had the good fortune to grasp a spar,
which supported him until he was picked up by
the shallop. At another time, while in command
of a ship of thirty-two guns, BontekOe took
part in the expedition in which Cornelius, with
eight vessels, ravaged the coast of China.
Bontekoe wrote an account of his voyages,
and the incidents referred to have been util
ized by Alexander Dumas in a story entitled
"Bontekoe," the first in his volume — "Les
Drames de la Mer." Unfortunately no known
record exists relating to this man's ancestors
or descendants, but his family was doubtless
of Dutch or Flemish origin, and it is probable
that one of his sons crossed the line and set
tled in France, where we next hear of the
name in connection with the events attending
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, October
18, 1685, by which Louis XIV put an end to
the exercise of Protestant forms of worship in
France, and compelled all who would not
adopt the Catholic faith to leave his realm.
Among the refugees who fled to England at
this time were Pierre Bontecou and his wife.
Marguerite Collinot, and five children: Mar
guerite, Peter, Sara, Daniel and Susanne. Ac
cording to the ' ' Archives Nationales, " at Paris,
they left the Isle of Re in 1684 for " La Caro
line " [a general term used to designate the
continent of North America]. Their residence
had previously been in the city of La Rochelle,
a place of great commercial importance and a
stronghold of Protestantism. It is certain
that one of the chHdren, Daniel, was born
there in 1681, and doubtless the others were
natives of that place. Pierre Bontecou and
his Httle family found refuge in England for a
few years, but in 1689 they came to America
and settled in New ¦\''ork City, where three
chHdren were born, Marie and Rachel (twins),
July 21, 1690, and Timothy, June 17, 1693.
Timothy Bontecou, our subject'.s great-
great-grandfather, no doubt spent his boyhood
in New York, but in early manhood went to
France to learn the silversmith's trade, and

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

265

remained, it is supposed, about twenty years.
We have no history of him during this period;
but he was probably married in France, as his
wife, Mary, died in New Haven, Conn., No
vember 5, 1735, at the age of thirty-three
years, according to the inscription on her mon
ument in the old cemetery in that city. On
September 29, 1736, he married his second
wife, Mary Goodrich, daughter of David and
Prudence (ChurchHl) Goodrich, of Wethers-
field, Conn. His death occurred in New
Haven, February 14, 1784, at the age of
ninety. By his first marriage he had one son,
Timothy, born in 1723, probably in France.
There were five children by the second mar
riage: Peter, who was born in New Haven,
1738; Daniel, born 1739, died 1778; David,
born 1742, died 1766; James, born 1743, died
1760; and a daughter, Mrs. Lathrop, of whom
all trace is lost.
Peter Bontecou, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was married November 14, 1762,
by Rev. Chauncey Whittlesey, to Susanna
Thomas, daughter of Jehiel and Mary Thomas,
of New Haven. They had nine children, whose
names, with dates of birth and death, are here
given: Polly Augusta, August 13, 1763, died
March 28, 1849; James, August 6, 1766, died
July 12, 1806; David (i), August 23, 1767,
died in 1767; David (2), September 9, 1768,
died January 26, 1769; Susannah (i), 1769,
died in infancy; Susannah (2), 1770, died De
cember 25, 1777; Peter, 1770, died June 12,
1794; Sarah, July 30, 1775, died January 9,
1861; and David (3), March 17, 1777, died
Mays, 1854-
David Bontecou, the grandfather of our
subject, was married October i, 1769, to Pol
ly Claik, daughter of Samuel and Anna (Haw
ley) Clark, and reared a family of eight chH
dren, of whom the first four were born at the
old home ofthe family in New Haven, and the
remaining four in Coeymans, N. Y. Their
names with dates of birth are as follows:
Peter, January 26, 1797; Elizabeth, October
14. 1798; Susannah, July 25, 1801; James
Clark, July 11, 1803; Sarah, May 19, 1805;
David, October 25, 1807; Samuel Stover,
January 23, 18 10, died July 11, 1812; and
George, our subject's father.
George Bontecou was born June 23, 18 12.
He was married September 6, 1838, to Lydia
Ann Whipple, who was born May 28, 1818,
the daughter of WHliam and Hannah (Adams)
Whipple, of Troy, N. Y. She died in Troy,

February 20, 1864, and July i, 1869, Mr.
Bontecou married Margaret Dustin, daughter
of Ananis and Margaret (Hunter) Dustin, of
Waterford. Erie Co., Penn. The family
moved from Troy, N. Y. to Vineland, N. J.,
in 1866, and he died there August 7, 1893.
There were ten chHdren by his first marriage,
their names with dates of birth being as fol
lows: Mary Hannah, August 19, 1839; WHl
iam Whipple, August 17, 1841, died October
14, 1842; Susan, May 29, 1843; WiHiam
Wright Whipple, June 19, 1845; Elijah Whip
ple, June 27, 1847; George Henry, May 17,
1849; Philip Dorlon, January 23, 1853; Abby
Whipple, April 12, 1856; and Reed and Fran
cis (twins), December 26, 1858 (of whom the
latter died July 24, 1859). By the second
marriage there were two children: Lydia Ann,
born April 5, 1870; and John, born February
20, 1876, and died April 4, 1879.
As will be seen by the above record, George
Henry Bontecou, the subject proper of this
sketch, is of the sixth generation in direct de
scent from the brave Huguenot pioneer, Pierre
Bontecou. A native of Troy, N, Y. , he was
educated in the common schools there, and at
the age of thirteen entered the employ of the
New York Central & Hudson River railroad.
In 1867 he went to Minnesota as an employe
of the Southern Minnesota Railroad Co. , and
remained until 1872, when he became station
agent at Dutchess Junction for the N. Y. C.
R. R. and the N. D. & C. R. R. This posi
tion he has held ever since, his able manage
ment giving entire satisfaction to the compa
nies which he represents, and to the traveling
public. For the last five years he has also
been engaged in the manufacturing of common
building brick for the New York market, his
yards being located at Dutchess Junction. His
excellent judgment in business affairs has made
him a valued worker in different enterprises,
among them the Matteawan Savings Bank, of
which he is a trustee. His counsel is sought
in political matters also, and he is secretary of
the Republican committee of the town of Fish
kill, and was a delegate to the Republican
State Convention at Saratoga in 1895. He is
foreman of the WHIar H. Mase Hook and
Ladder Co., of Matteawan, also a member of
the State Firemen's Association, and he is
also secretary of the Matteawan Club. In the
Masonic fraternity he is an active worker, be
longing to Beacon Lodge No. 283, Highland
Chapter of Newburg, Hudson Commandery,

266

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

K. T. of Newburg, and Mecca Temple of New
York CHy.
He has a pleasant home at Matteawan, and
he and his wife (formerly Miss Emma Mase)
are leading members of the M. E. Church, in
which he holds the office of secretary of the
board of trustees. They have had four chil
dren: George died at the age of fifteen;
Howell is a student in the Medical Department
of the University of Pennsylvania; Edna and
Pierre are at home. Mrs, Bontecou is a daugh
ter of Sylvester H. and Almira (Cornwell)
Mase, and a descendant of a family which has
been distinguished in several generations for
patriotism, her great-grandfather, Peter Mase,
having been a soldier in the Revolutionary
war, while her grandfather, Peter Mase, served
in the war of i8i2. Her father was second
lieutenant in the 128th N. Y. V. I. during the
CivH war. He was one of the most prominent
men of Matteawan, engaging in hat manufac
turing, in the dry-goods business, also in the
wholesale and retail leather business, and he
held the office of sheriff of Dutchess county for
two terms.

C\HARLES G. BAUMANN, a prominent sa-
1 loon keeper of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born in that city November 23,
1863. \
The home of his ancestors was in Waldurn
Baden, Germany, where his father, John Bau-
mann, was born March 16, 1812. The latter
attended the school of his birthplace during
boyhood, and later learned the shoemaker's
trade, serving an apprenticeship of five years.
He afterward traveled through Switzerland as
a journeyman cobbler, and in 1853 came to
America, where he followed his trade in Cin
cinnati, but shortly afterward returned to
Poughkeepsie and engaged in the manufacture
and sale of cigars in a wholesale way. He was
cautious and conservative, and made a success
of the enterprise, accumulating a fine property.
An independent voter, he thought more of se
curing good men for office than of party ties,
and he never sought political preferment for
himself. He was a prominent member of the
Church of the Nativity (Roman Catholic), and
was a leader among the German-born popula
tion. In 1842 he was married in Germany to
Eva Catharine Spieler, who died July 16, 1889.
In the following year he disposed of his busi
ness, and on May i, 1891, he, too, departed this

life. Of the nine chHdren of this union five
lived to adult age and four are still living:
August; Josephine, the wife of Adam Messer-
schmidt, of New York; Mary Louisa, the widow
of Robert Farley; and Charles G., our subject.
Charles G. Baumann was educated in the
German Catholic school at St. Michael, and
attended the public schools for one year. He
became famihar with both English and Ger
man, and has been quite a reader of current
literature. After leaving school he tended
bar for three years for Albert Von Der Linden,
on Market street, and then took a similar posi
tion with Charles Matheis, at No. 116 Main
street. On his employer's death six years later,
Mr. Baumann continued the business for the
widow for one 3'ear, and then on May i, 1885,
bought the business and the building. He has
been the agent for Jacob Ruppert 's beer for
twelve years. As a business man he has been
remarkably successful, and he takes a promi
nent part in various local movements, being a
member of the Germania Singing Society, the
Phoenix Hose Co., the Young American Hose
Co. No. 6, the Veteran Fire Association, the
Dutchess Social Club, and he is an honorary
member of the Knights of St. George, and a
charter member of the Elks. In religion he
follows the faith of his father, and adheres to
the Roman Catholic Church.
On October 8, 1889, Mr. Baumann married
Miss Anna M. Haidlauf, the only chHd of Dr.
John and Rosalie Marie Elizabeth Haidlauf,
the former of whom (now deceased) was one
of the leading German physicians of Pough
keepsie. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bau
mann two children have come: Rosa Helena
and Katie Josephine, the latter being now de
ceased.

LEWIS PINCKNEY. an industrious and
 ! progressive agriculturist of the town of
Pawling, Dutchess county, was born January
I, 185 1, in the town of Carmel, Putnam Co.,
N. Y. , where his forefathers were among the
most prominent of the early settlers. His
grandfather, Gen. Stephen Pinckney, was a
native of that place, and passed his Hfe there
in agricultural pursuits, to which, in later
years, he added mercantile business. He held
the rank of general in the militia of his day,
and was a leader in many important local
movements. His first wife. Miss HHl, died
not long after their marriage, and he formed

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

26T

another matrimonial union, this time with
Miss Ann Hager. Eight children were born
to them: WiHiam; Ira, who never married;
Mrs. ArabeHa Pircle; Mrs. Nancy Smith; Perry;
Michael; Alva and Stephen. Most of the
members of this famHy settled near the old
home, and the others located at Norwalk, Con
necticut. Perry Pinckney, our subject's father, was a
carpenter by trade, but was also engaged at
times in farming. He was an energetic man,
successful in business, especially in early man
hood; a member of the Baptist Church and a
leading supporter of the Democratic party.
A large portion of his life was passed near
Lake Mahopac and in his native town, but his
last years were passed in Luddingtonville,
where he died November 25, 1879. His wife,
Eleanor Lockwood, daughter of Daniel Lock-
wood, departed this life January i, i868. Of
their seven children, six lived to maturity,
namely: Sarah, who married Robert Lee;
Lewis, our subject ; Sophia, the wife of Walter
Tompkins; James S. , who resides west of
Pawling; Lorainy, who is not married; and
Carrie, the wife of John Pattison, of White
Plains, New York.
The subject of our sketch received his edu
cation mainly in the district schools of the
town of East Fishkill, and after his mother's
death began working by the month for farmers
in the locality during the summer season and
attended school during the winter at Peekskill,
Pawling and other places, obtaining as good
schooling as the locality afforded notwithstand
ing many discouragements. He was employed
at farm work until he was thirty-eight years
old, working at Hurd's Corners for many
years, with one winter in Scrub Oak Plains,
one year in East Fishkill, one year with Jere
miah Mead, eight months with Albert Corbin,
eight with Arnold Brothers, below Pawling,
and then after a winter in Mr. Allen's school
in that viHage he worked for Allen Light for a
few months and for his father-in-law at Cold
Spring for two years, returning again to Mr.
Light's for a short time. His next employer
was Theodore Wheeler, of Dover, with whom
he stayed nine years and eight months, and he
then went West, spending some months in
Kansas and Iowa. On his return in the fol
lowing spring he again engaged in farm work,
spending one year each with Mr. Ferguson,
J. B. Dutcher, John Arnold and John L.
Haynes. In 1 890, after twenty -two years in all

at this work, he rented his present farm of
664 acres near Pawling from Hooker & Ham-
merlies. He has thirty-seven cows and is
largely interested in dairying.
His sterling qualities of character and the
indomitable perseverance that has enabled him
to make his way without the aid which helps
so many men to a prosperous career, have
won for Mr. Pinckney the respect of all who
know him. He has so far passed his life in
single blessedness. He is a member of the
Methodist Church in Pawling, and supports the
principles ot the Democratic party without
taking an active share, however, in political
work.

FETER MILLER. This gentleman worthi-
 ly illustrates the commonly-accepted view
of the character of the enterprising German
citizen, who has made his own way in this
country, and is now at the head of a good re
tail boot and shoe business. A native of
Westphalia, he was born September 28, 1848,
and is the son of John J. Miller, who was also
born in the same place, in 18 15, and by trade
was a shoemaker, which occupation was fol
lowed by his father and grandfather.
In his native land John J. Miller was united
in marriage with Miso Anna C. Heller, also a
native of Westphalia, and to them were born
five children, namely: John, a shoemaker of
Germany; P»ter, of this sketch: Regina, wife
of Mathew Zeigen, of Poughkeepsie; Cather
ine, who died in infancy; and Carl, a shoe
maker, of Germany. The father never left
the Fatherland, where he continued to follow
his trade until he was called from this earth in
1 86 1. His wife had passed away in 1850.
They were devout members of the German
Catholic Church.
Mr. Miller, of this sketch, was an enter
prising, ambitious boy, and after working at
the shoemaker's trade in Germany until he had
reached his majority, Ije determined to seek his
fortune on this side of the Atlantic. Accord
ingly he set sail in 1871, and has since been
one of the worthy citizens of Poughkeepsie,
where he was first employed at shoemaking,
and also as a clerk in the store of Frank Marks
for about a year and a half. After filling a
similar position with Michael Timmins fornine
years, he in 1883 started in the shoe business
on his own responsibHity at No. 123 Main
street, where he carried on operations for five

268

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

years, and then purchased his present store at
No. 131 on the same street.
In January, 1876, Mr. MHler led to the
marriage altar Mrs. Mary C. Muckenhoupt, a
widow lady who had nine children by her first
union, and they became the parents of one
son — Charley T. Both our subject and his
wife are members of the Roman Catholic
Church, and in politics he gives his allegiance
to the Democratic party. He isa progressive,
wide-awake business man, enjoying a liberal
patronage and is held in high esteem in both
business and social circles.

SIMON J. KELDER, one of the leading
,_,J young merchants of Poughkeepsie, N. Y.,
and a most respected and useful citizen of that
city, is a native of the town of Rochester, Ulster
Co. , N. Y. His great-grandfather was a resi
dent of Marbletown, Ulster county, he being
one of the leading farmers of his day. His
grandfather was a resident of the same place,
he also being a farmer, and he held several
public offices. To him and his wife, Susan
Christian, were born seven children, one of
whom, George Kelder, was the father of Simon
J., the subject of our sketch.
George Kelder was born in the town of
Rochester, Ulster Co., N. Y., January 15, 1840.
On October 9, 1861, he was married to Miss
Martha A. , daughter of Jacob and Nancy Roosa,
of the town of Rochester, Ulste^ county, and
they had one child, Simon J. The father was
a bright and capable young man, with a promis
ing future, but whose life was taken at the early
age of twenty-four years — when but at the
threshold of his active career — he dying from
brain fever in 1864. His widow subsequently
married Edward L. Rymph, of Hyde Park,
Dutchess county, this State, of which place
she is still a resident.
Simon J. Kelder passed his early boyhood
in Ulster county, and at the age of five years,
on his mother's re-marriage, went with her to
Hyde Park and there lived, making his home
with his parents untH seventeen or eighteen
years of age, working on a farm; in the mean
time he attended the common schools, and for
a period the seminary at New Paltz. He then
went to Poughkeepsie and engaged in the hat
and cap business, being located at No. 283
Main street, which business he continued to
follow some six years, when he disposed of it
and purchased the grocery business of J. Craft,

at No. 521 Main street, in the same city. In
1894 he removed to No. 396, on the same
street, from which house his retail business is
done, and the wholesale department is at No,
391. Mr. Kelder began his business life at an
early age, and with small means, but from an
humble beginning and in a limited way he has
steadily forged ahead untH to-day he stands
among the foremost young business men of
Poughkeepsie. He is one of the self-made
men of our times, and by close application to
business, coupled with wise judgment and busi
ness tact, he, though yet a young man, has
made for himself a position in business circles
of which he may well be proud. In politics
Mr. Kelder is a Republican, and has served in
several official relations. He is now one of
the aldermen of Poughkeepsie, serving from
the Sixth ward, to which office he was elected
in 1897. He takes an active interest in all
movements looking to the advancement of
morals and religion in the communitj^; is a
member of Trinity M. E. Church, of Pough
keepsie; also is identified with the K. of P.
On November 19, 1884, Mr. Kelder was
married to Miss Jennie S. Sutton, a daughter
of Henry and Louisa Sutton, of Newburg,
N. Y. , and to the union were born: Florence;
George T. , who died in the eighth year of his
age; Louisa; and Stanley M., who died in his
infancy. Their home, one of the comfortable
ones of Poughkeepsie, is located on Hooker
avenue, designated as No. 5.

MICHOLAS HOFFMAN. Among the
 many worthy citizens of German birth
who have made their fortunes in this State,
and who have been residents of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, stood prominent the gentle
man whose name opens this sketch, and who
left many friends to cherish kindly remem
brances of him when death called him hence,
Paul Hoffman, the father of our subject,
was a native of Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Ger
many, and was a shoemaker by occupation.
He married, and had the following named
children: Nicholas, our subject; Frank, living
in St. Helena, Cal. ; Valentine, who died in
Poughkeepsie; PhHip, who died in Norfolk,
Va. ; and Margarett and Caroline, who stHl
live in their native town in Germany.
Nicholas Hoffman was born at Aschaffen
burg, Bavaria, Germany, February 28, 1832.
He received a limHed education in his native

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

269

land, and served a three-years' apprentice
ship at the shoemaker's trade. In 185 1, when
nineteen years of age, he came to this country,
landing at New York City, where he worked
as a journeyman for a year, and then set up a
shop of his own, in a room in the tenement
house where he lived, on Third street, near
Avenue A. After a year and a half spent in
this way he left New York for Whiteport,
Ulster county, where he followed his trade for
the succeeding two years. He then purchased
a team, and was engaged in teaming some ten
years, at the end of which time he purchased
a canal boat and went to canaling for himself
on the D. &H. canal, continuing several years.
In 1866 he sold his canal boat'and moved
to Kingston, and entered into partnership
with a Mr. Sturgis in the brewing business,
but soon afterward, owing to his illness, he
sold his interest to his partner, and in 1868
came to Poughkeepsie, where he purchased a
saloon at No. 403 Main street, remaining there
until 1872, when he purchased the building on
the corner of Main and Hamilton streets, built
by PhHip Goldstein, and moved his saloon to
a part thereof in 1875. From 1875 until his
death Mr. Hoffman was proprietor of the
" Hoffman House," which is one of the finest
buHdings of its kind in Poughkeepsie, and
which, under his judicious management, be
came a very popular hotel. In 1878 he opened,
in cennection with his other business, a shoe
store, which was conducted by his two sons,
Henry and Nicholas, until 1886, when he sold
the shoe business and opened his saloon in the
room where it had been, named it the ' ' Hoff
man House," by which name it is at present
known. Mr. Hoffman was a man of considerable
business ability, possessed of excellent judg
ment and great perseverance and enterprise.
He landed in this country among strangers, an
unsophisticated lad, with only ten cents in his
pocket, and totally unacquainted with the lan
guage. He taught himself to speak, read and
write English, and became a generally well-
informed man in EngHsh literature, not only
became prosperous financially, but succeeded
in making friends among the best class of citi
zens who appreciated his generous, whole-
souled nature, and admired his sterling quaH
ties. Among his business associates he had
the reputation of being careful, thrifty and
thoroughly honest, and in public matters he
was liberal and always ready to assist in any

way desired. A Democrat in politics, he was
not a partisan, and in local affairs was wHling
to see the best men put in office regardless of
their party affiliations. In religious faith he
was a member of the German Catholic Church,
and prominent in its councils. His death oc
curred August 28, 1877.
In 185 1, in New York City, Mr. Hoffman
was married to Elizabeth Kunney, daughter of
Andrew and Margaretta Kunney, and who had
come to America on the same ship with him,
and seven children blessed their union, namely:
Frank and Katherine died in early childhood;
Caroline, at home; Henry and Nicholas (both
deceased); Katherine and Frank, both living at
home. The family are highly esteemed and
respected by all who know them.

ULFORD WHEELER, one of the act-
^ ive, prominent and enterprising agri
culturists of the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess
county, was born April 27, 1840, in the town
of Amenia, that county, a son of B. Hampton
Wheeler, who was born in the town of North
east, in 1 81 3. Eben Wheeler, paternal grand
father of our subject, was bornin 1750, also in
the town of Northeast, where he continued to
follow farming up to the time of his death,
which occurred about i860. The family was
first founded, however, in Connecticut by En
glish emigrants, and the grandfather aided the
Colonies in their struggle for independence.
He wedded a Miss ConkHn, and they became
the parents of ten chHdren, namely: B. Hamp
ton, Albert, Edmond E. , Emeline, Harriet,
Betsy Ann, Julia, Cornelia, Mariette (Mrs.
Story) and Alma, wife of Robert Rowe.
The father of our subject was an extensive
farmer and one of the leading citizens of the
town of Amenia, his place being located about
one mile south of the village of Amenia. He
was a strong man, of more than ordinary abil
ity, possessed excellent business judgment and
great energy, and accumulated a handsome
property, having at one time three large farms
in the town of Amenia, all the result of his own
enterprise and diligence. He took quite an
active part in political affairs, voting the Dem
ocratic ticket and held several offices in the
locality, including that of assessor, which he
filled for several years. He was prominently
connected with the Amenia Fair Association,
being its president for several years, and was
identified with everything that would promote

270

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

the welfare of his town or county. He mar
ried Emeline Clark, daughter of Dugass Clark,
of the town of North»ast, and they became the
parents of five children: Mulford; Mrs. Sarah
Bartholomew; Ehzabeth; Clark D. (of the
town of Northeast) and Collin, who died at the
age of ten years.
Mulfotd Wheeler acquired an excellent ed
ucation in the Amenia Seminary, which at that
time was one of the first schools of the county,
and in later years he supplemented the knowl
edge there acquired by extensive reading.
After the age of twelve he was able to attend
school only in the winter season, as his serv
ices were needed upon the home farm, where
he remained until 1865. After operating one
of his father's farms in the town of Amenia for
some time, in March, 1871, he removed to his
present place in the town of Pine Plains, hav
ing purchased it of the EH Collin estate. It
comprises 309 acres of rich and arable land,
which he has converted into one of the best
iarms of the township.
In January, 1867, Mr. Wheeler was mar
ried to Miss Sarah F. Collin, who was born
June 24, 1847, a daughter of Eli Collin, who
was born February 23, 1805. Her great-great-
l^randfather, John CoHin, was born in France
in 1706, and on coming to the New World
located at MHford, New Haven Co., Conn.,
where his son, Daniel Collin, was born Febru
ary 19, 1734. The latter became the father
•of James Collin, the grandfather of Mrs.
Wheeler, who was born AprH 15, 1777. He
-was a large land owner of Dutchess county,
having at one time about 1,000 acres, and the
family was one of the most prominent in the
county. Eli Collin was born in the town of
Northeast, where he continued to make . his
home untH 1828, when he removed to the
farm now owned by our subject, and was one
of the most successful agriculturists of the
locality. On February 20, 1830, he married
Betsy Finch, and they had nine children:
Almira, Julia, James and William, all now de
ceased; Henry, living in the town of Northeast;
Lydia and Myra, both now deceased; Sarah,
wife of our subject; and Bryan, living in New
York City. Mr. Collin was originally a Whig
in politics, later becoming a Republican. He
died in 1861, his wifS eight years later,
Mr. Wheeler has always been an ardent
Democrat in political sentiment, taking an
active part in local political matters, and was
elected to office before he had reached his

majority. He served as assessor for three
years, and was commissioner of highways in
the town of Amenia. Always public-spirited,
every worthy enterprise for the benefit of the
community receives his support, and he and
his wife attend and contribute liberally to the
Presbyterian Church, of which Mrs. Wheeler
is a member.

JAMES E. WAITE, a well-known conduct
or on the New York Central & Hudson
- River raHroad, and one of the most trusted
employes of the company, was born July 6,
1843, in tjie town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, where his father, Joseph Waite, and
his grandfather, Joseph Waite, were also born.
The latter engaged in farming there, and mar
ried a Miss Draper, by whom he had seven
children: Joseph, George, Patience, Mary,
Sarah, Katie A. and Valley.
Joseph Waite, the father of James E., was
a prominent citizen in his day. He acquired
a good practical education in the schools of his
native town, and then put his fine talent and
skill in mechanical work to good use as a car
penter and builder. In this business he was
regarded as an expert, and his work is to be
seen in many of the best houses of that region.
He built many of the substantial residences of
Dover Plains, including the one now occupied
by our subject. He was held in high esteem
by all classes and took great interest in town
affairs, but he never aspired to political dis
tinction and many times refused to become a
candidate for public office, although strongly
urged to do so. In early manhood he married
Miss Amelia Applebee, "of the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county, and they had ten
children, of whom the following five are now
recalled: John, who married Catherine Van-
Wagenen; WiHiam, who married Louisa Ro-
zell; Charles, who married Susan J. Bortem;
Nehemiah (deceased); and James E.
The subject of our sketch availed himself
of the educational advantages to be found in
his native place, and then learned the carpen
ter's trade with his father, for whom he worked
for some time. Finding the business uncon
genial, he engaged in farming, but soon after
ward began driving a stage, and continued this
business for sixteen years, when he entered
service on the Harlem railroad as a brakeman.
After eleven years he was promoted to con
ductor, which position he has now held for

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

271

twelve years to the entire satisfaction of his
employers and the public. He is an active
worker in the Masonic fraternity, a member of
the Mutual Benefit Association, and of Lodge
No, 666, of Dover Plains, in which he has held
most of the offices. He has twice served as
junior warden, and is master at the present
time. He married Miss Carrie Rozell, who
was also a native of the town of Unionvale,
Dutchess county, where she received an ex
cellent education. Two children were born to
them, neither of whom is now living: (i)
Clarence J. Waite was born in Unionvale, in
1863, and after acquiring a good education
there engaged in mercantile business at Pawl
ing, Dutchess county. Later he entered the
service of the Harlem Railroad Co., and re
mained until his death, which occurred De
cember 30, 1890. In 1887 he was married to
Miss Kittie Brusie, daughter of Wesley Brusie,
a leading farmer of the town of Northeast, and
his wife Helen. One child blessed this union,
Clarice J. Waite, born March 14, 1891. (2)
Irving Waite, the second son of our subject,
was born in Unionvale in 1865, and attended
the district schools of that vicinity till death
terminated his bright and promising life at the
age of twelve years.
The Rozell famHy has been prominent in
Unionvale for many years. Albert Rozell,
Mrs. Waite's grandfafher, was born and edu
cated there and later became a leading farmer
of the town. He married Miss Betsy Horton,
of the same place, and had twelve chHdren, of
whom only five are now known: Beekman,
Albro, James, Mary and Albert (Mrs. Waite's
father). Albert, like his father, was educated
in the common schools of the town, and then
engaged in farming. As a politician he wield
ed great influence in town and county affairs,
and he held the office of sheriff for many years,
as well as various positions in his township.
He and his wife, Tamar Orton, reared a family
¦of eight chHdren, all but one of whom mar
ried. The names, with dates of birth and their
respective partners in matrimony, are as fol
lows: Emma, 1837 — John Schafer; Henry,
1838 — Lizzie Van Black; James, 1841 — Annie
Green; Carrie, 1843 — James Waite; Rhoda,
1845 — Rennselaer Lane; George, 1852, is not
married; Celia, 1854 — Elias Fleet; and Alice,
1856 — Benjamin Squires. The younger chil
dren of our subject's grandfather Waite all
married and settled in Dutchess county.
George Waite was born in Unionvale,

Dutchess county, in 1789, and received a com
mon-school education there. He then learned
the shoemaker's trade, at which he worked for
some thirty years, when he engaged in farm
ing. He was a Democrat in politics, and held
numerous town offices, serving as justice of the
peace for a number of terms. He married
Miss Lucinda Bently, daughter of William
Bently, a farmer of Beekman, and his wife,
Susanna Spencer. Eight children were born
to George and Lucinda Waite: (i) Joseph died
in infancy. (2) George W. Waite was born
in 1812, in the town of Beekman. After his
school days were ended he learned the carpen
ter's trade, at which he worked all his life.
He married Almira Van Wike, daughter of
Theo. Van Wike, a farmer of Unionvale, and
had four children: Frank Waite married Mary
Hayte; Fred O. married Annie Frier; Corne
lius married Ida Waite; and Kate married
WiHiam Voce. (3) NeHson was born in the
town of Beekman in 18 16, and engaged in
farming, teaching and merchandising. He
married Miss Annie White and had two chil
dren: Dwight and Emma J. (4) Cornwell
Waite was born in the town of Beekman in
18 18, and was educated inthe common schools
of Unionvale. Early in life he engaged in
farming in that town, and continued untH he
was thirty-five or forty years old, when he
moved to South Dover, purchasing the Harri
son Sheldon farm, containing 160 acres of land,
where he has now resided for a number of
years. His first wife was Miss Silby Corn-
well, daughter of James and Cloey (Sherman)
Cornwell, farmers of the town of Beekman,
Dutchess county. By this marriage he had
one child, Harriet A., who married Mr. Ald
ridge, of Pawling, and had three children:
Allie and Cornelia (who are not married), and
Morton (the latter dying in infancy). The
mother of this family died in 1850. Mr.
Waite afterward married Mrs. Hannah (Ward)
Sheldon, widow of Harrison Sheldon, of Do
ver. They have had four children: Minnie
Waite, who was educated in the Poughkeepsie
Normal School, is not married. Henry C.
Waite, who was born in Dover town, and was
educated at Mt. Union (Ohio) College and at
Wilberham, Mass., graduating at the latter
place. He taught school for a few years', and
is now connected with the Erie railroad, in the
maH department, in New York City, He mar
ried Addie Kingsbury, but has no children.
Irving P. was educated at Prangs, Dover

272

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Plains, and De Garmo Institute, at Rhinebeck.
He has always been engaged in farming, and
is not married. William A. was educated at
WHberham, Mass., and at Mt. Union (Ohio)
College. He taught school for a number of
years, and then took a clerical position at New
York with the Erie railroad; he is now en
gaged in the express business in New York
City. He married Anna Davis, and has two
children: Stewart D. and Eleanor. (5) Helen
is not married. (6) Harriet married Moses
Waite, a carpenter of Dover, and had one
chHd, George S. White. (7) Catharine re
mained unmarried. (8) Sarah was born in
the town of Unionvale, and married Isaac D.
Tripp, a farmer and miller of that town. They
had no children.
Patience Waite, the third child of Joseph
Waite, Sr., was born in the town of Union
vale, and married Richard Cornwell, a farmer
of the town of Beekman. They had one son,
Joseph Cornwall, who died at an early age.
Mary Waite, also a native of the town of
Unionvale, married Baria Austin, a farmer of
that town. They had three children: Aaron
B., who married Julia Lane; Sarah, Mrs.
David Amie, and Jane, Mrs. WilHam W. Abel.
Sarah Waite married John Hall, a farmer
of Unionvale, and had thirteen children: Platt,
De Peyster, Jay, Katie (who married David
Hawer), Polly, Phoebe (who married Henry P.
Amie), EHen, Jane, Mary, and four others,
whose names are not known.
Katie A. married William McDowel, a
farmer of the town of Warrington, Dutchess
county, and had two children: Joseph (who
married Miss Van Wagenen) and Katie Ann.
Valley Waite married William Hall, a
farmer. He was a cripple, but filled a promi
nent place in the community, and during the
greater part of his life was collector of the town
of Unionvale. They had two children, Joseph
and George.

TrTrNDERHILL BUDD, the subject of our
^/ sketch, one of the most progressive and
intelligent agriculturists of the town of Wap
pinger, Dutchess county, is a descendant of
one of the oldest Colonial families in this coun
try. He is the seventh son of Elijah Budd, a
prominent farmer of Dutchess county in his
day. Elijah Budd was born in the year 1781,
on the same day that Lord Cornwallis surren
dered his army to Gen. Washington at York-

town, at the close of the Revolution. Elijah's
father, Gilbert, came from Westchester county,
and settled in the Highlands, north of Cold
Spring. From there he came to FishkHl, and
purchased a farm just west of the village on the
old post road, known as the Old Budd home
stead, and owned at the present time by Fred
erick Haight. Here Elijah was born. After
the death of his father, Elijah came into pos
session of the farm. In 1806 Elijah married
Abigail Sebring, daughter of Isaac Sebring, an
extensive and prosperous farmer of Dutchess
county. Isaac Sebring married, December 31,
1776, Catherine Van Benschoten, a daughter
of Tunis Van Benschoten, of New Hackensack,
Dutchess county. Isaac Sebring died in his
seventy-eighth year, his wife,' Catherine (Van-
Benschoten) in her seventy-seventh year.
Tunis Van Benschoten died in his eighty-first
year, his wife, Annie (Sleight), in her ninety-
first year. Elijah Budd sold the old home
stead, and bought a farm of John Brincker-
hodd, on the Hudson, now Low Point, and
moved there in the year 1822.
On this farm Underbill Budd was born
August 3, 1823. On October 12, 1852, Mr.
Budd married a daughter of Matthew I. Snook,
whose ancestors emigrated from Holland in
the early part of the seventeenth century.
His father was in the American army through
the Revolutionary war. • After his marriage
Mr. Budd went west to the State of Illinois, to
look after the estate of a deceased brother who
left a large landed estate, and lived there three
years. Mr. Budd became a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church at the age of six
teen years, and whHe in Illinois he received a
license as a local preacher, and was associated
with a regular Conference preacher, on the
Sabbath preaching sometimes twice, and riding
from ten to twenty mHes. He has sustained
his relations to the Church for forty years, and
has been a member thereof some fifty-six years.
During that period he has filled almost every
position of trust in the Church, and has never
received or solicited any compensation for his
labor whatever, giving his time and labor
freely for the cause of Christianity, and also
paying liberally toward the support of the
Church. At the end of three years he returned
to Dutchess county, and took charge of his
father's farm. His elder brothers having all
left home, he felt it his duty to look after
them during the period of fifteen years in the
faithful discharge of his duty. His mother

()U.7^ UjiiAjCujLt ^^L^ei^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

273

died in the year 1866 at the age of eighty-one
years. His father lived until 1 869, and died
in the eighty-ninth year of his age. Mr. Budd
stayed on the farm until the estate was sold
and settled up, and then, in 1875, moved to
the farm of his father-in-law, who died in that
same year in the eightieth year of his age.
On this farm Mr. Budd stHl lives, and although
in his seventy-fourth year he is active, both
physically and mentally. Mr. Budd lays his
activity to the fact that he has always abstained
from the use of tobacco and spirituous liquors
in any form. Mr. and Mrs. Budd have two
sons : Prof. I. S. , a graduate of the New
England Conservatory of Music at Boston, and
is now residing in the city of Newburgh, en
gaged in the profession of music; and Matthew
V. B. Budd, who owns a farm adjoining his
father, and is living at home at the present
time. Sketch of English History of Budd
Family. — Baron Gene Budd, a great soldier
and commanding officer under Charles the
Great, who established the great empire.
Charles gave him a large body of land on the
coast of what is called Normandy. Here he
ruled like a freeman, and he and his descend
ants were in many battles. They were called
French when the Normans invaded that part
of France, and they fought till they were over
come and slain, only a few men left, and their
land taken by the conquerors. Some scattered ;
but WiHiam Budd remained and worked on
the seashore, at a place called Rye. , His
sons and grandsons were in time allowed their
land, and they became soldiers. Here William
the Great came when his barons wished to
slay him; but Richard Budd gathered his men
and protected him tHl the Duke, through his
assistance, was able to check the insurgents
and bring them to a better understanding.
During the Norman Conquest three sons of
WiHiam Budd crossed over to England, and
are supposed to have named the town of Rye,
County of Sussex, England, leaving men there
for certain occasions. The father of Richard
settled back in Normandy, and inherited his
father's feudal rights.
The Duke rewarded Richard Budd by giv
ing him greater possessions. His son John
inherited them, and when Edward of England
died he was the first to muster his knights and
soldiers and land at Rye, England, to defend
the claim of William of Normandy to the
throne of England, and in the great battle
18

which took place it is claimed by our ancestors
that his valor turned the tide of battle, in
which the Saxons were defeated. After this
battle William the Great was made king of
England. John Budd married a sister of WHl
iam the Great, and was made Earl of Sussex.
John Budd and his descendants buHt up Rye,
but the town and all the records were burnt in
the wars which followed. They held positions
of soldiers and knights. They married in the
NevHs, Brownes, and Montagues, and during
the war of the Red and White Roses many of
them were slain with the brave Earl and Lord
Montague, their cousins, who fell at Barnet
with axe and sword in hand after piling heaps
of slain around them. Edward the Fourth
having secured the crown, the descendants of
the Nevils, Budds and Brownes found no favor
with him or his reigning heirs, and many of
their large estates were confiscated. -i'^
John Budd resolved to find freedom in
America, and made the first settlement in Rye,
Westchester county. It was on the past re
nowned history of the Budd family in France
that Joseph Bonaparte, Count SurviHers, ex-
King of Spain, while visiting Col. John Budd,
at Budds Lake, Morris Co., N. J., claimed the
aged sire to be of high French blood, and
everything went along smooth enough with
them until Joseph's daughter happened to find
a picture of Napoleon on horseback, being led
by the Russian bear, which had been placed
in some room unknowingly to the Colonel.
The Countess brought the picture to her father,
in tears, and Joseph, finding the Colonel in the
dining-room, threw the picture at his head,
and soon the blood was high on both sides,
Bonaparte claiming the Colonel a traitor to his
great French ancestors, and the Colonel claim
ing Joseph to be a coward by deserting his
brother Napoleon in his great trial; and that
he knew nothing of the picture, it having been
placed in the room by some summer visitor
who had recently left. The hot blood did not
abate in the quarrel, and the Colonel ordered
Joseph Bonaparte to leave the house and
premises without delay, which he did and re
turned to Bordentown, never to visit the lake
again.
Prominent Members of the Budd Fami
ly in the early History of the Country.
Thomas Budd was blown up in the "Ran
dolph," whHe engaging a British frigate during
the Revolutionary war. John Budd, the first
son of Daniel Budd, was born AprH 5, 1762, in

274

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

the town of Chester, and at the age of sixteen
years entered the Continental service under
George Washington. He had charge of a bat
tery when the British were advancing on
Springfield, and kept the enemy in check un
til the militia gathered in force, which was
about the time the " Red Coats" (as he called
them) made a charge on his guns. Seeing that
he could not save them, he ordered his horses
to be cut loose, and under their fire and shouts
of Yankee curses to halt, made good his re
treat. The mHitia having gathered, the Brit
ish got the worst of it, and the guns were re
covered. At the battle of Monmouth he took
part on that hot day, and was made colonel.
Joseph Budd was a captain in the war of 1812,
commanding his company at Sandy Hook, N.
J., and other places of defense. Daniel Budd,
born July 27, 1722, was assessor of the township
of Roxiticus, N . j; , and a captain in the reserves
of the Revolutionary war. James Budd re
sided in BurHngton, and was a member of the
Colonial Assembly in 1668. He was drowned
in the Delaware at Burlington, N. J., in 1692.
Gilbert Budd was a surgeon in the British
navy for thirty years. He returned to this
country after the Revolutionary war, and lived
with his cousin. Col. Gilbert Budd, of Mamaro
neck, N. Y. , till his death, which occurred in
1805, when he was aged eighty-five years.
American History of Budd Family From
1632, — John and Joseph Budd came to this
country in the year 1632. They arrived in
New Haven in 1639 as one of the first plant
ers of that place [New Haven Col. Rec. , Vol.
1-7-425.] He removed to Southhold, L. I.,
from there to Rye, Westchester Co., N. Y, , in
1 66 1, In 1663 John Budd was deputy from
Rye to the General Court of Connecticut. He
was the first proprietor of Apawquamus, or
Budd's Neck, purchased of the natives Sachem,
Shamrocke and other Indians. The original
conveyance is on the records of Westchester
county, dated November 8, 1661, and was so
large a grant of land that the other proprietors
of Rye were jealous, and they petitioned the
General Court assembled at Hartford (now
Connecticut) not to confirm; but John Budd's
influence was such that he retained his pur
chase. He left sons, John and Joseph, andhis
will dated October 13, 1669, bequeathed to
his son John all his portion of the mills on
Blind brook, and to Joseph all of Budd's Neck.
Joseph Budd's influence with the Crown ob
tained a patent dated the 20th of February,

1695; but, owing to deficiencies in the bound
ary line between New York and Connecticut,
the Courts refused to act on this patent, and
it was not untH 1720 that it was confirmed
under the great seal of the Province of New
York. The patentees then yielded yearly to
the Governor, on the fast day of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, the annual rent of one pound
and nineteen shHlings. This was under
George I.
Lieut. John Budd married Catherine
Browne, a descending relative of Sir Anthony
Browne, the founder of the Montague family
and Henry V of England. Lieut. John Budd
left two sons, John and Joseph, and two
daughters, Judith and Jane. Lieut. John
Budd died 1670. [M. 3 Hartford, Vol. 1-425
contains his will.]
Joseph Budd, the second son of John Budd
(i), was known as Capt. Budd in 1700. He
was a prominent officer in 1701, and justice of
the peace from 1710 to 1716 and from 1720
to 1722. In 1720 he obtained a patent for the
tract purchased by his father known as Budd's
Neck. He died in 1722, and left children:
John, Joseph, Elisha, Underbill.
John Budd, son of Joseph, is mentioned in
the records of Rye, from 1720 to 1745. He
inherited the estate on Budd's Neck, which he
sold in 1745, mostly to Peter Jay. Gilbert
Budd, born in Westchester county, in 1736,
grandfather of Underbill Budd (subject of our
sketch), married Deborah Searls, born June
14, 1738; children: Underbill, Seeley, Elijah
(i), Mary P., William, Gilbert (i), John, Gil
bert (2) and Elijah (2). EHjah Budd, father
of Underbill, married Abigail Sebring; chil
dren: Isaac S. (died in his seventy-fourth
year). Van Benschoten (died in his eighty-
fourth year), John J. , Jacob (died in his eighty-
fifth year), Tunis G,, Matthew, Margaret
(died in her seventy-eighth year), Maria M.
(died in her seventy-sixth year), UnderhiH,
AmeHa A. and Edward. The father, Elijah
Budd, died in his eighty-ninth year; the
mother, Abigail (Sebring), died in her eighty-
first year.
Prominent Members of the Family of
To-day. — James H. Budd, who was congress
man, and is now Governor of California; Jo
seph Budd, judge of Superior Court, Stockton,
Cal. ; Oliver H. Budd, who is now serving his
second term in the Legislature; James Budd,
president of the Agricultural College of Iowa;
W. H. Budd, lawyer. New York City; Will-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

275

iam Budd, lawyer and senator, Mt. Holly,
N. J.; Joseph K. Budd, banker, St. Louis;
Dr. Henry Budd, Geneva, N. Y., and others.

[ENRY B. BEVIER. The Bevier family
_fx^ has been so long and so prominently
identified with the leading interests of this re
gion that to be ignorant of its history ' ' argues
one's self unknown." From the days of the
Huguenot pioneer, Louis Bevier, one of that
little company of exiles who came to America
in 1660, to. the present time, the bearers of
this name have been distinguished for the pos
session of those qualities which constitute good
citizenship, and many have held positions of
honor in the public service.
Henry B. Bevier, our subject, is a well-
known druggist and apothecary of Matteawan,
Dutchess county, born August 31, 1857, at
Napanoch, N.Y. , the son of Dr. Benjamin R.
Bevier and his wife, Ellen M. Bange. His
education was obtained at his native place, in
the public schools, and at the Van Vleck Sem
inary. At an early age he entered the employ
of Alexander A. Taylor, a druggist at Summit,
N. J., and whHe there he passed the examina
tion before the State Board of Pharmacy,
obtaining a license to follow his chosen calling.
Later he was employed as a clerk in Newark,
N. J., and other places; but in 1877 he went
to Matteawan, where he purchased the drug
store of Daniel Y. Bayley, which he has since
conducted. His business is now very ex
tensive, and he is the proprietor of Bevier's
Expectorant and Bevier's Malaria Pills, reme
dies whose effectiveness has given them an
immense sale, especially in the eastern and
middle States,
Like all of his family, he is public-spirited
and takes great interest in local progress. He
was elected coroner on the Republican ticket
in November, 1894, for a term of three years,
having a majority over his competitor of more
than 2,000 votes. As a member of the board
of education he has done much to maintain
the efficiency of the Matteawan schools. He
is a trustee of the Matteawan Savings Bank,
and a member of various social and fraternal
societies— the Matteawan Club, the F. & A. M. ,
Beacon Lodge No. 283, Newburg Chapter, and
of the order of Foresters, " Court Queen," of
Hudson. On September 14, 1887, he was married to
Miss Kate Brown, a member of a leading fam

ily of Matteawan, and daughter of the late
Monroe Brown and his wife, Mary Jones
Brown. They reside on the corner of Schenk
avenue and Ackerman street, and their pleas
ant home is gladdened by two sons, Benjamin,
born in 1888, and Monroe, born in 1893. Mr.
and Mrs. Bevier attended the Presbyterian
Church, and are prompt to lend their sym
pathy to any worthy cause.
Mr. Bevier is of the tenth generation in di
rect descent from the Huguenot exHe, and
Conrad Bevier, his great-grandfather, who was
an officer in the Revolutionary army. Dr.
Benjamin R. Bevier, his grandfather, one of
the most prominent physicians of his day, was
born September 10, 1782, and died at Napa
noch, New York, June 17, 1866. As a prac
titioner, he was distinguished fpr the rapidity
and accuracy of his diagnoses in difficult cases,
his fidelity to his patients, and his genial man
ner. The latter excellent quality both his son,
Dr. Benj. R. Bevier, Jr., and his grandson,
Henry B., inherit to a remarkable degree. He
traveled mostly on horseback, and may be
said to have lived nearly forty years in the
saddle. In a civil capacity, his life was full of
labors, and honors. He had a remarkably
sound judgment, abundant executive resources,
unflinching integrity, and correct and system
atic business habits. When only thirty years
of age. Gov. D. D. Tompkins signalized his
respect and esteem for him by making him one
of the judges of the Ulster county court, which
office he soon resigned, as it interfered too
much with his professional work. He was
twice a candidate for Congress in his district
at times when the Old Whig party, with which
he was connected, was some 3,000 in the mi
nority, and was defeated in one instance by
only one hundred and fifty, and in the other
by only six votes. He subsequently served
the county several terms in the State Legis
lature, and was also supervisor of his town.
On February 5, 1807, he married Cathar
ine E. Ten Eyck, and reared a family, among
whom was Dr. Benjamin R. Bevier, Jr, , our
subject's father, who was born January 21,
1828, at Napanoch, and after completing his
literary studies at New Paltz Academy and the
Dutchess County Academy, studied medicine
in Poughkeepsie with Drs. Cooper and Hugh-
son, and later at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons in New York City, graduating in
1849, He has ever since followed his profes
sion in his native town, and is stHI in active

276

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

practice. He is a leading member of the Ul
ster County Medical Society, and takes a
prominent share in local progress, having rep
resented his town in the board of supervisors,
and served two terms as county coroner. On
June 12, 1850, he was married to Miss Ellen
M. Bange, and has had six children, of whom
two died in infancy. The surviving four are:
Mary B., the wife of Prof. Brainard G. Smith,
of Hamilton College; Henry B., the subject of
this sketch; Conrad B., a licensed pharmacist,
now in his brother's employ; and Irene, who
is at home.
The maternal grandfather of our subject,
the late Frederick Bange, was born in Holland
in 1 801, and came to this country when he
was ten years old. Immediately after his ar
rival he was apprenticed to Squire White, of
Hartford, Conn. He was afterward a clerk
for Mr. Solomon Porter, and whHe in his em
ploy accumulated $1,000, with which he en
gaged in the crockery business, importing his
goods from England. In time, he made a
large fortune, and then began a shipping busi
ness between New London, Conn., and the
West Indies, sending out horses and mules,
exchanging them for sugar and molasses.
While in this business, he became involved
through the failure of those whom he had
assisted, and with that strict integrity that had
always characterized him, he paid every cent
of his indebtedness, and began a new financial
Hfe as a poor man. In striving to obtain what.
was due him from a sea captain who had de
frauded him, he was obliged to go to Mexico,
and while there formed the plan of engaging
in the hide and wool trade. Assisted by friends
in New York, he fitted out a vessel, and later
several vessels, of which he became the owner.
Thus began a trade which has made many
fortunes. Mr. Bange regained his lost com
petence in this trade, and then retired, buying
a country seat on the Passaic river at Newark,
N. J,, where he resided for several years. He
was induced to buy the tannery at Lackawack,
Ulster county, N. Y, , and this was conducted
several years by his son Henry. Then he
purchased real estate and water power at
Napanoch, N, Y,, upon portions of which
Forges were built, where raHroad axles and
bar-iron were manufactured. He made the
iron for the Niagara and Ohio suspension
bridge. In 1852 he built the Napanoch Blast
Furnace, and opened the iron-mine, which he
operated for four or five years, but the iron

trade becoming much depressed he was obliged
to make an assignment for the benefit of his
creditors. The entire property was sold, and
he was left in his old age, after a life of unre
mitting toil, with very little means. He was
one of the kindest, best and most unselfish of
men, always considerate in regard to the wel
fare and happiness of his family and friends.
He was honest and upright in all his transac
tions, and set an example in his life which all
would do well to imitate.

JOHN SCUTT, a prominent business man
and manufacturer of Millerton, Dutchess
county, is a native of the county, born at
Pine Plains, February 21, 1821. His ances
tors on the paternal side came from Germany
in the early part of the last century, settling in
Columbia county, N. Y. , where his grandfa
ther, John Scutt, and his father, William Scutt,
were born, the latter in the year 1777.
William Scutt, our subject's father, was a
farm laborer by occupation, and the greater
part of his life was spent in tbe towns of Pine
Plains, Northeast and Amenia, Dutchess coun
ty. Always industrious, thrifty and steady in
his habits, he was held in great esteem by all
who knew him, and without being a member
of any Church he gave evidence in his daily
life of high morality. Politically he was a
Democrat. He married Hannah Strever, a
descendant of an old Holland-Dutch family, of
Columbia county. Fourteen children were
born to this union. The father died in 1887,
in his ninety-first year, and the mother in AprH,
1840. The subject of our sketch attended the
schools of Amenia during boyhood, acquiring
a good education for the time, and he devoted
to his studies the same energy which has made
his business career such a notable success,
while his subsequent reading has kept him well
informed on current topics. At the age of
nineteen he left school and began work on a
farm; but after four years of this, having de
cided to learn the blacksmith's trade, he went
to Chenango county to work with John Tryon,
to whom he hired for one year at $4 per month.
In the following year, 1844, they formed a
partnership which lasted one year, when Mr,
Tryon moved to the West, A new firm was
then organized under the name of Moon, Dodge
& Scutt, Mr. Scutt paying fifty dollars and be
coming an equal partner. After three years-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

217

with this firm he moved to Chenango Forks,
and formed an equal partnership with Myron
Hollister, remaining one year. In 1849 he
opened a shop of his own at Gallatinville, and
in the spring of 1854 moved to Northeast Cen
ter, where he engaged in the same business for
two years. In September, 1856, he purchased
his present shop at Millerton, from Paine &
Fuller, and began the business of wagon-mak
ing and blacksmithing, employing three wagon-
makers and five blacksmiths. In 1861 he built
a furnace for the manufacture of plows and
castings, and for general custom work, and as
this was the only furnace in the vicinity he
speedily secured a large trade. He bought the
patterns of the Eddy plow, of the " Rough and
Ready," in Washington county, and has since
manufactured and sold several in all parts of
the county. Success has attended all his en
terprises, and he has won a high standing in
business circles.
In 1843, Mr. Scutt married Miss Julia Ann
Eddy, of the town of Pine Plains', and has had
six children: Charles, a prosperous young
painter of Millerton; Jane, who married Edgar
Drum; and foifr who have died — -Melinda,
John R. , Adelbert and William — the latter
passing away in infancy. The mother died
AprH 8, 1890, and is buried at Pine Plains.
Mr. Scutt is one of the pioneer members of
the Republican party, voting that ticket in
1856, and has been an influential worker in
local affairs. He held the office of supervisor
in 1886, 1887 and i8'90, has been justice of
the peace for thirty-two years, and has lately
been re-elected for another term. He became
a Freemason in 1858, and has taken great in
terest in the work of the order, having held
every office in Webatuck Lodge, No. 480.

C\HARLES S. VAN KLEECK. The Van-
'I Kleeck family originated in Holland, and
the first of the name to emigrate to this coun
try was Baltus (the great-great-great-grandfa
ther of our subject), who came to New York
City in the seventeenth century, locating on
the land whereon Trinity Church now stands.
It is not known in what year he came to Pough
keepsie, but he buHt the first house in 1702,
and was the largest landholder in the country.
He represented the county in the i6th and
17th Colonial Assembly, and died in the
springof 1717. He had six chHdren: Barent;

Johannis, born in 1680; Lawrence, who died
in 1769; Peter, Sarah and Elizabeth.
Col. Barent Van Kleeck (who was a colonel
in the French and Indian wars) married An
toinette Palmatier, and six children were born
to them: Baltus (born in 1707), Michael,
Ahazuerus, Peter, Catherine and Sarah. Peter
married Antoinette Frear, the daughter of a
French Huguenot, and their family comprised
eleven chHdren: Barent, Simon, Antoinette,
Levi, Jeremiah, Henry, Peter P., Deborah,
Mary, Trientje and David. Three sons were
soldiers in the Revolutionary war, two of them
being kiHed in the battle and buried in unknown
graves. Barent, the father of these, bought
1,640 acres of land in the town of Lagrange.
Peter P. Van Kleeck, youngest child of this
branch of the family, was the grandfather of
our subject, and was born in the town of La
grange August 21, 1757. He was the young
est son, and when the other boys enlisted in
the army he remained at home to work the
farm and care for his aged parents. At that
time many farmers in the town were called on
to carry provisions to the troops, and he among
the rest was enga'ged in that occupation. On
one occasion he was sent with his load to Wash
ington's headquarters at Newburg, and it be
ing a severely cold day Gen. Washington came
out and invited him to go into the house and
get warm. He did so, and the General gave
him a glass of wine, after which they spent
nearly two hours together in conversation. He
afterward fought in the battle of White Plains
in the Revolution.
Peter P. Van Kleeck was married three
times. His first wife was Miss Meddaugh,
who bore him two children: Deborah and
Sarah; Sarah died. His second wife was
Emily Sabin, whose children were: John, Si
mon and Syrena; for his third wife he married
Charlotte Sickles, of Albany, whose father,
John Sickles, was a captain in the Revolution
ary war. Of this union four chHdren were
born: Catherine, Levi, George and Andrew J.
Andrew Jackson Van Kleeck, the father of
our subject, was born May 22, 1829, on the
old homestead in the town of Lagrange, which
had been the birthplace of his father and grand
father before him. When he was four years
old his parents removed to Poughkeepsie.
Here he lived until thirteen years of age when
he commenced sailing on the ocean. At the
age of eighteen he was fireman on the ' ' Chris
tian City, " and when twenty-eight he became

278

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

engineer on the ' ' Empire, " a vessel plying be
tween New York City and Albany. This oc
cupation he followed until he was thirty years
of age, when he returned to Poughkeepsie and
worked at the mason's trade for ten years. He
then bought the homestead farm in Lagrange
town, and there remained the rest of his life.
When a boy he attended the old Dutchess
County Academy at Poughkeepsie, and was a
man of much intelligence, well posted in cur
rent events. For nine years he was a member
of the volunteer fire department at Pough
keepsie, and he was a member of the Mason's
Union. The old homestead farm was surveyed
in July, 1768, and the father of Andrew helped
to drive the stakes. This property, which
originally contained 1,640 acres, was later
divided up into four farms.
Andrew J. Van Kleek was married Novem
ber 6, 1 85 1, when he was twenty-two years
old, to AbigaH A. Alverson, and the following
chHdren were born to them: Susie E. , Edgar
(who died January 14, 1857), John P., Mary,
Gains Andrew, Minnie (who died December
15, 1866), Charles Swift, and Katherine Ethel
(who died August 15, 1875). Of these, Susie
E. is the wife of Fred Mulcox; John P. mar
ried Florence Teats, and they have three chil
dren — Raymond, Clifton and Leola, only one
of whom is living.

J. LYNCH, florist, Poughkeepsie, Dutch-
JKll ess county, is a native of Ireland, born
June 8, 1846, in county Limerick, and is a son
of Matthew and Margaret (Fitzgerald) Lynch.
They had a family of five children: John,
Patrick, Thomas, Bridget and M. J., all now
deceased except the last named. The father,
who was a gardener by occupation, died when
our subject was but six months old.
In 1847 or '48 the widowed mother came
to America, bringing her infant boy (M. J.)
with her; but two years later they returned to
Ireland, where he remained until he was eight
een years old, attending school up to the age
of eleven. At that early time of life he took
an engagement with the Earl of Clare, whose
estate lay on the river Shannon, to work on
the farm and in the garden, at fivepence a day.
During his serviceof seven years on this estate
his wages were increased from time to time,
and when he left he was in the enjoyment of a
pretty fair income for a boy. In 1864, in
company with his mother and brother, Thomas,

he set sail for America, his brother Patrick hav
ing preceded him in 1862 (the other brother,
John, and sister, Bridget, had both died). On
arriving in New York our subject soon became
impatient to find work, and it so chanced that
one day he met a lady on the street with whom
he engaged to go to Staten Island to take
charge of her greenhouse.
Without waiting to apprise his mother of
his intentions, the lad set out at once and
landed on the island with just twenty-five cents
in his pocket, which he invested in peaches.
His pay to commence with was to be $8 per
month, and at the end of a fortnight he asked
for a part of his wages, but did not get it then,
nor since. However, he succeeded in borrow
ing enough material to enable him to write to
his mother to let her know of his whereabouts.
He now threw up his somewhat unprofitable
situation and engaged with a C. G. Genoux at
$14 per month, at Clifton, Staten Island; but
a year and a half later we find him in the em
ploy of Timothy Ryan, florist, at Yonkers,
N. Y., at $18 per month. Receiving, how
ever, an offer of $20 a month as assistant gar
dener under WHliam Chalmers, Mr. LHenthal's
gardener, Mr. Lynch soon made a change, and
with this gentleman remained one year. The
next engagement was with W. H. Aspinwall,
of Tarrytown, N. Y. (now the RockefeHer
place), as foreman of the greenhouse depart
ment; but after twelve months he went to Col.
Babbit, of Newton, N. J., laid out his grounds
and built extensive greenhouses for him. In
1868 he -again made a change, this time ac
cepting the position of head gardener to Will
iam B. Dinsmore, of "The Locusts", on the
Hudson, having charge of the greenhouses and
ornamental grounds, and here he remained
two years. At the expiry of that time he went
to BellevHle to lay out J. B. Harvey's grounds
and one year later came to Poughkeepsie,
where he commenced his present business as
florist at the corner of Academy street and
South avenue, which property he had pre
viously purchased. He began in a small way,
having at first only one ,greenhouse, 12x50
feet in dimensions, a modest nucleus to his
present mammoth establishment comprising
ten greenhouses, ranging from 100 to 160 feet,
employment being given to five men all the
year 'round. In addition to this he owns val
uable property at No. 256 Main street, where
he has his seed and flower store. All seeds
sent out by him are tested before shipment,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

279

and parties desiring plants, bulbs, shrubs or
seeds may order as safely by mail as though
they were on the grounds to make their own
selection. In 1870 Mr. Lynch was married to Cath
erine, daughter of John and Mary (Murphy)
Powers, of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, and
natives of County Wexford, Ireland, but both
now deceased, as is also Mr. Lynch's mother.
The chHdren of John and Mary Powers were:
Patrick and James, both liverymen of Brook
lyn, N. Y. ; Edward, of Chicago; Thomas, who
was a veterinary surgeon, and is now deceased;
John, who was a liquor dealer, and is now de
ceased; and Catherine. The children born
to our subject and wife are: Thomas and
Johii, associated with their father in business;
Mary; Maggie, a bright, happy girl, who
died at the age of sixteen; James and Kate.
All the family are members of St. Mary's
Catholic Church at Poughkeepsie, and in poH
tics Mr. Lynch is neutral.

m^UGUST KOCH. The subject of this
^^ sketch is a weH-known merchant tailor
of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He was born at Leut-
nitz, Fuerstenthum Schwarzburgh-Rudolstadt,
Germany, March 2, 1834, and is the youngest
of nine children, four sons and five daughters,
of Nicolaus Casper Koch and his wife, Anna
Barbara, a Miss Fridrich, also of said place,
now both deceased.
The early life of A. Koch was spent in his
native town. At the age of six years he com
menced his schooling, and was a regular scholar
up to the age of fourteen, when he received
as good an education as the average children
at that time.
At the age of fifteen he left his home, go
ing to Stadt Remda, Sachs Weimer, to learn
his trade with Ernest Heinze, one of the best,
if not the best, master tailors in that city. At
the age of nineteen Mr. Koch came to America,
landing in New York May 21, 1853, where he
remained, working at his trade, until July,
1854. He then went to Albany, still working
at his trade in that city. In November, 1855,
he came to Poughkeepsie, and was engaged as
cutter by the late Jacob Bahret, then a well-
known merchant tailor and clothier.
In 1856 Mr. Koch married his estimable
wife, Miss Julia Caroline Bahret, a daughter
of his employer; their married life has been a
very pleasant one. Four children were born

to them, three sons and one daughter, as fol
lows: Charles Henry, WHHam Edward, Julia
and Augustus Wesley. The eldest died when
an infant. WiHiam is a plumber and tinsmith
by trade; he married Miss Sadie S. Karcher,
three children being born to them — Ernest
Harrison, Ethel J. and Florence C.
In 1866 Mr. Koch formed a co-partnership
in the merchant-tailoring business with J. J.
Bahret, a brother of his wife, and took full
charge of the cutting department. This part
nership continued up to 1 883, when poor health
made it necessary for him to retire from the
business, selling his interest to his partner.
No sooner had he gained his health and strength
than he again took up the business he always
liked so well, and started in merchant tailor
ing at No. 146 Main street, where he stHl han
dles his tape, square and shears. His son
Augustus assists him in the business.
Mr. Koch has been an active member of
the German M. E. Church since 1854, and
has been a hard worker in the Sunday-school
for nearly forty years. He is a self-made man,
starting in life with no capital, and what he
has accumulated has been through his indi
vidual efforts, energy and perseverance.

S\TEPHEN SCOFIELD, one of Pough-
) keepsie's most prominent, industrious and
progressive citizens, who for the past thirty-
seven years has been engaged in the business
of stair-building, is a native of Wayne county,
N. Y., born April 13, 1828.
Lebbens E. Scofield, father of our subject,
was born in Dutchess county, in 1801, a son
of Ephraim S. Scofield, who in an early day
moved from Connecticut to New York State.
Lebbens during his lifetime was a resident of
three different counties in the Empire State —
Dutchess, Wayne and Tompkins — and a por
tion of his earlier manhood was passed in the
town of Fishkill, near the village of Glenham.
His first occupation was that of a farmer, he
afterward serving as a watchman in factories,
etc., this change being occasioned by an ac
cident, whereby he lost the fingers of one
hand, thus incapacitating him for manual
labor. He married Susan Van de Water, who
was born, in 1797, in the town of FishkHl,
Dutchess county, of HoHand-Dutch ancestry,
and eight chHdren bless this union, viz. : Abbie,
married to Walter C. De Golyier, and living
in Danbury, Conn. ; Julia, wife of John Spald-

280

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

ing, a florist of New London, Conn. ; Stephen,
our subject; Edmund, accidentally drowned in
a pond at Glenham; Hannah (widow of Horace
Crocker), living at Payne, Ohio; Phoebe, de
ceased wife of Daniel Smith, of Wappingers
Falls; Susan, single, a dressmaker, comfort
ably situated at 103 Pine street, Poughkeepsie;
and Harmon C, who died in infancy. The
father of this family was called from earth in
1848, and the mother in 1886.
Stephen Scofield, the subject of these lines,
received a liberal education for the times, first
attending the common schools of Tompkins
county, later, when a young man, receiving
instruction in a, night school in Wappingers
Falls, while he worked in a cotton factory.
He has always been a great reader, especially
of ancient history and mechanics, becoming
on most topics a well-informed man. His first
occupation in life was farming, and in 1841 he
removed with his parents fromTompkins county
to Dutchess county, where, in the village of
Glenham, he secured work in a cotton factory.
After three years engaged in that line, he went
to Wappingers Falls, and there worked in a
cotton factory untH 1847, in which year he
commenced learning the trade of carpenter
with Stephen Armstrong, in Poughkeepsie.
Returning to Wappingers Falls, he continued
in that line of work as journeyman untH 1859,
when he took up the specialty of stair-build
ing — his present business — in Poughkeepsie,
where he has since resided, meeting with un
qualified success in his occupation, which is a
branch of carpentry requiring the highest grade
of skill. For many years he was the only
exclusive stair-builder in Poughkeepsie — in fact
in his section of the country — and his services
in buHdings have extended from fifty to one
hundred miles in all directions. He has done
work in Great Barrington, Mass., also in
Staten Island, N. Y. , in Providence, R. I.,
and in New York City.
In 1850 Mr. Scofield was united in mar
riage with Miss Letitia Mott, daughter of
Abram and Margaret Mott, of Bangall, Dutch
ess county, and two children have been born
to them: Isabella, married to J. Frank Clark,
of Norwich, Conn. , who has charge of Osgood's
drug business in that city; and Frank L. , a
musician, leader of an orchestra and band,
who married Mi.ss Florence Eastmead (daugh
ter of Charles and Janet Eastmead), by whom
he has four chHdren. Mrs. Florence Scofield
died in 1890, and for his second wife Frank L.

married Maud Rounds, daughter of Charles F.
Rounds. Mr. Scofield in his political preferences has
been a Republican ever since the formation of
that party, prior to which he was a Whig, and
has always been most pronounced in his views,
as well as an active worker in the party. In
religious faith he is a member of the Presbyte
rian Church. Socially, he is a charter member
of the K. of P., Armor Lodge No. 107, Pough
keepsie; and of the I. O. O. F., FallkiH Lodge,
No. 297, Siloam Encampment No. 36, and
Excelsior Rebekah Degree Lodge No. 7, all of
Poughkeepsie. He has always taken a zealous
interest in fraternal work, and in the K. of P.
he is past chancellor, while in the I. O. O. F.
he has passed all the chairs and been a dele
gate to the Grand Encampment.
One act in Mr. Scofield's life, for the bet
terment of his fellowmen, is his determined
and uncompromising fight against the use of
tobacco in any form, contending that it is an
incentive to the worse habit of drinking. He,
himself, is strictly temperate, a man of bright
understanding, and an excellent conversation
alist. A firm and enduring friend, it may also
be said of him that he has never been a bitter
or vindictive enemy, and he enjoys the respect
and esteem of all with whom he comes in con
tact.

C\EORGE W. KIDDER is a successful coal
Jf and lumber dealer of Staatsburg, Dutch
ess county. From researches that have been
made it has been ascertained that the Kidder
family is one of the ancient families of Eng
land. Some account relating to a transfer of
land there dated as early as 1370, in which the
name of Kydder is a party, is said to be stHl
extant. Tradition says that they are of the
stock of ancient Britons, and existed as a
family previous to the incursions of the Saxons,
Danes, or Romans, and were not disturbed at
the Conquest.
Nelson Kidder, the father of our subject,
was born at East Alstead, N. H., August 22,
1 803, was a man of more than ordinary ability,
well-informed, and highly successful in his
chosen occupation — that of farming. On De
cember 22, 1829, he. married Sophia George,
daughter of Ezra George, of Acworth, N. H.,
where she was born July 22, 1803, and they
became the parents of five chHdren: Clarissa,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

281

deceased wHe of Mr. Roys, of Alstead, N. H. ;
Miranda (Mrs. Sawyer), deceased; Erastus E.,
•engaged in the lumber business at Alstead; Va-
laria, the wife of Andrew Morrison, a large
farmer of Alstead; and George Wilder, the
subject of this sketch. The father was a strong
Democrat, but did not take an active part in
political matters, though he was naturally one of
the leading men of the community. He was a
great Church worker, belonging to the Methodist
denomination, and was one of twelve who
built the Brook church at East Alstead, where
his death occurred December 21, 1871.
There his estimable wife also died. May 26,
1883. At East Alstead, Cheshire Co., N. H.,
George W. Kidder was born April 10, 1845,
and in the common schools of the place ac
quired a good English education. He re
mained upon the home farm until he had
reached his majority, when he purchased a
half-interest in a machine shop at Alstead, be
ing a member of the firm of Roob & Kidder
for two years, selling out in the fall of 1869,
and coming to Staatsburg, Dutchess county.
Until the following spring he worked as a car
penter for William Densmore, and then began
dealing in lumber and building material, as a
member of the firm of Herrick & Kidder, which
connection was continued for five years, or
untH after the fire in AprH, 1875, when the
partnership was dissolved. Going to New
York City, he was for ten years employed by
the Mutual Benefit Ice Co. , being weighmaster
in the summer and superintendent on the river
during the winter season. In 1887 he bought
out the coal business of James Roach, at
Staatsburg, to which he immediately added a
stock of lumber and building material, since
when he has carried on business very success
fully, having a large and paying trade.
In December, 1874, Mr. Kidder was mar
ried to Miss Julia Rersley, daughter of William
H. ifiersley, of Staatsburg, and to them have
been born one son and one daughter: Bertha
M. and George Nelson. Mr. and Mrs. Kidder at
tend the Methodist Church, and in social cir
cles hold an enviable position. Mr. Kidder's
sterling integrity and general urbanity of man
ner have won him a large number of friends in
his community. In poHtics he is a stanch and
true Democrat, at National or State elections,
but on local matters he votes independently.
Socially, he is connected with Rhinebeck
Lodge No. 432, F. & A. M.

^/iiYRON SMITH, a well-known citizen of
^ Millbrook, town of Washington, Dutch
ess county, and who at this writing is holding
the office of superintendent of the poor, was
born in Amenia, Dutchess county, May 12,
185 1, a son of John H. and Maria (Reed)
Smith. His early days were spent in the dis
trict school, which he attended until fifteen
years of age, and in assisting his father at
wagon-making. His schooling he finished in a
private school at Dover, and for the following
three years he clerked in stores at Dover and
Wassaic. He then was employed as book
keeper for the New York Condensed Milk Co. ,
at Wassaic, for three years.
On February 18, 1875, Mr. Smith was
united in marriage with Mary E., daughter of
Henry and Mary H. (Arnold) Tripp. Mrs.
Smith's father was a farmer in the town of
Washington, but she was born in Amenia April
5, 1854. Of this marriage three children have
been born, as follows: Howard, deceased;
Edna L. and Frank. After his marriage Mr.
Smith located on a farm in Washington town,
which he carried on until January i, 1889, at
which time he was made superintendent of the
poor of Dutchess county, and has held that
position ever since. In this responsible office
he has given general satisfaction by his excel
lent management, and has shown himself to be
a man of good business ability, integrity and
kindly disposition.
Mr. Smith has always been a stanch Re
publican, and cast his first Presidential vote
for Gen. Grant. He takes a leading part in
political affairs in his locality, and has served
as assessor of the township for two terms, and
has also been inspector of elections. He be
longs to the Masonic fraternity and the K. of
P., and is a prominent member of the Mill
brook Club, at Millbrook, where his social
qualities are highly appreciated. In public
matters he has always been on the side of prog
ress, ready to assist in all worthy enterprises,
and commands the respect and esteem of his
fellow citizens.
The Smith family of which our subject is a
member is said to have descended from the Rt.
Rev. Dr. Smith, who was born in the parish of
Prescott, Lancashire, England, about 1460.
He was Bishop of Lincoln and Litchfield, and
with Sir Richard Sutton, was the founder of
Brazenose CoHege, Oxford University. Nehe
miah Smith and his brother John came to
America about 1638, and located at what is

282

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

now New London. Conn. Fourteen years
later he obtained a grant of land for a home
stead on the other side of the river, at what is
now known as Poquonock, in the town of
Groton. The first house on the land was built
by Nehemiah Smith about 1652, on the east
side of the road, and was burned down during
the Revolutionary war. The second house
was built by Nathan Smith, the grandfather of
our subject. From Nehemiah Smith the line
of descent is as follows: Nehemiah (2); Isaac,
born December 29, 1707, married Esther Den
ison; William, born October 26, 1749, was
married, in 1772, to Sarah Smith; Nathan,
born at North Lyme, Conn., November 12,
1788, married Nancy Waterman, of Salem, in
1 8 10. To this last named couple five children
were born, namely: Sarah M. , Gilbert B.,
Nathan W., Nancy L. and John H.
John H. Smith, father of our subject, was
born near New London, Conn., June i, 1821.
He spent his boyhood on his father's farm, and
when fifteen years of age left home to learn
the wagonmaker's trade. He was married on
June I, 1847, to Maria Reed, a daughter of
Myron Reed, of Amenia, N. Y. For some
time after his marriage Mr. Smith lived at
Amenia; but subsequently removed to Wassaic,
where he followed his trade until his death,
which occurred in October, 1892. The father
was a Repubhcan, and a prominent man in his
locality, holding various town offices, such as
justice of the peace, etc. He and his wife were
consistent members of the Baptist Church and
were estimable people. Their children were
seven in number, of whom the following rec
ord is given: Nathan is a merchant in Amenia
Union; Sarah M. married Charles M. Hoyt, a
hatter in Danbury, Conn. ; Myron is the sub
ject of this sketch; Belinda is a school teacher
and has never married; Esther M. married
WiHiam S. Tripp, a butcher in MiHbrook, and
is deceased; Edwin D. is a farmer in Pough
keepsie town; and John H. is a wagon maker
in Wassaic. The following short history of the family of
our subject's mother will prove of interest.
"The Reeds of Amenia were from Norwalk,
Conn. In 1759 James Reed was one of a com
pany of Connecticut troops who passed through
Amenia on their way to Canada to the aid of
Gen. Wolfe in the siege of Quebec. WhHe on
their way the company received news of the
capture of Quebec, and were ordered to return.
Mr. Reed was so pleased with the Oblong Val

ley through which he leisurely returned, that
he induced his father, Daniel Reed, of Nor
walk, to purchase for him some land, fifty-three
acres in all. The brothers of James Reed, who
removed here a few years later were: Ezra,
EHjah and Eliakim. The emigrant ancestor
of this family was John Reed, who came from
England in 1660. He had been an officer in
the army of the Commonwealth, and came
away at the time of the Restoration. He died
in Norwalk in 1730, aged ninety-seven years.
He was a good specimen of a Puritan soldier,
who held his ' sword in one hand, and his Bible
in the other.' "

E

ERNEST HOCHSTADTER, one of the

diligence, thrift and
having risen from a
hard toil was repaid
to a high rank in the

 most prominent contractors in eastern
New York, is a notable instance of success in
life attaihed solely by
judicious management,
humble position, where
with but meager wages,
business world.
Mr. Hochstadter was born in Lauenburg,
Prussia, Germany, April 11, 1838, the son of
Henry Hochstadter, a native of Hohenhorn,
born in 1801, and a successful teacher who oc
cupied a responsible position in the public
schools for many years previous to his death
in 1839. He married ¦Wilhelmina Turnow, a
native of Hagenow, Mechlenburg-Schwerin,
and had three sons, of whom our subject was
the youngest; August, who was for some time
in business with the latter, died in Poughkeep
sie in 1873, and Henry is a prominent grocer
in Brooklyn. The mother came to America
in 1865, and in 1882 passed away at the home
of her son in Poughkeepsie.
Ernest Hochstadter received an excellent
education in the schools of his native viHage,
and being also fond of reading has become un
usually well-informed. He was only one year
old when his father died, and as he grew older
was obliged to make bis own living at such
eniployment as could be obtained, being an
errand boy at Lauenburg and in Hamburg for
about two years and a half. He then secured
a clerkship in Hamburg, where he remained
until 1862, at which time he came to this
country. Locating in Brooklyn, he bought a
horse and cart and engaged in trucking, and in
1867 he obtained a contract from the city for
grading and paving a part of Sixth avenue,
quite an achievement, all things considered.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

283

He then began the business of constructing
sewers in partnership with his brother August,
and did $200,000 worth of work in Brooklyn
alone. In 1871 they came to Poughkeepsie to
take contracts on sewerage, and buHt all the sew
ers in the city except the one in Main street and
a few collateral lines. They employed from four
hundred to five hundred men for two years,
and on the completion of the work in 1873
they went to Hudson and laid all the pipes for
the water works there. Returning to Pough
keepsie, they laid all the pipes for the new
Gas Company, and then transferred their base
of operations to Sandusky, Ohio, where they
laid twenty-two miles of water pipe in rock,
and constructed three miles of sewer. Other
important works were the construction of the
Phoenica & Hunter raHroad in the CatskiH
Mountains; the work in the WallkHl VaHey
with a steam shovel, and the work on the
West Shore east of Rondout creek, about one
and one-half mHes; in addition, the buHding
of the tunnel at Rosendale. They also per
formed part of the work on the Poughkeepsie
Bridge. Mr. Hochstadter is very systematic
in all that he does, and doubtless his success
is due largely to his careful attention to detail.
In 1863 Mr. Hochstadter was married to
Miss Margaret Grimm, a native of Barmbeck,
Germany, and has had five children, all of
whom died in infancy. In politics he was a
Republican until the attempt to nominate Gen.
U. S. Grant for a third term, since which time
he has been a Democrat. He was street su
pervisor under Mayor Ellsworth for two years;
but has been usually too busy with his own
affairs to take an active share in party work,
although his influence has often been exerted
in a quiet way to further beneficial movements.
Among the German-born citizens he is regarded
with pride as a worthy representative of their
race. He is a member of the Lutheran
Church.
S\AMyEL SLEE was born in Poughkeepsie,
) N.Y., in 1854. His father, Robert Slee,
was born in Poughkeepsie in 1818, educated
at WHIets' Academy, at the old Nine Partners,
and soon after completing his studies became
a successful merchant, retiring from business
in 1866 to become vice-president, and, shortly
after, president of the First National Bank of
Poughkeepsie, of which he had been an incor
porator, remaining president until his death in
1893-

Robert Slee was interested in many public
enterprises and in all movements for the ad
vancement of his native place, and was largely
instrumental in securing the location in Pough
keepsie of the Hudson River State Hospital
for the Insane, the construction of railways
and the Hudson River bridge. He was of
studious disposition, and read largely, keeping
in touch with the progressive thought of the
time and cultivating the friendship of men of
like spirit; he passed the greater part of his
time in the enjoyment of his home and the
entertainment of his intimate friends, among
whom were many prominent in the profes
sions, especially the ministry. Mr. Slee's pa
ternal grandfather, from whom he was named,
was born in Gloucester, England, in 1771;
came to America in 1792, bringing his bride,
Esther, and household goods. Esther died in
1804, and was buried in Christ churchyard.
The elder Samuel Slee was admitted to
citizenship in 1802. During the State admin
istrations of George Clinton and Daniel D.
Thompkins the elder Mr. Slee held success
ively appointments of coroner, sheriff and
judge. He was also trustee of the village of
Poughkeepsie, and acted as its president. He
engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods,
importing machinery and workmen from Eng
land, encouraged by the policy then in force
of protection to home productions. Upon the
conclusion of the war of 18 12, and before the
news of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent
arrived in this country, English ships loaded
with woolens entered our harbors, and the
rising industry, left without protection to com
pete with foreign makes, was swamped, and
Mr. Slee became financiaHy involved and
forced into Htigation which only found its end
in the. Supreme Court of the United States,
where the principles for which he contended
became the law of the land. He subsequent
ly engaged in the manufacture of boots and
shoes, and accumulated a fortune the second
time after he was forty years of age. Mr.
Slee was universally known as* "Major" Slee,
and was in actual service six months in the
war of 1812, stationed at Plattsburg. His
mHitary career commenced in 1804 when he
was appointed first lieutenant (Capt. Nathan
Myers) of a company of artillery attached to
the brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Theo
dorus Bailey, by Gov. George Clinton; in 1806
Gov. Morgan Lewis appointed him captain of
the same company, in 1808 he became second

284

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

major of the 3rd Regiment of artillery on
appointment of Gov. D. D. Thompkins, by
whom he was in 1809 promoted to be first
major. In 18 15 Major Slee received his com
mission of Heutenant-colonel commandant of
4th Artillery.
Major Slee died November 9, 1852, a much
honored and respected citizen. He had mar
ried the present Mr. Slee's grandmother,
IsabeHa Newby, in July, 18 12. She was also
born in England, in Westmoreland, in 1788,
coming to America in 1797 with her father,
Robert Newby, and his family. She was un
usually beautiful intellectually, and was the
" Queen" to seven sons and many of their
intimate friends. She died July 4, 1869. Mr.
Slee's mother was Emeline Gregory, born at
Sand Lake, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., in 1820.
She was one of nine children, each one of
whom was either a preacher or an instructor,
several of whom have become eminent in let
ters. Her father, Joseph Gregory, was born
at Dover Plains, Dutchess county, in 1787.
He served two terms in the State Assemby.
During this time he was engaged in an agita
tion for the amelioration of the law of land
tenure which was known as the anti-rent war,
and largely through his efforts and the ex
penditure of his private fortune a reform was
effected which removed this question from the
poHtics of the State. In 18 16, Gov. D. D.
Thompkins appointed Joseph Gregory lieuten
ant of a company of light infantry in the 43d
Regiment, and Gov. DeWitt Clinton, in 18 18,
promoted him to be captain of the same com
pany. He came of sturdy English stock, as
did his wife, Rachel Bullock, one of the early
American women noted for her mental gifts,
of whom one said: " She was the first citizen
of Rensselaer county."
Our subject was admitted to the bar in
1877, practicing law in Poughkeepsie and
New York City until 1888, when with his fam
ily he settled at Washington Hollow, Dutchess
county, and engaged in farming. In 1892 he
removed to Poughkeepsie and resumed the
practice of his profession. He takes an active
interest in politics and agriculture, and finds
his greatest pleasure in his home and family.
Like his father, he is an extensive reader, and
is fond of out-of-door life. In 1878 he mar
ried Marie Louise, daughter of the late Will
iam Tryon, of Katonah, N. Y. , and has two
sons: Ralph Burton (1885) and Robert Don
ald (1892). Mr. Slee's only brother, John

Gregory Slee, is a D. V. S. , practicing at Bos
ton, Mass, Their sister, EmeHne Gregory
Slee, is a. graduate of Vassar, and now re
siding with her brother, Samuel Slee.

WILLIAM BEDELL ranks among the
 progressive and enterprising farmers of
the town of CHnton, Dutchess county. His
residence is pleasantly situated near Clinton
Corners, where he is engaged principally in
general farming.
Jeremiah Bedell, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born February 22, 1751, and for
some time lived in Dutchess county, previous
to his removal to Greene county, N. Y. He
wedded Marian GHdersleeve, who was born in
Dutchess county, January 13, 1756, and their
union was blessed with twelve chHdren, seven
sons and five daughters, all of whom but two
lived to advanced ages, and were respected
and upright citizens. One son held the office
of supervisor over twenty successive years, in
Greene county, N. Y. The father of these
died August 12, 181 5, the mother on October
3, 1807. Jacob, the father of our subject, was born
March 16, 1801, and died February 25, 1865.
He, the youngest in the above family, was a
native of Greene county, N. Y. , where he
spent his boyhood days, and after completing
his education he taught school there. He
was married in the town of Clinton, Dutchess
county, February 21, 182 1, to Hannah H.
Cornell, who was born in that town September
22, 1802, daughter of Matthew and Sarah
(Halsted) Cornell, and died January 15, 1877.
"Three children graced their union: David, who
was born January 22, 1822, was married to
Elizabeth D. Wing, January 26, 1843, and
died June 25, 1877; William, the subject of
this review; and Mary, who was born March
5, 1838, and is now the widow of George P.
Smith. After his marriage the father located
on a farm two miles west of Clinton Corners,
where he operated his land untH the spring of
1855, at which time he laid aside business
cares, living retired up to the time of his
deathi He belonged to the Society of Friends,
and was widely and favorably known through
out the county.
William Bedell, our subject, was born
April 8, 1833, in Dutchess county, and his boy
hood days were passed in the manner of most
farmer lads in those days — between school-

•»s

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

285

ing and working on the home farm. Besides
attending the district school, he also received a
part of his education in the Jacob Willets school,
in the town of Washington, Dutchess county.
On September 13, 1854, Mr, Bedell was
united in marriage with Mary Elizabeth Doty,
daughter of Thomas Sands and Maria (Wing)
Doty, and a native of the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county. By this union there are two
sons: George Doty, who was born April 27,
1868, married Etta Hicks, a daughter of Wal
ter D. Hicks, and Jay Sands, born August 16,
1870. The mother of these died April 10,
1890, and at Yorktown, Westchester Co. , N.
Y., May 17, 1892, our subject was again mar
ried, this time to Henrietta (Hallock) Irish.
Upon the old home farm, Mr. Bedell re
mained until 1866, when he removed to Pough
keepsie, N. Y. , where the following three
years were passed, and then for eight years he
Hved near Morgan Lake, N. Y. He has been
engaged in the crockery, gas and steam-fitting
businesses, and for a few years was interested
with A. M. Doty in a drug store; but in the
spring of 1877 he purchased his present farm
near Clinton Corners, and has since made
that place his home. He is one of the direc
tors of the First National Bank of Poughkeep
sie, and has been executor of many important
estates. He takes quite an active interest in
the welfare of his town and county, but has
always refused to accept public office, as his
time has been fully occupied by his own busi
ness affairs.
JAMES DENN BURGESS, a prominent con
tractor and builder of Poughkeepsie, was
' born September 27, 1843, at Kingston,
Canada, the son of James and Elizabeth (Denn)
Burgess. John Burgess, the paternal grandfather of
our subject, was a native of Somersetshire,
England, born in the town of Shepton Mallet,
where he spent his entire life. He was a car
penter by trade, and had a family of four chil
dren : John, Michael, James and Sarah; the
latter married a Mr. Brown, of England.
James Burgess, the father of our subject,
was born in Shepton Mallet, Somersetshire,
in 181 5, and obtained a good common-school
education. He was a great reader all his life
and became a well-informed man. In 1830,
when a lad of fifteen, he came to America
with his brother John, and settled in Kingston,
Canada, where he spent the remainder of his

life. He learned the trade of carpenter, serv
ing an apprenticeship of five years, and for
some years after worked as a journeyman.
He then became a contractor and buHder, and
for twenty years prior to his death was fore
man of the government works at Kingston.
He was an able man, and one of the foremost
in his vocation. He was very successful in his
business affairs, and his prosperity was due
entirely to his own exertions, as he began life
dependent on his own resources,
James Burgess married Elizabeth Denn,
daughter of WHliam Denn, of Kingston.
Her father came from England about 18 12
in connection with the Dock Yard and Naval
Store Department, established in Kingston.
He was a prominent citizen, both in Church
and business matters. Three children were
born of this union : WHliam, who died in
infancy; James Denn, the subject of this
sketch; and Sarah Ann, who died when
three years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Burgess
were members of the Wesleyan Methodist
Church, in whose work they took an active
interest. In politics Mr. Burgess was a Con
servative, and a stanch follower of Sir John A.
MacDonald. He never aspired to office, but
held a high place in the esteem of his fellow
citizens. He died in Kingston, Canada, on
April 4, 1887, his wife surviving him until 1889.
James D. Burgess attended a private school
in Kingston, Canada, untH about sixteen years
of age, when he learned the trade of a ma
chinist, at which he worked two years. Being
compelled on account of HI health to give up
this occupation, he took up carpentering with
his father, and after working one year as a
journeyman he went into business for himself.
Four years later he married Annie M. Foote,
the daughter of a confectioner in Kingston,
and removed to Napanee (Canada), where he
established himself in the bakery and confec
tionery business, and carried that on for seven
years. His wife died about this time, January
29, 1872, and he returned to his old trade of
carpenter, in which he was engaged for the
following six years.
At the end of this time Mr. Burgess re
moved to Deseronto, Hastings Co., Ont. ,
Canada, and became connected with the Rath-
burn Company, a large corporation, and was
given charge of all their building operations, a
very responsible position. In 1885 he went to
Hyde Park to take charge of the erection of
the Archibald Rogers buildings, and remained

286

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

with Mr. Rogers for two years. He then went
to Poughkeepsie as superintendent for Powers
& O'Reilley in the erection of the second lot
of buildings for the Hudson River Hospital.
Some years later he had the contract for the
building of the third set of cottages for the
ho.spital. For the past eight years Mr. Bur
gess has been carrying on business on his own
account, and is considered one of the leading
contractors and builders in the city. Among
other large structures which have been built
by him are Trinity church and a large addition
to the Gallandet House for Deaf Mutes.
Mr. Burgess, for his second wife, married
Miss Southwood, of Belleville, Canada, and
for his third wife wedded Mrs. Dowling, whose
maiden name was Ellen Bogert. She died in
Deseronto, in 1883. In 1884 Mr. Burgess was
united in marriage with Miss Eva Chambers, a
daughter of Charles Chambers, a native of
Yorkshire, England, and a retired farmer of
Deseronto, who has been one of the leading
men of the county.
The children of our subject are: Harry,
who is a bookkeeper for the Rathbun Co.,
Oswego, N. Y. ; Laura, who married Rev.
Robert Knapp, of Walton, N. Y. ; Ada, who
married Rev. Merrick E. Ketcham, of Cincin
nati, Ohio; William, who graduated from the
Syracuse University in June, 1895, and now
practicing law in Buffalo, N. Y. ; and Lillian,
Charles and Denn Maltby, at home.
Mr. Burgess is a self-made man, one who
has achieved his success by his own industry
and enterprise. He has always been a reader,
and is well-posted on all topics of the day.
He is a Republican in his political views, al
though he sympathizes with the Prohibitionists
on the temperance question. He is quite a
worker for his party, but has never been an
office-seeker. As a citizen he is public-spirited,
and is always at the front in matters relating
to the welfare of his community. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and takes an active interest in Church work; is
one of the trustees, and has been superintend
ent of the Sunday-school for five years.

S\AMUEL CARPENTER BARIGHT, one
,_J of the substantial farmers of Dutchess
county, is a native of the same, having been
born in the town of Pleasant Valley, July 5,
1826. There are several branches of the fam
ily in this country, one in Columbia county, N.

Y. , one in Lockport, N. Y., and one in Can
ada. The Columbia county and Canada
branches spell the name "Boright. " The
Barights were of the Quaker faith, though
some were Presbyterians.
The old Baright homestead was in the
famHy for several generations, and was sold
by Elijah Baright to A. R. Bartholomew, who
is its present owner. Our subject's great
grandfather settled on the tract of land which
he received as a grant from the English
crown, when it was all wilderness. There his
son John (born October, 1763, died January,
1813) grew up, and married Miss Eleanor
Drake, and they continued their married life
on the old farm, where they reared the follow
ing family: Sarah married Jacob Stringham,
and went to Michigan, where he farmed, and
where they both died. Augustin was a farmer
in Pleasant Valley, where he embarked in the
mercantHe business; he died at Batavia, N.
Y. Susanna died unmarried. Elizabeth be
came the wife of Daniel Stringham, a farmer
in the town of Lagrange. John died young.
Elijah, who was the father of our subject,
married Amy Doty Carpenter, daughter of
Samuel Carpenter, of the town of Clinton,
born 1763, died 1844. His pedigree dates
back to Timothy Carpenter, born in Wales,
1698, subsequently settled on Long Island, N.
Y. , and his descendants are supposed heirs to
a large estate, held by the Bank of England.
Our subject grew up on the farm in Pleas
ant Valley, and November 12, 1850, was
united in marriage with Miss Frances Dean,
who was born in New York City, February
18, 1827, and in 1853 they came to their
present home, where they have since resided.
The following children have been born to
them: Arthur Garwood is a horticulturist in
the town of Poughkeepsie. Anna founded
the School of Expression in Boston, Mass. ;
she subsequently married S. S. Curry, Ph. D.,
of Boston, where they are engaged in teaching
the Art of Expression. Helen Dean, special
ist in the Art of Expression, married Charles
D. Craigie, of Boston, Mass., who is engaged
in the .mercantile and publishing business.
Genevieve is an artist and specialist. Elijah
Kirk is a salesman in one of the houses of the
Armour Packing Co., Poughkeepsie. Mary
Louise is professor of the Art of Expression
and Literature, in the University of Oregon,
at Eugene, Ore. Mr. Baright has a farm of
120 acres one mHe north of the city of Pough-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

287

keepsie, where he does general farming. Po
litically he is a Republican, and takes an active
interest in the affairs of the party; in religious
faith he is a member of the Society of Friends.
Joseph C. Dean, the grandfather of Mrs.
Frances Dean Baright, was a member of the
Society of Friends of the town of Pleasant
Valley, and was a land owner and merchant.
His mother's father was Joseph Castin, one of
the " Nine Partners " of a portion of Dutch
ess county. Joseph C. Dean married Sarah
Mabbett of the town of Washington, and sev
eral children were born to them: Jonathan,
their eldest son, and the father of Mrs. Ba
right, married Helen, the daughter of Gen. S.
A. Barker, of the town of Lagrange; Edwin,
the second son, was engaged in the theatrical
profession (he married Julia Drake, of Louis
vHle, Ky., and Julia Dean, the celebrated
actress, was their daughter).
Mrs. Frances Dean Baright's grandfather
on her mother's side was Samuel A. Barker,
who was a general in the war of 1812, and a
private in Capt. Brinkerhoff's regiment, of the
Dutchess county militia in the Revolutionary
war. He owned an estate in the town of La
grange, and held slaves; was active in public af
fairs, and was an assemblyman at Albany. His
second wife was Meriby Collins, and they had
several children, one of whom, Helen Barker
Dean, was the mother of Frances Dean Ba
right.

CliORNELIA VAN KLEECK was born in
1 Poughkeepsie, and has resided there ever
since. The Van Kleeck family came originally from
Holland, and settled in Dutchess county at a
very early day. Baltus Van Kleeck, grand
father of our subject, was born in Dutchess
county, N. Y. He left two chHdren: Mar
garet, who married John G. Vassar (a brother
of Matthew Vassar, the founder of the college
of that name, and who was in the brewing
business with him); and Leonard, the father
of our subject.
Leonard B. Van Kleeck was born in Pough
keepsie, April 18, 1785, and there married
Elizabeth Phillips, who was born in the same
city, in 1791. Her father, James Phillips, was
also a native of Poughkeepsie, and was a farmer.
He was of English descent. He married Cor
nelia Van Vlack, and to their union were born
children as follows: John was a grocer in

Poughkeepsie, and died in the West; Abram
was a hotel-keeper in Poughkeepsie ; Mary mar
ried John Wyley, a farmer in Dutchess county;
Catherine married Robert Green, and lived in
New York City; Jane inarried Jacob Harris, a
farmer in Dutchess county; Sarah married
Isaac Griffin, a butcher; Barbara married Isaac
Cubney, a farmer and blacksmith in Pough
keepsie; and Elizabeth became Mrs. Van-
Kleeck. The parents both died at Pough
keepsie. After his marriage Leonard Van Kleeck took
charge of a hotel in Poughkeepsie, and at one
time owned a large amount of city property.
Six children were born to him and his wife,
namely: Margaret, who died in infancy; Henry,
who was a clerk for his father, and died in
1850; James was city librarian, and died in
1894; Alfred was a merchant in Mobile, Ala.,
and died in 1849; Cornelia is the only surviv
ing member of the family; Edgar A. became a
Baptist minister, and died in 1889. Leonard
Van Kleeck died in 1854, and his wife in 1828.
They were members of the Baptist Church,
and most estimable people. Mr. Van Kleeck
was a strong Republican, and prominent both
in his party and in all public affairs.
Cornelia Van Kleeck, our subject, is a de
voted member of the Mill Street Baptist Church
in Poughkeepsie, to which church in the last
seven years she has contributed large sums of
money. She is very generous and charitable
to all in distress, and is always ready to assist
every philanthropic or religious enterprise.

FHEBE THORNE WILLIAMSON, M. D.
 Among those who devote their time and
energies to the practice of medicine, and have
gained a leading place in the ranks of the pro
fession, is the lady whose name introduces this
sketch. She makes her home in Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, having an office at No. 13
Liberty street, but also spends a part of each
week in New York City, where she has an of
fice at No. 1244 Broadway, and in both cities
she has secured a large and lucrative practice.
Dr. Williamson is a native of Dutchess
county, born at MHIbrook, where her early life
was passed, and attended the old Nine Part
ners Boarding School, there acquiring her lit
erary education. Judge Stephen Thorne, her
paternal grandfather, practiced law in Pough
keepsie, and also made his home in Milan,

288

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

Dutchess county. In his family were five chH
dren, all of whom died within six years of each
other, namely: Benjamin, a physician of Mil
an; Herrick, who was given the maiden name
of his mother; Stephen; Cynthia; and John S.
The last named was the father of our sub
ject. He was born at Milan in 1823, and was
there reared and educated. After studying
medicine with his brother for some time he en
tered the medical college at Castleton, Vt. ,
and later graduated from the medical depart
ment of the New York University, after which
he engaged in practice at Bangall, Stanford
town, Dutchess county. There he was united
in marriage with Frances C. Barlow, daughter
of Cyrus Barlow, and to them were born two
daughters — Georgie, wife of James T. Haight,
of StanfordvHle, Dutchess county; and Phebe
Anna. After following his profession in that
vHlage for several years, he removed to Mill
brook, where he was engaged in practice for
thirty years, and was very successful in his
chosen calling. He was a very influential
man, and for many years served as county
physician. He belonged to the Knights of
Pythias lodge of Poughkeepsie, the Independ
ent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Masonic
fraternity of Washington Hollow, Dutchess
county. Though not a member of any relig
ious denomination, he gave liberally to the
support of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He was called from life in 1880, and his death
was widely and deeply mourned.
Phebe Thorne began the study of medicine
with her father, whom she assisted in his prac
tice, and after attending a four-years' course
of study in the Woman's Medical CoHege and
Infirmary of New York, she was graduated in
1878. The year previous she had married
Albert WHHamson, and they have a daughter
who was born in 1882. After her father's
death our subject was county physician at
Millbrook for a year and a half, and in 1882
removed to Brooklyn, where she was engaged
in practice for three years, during which time
she was the first woman appointed on the
Brooklyn Eastern District Hospital staff. She
was compeHed to leave that city on account of
HI health, and came to Poughkeepsie, where
she confines her practice to the diseases of
women, and obstetrics. She stands high
among the members of the medical fraternity,
is a close student, and, being thoroughly in
love with her profession, her success is assured.
Dr. WiHiamson purchased the "Windsor Ho

tel," on Hooker avenue, which she converted
into a sanitarium and summer hotel; but as it
was so difficult to secure competent help, and
so much responsibility rested upon her, that
she gave up the sanitarium and now rents the
place to Vassar College for an extra dormitory
and class rooms. She holds membership with
the Dutchess County Medical Society and the
Kings County Medical Society. The Doctor
not only holds a leading place in the medical
profession, but is also a valued and prominent
member of society, being held in the highest
regard by all who know her.

JAMES EDWARD DEAN, of FishkiH, Dutch
ess county, treasurer of the Fishkill Sav
ings Institute, and for many years its presi
dent; proprietor of Monumental Works, and
one of the founders of the Fishkill Weekly
Times, is among the prominent citizens of
that village.
He is the son of William George and Phebe
Ann (Van Nostrand) Dean, and his ancestry
is a notable one, his paternal grandfather,
Ephraim Dean, and great-grandfather, Will
iam Dean, having been soldiers in the Revo
lutionary army, enlisting in Westchester county
in 1775, and serving until the close of the war.
During the winter of 1776—77, they were both
with the troops that were encamped at Fish
kill. On the maternal side his great-grand
father Alexander Mead, and great-grandfather
Michael Rogers, were also participants in the
struggle for independence; whHe another an
cestor, Aaron Van Nostrand, was granted a
service of plate by the Colonial Assembly for
bravery in the French and Indian war; and
still another, Jacobus Swartwout (father of
Gen. Jacobus Swartwout), served in one of
the Colonial wars. The elder Swartwout was
the first judge of the court of common pleas
of Dutchess county, and at the time of his
death was the first supervisor of Rombout
Precinct, Mr. Dean's mother died April 14,
1896, aged ninety-five years, four months and
fifteen days, having seen eight generations of
her family, including two of her great-grand
fathers, who lived until she was seventeen
years old, and her own great -great-grandchH-
dren. Of her seven chHdren, all lived to ma
turity, the first to pass away being Helena Du
Bois Dean, who died March 19, 1896, at the
age of sixty-one.

£ CL^l^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

289

James Edward Dean was born in Fishkill,
May 10, 1830, the third chHd and eldest son
of his parents, and his education was obtained
in the public schools of the village, later in
the academy which was then conducted by the
Rev. Dr. Pingry. In the spring of 1848 he
went to Rochester, N. Y., to learn the marble-
worker's trade, but was called home in Au
gust, 1850, by the death of his father, and
for several years he worked as a journeyman
for Roswell Lamson, of Fishkill. On May
10, 1854, he married Miss Jerusha Powell HH-
liker, daughter of Samson and Mary (Gilder
sleeve) Hilliker, and soon afterward moved to
Glens Falls, N. Y., where he and his brother
engaged in the marble business under the firm
name of J. E, & G. W. Dean. Returning to
FishkHl in the spring of 1855, he purchased
the yards of Roswell Lamson, and has carried
on the business ever since, tbe making of mon
uments, headstones, vaults, enclosures, and
and everything pertaining to that line of work.
In 1870 he was elected president of the Fish
kill Savings Institute, and held the office
twenty-one years, when he resigned and was
chosen treasurer. In 1862, Mr. Dean, in com
pany with Milton A. Fowler, now of Pough
keepsie, purchased the Fishkill Journal, which
they sold in 1866 to George W Owen, who
removed it from Fishkill to Matteawan in 1882,
Not long after this, Mr. Dean and several other
gentlemen established the FishkiH Weekly
Times, still conducted by Mr. Dean and his
son Herman.
The Deans were prominent adherents of
the Democratic party for generations previous
to the Civil war, and Mr. Dean's first vote was
cast for Franklin Pierce in 1852; but in 1855
he joined the Republican party at its organi
zation, and has held to it ever since. In 1859
he was elected town clerk, and the following
year justice of the peace, holding each office
one term, and declined a renomination. For
twelve years he was postmaster at Fishkill,
previous to November, 1885, his commission,
which was signed by President Grant, bearing
date of June 16, 1873. Since 1863 he has
shown his interest in educational advancement
by continuous service as a trustee of Union
Free School, District No. 6, town of Fishkill.
Mr. Dean was one of the earliest promot
ers in the organization of the Fishkill Rural
Cemetery, of which he was made trustee and
treasurer, and held both positions for thirty
years, but declined re-election as treasurer in
19

1895. His father held the positions of justice,
postmaster and school trustee in the same vil
lage for many years before him, and his son,
Herman, isnow the successor of both, as justice.
Mr. and Mrs. Dean have four children:
William Edward is a well-known lawyer in
Fishkill; Anna is at home; Herman is justice
of the peace, and the editor of the FishkHl
. Weekly Times ; and Robert Edo is in the mon
ument business with his father. Mr. Dean's
ancestors have been identified with the Re
formed and Episcopal Churches for genera
tions, and most of the family are now members
or regular attendants of Trinity Episcopal
Church, FishkHl. By virtue of his ancestry
Mr. Dean is a member of the Society of the
Sons ot the Revolution, New York branch,
and is also eligible to membership in several
other similar societies. Mrs. Dearr's grandfa
ther served in the same regiment (the 3d West
chester) that Mr. Dean's ancestors did in the
Revolution, and from both sourcees his daugh
ter derives her claim to membership in the
Society of Daughters of the American Rev
olution.

WILLIAM BOSTWICK, one of the busi-
 est, most energetic, and most enter
prising men of Pine Plains, Dutchess county,
is now the president of the Stissing National
Bank, the history of which is here given:
A meeting -was held at the home of Henry C. Myers,
in the village of Pine Plains, February 15, 1839, at which
Aaron E, VVinchell was chosen chairman, and F. I, Cur-
tiss, secretary, for the purpose of forming a bank under
the general banking law passed April 18, 1838. At this
meeting Aaron E, Winchell, R, VV, Bostwick, Backus
Culver, Justus Booth and Cornelius Husted were ap
pointed a committee to report a board of directors, which
was as follows: Aaron E. Winchell, R. W, Bostwick,
Walter Reynolds, Justus Booth, Backus Culver, Corne
lius Husted, Frederick I, Curtiss, George 'W. Barton,
Henry Hoffman, John Ferris, William W, Pulver, Abram
Dibble, William Winchell, Samuel Deuel, Niles Hart
well, William Eno, and Leonard Rowe. At a meeting of
the directors held March 16, 1839, Reuben W. Bostwick
was elected president; William Eno, vice-president; and
Walter Reynolds, attorney for said bank; and April 1."),
following, Frederick W. Davis was called as cashier.
The bank was located in the Dibble store March 2>!, 1839,
At a meeting held August 26, 1847, F. W, Davis resigned,
and John F. Hull was appointed. The latter resigned at
the meeting of May 4, 1852, and Reuben Bostwick was
appointed cashier. This organization was known as the
" Pine Plains Bank."
At a meeting appointed for the organization of a
bank held May 29, 1858, the subscribers to the stock
thereof voted the name should be " Stissing Bank," and
Justus Booth was made president, with Reuben Bostwick
as cashier. The lot was purchased June 19, 1858, and
contract for building the banking house was made July
10, following. Justus Booth declining re-election for an-

290

COMMEMORA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

other year, William S. Eno was elected president May
14, 1864. At a meeting held March 4, 1865, the name of
the bank was changed to " Stissing National Bank."
Reuben Bostwick continued as cashier until July 11,
1870, when, at a special meeting, Fred Bostwick, his old
est son, was elected cashier, and William Bostwick was
chosen clerk. This continued until the resignation of
Fred Bostwick was accepted May 9, 1885, and William
Bostwick was appointed cashier by the board and officers.
On May 16, 1885, William M. Sayre was appointed assis
tant cashier, and, after his death, J. H. Bostwick was
elected asst. cashier May 21, 1887. On Jan, 14, 1896, Will
iam Bostwick was elected president in the place of Will
iam S. Eno, who retired, and J, H, Bostwick was ap-
fjointed cashier. The bank is now in a flourishing condi
tion, for which great credit is due its efficient officers.
The Bostwick family was founded in Amer
ica by English immigrants. Reuben Bostwick,
the father of our subject, was a native of
Dutchess county, born in 1821, and was the
son of Reuben W Bostwick, who for many
years was a general merchant of Pine Plains.
The son wrfs reared in that village, and there
spent his entire life, being associated with his
father in the store until he was elected cashier
of the bank, in 1852, which position he con
tinued to fill until 1870. He was an able busi
ness man, possessed of more than ordinary
ability. He was married to Elizabeth Hunt
ing, daughter of John Hunting, of the town of
Pine Plains, and their family included seven
children: Fred, of Pine Plains; William, sub
ject of this review; Ida; Hattie; Walter and
Walker, both of whom died when young; and
J. Hunting. The father did not take an active
part in political affairs, but voted the Repub
lican ticket, which is also supported by his
sons, and in religious belief the family are
Presbyterians. On December 28, 185 1, William Bostwick
was born in the town of Pine Plains, where
his primary education was received. Later he
was a student at College Hill Military Acad
emy, and also at Riverview Academy. At the
age of fifteen years he left the school room,
and soon afterward obtained a position in the
bank, where he served as clerk until 1884, and
was then cashier until elected president, in
1896. The banking interests of Pine Plains
have for many years been well represented by
members of the Bostwick family, and our sub
ject has been one of the most discreet and
able officers of the Stissing National Bank.
He has a remarkable faculty for the conduct
ing and dispatching of business, and his abHity
to fill the important position which he now
occupies has been well proven by his faithful
service as cashier.
Mr. Bostwick has been twice married, his

first union being with Miss Belle Eno, who
died in 1883. The lady who now shares his
name and fortunes was in her maidenhood Miss
Eugenia Covey^, daughter of Lynian Covey,
and to them have been born' three sons:
Walker, Harry C. and Ralph. Although only
interested in politics as a citizen anxious to
have good government, Mr. Bostwick has made
a careful study of political matters, and casts
his ballot in support of the Republican party.
SociaHy, he is identified with the Royal Arca
num. Courteous, genial, well' informed, alert
and enterprising, he stands to-day one of the
leading representative men of his county — a
man who is a power in his community.

ENRY A, ALDEN (deceased). The his-
M^ tory of the privations, anxieties and
struggles of the Pilgrim Fathers after the land
ing at Plymouth Rock is brightened by one
beautiful strain of romance, the story of John
and Priscilla Alden, who were the direct an
cestors of the subject of this sketch. John
Alden was one of those (the seventh) who
signed the compact in the cabin of the " May
flower " in 1620, and was the last male sur
vivor of the devoted band of voyagers. He
was not of the Leyden Church, but, as Brad
ford in his " History of the Plymouth Planta
tion " informs us (the spelling in the original
being preserved), "was hired for a cooper at
Southampton, where the ship victuled; and
being a hopful yong man was much desired,
but left to his own liking to go or stay when
he came here; but he stayed and maryed here."
He was distinguished for his practical wis
dom, integrity and decision, and early acquired
and retained during his long Hfe a command
ing influence over his associates. He was much
employed in public business; was an assistant
to the Governor for many years, and in every
position he fulfilled his duties promptly and to
the satisfaction of his employers. His ances
tors in England have not been traced, so far
as is known. He was born in 1599, and died
at Duxbury, Mass., September 12, 1687.
His marriage took place probably in 1621.
PrisciHa was the daughter of William Molines
(or MuHins), who wHh his wife came also with
the " Mayflower," and both died in February
succeeding their landing. Tradition repre
sents PrisciHa as being very beautiful in her
youth, and John also was a comely person,
and considering his other accomplishments it

COMMEMORA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

291

is not surprising that when he was sent by
Capt. Standish, after the death of his vvife,
to solicit her hand for the Captain in marriage,
she preferred the messenger to the message.
"As he warmed and glowed, in his simple
and eloquent language, quite forgetful of self
and full of praise of his rival, archly the maiden
smiled, and, with eyes overrunning with
laughter, said, in a tremulous voice, ' Why
don't you speak for yourself, John.'' " Their
residence after a few years was in Duxbury on
the north side of the village, on a farm still in
the possession of their descendants of the
seventh generation, having never been alien
ated. He made no will, having distributed
the greater part of his estate among his chil
dren during his lifetime.
Jonathan, his third son, with whom he re
sided on the old homestead, administered on
his estate and made a final settlement with the
heirs, June 13, 1688. The settlement is as
follows: "We, whose names are subscribed,
personally interested in the estate of John
Alden, Sr., of Duxbury, Esquire, lately de
ceased, do hereby acknowledge ourselves to
have received, each of us, our full personal
proportion thereof from Jonathan Alden, Ad
ministrator thereof, do by these presents for
ourselves, our heirs, and executors, acquit,
discharge fully, the said Jonathan Alden, his
heirs, forever of and from all right, dues, de
mands, whatsoever relating to the aforesaid
estate. In witness whereof we have hereunto
subscribed and sealed this 13th day of June,
Anno Domini 1688," — John Alden (seal),
Joseph Alden (seal), David Alden (seal),
Priscilla Alden (sea I), William Paybody (seal),
Alexander Standish ( seal) in the right of Sarah,
my wife, deceased, John Bass (seal) in the
right of my wife Ruth, deceased, Mary Alden
(seal), Thomas Dilauno (seal). As only eight
children are named in this instrument it was
supposed, untH recently, that he had no more.
Bradford, however, states in his history, that,
at the time of his writing, John Alden and his
wife Priscilla were both living and had eleven
chHdren, and that their eldest daughter was
living and had five children. In the document
copied abov^e her name is written Priscilla.
According to this account the children were:
John, born about 1622; Joseph, 1624; Eliza
beth, 1625; Jonathan, Sarah, Ruth, Mary,
David, the names of the other three being
unknown. Second Generation. Joseph Alden, of

Bridgewater, farmer, son of John (i), was born
1624, died February 8, 1697. He married
Mary, daughter of Moses Simmons, Jr. , and
had five chHdren, viz. : Isaac, Joseph (born
1667), John, Elizabeth and Mary.
Third Generation : Deacon Joseph Alden,
Bridgewater, farmer, son of Joseph, was born
in 1667. He married Hannah, daughter of
Daniel Dunham, of Plymouth, who died June
13, 1748. Their children were, viz,: Daniel,
born January 29, 1691; Joseph, August 26,
1693, died December 9, 1695; Eleazer, Sep
tember 27, 1694; Hannah, in February, 1696;
Mary, April 10, 1699; Joseph, September 5,
1700, died October 5, 1700; Jonathan, Decem
ber 3, 1703, died November 10, 1704; Samuel,
August 20, 1705; Mehitabel, October 18, 1707;
and Seth, July 6, 1710.
Fourth Generation: Samuel Alden, of
Titicut, son of Deacon Joseph, was born Au
gust 20, 1705, and died in 1785. He was
married in 1728 to his first wife, Abiah, daugh
ter of Capt. Joseph Edson, and had nine chil
dren, viz. : Abiah, born 1729; Mehitabel, 1732;
Sarah, 1734; Samuel, 1736; Josiah, 1738;
Simeon, 1740; Silas died aged twenty-one
years; Mary; Hosea, killed by the kick of a
horse. Samuel Alden married, in 1752, his
second wife, who was a daughter of Josiah
Washburn. Fifth Generation: Josiah Alden was a
farmer at Ludlow, Mass. He was married,
in 1 76 1, to Bathsheba Jones, of Raynham,
and had nine children: Elijah, Azel, Abiah,
Bathsheba, Charity, Josiah, Lucy, Rebecca
and Benjamin,
Sixth Generation: Josiah Alden, of Lud
low, a farmer, was born September 3, 1773,
and died in 1833. He married Olive Brown,
and had ten children, viz. : Azel, Justin, Char
ity, Zenas, Washington Brown, Charles, John,
Mary, Oramus, Eunice.
Seventh Generation : Zenas Alden, of Lud
low and Springfield, Mass., was born Novem
ber I, 1795, and died in January, 1840; he
married Betsey Taylor, of Hartford, Conn,,
and had six children, viz, : George Washing
ton, who died at Springfield in 1863 or 1864;
Henry A,, our subject; Charles, a resident of
Hartford, Conn.; Jane; Caroline married a
Mr. Taylor, of Hartford, Conn. ; and William.
The late Henry A. Alden was born March
10, 1823, at Springfield, Mass., where his
father was engaged in manufacturing rifles for
the U. S. Government. During his boyhood

292

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

he attended the public schools of his native
place, and at eighteen he became associated
with Charles and Henry Goodyear, the well-
known inventors, in the manufacture of India-
rubber goods. After several years with them,
he opened a factory on Staten Island in 1847,
under the name of the New York Rubber Co.
In 1857 the works were removed to Fishkill-
on-Hudson, and, as Mr. Alden had become
familiar with the rubber-goods trade in all its
branches, he was made superintendent. Hav
ing become a leading stockholder in the com
pany, he was elected president, and held this
position until his death, which occurred De
cember 6, 1882. His business cares prevented
him from taking an active part in public affairs,
but he was a stanch Republican in politics, and
was always ready to encourage any measure
for local improvement.
On July 16, 1847, he was married to Miss
Mary M. Bishop, of Woodbury, Litchfield
Co., Conn., and two sons were born of this
union. The elder, Henry Bishop Alden, was
born at Newtown, Conn., February 17, 1850,
and died September 30, 1875. He was married
June 20, 1872, to Miss Susie B. Van Liew,
daughter of Henry and Mary (Fitzgerald) Van-
Liew, of Sing Sing, N. Y. They had one
daughter (posthumous), Mary, born February
3, 1876, at Sing Sing. The youngest son,
George Fuller Alden, was born March 10,
1853, at Newtown, Conn., and died March 7,
1886. He was married June 14, 1877, to
Miss Cornelia DuBois, daughter of Henry and
AdeHa (Van Voorhis) DuBois, of Fishkill, N.
Y. she survives him with one daughter,
Edith, who was born at FishkHl, December
15, 1881.
Mrs. Hen"ry A. Alden was the second in a
family of four daughters, the others being
Fannie, Emily M., and Elsie M., who is the
wife of George C. Smith, of Fishkill. The
father. Miles Bishop, was a soldier in the war
of 18 12, and his regiment was stationed at
London, Conn,, to guard Fort Griswold, when
Roger Griswold was governor of Connecticut.
Mrs. Alden's paternal great-grandfather was
Miles Bishop, and her grandparents were Lu
ther and Sybil (Long) Bishop, who had nine
children: Charles, Salmon, Julia, Raney,
Thyrza, Seth, Sallie, Garwood and Miles.
Her maternal great-grandparents were Aner
Ives, who wasborn January 13, 1740, andhis
wife Rachel, born June 11, 1744. Their son
Asael, Mrs. Alden's grandfather, born June 25,

1764, married Elsie Foote, who was born
October 19, 1756. They had eight chHdren,
whose names with dates of birth are as follows:
Amasa, October 15, 1784; Asael W., August
31, 1787; Fannie, February 16, 1790; Garrett,
March 19, 1792; Cynthia, January 23, 1795;
Harmon, March 31, 1797; Nancy, January 17,
1800 (died in infancy); and Nancy (2), AprH
16, 1804.
Elsie Foote Ives, Mrs. Alden's grandmoth
er, was a daughter of Abraham and Lucy
(WHmot) Foote; her father was a captain in
the Revolutionary army, and also served in
the French and Indian war.

irv\EORGE W. OWEN, the well-known edi-
%J^ tor of the FishkiH Journal, which has
been for many years a powerful aid to the best
interests of the community, is one of the most
prominent citizens of Matteawan, Dutchess
county. On the paternal side Mr. Owen is descended
from a family which has long been held in es
teem in Putnam and Westchester counties, his
ancestors having been among the earliest set
tlers in the vicinity of Peekskill. He first saw
the light in Orange county, N. Y., near the.
southwestern border of the town of New Wind
sor, and his youth was spent upon a farm.
Possessing an active and inquiring mind, he
devoted his evenings and the few moments of
leisure that he could find, amid the exacting
duties of farm life, to reading and study, thus
supplementing the limited educational advan
tages afforded by the brief winter terms of the
country schools. In this manner he mastered
not only the ordinary branches but the higher
mathematics and the natural sciences, and
made a thorough study of the English language
and literature, giving also some attention to
Latin, on account of the assistance which it
would give in the analysis of English. Saving
something from his earnings, he managed to
take a course in a large academical institution,
where his time was chiefly spent in reviewing
the studies that he had pursued in private.
He had feared that some erroneous conclusions
might have been made by him, but it is hardly
necessary to state that he found that his thor
ough work in the seclusion of the farm enabled
him to take a high rank among the pupils to
whom "Dame Fortune" had apparently
shown more favor.
The employment which first became avaH-

yi/f,m^^-^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

293

able was that of teaching school, and this he
followed for about eight years. In 1865 he
purchased the Fishkill Journal, then a small
weekly published in FishkHl Village. It was
printed upon an old-fashioned hand press, as
were most of the similar papers of that time;
but after working for a year with this anti
quated plant, he procured a cylinder press
and new type, and brought out the Jour
nal in a new dress. He also enlarged it,
and, as he was a Republican, he could not re
frain from making the paper, which had pre
viously been neutral, reflect his own views
upon the stirring issues of the Reconstruction
period. Andrew Johnson, raised to the Presi
dency through the death of Abraham Lincoln,
was then setting himself at variance with the
party that elected him, and the FishkHl Jour
nal, with its earnest discussions of the prob
lems of the hour, became a power in Dutchess
county politics. Inthe fall of 1877 Mr. Owen
purchased a job-printing office in Matteawan,
and for several years conducted this, as well
as the Journal office in Fishkill Village. In
August, 1882, he removed the Journal plant
to Matteawan, and combined the two estab
lishments. On September 14, 1885, hestarted
the Fishkill Daily Journal, which he con
ducts in connection with the weekly edition.
In his journalistic work Mr. Owen has been
identified with all that is enterprising and up
lifting to the community, encouraging philan
thropic movements and endorsing every effort
for advancement in whatever line. Some sub
stantial advantages gained of later years could
no doubt be traced to his influence exerted
either personally or through the columns of his
paper, and his power for good has been none
the less real for being quietly used. Mr. Owen
has also devoted some time to literary work,
and is the author of two works of fiction of a
somewhat practical nature, which were well
received by the public, and had a large sale.
Although Mr. Owen has never sought pub
lic office, he was for several years a member
of the Matteawan board of education, and his
fine abilities make him a valued adviser in vari
ous enterprises, notably the Matteawan Sav
ings Bank, of which he is a trustee. He has
been for many years a member of the F. & A.
M., Beacon Lodge No. 283.
During his journalistic career, Mr. Owen's
recreations have consisted chiefly in making
tours through various parts of the United
States. Having a passion for natural scenery.

he has most frequently visited the regions
whose features were picturesque, grand or
beautiful. The wilderness of the Adirondacks;
the grand cataract of Niagara; the picturesque
St. Lawrence river, with its Thousand Is
lands, its rushing rapids, where the steamboat,
with its human freight, plunges down between
the rocks as if to certain destruction, the quaint
old city of Quebec; also the rugged White
mountains of New England, with their snow
capped Mount Washington; the orange groves
of Florida; the far 'West; the grand Sierra
Nevadas; CaHfornia, with all its marvelous
beauties and resources— these have all been
scenes of his travels and themes for his pen,
wherein he entertained his readers with many
a well- written article. Thus he combined
business with pleasure and profit to his readers.
The most important of these travels was
an extended tour across the continent, when
the Pacific railroad had been completed but a
comparatively short time, and the country
opened up by this great thoroughfare was still
in almost its native wildness. Going by rail,
he took plenty of time, stopping at various
points of interest along the way, writing, graph
ically, descriptive articles for his paper. The
unique features of the desert plains, then
roamed over by the buffalo, the antelope, the
lively coyote, and other wHd animals in their
native freedom, were set forth in entertaining
articles. He visited Salt Lake City, when
Brigham Young was living and reigning in all
his glory, and had an interview with the great
Mormon. Continuing his journey by rail to
California, he passed over the Sierra Nevadas
in the month of June, when the snow in huge
banks stHl lay in the gorges, and the scene
was one of wild and rugged grandeur. Arriv
ing in San Francisco, he remained in that city
for a considerable time, and then started out
in excursions through various parts of that
remarkable country. Railroads were not as
numerous there then as now, and a large part
of the travel was done in stages over thorough
fares which could only be termed roads by
courtesy; and on horseback through trackless
forests. He reached the famous Yosemite
Valley in this manner, part of the way by
stage, and when a point was reached where no
trace of a road existed, the remainder of the
journey was performed on the back of a mus
tang, the only paths being simply trails where
previous traveling parties had left footprints.
Here, also, he visited the famous Mariposa

294

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

grove of big trees, the greatest known giants
of the forest, and performed the oft repeated
feat of riding on horseback through a hollow
log which lay prostrate on the ground.
After establishing himself for a time in the
Yosemite Valley, and famHiarizing. himself
with its grand and wonderful features, he
made frequent excursions on horseback among
the lofty mountains of the Sierra range in the
vicinit}', among snow banks in summer, the
intrepid mustang climbing cliffs where a man
alone would find it difficult to keep his footing.
Mr. Owen's articles on the Yosemite Val
ley and the big trees were pronounced to be
fine literary productions, highly entertaining to
his readers; and after his return he embodied
some of these in a lecture, which he delivered
free on several occasions. These articles are
preserved now only in the old files of the
Journal.

WENRY TIEDJE, a leading confectioner
 ^ of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was
born August 27, 1858, in the vHlage of Ring-
stead, Province of Hanover, Germany, the son
of Henry and Bertha Tiedje.
Our subject was educated in the schools of
his native place, and at the age of seventeen
started out to make his way in the world, with
with no capital but his own abHities. He
bame to America to find a better field for his
energies than the Fatherland afforded, and lo
cated first in New York City, where a brother
secured him employment in a small confection
ery store. In New York he remained seven
years, engaged in various occupations, and
then went to Poughkeepsie to work as a candy-
maker for Charles H. Gerdes. On May 24,
1883, Mr. Tiedje bought the business of his
employer, and has continued it since at the
old stand. No. 358 Main street, with the ex
ception of three years at No. 366 Main street.
In 1893 Mr. Tiedje bought the building in
which his store is located. His success has
been remarkable, and is based solely upon
industry, economy and good business man
agement. He manufactures his own plain
candies, soda water and ices, in which he has an
extensive trade.
On October 23, 1889,' he was married, by
Rev. F. B. Wheeler, to Miss Mary E. War
ren, daughter of Albert Warren, a well-known
citizen of Poughkeepsie. They have one child,
Estelle E., born September 20, 1890. Mrs.

Tiedje is a true helpmeet for her husband, and
her energy and business ability have been im
portant factors in her husband's advancement,
and he takes manly pride in acknowledging the
fact. Mr. Tiedje is a naturalized citizen of
the United States, but he does not take any
active part in politics, his attention being
given to his business interests.

lENJAMIN A. SLEIGHT (deceased), for
merly a prominent business man and agri
culturist of the town of Wappinger, Dutchess
county, was a member of one of the oldest
and most highly esteemed famiHes of that vi
cinity, and as a substantial citizen of his own
day he sustained well the reputation won by
his forefathers. He was born in 1786, in the
town of Poughkeepsie, and his active life cov
ered a period of great importance in the devel
opment of that region.
Abraham Sleight, father of Benjamin A.,
and a native of. Kingston, Ulster county, was
a prominent citizen of the town of FishkHl
during the latter part of the eighteenth cen
tury, and served as a soldier in the Revolu
tionary war, a grateful country awarding him
a pension in his later years. He followed
farming all his life, settling in Fishkill shortly
after his marriage with Miss Ruth Roe, a na
tive of Dutchess county. Both became active
supporters of the Reformed Dutch Church in
Fishkill. They had eight children: Sarah,
who married James M. Jones, of Dutchess
county; Abraham, a farmer, who died in early
manhood; Benjamin A., our subject; Ann,
Ruth, John (an invalid), and NeHie (none of
whom ever married), and Sophie E. (Mrs. R.
D. E. Stoutenburgh). Among other represent
atives of the Sleight family in that locality was
Peter R. Sleight, a cousin of our subject, and
the father of Alexander Sleight, of Lagrange.
Benjamin A. Sleight was reared upon the
farm, and attended the schools of Kingston,
where he acquired a good academic education.
After leaving school he engaged in mercantile
business in the town of Poughkeepsie. He
married Miss Caroline Ackerman, daughter of
James Ackerman, a native of the town of
Poughkeepsie, and a leading farmer of the
town of Lagrange, where she was born. Her
grandfather, Gurloyn Ackerman, was a leading
resident of the town of Poughkeepsie in his
time, and her ancestors were among the most
highly esteemed of the Holland-Dutch settlers

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

295

of Dutchess county. Not long after his mar
riage Mr. Sleight settled in the town of Fish
kHl, where his well-known integrity of charac
ter and judicial mind caused him to be elected
to the office of justice of the peace, and his
faithful discharge of the duties in that position
occupied most of his time for many years;
but later he devoted himself to the manage
ment of his farm. In politics he was a Dem
ocrat, and like his parents he adhered to the
old Reformed Church. His wife died in 1854,
and four years thereafter he, too, passed away.
Eight children were born to their union:
Edgar, who died in 1892, was a farmer in the
town of Wappinger; Louise is at home; Frank,
a hardware merchant in Poughkeepsie, died in
1877; AmeHa was married to Francis B. Pye,
the famous inventor; Anna married M. V. B.
Schryver, of Rhinebeck, and died in 1894;
EHza is at home; John is a resident of Green
bush, N. Y. ; and Sidney died therein 1873.
The late Francis B. Pye, whose name is
known in all parts of the civilized world as the
inventor of the time lock, was a native of
Newark, N. J., and a descendant of an old
English family. His grandfather, Thomas Pye,
was the pioneer lock manufacturer of America,
whHe he (Francis B.) was the first to manu
facture cast-iron locks in this country, and was
the head of the Trenton Lock Co. , one of the
most important firms engaged in that line of
business. Since his death, which occurred in
January, 1877, Mrs. Pye has lived at thi: old
homestead near Fishkill Plains, a fine estate
with a tasteful and commodious brick residence.
She possesses unusual executive ability, and
manages the farm of 167 acres with great skHl.
Her specialty is horticulture, and she has 1,200
apple trees in her orchards, which are among
the most extensive in the locality.

T\HOMAS I. STORM (deceased), who in
 in his lifetime was a wealthy and influ
ential citizen of the town of East Fishkill,
Dutchess county, residing near StormviHe, was
one of the leading agriculturists there, as were
several generations of his ancestors.
John Storm, his great-grandfather, was one
of three brothers who came from Holland at
an early period and settled upon a large tract
of land in the wilderness — Goris in Westches
ter county, N. Y. ; Isaac in York county, Penn.,
and John at our subject's present farm in East
Fishkill.

Thomas I. Storm, our subject's grandfather,
was born and reared there, and after his mar
riage to Dianah Adriance, November 9, 1788,
made it his permanent home. Seven children
were born to him: Isaac, a wholesale mer
chant in New York City; Thomas, a specula
tor in New York City, and the owner of a farm
in Orange county; Charles, a tobacco mer
chant in New York City; Gallette, who mar
ried Gilbert Wilkinson, of Poughkeepsie, a
boatman by occupation; Catherine, the wife
of Henry Teller, a farmer in Orange county;
Theodorus, our subject's father; and Emeline,
who married George Doughty, a farmer.
Theodorus Storm settled upon the old farm,
and married Susan Storm, a native of Fishkill,
and the daughter of Col. John Storm, a de
scendant of one of the three brothers above
mentioned. Seven chHdren were born of this
union: Susan, who married John T. Storm,
now living in retirement in Beekman; Maria
L. , the wife of WHliam Humphrey, a farmer
in Pleasant Valley; Catherine (deceased); Theo
dore, who is blind; Cornelia, who married
Henry Wooley, a farmer in Beekman (both
now deceased); Thomas I., our subject; and
one child that died in infancy. The father of
this family died August 10, 1865. He was a
Democrat in principle, though not especially
active in political affairs, and he and his wife
were both prominent members of the Reformed
Dutch Church.
Thomas I. Storm was born AprH 14, 1827,
and passed his entire life upon the old estate
to which the residence of so many of his fam
ily have lent pleasant associations. On June
10, 1857, he was united in wedlock with Susan
Maria Arthur, a lady of Irish descent, and a
native of Dutchess county. Her father, John
Arthur, a well-known agriculturist, was a
cousin to ex-President Chester A. Arthur; her
mother was a daughter of Major Abram Ad
riance, of East Fishkill. Of the four children
by this marriage, all are residents of the town
of East FishkHl. Arthur is a horticulturist;
Walter follows agriculture; Adriana married
Eugene Storm, formerly a merchant of New
York, who died January 9, 1890, leaving a
widow and one chHd, WiHiam T. Storm, born
September 2, 1885; and Doretha, married to
Benjamin D. Haxtun, a farmer, and has two
children: , Maria Arthur Haxtun, born October
22, 1894, and Adriana Storm Haxtun, born
February 22, 1897.
Thomas I. Storm died very suddenly June

296

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

17, 1896. He took an active part in the local
Democratic organization, and served as town
assessor. He was a leading adherent of the
Reformed Dutch Church, of Hopewell, as is
also his widow.

JOHN G. DUNCAN (deceased) was born in
the town of Unionvale, Dutchess Co.,
N. Y., in the year 1793. He received a
good common-school education, and while yet
a young man entered the general store of
Jacob Fowler as clerk. By strict attention to
business he rose rapidly, and soon became
owner of the store at Hoxie Corners. By de
grees he acquired several farms in the vicinity,
among them being the Oakley and the Stryker
places. His health failing, he retired, when
about thirty-four years of age, to his farm at
Verbank, where he passed his declining years,
dying December 19, 1857. Shortly after his
death his widow removed to Poughkeepsie,
and died there January 4, 1875.
Mr. Duncan in his political preferences
was first a Whig, afterward a Republican, and
served as justice of the peace for many years.
He was fond of reading, and for a long time
was custodian of the circulating library known
as the Franklin Library, and he was also in
charge of the District School Library.
He was progressive, being quick to appre
ciate and advance whatever pertained to the
welfare of t'he community, and his sterling
qualities earned for him the respect and con
fidence of his fellow townsmen. In his domes
tic relations he was a kind husband and father,
always preferring the quiet seclusion of home
to the more bustling activities of his business
life. He suffered not a Httle from rheumatism,
and was also quite deaf, which latter infirmity
accounted for his absence from many public
assemblages. The old house on the Verbank farm (which
is still in the possession of the family) was con
sidered unusually handsome in its day, its
architectural features being admired by many
from a distance. The walls, which were hard
finished, are stiH well preserved, and the past
seventy years have made little impression on
the solid timbers. The land now covered by
the Verbank station, as well as a good portion
of the Verbank Rural Cemetery, originally be
longed to "Ingleside," the farm owned by the
subject of our sketch.
The Duncan family, of which John C.

Duncan was a member, originally came from
Scotland, first locating in Canada, thence mov
ing to Boston, and from there to Dutchess
county. WHliam Duncan married Mary
Wooley, their son George marrying Lucy Rey
nolds, leaving a son John G.
In 1 8 14 Mr. Duncan married Mary VaH,
second daughter of Platt VaH. To Mr. and
Mrs. Duncan were born seven children as
follows: (i) Maria Jane was born in Unionvale in
1 8 16. She attended Miss Proctor's school at
Poughkeepsie. She was married to Leonard
B. Sherman, of the town of Washington,
and died in 1847, leaving two daughters, (a)
Mary and (b) Matilda. (a) Mary married
Lewis Germond; (b) Matilda married Chauncey
Colwell. (2) Ovid was born December i, 18 19, in
the town of Unionvale. He spent his boy
hood on his father's farm, attending school at
Amenia Seminary in Dutchess county. He
early became associated with his father in
mercantile pursuits, and later purchased the
Alonzo Haight farm. For many years he was
widely known as a dealer in cattle. He mar
ried Ann Davis, leaving two daughters, Caro
line (now deceased) and Annie Kate; also four
sons — John, Jesse (deceased), Everett and
Theron. All those who are living reside in
Dutchess county.
(3) Antoinette died in infancy.
(4) George Platt was born June 23, 1825.
His school days were passed at Amenia Semi
nary. On the death of his father, the home
stead came into his possession. In 1864 he
married Anna Brown Downing, of Lagrange,
and took up his residence in this town, dying
there March 23, 1874. He was honorable in
his business affairs, faithful in his friendships
and respected by all. He left two sons,
Charles Henry (born July 1 1 , 1 866) and George
Richard (born February 14, 1868), both of
whom attended private schools in Poughkeep
sie, and later St. Stephens College, Dutchess
county. The former was graduated from St.
Stephens in the class of '87, and from Gen.
Theological Seminary in 1890. His first
charge was in Geneva, N. Y. , from which
place he was called, in 1891, to St. James
Church, Watkins, N. Y. After spending five
years there he was elected to the rectorship of
Grace Church, MiHbrook, N. Y. As the tastes
of the latter inclined toward business, he left
school at an early age to take up newspaper

l^r-^^.^-'

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

297

¦work, which he followed with success until his
health became affected. He now resides in
North Granby, Massachusetts.
(5) Catherine Amelia wasborn at the home
stead, Unionvale, June i, 1827. She joined
the Methodist Church at au early age, attend
ing school at Nine Partners and Amenia Sem
inary. In company with her mother and sis
ters she removed to Poughkeepsie in 1 864, be
coming a communicant of St. Paul's Church in
1877, where she continued a devoted member
up to her death, which occurred March 26,
1897. She was unmarried.
(6) Rebecca MatHda was born at the
homestead, town of Unionvale. She attend
ed Nine Partners School and Amenia Semi
nary, and was a member of the M. E. Church
in her youth. Removed to Poughkeepsie and
was married June 22, 1864, to Lewis F.
Streit, an elder in the Presbyterian Church, of
which Church she subsequently became a
member. (7) Frances Emma, the youngest child,
was born at the homestead in Verbank, town
of Unionvale. She was a member of the
Methodist Church at that place. Attended
school at Tookers Female Academy, Pough
keepsie. In 1 864 she came to Poughkeepsie
to reside, and in 1877 she was confirmed in
St. Paul's Church, Poughkeepsie. -She is liv
ing at her home in the above-named place,
and is unmarried.
The father of Mary (Vail) Duncan was
Platt VaH (born 1769, died 1822), who was
married to Catherine Reynolds (born 1767,
died 1852). His father was Capt. Israel VaH,
of Beekman Precinct, who served with dis
tinction in the war of the Revolution, and
whose record appears as follows, according to
the secretary of the New York Society, ' ' "Sons
of the Revolution:" " Captain Israel VaH, 5th
Regt., Dutchess Co., N. Y., MHitia. (Col.
James Vanderburg) March loth, 1778."

©EORGE SCHLEGEL. There is no ele
ment which enters into our composite
national fabric which has been of more practi
cal strength, value and utility than that fur
nished by the sturdy, persevering and honora
ble sons of Germany, and inthe progress of our
Union this element has played an important
part. The subject of this review, who comes
from stanch German stock, was born at Carls-
ruhe. Grand Duchy of Baden, AprH 20, 1823.

There he was educated, and learned the shoe
maker's trade.
Hoping to benefit his financial condition,
Mr. Schlegel, in 1844, sailed for America, and
on landing at New York secured work there at
his trade for five years, at the end of which
time he came to Poughkeepsie. Here he
opened a retaH shoe store, and also engaged in
the manufacture of boots and shoes, conduct
ing his business on Main street, near River
street, until 1870, when he disposed of his
stock. He then came to his present location
at Nos. 544 and 544J Main street, where he
has since successfully carried on a variety
store, and has built up an extensive trade.
In 1846 Mr. Schlegel was united in mar
riage with Johanna Reinhard, a lady of Ger
man birth, who died in Poughkeepsie in 1867.
Four years later he was again married, his
second union being with Emma Meyerhuber,
a native of Carlsruhe, Germany, and to them
have been born two children, George C,
born August 23, 1873, a druggist of Pough
keepsie; and Emma, born June 5, 1876. Mrs.
Schlegel is the picud possessor of a medal and
cross given her by King William I, of Ger
many, for the services she rendered during the
war of 1870, while in the hospital taking care
of the sick and wounded. In religious belief
both she and her husband are Protestants, and
they have made many warm friends ,in their
adopted country. Politically, Mr. Schlegel
uses his right of franchise in support of Demo
cratic principles, and has maintained a lively
interest in the advancement of the industrial
and popular interests of the city of his adoption.
He is a man of genial, social nature, a member
of the Germania Society, and is a representa
tive German-American citizen.

PETER ADRIANCE, senior member of the
 firm of Peter Adriance & Son, plumbers,
tinners, steam, hot water and gas fitters, whose
place of business is No. 393 Main street, Pough
keepsie, was born in the town of East Fish
kill, Dutchess county, April 19, 1843, on the
farm where his great-grandfather. Ram I.
Adriance, located, the first of the family to
come to Dutchess county.
There also was born, in 1 787, Peter Adri
ance, the grandfather of our subject, and
there his entire life was devoted to agriculture.
He married Catherine Storm, and they reared
a family of three children: Thomas, the fa-

298

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ther of our subject; Mary A., who wedded
James Wilkinson, of Dutchess county; and
Amelia, who married WHlett Culver, a farmer
of Dutchess county. The parents of these
were both faithful members of the Reformed
Dutch Church.
Upon the old homestead Thomas Adriance
(father of our subject) was born in 1811. He
married Catherine Culver, a native of the
town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, and a
daughter of a farmer of that locality. Her
people were members of the Society of Friends.
Five children were born to this union: Peter;
Edgar, who deals in fancy goods in Pough
keepsie; Amelia, wife of S, A, Walker, of
Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Robert, a merchant of Fish
kiH, Dutchess county; and Mary A., who died
in infancy. The father followed farming ex
clusively through life; in his political senti
ment he was an ardent Democrat. He died
in 1861, his wife in 1885.
Like most farmer boys Peter Adriance
passed his early life, and the education he ac
quired in the old district school of the neigh
borhood was supplemented fey a course in the
Dutchess Academy, and at the Hudson River
Institute at Claverack, N. Y., after which he
returned to the home farm, where he con
tinued to work until twenty-five years of age.
In 1861 he married Miss Alice Adriance,
who was born in the town of Fishkill, a
daughter of John V. Adriance, an agricultu
rist. One child was born to them, Eugene,
who is now in business with his father. After
living upon the farm for about four years, Mr.
Adriance entered the grocery store of Dart &
Co., at Glenham, Dutchess county, as clerk,
but soon after came to Poughkeepsie, where
he was similarly employed by D. O. Smith
for about a year. For two years he then
clerked in the hardware store of Budd & Trow
bridge, and then for the same length of time
was with L. T. Mosher, in the pork-packing
industry, after which he returned to the hard
ware store, which was then owned by Trow
bridge & Sherrill. He soon secured a third
interest in the firm, the name being changed
to Trowbridge, Sherrill & Adriance; but at the
end of three years Mr. Sherrill sold out. The
firm of Trowbridge & Adriance did business
until 1893, when our subject purchased his
partner's interest, and his son was given a
share in the business, which has now grown
to extensive proportions. The liberal patron
age which they receive is well deserved, as

they strive to please their customers, and their
work is all first-class in every particular.
Mr. Adriance is public-spirited in an emi
nent degree, and has done much in behalf of
the general welfare of the community. He is
popular, and is the. center of a large circle of
friends and acquaintances who honor and es
teem him for his many virtues and genuine
worth. He is largely interested in the Co
operative Savings and Loan Association, and
prominently identified with the Masonic Order
and the Royal Arcanum. He and his estima
ble wife contribute to the Reformed Church,
which they attend. The line of descent of
which our subject is a member, is as follows:
(i) Adrian Reyersz, emigrated from Holland,
1646; (2) Abram Adriance, born 1680, settled
in Flatbush, N. Y. ; (3) Ram I. Adriance,
born 1753, was the first to come to Dutchess
county; (4) Peter Adriance, born 1787, in
Dutchess- county; (5) Thomas Adriance, born
in 181 1, in Dutchess county; (6) Peter Adri
ance, our subject.

G\EORGE SCHLUDE. A brHliant example
^T of a self-made American citizen, and a
grand exemplification of the progress that an
ambitious foreigner can make in this country
of unbounded opportunities, is shown in the
case of our subject, one of the leading Ger
man-American residents of Poughkeepsie. His
singular success is due to his own energy and
the high ideal which his lofty and laudable ambi
tion placed before him. Success in any walk of
life is an indication of earnest endeavor and
persevering effort — characteristics that Mr.
Schlude possesses in an eminent degree.
Our subject wasborn in Hochberg, Hohen
zoUern, Sigmeringen, Prussia, Germany, Feb
ruary 2, 1832, and is the elder of the two chil
dren of Boletus and Elizabeth (Grazer) Schlude,
both natives of the same locality as is George,
where the father died in 1834. The younger
chHd, Josephine, wedded John Rumsburger, a
merchant of Germany, but both are now de
ceased. In the Fatherland George Schlude grew to
manhood, securing the usual education afford
ed by the public schools of that country, and
there learned cabinet-making. Hearing much
of the splendid opportunities afforded young
men in the New Worid, he at the age of eight
een years sailed for the United States, and in
New York City and Philadelphia worked at his

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

299

trade for about two years, when he returned
to Germany, and there spent a similar period.
However, in 1854, we again find him in Amer
ica, and this time he located at Poughkeepsie,
where he was employed at his trade until
1872. He then began the furniture business,
which he has since continued, at the present
time located at Nos. 150 and 152 Main street,
the firm being now George Schlude & Sons.
For the past five years he has occupied his
present store, where he carries a full line of
furniture and pictures, and in connection con
ducts an undertaking department.
In 1855 Mr. Schlude married Miss Caroline
Hummel, a native of Baden, Germany, and
eight children bless their union: Caroline,
Charles, Emma, Frederick, Ida, George, Lil
lie and Leonard. Charles, Frederick and
George are in business with their father. As
a Democrat in politics, Mr. Schlude takes
great interest in all poHtical questions, although
not an aspirant for political preferment. He
has done much for the upbuHding of Pough
keepsie, and in his varied relations in business
affairs, and in social life, has impressed all
with his sincere and manly purpose to do by
others as he would have others do by him.

m BRAM STORM HUMPHREY, a mem-
.^k ber of the well-known wholesale and re
tail drug firm of Doty & Humphrey, Pough
keepsie, was born in the town of Beekman,
Dutchess county, October 12, 1848.
Thomas Humphrey, his great-grandfather,
was a farmer in Dutchess county, and mem
bers of the family served in the Revolutionary
war. Abram Humphrey, grandfather of our
subject, wasborn in Beekman, July i, 1785.
and followed the occupation of a farmer until
his death, which occurred February 9, 1821,
in Dutchess county. He married Miss Letitia
Adriance, also a native of the county, and
their three children were as follows: Cath
erine, who married Alexander Hasbrouck, a
farmer of East Fishkill; Sarah, who married
Jacob Pudney, a farmer in Dutchess county;
and John (our subject's father).
John Humphrey, father of our subject,
was born in Beekman, Dutchess county, June
12, 18 18. He was reared upon a farm, and
married Miss Catherine E. Storm, who was
born in East FishkiH, June 25, 18 14. Her
father, Abram Storm, who was a native of the
same place and a farmer, was the son of Isaac

and Elizabeth Storm, the former of whom was
born in Tarrytown, N. Y., October i, 1772,
and with four brothers — ^Jacob, John, Abram
and Thomas — came in an early day to Dutchess
county. They took up a very large tract of
land, some of which is still in possession ofthe
family. The Storm family lived on Long Is
land in 1620, or thereabouts, and their coat
of arms has been handed down to the present
generation. Our subject's parents after their marriage
located on the old farm in Beekman, where
they reared a family of six children, two of
whom died in infancy. The others were
Helen; Letitia, who married William Quin-
tard, of the firm of Quintard Brothers, jewel
ers, of Poughkeepsie, and died July 18, 1887;
John V. , a wholesale and retail druggist of
Poughkeepsie; and Abram S., our subject.
The father of this family died October 20,
1853, the mother on August 24, 1885. He
was a Democrat in his political views, and
both were members of the Reformed Dutch
Church. Our subject spent his younger days, after
1856, in Poughkeepsie, where he attended the
Dutchess County Academy, and at the age of
sixteen he entered the drug store of Elias
Trivett as clerk. There he remained for about
four years, then went to Kingston, N. Y. , and
clerked for Van Dusen Brothers for some five
years. His next location was Providence, R.
I., where he engaged in -the drug business for
himself for one year, after which he returned
to Poughkeepsie, and a year later formed a
part.nership under the firm name of Humphrey
& Bowne. This continued two and one-half
years, when Mr. Bowne sold out his interest to
John V. Humphrey, and the business was then
conducted under the name of Humphrey Broth
ers. Eight years later Abram S. sold out his
interest, and became secretary and treasurer
of the Storm Spring Company, holding these
offices for eight years. In 1890 he became a
member of the present firm of Doty & Hum
phrey, which does a large wholesale and retail
drug business.
On October 8, 1873, Mr. Humphrey was
united in marriage with Miss Mary Vignes,
who was born in Kingston, May 20, 1850, a
daughter of John Vignes, of that city, who
was of French descent. Mr, Humphrey is a
stanch Republican, and takes an active inter
est in all matters relative to the welfare of his
community. In 1884 he was elected alder-

300

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

man for the Sixth ward, and served two terms;
also two terms on the water board, and at the
present time represents his ward in the board
of supervisors. Socially, he belongs to the
Royal Arcanum, and both he and his wife are
members of the Reformed Dutch Church, of
which he is also a member of the Consistory.

ISAAC VINCENT, Sr., father of Mrs. Phoebe
 A. Wing, was born January 26, 1781, in
the town of Unionvale, Dutchess Co., N.
Y. , son of Gilbert and Phoebe (Vail) Vincent,
both also natives of Dutchess county, and highly
respectable farming people. In religious faith
they were members of the Society of Friends.
They had a family of thirteen chHdren, named
respectively: Isaac, Absalom, Rebecca, La
vina, Jonathan, Leonard, Thomas, Margaret
and Elizabeth (twins), Richard, Michael,
Phebe Ann, and Hepsibeth. Of these, Mar
garet married John Potter, and had two chil
dren — Jane, who married Theron Thompson,
and Thomas, who was a soldier in the war of
the Rebellion, and died of wounds received at
the battle of Antietam. Elizabeth married
Jonathan Huestis, and had two children — Eg
bert, married to Mariette Williams (they had
three children, and both are now deceased),
and Jane, married to Isaac Mabbett (they have
no children; Mr. Mabbett is deceased, and his
widow resides in Chicago).
Isaac Vincent, the eldest in the above men
tioned family of thirteen children, in 1807 mar
ried Martha Duncan, who was born at Dover,
Dutchess county, in 1788, and died October
30, 1873. Isaac was a merchant, and opened
the first store at Chestnut Ridge; he was also
a farmer, and accumulated a considerable
amount of property. Altogether he was a man
of no small influence in his day, too busy to
accept office, though a strong Whig and Re
publican. He was the first postmaster at
Chestnut Ridge, and when advanced years
came upon him he handed the office over to
his son Edgar, at whose death Mrs. Phoebe A.
Wing took charge thereof; it has been in the
family the long period of eighty years in all.
The record of the children born to Isaac and
Martha (Duncan) Vincent is as follows:
(i) Horatio N. was born September 16,
1808, and died unmarried. May 27, 1862.
(2) David was born March 10, 18 10, and
died February 5, 1887. He married Phoebe
Preston, who wasborn November 3, 18 17, and

died September 20, 1856; they had three chH
dren — Isaac, born May 16, 1847, died January
25, 1889; Martha, born July 13, 1849, died
July 16, 1874; and Obed, born in 1855, died
July 13, 1892 (he married Ella Vincent, and
had one daughter. Hazel). Obed was a Re
publican in politics. Isaac, Jr., son of David,
married Mary E. Albro, and had three chHdren
— Phoebe Ann, David D., and Martha A. (now
Mrs. John A. Gaffney). Martha, daughter of
David, married Stephen Moore, and had one
son — David, a merchant and farmer at Cloe
Valley; he married Minnie Vincent, and they
have two children — Edna M. and Vincent.
(3) Gilbert, born March 14, 18 12, married
Mary Van Wyck, October 2, 1856, and they
had two children — Horatio N., born January
I, 1859, died March 14, i860; and Phoebe A.,
born May i, 1861 (she married John L. Beld
ing, and had two chHdren — Vincent, born Au
gust 26, 1879, died June 26, 1880, and John
L. , born April 16, 1882; their mother, Phcebe,
died August 26, 1884). GHbert Vincent died
September 23, 1875.
(4) Edgar, born December i, 181 3, re
ceived a liberal common-school education, and
became a leading business man, was a Repub
lican in politics, and a leader in his party. In
18 — he was elected to the State Assembly;
was also county clerk six years, and, as already
stated, was postmaster at Chestnut Ridge, in
addition to which he filled many minor offices,
all with the same degree of ability and integ
rity characteristic of him. No man had a wider
acquaintance than Edgar Vincent, and none
was more deserving of the high esteem in
which he was held by all classes in the com
munity. He died unmarried, May 14, 1874,
deeply regretted by all who knew him.
(5) Phcebe A., the youngest daughter and
child of Isaac and Martha (Duncan) Vincent,
was born at Dover, Dutchess county, Novem
ber 4, 1 8 18. She was married in 1840 to
Obed Wing, who was born August 2, i8i7,and
died January 17, 1882. They had no family,
but reared from childhood Martha Pray, a
daughter of George and Nancy (Baker) Pray,
who, at their death, gave Martha to Mr. and
Mrs. Wing, and she became as dear to them
as if she was their own daughter. She has
three brothers: Elias N., George and Seward,
and one sister, Ida (now Mrs. Charles Duncan).
Mrs. Phcebe A. Wing is in many ways a re
markable woman, there being few of her age
who can boast of her wonderful vitality and

EDGAR YIHCEHT,

ISAAC YINCEHT,

/f^-^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

301

brightness. To-day, with the assistance of
Miss Pray, she is conducting a large farm with
all the abHity and acumen of many a man of
half her years, and ever since her brother Ed
gar's death, up to September, 1895, she was
the efficient and courteous postmistress at
Chestnut Ridge. Far and wide she is known
and respected, and the wish of all is that she
may be spared many years of usefulness and
beneficence.

JEDEDIAH I. WANZER. The Wanzer
family, which has held an influential posi
tion in this region for many generations,
is of old pioneer stock, and the hardy virtues
of their ancestry are well exemplified in their
numerous descendants.
The first of the line was Abraham Wanzer
(i), who lived at Horse Neck, on Long Island
Sound, in the town of Greenwich, Conn.,
about 1700, He was married first to Abigail
Husted, of that place, who died several years
before him. He afterward married Deborah
Classon, who survived him several years. He
had two children by his first wife, Anthony
and Moses (i), and by his second wife, one
chHd, Deborah. Later in Hfe he moved with
his family to the town of Sherman, Fairfield
Co., Connecticut.
Moses Wanzer (i) was born at Horse Neck,
about the year 1722. He married Elizabeth
(Benedict) Knapp, of Danbury, Conn., and
lived and died on the farm in Sherman owned,
in 1870, by, Abram Wanzer, their grandson.
They had eight children: (I) Abram (2), (II)
Nicholas, (III) Moses (2), (IV) Ebenezer, (V)
AbigaH, (VI) Husted, (VII) Elizabeth, and
(VIII) John.
(I) Abram Wanzer (2) lived in New Mil
ford, Conn., and had a large famHy. His eld
est son, Zebulon, married Sybil Wing, whose
father was killed at a raising of a sawmill at
Oblong. They lived on a farm near New Mil
ford, Conn,, and had four chHdren, as follows:
(i) Michael went to Iowa when a young man,
married and had two children, who, being
orphaned at an early age, were taken in charge
by their uncle Elihu, living at Macedon, N. Y.,
but later returned to the West. (2) Elihu,
son of Zebulon, married Tammy Eddy at
Quaker HHl, and removed to Macedon, N. Y.,
where they resided in 1873. They have no
issue. (3) Elizabeth married Ward Bryant,
and lived in Amenia, Dutchess county. They

had eleven children: Laura, Calvin, Elihu,
James, Amos, Sarah, Jane, Ezra, Phebe, Reu
ben, and Coralie. (4) Jane married Luther
Bencroft, and lived near Macedon Locks,
New York.
Moses Wanzer, the son of Abram (2), mar
ried Sally Akin, daughter of Benjamin Akin,
of PawHng, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , they lived in
Sherman, Conn., and had fifteen children —
Nicholas Akin, Phebe, Benjamin, Elizabeth,
Martha, Jane, Anna, Sarah, Lydia, Moses,
Margaret, Edward, Mary, Harriet, Martha —
of whom, Sarah Wanzer married Mr, Congdon,
and lived in Beekman; her son James attended
Cornell University, and died about the year
1872. Lydia married James Haight, lived at
Chappaqua, N. Y. , and had two daughters.
Margaret married Dr. Holcomb, of New York
City, where they were living in 1873; Moses,
Jr. , a farmer, married the daughter of Ezra
Haight, of Chappaqua, N. Y. ; Edward A. mar
ried a daughter of Akin Taber, a farmer of
PawHng; Harriet lived to maturity; (the others
died young).
(II) — Nicholas Wanzer, son of Moses, Sr. ,
married Phebe Miller, and lived in the town of
New Milford, Conn. He had no children,
(III) — Moses, son of Moses, Sr, , married
Sarah Hill, and moved to Vermont. They
had seven children: HiH, Nicholas, Moses,
John, Amy, Betsey and Sarah. Of these,
Moses lived at Bath, Long Island, and later
moved to Illinois, where he died about 1879.
He was engaged in the clothing business in
New York City. He had several children,
among whom was a son named Moses, who,
when a young man, went to Illinois, married
and had several children. He lived in or near
McHenry coupty.
(IV) — Ebenezer, son of Moses, Sr. , mar
ried Betsey Hendrick, and lived in or near
Brookfield, Conn. He had seven children:
David, Phebe, Anna (3), Ebenezer, Ira, Hiram
and William. Of these, David never married,
and lived and died in the old homestead.
Phebe married Lewis, son of Thomas Havi
land, and Hved in the town of New Milford,
Conn.; they had two children: Ebenezer
Wanzer Haviland and Betsey P, Ebenezer
married Betsey S. Wheeler, and a daughter of
theirs, Betsey P. Haviland, married Robert
Post, of Long Island, and settled at Quaker
HHl, in Pawling, N. Y., where they now
live. They have three children — Edmond
Phebe and Isaac, Anna (3) married David

302

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Merritt, and lived on Quaker Hill, N. Y.; she
died young; they had two children, who died
in infancy. Ebenezer married Lucy, daughter
of WHliam Leach, settled near Brookfield,
Conn., and had three children — William L. ,
Phebe L. and Betsey. Ira married Laura
Hayes, of New Fairfield; he was the author
of an arithmetic, which was esteemed as a
valuable work; they had five children — David, '
Levi, Mary, Flora and Betsey. Hiram died
young. 'William married Hannah, daughter
of Zachariah Ferris, of Jerusalem, Conn., and
lived in or near New MHford, Conn.; they had
four children — Charles, Hannah, Ellen and
Anna; of these, Charles married Carrie Tread
well, and had three chHdren — William D.,
Minnie and Alice.
(VI) — Husted Wanzer, son of Moses, Sr. ,
born March 3, 1762, for his first wife married
Lucy Leach, daughter of Ebenezer and Mary
(Marsh) Leach, of Sherman, Conn. She died
25th of 1 2th month, 1797, and for his second
wife he married Mary, daughter of Stephen
Osborn, of New MHford, Conn., who did not
live long. He then married, for his third wife,
Florilla Pepper, daughter of Dan and Sarah
Pepper, of Sherman, Conn. Husted Wanzer
had five children — three by the first marriage,
(i) Daniel, (2) Elizabeth, (3) Ebenezer, one
by the second marriage, (4) Nicholas, and one
by the third marriage, (5) George, (i) Daniel
married Hannah, daughter of Daniel and
Sarah Haviland, of Oblong, or Haviland Hol
low, and they had seven children — Husted,
HavHand, John, Richard, Henry; Isaac and
Ann. (2) Elizabeth Wanzer was born 12th
of 5th month, 1793, married Henry, son of
Edward Briggs, of Quaker Hill, and had four
children — Annan, who married Polly Akin;
Edward, who died single; Husted, who mar
ried Elizabeth Wanzer, and Henry, who mar
ried Almira Haws. (3) Ebenezer, born De
cember 20, 1795, married Sarah, daughter of
Amos and Esther Irish, of Quaker Hill,
Dutchess county, in 2d month, 1820. She
died on the 20th of December, 1823, and in
6tb month, 1825, he married Esther Irish, sis
ter of his first wife. She died on 3d of loth
month, 1838; and on 20th of Sth month, 1842,
he married Eliza Boughton, daughter of Thad
deus and Lucy Boughton, of Victory, Cayuga
county. He had nine children, of whom, two
were by the first marriage: Lucy, born 15th
of 8th month, 1821, died 22d of 2d month,
1842; and Elias, born 12th of 12th month, 1823,

died in September, 1896 (he married Hannah
Haight, and had two sons). The children by
the second marriage were: Sarah,' born 7th
of 6th month, 1826; Charles J., born 26th of
2d month, 1828; James M. , born 9th of 9th
month, 1829; Elizabeth B., born 12th of 7th
month, 1 83 1 ; Caroline, born 29th of 4th month,
1835; Daniel H., born 3d of 12th month, 1837;
and Mary, who only lived to be some thirteen
years of age. (4) Nicholas, born January 8,
1804, and died 27th of loth month, 1875; mar
ried Almira, daughter of Jedediah and Lydia
Irish, of Quaker Hill, N. Y., and settled in
New Fairfield, Conn. They had the follow
ing children: Jedediah I., our subject; Eben
ezer H. , born December 24, 1831, and died
unmarried October 31, 1855; Mary Jane,* born
June 21, 1834, married Harvey H. Barnum,
February 6, 1854; GHbert, born AprH 27, 1836,
died October 11, 1861, unmarried; Henry B.,
born July 9, 1839, first married April 3, 1861,
Sylvia D. Sheldon, who died August 21, 1863,
and he married for his second wife Phoebe J.
Haynes; John L., born August 8, 1843, died
January 13, 1844; and Elizabeth B., who was
born October 11, 1847, and died December 6,
1879, married Perley M. Cummings, and had
three children, one of whom died in infancy;
Cora Emily, born June 13, 1876; and Ralph
H,, born October 4, 1877. (5) George Husted
Wanzer, born February 8, 1820, was the only
child of the third marriage of Husted Wanzer,
and lives on the homestead at Sherman, Con
necticut. (VII) Elizabeth, the seventh child of Moses,
Sr. , married Thomas Haviland, a resident of
Leach Hollow. They had eight children —
Horace, Willis, John, Jane, Elizabeth, Phebe,
Nancy and Sophia. Of these, Horace married
Eunice, daughter of Ichabod Leach," of Leach
Hollow, and settled in that place, where he
followed the blacksmith's 'trade; he had one
son, Israel, who married Abby, daughter of
Zachariah Ferris. Willis HavHand, for his first
wife, married Phebe Searing, and settled at
HartsviHe, Dutchess county, where her death
occurred; they had three daughters, Sarah
Eliza (married to Philip (son of Isaac) Merritt,
of Millbrook, N. Y.); Mary, who never mar
ried, and Harriet. WHHs Haviland, for his
second wife, married Elizabeth, daughter of
PhHip Hart. John Haviland married Mary
Ann Ferris, daughter of Zachariah Ferris, and
lived near New MHford, Conn. ; they had one
child — Jane Ann, who married Gersham Gid-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

303

dings, but nothing is known of their Jssue.
Jane Haviland married Simeon Hinm^pn, of
r. New MHford, Conn. ; nothing is known of their
'^issue; she died and he afterward moved to
Seneca county,^. Y. Eliza HavHand married
Ira Leach, son of William Leach, and lived
and died at Leach HoHow, Conn. ; they had
two children, whose names are not known.
Phebe HavHand remained single.
(VIII) John Wanzer, youngest son of Moses
and Elizabeth (Knapp) Wanzer, lived in New
Fairfield, Conn. He married Grace Swords,
and their chHdren were: Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Ithamar, Abigail, Amittai, Elizabeth,
John Jay, Francis D. S., Abbie Jane, and
Willis H. Of these, Abraham married (first)
Anna Leach, and. (second) Phebe (Haviland)
Hathaway. Isaac Wanzer married (first)
Eliza Treadwell, and (second) Cornelia Tread
well; children by first marriage: Jabez, Grace,
Jane Ann, John, Lucy Eliza, and Andrew;
children by second marriage: Elizabeth, Mar
garetta, George Munson, Sarah C. and Grace.
Jacob Wanzer married Phebe Leach, and had
children: Lucy Ann, Mary, Abigail, Merritt
L. , Jane and Julia. John Jay Wanzer married
Ann Eliza Dennison. Francis D. S. Wanzer
married Lucia S. Osborn, and had children:
Harriet A., Sarah, Mary E., Abbie Jane,
Richard D., Franklin, Thalia Grace, George
and Lottie E. Willis H. Wanzer lived on his
father's homestead in New Fairfield, Conn. ;
he married (first) Lydia Ann Leach, and (sec
ond) Sarah Ann Kellogg, and had children:
Henry J., Hanford Kellogg, Willis H,,Jr.,
Lydia Ann and Rachel Sophia. (Willis Wan
zer represented New Fairfield in General As
sembly of Connecticut in 1855, 1858 and 1873).
Amittai Wanzer married Homer J. Leach, and
had children: Daniel Francis and Abbie Jane,
Elizabeth Wanzer married Andrew A. Skid-
, more, and had chHdren: Elizabeth, Jane S. ,
Andrew A. and James W.
Amos Irish, the maternal great-grandfather
of our subject, was a son of Joseph, who was
a son of Jedediah, of one of the early families
of Rhode Island. Amos was born in Pawling,
May 20, 1757, was educated there and engaged
in farming. He was a birthright Friend. He
married Esther Irish, a cousin, who was born
May 2, 1757, and they had ten chHdren,
whose names with dates of birth are as fol
lows: Jedediah, 31st of Sth month, 1780;
Ruth, 4th of 7th month, 17S2; Rachel, 27th
of 5th month, 1784; Joseph, 22d of 3d month.

1786; Charles, 14th of 4th month, 1788;
Cynthia, 20th of 5th month, 1790; David,
20th of 6th month, 1792; Jonathan, 23d of
Sth month, 1794; Esther, 22d of 2d month,
1797; and Sarah, 13th of 9th month, 1799.
Of these chHdren all lived to a good old age,
excepting Cynthia, who died young. They
married as follows: Jedediah — Lydia Hoag;
Ruth — Abram Wing; Rachel — Warren Giles;
Joseph married (first) Miss Dorland, and
(second) Jane Stevenson; Charles — Rhoda
Ketcham; David — Martha Titus; Jonathan
married (first) Ruth Chase, and (second) Han
nah Tallman; Esther — Ebenezer Wanzer; and
Sarah — Ebenezer Wanzer.
Jedediah Irish, grandfather of our subject
on the maternal side, was born in or near the
town of Pawling, Dutchess county, and spent
his lifetime there, dying September 4, 18 18.
He was educated in the common schools of
that town, and taught school for many years.
He married Lydia Hoag, who was born Sep
tember 20, 1792, and they had seven children,
who married as follows: Amos — Matilda Giles;
Cynthia — Nathan O'Banks; Almira — Nicholas
Wanzer; Martin — Mary A. Haviland; Rebecca
— Gilbert Jennings; Jane — John Lawrence;
and Willis — Phoebe Haviland.
Almira Irish, mother- of our subject, was
born January 13, 1807, in the town of Sher
man, Conn., educated there, and married
Nicholas Wanzer, of Pawling. She died Sep
tember 21, 1861.
David Irish, father of our subject's present
wife, was born in the town of Pawling, and edu
cated in the common schools. He was always
engaged in farming, and also followed survey
ing. He was a Friend, and a minister in the
Friends Society. He married Martha Titus,
daughter of WHliam and Mary (Cock) Titus,
farmers of Orange county, N, Y. He died
October 2, 1894, at the age of ninety -two, and
his wife passed away February 22", 1873, aged
eighty-four. They had three chHdren: (i)
WiHiam Irish, born in Pawling, April 16, 1820,
engaged in farming. He married Miss Annie
Quimby, who was born onthe ist of 2d month,
1825, daughter of Aaron and Phebe Quimby,
and had one son — David A. Irish, born 3d of
Sth month. 1S50, in Pawling, where he en
gaged in farming. He married first Miss
Phebe M. Hallock, by whom he had no issue.
For his second wife he married Miss Henriette
Hallock, a sister, and by her he had one chHd,
who died in infancy. (2) Mary Irish was

304

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

born in Pawling, June 7, 1824, and married
David I. Wing, a farmer in that town. They
had four children: Elizabeth, born 12th of
5th month, 1848; Martha T. , 3d of 2d
month, 1850; Phebe P., 27th of 7th month,
1853; CaroHne, 25th of 7th month, 1S60;
Elizabeth married Edward Ryder; Martha re
mained single; Phebe married Edward Wilcox;
Caroline remained single. (3) Phebe T. Irish
(present wife of our subject) was born in Pawl
ing, September i, 1828, and educated there.
She married (first) Joseph Pierce, Jr. , a farmer
of Westchester county, N. Y. , by whom she had
four children: (i) William, born June 12,
1853, died in infancy. (2) Annie S. married
Charles Irish, and they have two chHdren —
Mary S. and Frederick. (3) Joseph D, , born
June 27, 1857, died March 6, 1893; became a
farmer; he married Jennie L. Jones, daughter
of Edward and Caroline Jones, and they had
one child — Edward H. Pierce. (4) Henry,
born in Pawling, June 7, 1859, was educated
there, graduated at Cornell College, and be
came a civil engineer; he is now in the employ
of tbe Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Co. ; he
married Miss Mary L. Hyatt, of Ithaca, and
they have no issue. The father of this family,
Joseph Pierce, Jr., died in November, 1858,
and his widow, seven years later, married our
subject. Jedediah I. Wanzer, the subject proper of
this sketch, is a native of New Fairfield,
Conn., born May 13, 1829. He grew up on a
farm, and had such schooling as fell to the lot
of the average farmers' sons of that day. At
the age of twenty-one he joined a surveying
party as chain-bearer in making the survey for
the Danbury & Norwalk railroad. In this ca
pacity he worked for two years, and in that
period prepared himself for the position of a
civil engineer, which for ten years he followed
as an occupation. In the spring of 1852 he
went west and engaged in surveying in Illinois
and Iowa, through the spring and summer,
and that fall he had charge of and completed
a division of the C. B, & Q, R. R. , west of
Aurora, III., the work requiring one year; was
next engaged in similar work on the C. N. W.
R. R, , west of Dixon, III, In 1856 he re
turned to Western, N, Y, , and, as assistant
engineer, superintended the widening of the
Erie canal, west of Albion, N. Y. On the
completion of this work in 1859, he again
went west, purchased a farm in Clinton coun
ty, Iowa, on which he settled. In the winter

of 1864-65 he sold the farm and returned east
(to KnowlesviHe, N. Y.). Later he went to
Danbury, where he again engaged in survey
ing, and in 1867 purchased the farm upon
which he now resides, and which comprises
300 acres of valuable land.
On May 6, 1858, Mr. Wanzer was married
to Miss Frances ArabeHa Sawyer, daughter of
John F. and Mary J. (GHbert) Sawyer, both
natives of Vermont, the former born June 2,
1802, and the latter on March 25, 1823.
John F, Sawyer had five brothers, who were
Baptist ministers. The Sawyers trace their
ancestry back to one Thomas Sawyer, who
was born in England in 161 5, and in 1639
came to America, settling in Lancaster, Mass.,
in 1647, in which year he married Mary
Houghton. His death occurred September
12, 1706. To our subject and wife were born:
Henry S, (at Lyons, Iowa), May 28, 1859,
who married Lillie Jones (they have two chil
dren — Helen, born April 18, 1883, and Harry
Jay, born February 28, 1889); and Helen A. •
born (at Lyons, Iowa) August 29, i860, died
June 16, 1885; she married Frank E. Cole,
May 25, 1882. (They have two children:
Emery, born AprH 30, 1883, and Esther W. ,^
born December 30, 1884). On February 2,
1865, Mrs. Wanzer died, and on May 14,
1866, Mr. Wanzer married (for his second
wife) Phoebe T. (Irish) Pierce, the widow of
Joseph Pierce, Jr.
Our subject is one of the substantial men
of the community; is the possessor of a fine
tract of land above referred to, and has a fine
home. In 1870, on the organization of the
Savings Bank at Pawling, he was one of the
original members, was made secretary of the
same, and served as such until 188S, when he
was made president, which position he now
sustains with the bank. In politics he was a
Republican through the Civil war; in 1872,
he voted for Horace Greeley, and has since
affiliated with the Democratic party.

^?yvM-«iC^

MEWTON HEBARD, cashier of the First
 National Bank of Am.enia, has for many
years been connected with the financial inter
ests of that place. He is a native of Dutchess
county, born at Poughkeepsie, October 14,
1837, and is descended from Capt. Robert
Hebard, who was born in England in 1737,
at an early date becoming a resident of Dutch
ess county, where he died May 17, 1798. He

J^^^v^(wA__

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

305

-, who was born in

married Miss Lydia —
1737, and died August 21, 1819. They be
came the parents of seven chHdren: Reuben;
Benjamin, who was born AprH i, 1765, and
died AprH 24, 1837; Daniel, the grandfather of
the subject of this review; Robert, who died
May 24, 1855, at the age of eighty years, ten
months and four days; Ruth, who died Janu
ary 28, iSoS; Sarah; and Lydia, who died
. January 6, 1788, at the age of eighteen years.
The birth of Daniel Hebard occurred June
I, 1766, and on reaching manhood he was
united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth, daugh
ter of Capt. Colbe Chamberlain. She was
born June 25, 1769, and died August 27, 1796.
They had three children: Salina, who was
born AprH I, 1790, and died May 22, 1847;
Aurelia, who was born August 17, 1792, and
died June 27, 1858; and John J,, the father of
our subject. After the death of his first wife,
Daniel Hebard married her sister, Letitia
Chamberlain, and they became the parents of
eight children: Frederick, born January 20,
1798, died February 13, 1799; Henry, born
October 16, iSoo, died October 20, 1885; Ed
ward, born November 22, 1807, died Septem
ber 28, 1880; Susan, born May 14, 1S09, died
died January 10, 1810; Charles, born October
17, 1810, died December 15, 1845; EHas
Nixon, born January 14, 1S14, died August
17 of the same year; Frederick, born Septem
ber 5, 1820, died May 21, 1896; and Susan,
born February 17, 1824, is the widow of Col.
Henry Rundall (deceased). The father of this
family died January 6, 1841.
John J. Hebard, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Amenia, April 27,
1794, and during his boyhood days attended
school at Sharon, Conn. On November i,
181S, he was married to Miss Harriet E. De
lano, who was born March 19, 1795, and died
September 5, 1857. Their family consisted
of six children, namely: Elizabeth, born July
23, 1S20, died July 17, 1869; Jethro Delano,
born May 7, 1822, died February 21, 1864;
George, born May 8, 1824, died December 29,
1847;, John, born July 14, 1827, died February
28, 1849; Harriet Salina, born January 21,
183 1, died April 29, 1881; and Newton, sub
ject of this sketch, the only one now living.
By trade the father was a silversmith and
clockmaker, and was thus employed at Amenia
Union at the time of his marriage. Removing
to Poughkeepsie, he engaged in the same busi
ness there for a time, later engaging in the
20

manufacture of soap, and then conducted a
store at that place. In 1862 he returned to
the town of Amenia, where his death occurred
in 1874, when he was aged eighty years. He
was a soldier in the war of 1812, under Capt.
Judson, New York State Militia.
The early school days of Newton Hebard
were passed at Williamsburg, N. Y. , and after
graduating from the academy in that city, he
clerked there in a store for four years. He was
engaged in farming near Newburgh, N. Y., for
the same length of time, after which he went to
Brooklyn, and clerked in a hat store for two
years, and then for two years and a half he was
in the real-estate office with G. W. Kelsey.
Coming to the village of Amenia in 1862, he was
employed in the store of C. M. Benjamin until
1865, when he started a private bank under
the firm name of N. Hebard & Co. In Febru
ary, 1867, the bank was blown open and
robbed; but his good friends put him on his
feet again, and in the following fall the First
National Bank was purchased by the people of
Amenia. Mr. Hebard then closed out his
business to become clerk in that institution,
and four years later he was made cashier,
which important position he is still filling to the
satisfaction of all concerned.
In Amenia, on October 5, 1864, Mr. He
bard was married to Miss Harriet E. Per Lee,
daughter of Walter P. Per Lee. In 1858 our
subject was initiated into the mysteries of the
Masonic Order, and now holds membership
with Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M. ; in
religious faith he is a member of the Baptist
Church; politically he has always been an un
compromising Republican on National issues,
although at local elections he votes for the
one he regards as best qualified for the office
to be filled. Personally he has no ambition
for political preferment. He is vigorous and
well-preserved, with a remarkable faculty for
the conduct and dispatch of business, and in
social as well as in busipe^s life stands de
servedly I^LIVER WELDON BARNES, civil engi-
9) neer, is a well-known resident of the village
of FishkHl, Dutchess county, having settled
there in 1S67 while he was eaigaged in the
construction of the Dutchess and Columbia
raHroad, of which he was the chief engineer.
His ancestors came from England in the seven
teenth century, settling in Boston, and later

as well as in business life stands de-
lly high. "I^UA^rtii^^J^iiJiJi, e)ujuJL L^ ,

306

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

generations resided in Marlboro, Mass., where
his father, Henry Barnes, was born in 1790.
His mother, MarHla (Weldon), was a native of
Connecticut, born in Hartford county in 1796.
In 1825 they moved to Philadelphia.
Our subject was born in the town of Ber
lin, Hartford Co., Conn., May 15, 1823, and
his education was begun there in early life.
At sixteen years of age he was sent to Bur
lington College, Burlington, N. J, ,and he subse
quently went to Europe to complete his engi
neering studies. On his return, in April,
1847, he was appointed an assistant engineer
in the first corps sent out from PhHadelphia to
survey the western division of the Pennsylvania
raHroad, extending from the summit of the
Alleghany Mountains to Pittsburg. He be
came the principal assistant engineer in charge
of the field parties, and made the final location
on the bold lines that distinguished that divi
sion as the first engineering work on this conti
nent at that time, and remained in charge of
his division until its construction was completed
in 1854. He was then appointed chief engi
neer of the Pittsburg & Connellsville railroad,
extending from Pittsburg to Cumberland, now
the Pittsburg division of the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad, and remained on that work until
1857, when he took charge of the construction
of the last eighty-four miles of the Pittsburg,
Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad, and com
pleted it to Chicago in December, 1858. He
then returned to Philadelphia, and built some
branch lines for the Pennsylvania railroad.
In 1866 he came to Dutchess county, surveyed,
located and constructed the Dutchess & Col
umbia railroad, from Dutchess Junction to
Millerton, fifty-eight miles in length, and sub
sequently was chief engineer on the surveys
for the extension of the Boston, Hartford &
Erie railroad, from Waterbury, Conn., to Fish
kill-on-Hudson, superintending the construc
tion of the work near the River Terminal until
the suspension of operations consequent upon
the financial difficulties of that company in
1869. Leaving the service of the Boston,
Hartford & Erie Railroad Co., in 1870, he be
came the promoter and chief engineer of the
Connecticut Western Railroad Co., the sur
veys and location of that line from Hartford to
the State Line. of New York, near MHIerton,
being made under his personal supervision, and
the work was subsequently constructed under
his charge in 1870 and 1871.
He then became the president and chief

engineer of the New York City Central Under
ground RaHroad Co., which was authorized
by a special charter to construct a line of
underground raHway for rapid transit through
the city of New York from City Hall Park to
the Harlem river. He prepared the surveys
and plans for the construction of the line; but
the political obstructions of the Tweed com
bination rendered it impossible to secure the
capital for its construction at that time. In.
1872 the control of the company was trans
ferred to influential capitalists interested in the
proposed New York & Montreal Railroad Co.,
who were intending to use its corporate rights
for an entrance into the heart of the city, but
were compelled by the financial panic of 1873
to abandon the scheme; the enterprise re
mained dormant until the Rapid Transit Com
mission was appointed in 1891, when the plans
of the New York City Central Underground
Railroad Co. were presented to the commis
sion by Oliver W. Barnes, who had again
been appointed the chief engineer of the com
pany. These plans were favorably considered
by the commissioners, but they finally adopted
a more elaborate and enormously expensive
four-track system, so costly, in fact, that the
Supreme Court in May, 1S96, refused to sanc
tion its construction, and declared it contrary
to public policy for the City of New York to
undertake it. In 18S2 Mr. Barnes was ap
pointed chief engineer for the proposed South
Pennsylvania railroad, which 'William H.
Vanderbilt and his associates undertook to
construct as an extension of the PhHadelphia
& Reading raHroad system, from Harrisburg
to Pittsburg — a distance of 2 1 8 mHes, through
the southern tier of counties. The line was lo
cated on a bold direct route, which required
the construction of seven tunnels, each a mile
or more in length, and a large amount of other
heavy work; construction was commenced, and
the tunnels weH advanced, when the Pennsyl
vania Railroad Co. persuaded Mr. Vanderbilt
to abandon the completion of the line, and sell
the financial control of the enterprise to that
company. Litigation and opposition by the
people of the State of Pennsylvania prevented
the transfer of the property to the Pennsyl
vania Railroad Co. for several years; but it is
now fully under its control and ownership, to
be completed when the policy of that company
requires it as a part of its system.
In 1884 Mr. Barnes was appointed the
chief engineer of the New York, Lake Erie &

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

307

Western Railroad and Coal Co., and buHt a
line of railroad from the Erie railroad to the
company's coal lands in Elk and Jefferson
counties, Penn. It was a work of great en
gineering difficulty for the most part in the
Alleghany Mountain range; on it was con
structed the celebrated Kinzua Viaduct, a
steel structure 2,240 feet in length and 301
feet high. It has been a very successful line,
and now carries a very large tonnage from the
company's mines to its main Hne. On com
pletion of this work Mr. Barnes became the
chief engineer of several other lines in Mary
land and Virginia, which were prepared for
future construction; in 1885 he was appointed
a commissioner of the New Croton Aqueduct
and chairman of the Construction Committee.
This position he held until 1887, when polit
ical changes caused a reorganization of the
commission, and new men were appointed by
the mayor of the city of New York.
Mr. Barnes was chosen, in the same year,
as Chief Engineer of the New York & Long
Island Railroad Co., a corporation chartered
by the State with authority to construct a
double-track tunnel and railway from the west
side of the City of New York at the Hudson
river, eastwardly along Forty-second street at
a depth of one hundred feet under the surface,
to and under the East river to Long Island
City, and thence to Brooklyn. The line has
been surveyed, located and construction com
menced, and financial arrangements are now
in progress for the active construction of the
work. He is also chief engineer of the New
York Connecting Railroad Co. (which will be
a continuation of the New York & Long Island
raHroad), from Long Island CHy to the New
York, New Haven & Hartford raHroad, and
other lines in and near Port Morris in the
Twenty-third ward of New York City. This
line is now nearly ready for construction, and
wHl be consolidated with other lines so as
to connect all the trunk lines which now ter
minate in Jersey City with the New York,
New Haven & Hartford railroad on a termi
nal property near East Bay, at the Bronx
river. Mr. Barnes is a member of the Ameri
can Society of Civil Engineers, the Union
League Club of New York, the New England
Society, also the Engineers Club of Philadel
phia, and his distinguished abilities and high
character as a man have won for him an en
viable standing wherever he is known.
Mr. Barnes was married, while he was Res

ident Engineer on the western division of the
Pennsylvania railroad, to Miss Elizabeth Den
ny Harding, of Pittsburg, the ceremony being
performed January 7, 185 1, at Allegheny
Arsenal, where her father. Major Edward Hard
ing, of the United States Army, was in com
mand as ordnance officer. Her mother's
maiden name was Nancy Denny, and her fam
ily was one of the oldest in Pennsylvania; her
father, Ebenezer Denny, when a young man,
went from Carlisle in Cumberland county to
reside in Pittsburg, prior to the Revolution.
He was an aid on the staff of Gen. Arthur St.
Clair during the whole period of the Revolu
tionary war, and frequently met Gen. Wash
ington. When the city of Pittsburg was in
corporated in 18 16, he was chosen as mayor
of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have two
daughters, and one son, Edward Harding
Barnes, a civil engineer, in the employ of the
Pennsylvania RaHroad Co. , near Pittsburg.

E

''\LI H. COLLIN, a prominent merchant

of Red Hook, Dutchess county, was born
January 22, i860, in the village of Pine Plains,
which had been for several generations the
home of his family.
His grandfather, Eli Collin, was born there,
and, with a brother, once owned and cultivated
about 1,000 acres of valuable farm land in the
vicinity. He married Miss Betsy Finch, of
Pine Plains, and reared a family of eight chil
dren: James, William, Henry, Bryant, Lydia,
Myra, Sarah and JuHa. WHliam Collin, our
subject's father, was reared upon his father's
farm and educated in the neighboring schools,
and in later life followed, like his ancestors, the
calling of agriculture. He married Miss Cath
arine Conklin, a daughter of  Conklin, a
leading citizen of Mt. Ross.
The subject of this sketch was the only
child of this union, and at two years of age
was taken by his parents to the town of North
Easton, where he received his elementary edu
cation. Later he attended the Amenia Semi
nary at Amenia, and after graduating he man
aged his father's farm, relieving his later years
of care. After his father's death he turned
his attention to mercantile pursuits, first in
Hudson, where he remained two years, and
later in Red Hook, where, he established a
mHlinery and fancy-goods store, of which he
has made a success, ranking among the sub
stantial business men of that locality. He was

308

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

married, September 21, 1887, to Miss Marian
Rider, a daughter of Oliver D. Rider, a wealthy
mason of Red Hook, and has two sons — WHl
iam O., born in July, 18S9, and Henry B.,
born in June, 1893.
Mr. CoHin is an active member of the fra
ternal order of Odd Fellows, and is now past
grand of Christian Lodge No. 379, of Red
Hook, and financial scribe of Shiloh Encamp
ment No. 68.

|C NDREAS VALETTE HAIGHT, a lead-
J^k^ ing printer and publisher of Poughkeep
sie, whose original and artistic work in color
printing has won recognition among his craft
both in Europe and America, is a native of
Ellenville, Ulster Co. , N. Y. , born February
4, 1842. Eburn Haight, from whom our subject's
branch of the family comes in direct line, was
a descendant of one Jonathan Haight, who
was born 1670-16S4, and lived at Rye, West
chester Co., N. Y. He was a man of prom
inence in his day, and served as high sheriff of
Westchester county. One of his descendants,
David, born in 1701, also lived at Rye, and
died about 1798. Eburn Haight, above men
tioned, was born some time prior to 1754, and
was a resident, like his immediate forefathers,
of Westchester county, N. Y. His son, also
named Eburn, was born about 1744 in that
county, and married Joanna Fowler, of EHen-
ville, Ulster Co. , N . Y. Of their eight children
David was the father of the subject of these
lines. David Haight was born March 31, 1801,
in PlattekHI, Ulster Co., N. Y., and on Feb
ruary 20, 1 83 1, married Anna Barbara Valette,
daughter of John J. Valette, of PlattekiH,
Ulster county. They were the parents of seven
children, as follows: Caroline Adelia, married
to George Warren, and living at EllenvHle;
Susan Van Wyck, wife of William H. Deyo,
of Ellenville; Ruth, who died young; Phoebe
Jane, married to WHliam Warren, and also
living in Ellenville; Andreas Valette, our sub
ject; and Eburn Fowler and George Emory,
both residents of New York City.
After completing his education in the
schools of his native town, our subject began
to learn the printer's art in the office of the
Ellenville Journal, going thence to Rondout,
and from that place to New York City, where
he found employment, which, hovvever, he

gave up to enter the army. He enlisted in the
Ninth Regiment, N. Y. S. M., and soon after
ward was transferred to the 20th Regiment,
N. Y. S. M., and on finishing his three-months'
term of service he re-enhsted in the Fourth N.
Y. Cavalry, from which he received an honor
able discharge in 1863. On his return from
the field he went to California, where for some
time he worked in the office of the San Fran
cisco Call, and later had charge of the job-
printing department of the State printing works
at Sacramento. In 1868 he returned to the
East, and became a partner in the publication
of the Ellenville (Ulster county) Journal, and
began to make a reputation as a typographic
artist. Of the quality of his work the ' ' Ameri
can Art Printer " says: ' ' He (Mr. Haight) was
the first of our more modern printers to depart
from the sometimes over-delicate tint work of
pioneers like William J. Kelly (exquisite
though the latter's was), and combine there
with more daring tones and even full brilliant
dashes of rich coloring, that shot his work
straight into admiring notice. " In an article
by John Bassett in an English journal, his
work, in general, is highly praised, and made
the text of a brief exhortation to the English
artists in this line: "To wake from their
period of Rip Van Winkleism, and put into
their pages a little 'go,' which should stimu
late the coming generation of English Caxtons
to emulate their cousin across the pond. " He
mentions especially Mr. Haight's new designs
for type faces, several being among the most
popular productions of tbe type foundries.
In 1874 Mr. Haight became superintendent
of the Rondout Freeman, and later was pro
moted to its entire control, becoming a share
holder in the company and holding the offices
of secretary and treasurer. In 1878 he re
signed his position on the Freeman, and opened
an office in Poughkeepsie, where he has devel
oped an extensive business. He was a large
exhibitor of specimens of printing at the Cax
ton Celebration in 1877, and also in the first
two Printing Trades Exhibitions held in Lon
don, England. His " Specimens of Printing,"
published yearly, has won the praise of experts
in his line, and reflects great credit upon the
capabilities of his workmen as well as upon the
designer. In 1886 the Public Printer at Wash
ington officially invited Mr. Haight to give ex
pert opinion on matters in connection with the
government printing office. At the time of the
opening of the new bridge at Poughkeepsie the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

309

Eao-le of that city published a souvenir edition
consisting of forty-four pages, concerning which
the proprietors gave notice that they intended
to eclipse all previous efforts of the kind. The
work occupied some months, and was executed
in the Eagle office under the direct supervision
of Mr. Haight. The frontispiece covered a
superficial area of 216 inches, and was the
largest which has ever appeared in a paper, and
the entire paper, which contains many por
traits, one of Mr. Haight being among them,
was an artistic success. As a contributor to
various trade papers Mr. Haight has furnished
many practical and original ideas to his breth
ren of the craft. Among other articles may be
noted the foHowing in the "Inland Printer:"
"Does Good Printing Pay.?" "About Job
Composition," and a series on "Colors and
Color Printing."
Notwithstanding his activity in business,
Mr. Haight finds time to take part in the social
and poHtical life of his city, and has served
two terms as alderman and three as supervisor,
displaying his characteristic energy and ability
in his public duties. He is a member of the
G. A. R., D. B. Sleight Post, of which he is
past commander, and also belongs to the
Masonic order, being a past master of Triune
Lodge, F. & A. M.; past high priest (two
terms) of Poughkeepsie Chapter, R. A. M.;
deputy master of King Solomon Council R. &
S. M. ; eminent commander for five consecutive
terms of Poughkeepsie Commandery No. 43,
K. T., and a member of Mecca Temple, Mystic
Shrine, in New York City.

11 M. DOTY, of the well-known drug firm
-M^ of Doty & Humphrey, Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, was born in the town of
Clinton, near Clinton Corners, Dutchess coun
ty, February 5, 1850. UntH about sixteen
years old he Hved upon the old farm, attend
ing the district schopl, at which time, his par
ents moving to Poughkeepsie, he there finished
his education, at the Riverview Military Acad
emy. On September 17, 1869, Mr. Doty entered
the drug store of Varick & Gerard, Pough
keepsie, where he remained less than one year,
and then accepted a position with Van Valk-
enburgh & Brown, who were also in the drug
business in that city. Here he worked for six
months, and then took charge of a branch
store at the corner of Main and Bridge streets.

which he conducted for some time, purchasing
a one-third interest in the business on Novem
ber I, 1872. On November 25, 1873, with
WHliam Bedell, Mr. Doty bought out the firm
of Van Valkenburgh & Vreeland, at the old
main store, taking Mr. Brown in as a partner,
under the firm name of Brown, Doty & Co.
This partnership lasted about two years, at the
end of which time Mr. Bedell sold his interest,
and the firm name became Brown & Doty,
which lasted until 1881, when the partnership
was dissolved, and Mr. Doty continued the
business in both the main and branch stores
for several years. During the time he pur
chased the drug store of L. P. Hatch, of Mil
lerton, N, Y. , which was run by him success
fully in connection with the above. When the
firm name was Brown, Doty & Co., they
bought out Peter M. Howard, at No. 265 Main
street, and moved their stock from No. 249
Main street. In 1S89 Mr. Doty took in his
present partner, A. S. Humphrey, and in 1890
they moved from No. 265 Main street to the
corner of Main and Crannell streets, which is
much larger and better adapted to their rap
idly-increasing business. The store is hand
somely fitted up, and the firm deals wholesale
as well as retail in drugs, medicines, sundries,
paints, oils, glass, seeds, etc.
On September 8, 1880, Mr. Doty was
united in marriage with the only daughter of
R. W. Wing, of New York City. WhHe on
the streets of Poughkeepsie, viewing a fire
men's parade, September 22, 1890, Mr. Doty
was struck by a stray bullet fired from a re
volver in the hands of some unknown drunken
Eastman student. Mr. Doty was carried to
his young wife unconscious, and remained in
bed several weeks, having had a marvelous
escape from instant death. One child, Her
bert A., born January 7, 1884, has blessed the
union. Mr. Doty is an independent Demo
crat, and a public-spirited citizen. He has
served as trustee of the Baptist Church at
Poughkeepsie over fourteen years, and Mrs.
Doty is a member of that organization. He
has repeatedly refused many offers of public
trust. Thomas S. Doty, father of our subject, was
born in 18 10, in the town of Clinton, Dutchess
county, where he married Miss Maria Wing,
also a native of Clinton, born in 1S15, a
daughter of George and Mary Wing, who were
also born in Dutchess county. After their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Doty settled on the

310

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

old homestead farm, he following farming and
, stock raising until seven years before his
death, when he lived a retired life in the city
of Poughkeepsie, and died January i8, 1873.
To him and his wife were born the following
children: David, who is in the hotel business
at Mound City, Kans. ; Mary E. , rnarried to
WHHam Bedell, a farmer in the town of Clin
ton, once our subject's partner in the drug
business at Poughkeepsie, she died in 1893;
George, a farmer and stock dealer in Dutchess
county; Carrie, wife of Frank E. Whipple,
cashier of the First National Bank of Pough
keepsie; Amelia Devine, residing in Pough
keepsie; Alexander, who died in .May, 1870;
Agrippa Martin, our subject; Maria, the wife
of Frank Palmer, of Princeton, Kans. ; Lavinia,
wife of James Cookingham, the leading grocer
lof Clyde, N. Y. ; and Thomas S., in the agri
cultural-implement business in Manchester,
Iowa. In politics, Mr. Doty was a Democrat,
and in religious faith he and his wife were
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He died in 1873; his widow is still living in
Poughkeepsie. David Doty, the grandfather of our subject,
was born in CHnton, May 13, 1787. He
married Miss Elizabeth Sands, who was born
May 31, 1785, and they settled on the old
homestead, where he followed farming up to
his death, January 29, 1828; his wife passed
away November 26, 1826. They were mem
bers of the Society of Friends, and he was an
enthusiastic Democrat. The following chil
dren were born to them: Hannah, who became
the wife of Alexander Wing, a farmer of
Dutchess county; Mary, who became the wife
of Moses Sands, at one time sheriff of Dutch
ess county, but now deceased (her present
husband is George Howell, who is in the real-
estate business in Jersey City); Esther, mar
ried to Jacob Smith, formerly a farmer, later
a liveryman in Poughkeepsie, and now de
ceased; David A., our subject's father; and
one that died in infancy. The Dotys are of
Scotch descent, and the first of the family in
this country came over inthe " Mayflower."

JOHN CORCORAN, a prominent business
man of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, a
leading retail grocer and an active member
of the Board of Trade, is a native of that city,
born January 13, 1842.
He is of Irish parentage, and was named

for his grandfather, a lifelong resident of the
Emerald Isle. His father, William Corcoran,
was born there about 18 15, and in early man
hood came to America with his wife, Ellen
(Ryan), locating at Poughkeepsie, where he
became a prosperous gardener and florist. He
died in 1853, and his wife survived him untH
1875. John Corcoran, our subject, attended the
public schools of his native place until he was
thirteen years old, and, with the exception of
one winter in a night school at Norwalk, Conn.,
his education was mainly self-acquired. His
habits of reading and close observation have
enabled him, however, to secure a range of
practical information which some men of wider
opportunities might well envy. At thirteen he
began working in a brass foundry, and later
followed the trade of florist for twelve years.
He spent three years in that business in Nor
walk, Conn., but since 1868 he has been en
gaged in the grocery business in Poughkeepsie,
first at th e corner of Mansion and Bridge
streets, and for eighteen years past at the cor
ner of Mill and Bridge streets. His success is
substantial, and, as he believes in making the
most of life and its good gifts, he has invested
some of his gains in a pleasant home for his
family, his residence on Bain avenue being one
of the finest in the city.
He has been twice married, first, in 1866,
to Miss Mary Ann Delaney, who died, leaving
three children: William, Catherine and Ellen.
Mr. Corcoran's present wife was Miss Mary
Oldfield, a daughter of Michael and Ellen Old-
field. Eight children were born of this mar
riage: John (deceased), Clarice, Frances, Mary,
Joseph, Elizabeth, James L. and Edward.
The famHy are leading members of St. Peter's
Catholic Church, and Mr. Corcoran is promi
nent in the work of the Catholic Benevolent
Society. In fact, he has taken an active part
in many enterprises — civH, religious and polit
ical, as well as those which have pertained to
finance alone. He has been president of the
Retail Merchants Association for two terms;
vice-president of the Board of Trade for two
terms, and a member of that body for many
years. While he is an ardent supporter of the
principles of the Democratic party, he does
not seek poHtical office. About 1886 he was
appointed alderman from the First ward, and
was elected to the position about 1887, but
resigned before the expiration of his term.
About 1890 he was appointed member of the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

311

board of water commissioners, by Mayor Ells
worth, and he has given to the discharge of the
duties of each place the ability and energy and
fidehty which have distinguished his business
career.

FREDERICK WORMSLEY, a successful
_ and enterprising grocer of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, was born in Prussia, Ger
many, November 30, 1842, and is the son of
Jacob and Catherine (Otto) Wormsley, the
former of whom held the office of tax collector
under the German government. Both the
parents died in Germany.
Our subject spent his early days in Prussia,
and at the age of fourteen came to Poughkeep
sie with his sister, making his home first at
East Poughkeepsie. He worked for his board,
taking care of fourteen horses, mHking five
cows, and going to school in the winter. Later
he clerked for Mr. Baker in a grocery store, on
Main street, and then for James Husted, on
Market street, for several years. In 1869 he
started a grocery store where Wallman's
bakery now is, and then conducted a store
where Mr. Bloomer's place now stands. This
he ran from 1882 to 1887, when he sold out
and lived a retired life until September 21,
1895, when he again went into business on
Main street.
Mr. Wormsley was married May 10, 1868,
to Annie, a daughter of John Munsell. She
was born in Germany, but has been a resident
of Poughkeepsie since she was six months old.
They have no children. Our subject was con
firmed in the Lutheran Church before leaving
Germany. He is a member of the Improved
Order of Red Men; a Veteran Fireman, life
member of Steamer Company No. 2; and a
member of Freigangrath Lodge No. 549, D. O.
Haragari. He has been a lifelong Democrat,
but has never sought public office. He began
life as a poor boy, and has succeeded in ac
cumulating a comfortable property. Mr.
Wormsley is a straightforward business man,
and is highly respected by his neighbors and
associates.

E

^\DWARD HUNTTING BEDFORD (de

ceased). The Bedford family has been
prominent in the vicinity of Glenham, Dutch
ess county, for many years, and by intermar
riage it is related to several other distinguished

famHies of this section. The subject of this
brief memoir was a worthy descendant of such
an ancestry, and although his life was passed
in the quiet calling of agriculture he displayed,
on all occasions, characteristics which would
have adorned any sphere of life.
He was born at Glenham, July 14, 1835,
the son of John and Sarah H. (Waldron) Bed
ford, and grandson of John Bedford, a jeweler
and watchmaker at Fishkill. His father was
born May 16, 1791, and died February 24,
1845, after spending his later years as a farmer
at Glenham. His wife, whom he married
February 20, 1828, was born AprH 28, 1800,
survived him many years, dying January 15,
1882. She was a daughter of Peter Waldron
(who was born April 23, 1754, and died May
10, 1827) and his wife, Edea Swartwout (born
October 9, 1764, died January i, 1847). Their
marriage took place February 21, 1796.
Edward H. Bedford was one of two sons,
his brother Andrew, who was born March 15,
1830, being the elder. Our subject attended
the district schools at Glenham, and the acad
emy at Fishkill, then conducted by Rev. Dr.
Pingree, and later entered Yale College, but
was obliged to leave on account of ill health
before his course was finished. Returning
home, he assumed the management of the farm,
which he continued until his death, which oc
curred January 20, 1872. He was prominent
in the varied activities of his locality, being one
of the leading officials of the Fishkill Savings
Bank, and an earnest supporter of the Repub
lican party. In the Reformed Dutch Church
at Glenham he was an active worker, holding
the offices of deacon, treasurer and superin
tendent of the Sunday-school.
On October 13, 1859, he was married to
Miss Anna Bevier, daughter of Rev. John H.
and Margaret (Van Wyck) Bevier. Her father
was at that time the pastor of the Reformed
Dutch Church at Glenham, and he performed
the ceremony in the parsonage there. On the
maternal side her grandparents were Cornelius
C. and Letitia (Adriance) Van Wyck, of Fish
kill. To Mr. and Mrs. Bedford eight children
were born, as follows: Edward Huntting, Jr.,
December 25, i860, died August 11, 1864;
John Bevier, February 27, 1862 (of whom
further mention is made); Andrew "Wortman,
August II, 1863, died December 30, 1S82;
Wilhelmus, January 24, 1865, died January 3,
1S94; Sarah Van Wyck, May 21, 1866; Anna
Huntting, July 12, 1868, was married at "Glen-

312

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

villa," Glenham, May 23, 1894, to the Rev.
Peter Stryker Beekman, by the Rev. Benjamin
E. Dickhant; Charles Van Wyck, March 14,
1 87 1, is a minister of the Reformed Dutch
Church; and Edwin Rapelje, August 19, 1872,
is a physician at Brooklyn, New York.
John Bevier Bedford was educated in the
public schools of Glenham and Matteawan,
also in a private school at Fishkill Landing and
a boarding school at Poughkeepsie. After
leaving school he settled on the old home
stead, where he has ever since resided. In
and '89 he passed a year in the West and

Southwest, spending part of the time at Omaha,
Neb,, and "Wichita, Kans. After his return
home he was appointed postmaster at Glen
ham, beginning with the administration of
President Benjamin Harrison,' and which posi
tion he held for five consecutive years. He is
now clerk of the school board, having held the
office for nearly three years. In politics he is
a Republican. Genealogy of the Bevier Famiiy^ — First
Generation: Louis Bevier and Maria Lablane
emigrated from France between the years 1672
and 1675, Children of Second Generation:
Maria, born July 9, 1674; John, January 2,
1676; Abram, January 20, 1678; Samuel, Janu
ary 21, 16S0; Andries, July 12, 1682; Louis,
November 6, 1684; Ester, 1686; Solomon,
July 12, 1689. Third Generation: Abram
Bevier was married to Rachel Vernooy, 1707.
Their son Samuel was baptized in 171 5, and
they had nine other children beside him.
Fourth Generation: Samuel Bevier, Jr., was
married to Sarah Le Fever. They had three
sons and four daughters; Andries, their eldest
son, was born April 4, 1742. Fifth Genera
tion: Andries Bevier married Jecomyntie
Du Bois, June 2, 1764. She was the daugh
ter of Cornelius Du Bois and Margaret Hough-
taling. They had the following chHdren:
Sarah, born August 18, 1765; Samuel, October
25, 1766; Cornelius, AprH 27, 1769; Wilhel
mus, May 10, 1771; Lewis, born December 5,
1773; Abraham, July 28, 1776; Janatie, No
vember 30, 1 78 1, died in infancy; Margaret,
baptized May 30, 1779; Josiah, baptized Feb
ruary 7, 1783; Rachel, baptized March 13,
1 79 1. Sixth Generation: Wilhelmus Bevier
was married January 11, 1801, to Anna Hoorn-
beek, born May 29. 1771, and died June 3,
1850. They had the following chHdren: (i)
Jemimah, born November 24, 1801, died
October 19, 1885; (2) Catherine, born Sep

tember 14, 1803, died March 8, iS64;(3) John
H., born July 21, 1805, died August 14, 1880;
(4) Maria, born August 29, 1807, died June i,
1 88 5; (5) William, born August 29, 1809,
died June 14, 1834; (6) Benjamin H., born
March i, 18 12, died September 7, 1880; (7)
Sarah, born June 24, 1814, died March 20,
1863. John H. Bevier married Margaret Van-
Wyck and had the following chHdren: Corne
lius Van Wyck, born April 19, 1833, died Sep
tember 28, 1889; Anna, born March 24, 1835
(widow of Edward H. Bedford), resides at
"GlenviHa," Glenham; WHhelmus, born AprH
23, 1840, died January 26, 1S44; and Laetitia
Van Wyck, born AprH 19, 1S42, resides at
" GlenviHa." Genealogy of the Van Wyck Family: Cor
nehus C. Van Wyck, born April 25, 1763,
died December 9, 1832. Letitia Adriance,
his wife, born February 5, 1766, died May 22,
1858. They were married May 3, 1786. To
them were born the following children: Isaac,
born January 31, 1787. died AprH 16, 1858;
Letty, born October 26, 1788, died June 9,-
1835; Peter Schenck, born January 19, 1790,
died September 28, 1875; Susan, born July
30, 1 79 1, died July 2, 1S78; John C, born
March 24, 1793, died June 2, 1867; Sally,
born February 5, 1795, died February 18,
i860; Maria, born December 15, 1796, died
March 18, 1879; Ida Eliza, born May 16, 1799,
died September 2, 1800; Charles, born April
7, 1 801, died March 28, 1880; Albert, born
February 25, 1803, died November 23, 1806;
Caroline, born January 22, 1805, died August
16, 1875; Margaret, born July 3, 1810, died
November 20, 1868 (she was the wife of the
Rev. John H. Bevier).

JOHN SUTCLIFFE, one of the best known
and most successful business men of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, wasborn in Stain-
land, near Halifax, Yorkshire, England, July
29, 1837, a son of EH and Mary (Lumb) Sut-
cliffe. His grandfather John, and great-grand
father Eli Sutcliffe, were natives of the same
locality, the former of whom carried on a
woolen business, the latter conducting a pa-
per-mHl. Eli Sutcliffe, the father of our subject, was
born April 7, 181 5, also in Stainland, near
Halifax, England, grew to manhood in his na
tive country, and there married Miss Mary
Lumb, who was born in Barkisland, near HaH-

^^?£^^/£k:^^^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

313

fax, England, September 23, 181 5. Her fa
ther, John Lumb, a weaver of woolen goods,
was also born in that part of the country.
About four years after their marriage the young
couple came to the United States, and in 1840
settled in Poughkeepsie, where Mr. Sutcliffe at
first worked in a woolen-factory, afterward en
gaging in teaming. In 1 85 1 he opened a gro
cery store at the corner of Union and Clover
streets, which he carried on some eighteen
years. In 1S55, in partnership with David
Scott, he went into the manufacture of soap
and candles, later, however, disposing of this
business, also, in 1867, of his interest in the
grocery store to his son William H., after
which he retired from active business. In poli
tics he was originally a Whig, and for many
years since has been an active member of the
Republican party; he has served as assessor
for the city of Poughkeepsie. In religious faith
he is a consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, as was also his wife, who
departed this life September 10, 1894. Five
children were born to this worthy couple, as
follows: John, the subject of this sketch;
Sarah E., who married Benjamin F. Brinker
hoff; William H., a grocer in Poughkeepsie;
Eli D,, an Episcopalian minister in Oregon;
and George T., who died in infancy.
John Sutcliffe, our subject, was three years
old when his parents came to this country,
and was reared in Poughkeepsie, where he at
tended the public schools, and also the Dutch
ess County Academy. His business career he
began as clerk in his father's store, and in
1 86 1 went to PeekskHI, where he became as
sistant manager of the Peeksville Blast Fur
nace, a position he filled for two years. He
then drew the plans for a new furnace to be
established at Coldspring, Putnam Co. , N. Y. ,
known as the PhHlips Iron Works, and which
he also buHt and started. After getting this
well under way, owing to some disagreement
with the management, he resigned his position
and went to England in order to post himself
more thoroughly in the details of the iron busi
ness. In the fall of 1864 he returned to the
United States, and began the building of new
iron works at Verplanck's Point, N. Y. ; but
owing to the financial panic in 1865 they were
not completed. In the latter year he erected the
building on the corner of Union and Clover
streets, Poughkeepsie, for his father, and be
came interested in a woolen business with an
uncle. In the following spring he went to Hyde-

ville, Vt., to take charge of the works of the
Eagle Slate Co. , and remained with that com
pany for four years, managing the business with
great success, and making many improve
ments in the establishment. In 1868 he went
to Wales and England, where he made a study
of the manufacture of slate, and on his return
buHt the machinery for working up refuse
stock into billiard tables, mantels and other
slate work. He also buHt the mill which he
successfully operated until 1870, when he left
the company on account of a difference of
opinion. Inthe summer of 1870 he remcdeled
a slate mill at the Chapman slate quarries in
Pennsylvania, and in the winter of 1870-71 re
turned to Poughkeepsie to buHd the filter beds,
docks, etc., for the city water works, and
spent the year 1S71 in constructing the same.
The filter beds wefe the only successful ones
of the kind in the United States at that time,
and are still in operation.
Mr. Sutcliffe spent a portion of the follow
ing year traveling through the South and West,
studying and looking up the large iron fields, etc.
In the fall of 1872 he again returned to Pough
keepsie and built the Hudson River Iron Works,
and the docks now known as the Phoenix
Horse Shoe Works. In 1873 he took con
tracts to build sewers and lay water pipes in
the city of Poughkeepsie; but before the con
tracts were finished, owing to the stringency in
the money market, in the fall of 1873, the city
could not raise sufficient money to meet its
obligations, and requested Mr. Sutcliffe to sus
pend work. However, he obtained the neces
sary funds from private sources, and finished
the work. He also managed the Franklin
Iron Works near Utica, N. Y. , which had two
blast furnaces, and in addition to his other en
terprises buHt a row of brick buildings in
Poughkeepsie. In the spring of 1 874 he was called to Penn
sylvania to settle up the business of the Pond-
Eddy Blue Stone Company, which was located
on the Erie railroad, in Pike county, in which
affair he displayed much ability, and matters
were satisfactorily arranged. He was next
employed by the Vallecillo Silver Mining Co. ,
to look up their mines in Mexico, and if he
thought they could be run with profit, to take
the management of them, and if not, to return
and receive one year's pay for his services.
His investigation proved so satisfactory that
he took charge of the mines and operated them
for ten years, during which time he succeeded

314

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

in placing them on a good paying basis with
out any cost to the company. In the fall of
1884 he returned home and took a year's rest
after his arduous labors, at the end of which
time he was engaged by the receiver of the
Steel Company of Canada, Nova Scotia, to
take charge of its affairs as general manager,
and owing to the success attending his man
agement a new company was organized under
the title of the Londonderry Iron Company,
Limited, in which he took an interest, and of
which he became general manager. In the
fall of 1889 he resigned his position as mana
ger, consenting, however, to act as consulting
engineer, with his residence at Poughkeepsie
instead of Nova Scotia. Since that time he
has made his home in Poughkeepsie, and has
been engaged in various contracts, and acting
as consulting engineer.
On July 26, 1876, Mr. Sutcliffe was mar
ried to Miss Sarah E. Swart. Her father,
William Beekman Swart, was of Dutch de
scent, a descendant of Anneke Jans, and an
old settler of Dutchess county, whose father,
Maj. Thomas Swart, served in the Revolution
ary war, and was an officer in the war of 18 12.
Three children have been born of this union,
Paul, Allen and John W.
Mr. Sutcliffe is a strong Republican, and
served as police commissioner for two terms.
In religious matters he is not a sectarian, but
has a kindly feeling for all denominations. He
was formerly an Odd Fellow, and is now a
member of the Masonic fraternity; is a mem
ber of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers,
and the American Institute of Mining Engineers,
also of the Engineers Club of New York City.
In the various responsible positions that he
has filled he has earned the reputation of a
man of integrity, good judgment and keen
business abiliity, and is everywhere respected
and esteemed for his many sterling qualities.

WILLARD C. VAIL, of Poughkeepsie,
 was born in Verbank, Dutchess coun
ty. May 17, 1856, and is a descendant of Hol
land ancestors. He spent his boyhood on the
old farm, and attended the district schools,
from which he went to the Oswego Institute,
and spent one year at the Poughkeepsie Mili
tary Institute. Later he entered the hard
ware store of Valentine & Coleman, in Pough
keepsie, holding the position of clerk and book
keeper. Next he commenced the study of

law in the law office of Tristram Coffin, with
whom he remained two years, and then en
tered the Albany Law School, graduating with
the class of J6. Returning to the old home
stead, he has here been engaged in farming
ever since.
On January 14, 1885, Mr. Vail was mar
ried to Miss Gertrude B. Flagler, who was
born at Overlook in the town of Lagrange, a
daughter of PhiHp D. Flagler, a farmer. Mr.
and Mrs. Vail have two children: Elias C. and
Lavina C. In 1895 our subject purchased a
house on the corner of South Hamilton and
Barclay streets, Poughkeepsie, which is one of
the finest residences in Poughkeepsie. He is
a Republican, and one of the foremost citizens
of the place.
Elias D. Vail, the father of our subject,
was also born at Verbank, as was also Isaac,
the grandfather, and Elias, the great-grand
father of our subject. Isaac, the grandfather,
was the father of thirteen children, of whom
Elias D. was the youngest. The latter grew
to manhood on the farm, and married Miss
Lavina Cornell, who was born in the town of
Beekman, a daughter of George Cornell, a
farmer. The Cornell family was also of Hol
land stock. To Elias D. and his wife chil
dren as follows were born: Willard C. ;
George E. and Edwin G. (twins), the former
of wfiom died at the age of sixteen years,
while the latter is a farmer on the old home
stead. The mother died October 22, 1861;
the. father lives on the old homestead; he is a
Republican in his political preferences.

JOHN VINCENT HUMPHREY. Among
the prominent business men of Poughkeep-
• sie few names are better known than that
of the subject of this sketch, who, since 1S74,
has successfully conducted a drug business
there. He is a native of Dutchess county,
born in the village of Beekman, October 20,
1853, and is a son of John Humphrey, whose
birth also occurred at that place, in 18 18.
There the father engaged in farming untH he
was caHed from this earth, when our subject
was only a few days old. At Stormville he
was united in marriage with Catherine E.
Storm, a daughter of Abram Storm, and to
them were born four chHdren: Helen R. ;
Latitia C. , deceased wife of WHliam M. Quin
tard ; Abram and John V. The paternal grand
father, who bore the name of Abram Hum-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

315

phrey, also engaged in agricultural pursuits at
Beekman. The boyhood days of our subject were
passed in Poughkeepsie, where he attended,
and completed his literary education in, the
Dutchess County Academy. He began his
business career as a partner in the drug store
of his brother, Abram S. Humphrey, who was
then conducting the drug business, and in 1882
purchased his brother's interest, since which
time he has been connected with the drug
trade in Poughkeepsie. His first place of
business was at No. 384 Main street, where he
remained two years, and then removed to No.
386, there carrying on operations for five
years. He then purchased his present store at
No. 388 Main street, where he carries a full
and complete line of drugs, patent medicines,
etc. As a business man he is enterprising, en
ergetic, always abreast with the times, and
has been rewarded with a well-deserved success.
Mr. Humphrey was married at Poughkeep
sie, October 3, 1877, to Miss Sarah MHlard,
daughter of John P. MHlard, and four children
grace their union: John Huson Millard, born
November 29, 187S; Abram Storm, born AprH
16, 1880; Ogden Hoffman, born July 16, 1883,
and Olive, born January 28, 1897. Mr. Hum
phrey is a man of generous impulses, giving
liberally of his time and money to all worthy
causes, and in everything he does he tries to
make the world brighter and better. He holds
membership with the Second Reformed Church
of Poughkeepsie.

JAMES EDGAR SADLIER, M. D. Among
the young followers of ^Esculapius who have
won their way unaided and attained promi
nence in their profession, is James Edgar Sad-
lier, of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county. He
was born at Walden, Orange Co., N. Y.,
March 28, 1865, of French ancestry.
James SadHer, Jr., the father of our sub
ject, was a native of France, the son of James
SadHer, Sr. , also a native of France, who, at
the time of his son's birth, was visiting with
other members of his family in England.
When James SadHer, Jr., was five years old,
his parents removed to the United States, and
located in New York. His education was re
ceived at the public schools of that city, and
¦on leaving school he at once entered the busi
ness world. He established himself in the to
bacco business at the corner of Broadway and

Maiden Lane, where he remained until 1873.
In. Orange county, N. Y. , he was married to
Miss Ann Jeannette Woodruff, daughter of
Richard and Charlotte Woodruff, prominent
residents of that county. Six children were
the result of this union, three of whom died in
infancy; the others are: Charles Whittemore,
secretary and treasurer of the Walden Savings
Bank, and teller of the Walden National Bank;
James Edgar; and Augustus, who is at the old
home in Walden, N. Y. The father of this
family passed to his final rest January 4, 1876,
at the age of fifty-one years. He was a man
highly esteemed for his many sterling qualities,
and well liked by all who knew him for his
genial nature, a characteristic of the French
nation. James Edgar Sadlier, the subject proper of
this review, received an unusually good educa
tion, first attending the public schools of his
native town, later attending an academy at
Montgomery, Orange Co. , N. Y. , and also one
at New Paltz, Ulster Co., N. Y. He decided
to enter the medical profession, and accord
ingly went to Pine Bush, Orange county, and
began the study of medicine under the careful
tuition of his uncle. Dr. William H. Woodruff;
after studying with him for some time our sub
ject, in 1884, was enrolled as a student in the
Medical Department of Union College at Al
bany, N. Y. , completing his course in 1887.
His advantages had well disciplined his mind,
and his careful attention to detail had given
him a reputation before leaving the class room
that years of practice often fail to acquire.
On leaving school he was appointed on the
staff of the Albany City Hospital for the period
from October, 1887, to April i, 1889. After
his term at the hospital had expired he came
to Poughkeepsie, and began the regular prac
tice of his profession. His untiring and un
ceasing labor, coupled with his skill, soon won
recognition, and he, by his own exertions, had,
in a short time, built up a large and lucrative
practice. In July, 1891, he was appointed
one of the attending physicians of Vassar
Brothers Hospital, which position he is stHl
holding. He is also physician for the pension
department of this district.
On June 18, 1891, Dr. Sadlier was unHed
in marriage with Miss Hattie C. Millspaugh,
daughter of Theron L. MHIspaugh, of Walden,
N. Y. No children have been born to them.
Socially the Doctor is a member of Armor
Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and in the social

316

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

life of the city he and his charming wife are
well-known and important factors. He served
as secretary of the Dutchess County Medical
Society from January, 1891, to January, 1897,
when the society elected him delegate to the
New York State Medical Society for the ensu
ing three years, which necessitated his resig
nation as secretary.

S\HERMAN NICHOLAS HAIGHT. The
) subject of this sketch is a representative
of the ninth generation of the Haight family
in America. Simon Haight, the founder of
the family on this side of the Atlantic, came
from England to Massachusetts in 162S. His
son Nicholas (i) married Susanna Joyce, and
had a son, Samuel, whose son Nicholas (2)
married Patience Titus, and, purchasing land
from the Nine Partners, came to Dutchess Co.
from Long Island. Jacob (i), son of Nicholas
(2), was born on Long Island and married Sarah
Hicks; they came from Poughkeepsie in an
ox-cart, and settled on the farm where Clem
ent Haight now lives. The place was then a
wilderness, and wolves were numerous; they
built a log cabin, the door of which was bark.
To this pioneer couple were born the following
chHdren: Elizabeth, John, Stephen, Nicho
las (3), Jacob (2), Patience, Sarah, Samuel (2),
and Phcebe. Nicholas (3) married Miss Mar
garet Vincent, and in their family of several
children was Nicholas (4), who married Phoebe
Skidmore, and followed the occupation of a
farmer exclusively. Both he and his wife
were Quakers, and they reared the following:
Andrew, the father of our subject; Sally, who
died unmarried; Elias, who married Lavina
VaH, and was a farmer in the town of Wash
ington; James, who married Eliza Smith, and
was a farmer on Chestnut Ridge; and Louisa,
who died unmarried.
Andrew Haight, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Washington, May 16,
1805. He married Sarah Ann Sherman, a
daughter of Jedediah and Catherine (Gage)
Sherman, born October 17, 1803, either in
Dutchess or Saratoga county. After their
marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Haight settled on a
farm, and two children were born to them:
Nicholas, who died in infancy, and Sherman,
our subject. The father died September 10,
1877, and the mother on April 8, 1869. In
politics he was a Republican, and, religiously.

both he and his wife were followers of the
Quaker faith.
Jedediah Sherman, the maternal grand
father of Sherman Haight, was a prosperous
farmer in the town of Washington, born Feb
ruary 26, 1 78 1. His first wife (whose name is
not now known) wasborn June 8, 1780. By her
he had five chHdren, of whom the following
is the record: (i) Mosher B., a miHer at Lit
tle Rest, first married Miss Barton, by whom
he had two children — Kate and Isaac — and for
his second wife wedded Miss Phoebe Conklin,
a sister of Isaac ConkHn, a sketch of whom
appears elsewhere. (2) Howland R. , a dyer,
who married Caroline Innis, by whom he had
one child — Kate. (3) Jeremiah D., a mer
chant at MabbettsvHle and later a farmer, who
married Hannah Tabor, and they had children
as follows — Elizabeth, Sarah, Caroline, PhHip
J,, Martha, George, and Kate. (4) Leonard,
who first married a Miss Duncan, by whom he
had two children — Mary and Matilda; after
the death of his wife he again married, and
three children were born' of this union — Jane,
Henrietta, and Charles. (5) The mother of
our subject.
Sherman Haight, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born in the town of Washington,
May 27, 1 841. He spent his boyhood on the
home farm, and on December 7, 1S69, was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Sisson,
a native of Washington town, and a daughter
of Henry and Eliza (Bryan) Sisson. After
their marriage our subject and his wife located
on their present large dairy farm, which is one
of the finest in Dutchess county. The follow
ing chHdren have graced the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Haight: Sarah Eliza, Anna Sisson, An
drew Henry, Sherman David, and Samuel
Moore, all of whom are living and unmarried.
Politically, our subject is a Republican, and
he and his wife are prominent in social circles.
Henry Sisson, the father of Mrs. Haight,
was born in Washington township, April 10,
1807, a son of Lemuel, Jr., and Sarah (Suther
land) Sisson, the former of whom was a native
of Rhode Island, a son of Lemuel, Sr., who in
turn was a direct descendant of old Huguenot
stock. The other children in the family of
Lemuel Sisson, Jr., were: Jacob, Job, WHliam,
Anna, Richard, Lydia, Phcebe, Sally, Isaac
and Marah Deborah. On reaching manhood,
Henry Sisson was united in marriage with Miss
Eliza Bryan, who wasborn March 16, 1810,
in the town of Northeast, a daughter ot Amos

*e^^

/

'a-<^i

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

317

and Ehzabeth (Flint) Bryan, and to them
were born four chHdren, namely: Emily, who
married Walter F. Conklin, a merchant and
musician; James B,, a farmer and auctioneer,
who married Miss Helen Titus; Anna, who
became the wife of Samuel H. Moore, for
many years associated with Adriance Platt &
Co., manufacturers of harvesting machinery;
and Sarah E. (Mrs. Haight).
Amos Bryan, the maternal grandfather of
Mrs. Haight, settled on the Bryan homestead
farm, in Northeast town, after his marriage
with Elizabeth Flint. They had a famHy of
nine children: David, Isaac, Ward, Ezra,
James, Laura, Mary, Sarah E. and Eliza.
William Cullen Bryant was related to this
family.

C\HARLES KIRCHNER, the well-known
__,'/ proprietor of a large meat market at
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, and one of
the most extensive real-estate holders of that
city, is a native of Germany, born May 31,
1835, in Otterberg, Rhenish Bavaria.
His ancestors were prominent residents of
that place for many generations, and William
Kirchner, his great-grandfather, was Dominie
in the Frst Reformed Church there. Frantz
Kirchner, our subject's grandfather, a butcher
by trade, had six children: Catherine Good-
hart; William and Henry, who came to PhHa
delphia at an early date; Jacob, who was an
unusually fine specimen of physical manhood,
being over six feet in height, and was a mem
ber of Napoleon's famous body-guard of three
hundred men in the ill-starred Russian cam
paign, from which he never returned.
Conrad Kirchner, our subjects' father, born
in 1800, succeeded to his father's business,
and remained at the old home, where he died
in 1877. In 1825 he married Elizabeth Godel,
who was born in Otterberg in 1800, and died
in 1880. They had ten children: Elizabeth,
the wife of Charles Nunce, of Newark, N. J. ;
WHliam, who inherited his father's house and
business, and died in 1892; Caroline, who re
mained in Germany and married John Hubing
there; Jacob (deceased), formerly a butcher at
Otterberg; Charles, our subject; Conrad, who
was a butcher in Otterberg for many years,
and died in Poughkeepsie in 1892; WHhelmina,
who married (first) Christian Strause, and
(second) Baron Von Gutterman, both promi
nent men in Germany; Louis, a butcher in

Poughkeepsie; and PhHip and Henry, both in
the butcher business at Newark, N. J. The
brothers have all been successful in business.
The parents came to America in 1869 to visit
their sons, and the father, who was a man of
fine presence and- genial nature, made many
friends among the leading people of Pough
keepsie. In the summer of 1875 Mr. and
Mrs. Conrad Kirchner celebrated their golden
wedding at their home in Otterberg, Germany,
for which occasion eleven members of the
Kirchner family in America proceeded to Ger
many to be present at the event; there were
eighty members present.
Charles Kirchner, the subject proper of
this review, attended the schools of his native
town until he was fifteen years old. He made
good use of these opportunities, and has since
kept well informed on the topics which inter
est all intelligent people. At the age of eight
een he began to assist his father in business;
but soon after, in May, 1854, he came to
America, being the first of the sons to leave
the old country. After a short stay in New
ark, N. J,, he went to Poughkeepsie, arriving
there on July 5, same year. He secured a po
sition as clerk with Jacob PetiHon, remaining
six months, when he returned to Newark and
clerked in a butcher shop for a year and a
half. During this time he learned the trade,
also familiarized himself with the EngHsh
language, and in August, 1856, he engaged in
business for himself in Newark, continuing it
successfully until October, 1862, when he re
moved to Poughkeepsie and opened his market
at No. 156 Main street, which he has now con
ducted for more than thirty-four years. His
success in this line has 'been marked, and he
has also made some judicious investments in
real estate, which have proven profitable. At
one time he owned the Poughkeepsie Driving
Park, which he sold to Edwin Thorn, and at
present he pays the largest taxes on real estate
of anyone in the city. In 1S72 he built
" Kirchner's Hall " for a State Armory, which
is allowed to be one of the best buildings in
the city, and in 1S91 he converted it into a
public hall, for which purpose it is one of the
finest in the State. His rare judgment and
business skHl have been widely recognized in
financial circles, and he is often consulted in
important enterprises.
In 1867 Mr. Kirchner married Miss Caro
line C. PetiHon, daughter of Jacob PetiHon, his
first employer in this country. They have no

318

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

children. Mr. Kirchner has thirty-five nephews
and nieces in Germany and America, to whom
he is most generous and affectionate, being
especially interested in their education. One
he has sent to the Bishop School; one to the
Bisbee MHHary School; one to the Theological
Seminary, at Rochester, while a niece gradu
ated from Vassar in 1S93. He is always ready
to risk something to help another, has been
bondsman for many city officers and bank
officials, and has never lost a dollar. As a
lover of horses, he delights in owning and
driving a fine team.
Mr. Kirchner has made four visits to the
Fatherland, one for four months, in 1861,
while he was in business in Newark; one of
seven months in 1874, and one in iSSo at the
time of his mother's death, when he re-interred
his father's remains by her side in a new burial
plot, and erected a handsome monument. His
last visit was in 1890, when his wife accom
panied him, and they traveled some eight
months, visiting many points of interest. He
and his wife are leading members of the Re
formed Dutch Church, and in local affairs, he
is regarded as a friend of every progressive
movement. He is an influential worker in the
Republican party, and has been urged to be
come a candidate for the office of mayor, but
he has never permitted his name to be used in
such connection.

¥AN WYCKS. The ancestor of the Van-
 Wycks in Dutchess county was Cornelius
Barents Van Wyck, who, in 1650, came to
New Netherlands from the town of Wyck,
Holland, and in 1660 married, at Flatbush,
Kings Co., N. Y., Ann, daughter of Rev.
Johannis Theodorus Polhemus, the first Re
formed Dutch minister in that county.
The Van Wycks, of Holland, are an aris
tocratic family, and continue to use the same
coat of arms as those brought here by the
American Van Wycks upward of two and one-
half centuries ago. From the beginning of
the history of Dutchess county the Van-
Wycks have been prominent in the professions,
and in the pubhc service, as judges, legislators,
congressmen, senators, and soldiers of aH the
wars of our country, including that for Amer
ican independence.
Theodorus Van Wyck, son of Cornelius
Barents Van Wyck and Ann Polhemus, was

born in Flatbush in 1667. He married Mar
garet Brinckerhof; took oath of allegiance at
New Amsterdam in 1687.
Theodorus Van Wyck, son of Theodorus
Van Wyck and Margaret Brinckerhof, was the
surveyor and original purchaser of a tract of
900 acres of land in the town of East Fishkill.
He was a very prominent man of his time.
Together with Col. John Brinckerhof, he was
appointed one ofthe first judges of the Court
of Common Pleas, on the 24th of February,
1752, by George Clinton, Captain General
Governor, and Chief of the Province of New
York, and the territories thereon depending in
America, under King George II. [This old
document is now in the Armory Museum at
Poughkeepsie.] He married Elizabeth Creed.
Theodorus Van Wyck, son of Theodorus
Van Wyck and Elizabeth Creed, was born in
1730, and died in 1797. He married Altje,
daughter of Col. John Brinckerhof and his
wife, Janetje Van Voorhees. He was a physi
cian, and the earliest in the county; he was
among the first to renounce his aHegiance to
King George, and because of his outspoken
sentiments was compelled by his Tory neigh
bors, in 1775, to leave FishkHl. He removed to
New York City, and was elected a delegate to
the Second Provincial Congress in that year.
The patriots becoming more bold and out
spoken throughout the county, he returned to
his farm in the early part of 1776, and was
again elected to Congress in that year from
Dutchess county. During the Revolution he
was an active patriot. His family have from
time to time held many offices of trust. The
sons of Dr. Theodorus Van Wyck and Altje
Brinckerhof, his wife, were Abraham Van-
Wyck, John Brinckerhof Van Wyck, and
William Van Wyck.
Abraham Van Wyck held the commission
of major-general in the war of 18 12; he was
a large landowner in Fishkill. WiHiam Van-
Wyck was elected to Congress from Dutchess
in the early part of the century. John Brinck
erhof Van Wyck married (first) Gertrude
Brinckerhof, and (second) Susan Schenck; his
sons by his second wife were: Alfred, John,
WHliam and Edmund. He was a large land
owner in FishkiH, and was a general in the
State militia. He was elected to the Assem
bly of this State in 18 12 and 18 16; was a
successful breeder of Merino sheep, and made
a fortune in wool and land. Old documents
in possession of the family show that he held

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

319

several civil appointments from Governors
John' Jay and Dewitt Clinton.
Alfred Van Wyck, eldest son of John B.
Van Wyck and Susan Schenck, was a farmer
in the town of FishkHl, occupying the old
homestead. In i860 he moved to IHinois,
buying a tract of land that afterward be
came a part of the town of Clifton. He died
in 1S94, aged ninety-two years. He married
Miss Charlotte Viets, by whom he had one
son, John B., and two daughters, Mary and
Charlotte. John Van Wyck, second son, had an in
clination toward a mercantHe life; he became
a partner in a large dry-goods house in New
York City, and remained there for some years.
He afterward retired from business, and, return
ing to Dutchess county, purchased a handsome
place at New Hamburg, where he died in 1878.
He married Miss Sarah Mesier;their family were
ten in number: four daughters — Kate, Cor
neHa, Sarah and Mary; and six sons — Mesier,
Abraham, Henry, Edmund, John and Will
iam. William Van Wyck, third son, studied law
and was admitted to the bar. He died from
an accident in 1854. He married Miss Augusta
Forman; they had no family.
Edmund Van Wyck, fourth son, was born
January 31, 18 18; he was a farmer, and always
lived in Dutchess county. After attending
private schools in Poughkeepsie and New York
City he traveled to some extent through the
West. He married, January 9, 1845, Miss
Josephine Barnes, a daughter of the late David
Barnes, and the following chHdren were born
to them: WiHiam (died in 1870 unmarried),
David Barnes, Stephen, Paul Schenck, Joseph,
and Alex. W. Mr. Van Wyck lived upon a
farm in the town of Poughkeepsie. In 1852
he moved to the town of Lagrange, where he
resided until his death, September 10, 1888.
Mrs. Van Wyck died in 1861.
David Barnes, second son, a physician of
Lagrange, was born in that town April 24,
1852. His early education was received at
the little "Red School House " near Manches
ter Bridge, and later he attended the Cary
Institute, a Quaker school in Poughkeepsie.
Upon leaving school he entered the drug store
of Van Valkenburg & Brown, where he re
mained several years. He was also with Hop
kins & Arnold, Chas. S. Bowne, and Webb &
Sherwood. He next went to Kansas, remain
ing there nine years; studied medicine in the

Omaha Medical College, and then went to the
Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York,
from which he was graduated in 18S9. He is
a member of Stissing Lodge, A. F. & A. M.,
and Poughkeepsie Chapter No. 172, R. A. M.;
also of the Dutchess County Medical Society.
Stephen, third son, was born June 28,
1854; his education was obtained at Pelham
Institute and at Manchester. He lived at
home untH iSSi, when he removed to Kansas
to enter the sheep business with his brothers,
David and Paul. He gave this up after a few
years to enter upon the study of law, and was
admitted to the Bar in the State of Kansas.
In 1886 he was elected Probate Judge, and re
elected in 1888. On December 25, 1890, he
married Miss Helen Dicken, and they have
three children: Edmund, William and Harlan.
Paul Schenck, fourth son, was born May ¦
19, 1856. He was educated at the district
school and Pelham Institute. In 18 So he
went to Kansas, where he began sheep breed
ing. He returned to Dutchess county in 18S6,
and here remained until 1895, when he entered
into business in the city of Buffalo.
Joseph, fifth son, was born October 8,
1858; was educated at the same institution as
was Paul; and has always resided upon the old
homestead in Lagrange. On January i, 1880,
he married Miss Charlotte Bartlett, and they
have the following children: Jennie L., Jo
sephine, Edmund, and Paul Schenck. Mr.
Van Wyck is a Republican, and in 1896 he
was elected supervisor of the town of Lagrange
for two years; he has always foHowed the occu
pation of farming.
Alex. W., sixth son, was born March 5,
1861; was educated with his brothers, and in
1 88 1 went to Nebraska, where he remained a
year. He then went to Washington Territory
(now State), settling at New Whatcom, and
was elected city treasurer. On July 21, 188S,
he married Miss Annie Kalloch, daughter of
the late Hon. I. S. Kalloch, mayor of San
Francisco, Cal. In 1896 he was elected county
auditor after one of the hottest political battles
in the record of the county. He is a Repub
lican. He and his wife have two children:
PhHlip and Catherine.
Other well-known members of the family,
descendants in the same line, and residents of
Dutchess county, are: S. MiHer Van Wyck,
lawyer, residing at FishkHl-on-Hudson; B. W.
Van Wyck, of Poughkeepsie; Abraham Van-
Wyck and James Van Wyck, of East FishkiH.

320

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

An examination of the family coat of arms
shows that an ancestor was in the Crusades,
which commenced about the year 1096 under
Pope Urban II.

ISAAC HAIGHT, Jr. (deceased). For sev-
 eral generations the "family name of the
subject of this sketch has been a famihar one
in this locality. The first of the family in di
rect line to emigrate to America was Simon
Haight, who arrived in the New World in
1628. Originally the Haights lived in Wales.
Simon Haight was the father of Nicholas (i)
Haight, who in turn had a son Samuel.
Samuel Haight resided on Long Island,
and there his son Nicholas (2), the great-great
grandfather of our subject, was born.
Nicholas (2) became the father of Jacob
Haight, who was born on Long Island in 1705.
Jacob, the great-grandfather of our subject,
was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Hicks,
and to them the following children were born:
Elizabeth, born in 1734; John, 1736; Stephen,
1738; Nicholas, 1740; Jacob (2) 1742; Pa
tience, 1744; Sarah, 1746; Samuel, 1748; and
Phoebe, 1750.
Jacob (2) was married to Miss Phoebe
Haviland, who was born in 1745, and they
reared the following children: Charity, born
in 1769; Patience, born in 1771; James, de
ceased in infancy; Sarah, born in 1775; John,
the father of our subject, born in 1777; Eliza
beth, bom in 1779; Jacob, born in 1782, and
Isaac, born in 1784.
John Haight was born in Hart's ViHage,
where he married Miss Elsie Thorne and set
tled on a farm on which a part of Millbrook
now stands. Four children were born to him
and his wife, namely: William, who was a
farmer on the old homestead; Isaac, our sub
ject; Jacob, who died in 1845; and Anna, who
married Jacob H. AHen, a farmer at Skaneat-
eles, Onondaga Co., N. Y. The father was a
farmer; in religious faith he and his wife were
Quakers. He died AprH 26, 1836.
Isaac Haight, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born June 26. 1807, in what was
then called Hart's Village, town of Washing
ton. After passing his youth on his father's
farm, he clerked in a store in Poughkeepsie,
and also at Hart's ViHage.
In 1835 he was united in marriage to Miss
Hannah L. Wintringham, who was bornin
New York City in 181 2, a daughter of Thomas

and Ruth (Lawton) Wintringham. After their
marriage our subject and his wife located on a
farm on the present site of Millbrook. Four
chHdren were born to them: William Ed.,
who died in the Civil war; Sidney W., who
died in 1882; Frances; and Emily R. Mr.
Haight was a Democrat, and held the office of
supervisor of his town; he was a substantial
and progressive citizen, a leader among men,
and is well remembered as a kind and gener
ous citizen. His death occurred November
15, 1864; his wife survived untH February 15,
1893- Thomas Wintringham, the father of Mrs.
Haight, was born in Holmpton, Yorkshire,
England, in 1775. He came to America and
located in New York City, where he was a
vintner. He married Miss Ruth Lawton, and
they became the parents of the following chH
dren: David L. ; Hannah W., wife of our
subject; Sidney, deceased in infancy; Sidney
(2); Jeremiah; and Ruth. Of these, David was
a retired citizen of Jersey City; Sidney lived in
Brooklyn, retired; Jeremiah was also a retired
citizen of Brooklyn; Ruth married Henry
Clement, a merchant of Flushing, L. I. Mrs.
Wintringham came from Rhode Island, where
her family were Quakers.

C\HARLES A. STORM (deceased) was a
^1 man of the strictest integrity, whose hon
orable, upright life won the commendation of
all. His birth took place in the town of East
Fishkill, September 16, 1846, and he belonged
to a family which had for many years been
prominently identified with the history of
Dutchess county. His grandfather was Col.
John G. Storm, a native of Dutchess county,
and the son of Charles G. Storm.
Charles G. Storm, the father of our sub
ject, was also born in Dutchess county, and
here devoted his entire life to agricultural pur
suits. He wedded Mary Adriance, a daughter
of Isaac Adriance, and after their marriage
they located upon a farm in the town of East
Fishkill, where they reared their family of five
chHdren: Susan M., the widow of William
P. Storm, who was a merchant of New York
City, but in later life engaged in farming;
John, a resident of White Plains, N. Y., who
married Henrietta Albro, a native of New
York City; Margaret, who died unmarried;
George, who married Emma Haight, a native
of White Plains; and Charles A., of this re-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

321

view. The father always turned his attention
to farming, was an unfaltering Republican in
politics, and with his family held to the belief
of the Reformed Dutch Church.
Like most farmer boys, our subject passed
his chHdhood, in assisting his father in the
work of the home farm, and in attending the
district school ; later he was a student inthe
Bisbee school at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. After
finishing his education he returned to the farm,
and January 24, 1872, was united in marriage
with Miss Elizabeth B. Storm, a daughter of
John V. Storm, and a sister of Abram J. Storm,
Joseph H. Storm and W. J. Storm. They
began housekeeping upon his father's place,
which he operated for five years, and the fol
lowing two years were spent upon her father's
farm. In 1879, he purchased the farm on
which Mrs. Storm now resides, and where Mr.
Storm's death occurred June 22, 1892. His
attention was devoted exclusively to his farm
ing interests, and his political support was ever
given the Republican party, which had in him
a most earnest advocate. No man in the town
of East Fishkill gained and retained more
friends, or was held in higher esteem by his
fellow citizens than Charles A. Storm.

Ci.HARLES DOUGHTY (deceased) was one
'I of the representative and honored citizens
of the town of Beekman, where his birth oc
curred, AprH I, 1 841. He was a descendant
of Rev. Francis Doughty, who about the year
1633 emigrated from England and located at
Taunton, Mass., which places him among the
earliest of the Puritan fathers foHowing in the
footsteps of the "Mayflower " pioneers. The
Doughty family in England is of ancient ori
gin, dating back before the Norman conquest.
The name was originally spelled Doghtig, and
the family motto was ' ' Palma non sine pul
ver e." Joseph Doughty, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was a native of Long Island, and
was the first of the family to come to Dutch
ess county, locating upon the farm in the town
of Beekman, between Greenhaven and Pough
quag, now occupied by John BrHI. Upon
that place he erected a log house, and spent
the remainder of his life. He was united in
marriage with Miss Psyche Wiltsie, who was
born September 16, 1736, and they became
the parents of twelve children, whose names
with dates of birth are as follows: Mary, March
21

23. 1754; John, June 8, 1757; Thomas, April
27, 1759; Jane, July 4, 1761; Joseph, Octo
ber 14, 1763; Psyche, March 6, 1766; Martin,
March 14, 1768; WHliam, November 5, 1770;
Jacob, October 20, 1772; Elizabeth, October
18, 1774; Cornwell, October 28, 1776; and Ne
hemiah, October 14, 17S0.
William Doughty, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in the town of Beekman,
and there carried on farming throughout his
life. He married Mrs. Sarah (Van Wyck)
Vanderburg, and in their family were six chil
dren: Phebe, born August iS, 1805; John J.,
April 12, 1807; Psyche, July 9, 1809; WHl
iam, June 7, iSii; Sarah, June 22, 1S13; and
George T., October 26, 1S15. The father of
these died in 1854, at the age of eighty-four
years; the mother died in 1S65, at the age of
ninety-four years.
¦William Doughty, Jr., the father of our
subject, spent his entire life in the town of
Beekman, and after reaching years of maturity
devoted his time and attention to agricultural
pursuits. He was united in marriage with Jane
F. Brock, also a native of the town of Beek
man, and to them three sons were born:
Charles, subject of this review; Walter, who
was born in 1844, and is now secretary and
treasurer of a company at the Union Stock
Yards at Chicago, 111. ; and Edgar, who died
in 1 86 5. The mother's death occurred in De
cember, 1874, that of the father on June i,
1893. In religious behef he was a member of
the Society of Friends.
In the district schools near his home
Charles Doughty secured his education, and
he always remained upon the homestead farm
in the town of Beekman, dying there Novem
ber 13, 1884. He took a lively interest in
political affairs, being one of the most earnest
supporters of the Republican party, and after
the civil war served as revenue collector of
Dutchess county. He also held the office of
justice of the peace of Beekman township, and
discharged his duties, whether public or private,
with promptness and fidelity which won him
the commendation of all. Socially he affili
ated with Hopewell Lodge, F. & A. M. He
was universally respected, and his word was
considered as good as his bond. By his death
the county lost one of its most honored and
and useful citizens.
On May 23, 1S65, Mr. Doughty was mar
ried to Miss Mary E. Brown, a lady who is
greatly respected in the community. Two

322

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

children blessed this union: Morton B. and
Christopher Brown. The former was born
January lo, 1868, was educated inthe district
schools, also in the Pingry school, at Eliza
beth, N. J., and was reared on a farm. On
August 14, 1895, he married Miss LiHian
Tormoehlan, daughter of William and Louise
(Sherbourne) Tormoehlan, the former of whom
was born in Germany, the latter in Cincinnati,
Ohio. The mother died December 9, 1882,
the father on June 5, 1892. The family
reside in Chicago, where Mrs. Morton Doughty
was born, Christopher Brown, the second
son of Charles and Mary E. Doughty, was
born June 30, 1S71, and at the present time
is steward of the " Garden City Hotel," New
York City.
Christopher Brown, the father of Mrs.
Doughty, was a native of Germany, where he
learned the trade of a miller, and in early
manhood he came' to America, locating in the
town of Beekman, Dutchess county, where he
made his home for forty-five years, during
which time he followed miHing at Greenhaven.
At Fishkill, Dutchess county, he was united in
marriage with Miss Nancy Griffen, and they
had two daughters: Mary E. and Phebe,
the latter of whom married Homer Chapman.
The parents were both widely and favorably
known, and enjoyed the confidence and respect
of all. The father died March 5, 1883, the
mother on February 18, 1S96.

m LBERT J. AKIN, of Pawling, Dutchess
.^k county, one of the ablest financiers
which this section has produced, has rendered
important service to his community by pro
moting various enterprises which have devel
oped its commercial relations, and led the way
to the expansion of its business interests.
He is descended from a long line of Quaker
ancestry, the head of the American branch of
the family being John Akin, who" was born in
Scotland in 1663, and about the year 1680, or
earlier, on account of religious persecutions,
emigrated to America. He located in Dart
mouth, Mass., when about seventeen years of
age. He married Mary Briggs, who was born
August 9, 1 67 1, the daughter of Thomas
Briggs, and they had eight sons and seven
daughters. Their eldest son, David Akin,
born September 19, 1689, was the next an
cestor in direct line of descent, and the first of

the name to serttle at Quaker HiH, where he
probably occupied the property now owned by
the family of Mr. Gould. He had a record for
good service during the Revolutionary war,
and his death occurred in 1779. In 171 1 he
married Sarah AHen, of Portsmouth, R. I.,
and removed to Quaker HHl (formerly called
the Oblong), in 1741. Six sons and four
daughters were born to them, and their son,
John Akin, born September 15, 171S, became
the next in line of descent. He married Mar
garet Hicks, who was born in Portsmouth,
R. I., January 12, 171 3, and they had three
daughters and one son, as follows: Anna,
Mary, AbigaH and John.
John Akin was born November 11, 1753,
and December 27, 1775, married Molly Ferris,
who was born April 20, 1759, daughter of
Reed Ferris. They had two sons and four
daughters: Albro (our subject's father), Sarah,
Margaret, Ann, Daniel and Amanda.
Albro Akin was born March 6, 1778, at
Quaker Hill, and became one of the most in
fluential and distinguished citizens of his day
in this section, a contemporary of Taber, Kirby
and others of note. He was a successful mer
chant and agriculturist. On March 24, 181 5,
he was appointed judge of the court of com
mon pleas of Dutchess county by Gov. Daniel
D. Tompkins, On the organization of the
Poughkeepsie National Bank, he became a
member of its first board of directors. He
was married three times, first in 1801, to
Pauline Vander Burgh, who was born in 1783,
and they had three children: Albert John,
born August 14, 1803, married Jane WiHiams;
Almira, born February 3, 1806, married Joshua
L. Jones; and Helen M., born July 4, 1810,
married John W. Taylor. The mother of this
family died in 18 10, and Mr. Akin married
Sarah Merritt, who died leaving no chHdren.
On December 4, 1818, Mr. Akin married a
third wife. Miss Jemima Jacacks, and their
pleasant home at Quaker Hill was brightened
by seven children, as follows: Mary J. ; Will
iam Henry ; Cornelia; Gulielma Maria; Amanda,
who married Dr. C. W. Stearns; Annie E.,
who married W. H. Ogden; and Caroline,
who married Adolph WHm-Beets.
Albert John Akin left home when nineteen
years of age, going to New York City, where
he served a clerkship of two years with Will
iam and Charles Underbill, and then com
menced business on his own account under the
firm name of Seaman & Akin. After contin-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

323

uing successfully for several years he was com
pelled, on account of ill health, to retire to
the country under advice of his physician.
With health restored, he re-entered business
Hfe, at the age of thirty, engaging in farming
upon 200 acres of land which his father had
given him, continuing in this calling exclusively
untH about 1849, when he began to give his
attention to railroading. The Harlem rail
road was projected at that time, and Mr. Akin
helped to secure the right of way, and was. one
of the committee appointed to raise $100,000
for the road, John Ketcham being also a mem
ber. Later Mr. Akin was appointed to pay
out the installments of money received, and
his own high reputation did much to assist the
credit of the road. Two years were occupied
in this work, and, no one being willing to fur
nish ties or timber for the road, Mr. Akin ad
vanced money for the same. It was also
through his influence that the present refresh
ment house was located at Pawling, which
contributed much indirectly to the growth and
prosperity of the town. After the road was
finished, December 30, 1849, there being no
depot building, Mr. Akin put up the first one,
and also, in company with other business men,
furnished money for a small hotel. In 1849
he organized the Pawling National Bank, and
was elected president of tbe institution, which
prospered under his management. This posi
tion he held until January, 1895, when he re
signed on account of his advanced age. Busi
ness has been a pleasure to him. He has been
a director of the Harlem railroad for fifteen
years, when Commodore Vanderbilt was con
nected with it, and has also been a stockholder
in the Utica & Schenectady railroad, and in
the New York Central. His enterprise and
foresight have done much for Pawling and
Quaker HHl, and he owns 500 acres of land at
the latter place. He built Akin Hall, and en
dowed the Akin Hall Association wHh $150,-
000, and erected the "Mizzentop Hotel,"
which helped to develop the place as a sum
mer resort, also erected four or five cottages
for renting purposes.
In religion Mr. Akin is non-sectarian, with
strong inclination toward the faith of his fore
fathers. Politically he is an Independent, has
eschewed partisan work, but served as a Presi
dential elector in the electoral college which
placed the lamented Garfield in the White
House. On December 21, 1835, he married
Jane Williams, who was born in New York

City. They have no children. For the last
thirty years his winter residence has been in
New York City.

C\ORYDON WHEELER. Among the self-
/ made men of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, who have attained a high rank in their
various callings by their own unaided exertions,
may be found this gentleman, who has become
widely known as an architect of ability. He
was born December 21, 1837, in the town of
Boonville, Oneida Co., N. Y., and is the son
of Albert and Mary (Hitchcock) Wheeler, the
former of English descent.
Albert Wheeler, our subject's father, was
born in New Hampshire, in 1803, and was
reared upon a farm. Removing to Oneida
county, he there carried on farming during his
entire life, becoming one of the thrifty and
well-to-do men of that locality, and highly re
spected in his community. He was possessed
of literary tastes, and was well informed on
all current topics. In politics he was an Old-
line Whig. He married Miss Mary Hitchcock
(daughter of Pownell Hitchcock), who was born
in Schoharie county, N. Y. , in 1812. Five
children were born of this union, as foHows:
Almarine, who became the wife of Nathan W.
Jones; Mary Ann, married to Austin Walcott;
Corydon; Elbridge, who died when nineteen
years old; and Caroline, married to Francis
M. Reed, of BoonviHe, Oneida Co., N. Y.
The father died in 1859, and the mother in
1873. Corydon Wheeler had but limited oppor
tunities for an education in his early days, his
only schooling being obtained in the common
schools of his locality, which he attended until
fourteen years of age. He was, however, very
fond of reading, and when a young man be
gan collecting a library, at present owning a
fine assortment of books. He has improved
every opportunity of acquiring an education,
and is to-day one of the well-informed men in
the county. On leaving school he worked on
his father's farm until eighteen years of age;
but his tastes inclining to mechanical pursuits
he took up the carpenter's trade, and later be
came a contractor and builder, erecting some
of the large stores and residences in Pough
keepsie. During this time he had been study
ing the profession of an architect, and since
18S4 has devoted himself to that line of busi
ness. He has made the plans for some large

324

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

buildings in various places, among these being
a large structure in Chicago, an extensive hotel
in Sheffield, Ala., and Trinity Methodist
Church in Poughkeepsie. In all his work he
shows intelligence, artistic taste and careful
attention to the purposes for which the build
ings are to be used, making his work satisfac
tory, both ornamentally and practically — con
sequently he has been successful in his enter
prises, and is among the foremost in his pro
fession. On October 8, i860, Mr. Wheeler was
married to Miss Celia A. Kellogg, of Trenton,
Oneida Co., N. Y. , and four children have
been born to them, two of whom «urvive:
Jessie L. , the wife of William P. McNeH, of
Poughkeepsie; and Winthrop R. , a carpenter,
residing in Poughkeepsie. Chester A. died
when a little over two years old, and Lauretta
at the age of seven months. Mr. Wheel
er was for some years a Republican, and cast
his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lin
coln, but in 1874 joined the Prohibition party,
his sympathies being with the advocates of to
tal abstinence. He is a man of strong convic
tions, and is governed by principle in all his
actions. He is a member of the Tri«ity M.
E. Church, and one of its official board. He
has also been a member of the Church choir
for many years, and is always ready to assist
in Church work. In public matters he is a
worthy citizen, and may be counted on to do
his share in whatever is proposed for the wel
fare and progress of the community.

EV. TERENCE F. KELLY. The
powers of a consecrated Hfe extend far
beyond the reach of the spoken word, setting
at naught all differences of creed, and Rev.
Father Kelly, of St. Joachim's Church, Mattea
wan, whHe working quietly in his appointed
sphere, has gained the esteem and regard of
all classes in the community. The history of
this devoted worker will be read with interest,
and will convey its own lesson.
Father Kelly was born in New York City,
December 26, 1855, the son of William and
Ann (Dowling) Kelly, who were natives of
Dublin, Ireland. The father was a carpenter
by trade, following that occupation in the old
country, and, for a short time, in New York
City, but later, on moving to Montreal, Can
ada, he engaged in mercantile business, in
which he was very successful, owning several

stores. His last days were spent in New York
City, to which place he and his wife returned
when the subject of this sketch was about
eleven years old. They reared a family of
children, among whom was a son, Michael,
who was a mechanical genius, and was famous
throughout the United States for his work in
that line, being employed by the Goulds and
others. He died February i, 1895, at his
residence in Charleston, South Carolina.
Until the age of fourteen Father Kelly at
tended the public schools of his native city,
and he then entered St. Francis College, in
Brooklyn. A first cousin. Bishop Phelan, of
Kingston, Canada, first awakened in the young
lad's mind the consciousness of his vocation,
and the long course of preparation was pur
sued by Father Kelly with the same ardor
which has since characterized his pastoral
work. At nineteen he became a student at
St. Lawrence College, Montreal, Canada, and
on May 30, 1878, he was ordained to the
priesthood. Since that time his lot has been
cast in this section, his first appointment being
at Matteawan as assistant pastor to Father
Henry. He had been there about two years
when the Dominican Fathers resigned the
charge of the New York Catholic Protectory,
and Father Quinn, the Vicar General, ap
pointed Father Kelly to the post, with an as
sistant. About a year later came an appoint
ment to a charge which included Staatsburg,
Hyde Park, and Clinton Corners, and whHe
there Father Kelly buHt churches at Staats
burg and Clinton Corners, and enlarged and
improved the parsonage at Hyde Park. Six
years after his transfer to this post Archbishop
Corrigan added the care of the parish of Rhine-
cliff, which had become financially embarrassed,
and gave Father Kelly two assistants. Fathers
White and Fagan. His present appointment
dates from December i, 1890, when he suc
ceeded Father McSwyggan, and during that
time he has done much to build up and
strengthen his congregation in both numbers
and influence. In the refurnishing and decor
ation of the church edifice, and in various im
provements in the other property of the parish
one may see the results of his wise manage
ment; but to rightly judge of his work one
must visit the schools where the Sisters of
Charity and the Franciscan Brothers train the
chHdren of the parish, and must view the un
ceasing labors in the pastorate through which
the spiritual life of the people is quickened and

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

325

developed. Modest and unassuming in man
ner, and ever ready to give to his efficient
assistants the credit for the work which is
being done. Father Kelly's personality reveals
the quiet strength which unobtrusively yet ef
fectively inspires, directs, and molds the lives
of all whom his influence touches. By his
people he is greatly beloved, and on the occa
sion of the fifteenth anniversary of his ordi
nation they presented him with a handsome
purse, in token of their affectionate ap
preciation. Outside of his own fold Father Kelly is
known and honored in a remarkable degree,
and he numbers among his friends Gov. Mor
ton of this State. During his stay at Rhine-
cliff he was elected trustee of the local schools,
a fact which speaks more loudly than words
could do of the impression which his worth
makes upon all who know him, and since go
ing to Matteawan he has been appointed a di
rector of the village hospital. In his clerical
work Father Kelly is efficiently assisted by Rev.
James A. White and Rev. P. C. Cary.

^MASA DAKIN COLEMAN (deceased),
.^^ after whom Coleman Station was named,
and who for a number of years was a leading
agriculturist of the town of Northeast, Dutch
ess county, was a descendant of one of the old
est families in this country, the record reach
ing back to the year 1635. I" Hinman's
Catalogue of Early Settlers of Connecticut
we find the following: " Thomas Coleman, of
Marlborough, England, farmer, embarked at
Hampton in the ' James, ' of Lundon, about
AprH, 1635. Thomas Coleman died at Had
ley, Mass., in 1674. The births of chHdren
are not recorded at Westfield, but Noah and
John are his sons. Noah died at Hadley in
1676." John had sons, Noah and Ebenezer,
who removed to Colchester, Conn., about the
year 1700. Ebenezer married Ruth Niles, of
Colchester, in 1705, and they had a son, Niles,
who had a son, Josiah, born at Hebron, Conn.,
April 4, 1733, who married Ehzabeth Root, of
Hebron, November 6, 1755, and removed to
Sharon, Conn., about 1771, and represented
that town in the Legislatures in 1783, 1784
and 1788. He was a farmer by occupation.
On November 6, 1755, he married Elizabeth
Root, of Hebron, and had five sons: Josiah,
who served in the Revolutionary war, died in
Milford, Conn., in 1777; Aaron, a physician at

Warren, Conn.; Elihu; Jesse: and Amasa, our
subject's father. The latter was born in Shar
on, Conn., March 21, 1772. He was a farmer
at the old homestead there until his death,
which occurred March 23, 1805, when he was
but thirty-two years old, before his fine capa
bilities had an opportunity for full development.
He was married December 25, 1799, to Achsa
Dakin, who survived him many years, dying
December 2, 1846. She was a daughter of
Caleb Dakin, and a granddaughter Of Simon
Dakin, a pioneer settler of Northeast, N. Y. ,
who had much to do with the early history of
the town. Of the two children of this mar
riage, our subject was the younger. Myra C,
born October 16, 1800, married Gerard Pitch
er, of Northeast, New York.
Amasa D. Coleman was born June 28,
1804, at Sharon, but owing to his father's
death, his home from the age of nine months
was with his grandfather, Caleb Dakin. Here
he received a fair education for those times,
in the district schools, and as he possessed
good mental abHity and was fond of reading,
he in later years acquired a large fund of in
formation. He came into the possession of
the Dakin homestead before the death of his
mother, buying out the other heirs, and con
tinued to cultivate it untH his death. This
tract consists of more than 150 acres of land,
and is one of the best in the town. As a
farmer he was very successful, securing his
estate largely through his own efforts. In all
movements for local improvements he was
among the leading supporters, and he was al
ways greatly interested in the success of the
Republican party, which he joined in the first
years of its existence, having previously been
an ardent Abolitionist. His interest in poli
tics was wholly unselfish, as he never sought
official preferment. His family had been ad
herents of the Congregational Church, although
few were Methodists, and it is probable that
his father belonged to that body; but Mr.
Coleman united with the Presbyterian Church
at Amenia, and remained throughout life an ac
tive and consistent member.
On September 28, 1843, Mr. Coleman
married Miss Elizabeth Rugg, daughter of
Seth Rugg, a prominent resident of New Marl
boro, Berkshire Co., Mass. They had two
children, of whom the elder, Josiah, born
July 23, 1848, died July 31, 1872. Elizabeth,
born June 19, 1850, married a Mr. Welsh,
October 8, 1896. Mr. Coleman's death oc-

326

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

curred October 7, 1876, and brought a serious
loss to the community, his excellent judg
ment, public spirit and manly character hav
ing gained the esteem and confidence of all
who knew him. His widow passed away
May 12, 1896.

C\APTAIN ISAAC H. WOOD, the weH-
_/ known steamboat agent at Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, and the proprietor of the
"Exchange Hotel" of that city, enjoys in a re
markable degree the esteem and affection of
all classes of people, his heroism as a life-saver
gaining friends for him far and near. He and
his four sons have saved 123 persons from
death by drowning in the Hudson river, and
in recognition of their courage and unselfish
devotion the citizens of Poughkeepsie pre
sented each of them with a diamond medal a
few years ago, the tokens being of great value
and beauty.
The family originated in Holland, but
Stephen Wood, our subject's grandfather, was
probably born in Dutchess county. He was
for many years a resident of Poughkeepsie,
where he reared a family of five children, of
whom our subject's father, Stephen Wood (2),
was the only son. He grew to manhood in
Poughkeepsie, and after establishing himself
in business as a shoemaker married Eliza Dis
brow, a native of New York City, and the
daughter of a leading detective there. This
family is also of old Holland-Dutch stock. On
the breaking out of the Mexican war Stephen
Wood enlisted, and he met his death in the
battle of Buena Vista, His widow survived
him untH 187S. Of their three children the
youngest died in infancy, and the eldest, Mary
J., married the late George Valentine, of
Poughkeepsie. Capt. Wood, the second member of this
famHy, was born in Poughkeepsie, October 23,
1822, and after passing his boyhood there
went to New York City and lived with an
uncle for some time, and later spent four years
in Yonkers, N. Y. In 1840 he returned to his
native city to make his permanent home. He
started the first express business in the place,
known as Wood's Original Express, and then
entered the employ of the American Express
Co. for a time. About 1S56 he engaged in
the steamboat business, and is now the agent
for the daily lines of boats. For many years
he has been the proprietor of the ' ' Exchange

Hotel" also, and he has won a high reputation
for business ability.
In 1854 the Captain formed a matrimonial
union with Miss Maria Rodman, daughter of
WHliam Rodman, a prominent boat buHder
and leading Democrat of New York City.
The Rodmans were among the early settlers of
Dutchess county, and were probably of Hol
land-Dutch descent. Six chHdren were born
of this marriage, and the four sons are all in
business in Poughkeepsie, where they are held
in great esteem as worthy descendants of their
honored father, as well as for their individual
excellence. Edward A. is a machinist by
trade; Rodman H. is in the express business;
George is a commission merchant, and Amarr
is a barber. Of the two daughters, Eliza
married Hiram Wood, a commission merchant
of New York City, and Ida M. (deceased) was
formerly the wife of John Westfall, of Syra
cuse, New York.
Capt. Wood is an active worker in the
Democratic party; was alderman for one
year, and supervisor of the First ward for
three terms. He has been a leader in the
fire department for many years, serving as
chief engineer for four years and assistant for
three years. He was vice-president of the
Veteran's Dept. , for some time, and isnow
the president of the Veteran Fire Association,
an insurance order. In fraternal society work
he has also taken an interest at times, and he
belongs to the Knights of Pythias, as weH as
to other orders of less note.

MORGAN L, MOTT (deceased). "No
_  man in an unofficial position was more
widely known in this city or county or by the
past and passing generation in the metropol
itan portion of the State. No man was more
deeply respected wherever known for his ad
mirable simplicity of character and sterling
honesty. He was the very embodiment of in
tegrity. His habits were those of a thoroughly
self-respecting man, and in speech and action
he was irreproachable. " These words of well-
deserved praise appeared in a leading journal
of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , concerning the subject
of this memoir at his death, which occurred
April 24, 1 89 1, and to those who knew him
they convey but a faint impression of the
qualities of mind and heart which bound them
to him in the ties of friendship and esteem.
Mr. Mott was of English descent, his an-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

327

cestors being among the followers of the Quaker
faith who found freedom of conscience in this
country at an eariy period. His father, Will
iam B. Mott, was a native of Long Island, but
his life was spent mainly in New York City,
where he engaged in mercantile business. He
married Miss Mary Milton, who was born in
that city January 14, 1790, and died at New
Hackensack, the home of her son, Morgan,
November 26, 1894, at the age of 105 years.
Her father, a HoHander by descent, was a man
of great importance and influence during the
rule of Petrus Stuyvesant. Her mother was a
member of the famous Cox family of Long
Island. Shortly after their marriage, our sub
ject's parents came to Dutchess county, and
located, in 18 13, on a farm in the town of
Hyde Park, where their five children were
born. After a few years they returned to New
York to reside. 'Their children all settled
there. Jehu was a butcher by occupation;
M^ry, the only surviving member of the fam
ily, married (first) Robert Wilson, a merchant
in New York, and (second) John Francis;
John was a wheelwright; and William B. was
a painter. Morgan L. Mott, the fourth in order of
birth, wasborn April 14, 1818, and was only
a few years old when his parents moved to
New York. On leaving school he engaged
in the grocery business, and before many years
became prominent in the Democratic party
there. He was warden at Blackwell's Island
for several years. In 1849 he went to Cali
fornia with a party, among whom was Senator
Broderick, of New York, who was afterward
assassinated. Mr. Mott was in business in
San Francisco until 1853, during which time
he was active in promoting order, being one
of the first aldermen, and serving for several
months as president of the board and as act
ing mayor of the city. He also made a trip to
San Diego, and brought back nearly 2,000
horses and cattle. On his return to New York
he conducted a hotel there untH 1863, when
he moved to a farm at New Hackensack,
where he spent his remaining years.
Mr. Mott married Miss Jane Mcintosh, a
native, of New York City, whose father was a
Scotchman. Of their several children, two
died in childhood; WilHam B., a farmer, died
at the age of forty-five; Morgan L., Jr., is a
farmer at the old homestead; Edmond died at
fifteen; Robert lives at home, and with his
brother manages the farm; Mary Elizabeth, a

lovely girl of beautiful character, died when
just budding into womanhood. The home
farm is a fine estate of about 200 acres of level
land,, beautified by trees, and the buildings and
other improvements speak well for the enter
prise and good taste of its owners.

LOUIS C. FEIERABEND. Among the
 I prosperous and popular citizens of foreign
birth who made their homes in Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, wHl be found the gentleman
whose name introduces this sketch, and who
was born at Wimpfen-on-the-Neckar, Hessen-
Darmstadt, Germany, July 13, 1849.
Jacob Feierabend, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born at Wimpfen, Hessen-Darmstadt,
Germany, July 4, 1780, and died September
20, 1846; was a farmer by occupation; he
married Johanna Bramminger, who was born
June I, 1786, and died March 20, 1847.
Fredrick Feierabend, father of our subject,
was born AprH 16, 181 1, also at Wimpfen,
and learned the business of comb-making,
which he followed all his life. On September
6, 1838, he married Miss Eva Christina Hess,
who was born June 20, 1S18, at Biebrach
O. A. Heilbrom, Wurttemberg, Germany, and
children, as follows, were born to them: (i)
Christoph F., born February 19, 1840, mar
ried Miss Louisa C. Weying, of Wimpfen,
December 18, 1866. (2) Christina Johanna,
born February 14, 1841, married Carl Speer,
a locksmith, of Wimpfen, March 14, 1865.
(3) Christoff Ludwig, born June 6, 1842, died
July 17, 1842. (4) Christina Louise, born
September 10, 1844. (5) Elizabeth Louise,
born October 31, 1846, came to America, Oc
tober 15, 1872, and married WiHiam Kraft, of
Laufen O. A. Heilbrom, Wurttemberg, Ger
many, AprH 20, 1874; and (6) Louis Christian,
our subject. The father of this family died
November 19, 1892; the mother is still living.
Louis Feierabend, the subject proper of
this review, learned the comb-making business
with his father, but afterward took up butcher
ing as an occupation, following same for two
years in Germany. On September i, 1868,
he came to the United States and located in
Poughkeepsie, where he had an aunt living.
Here he worked for various persons in the
butchering business until May i, 1874, when
he started a meat market of his own, on the
corner of Jefferson and Church streets. As a
partner in the concern he received William

328

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Kraft, which connection lasted until 1S77,
when Mr. Feierabend took entire charge. In
1 88 1 he formed a partnership with Charles
Haberman, which continued for four y.ears.
His present partner is WilHam Knauss, and
the firm is well known as an enterprising and
reliable one. They do a large retaH business
in meats of all kind, also some wholesaling.
On May 6, 1874, Mr. Feierabend was
united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Miller,
of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , daughter of Valentine
Miller, and four children blessed their union;
Peter C, born August 29, 1875, died July 8,
1S96; Louis Frederick, born July 22, 1877;
William Henry, born June 11, 1882; and
Louisa Elizabeth, born March 29, 1885. Mr.
Feierabend has been very successful, finan
cially, and owes his prosperity solely to his
own hard work and good management. He
came here a poor young man, working at first
for eight dollars a month; to-day he is the
owner of a good business, and much valuable
property, comprising his brick business block
and handsome brick residence, two stores ad
joining his meat market; and two tenement
houses on Jefferson street. He stands high in
business circles, and is popular with all classes
of people. In politics he has always been a
stanch Republican, and in religious faith is a
member of the German Lutheran Church, in
which he has been a trustee for ten years. As
a loyal citizen he takes an active interest in all
matters of public improvements, and what
ever is projected, tending to the welfare of the
city and county, receives his ready support.

lEV. EDWARD J. CONROY, pastor of
St. Mary's Church, Poughkeepsie, Dutch
ess county, was born July 10, 1853, in New
York City. His primary studies were made in
St. Bridget's Parochial school, and his gram
mar course in the old school on West 24th
street, and in the new school house on West
20th street. In 1866 he entered St. Francis
Xaviers CoHege, West 15th street, and after a
full collegiate course graduated in 1873.
On October 4, 1873, our subject sailed for
Europe on the Cunarder "Batavia," and No
vember 5th entered the American College, at
Rome, Italy, where, after attending the lec
tures in the Propaganda four years, he was
raised to the priesthood May 26, 1877. After
several months " doing" Europe, he returned

to America on the then crack Cunarder,
" Russia." Rev. Father Conroy's first missionary work
was in the Cathedral on Mott street, New York
(now St. Patrick's Church), and after filling,
temporarily, a few missions was assigned per
manently to St. Michael's Church, West 32nd
street, under the charge of Rev. Arthur J.
Donnelly, afterward the vicar-general. After
three years' duty in St. Michael's, Father Con-
roy was assigned to St. Monica's, East 79th
street, at that time a new parish under the
charge of Rev. James J. Dougherty, LL. D.
Almost ten years were spent by him in this
new. field of labor, when he was assigned to
the rectorship of the Church of St. Francis of
Assissi, Mt. Kisco, N. Y. After the comple
tion of the church building, which was effected
in five months, he was transferred to the
charge of St. Joseph's Church, Kingston, N. Y.
Three years were spent by him in the spiritual
and temporal labor of that parish, about Jhe
end of which time he received word to take up
his present charge, and finish the new church
building that had been commenced under the
administration of Father Earley.
The congregation of St. Mary's was organ
ized in 1873, when the edifice on Cannon
street, for many years occupied by the Univer-
salists, was purchased. This building, now
torn down, was erected by the Presbyterians in
1826. The building was purchased for the
Catholics by the Rev. Patrick F. McSweeny,
D. D., then pastor of St. Peter's Church, of
this city, now pastor of St. Brigid's Church,
New York City.
The first pastor of St. Mary's was the Rev.
Edward McSweeny, D. D., now of Mount St.
Mary's College, Emmittsburg, Maryland. The
old building was dedicated by His Grace Arch
bishop (afterward Cardinal) McCloskey. The
clergymen who assisted the Archbistiop were
Rev. John M. Farley, his secretary, now assist
ant Bishop and Vicar-General of the Archdio
cese of New York; Rev. Edward McGlynn, D.
D., then of St. Stephen's Church, New York;
Rev. R. L. Burtsell, D. D., now of Rondout;
Rev. P. F. McSweeny, D. D. ; Rev. Edward
McSweeny, D. D.; Rev. J. C. McSweeny;
Rev. Patrick Rigney; and Rev. Fathers Shee-
han and Briody.
In 1879, all the church property belonging
to St. Mary's was transferred by the Archbishop
to a corporation, consisting of the Archbishop,
his Vicar General, the pastor, and two laymen.

^j2:^<<2-'Z«^''^^t___i

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

329

In 1880, the pastor, Rev. Edward McSweeny,
being, absent in Europe, the Rev. Michael Mc-
Swiggan, then acting pastor of St. Mary's, su
perintended the erection of a new parochial
school, on South Hamilton street, which was
opened in September of that year, with one
hundred pupils. Up to the year 1881, the
pastor had no regular assistant. In that year,
the Rev. John B. Creeden, now pastor at Sing
Sing, began his mission in the priesthood as
the first assistant pastor of St. Mary's. In
1883, the Decennial was celebrated, and it was
then, after ten years of steady growth, and
prosperity, that the nucleus for a new edifice
was commenced. In 1885, the Rev. Edward
McSweeny resigned from parish work to accept
a professorship in Mt. St. Mary's College, Em
mittsburg, where he has since been, with the
exception of a short time spent in St. Paul, <
Minnesota. Then came the Rev. Cornelius
Donovan (since deceased), who acted as pastor
for a short time. On May 13, 1887, the third
pastor of St. Mary's was appointed, the Rev.
Terence J. Earley. It was under the adminis
tration of Father Earley that the present new
edifice was begun. He labored for four years
with incessant industry, and was then promoted
to the charge of the parish of St. Peter's, at
New Brighton, Staten Island.
The present pastor, the Rev. Edward J.
Conroy, whose portrait appears here, was ap
pointed pastor of St. Mary's, on April 23, 1891,
and under his management the work of com
pleting the new church edifice has been brought
to its present satisfactory state. Thus, after
a quarter of a century, the congregation of St.
Mary's takes possession of one of the hand
somest church edifices in the city.
The general design of the building is of the
Gothic order, of the simple rather than the
ornate style. The principal fagade is faced
with Indiana limestone, treated in the rock-
faced order, with just sufficient dressed stone
trimming to relieve the monotony of the gen
eral rough stone. The front has been extended
to embrace porch and tower entrances, and
from the tower access to the organ and choir
gallery is had by means of a solid ash staircase,
trimmed in cherry. On the choir level, or second
floor of porch, is a choir meeting room, lighted
by a system of small Gothic windows which ex
tend continuously across the entire front. The
ceHings of the porches, tower, and under side
of organ gallery have been finished in the old
English style of exposed rafter and deep panel-

work. The main church ceiling has been
treated in the open-work type of truss, the sur
faces between trusses laid off in deep panels,
diagonally sheathed and heavily molded. Each
truss is finished with cherry-molded tracery
work, and bracketed cornice. The aisle ceil
ings are treated to match main roof, but of a
more simple style. The entire body of the
church has been wainscoted nearly six feet
high with Gothic panel work, in combination
of cherry and white wood, with neat molded
capping and base. The columns are wains
coted to match the walls, as also the face of
the gallery. The entire floor surface of the
church has been laid, first with one and one-
eighth-inch white pine flooring, and on top of
this a two-inch thick floor of the best clear
long-leaf, comb-grain Georgia pine.
The plaster work of the church is one of its
principal merits. It is done in a pearl gray
tint stucco plaster, tracery moldings over all
windows and other openings, as well as over
the interior arches. The iron columns were
first encased in fire-proof clay tile, and the
finished plaster work then applied. Each
column is surmounted by an ornate Corinthian
capital, from which the clere-story arches
spring in succession. Owing to the large num
ber and size of the windows, it was deemed
advisable not to assume the expense at this
time of ornamental figured windows in leaded
glass work, and for this economic reason the
windows have been temporarily glazed with
plain amber-tinted glass of several shades, the
foliated tracery work of the upper parts being
treated in brighter color effects. The building
is heated by stearn by means of handsome
radiators. The gas fixtures, of polished brass,
are very handsome, and the gas is lighted from
an electric battery placed under the gallery.
Any required number of the fixtures may be
lighted, one, a dozen, or the entire comple
ment, as may be desired — by a simple turn of
the battery crank. There are over three hun
dred lights in the church. Taken in its entirety,
the Church of St. Mary's, so near to completion,
is a grand tribute to the untiring zeal and
ability of its pastor. Rev. Edward J. Conroy.

S\TEPHEN A. PERKINS, a well-known
) merchant, holds a leading place among the
enterprising and prominent men of Poughkeep
sie, where his birth occurred May i, 1846,
having always identified himself with its inter-

830

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ests. He belongs to a family of English or
igin, whose members mostly belonged to the
Reformed Dutch Church. His paternal grand
father, Warren Perkins, was a farmer of the
town of New Paltz, Ulster Co., N. Y. , and
his family included two sons: Alexander W. ,'
the father of our subject; and Stephen, a car
riage maker, of Washington, Pennsylvania.
The former was born March i, 1818, upon
a farm in the town of New Paltz, Ulster coun
ty, where the first seventeen or eighteen years
of his life were passed. He then came to the
town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, and
entered into agricultural pursuits, which he
has followed, with very few years exception,
his entire life; he has held several town offices.
He enjoys in a marked degree the confidence
and esteem of his neighbors; his vote al
ways being cast with the Democratic party.
He was twice married, his first wife, the
mother of Stephen A. Perkins, was in her
maidenhood Miss Rebecca M. Ackerley, a na
tive of the town of Poughkeepsie, where her
father, Lemuel Ackerley, engaged in farming.
She was of English lineage, and was called to
her reward in 1856. By her marriage she be
came the mother of six children: Jacob A., a
business man of Poughkeepsie, who is inter
ested with our subject in the ice business; Syl
vester, who was a carpenter, of Pine Plains,
Dutchess county, and died in November, 1893;
Stephen A., of this sketch; Jane A., who be
came the wife of J. L. Donaldson, of Ulster
county, who died in March, 1894; Elizabeth
H., who died unmarried; and William J., a
resident of Poughkeepsie, who is interested
with our subject in the coal business.
Upon a farm about three miles outside the
city limits of Poughkeepsie, Stephen A. Per
kins grew to manhood, attending the dis
trict schools of the neighborhood, and finished
his education at the Dutchess County Acad
emy. For one year he was then employed as
teacher- of a district school, after which he
learned the carpenter's trade, following that
occupation for about five years. He next be
came connected with the Poughkeepsie &
Eastern raHroad, serving in a number of differ
ent capacities for about eighteen years. In
1888, in connection with his brother Jacob A,,
he entered into the ice business, leasing the
Morgan Lake. He conducted this business
very successfully and made many friends for
himself and brother. In May, 1894, he formed
a co-partnership with his brother, WHliam J.

Perkins, and Herman King in the coal trade,
under the firm name of Perkins, King & Co.
They now do a flourishing business, their
courteous treatment of customers, and upright,
honorable dealings, having won them a liberal
patronage. In 1875 1'^'". Perkins was married, the lady
of his choice being Miss Charlotte Holmes,
who was born in the town of Pleasant Valley,
Dutchess county, and is a daughter of George
Holmes, also a native of that county, and a
farmer and merchant by occupation. He died
about 1886. One child blesses the union of
our subject and his wife: Bertram R. , who is
now a dentist by^professioiL,., They are mem
bers and contribute to the support of the Pres
byterian Church, while socially, Mr. Perkins
is a prominent member of the Masonic Order,
»and politically votes the Democratic ticket.

SAMUEL HILTON AMBLER, who is now
,^) practically living retired in the village of
Stissing, Dutchess county, was for a quarter of
a century a prominent merchant of the place.
The Ambler family, of which he is a worthy
representative, was founded in America during
its early history. The first to locate in New
England was Richard Ambler, who was born
in Somersetshire, England, in 1609, and was
one of twenty-four men who organized the
town of Watertown, Conn., taking deed for
the same from the Indians, and he became a
leading resident of that town. He was twice
married, and became the father of three chil
dren: Sarah, Abram and Abraham. His death
occurred in 1699. Of his family, Abraham,
who was a Baptist minister in Bedford, Conn.,
was born in 1642, and he was also twice mar
ried, his union with Mary Bates being cele
brated in 1662; they made their home in Stam
ford, Conn, Their son John was born in 1668,
and in his family were three children: John,
Stephen and Martha. The birth of John Am
bler, of this family, occurred at Stamford,
Conn,, in 1695, and he became a resident of
Danbury, in the same State, where he died.
By his will he bequeathed his gun and sword
to his only son, John. He was the father of
seven children: John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary,
Martha, Anna and Rachel. The only son was
born in 1733, and died October 21, 18 14. By
his marriage with Huldah FairchHd he had eight
children: Peter, Squire, Stephen, GHead,
Diodote, SHas, Huldah and Deborah. The

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

381

father of these was sergeant of a company of
lOO men raised in Danbury, May 17, 1775,
which joined the- 6th regiment, commanded by
Col. David Waterbury. •
Peter Ambler, of the above family, was the
grandfather of our subject. He was born at
Danbury, .Conn., September 20, 1759, and
there continued to engage in farming through
out Hfe, owning the land on which the Dan
bury fair is now held. During the Revolution
ary war he served as artificer in the Colonial
army, and later took a prominent part in pub
lic affairs, being a member of the State Legis
lature for one term. He held membership
with the Baptist Church, in which he served
as deacon, and died in that faith March 7,
1836. On October 21, 1784, he had married
Miss Hannah Shove, who was born October
27, 1 761, and was the daughter of Deacon
Benjamin and Sarah Shove, and their family
included the following children: Fairchild,
Benjamin, David, Thomas, Joseph, Silas,
Sarah, Rachel and Hannah. The mother of
these died AprH 22, 1843.
Rev. Silas Ambler, Baptist minister, father
of our subject, was born at Danbury, Conn. ,
March 12, 179S. He was married August 29,
1822, to Miss Eunice D. Olmstead, who was
born October 28, 1800, at Wilton, Conn., and
died October 3, 1S92, at Stanford, N. Y.
They had a family of seven children: Samuel
H., our subject; Mary E., who makes her
home in Greene county, N. Y. , is the widow
of Ezekial Griffin; Augustus, born April 19,
1829, died April 22, 1852; Catherine, born
May 23, 1 83 1, is the widovv of Levi Boyce, of
GreeneviHe, N. Y. ; Sarah, born January 31,
1835, is the wife of Henry Knickerbocker, of
BangaH, N. Y. ; Emeline, who was born AprH
6, 1837, and died April 3, 1869, was the wife
of Charles Sheldon, now deceased; and John
P., a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. The
father was for a time a minister in the Baptist
Church, having charge of congregations at
CornwaH and Norfolk, Conn., but in 1840, on
account of ill health, he gave up preaching and
located upon a farm in the town of Stanford,
Dutchess Co., N. Y., near Stissing, which is
now owned by our subject. He there spent
his rema.ining days, dying November 22, 1857,
honored and respected by all.
The birth of Mr. Ambler, the subject of
this review, occurred at Danbury, Fairfield
Co., Conn. , June 3, 1824, but most of his early
life was passed at Norfolk, in the same State,

where he attended school and remained a
member of the parental household until his
marriage, March 20, 185 1, in the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county, to Miss Olive
Boyce, a daughter of Jacob and Olive (Morse)
Boyce. To our subject and wife have come
the following children: Franklin A., born De
cember 31, 1856, died at San Jose, Cal,, June
II, 1884; he had married Hattie Vassar
(daughter of John E. Vassar), by whom he
had two children — Alice May and Edward
Vassar. Emma D. was born May 20, 1858.
Asa T., born March i, i860, wedded Mary
Deuell, and they have two chHdren — Chester
Franklin and Olive Martha. Charles, born
February 2, 1S64, married Elizabeth Vande-
water. Alfred SHas, born November 25, 1867,
is now the medical superintendent of the
Kingston Avenue Hospital, at Brooklyn, New
York. For twenty years after his marriage, Mr.
Ambler engaged in agricultural pursuits, but in
1870 he sold his farm, as he had been ap
pointed agent on the N. D. & C. R. R., and
erected a store building at Stissing, where he
was engaged in general merchandising for
twenty-five years, which store is now con
ducted by his sons, Charles and Asa T. He
was made postmaster of the vHlage, and also
served as agent for the P & E. R. R. In
politics, Mr. Ambler casts his ballot is support
of the men and measures of the Republican
party, and has held the office of excise commis
sioner. For forty years he has been a member
of the Baptist Church, at BangaH, and his
genial, social nature makes him a popular
citizen.

m LFRED ALLENDORF (deceased) was
^^^ born September 17, 1829, a son of Philip
and Elizabeth (Stickle) AHendorf, prosperous
farming people of the town of Red Hook,
Dutchess county.
After completing his literary education Mr.
AHendorf began his mercantile career as a
clerk, and gradually worked his way upward.
At the close of a few years of preparatory
labor in this line, he left the firm by whom he
was employed, and established a general mer
chandise store at Upper Red Hook, which
they conducted some three years, then coming
to Red Hook, they opened a store under the
firm name of ConkHng & AHendorf, which ven
ture proved highly successful. Through hoh-

332

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

orable and upright dealing they soon gained
the confidence of the public, which they suc
ceeded in holding for over twenty years, at
the end of which time the partnership was dis
solved, Mr. AHendorf taking the store and Mr.
Conkling the lumber and coal business.
On October ii, 1S54, our subject was mar
ried to Miss Catherine A. Shook, who was
born July 6, 1S30, at the old homestead ofthe
Shook family, where her father was engaged
in farming. Two daughters blessed this union:
(i) Nellie S., born at Red Hook, February 28,
1856, who became the wife of Silas S. Schoon
maker, October 30, 1878, and they now re
side at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; they have one
child — A. AHendorf, born January 14, 1880.
(2) Fannie L. , born at Red Hook, AprH 27,
i860, married Charles B. Hoffman, and they
have two children — Bessie C, born November
II, iSSi; andE. Marjorie, born May 15, 18S5.
Mrs. Schoonmaker and Mrs. Hoffman received
their primary educations at the schools of Red
Hook, completing their studies at the De-
Garmo Institute, Rhinebeck.
John Shook, the father of Mrs. AHendorf,
was also a native of the town of Red Hook,
where his entire life, was devoted to agricult
ural pursuits. He wedded Miss Nellie Shoe
maker, daughter of George Shoemaker, of
Red Hook, and they became the parents of the
following children: George Adam, born May
3, 1803, was educated for the ministry of the
Reformed Dutch Church, at Carlisle, but ow
ing to ill-health was prevented from accepting
a call, and died in 1836; Anna Maria, born
March iS, 1S05, became the wife of Moses
Ring; Cornelia, born June 22, 1807, married
Lewis Elseffer; Helen, born September 20,
1809, wedded Everet Traver; Aaron, born Sep
tember 6, 181 1, married Catharine Cramer;
Gertrude C, born December 21, 1S13, re
mained single; Walter, born April 4, 18 16,
married Eliza A. Allenford; Alonzo, born May
4, 18 1 8, died in infancy; Archibald, born July
24, 1820, wedded Elizabeth Lamoree; Alex
ander, born October 6, 1822, married Clar
issa Squires; John A., born July 3, 1825, mar
ried Frances Lathrop; and Catherine A. (wife
of our subject) completed the family.
The integrity of Mr. AHendorf stands as
an unquestioned fact in his history-7-endowed
by nature with a sound judgment and an accu
rate, discriminating mind, he did not fear the
laborious attention to business so necessary to
achieve success. This essential quality was

ever guided by a sense of right which would
tolerate the employment only of the means
that would bear the most rigid examination,
by a fairness of intention that neither sought
nor required disguise. He was a thorough
Christian, a devout member of the Lutheran
Church, and was prominently identified with
the Masonic fraternity and the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, being at the time of
his death one of the members of Christian
Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Red Hook.

ON. EDWARD HARRIS THOMPSON.
,^L The family of which the subject of this
sketch is a distinguished representative orig
inated in England, where it has held an hon
ored position from an early period, its coat of
arms bearing the motto, "In lumine luce",
being an interesting reminder of the olden time.
The head of the American branch, Anthony
Thompson, came to this country with his wife,
two children and two brothers, John and WiH
iam, in the company of Governor Eaton, Rev.
Mr. Davenport and others of Coventry, Eng
land, arriving at Boston, June 26, 1637, ac
cording to Winthrop's Journal, or July 23,
1637, as stated by Cotton Mather. Like
many other dissenters from the Church of Eng
land at that day, they sought in the New
World freedom to worship in accordance with
their own faith, and relief from the persecu
tions and burdensome taxation which were
their lot in their native land. The party led by
Messrs. Davenport and Eaton had a larger pro
portion of wealthy and energetic men than any
other which had arrived up to that time, and
several towns made tempting offers to the
emigrants, but it was Quinipiac, or New Hav
en, that was finally decided upon as a location.
Anthony Thompson signed the Colony Con
stitution June 4, 1639, and all rhe brothers
soon secured farms in the vicinity. John's
estate at New Haven, where he died Decem
ber II, 1674, is said to be still in the posses
sion of some of his numerous descendants.
Anthony and WHliam resided at New Haven.
Anthony died March 23, 1647, and left a large
estate, which was divided under his wHl be
tween his six chHdren and his second wife.
His original purchase and the house thereon
was given to his son John, and the lands after
ward acquired, to Anthony, Jr., whHe with the
exception of a certain sum to his daughter
Bridget, a child of his first wife, on condition

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

333

that she would marry in accordance with the
wishes of the deacons of the Church, the re
mainder was left to his wife, Catherine, and
her three daughters. The wife's share was
conditional upon her widowhood, and as she
married Nicholas Camp, July 14, 1652, it
probably reverted to this family. Anthony,
Jr., made his wHl December 26, 1682, while
on a visit in Milford, and died three days
later. The greater part of his property was
left to his brother, John. WilHam Thompson
was probably a bachelor as at his death in
1682 his wHl, which was made Ocfober 6th of
the same year, distributed his property among
his relatives, particular mention being made of
his nephew John.
John Thompson seems to have been a
sea captain. He died June 2, 1707, and an
inventory of his estate is on record. Three
children are named in the registry of the town,
viz.: Mary, born September 9, 1667; Samuel,
born May 12, 1669; and Sarah, born January
16, 1671, but he probably had two or three
previously. Samuel was married, November
14, 1695, to Rebecca Bishop, daughter of the
Lieutenant Governor, and lived at the Beaver
Pond, now Westville, about two miles from
New Haven. He was captain of the military
company in New Haven, and must have been
a man of great physical vigor, as in his eighty-
second year he rode from New Haven to
Goshen, about fifty miles, on horseback, this
trip being among the reminiscences of his
grandson Hezekiah, who rode behind him.
Samuel died at Goshen. His children's names,
with dates of birth, are as follows: Samuel,
December 2, 1696; James, June 5, 1699;
Amos, March 3, 1702; Gideon, December 25,
1704; Rebecca, February 23, 1708; Judah,
June 10, 1 7 10 (died August 5, 17 12); Judah
(2d), October 5, 1713; and Enos, August 18,
1 71 7. Most of this family lived to an ad
vanced age, and some settled in what is now
the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, others
in Connecticut. Samuel located on the east
line of the town of Stanford, near Federal
store, and in 1785 he, or Ezra [Enos.'], buHt
a brick house, which has been occupied by the
family ever since. In 1783 his son Caleb built
a brick house in the same locaHty. James
Thompson died in 1737, as a result of a fall
from a cherry tree, and his son, Hezekiah,
then two years old, was placed under the
guardianship of his uncle Enos, who bound
him out at the age of fourteen to learn the

saddler's trade. The boy had higher ambi
tions, however, and, as soon as he could,
began the study of law at Woodbury, where
he rose to prominence in the profession and
built himself a stately residence. He died in
March, 1803, leaving two sons: William, who
lived in SuHivan county, N. Y. , was the first
judge of that county, and died December 9,
1847; and John, an Episcopal clergyman at
New Durham, Greene Co.. N. Y., and died
August 4, 1864.
Amos Thompson settled near Thompson's
Pond, now Hunn's Lake, in the town of Stan
ford, Dutchess county, about 1746. He and
his wife Sarah (Allen), whom he wedded in
1726, had seven children: Allen, born in
1727; Rebecca, in 1729; Amos, in 1731; Ezra,
in 1734; Sarah, Eunice and Mary. Allen
died soon after the removal to Dutchess county.
Amos was educated at a college in New Jersey,
and became a Presbyterian minister, locating
first at North Canaan, Conn., and later in
Loudoun county, Va., where he died in 1S04.
He married Miss Jane Evans, of Maryland.
Gideon Thompson lived at Goshen, Conn.
Rebecca married Mr. Austin, of New Haven,
and had a son, Deacon Austin, who became a
citizen of that place. Judah (2d) probably lived
and died in New Haven. Enos had a son,
Smith Thompson, who became a judge of the
Supreme Court of the United States, and later
was secretary of the navy. Enos Thompson
Throop, a grandson of Enos, was governor of
New York State and charge d'affairs at Naples.
Amos Thompson, born in 1731, married
Mary Smith, of Suffield, Conn. Asa Allen
John, their son, born January 12, 1760, married
Mary Knap, January 19, 1783, and died May
28, 1 81 3. Their son, Allen Thompson, our
subject's grandfather, was born August 10,
1783, on the old homestead at Thompson's
Pond, now known as Hunn's Lake, in the town
of Stanford, and passed a considerable portion
of his life there, following his chosen work of
farming, in which he was unusually successful.
In later life (in 1825) he moved to a farm in
the town of Pine Plains, now occupied by C.
C. More, where he died May 20, 1849. His
wife, Eliza (Pugsley), to whom he was married
March 18, 1806, died December 29, 1861.
They had five children, whose names, with
dates of birth, are here given: Edward P.,
born February 6, 1807; John AHen, November
6, 1808; Cornelius Allerton, December 20,
1 8 10 (died November 15, 1832); and Corne-

334

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Hus, March lo, 1824. John Allen Thompson,
our subject's father, was born at Thompson's
Pond, but his life was spent mainly in the town
of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, where he
owned a farm of 120 acres southwest of the
village of Pine Plains. From a business stand
point, he was very successful, accumulating a
fine property, and he was also prominent and
influential in local affairs. He was a leading
member of the Presbyterian Church, holding
office for many years; but he never sought or
held political place, although he supported
stanchly the principles of the Whig party in
early life, and later espoused with equal ear
nestness the Republican faith. An earnest
student of his times, he was well-informed on
all the topics of general interest. On May 9,
1855, he was married to Lucy Ann Viele, a
member of one of the most prominent families
of Washington county, N. Y. , and her father,
Stephen L. Viele, was a member of the State
Assembly in 1836.
The subject of the sketch, the only son of
this marriage, was born at Pine Plains, Sep
tember 25, 1856, and was educated at the
Hudson Academy, In 1882 he entered the
Millerton National Bank as bookkeeper, George
S. Frink being president, and "WHliam M.
Dales, cashier. On the death of the latter in
1883, Mr. Thompson was elected to the vacant
position, and in 18S6 he was chosen president,
which office he held until 1895. On June 9,
1 886, he married Rachel Irene Carpenter,
daughter of Hon. Edmund T. Carpenter, who
was mayor of Hudson City, N. J. They have
had three children: Harry Scott, Lucy Irene,
and John Allen.
Mr. Thompson is a man of fine physique
and great industry. His energy and ability
have not been confined to business life, his
success there, combined with his high reputa
tion for integrity, winning him the confidence
of the people, and leading to his election on the
Republican ticket to various positions of pub
lic trust and responsibHity. His interest in
local movements has always been recognized as
a strong influence for progress, and E. H.
Thompson Hose Co. was named in his honor.
He was a trustee of the village for five years,
and was its president at the time for the build
ing of the water works of which he was one of
the chief promoters. In 1892 he was elected
supervisor of the town without opposition, and
in the same year he was chosen to represent
the first district of Dutchess county in the As

sembly by 419 plurality over J-ames H. Rus
sell, Democrat, and Tiel, Prohibitionist. In
1893 Mr. Thompson submitted to the Assem
bly a bill amending the charter of the city of
Poughkeepsie, and one relating to the Mattea
wan State Hospital for Insane Criminals. On
returning to the Assembly in 1894, having been
re-elected in 1893, by a plurahty 01843 over
Oakly I, Norris, Democrat, and V. M. Buck,
Prohibitionist, he was appointed chairman of
the committee on Banks and a member of the
committee on Railroads, and the committee
on Charitable and Religious Societies. That
year he introduced a bHl amending the bank
ing law, and one incorporating the Poughkeep
sie and Wappinger Falls Electric Railway Co.
He was again re-elected in 1894, receiving
4,692 votes against 3,418 cast for S. M.
Davidson, Democrat, and 210 for C. N. Nich
ols, Prohibitionist. In 1895 he was chairman
of the committee on Commerce and Naviga
tion, and a member of three important com
mittees — on Ways and Means, on Banks and
on MHitary Affairs. In 1895 Mr. Thompson
introduced a bill largely increasing the scope
of investments of savings banks of the State.
The banks had for years endeavored to secure
such legislation, but failed. By his untiring
efforts the bill became a law, and is known as
the "Thompson Law," and is highly regarded
by the banks. On May i, 1896, Hon. F. D.
Kilburn, superintendent of banks of the State
of New York, appointed Mr. Thompson a bank
examiner, located in the City of New York.

ARVEY BRETT, a venerable and highly
 respected resident of Matteawan, is a de
scendant of one of the oldest famHies of Dutch
ess county, being a direct descendant of Mad
ame Brett, whose ability and forceful charac
ter, no less than her extensive landed posses
sions, made her a leading figure among the
early settlers of this section. She was the
only daughter and heir of Francis Rombout,
the patentee of the Rombout tract, which pat
ent was granted to him October 17, 1685, and
from whom the first tHIes to lands in FishkiH
were derived by the settlers. He was a native
of Holland, and was sent as supercargo to
New Amsterdam (New York) by the Dutch
East India Company. At the expiration of his
apprenticeship he engaged in business in that
city with Gulian Verplanck, forming a co
partnership which lasted several years. He

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

335

was for several years alderman of New York,
and mayor of that city in 1679. In Septem
ber, 16S3, he married Mrs. Helena Van Bal-
leu (ne'e Teller), whose first husband was
named Bogardus. Only one chHd graced this
union: Catharyna, who was born in New
York, and at the age of sixteen married Roger
Brett, an Englishman, and a merchant of New
York City. A few years later she and her
husband took up their residence in FishkHl,
on lands which, after the death of her father
in 1691, became her heritage. The precise
year of their settlement here is not known; but
January 10, 1709, they gave a joint bond
(they previously partitioned the tract between
themselves so as to hold it in severalty) to
Capt. Gylob SheHy, of New York City, to se
cure payment of i^399, 6s, with which it is be
lieved they built a dwelling house and a grist-
miH the following year. The house, built in
1709, is still standing in Matteawan, in good
preservation, and is known as the ' ' Teller
Mansion, " The gristmill was located at the
mouth of the Fishkill, on its north bank. It
was the first of its kind in the town or county,
and exerted an immense and beneficial in
fluence on the settlements in the locality.
Madame Brett died in 1764. She had three
sons — Francis, Robert and Rivery — and one
daughter, married to Jacobus Depuyster. Of
the sons, Francis married Margaret Van-
Wyck, and had two daughters — ^Hannah (mar
ried to Henry Schenck), and Margaret (the
youngest; married to Peter A. Schenck) — and
two sons — Theodorus and George. Rivery
(the youngest son of Mrs. Brett) died at the
age of seventeen.
George Brett, our subject's grandfather,
was born in the town of Fishkill, and passed
his life there engaged in agriculture. He and
his wife, whose maiden name was Marie
Cooper, were devout members of the Re
formed Dutch Church, although George had
in his youth been identified with the English
Church. Their chHdren were: Deborah and
Margaret (deceased), who never married;
Francis G,, the father of our subject, and Sal
ly, who married a Mr. Willett, a cabinet
maker. Francis G. Brett was tx)rn in the town of
FishkiH, in 1775, and for many years operated
the mill at Matteawan, belonging to the Brett
estate. He was a Whig in politics, and was
influential in local affairs. His wife, Margaret
CampbeH, who was born in 1777, probably in

Dutchess county, died April 9, 1835, and Mr.
Brett's death occurred August 14, 1835, They
were highly esteemed among their associates,
and while not members they inclined toward
the Reformed Church. They reared a family
of eight chHdren: WHliam, a machinist of Mat
teawan, died in Brooklyn, N, Y. ; James, also
a machinist (now deceased), was a resident of
Matteawan; Alfred, a sHk dyer, of Matteawan,
passed away in early manhood; Harriet and
Jane Ann (deceased) did not marry; Harvey,
our subject, is mentioned more fully below;
Edgar, who died in Albany, was prominent in
religious work as a member of the M. E.
Church, and in later life was a local preacher;
Charles is a pattern maker in Newark, New
Jersey. Harvey Brett was born January 15, 1S13,
and throughout his eighty-four years he has
had his home in the beautiful little city of
Matteawan. At an early age he displayed
mechanical ability of a high order, and in 1830
he begun to learn the blacksmith's trade, which
he followed until June 28, 1873. He then re
tired from business, but his active mind and
still vigorous physique have occasionally found
congenial exercise in the creation of some
article of use or ornament. He works in all
kinds of metals, also in wood, some beautiful
pieces of furniture in his home giving evidence
of his skill in that line. Among the choice
specimens of his works in metals is an elegant
jewel case of copper. Mr. Brett has always
taken an intelligent interest in public ques
tions, and in politics is a Republican. For
many years he has been a member of the M.
E. Church. On October 10, 1837, he mar
ried Miss Susan Colman, a native of Orange
county, N. Y. , a daughter of Abram Colman,
a well-known resident of Orange county. She
passed away in 18 So, the mother of four chil
dren: Charles is a merchant at Matteawan;
Abram died in 1893; Wesley is employed with
his brother Charles; Emily died at the age of
six years.
Before closing this sketch we give the
copies of two original letters from Lord Corn
bury, governor of New York, in possession
of Miss Hannah Teller, and dated "New
York, I over 4, 1709," the other in the pos
session of Mrs. Hannah Wiltse, Fishkill Land
ing, and dated December 15, 1709,
Sir:— The nurse telling me a boat was going up to
you, I was not willing to omit the opportunity of writing
to you, though we have no news here, only of a great bat
tle in Flanders, where my Lord Marlborough has obtained

336

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a great victory, I expect to hear every day of the arrival
ofthe "Virginia Fleet, by which I hope to have news from
England, In the meantime, I wish you and Mrs, Brett all
the health, happiness and satisfaction of a merry Christ
mas and happy New Yean and am, sir.
Your most humble servant.
Cornbury,
My service to Mrs, Brett,

Sir: — Yours of, the 9th of the last came safely to my
hands, for which I return you thanks, I would have sent
an answer sooner, but I can't find one master of a sloop
that will undertake to deliver a letter. There is no news
of the fleet, and by what I hear from other parts, I believe
we shall see no fleet this year; nor do I yet know what our
people here will resolve upon. I have not yet heard one
line from England, since my Lord Lovelace arrived. I
hope my daughter is arrived there safe before this time.
I am glad she did not go with the last fleet, for Capt. Rid
dle, who commanded the Falmouth, in which she must
have gone, was attacked by a French man-of-war of twenty
guns, who boarded him, but Riddle got clear of him and
got safe into Plimouth with all his fleet. We have no
news to entertain you with; as soon as I have any you
shall have it. I am sorry to hear Mrs. Brett has not
been well, I hope before this time you are all well.
I was in hope before this time I should have seen
you or Mrs. Brett here, where, with my short commons,
you will always find a most hearty welcome. I entreat
you to give my humble service to Mrs. Brett, and do me
the justice to believe that I am, sir,
Your humble servant, Cornbury.

E^\DWARD W. SIMMONS, of MiHerton,
 ^ one of the most prominent citizens of
Dutchess county, is distinguished for his ability
in educational work, and in public affairs, ahd
as a lawyer, his labors in these widely different
Hnes being equally able and effective.
His ancestors for three generations have
been farmers of that locality, his great-grand
father, Peter Simmons, having come from
Holland in the eighteenth century, and settled
in the northern part of Dutchess county, or
possibly in the adjoining portion of Columbia
county. Nicholas Simmons, our subject's
grandfather, was born in Dutchess county, and
although he learned the shoemaker's trade his
attention was mainly devoted to agriculture.
He married Christina Snyder, and they had
eight chHdren. He and his wife both died in
1840, and their remains were buried in Broome
county. New York.
WHliam Simmons was born in Pine Plains,
in 1787, and grew to manhood there. He en
gaged in farming in the town of Northeast for
a time, untH, in 181 8, he moved to Ancram,
Columbia county, and purchased a farm where
he lived for five years. He then returned to
Northeast, and in 1824 settled on the old Roe
homestead, remaining there until 1831, when
he rented a farm of the Winchell heirs, where

Millerton now stands, subsequently purchasing
the Thomas Paine farm, whichhe sold in 1837.
In that year he moved to Broome county, and
there lived until 1864, when he returned to
MiHerton to end his days. He was a success
ful farmer, and ranked among the leaders in
local affairs, holding various official positions.
He entered the war of 1 812 as a private, and
became a non-commissioned officer. His wife,
Clarissa Roe, a lady of Scotch and Irish
blood, whose parents, Silas and Mercy (Har
vey) Roe, reared a family of ten children : Uziel,
Amos, Alva, Harvey, Jeduthan, Lyman, Anna,
Laura, Clarissa and Amanda. Mrs. Simmons
was killed September 13, 1827, by a fall from
a wagon; her husband died February 14, 1868.
They had five children, whose names with
dates of birth are as follows: Harvey Roe,
September 29, 18 14; Edward W. , April 14,
1 8 16; Julia (Mrs. Lewis Barnes, of Broome
county), February 5, 1S19; Amanda (Mrs.
Henry Wheeler, formerly of Amenia, now of
Morris, 111.), October 19, 1822; and James,
April 17, 1827, who is now a leading minister
of the Baptist Church. Owing to his mother's
premature death he was placed in the care of
his brother Edward at an early age, and was
prepared for college by him. He was grad
uated from Brown University, also from the
Newton Theological Seminary, at Rochester,
and has since been given the honorary degree
of D. D., by Brown University. His first pas
torate was in Providence, R. I., and later he
was in charge of Churches in Indianapolis,
Philadelphia and New York. In 1866, he
went to New York City as secretary of the
American Baptist Home Mission Society, and
a few years afterward was called to Trinity
Baptist Church, on Fifty-fifth street. He has
since entered the service of the Baptist Publi
cation Society of Philadelphia, and has charge
of their interests in New York and other
States. He has been a devoted worker in the
cause of Home Missions, and in the buHding of
schools in the Southern States, the institution
at Abilene, Texas, known as Simmons Col
lege, having been established through his ef
forts. Edward W. Simmons was born on the old
farm, about one mile from the village of Miller
ton, and with the exception of a few months
at the academy at Hudson, his schooling was
limited to the district schools of the neighbor
hood. He made the best of his opportunities,
however, and also studied diligently in private.

L^A

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

387

and in the winter of 1832-33 began teaching
at Lime Rock, Conn. From that time untH
1848 he followed this occupation with marked
success, his thorough mastery of the studies
through which he had plodded without assist
ance enabling him to understand and relieve
the difficulties of his pupils. In 1838-39 he
taught a school of high grade at Greene,
Chenango Co., N. Y., and from there went to
Great Barrington, Mass., and conducted a
large and prosperous school for two years.
He then spent two years at Sheffield, Mass.,
teaching Latin and Greek in addition to the
higher English branches. His health failing,
he returned to Millerton in 1843, and opened
a private school with an able assistant, the
late Alexander Winchell, who afterward be
came eminent as a geologist, and was for
many years a professor in the University of
Michigan. Mr. Simmons spent the most of
his time for the next two years in Broome
county, and in 185 1, his health being restored,
he built the store now occupied by James
Finch, which was the first building erected in
Millerton. He opened a general store there,
which he conducted for twenty-five years,
when he transferred the business to Mr. Finch,
who had been his clerk for fifteen years.
Mr. Simmons gained a practical knowledge
of surveying in his youth, and did a great deal
of work in that line at different times, and as
his wide range of studies had already included
some reading on legal subjects, he was often
employed in conveyancing. The confidence
which his clear judgment and accurate infor
mation inspiredcaused him to be consulted more
and more frequently upon general legal points,
and upon the suggestion of Judge Hogeboom,
he engaged in the practice of law, being ad
mitted to the bar in 1867, whHe StHl in mer
cantHe business. He has been very successful,
has a large number of substantial clients, and
has taken a notable share in public affairs. He
was financial secretary of the New York State
Constitutional Convention, in 1867, of which
William A. Wheeler was president, and Samuel
J. Tilden, Horace Greeley and other well-
known men were members. In local affairs it
would be difficult to enumerate his varied serv
ices. He was supervisor for five terms, being
chairman of the board during the first year,
and he was one of the committee to go before
the State board of assessors to secure a reduc
tion in the assessment of Dutchess county,
their action resulting in a saving to the county
22

of $200,000 in three years. He has been an
unwearied advocate of good schools, and every
measure for local improvement has found in
him a champion. He was a Free-soil Demo
crat in early years, but voted for Fremont in
1856, and since that time has been a Repub
lican. On April 23, 1839, Mr. Simmons was mar
ried to Harriet N. Winchell, daughter of John
Winchell, and had two sons: Alfred, who was
born November 8, 1842, and died August 6,
1864; and James, born in 1851, and died in
1853. Mrs. Simmons died December 29, 1868,
and June 16, 1869, Mr. Simmons married
Mrs. Sarah E. Trowbridge, nee Mead, a
daughter of Deacon John K. Mead, of Amenia.
He has been a member of the Baptist Church
for sixty-three years; belongs to Webatuck
Lodge No. 480, F. & A. M., in which he has
held the office of senior deacon, and is a mem
ber of the New York State Bar Association.
Although now eighty-one years old, Mr. Sim
mons enjoys comparatively good health, and
attends daily to his profession.

JAMES B. SIMMONS, D. D. The subject
of this article is a native of Dutchess coun
ty, and the youngest brother of Edward
'W. Simmons. Exiled from home in his early
boyhood, Edward took him into his own fam
ily to live, and into his academy to fit him for
college. Not only so, but he admonished him
as a father, helped him when in trouble, guided
him in counsel, and, above all else, led him
savingly to Christ. The two have been greatly
attached all their Hves, and for the best of
reasons. The only account we have been able to se
cure of James is the following by a Confeder
ate soldier now residing in one of the Gulf
States. The author of this sketch is an emi
nent Doctor of Divinity, widely known not
only throughout the United States, but in other
lands also. Speaking of Dr. Simmons as "A
Foundation Builder," he says:
"When a small edifice or a temporary
structure is to be erected, one man frequently
plans, erects, completes, and uses the building.
But when the great cathedral at Cologne was
finished, the man who had conceived the plan,
and laid the foundation, had lain in his grave
over five centuries. The glory of the cathe
dral, however, is a sufficient monument to his
memory. For a large structure, there must

338

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

be breadth of thought and work in the founda
tion. Dr. Simmons is peculiarly gifted in the
ability to plan wisely, and lay such broad
foundations that future generations may suc
cessfully build thereon.
"This is illustrated in his work in behalf
of Christian education. He does not believe
in working for one race, or one caste, or one
section, but has distributed his labors to differ
ent races and different sections, and made
them so broad that the capstone must of ne
cessity be laid long after the founder has ceased
to live on the earth.
" Under his wise administration, as Corres
ponding Secretary of the American Baptist
Home Mission Society, locations were secured
for seven Christian schools for the negroes of
the South; one each in Washington, Rich
mond, Columbia, Raleigh, Augusta, Nashville
and New Orleans. These are well chosen,
strategic points, every one of them. Six of
these institutions, on the very localities pur
chased by Dr. Simmons, have had marvelous
growth. The properties, to-day, are vastly
more valuable than when he acquired them.
For the thirty acres of the Roger William Uni
versity at Nashville which he purchased for
$30,000, the Home Mission Society, as I am
told, could since have taken $200,000, had
they been willing to sell.
"It was deemed advisable to remove the
school located at Augusta to Atlanta, and it is
doing a magnificent work there. Dr. A. E.
Dickinson, editor of the ' Religious Herald of
Virginia, ' has well said: ' Those seven institu
tions of learning for the colored people of the
South, which Dr. J. B. Simmons was instru
mental in establishing, will be a better monu
ment to his memory, than seven towering shafts
of granite.' ' ' Seven streams of light and knowledge for
over a quarter of a century have been flooding
the South with blessings from these young Col
leges, And these streams have been broaden
ing and deepening as the years roll on, and will
doubtless continue to bless generations yet un
born. These schools were not founded for a
day, a year, or a generation, but for all time.
' ' Here we have the example of a man, who
was the grandson of a New York slaveholder,*
devoting seven years of the most intense toil,
*SiIas Roe is here referred to. He was the maternal grandfather
of James B, Simmons, and owned five hundred acres about one raile
southwest of where Millerton now stands. When the Act of Emanci
pation for the State of New York went into effect, on July 4, 1827,
Silas Roe was the owner of two negro slaves, whose names were
Simon West and Samuel Bowen,

anxiety, and labor to the Christian education
of those who had been slaves, and succeeding
in establishing seven institutions of learning,
and raising money to secure properties ample
for their use in the long years to come. The
foundations were well laid, not on the sands of
popular enthusiasm or partisan prejudice, but
on the firm rock of Christian duty, in loyalty
to Jesus Christ.
"Rev. H. M. Tupper, D.D., president of
Shaw University at Raleigh, N. C, used to
say that Dr. Simmons had the best concep
tion of any man he knew, as to the sort of
schools needed for the education of the Freed
men. And it is not too much to add, that the
seven original Freedmen Colleges, which were
fashioned under his molding hand, became in
no small degree the models for those that have
been added since. At the same time he praises
in most emphatic terms the good men who
have preceded him, as well as the good men
who have followed him in the work.
"When Dr. Simmons retired from his
office as Corresponding Secretary of the
American Baptist Home Mission Society, that
organization, in annual meeting assembled,
adopted the following minute:
' The present condition of our educational work in
the Southern States bears a most impressive testimony to
the wisdom, the energy and the consecration exhibited by
Rev. James B. .Simmons, D,D., in the location and con
duct of the Freedmen's Schools, and in the development
of Christian enterprise and liberality in their behalf. He
has written his name upon the religious history of an
emancipated race. The future will be his monument,'
"But Dr. Simmons was too broad a man
to confine his work to one race. He saw the
need of the colored people, and gave his heart
throbs, tears and prayers, accompanied in
every instance by his monied contributions, to
help them. Many years before this, however,
he had laid his vigorous hand to the work of
helping the cause of education among the
white race. As early as 1859, nearly a decade
before he was called to be Secretary of Home
Missions, and when he was not worth as much
as fifteen hundred dollars all told — he pledged
one thousand dollars of that amount to assist
in founding an institution for the higher educa
tion of young ladies in Indianapolis, Ind.,
where he was then settled as pastor. And he
paid every cent of that money. The coming
on of the war, and other causes, led to the
discontinuance of the school, and this thousand
dollars, with other property of the Institute,
was afterward turned over to the Divinity

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

839

School at Morgan Park, which is now a part of
the great Chicago University, and is still doing
good in the cause of Christian education there.
"In 1874, when there was a crisis in the
financial affairs of Columbian University, lo
cated at the national capital, he threw himself
in the breach, at the call of his brethren, and
raised, in six months, sixty-four thousand dol
lars, to complete the required conditions for
an endowment of three hundred thousand dol
lars ($300,000), thus establishing the perma
nency of that institution for Christian educa
tion in the heart of the nation.
" In 1 89 1 the writer of this, from his official
position, chanced to know that Dr. Simmons
was not content with what he had done for the
cause of Christian education, but was looking
around for further opportunity to do good.
About this time I received a letter from Rev.
G. W. Smith, of AbHene, Texas, asking if I
knew of any source from which help could be
obtained in founding a much-needed institu
tion of learning in that rapidly-growing section
of central Texas. I gave him the address of
Dr. Simmons, and correspondence was begun
between them. Dr. Simmons and his son vis
ited the field, and the result was that, through
the benefactions of himself and family, Sim
mons College, at Abilene, Texas, has begun
its career of blessing in the great Southwest.
Located in a fertile country, with a field to
draw from as large as the entire State of New
York, and which is rapidly filling up with a
superior population, it is difficult to estimate
the future possibilities of Simmons College.
As to a name forthis new school. Dr. Simmons
chose 'Christlieb CoHege,' which means ' Col
lege of Christ's Love.' But his family, and
the vote of the College Trustees, overruled
him. "A Northern man, a strong opponent of
slavery, and one who had given so much of
his time to aid the negroes in education. Dr.
Simmons now gave his means to found a col
lege for white people in one of the old Slave
States. He has helped ten colleges all told.
With him the question was not whether a man
is a white man, a negro, an Indian, an Arme
nian, or a Chinaman; not whether he is a
Northern man, a Southern man or a Western
man, but was he a man, and was help needed,
and could it be given.? The foundations he
has endeavored to lay are as broad as the needs
of humanity, without reference to race or con
ditions. Strong in his convictions and out

spoken in the expression of them when neces
sity requires, he is the soul of courtesy to all,
and charitable toward the opinion of others.
He always leans toward mercy's side.
" The following incident beautifully illus
trates this characteristic. Rev. John S. Ezell,
a Baptist minister of South Carolina, was con
fined in the military prison at Albany, New
York, having been convicted of complicity
with Ku-Kluxism in his native State. South
ern papers were denouncing his incarceration.
But Dr. Simmons, instead of stopping to talk,
went straight to Albany, visited the imprisoned
minister, encouraged him to tell his story,
went to Washington and personally laid the
matter before Gen. Grant, then President of
the United States, and obtained his release.
He then took Bro. Ezell to his home, which
at that time was in Brooklyn, and treated him
with Christian hospitality, ahd sent him on
his way rejoicing. Dr. Simmons did not
sympathize in the least with the spirit of Ku-
Kluxism, or any other lawlessness, but he de
lighted to assist a Christian gentleman in dis
tress. No wonder that Bro. Ezell has often
written him with gratitude, saying: ' I was
in prison and you visited me.'
"Rev. J. L. Reynolds, D. D., of South
Carolina, referring to Dr. Simmons having
secured from President Grant a pardon for
Ezell, says: 'This was well and nobly done.
Such a deed appeals to the South, and will
do more toward bringing about the era of good
feeling, than all the resolutions that could be
written, or harangues that could be spoken.
We thank Bro. Simmons.'
"I have spent months in Dr. Simmons'
company. We differed widely upon many
questions, and discussed them freely without
the slightest acrimony or ill feeling. Tena
cious of his own opinions, and firm in his con
victions, he is yet so broad and full of Chris
tian love ' and courtesy, that he is the finest
example I ever knew of the ' fortiter in re, et
suaviter in modo ' — (Vigor in execution, ac
companied by gentleness of manner).
" We may learn three lessons from his
Hfe: "I. A poor boy, thrown upon his own re
sources at fifteen years of age, he has attained
great distinction as a man of learning, and
wide influence. Let no boy despair of mak
ing a full-grown man because he is poor.
"2. Hehas often told me that he nevercould
have accomplished a tithe of what he has but

340

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

for the educational training which he received.
He spent three years in the preparatory
school, four years in college, graduating at
Brown University, and three years in his theo
logical course, graduating af Newton — ten
years in all. Let no man rush into his life-
work without thorough preparation. Rather
than work with dull tools, make any sacrifice
to sharpen them.
"3. Dr. Simmons has a loving place in the
hearts of the people of all sections, and of the
different races of the country, because he loved
them all. Let no man despair of being es
teemed and loved just as broadly as he es
teems and loves others. I am proud to num
ber Dr. James B. Simmons among my warm
est friends, on account of his great learning,
his true heart and his broad Christian
Charity."

E

'\BBE P. WING, one of the honored and

respected citizens of the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, is still residing on the old
homestead farm, where his birth occurred in
1S06, and although he has reached the age of
ninety years, he is yet an active, well-pre
served man. On completing his education in
the common schools near his home, he turned
his attention to farming, and at the age of
twenty-four years purchased a farm near
Poughkeepsie, which he operated some three
years. He then returned to the old home
stead, where he has since remained.
Thomas Wing, his paternal grandfather,
was a native of Massachusetts, born near Cape
Cod, where he was educated, and when still a
boy he learned scythe making in Boston.
Coming to Webatuck, town of Dover, Dutch
ess county, he there engaged in that business
for himself. Previously to his removal he had
married Miss Hannah White, and in Rhode
Island one child was born to them, but the births
of the nine others occurred in Dover town;
they were Thurston, George, Jackson, Benja
min, Rhoda, Mary, Katie, Annie and Deborah.
The eldest son, Thurston, was two years of
age when brought to Dover town, where he
attended the common schools and engaged in
farming as a life work. By his marriage with
Miss Mary Young he has seven children:
Archibald, Elijah, Thurston, Phoebe, Rhoda,
Sallie and Mary Ann, George, the second
son, was also educated and engaged in farm

ing in Dover, his native township, wedded
Miss Martin, and to them were born eight
chHdren: Theodorus, John, Martin, Shed-
rick, Thomas and Agrippa (twins), Hiram
and Maria.
Jackson Wing, the third son, and the
father of our subject, was born on Christmas
Day, 1 77 1, received a common-school educa
tion, and from the age of seventeen carried on
farming in connection with his father until his
marriage, at the age of twenty-eight. He
wedded Miss Hannah Preston, daughter of
Ebenezer and Phoebe (Odel) Preston, who had
six children: John, Abijah, Smith, Ebenezer,
Hannah and Mary. Her grandparents were
Ebenezer and Hannah (Smith) Preston. After
his marriage the father of our subject engaged
in agricultural pursuits on his own account,
which proved very successful, and also con
ducted a mHl which came into his possession
through his wife. The large brick house
which still belongs to the family was built by
him in 1806. Later in life he conducted the
tavern at South Dover known as the ' ' Moose
Head," for fifty years. He was a man of re
markable memory and of good business ability.
In politics he was a Democrat, and was once
elected poor master.
Our subject is the third in order of birth in
the family of seven children, of whom John
land Daniel died in infancy. Phoebe, born in
1808, became the wife of Egbert Sheldon, by
whom she had two children, WHHam and Or
ville. Alfred, born in 181 1, wedded Miss
Mary Tabor, daughter of Russell Tabor, a
farmer of Dover town, and they had one child,
Hannah, who died at the age of twenty years.
Preston, bornin 18 13, never married. Obed,
born in 18 17, married Miss Ann Vincent, of
Dover Plains.
Like his father, Mr. Wing, the subject
proper of this review, always votes the Demo
cratic ticket, and is one of the prominent and
representative cHizens of the township. On
reaching man's estate he was united in mar
riage wHh Miss Maria Sheldon, and they be
came the parents of three children: Hannah
was born in the town of Dover, in 1831, mar
ried Theodore Preston, by whom she had two
children — John, who died in infancy, and Mary,
who died at the age of twenty years; Sheldon,
a well-known farmer of Dover town; and Ed
gar, bornin 1841, died at the age of twenty-
four years.
Agrippa Sheldon, the father of Mrs. Wing,.

OLc

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

341

was also a native of Dover town, where on
reaching manhood he engaged in cattle drov
ing and as a general farmer. He married
Polly Palmer, and to them were born eight
children: Egbert, Levina, Hebern, Abbie,
Maria, Palmer, Emeline and Ann.
Jackson S. Wing, grandson of the gentle
man whose name introduces this sketch, was
born May 23, 1858, reared on the farm, and
gducated at the common schools, also at Ame
nia seminary. At the age of sixteen he com
menced working in a store at Wings Station,
where his present place of business is, and for
five years clerked there, during the winters at
tending school. In 1880 he took an interest
in the mercantHe firm of Chapman & Wing,
which continued three years, at the end of
which time Mr. Wing sold out his interest, and
then clerked a short time in Poughkeepsie;
but owing to impaired health he had to aban
don work for a time. On February 15, 1882,
he married Miss Mary O. Straight, who was
born in the town of Kent, Litchfield Co. ,
Conn., and was e3'ucated in Amenia Semi
nary, and in 1893 one daughter, Winifred
Straight, was born to them. In 1887 he was
appointed mail agent on the run between New
York and Chatham, in which capacity he re
mained some eighteen months, in 1 890 estab
lishing his present extensive mercantHe busi
ness at Wings Station. In politics he was
originally a Democrat, but for some years back
he has voted the Prohibition ticket; he is at
present serving his second term as postmaster
at Wings Station, and was town clerk one
term. In religious faith he is a member of the
M. E. Church. Mr. Wing has traveled
throughout the United States considerably,
and is a man of good solid information.
Henry Straight, the great-grandfather of
Mrs. J. S. Wing, went from Rhode Island to
Litchfield county. Conn., locating first in the
town of New MHford, and later in the town of
Kent, where he foHowed his occupation of
farming. He was three times married, his
first union being with Miss Peet, and to them
were born four children: Catharine, Polly,
Sarah and Hannah. .He next wedded Mrs.
Terrel, a widow lady who had two daughters,
and to them was born a son, Augustus. After
the death of the second wife he married Mrs.
Martha Hendricks.
Henry Augustus Straight, the grandfather,
was born in the town of New Milford, Litch
field Co., Conn., was there educated in the

common schools, and engaged in farming. He
was a prominent member of the Friends
Church, as was also his wife, taking an active
part in their services at the old Branch meet
ing house at South Dover, Dutchess county.
He married Miss AbigaH Sherwood, of New
MHford, Conn., by whom he had four chH
dren. (i) Marshall Straight, who was born in
1 8 16, in Kent, Litchfield Co., Conn., followed
farming, and for his first wife wedded Mary
Buckingham, by whom he has four children:
Carl, who was killed in the army; Alice, who
became the wife of Theodore Wick wire; and
Fred and Orin, the former of whom married
Emma Beech. After the death of the mother
of these children, AJarshall Straight married
Miss Asenith Wilbur, and after the latter
passed away he married her sister, Miss Han
nah WHbur. His fourth wife bore the maiden
name of Sophia Terrel, and after her death he
married Miss Josephine Wakeman.
(2) Olive Straight, who was born in Kent,
Conn., in 18 19, became the wife of William
D. Hoag, a farmer of Quaker Hill, Dutchess
county, and they had three children: Mary
E., who remained single; Ira, who married
Sarah Hoag, and Aurelia, who married Ed
mund Post.
(3) Henry Straight was born in Kent, July
4, 1825, was educated in the common schools,
and also followed farming. He married Miss
Roccelanie Peet, daughter of Riley and Sarah
Peet, agriculturists of the town of New Mil
ford, Litchfield Co. , Conn. Three daughters
were born of this union: Helen S., who re
mained single; Augusta, who married Seymour
Woolsey; and Abbie, who married Chester
Wittle,sey. (4) John Straight, the father of Mrs. J. S.
Wing, was born in the town of Kent, Litch
field county, in October, 1831, and like the
rest of the family received a common-school
education, and engaged in agricultural pur
suits. By birthright he Was a member of the
Society of Friends, was a Republican in poli
tics, and held a number of township offices.
He married Miss Rachel A. Peet, a daughter
of RHey and Sarah Peet, of New Milford,
Conn., and to them were born three children:
Flora A., who was born in Kent town, in 1856,
and married John R. Judd, a farmer of that
township; Mary O., who was born in 1S60,
and is now the wife of Jackson S. Wing; and
and Walter A., an agriculturist, who was born

342

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in 1865, in Kent town, and married Miss Min
nie Sheldon, daughter of William and Frances
(Ward) Sheldon, farming people of South Do
ver, Dutchess county. Walter Straight and
his wife have two chHdren: Walter A., born
in 1886, and Mae B., born in 1888.
On the maternal side, Mrs. Jackson S.
Wing traces her ancestry back to three broth
ers who came to this country from England —
Samuel, John and WilHam Peet. The first
named was her ancestor. Her great-grand
father, who bore the same name, was born and
educated in Connecticut, where he engaged in
farming, and married Miss Lucy Bostwick, by
whom he had six chHdren: Ebenezer, who
married a Miss Beacher; Samuel; Luna, who
married Anson Sperry; Elijah, who remained
single; Ryley; and Carlos, who died when
young. Ryley Peet, the grandfather, was born at
New MHford, Conn., in 1787, was there edu
cated, and also followed farming as a lifework.
A strong Democrat, he served in the Legisla
ture of his native State for one term. He
married Miss Sarah Terrill, daughter of James
and Sarah Terrill, agriculturists of New MH
ford, and to them were born eight children:
(i) Luna M., who married Abel Bristol, has
two children — Andrew, who married Hannah
Camp; and Eleanor P., who first became the
wife of Mr. WoodhuH, and after his death
married Rufus Leavitt. (2) Sarah F. is the
wife of Horace Merwin, and had five children
— Carlos F., who married Alice Monroe; Gar
wood, who died in the army; Sarah, wife of
Daniel Marsh; Orange, who married Mary
Beach; and Florence C, wifeof Henry Lemon.
(3) Lucy A. married Anan Marsh, and has one
child — Alice G. , who married Walter B. Bost
wick. (4) Roccelanie, as before stated, mar
ried Henry Straight. (5) Samuel R. married
Laura Tompkins, and has four children — Ed
gar A., who wedded Hattie Squires; Don C, ,
who married Urania Buckingham; Adelaide,
who never married; and Sarah, who married
Charles Tabor. (6) Rachel A. married John
Straight, and is the mother of Mrs. J. S. Wing.
(7) Mary A. wedded Benone Camp, and has
one daughter — Mary, who became the wife of
Franklin Gibson. (8) Lehman H. married
Justina Howland, and had four children — Mer
ritt, who married Cadeha Lake; Garwood, who
married Maude Bixbee; Hattie, who married
Walter Hatch; and Ralph, who wedded Mary
Newton.

E

*\NOS J. CHASE (deceased). Among the

influential citizens in his day, in the town
of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, and one of its
most prosperous and successful business men
was this gentleman. He was entirely a self-
ade man in the truest sense of the word, hav
ing been the architect of his own fortune, and
for thirty-three years he was at the head of a
large general mercantile store in Pine Plains,
which grew from a very humble origin.
Mr. Chase was born at Hibernia, Dutchess
county, May 22, 1840, and was of German de
scent. His father, Edward Chase, was a mH
ler by occupation, and at one time was quite
prosperous, but later in life lost all. He mar
ried Sarah Ann Carhart, and to them were
born three children: Enos J. ; Thomas H., of
the town of Stanford, Dutchess county; and
Sarah, wife of Isaac Butler, who is from Mora
via. The father's death occurred at Bangall,
Dutchess county, in July, 1874. Our subject
received excellent educational advantages for
those early days, having attended the public
schools at Bangall, also the Nine Partners
school near Hibernia, and became a well-in
formed man. On starting out in life for him
self he commenced as clerk for Elias August,
with whom he remained for one year, and in
1863 began business for himself in the store
which he occupied some thirty-three years.
At first, as his capital was quite limited, he
carried a small stock of drugs and groceries;
but he kept adding thereto until he became
the proprietor of a large general mercantile es
tablishment. For about three years, during
the early seventies, he had a partner; but with
that exception he carried on business alone for
thirty-three years with most gratifying results.
He was a man of even temperament and ex
cellent judgment, and these, together with in
domitable energy and laudable ambition,
brought him success. As he had concentrated
his whole attention upon his business, he had
little time to devote to politics, aside from
casting his ballot in support of the Democratic
party, and he always refused to accept public
office. He was reared amid the Society of
Friends, and grew up* to be a man of high
moral standard. For several years he served
as treasurer of the Presbyterian Church at Pine
Plains. In 1866, Mr. Chase was united in marriage
with Miss Augusta Ham, daughter of Freder
ick T. Ham, and to them were born three
children: Frederick H., who is in charge of

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

348

the store; Jennie; and Frank Edward, also in
the store. Mr. Chase died February 22,
1893. The Ham family was one of the oldest in
Pine Plains. Peter F. Ham, the grandfather
of Mrs. Chase, was a large land owner in the
western part of the township. He married
Catherine Trumpour, who died October 8,
1848, and his death occurred in 1865. Their
only child, Frederick T. Ham, was a farmer
in his earlier days, about 1846 removing to
Pittsfield, Mass., where he engaged in mer
chandising tor two years. Until i S67 he carried
on farming, but in that year went to Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, where he was indirect
ly interested in business for a short time.
Going south in 187 1, he located upon a large
plantation in Georgia, and was there engaged
in cotton raising until his death in 1S79. He
had married Susannah Fulton, daughter of
Ephraim Fulton, and their family consisted of
four chHdren: Fulton P., who died in 1874;
Sarah A., wife of W. B. Vibbert, of Pine
Plains; Augusta, Mrs. Chase; and Newton,
who is living upon the plantation in Georgia.
The mother's death occurred in 1881.

JONATHAN M. GARRATT (or Jonathan
Miller Garrett) is a native of Albany county,
N. Y.,born at Westerlo, January 21, 1821,
and is a son of Levi Garratt, whose birth oc
curred in the town of New Baltimore, Greene
Co. , N. Y. His great-grandfather was a farmer
of Saratoga county. N. Y., and by his mar
riage with a Miss Potter, of Bristol, R. I., had
a family of sixteen chHdren — ten sons and six
daughters. Two of the sons located in Prince
Edward county, Canada, two in Maryland and
Virginia, two in Saratoga county, N. Y., two
in Greene county, N. Y. , and one in Maine,
whHe one died in youth. The sisters married
and settled in Greene, Albany and Columbia
counties. Simeon Garratt, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in Saratoga county, where
he was reared, and married Lois Curtis, but
later became a resident of Greene county,
there following farming until his death, which
occurred when he was ninety-four years old.
His family included six children, as follows:
Levi (the father of our subject), Potter, Fet
ter, Samuel and Elim, all agriculturists, and
Zada, who married Daniel Gregory, a black
smith.

Levi Garratt married Lydia Miller, also a
native of Greene county, daughter of Jona
than and Lydia (McCabe) Miller. Her father
was born in Putnam county, N. Y. , of English
descent, where he learned the tanner's trade;
but after his marriage he drove with a double
team from his native county to Greene county,
becoming one of its pioneer settlers, and in
the midst of the wilderness took up 600 acres of
land, where he ever afterward made his home,
dying at the age of seventy-five, his wife when
ninety-six years old. He was the father of
eight children: Mathew, a farmer of Saratoga
county; Jonathan, Jesse and Sherod, agricultur
ists of Greene coutity (the last mentioned mar
ried a Miss Garratt, and had two children);
Hannah, wife of Ephraim Garratt, a farmer of
Albany county; Sarah, who married a Mr.
Greene, of Greene county; Lydia, the mother
of our subject, and Rhoda, wife of Rev. Levi
Hathaway, a minister of the Christian Church,
and a man of great power and energy.
Shortly after their marriage the parents of
our subject removed to Albany county, N. Y. ,
where they located on a farm. Eleven chil
dren were born to them: Elmina, the eldest,
married Ab. Seaman, a farmer of Albany
county; the twin of Elmina died in infancy;
Roxey Ann married Thomas C. Seaman, a
stone dealer; Edward W. married Miss Bedell,
and was a farmer of Greene county; Jonathan
M. is the next child; Simeon C. married Miss
Fish, and is a farmer of Ulster county, N. Y. ;
Rhoda wedded George Lee Shear, a farmer of
Albany county; Caroline became the wife of
Albert Bedell, also a farmer of Greene county;
Lydia M, married Smith Powell, a farmer of
Greene county; Alzada married Albert Holen-.
beck, a carpenter and builder of Coxsackie,
Greene Co., N. Y.; and one child died in in
fancy. The parents were conscientious, ear
nest Christians, and in politics the father was a
Democrat. His death occurred in 1885, when
he was aged about ninety-eight years; the
mother died October 2, 1866, aged seventy-
five years.
On the home farm in Albany county Mr.
Garratt, the subject proper of this review,
passed his early life, and he followed teaching
in the winter seasons for ten years, his summer
months being devoted to agriculture. During
the following seven years he was engaged in
the cultivation of a farm of 200 acres; but in
the spring of 1867 he came to Poughkeepsie,
and formed a partnership with Thomas C.

344

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Seaman, his brother-in-law, in the stone busi
ness, which connection lasted about fifteen
years. On September 3, 1873, Mr. Garratt mar
ried Mrs. Lydia G. Doty (nee Smith), of
Poughkeepsie, a widow lady, and is a native of
Dutchess county. Mr. Garratt is identified
with the Democratic party, and, though past
his three-score years and ten (seventy-six), is
still well-preserved, both mentally and physic
ally. He is an intelligent, well-informed man,
possessed of sound common sense, and has the
respect and confidence of all who know him.
Mr. Garratt, after losing his wife, who died
February 22, 1896, bought a farm in the town
of Lloyd, Ulster Co., N. Y. , to assist his
brother and sister (Simeon and Lydia) in their
financial difficulty, with whom he is making
his home, postoffice address: Highland, Ulster
Co,, N. Y. The family name was originally
Garratt, but is now usually spelled Garrett.

S\HELDON WING, a prominent and pro-
,__) gressive agriculturist and stock dealer of
Dutchess county, and the only living son of
Ebbe P. Wing, of the town of Dover, was born
December 10, 1S33, in Manchester, a village
of the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county.
Mr. Wing received a liberal education at
the district schools of the neighborhood of his
boyhood home, subsequently taking two terms
at a Quaker boarding school. After he was
fourteen years of age he worked on a farm
during the summer, and when he was twenty-
one he commenced for his own account on his
present farm, which at that time comprised
270 acres, and so continued eight years. In
1855 he paid a four-months' visit to Ohio and
Iowa, and in February, 1861, he gave up farm
ing, and proceeding once more to the latter
State embarked in the stock business, buying
cattle and hogs and shipping same to Chicago
and New York. This line of trade he prose
cuted with great success some four years, or
until 1865, when, owing to the sickness of his
brother Edgar, he returned to the town of
Dover, and was induced by his father to re
main, although he was strongly inclined to go
back to Iowa. He has since conducted the
old homestead, which now comprises about
600 acres of prime land, whereon he keeps
no cows, shipping the milk to New York, be
sides engaging in general farming, and he has
also done a considerable amount of commis

sion business in that city — buying and ship
ping all kinds of produce; and during thethirty
years has paid several more business visits to
the West. Of the many well-to-do-farmers of
Dutchess county, he is among the most pros
perous and influential, active and enterprising,
and highly respected for his straightforward
dealings and uniform integrity. In politics he
is a Democrat, and has been urged many times
by his friends to stand for office, but on ac
count of his business interests has invariably
declined; he was nominated for sheriff in the
fall of 1894, refusing to run, however, and he
has served as supervisor of the town of Dover
two terms. Socially, he is a member of the
F. & A. M., No.. 666, Dover Plains
On October 21, 1S56, Mr. Wing was mar
ried to Miss Jane L. Chapman, who was born
in 1837 at Dover Plains, Dutchess county, the
only daughter of Reuben W. and Murilla (Ward)
Chapman, by which union there were two chH
dren: Jackson S. (mention of whom is made
in the sketch of Ebbe P. Wing), and Anna F.
(who resides at home).
Reuben W. Chapman, father of Mrs. Wing,
and a farmer and carpenter by occupation, was
born in the town of Dover, Dutchess county,
December 28, 1798, a son of William and Ra
chel Chapman. On September 28, 1826,
Reuben W. married Murilla Ward, and they
had four children — three sons and one daugh
ter: (i) Higham W. , a merchant, born January
9, 1829, married Cordelia Sheldon January 9,
1S5 1, and died January 16, 1882; he had three
children — George T. , William T., and Allie,
who married WHliam Arnold. (2) George
W. , born May 9, 1833, married Sabina Haff,
February 7, 1866, of which union there are
two daughters Hving — Ella L. and Adelaide;
the father died July 15, 1885, and the mother
is also deceased. (3) Mrs. Wing comes next.
(4) Homer W.. born November 23, 1843,
married Phoebe Brown on October 13, 1869,
and they have two children — Cora (now Mrs.
Richard BrHI) and Edna (at home). Reuben
W. Chapman died July 27, 1859; his wife,
Murilla, born July 4, 1S07, died December
30, 1873.

/PV\EORGE STORM (deceased). As an ex-
\^ tensive land owner and successful agricult
urist, the subject of this memoir held a prom
inent place among the business men of the
town of East FishkHl, Dutchess countv. But

J0^^^*^iit^^£^ /Tt^o

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

845

in the estimate of his character, his ability in
financial affairs counts far less than the quali
ties which as an upright and public-spirited
citizen identified him with the high interests of
the community.
The Storm family is widely dispersed, yet
the different branches can all trace connection.
Mr. Storm's parents, Charles and Mary (Adri
ance) Storm, were both natives of the town of
East FishkiH, and his mother was born in the
house which is now occupied by the family.
They had children as follows: Susan, the
widow of William P. Storm, formerly a tea
merchant in New York City; John, a farmer in
East Fishkill, Dutchess county; George, our
subject; Charles (deceased), formerly a farmer
in East FishkHl.
George Storm was born August 1 1 , 1 839, at
the present homestead, and passed his entire
life there. On September 23, 1868, he mar
ried, for his first wife. Miss Emma Haight, of
Westchester county, who bore him four chil
dren: Mary (i), Henrietta, Maria H., and
Mary (2); of whom, Maria H., now at home,
is the only survivor, the others dying in early
youth. The mother passed away March 1 1 ,
1880, and on October 10, 1883, Mr. Storm
married her sister, Carrie Haight, a native of
Westchester county. She is the daughter of
the late Epenetus Haight, a well-known farmer,
and granddaughter of Daniel Haight. Her
mother, whose maiden name was Maria Hunt,
was a daughter of WilHam Hunt, and a de
scendant of an old English family. No chH
dren were born of the second marriage.
Mr. Storm owned about 430 acres of land,
from which he raised a variety of crops. The
home is a beautiful one, and the estate very
valuable. PoHtically, he was a Republican, and,
whHe he was not a politician, he took great inter
est in all public questions. He was actively help
ful in religious and phHanthropic movements,
and he and his wife were leading members
of the Reformed Church. His death oc
curred November 4, 1893, and in his taking
away a loss was felt throughout a wide circle
of friends, to whom his quiet but steadfast
Christian character had endeared him.

"MT'ILLIAM J. MERWIN (deceased) was
MtW. descended from an old Connecticut
family. His grandfather, Capt. John Merwin,
was born and reared in that State, and became
a prominent agriculturist at New Milford (now

Bridgewater). His first wife, Mercy, was born
in 1706, and died November 7, 1776. On
December 31, 1777, he married Mrs. Ruth
Welsh, a widow, who was a member of the
well-known Gaylord family, of Gaylord's
Bridge. She died March 16, 1S16. Capt.
Merwin had seven children by his first mar
riage, and six by his second.
Daniel Merwin, our subject's father, was
born March 28, 1788, at the old home at
Bridgewater, and was educated in the local
schools. He followed agricultural pursuits
there throughout his active business life. On
November 22, 1S15, he married Miss Amy
Peck, who was born in 1799, the daughter of
Andrew Peck, of Newtqp, Conn., and they
had eight children, as follows: (i) Ruth,
born April 7, 1817, was married four times,
(2) John H., born September 7, 1821, married
(first) Miss JuHa Buckley, and (second) Mrs.
Elizabeth Starr, but had no chHdren. (3)
Sarah, born June 3, 1823, married (first) Oli
ver Smith, and had children — Fred, EHa,
Josephine, Almon (who married Delia Rug
gles), Cornelius, William and Ida; she married
(second) (ilover Sanford, a man of wealth and
prominence, of Bridgeport, Conn., a manu
facturer of hats. (4) Daniel G., born Novem
ber 28, 1S25, married Miss Susan Atwood, and
they had three daughters — Emma, Alma and
Nellie. (5) George A,, born May 20, 1828,
married Miss Charlotte Tompkins, and had
three children — Homer, Florence and Frank.
(6) Frederick S., born October 2, 1830, mar
ried Miss Lucy J. Carter, and is proprietor of
a hardware establishment in Pawling. (7)
William J., our subject, comes next in order
of birth, and will be more fully spoken of
presently. (8) Harriet O., born November
12, 1834, married Charles S. Trowbridge, a
paper-box manufacturer of South Norwalk,
Conn. ; they have three children — George,
Flora and NeHie.
William J. Merwin was born in Bridge-
water, Conn., November 3, 1833, and attend
ed the schools of his native town until he was
about sixteen years old. He possessed good
Hterary taste, and was always fond of substan
tial reading, history being his favorite study.
Soon after leaving school he went to Savannah,
Ga., and engaged in mercantile business for
for some years, later removing to Barcelona,
Spain, for his health, where he spent one year.
After his return to Connecticut, he again went
to Savannah, as clerk in a large dry-goods

346

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

house; but the outbreak of the Civil war caused
him to come north again, his sympathies being
with the Union cause. In i860 he located at
Pawling, purchasing an interest in the firm of
J. W. Stark & Co., dealers in dry goods and
groceries, Mr. Merwin and Mr. WHde being
the junior members. Later, Mr. Holmes
bought Mr. Wilde's interest, and on the dis
posal of the Stark interest some time afterward,
the firm became Merwin & Holmes. This was
one of the largest establishments of the kind in
that part of the county, and its success was
due in a large measure to Mr. Merwin's efforts.
His genial nature, even temper and gentle
manly manner, made for him many friends,
and he held a gift for dealing with the public
which served him well on many occasions. He
was much interested in thesuccess of Republic
an principles, and took an active part in local
politics. Previous to 1884 he held the office
of postmaster at PawHng for a number of years,
and wassupervisopof the town also, for several
terms. As treasurer of the Pawling Savings
Bank from its organization, in 1S71, until his
death, 1892, he was the responsible official of
the instHution, and it was largely through his
instrumentality that it gained its present high
reputation. In early years he was an Episco
palian, but there being no Church of that de
nomination in Pawling, he united with the
Methodist Episcopal Church in later life. So
cially he was affiliated with the Masonic fra
ternity. A self-made man, his experiences
have served to broaden his natural sympathy
for the unfortunate, and by his counsel and as
sistance helped many a deserving person to
prosperity. Mr. Merwin niarried Miss Eliza
beth Mitchell Campbell Van De Burgh, daugh
ter of Hexton Van De Burgh, and had one son,
WiHiam J., who is now a student in Wesleyan
University. Hexton Van De Burgh, born in 181 5,
was a merchant in Pawling and Beekman,
later a farmer, and was always interested in
public affairs. He was a son of Gen. George
Van De Burgh, who was an officer in the war
of 1812, and was one of the prominent men
of the county. He was a brother of Dr. Van
De Burgh, of Rhinebeck, a noted homeopathic
physician. Hexton Van De Burgh married
Catharine R. Campbell, daughter of Archibald
and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Campbell, and grand
daughter of Archibald Campbell, the first of
that family to come to America. He came
over here as an officer in the English army.

and was kHled at the skirmish of White Plains
on the night before the battle. He lived here
as an officer, and was granted a large tract of
land in Putnam and Dutchess counties, N. Y.
Col. Archibald Campbell married Jane Mon
roe, and had three chHdren: Archibald; Dun
can, born in 1767, who was a surgeon in the
English army in the West Indies; and Mary,
who was born in 1776, and never married.
Archibald Campbell was born in the year 1769,
near the depot in what is now the town of
Pawling, and as a son of an officer in the En
glish army he was taken to England to be
educated; but after a few years, becoming tired
of that country, he returned to America with
a cargo of merchandise. About 1791 he en
gaged in mercantile business at what is now
Pawling, and was thus employed for some
years. He then bought the home on which
Irving Hurd, his grandson, now lives, and kept
adding to his landed possessions until he had
about one thousand acres. He was a man of
strong character, great executive ability and
fine mental gifts, and was much consulted as
an arbitrator. He was one of the foremost
men of the M. E. Church. As a Jacksonian
Democrat, he was somewhat prominent in lo
cal politics, and, taken all in all, he was a
unique character. He married Elizabeth
Mitchell, daughter of Thomas MitcheH, and
had children as follows: Archibald, born in
1793; Jane married Rev, Cyrus Foss, and had
three sons who were ministers, one being
Bishop Foss, of PhHadelphia; Eliza married
Daniel Calhoun, a merchant; Mary married
Benjamin Hurd; Stacia married Cushion Green;
Duncan C, was the father of Henry Campbell;
Sarah married Samuel Merrick; Harriet mar
ried (first) Dr. Fowler, and (second) Rev. John
Pierpont, of Boston, the well-known poet and
preacher, and grandfather of J. Pierpont Mor
gan; Thomas C., a lawyer in New York, mar
ried Cordelia Noxon, of Beekman. Archibald
Campbell died in 1847, his widow on January
27, 1858.

JOHN H, VAN KLEECK, one of the lead
ing insurance men of Poughkeepsie, Dutch-
- ess county, was there born December 27,
1837, and is a son of George M. and Eliza
(Wilson) Van Kleeck, the former also a native
of Poughkeepsie, and the latter of England.
The Van Kleeck family was founded in this
country by Holland emigrants who located in

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

847

the Empire State, and in Poughkeepsie John
M. Van Kleeck, the grandfather of our subject,
was born and reared. As a life work he fol
lowed freighting on the Hudson. In his fam
ily were the following chHdren: Robert M.,
who was a farmer iu the town of Fishkill,
Dutchess county; George M., the father of our'
subject; Edgar M., a dry -goods merchant of
Poughkeepsie, who early went to California,
but returned to that city, where he died; and
Hester F., who died unmarried.
The entire life of the father was spent in
Poughkeepsie, where for many years he en
gaged in the dry-goods business. Our subject
is the eldest in his family of four chHdren, the
others being: Robert (nov/ deceased), who was
teHer in the Savings Bank of Poughkeepsie;
Richard, who is now a resident of California;
and Hester M., the wife of Jacob V. Overock-
er, who carried on farming near Poughkeepsie.
The parents were both communicants of the
Episcopal Church, and in politics the father
was first a Whig and later a Republican. He
departed this life in 1884, his wife in 1892,
respected and esteemed by all who knew them.
The boyhood days of John H. Van Kleeck
were spent in Poughkeepsie, where he attended
private schools, and after finishing his educa
tion he entered his father's dry-goods store as
a clerk. He there remained from the age of
fifteen until forty-five, being for some time a
partner; but in 1879 they disposed of their
stock, and entered into the fire-insurance busi
ness under the name of George M. Van Kleeck
& Son, which they carried on until the death
of Geo. M. Van Kleeck, since which our sub
ject has continued it. Their first office was
on Market street, whence they removed to the
Savings Bank building, and later to the present
place on Garden street.
In politics, Mr. Van Kleeck is a Republican,
supporting the men and measures of that party,
and religiously is connected with the Episcopal
Church. He leads a moral, honest and upright
life, and as a result has won the respect and
esteem of the community in which he lives.

MON. JAMES ADDIS SEWARD (de-
 ceased). Few among the able sons of
Dutchess courity have displayed the versatile
talents and business acumen which character
ized the subject of this memoic. In politics
and finance he was a leader, and his influence
in social, religious and educational affairs was

no less pronounced. His family was among
the oldest of New England, the head of this
branch having come from England in 1638.
His grandfather, William Seward, was born in
Guilford, Conn., but settled in Dutchess
county, town of FishkHl (now Wappinger),
where his son, PhHander, our subject's father,
was born. Philander Seward was a prominent
farmer and mill owner at New Hackensack,
where he died in 1853. He married Susan
Montfort, by whom he had six children: Will
iam H. was drowned in Texas in early man
hood; P. George, an enterprising young busi
ness man, who conducted grist and saw mills
in his native town, died at an early age; Mau
rice Dwight will be fully spoken of presently;
Caroline A. died at fourteen; James A. is our
subject; Ogden T. was a banker at Elgin,
III., and died at the age of thirty-four.
Maurice Dwight Seward was born October
10, 1830, at New Hackensack, N. Y. , where,
in June, 1854, he married Mary Marvin, and
in September of that year he moved to Elgin,
111., where he engaged in the agricultural-im
plement business. His health failing, he, in
1857, removed to Rosemond, 111., where he
lived on a fruit farm until the latter part
of 1865. In the spring of 1866 he removed
to Normal, that State, where he engaged (first)
in a general merchandise business, and (after
ward) in a loan and real-estate business. In
1 87 1 he was one of the originators and organ
izers of the company known as the Blooming-
ton Stove Co., Bloomington, III., in which
business he remained until his death, October
27, 1876. In his position as superintendent
of sales of the company, and also as inventor
of a number of stoves and furnaces, he placed
the company in the fore ranks with their com
petitors. During all his life he was interested
in Church work, being an organizer of several
of the Churches of which he was a member,
and latterly was quite prominent in the Second
Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, III, He
was held in high regard by his business asso
ciates, and by those with whom he had busi
ness dealings, for his strict integrity and busi
ness qualities. His home life was an unusu
ally happy one; he was of gentle manners, and
his thoughtfulness for others made him greatly
looked up to and revered, not only by his
family, but by all with whom he came in con
tact. James A. Seward, the subject proper of
this memoir, was born in New Hackensack,

348

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

January 3, 1836, and acquired his education
in part at the neighboring district schools, in
part at those of the village of FishkHl. At
seventeen he went to New York City and spent
two years as clerk in a cloth-importing house.
He then visited Illinois, and was engaged in
photography at Elgin, but after a short time
returned east. On October 12, 185S, he
married Miss Mary B. Platt, a native of the
town of Wappinger. Three brothers by the
name of Platt came to this State from Con
necticut at an early period, of whom one set
tled at Plattsburg, and one, Zephania Platt
(Mrs. Seward's grandfather), located in Dutch
ess county, in the town of Wappinger, where
her father, Hervey D. Platt, was born. He
was a Whig in politics, and a member of the
Reformed Dutch Church. He married Miss
Phoebe F. Cary, a member of one of the old
est famHies in the town of Beekman, and made
his home upon a farm in his native town,
where he died in 1S77, and his wife in 1862.
Mrs. Seward was the eldest of three chHdren.
The others, Ebenezer C. and Elizabeth R, ,
are both deceased. After their marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Seward lived for two years on a
farm at East Mills, Dutchess county, and then
moved to Poughkeepsie, where Mr. Seward
was interested in various business enterprises.
He was also for a time engaged in the manu
facture of carriages in Baltimore, Md. Later
was in the furniture business at Poughkeepsie
and New York City; but he finally returned to
his native town, where his death occurred May
I, 1892. A man of great public spirit and
wide sympathies, he entered heartily into all
¦ movements in which he saw good. He and
his wife contributed liberally to the Reformed
Dutch Church, and his interest in religious
work, as well as in educational movements, was
shown in many ways. He was active in the
Masonic fraternity, and in the Republican
party, holding several prominent offices at
various times, including two terms as Assem
blyman from the First District of Dutchess
county. He was also the first supervisor of
the town of Wappinger, serving in that capacity
for two consecutive terms.
Mr. and Mrs. Seward had three children:
Irving P. died at the age of eight years; Carrie
A. married John C. Kingman, of Cedar Falls,
Iowa, and died at the age of twenty-nine,
leaving one child, Arthur S. Kingman; and
Sarah S. , the wife of Robert Johnston. The
family has always occupied a high position

socially, and their home at New Hackensack
is one in which cultured tastes and wealth
combine to make it charming.

C\OL. SAMUEL LEITH. To a patriotic
/ American there can be no badge of honor
equal in merit to a title won by gallant service
in the field of battle for the cause of freedom
and union. The subject 'of this sketch, now
a prominent resident of Matteawan, Dutchess
county, enjoys this distinction, and though of
foreign birth has demonstrated his devotion to
his adopted country in bloody combat, in toil
some marches, in the camp, and in the loath
some prisons of the South, in which so many
brave souls found death a welcome relief from
intolerable suffering.
The many friends of Col. Leith will be glad
to find a permanent record made of a Hfe so weH
worthy of emulation. He was born August
22, 1839, in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, but his
family has long been identified with Leith, one
of the oldest cities in Scotland, his ancestry
being traced back to about 1200 A. D. His
grandfather, Andrew Leith, was a butcher by
trade, and in fact that occupation seems to
have been hereditary in the family. Andrew
Leith married a Miss MacGregor, and had
seven children: James, David, Andrew, John,
Samuel, Walter and Margaret, none of whom
came to America. David Leith, our subject's
father, was born in Leith, Scotland, and dur
ing his active business career was a butcher
and drover, his trade in the latter line extend
ing into England and Ireland, where much of
his buying was done. He was killed by acci
dent, in 1840, while traveling on a mail coach.
His wife, Margaret (McMaster), who like him
self was a devout Presbyterian, had passed
away the previous year. Six children were
born to them, of whom our subject was the
only one to settle in America: David died in
Scotland; Andrew, a retired butcher and
drover, is living in the old country; John died
there; Margaret married James McKnight, a
celebrated artist in Edinburgh, Scotland, but
neither is now living; Elizabeth (deceased)
never married.
Col. Leith's boyhood was spent in his na
tive land until the age of eleven years. He
was trained to habits of industry, and whHe
attending school would spend some time before
and after the daily sessions in driving a butch
er's cart. In 1850 he started from Liverpool

<$>^7x»z

^-€>

^^M^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

349

on the saHing vessel, "William Nelson," for
the New World, and on landing in New York
worked at such employment as he could find.
He drove a butcher's wagon for a time, and
then, after a short service in a tin shop, was
employed by JuHus Gloss in the wholesale
butchering business until 1858, when he located
at Fishkill Landing, and established a butcher
shop. The breaking out of the Civil war found
him eager to defend the Union, and at Fish
kiH he recruited Company C, i8th N. Y. V. I.,
becoming lieutenant AprH 23, 1861. There
being no time to wait for " red tape " in those
perilous days, he paid the railroad fare of his
company to Albany in order to get them to the
front at once. For this generous expenditure
he was re-imbursed seventeen years later,
through the efforts of Hon. James Mackin.
From Albany they went to Virginia, via Wash
ington, and they took part in the battle of
Manassas Junction. The regiment then re
turned to Alexandria for drill, and in the
spring of 1862 participated in the seven-days'
fight on the peninsula near Richmond. About
this time Col. Leith, on account of not receiv
ing the promotion he felt he was entitled to,
resigned his position, and returning to the
North helped to raise a new company in New
York and Brooklyn, known as Company H,
I32d N. Y. V. I. On this he held the rank of
first sergeant, and after passing an officer's ex
amination he was made orderly sergeant.
This regiment took part in the battle of An
tietam, and our subject's gallantry won him
a promotion to the rank of second lieu
tenant. After the battle of Blackwater, Va,,
he was made first lieutenant, and soon after
his regiment was ordered to rejoin the army of
the Potomac for the campaign through Penn
sylvania and Maryland. He was in the battle
of Gettysburg during the first three days of
July, 1863, and was wounded there. On being
granted a thirty-days' furlough he came home,
and on his return to his regiment was promoted
to captain. Not having fully recovered from
his injuries, he could not safely resume active
work in the field, and he served six weeks as
provost marshal of Newbern, N. C. , before
taking charge of his company, which was then
in that State. From there he was ordered to
Washington for an examination, which he
passed with honors, and he was then commis
sioned colonel of the 49th U. S. Colored Troops;
but preferring to remain with his old comrades,
he did not take the position. After his return

to his regiment he saw much active service in
the battles of Kington, Woodbury, Whitehall
and Goldsboro, and in the running fight known
as the Tarboro and Newbern raid, his conduct
on the field winning him new honors, he being
promoted to the rank of major. At the battle
of Bachelor's Creek, February i, 1864, he was
wounded and captured, and then began what
was for him the hardest experiences of his long
service. He was incarcerated in Libby Prison
until Grant had fought the battle of the WH
derness, when Major Leith was transferred,
with other prisoners, to DanvHle, Va. , and
later to Greensboro, N. C, and Macon, Ga.,
where they were kept in a stockade. While
there a money broker from the South bought
from Mr. Leith a note on the Newburg (N, Y.)
Bank for $100 in gold, paying him $10,000
in Confederate money, with which he bought
provisions and shared them with his comrades.
A Httle later he gave another note of like value
and obtained $50,000 in Confederate money
for same, with which he again fed his starving
friends. By his generosity he must have saved
hundreds of lives. After Sherman captured
Atlanta another transfer took the prisoners to
the jail at Charleston, S. C. , where they re
mained for a short time before removal to An
napolis, Md. Afterward they were taken to Wil
mington, N. C. , and here Major Leith was final
ly liberated; but he was so weakened by suffer
ings that he was obliged to spend two weeks in
hospital at Annapolis before he could return
home, where he arrived in March, 1865. On
April 5, he reported for duty at Annapolis; but
fortunately the long struggle was nearing its
end, and on June 29, 1865, he was mustered
out of the U. S. service at Raleigh, N. C, and
later was discharged from the State service at
Harts Island, N. Y. At that time he held
the rank of brevet colonel, and his popularity
with his old company is shown by a gift from
them of a gold watch as a token of their affec
tion and their admiration of his bravery. A
beautiful silk flag had been presented to the
company through Col. Leith by ladies of Fish
kill, including Mrs. Samuel Ver Planck, Mrs.
Charies M. Wolcott, Mrs, Walter Brett, Mrs.
James M&ckin and Mrs. John G. Monell. After
entering active service Col. Leith found the
caring for the flag too much of a responsibHity;
so, when he was at Alexandria, Va. , he sent
it by express, addressed to Hon. James Mackin,
of FishkHl Landing. On his return home he
found, however, that the flag had never reached

350

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

its destination, and no trace of it has ever been
discovered. Our subject holds a commission
as colonel of the 49th Reg. U. S. Colored
Troops, signed by President Lincoln.
After his return to the paths of peace Col.
Leith carried on the butcher business at Fish
kHl Landing until 1873, when he was employed
as watchman of the Glenham Carpet MHls.
This position he has now held for' nearly a
quarter of a century, his fidelity making him
invaluable to his employers. His services
have also been in demand by the people for
various public offices, and he is at present the
collector of taxes for the village of Matteawan.
On January i, 1861, Col. Leith was mar
ried to Elizabeth Miller, of Fishkill. She
died July 16, 1SS9, leaving five children:
Emma, Samuel, Jr., David, WiHiam and
Walter. Of these all are single except Will
iam, who married Catherine Ward; he resides
at Matteawan. Col. Leith is a steadfast Republican, and
has never wavered in his allegiance to that
party. His sterling qualities of character com
mand the esteem of all who know him, and his
influence is felt for good in local affairs.
Fraternally he is a Freemason, having joined
the order nearly thirty years ago, and for
twenty-eight years he has been a member of
the G. A. R., Holland Post No. 48, in which
he has held the office of commander, and
various other offices. At present he is in
spector of the G. A. R. for Dutchess and Put
nam counties.

C\HARLES H.' ROBERTS, United States
_/ appraiser of cigars and tobacco at the
Port of New York, is a prominent resident of
Pawling, Dutchess county, and has done much
to advance the educational interests of that
town, and to encourage progress in other lines.
Mr. Roberts is a native of Utica, Oneida
Co., N. Y., born in 1856, and was educated
in New York City, attending the public schools
for some years, later taking a collegiate course.
On entering business life he first secured em
ployment with the Weed Ore Mines, later
with J. M. Childs & Co., of Utica, and after
ward spent some time as bookkeeper for a
large paper factory. In 1SS3 he was appoint
ed to his present position, in which he is re
garded as an expert. In political faith he is a
Republican, but he has never taken an active
share in party work or aspired to a place on

the ticket. His hearty assistance is given to
any effort for the benefit of Pawling, and he
was one of the first school trustees under the
union free school movement, and aided in
bringing the schools under the control of the
regents. He is a Master Mason, a member of
White Plains Lodge, and of Lodge No. 330,
K. T., of New York. On February 22, 1882,
he was married to Miss Margaret A. Bangs,
and they have had five children: Arthur B.,
born February 14, 18S6; Lucy K., May 11,
1889; Deane J., June 15, 1891; Donald, April
23, 1894; and Helen M. , January 2, 1896.
Mr. Roberts is a son of Thomas David
Roberts, a well-known mechanical engineer of
New York City, and his wife, Catherine Ma
tilda (Dana), a descendant of one of the oldest
and most distinguished families of this coun
try. The first of the line, Richard Dana,
settled at Cambridge, Mass., in 1640, and
his son, Jedediah, was one of the pio
neers of Ashford, Conn. Jedediah Dana
and his wife Elizabeth had a son James,
our subject's great-great-grandfather, who won
high honors by his gallantry as a soldier in the
Revolutionary army. He was born at Ash
ford, Conn., October 10, 1732, and appears to
have commenced his military career among the
Provincial troops under Sir WHHam Johnson.
He assisted in building the fort at Lake
George, and was at the battle of Lake Champ-
lain when the fortification there was attacked
by the French, and Gen. Johnson was wounded.
At the beginning of the Revolution he was cap
tain in Col. Storr's regiment. Gen. Putnam's
brigade of Connecticut MHitia. He arrived at
the American camp in Cambridge immediately
after the battle of Lexington, joining the forces
under Gen. Ward, and was among the troops
who were detailed to throw up breast-works on
Bunker Hill, where during the night a fortifi
cation of earth was hastily constructed. Col.
Prescott was the engineer, and he requested
Capt. Dana's orderly sergeant to assist in lay
ing out the redoubt. The British forces crossed
the river at Urummesset Ferry, and when the
second division of 500 men landed they
marched up Maiden river to gain the rear of
the fortifications. This movement was first
perceived by Capt. Dana, who informed Gen.
Putnam. By his order 500 of the Continental
troops marched to meet the British, and took
up their position in two lines behind a fence.
Capt. (afterward Col.) Knowlton was in charge
of the detachment, with Capt. Dana second in

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

351

command. Gen. Putnam in giving his direc
tions to these officers, asked : "Do you re
member my orders at Ticonderoga.' " "Yes,"
the reply, ' ' you told us not to fire

was

untH we could see the whites of the ene
my's eyes." "WeH," said Gen. Putnam,
"I give the same order now." The British
advanced with muffled drums and soft fifes,
and soon passed over the fence south of the
one where the Americans were drawn up.
Capt. Dana was directly in the line of the
British forces, and the men awaited their com
ing in perfect quiet, word having been given
that it would be death to any man to fire be
fore Capt. Dana. When the column was eight
rods distant the Captain ordered the rear rank
to lie down flat, and at this word the British
officers faced about and ordered their men to
deploy from the center. On the instant Capt.
Dana, Lieut. Grosvenor and Ord-Serg. Fuller
fired, and the British commander, supposed to
be Maj. Pitcairn, fell mortally wounded. The
British troops broke and retreated, but formed
and advanced again, the movement occupying
perhaps twenty minutes. When they reached
the fence they fired, and Lieut. Grosvenor was
wounded in the hand, and a bullet which had
passed through a rail lodged upon his shirt,
flattened and harmless. He bound up his
hand and retired from the field. Capt. Knowl-
ton's musket was broken by a cannon ball, and
within five minutes after Lieut. Grosvenor was
injured a cannon ball struck a rail which hit
Capt. Dana in the breast and knocked him
down, breathless. He recovered, however,
and remained untH the Hne was ordered back;
but after his arrival at the quarters he was
confined to his room for several days. The
first countersign given by Gen. Washington
after the battle of Bunker HHl was Kijowlton,
and the first parole was Dana. In July of the
same year an oration was delivered by Dr.
Leonard, Gen. Washington's chaplain, and a
declaration read, and at the conclusion of these
exercises an aid of Gen. Washington advanced
from headquarters bearing the American stand
ard with an order from Washington to Capt.
Dana to carry it three times around the fort
and interior circle of the army, with the injunc
tion that he must not let the colors fall, as it
would be considered a bad omen for the Amer
ican cause. The Captain declined, doubting
his abHity to perform the duty in the proper
manner, and the aid returned to headquarters
with his apology. He soon came back, how

ever, with Gen, Putnam, who, in his famHiar
way, clapped Capt. Dana on the shoulder, and
said with an old-fashioned oath: " Dana, you
look like a white man, take the colors and
clear away!" and the army immediately opened
right and left to make a passage for Gen.
Washington and the officers. The next day,
in his orders, Washington expressed the most
flattering approbation of the manner in which
Capt. Dana had performed his part in dis
playing the flag.
The Captain was six feet, one inch in
height, and his presence was noble and com
manding. His manners were modest and re
tiring, and although he was frequently offered
promotion in the army he uniformly declined.
For a time he had in his service as a waiter
and secretary a boy who afterward, as Capt.
Eaton, distinguished himself in the war with
Tripoli, his father having placed him at the
age of fifteen under Capt. Dana's care. At
the close of the Revolution Capt. Dana settled
at Cobleskill, Schoharie Co., N. Y., where he
occupied a small log cabin, but notwithstand
ing his humble circumstances the Legislature
appointed him brigadier-general, the first of
that rank in Schoharie county. On the death
of Gen. Washington, Gen. Dana and Reding-
ton held a funeral service at the house of the
latter under the Masonic ritual, the ceremony
being one of the most imposing ever witnessed
in that part of the State. The coffin was
placed upon a bier, and a heavy pall thrown
over all, with flowers and evergreens in pro
fusion. The two heroes were chief mourners
in this solemn rite.
Gen. James Dana and his wife had four
sons — Joseph, William (our subject's great
grandfather), Thomas and Alvin — and five
daughters — Mrs. Anna Garvie, Mrs. Nancy
Brigham, Mrs. Sophia Scripter, Mrs. Eliza
beth Butler and Polly. William Dana was
born at Cobleskill, June 2, 1770, and died
February 2, 1852. He was married Septem
ber 27, 1795, to Anne Southworth, who was
born AprH 17, 1773, and died April 30, 1846.
They had eight children: Luman, Horace,
Hiram, Elizabeth, Bradley, Lydia, Eli and
Nancy. Horace Dana, our subject's grandfather,
was born at CobleskHl, March 2, 1799, and
after acquiring an education in the district
schools there he engaged in farming at Law
yersville, N. Y. He was a Democrat in poli
tics, and prominent in Masonic circles. On

352

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

December 22, 18 19, he married Miss Eleanor
Van Dreser, who was born at Cobleskill, May
10, 1797, and died August 12, iSSi. They
had nine children: William, Hiram, Lydia,
Catherine Matilda, Nancy, Gilbert, Elizabeth,
Emma and Thomas. Catherine M. Dana was
born in Cobleskill, January 16, 1832, and was
educated there; but after her marriage to Mr.
Roberts her home was in New York City. Our
subject was the eldest of four children, the
others being Eleanor, born in 1S5S, died in
1S60; Elizabeth D,, born in i860; and Thom
as E., born January 28, 1S67.
. Mrs. Charles H. Roberts is a granddaugh
ter of the Rev. John Bangs, who was one of
three brothers, viz. : Nathan H, , Heman and
John, who were all ministers prominent in
Methodism, Her father. Rev. Nathan H.
Bangs, named for his uncle, was born in 1825
at Kortright, Delaware Co,, N. Y. In 1S53
he joined the " New York Conference," and
until the time of his death, in 1S84, he was a
fearless advocate of all the great questions of
reform . He was a brilli ant and forcible speaker,
as well as being an energetic and untiring
worker in the profession he had chosen. He
married Miss Lucy Jane Pinney, and had five
chHdren: Hervey Pinney, who never married;
Margaret A. (Mrs. Roberts); Arthur E., who
married Annie Ketcham; John A., who mar
ried Elizabeth Dobson; and Grace M., who
remained unmarried. Mrs. Bangs was a lin
eal descendant of Humphrey Pinney, who came
from England in 1630 in the ship "Mary and
John," and settled at Dorchester, Mass. His
son, Capt. Nathaniel Pinney, born in 1671,
had a son, Capt. Abraham Pinney, who died
in 1780. He was the father of Capt. Abram
Pinney, who had nine children: Ruth, born
in 1774; Azariah; Martha; Abner Putnam;
Hulda; Levi; Chester H. ; Betsy; and John,
Mrs. Bang's grandfather, who was born in
1787. Hervey Pinney, Mrs. Bang's father,
was a weH-known farmer at Bethel, Sullivan
Co., N. Y. , and her mother's name was Mar
garet Everard.

jEV. JOHN J. McGRATH. The indom-
 1 itable energy which has ever character
ized the priesthood of the Catholic Church is
weH exemplified in the subject of this sketch,
who during his pastorate in the Church of St.
John, the Evangelist, at Fishkill, has not only
quickened the spiritual life of his flock, but

has established outward zeal in new and com
modious buildings devoted to the uses of the
parish. Our subject is of Irish descent, his grand
father Dennis McGrath, having been a native
of Waterford, Ireland, where he remained all
his life. D. J. McGrath, our subject's father,
left his old home in Ireland, about 1854, for
America, and on reaching this country settled
in New York City, where he was engaged in a
wholesale trade in coffee, tea, and similar
commodities until a few years ago, when he re
tired from business. His wife, Ann (Boland),
who died November 22, 1896, was also a
native of Ireland. John Boland, her father,
a carpenter by trade, came to America to seek
better opportunities than his own land afforded,
and became very successful,. his work giving
employment to a number of men. Of the
twelve children of D. J. and Ann McGrath,
six are now living, our subject being the eldest;
(2) Michael is a physician in New York City;
(3) Thomas is a real-estate dealer in the same
city; (4) Margaret is at home; (5) Joseph is
studying medicine; and (6) Mary is the wife of
Dr. John T. Reilly, of Matteawan, New York
State. Father McGrath was born in New York
City, February 7, 1855, and passed his boy
hood there. His parents, being devout Catho
lics, sent him to the parochial schools, which
he attended until he reached the age of sixteen.
In 1876 he entered Niagara College, and on
completing his course went to Allegany, N.
Y., where his preparation for the priesthood
was continued in St. Bonaventura Seminary
under the Franciscan Fathers. On June 15,
1880, he was ordained by Bishop Stephen V.
Ryan, of Buffalo, and his first appointment was
at St. James Church, in New York City. On
November 4, iSSo, he went to Matteawan, N.
Y. , as assistant to Rev. John C. Henry, four
years and a half being spent there before his
transfer to St. Mary's Church, at Newburg,
which was then under Father Henry's charge.
There he passed four and one-half years, at the
close of which incumbency Archbishop Corri
gan appointed him to St. Joseph Church, at
Croton Falls, our subject's first independent
charge. The influence of his zealous work
was soon apparent, in the village of Katonah,
an out-mission of Croton Falls, grounds being
purchased for a new church, which was built
during Father McGrath's brief pastorate of
twenty months. The new edifice stands on

\f\.vv; ^X^X^SY^oi^jko

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

353

an eminence overlooking the limpid waters of
the picturesque Cross river, and, whHe there
has been no pretense at architectural grandeur,
it stands to-day, in its simplicity, one more ev
idence of man's desire to glorify the Omnipres
ent and Omnipotent God. On October 14,
1890, it was solemnly dedicated to Almighty
God under the title of St. Mary, by His Grace
Michael Augustine Corrigan, Archbishop of
New York. Father McGrath's administration
of parish affairs was characterized by good
judgment and financial ability, and, therefore,
he was promoted to a larger and more promi
nent parish at FishkHl Landing, N. Y. On
December 4, 1890, he was instaHed as pastor
in present congregation at Fishkill, and the
work of improvement was at once begun there,
a beautiful new church being erected in the
following year. Later the rectory and school
were buHt, making a notable record of prac
tical work. But while these results may at
tract the attention of the casual observer to
the exclusion of all others, it is in the unifica
tion and inspiration of his people that Father
McGrath finds his best reward for the past la
bors, and a hope for the future widening and
deepening of the spiritual influences which pro
mote true prosperity.

T^HOMAS HENRY NELSON (deceased),
 who in his lifetime was a prominent rep
resentative of the farming interests of the town
of Red Hook, Dutchess county, where he pos
sessed one of its model homesteads, embrac
ing 210 acres of rich and fertile land, was
born October 21, 1822, and died November
30, 1896.
The homestead is suppHed with all modern
conveniences and accessories, the fields are
well tilled, the buildings are of a substantial
character, and the whole place denotes the late
owner to have been a man of progressive spirit,
energetic and industrious, and a capable man
ager. This pleasant home is presided over by
his sister. Miss Sarah C. Nelson. Our sub
ject was a native of Dutchess county, borri in
the town of Poughkeepsie, and had been fa
miliar with the various employments of farmi
life since a boy, having been reared in the ag
ricultural districts of Dutchess county, mostly
in the town of Red Hook, where he acquired
his education in the academy of that place.
The ancestry of our subject is traced back
2Z

to Polycarpus Nelson, who came from Eng
land about 1725 or 1730, and purchased a
tract of .land in the town of Clinton (now Hyde
Park), Dutchess county. In 1736 he deeded
this to his son, Francis Nelson. The latter
wedded Miss Mary Skinner, of Mamaroneck,.
Westchester Co., N. Y.-, and to them were
born fourteen children — seven sons and seven
daughters: Reuben, Samuel, Mephobosheth,
Mary Ann, Catherine, Anna, Lucretia, John,
TheophHus, Joshua, Jftstus, Frances, Christi-
anna and Charity. Of this family, John Nel
son in 1743 married Elizabeth Davenport, of
Cold Spring, Dutchess county, and to them
were born two children: Thomas, the grand
father of our subject; and Elizabeth, who be
came the wife of Abner Armstrong, and eleven
children grace their union. For his second
wife John Nelson, in 1748, wedded Rebecca
Scott, of Kinderhook, Columbia Co.. N. Y.,
and they became the parents of four children:
Anna, born in 1750, married Thomas Barker
in 1771; William married Nancy Emory, tbe
daughter of a major in the British army;
Francis married Miss Wright in 1775, and
John married Sarah Reed.
Thomas Nelson, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county, March 17, 1744, and was
united in marriage April 11, 1769, with Miss
Sarah Wright, daughter of Jacob Wright, who
came to Dutchess county from Long Island
prior to the Revolutionary war. He married
Elizabeth Haight, daughter of John Haight, of
Stephentown, N. Y., and to them were born-
seven children: Jacob, who was killed during
the Revolution; Nathan, who wedded Mary
Vail; Joseph, who was killed while aiding the
Colonies in their struggle for independence;;
Elizabeth, who became the wife of Seth Whit
ney; and Sarah, the wife of Thomas Nelson.
Thirteen children were born to the grandpar
ents of our subject, several of whom died in in
fancy. The following grew to maturity: Wright
was born February 2, 1770; John, born July 31,
1 77 1, married Celia PeHs September 18, 1794,
and they had four children; Elizabeth, born
May II, 1773, became the wife of George
Parker, of Lancashire, England, December
22, 1798, and they had six children; Jacob,
born May 8, 1779, is known to have left sev
eral chHdren, although there is no authentic
knowledge concerning him; William, born
June 29, 1784, who became a lawyer of prom
inence, and served two years in Congress, left

354

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

alarge family, several of whom are still living;
Joseph, born AprH i, 1786, left a number of
children, none of whom now survive, but there
are several of his grandchildren living; Sarah
married John Nalross; and Samuel, the young
est, was the father of our subject.
Of this family Samuel was born in the town
of Clinton, February 14, 1793, and November
15, 1820, he was married to Miss Christina
Benner, who was born May 11, 1799, adaugh
ter of Hendrick Benner. The following chil
dren blessed their union: Thomas Henry,
whose name introduces this sketch; Sarah C,
born December 10, 1824; Theodore Ten
Broeck, March 22, 1827; Arthur, June 15,
1829; Christina J., January 27, 1832; and
Elizabeth, April 4, 1S35.

JOHN T. SMITH has been identified with
the business interests, progress and growth
of Fishkill, Dutchess county, for a period
covering nearly forty years. His ancestors on
the father's side were originally from England
and HoHand, but have been natives to the
soil for five generations. During the war of
the Revolution they shared the privations and
hardships of the Continental soldiers. Thomas
Smith was born on alarm inthe town of Kent,
Putnam county, in 17S2; his father, PhiHp,
and his grandfather, Edward, were farmers,
and he followed in their footsteps. His father
left an estate of considerable value, but it
was largely spent in litigation. He was mar
ried in 1S02 to HeHiche, the daughter of John
and Rachel (Daniels) Smith; the family came
originally from Holland.
Thomas and HeHiche Smith had two sons:
Philip T. and SHas G. The latter was born
in the town of Kent, Putnam Co., N, Y. , in
1 8 16, and his early Hfe was spent on the farm.
In 1835 the family removed to Matteawan,
and he became a clerk in the Matteawan Com
pany's store, then under the management of
David Davis. In 1839 he was married to
Jane A. Alexander, daughter of John and
Margaret (McDowell) Alexander, of the town
of Butternuts, Otsego Co. , N. Y. ; the fam
ily emigrated from the North of Ireland.
Thomas Smith purchased a farm in Steuben
county, and removed there in 1838. He died
at the home of his son Silas, in 1852, his wife,
HeHiche, died also at the home of Silas in
1866,

Silas G. Smith removed to Pulteney, Steu
ben Co., N. Y., in 1840, and was engaged in
selling merchandise and buying grain for the
New York market until 1853, when at the re
quest of Mr. David Davis, his former employ
er, he returned to Matteawan, and formed a
co-partnership with him in the store formerly
owned by the Matteawan Company. For
three years they conducted a successful busi
ness, but the company operating the mills be
came financially embarrassed, and Mr. Smith
disposed of his interest in the business to Mr.
Davis, and purchased the property at FishkHl-
on-Hudson since occupied by the firm of S.
G. & J. T. Smith. When the village of Fish
kill Landing was incorporated, he served as a
a member of the first board of trustees, and
was re-elected several times, but was always
averse to accepting public office. He was presi
dent of the Mechanics Savings Bank for ten
years previous to his death. In politics he
was a Whig in early years, and became a Re
publican on the organization of the party.
He was a man of a high sense of honor and of
the strictest integrity, and was a consistent
member of the Baptist Church. He died Feb
ruary 9, 1883, leaving a reputation without
blot, or blemish,
John T. Smith was born in Matteawan
July 15, 1S40, in the house opposite the
" Beacon Hose Co. House," at the corner of
Fountain and Liberty streets. While still an
infant his parents removed to Pulteney, Steu
ben Co., N. Y. , and from the time he was old
enough he attended the public schools in
Pulteney until the family returned to Mattea
wan, in 1853. In 1S54 he attended a private
school in Matteawan kept by Mr. Oliver, and
in 1855 and 1856 the private school of G. H.
Caswell. After his father commenced busi
ness at Fishkill Landing, in the fall of 1857,
his time was entirely devoted to business, and
in 1 861 the firm of S. G, & J. T. Smith was
formed. The business was successful from
the first, being conducted on such lines that it
won the confidence and support of the com
munity, and H was gradually extended untH at
the present time it occupies the buHding
25 X 200 feet fronting on Main street and run
ning through to Spring street, and also an
annex on the east side of 45 feet, used as a
shoe department, and the second story of the
Savings Bank building, used as a carpet de
partment. In 1873 a branch store was opened
on Fountain Square, Matteawan; in 1878 it

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

855

was removed to the corner of Main and North
streets, and now occupies the double store at
this location.
Mr. Smith was married at Northfield, Ver
mont, September 5, 1S66, to Carrie A., daugh
ter of Rev. John B. and Mary A. (Cady) Pit
man. They have had five children, one of
whom died in infancy, the others are: Ber
tram L., who graduated from Williams Col
lege in 1894, and Arthur Raymond, who was
educated at Mount Beacon Academy, both of
whom are associated with their father in busi
ness; Clarence A. is a student at Trinity Col
lege, Hartford, Conn., and Elsie A. is attend
ing De Garmo Institute.
The family attend the Reformed Church.
Mr. Smith has been, since early life, a member
of Beacon Lodge, F. & A. M. He has served
several years as trustee of the public schools,
and a number of terms as trustee of the village,
of which he was president from 1877 to 1S82.
He was elected supervisor of the town in 1882,
and was re-elected the three succeeding years,
serving as chairman of the board in 1883 and
1885. To mention the business operations in
which Mr, Smith has been engaged, would be
to make a list of the most important undertak
ings in his locality since he entered business
life. He was largely instrumental in securing
the location of the Dutchess Hat Works in the
viHage. In 1879 he joined with several gentle
men of the town in organizing the Fishkill
Telephone Co., and was the active manager
untH the company was merged in the Hudson
River Telephone Co. Lines were built in the
principle streets of FishkHl Landing and Mat
teawan, and extended to FishkHl ViHage, Wap
pingers Falls, New Hamburgh, and Newburg,
a cable being laid across the river at the latter
place. The company had a larger number of
subscribers, and a generally more satisfactory
service than has been had since. The Fishkill
Boot and Shoe Company is another enterprise
with which he was associated; but this proved
an unfortunate venture. He was one of the
organizers and a trustee of the Mount Beacon
Academy Association. On the organization of
the Mechanics Savings Bank, in 1S66, he was
elected secretary, and served in that capacity
untH the death of his father in 1883, when he
was elected president, which position he has
occupied since; he is the only charter member
now in the board. He succeeded James Macken
as president of the First National Bank, in

1886, and StHl holds the position. The banks
have always retained the full confidence of the
public, and never during time of the most seri
ous financial panic and disaster has there been
a run or any indication of want of faith in their
stabHity. The National Bank has recently
erected one of the finest and strongest Safe De
posit Vaults between New York and Albany,
The average line of deposits in the National
Bank is about $300,000, and it has a surplus
of about $80,000. The Savings Bank has one
million, four hundred thousand dollars on de
posit, with a surplus of one hundred and eighty
thousand. Up to 1892 the local transportation be
tween the villages of Fishkill Landing, Mattea
wan and Glenham, and the depots and ferry,
was by hack, stage or omnibus. Mr. Smith
and some of his friends, believing that the in
terests of the town required a more expeditious
and convenient mode of transit, undertook to
supply the deficiency by an electric street rail
way, and accordingly the Citizens Street Rail
way Company was organized, with Mr. Smith
as president and general manager. Work was
commenced May 27, 1892, and the first car
ran over the line August 27, 1892, the success
of the enterprise justifying fully the judgment
of those who planned and built it. In 1895
the Fishkill Electric RaHway Co. was organ
ized, and Mr, Smith was elected president. A
road four and one quarter miles long joining
the Citizens at the Fountain Street crossing,
Matteawan, and running to FishkiH village,
was laid out and completed June 13, 1895.
This road was leased to the Citizens Company,
and the two are now operated under one man
agement. Notwithstanding the great depres
sion in business for the last three years, the
roads have proved a success, and have earned
a reputation for enterprising management and
prompt and efficient service second to none of
the roads in the smaller cities of the country.
As may be inferred, Mr. Smith is devoted to
business and is an indefatigable worker, mas
tering all the details of every duty he assumes.
Systematic and thorough in all his undertak
ings, his knowledge of affairs and close obser
vation allows little to escape his notice, and
keeps him closely in touch with the numerous
duties that demand his attention. He is par
ticularly fortunate in his famHy relations. His
home erected in 1871 comprises about five
acres of lawn and garden, commanding a mag
nificent view of mountain and river, and is

356

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

presided over by a lady whose kindliness, cul
ture, refinement and devotion to her family
makes an ideal home.

€,HARLES SHERMAN (deceased) was a na-
_' tive of the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county, born October 24, 1826, and belonged
to a family that for several generations has
been prominently identified with the interests
of Dutchess county. Benjamin Sherman, his
great-grandfather, was born February 3, 1736,
and died in 1805, while his grandfather, Uriah
Sherman, was born in 1765, and died February
26, 1822. The latter married Paulina Hurd.
The father of our subject, who also bore
the name of Benjamin Sherman, was born in
the town of Dover, Dutchess county, Decem
ber 29, 1798, but passed most of his life in the
town of Beekman, dying there November 10,
1862. He married Miss Hannah Brill, and
they became the parents of seven children:
John B,, who is engaged in business at the
stock-yards in Chicago; Charles amd Alexan
der, both deceased; Maria, wife of James
Ashly, of Chicago; I, N, Walter, of Chicago;
Phebe E., wife of George BrHI, of Chicago;
and WiHiam W., of the same city. By trade
the father was a blacksmith.
The subject of this sketch received a good
district-school education in the town'of Beek
man, where his early life was passed, and
when a young man he went to Chicago, III.,
becoming connected with the stock-yards, in
fact helping to found the stock-yards at what
was then the foot of Madison street and the
southwestern plank road (now Ogden avenue).
He was engaged in that business for many
years, and in 1865 returned to the town of
Beekman, where he carried on farming during
the remainder of his life.
In the town of East Fishkill, Dutchess
county, Mr. Sherman was married to Miss
Mary A. Rogers, and to them were born a
daughter, Caroline Adriance, and a son, George
Benjamin, born AprH 28, 1S67, died April 22,
1S76, Stephen Rogers, the father of Mrs.
Sherman, was a native of the town of Beek
man, as was also his father, John Rogers.
The former was a farmer by occupation,, and
was killed by a runaway before his daughter
was born. Her mother bore the maiden name
of Caroline Adriance. There were only two
children in the family, the brother of Mrs.
Sherman being Jacob A. Rogers (now deceased) ,

In politics Mr. Sherman first affiliated with
the Whig party, later becoming an ardent Re
publican, while socially he was a member of
Hopewell Lodge, F. & A, M. Throughout his
career his duties were performed with the
greatest care, and his personal honor and in
tegrity were without blemish. His memory
will be a sacred inheritance to his relatives,
and will be cherished by a multitude of friends.
As a husband and father he was a model wor
thy of all imitation, unassuming in his manner,
sincere in his friendships, steadfast and un
swerving in his loyalty to the right. He died
October i 5, 1882.

/^\EORGE LOCKWOOD, a retired carriage
\^ manufacturer and well-known citizen of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born in
Yorkshire, England, near Huddersfield, July
17, 1823, and was a six-year-old boy when
brought to this country by his parents.
Our subject spent his boyhood in the city
of Poughkeepsie, and in 1842 was apprenticed
to Lewis F Streit for two years, after which
he went into partnership with Mr. Streit in
the manufacture of carriages, remaining with
him until the business was discontinued in
1888. Since then Mr. Lockwood has led a re
tired life. He was married in Poughkeepsie
November i , 1 8 5 3 , to Miss Alvira Mason Jenks,
by whom he had three children: Alma Kate,
who married WHliam Oscar Poole; Ella Paul
ine; Edgar Streit, who married Miss May E.
Howard, and they have one child — George
Howard, born March 14, 1887. Mr. Lock-
wood is a member of the Veteran Firemen's As
sociation, and of Niagara Steamer Co. No. 2,
of which latter he has been a member since
1S43. Ill politics he is a Democrat, and in
1 863 was elected alderman from the Sixth ward;
he also served as Alms House commissioner.
William Lockwood, the father of our sub
ject, was born in Yorkshire, England, where
he received his early education, and later was
engaged in the manufacture of woolen cloth.
He was married in Yorkshire to Miss Hannah
Hurst, and they had the following children:
Rachel, married to Joseph Eastmead; Sarah,
married to William Knight; George; John, mar
ried to Margaret Wigg; Henry; Margaret, mar
ried to Theron Shaw; Jane, married to J, H.
Dakin; and Mary, married to Henry Godfrey
(now deceased). They are all now deceased
except George, Jane and Mary. In 1829, the

?«^l

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

857

father came to this country, and to Poughkeep
sie, where he worked in the Williams factory
for several years, and then went to Titusville,
in the town of Lagrange, where he lived for a
time. From there he set out by boat for Michi
gan, with the intention of buying a farm in
that State; but while sailing up the lake he was
drowned near Detroit. This was in 1850. His
wife died in TitusviHe, N. Y. , in 1876.
George Jenks, the father of Mrs. George
Lockwood, was born in the town of Amenia,
Dutchess Co.,N. Y., June 24, 1795. He mar
ried Miss Catherine Knickerbocker, who was
born in Amenia October 8, 1803, and to them
came four children, namely: Alvira Mason,
Sarah Ann, Andrew M., and Lucy Maria, the
latter of whom is now deceased. Mr. Jenks,
who was a blacksmith by trade, died August
19, 1832; his wife departed this life in Novem
ber 30, 1 88 1.
William Jenks, the grandfather of Mrs.
Lockwood, was one of the early settlers of
Amenia. He married Miss Sarah Mygatt, and
they followed the occupation of farmers. Both
were natives of Rhode Island.

JOSEPH G. FROST, a leading undertaker of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is also one
of the most popular officials of that city,
having the distinction of being the only Re
publican candidate to be elected at one of the
elections on the city ticket. His family is of
English origin, and he is a descendant of one of
three brothers of that name who came from
England in early times, one settling in Massa-
chusets, one on Long Island, and one, his an
cestor, near Rensselaerville, Albany Co., N.Y. ,
where many descendants now live.
George Frost, our subject's grandfather, a
farmer by occupation, was a life-long resident
there, and three of his six sons settled in the
neighborhood. Of the others one located near
Madison, Wis., and two in Poughkeepsie, one
engaging in the confectionery business. The
other, WiHiam Frost, our subject's father,
born in 1799, was nineteen years old when he
went to Poughkeepsie and found employment
as a clerk with his cousin, Solomon B. Frost.
He was admitted to partnership after a few
years-, but later formed the firm of Frost &
Van Wyck, and was in the dry-goods business
at No. 316 Main street at the time ofthe great
fire. He rebuilt the store, which is now occu
pied by Quintard Bros., and continued his

business there until 1S49, when he disposed of
it and went to Washington, then called Nine
Partners, the location of the well-known board
ing school, and conducted a store there for two
years. In 185 1 he returned to Poughkeepsie
and resumed his business there, but after the
death of his brother, Stephen, in 1854, he sold
out and took his brother's store, which he sold
four years later to Mr. Atkins and his son Rob
ert. He then purchased the business of R. D.
C. Stoughtenburgh, on the corner of Main and
Garden streets, continuing it at the corner of
Main and Crandall streets, occupying three
stores. This was one of the largest stores in
the city at the time of his death, January 13,
1878. He was a Hicksite Quaker, and his up
right character made a friend of every ac
quaintance. In early life he was an Old-line
Whig, but the introduction of the slavery
question into politics made him an earnest sup
porter of the Republican party from its very
beginning. He married Sarah H. Woolley,
daughter of Joseph P. Woolley, a prominent
resident of Dutchess county, and they had three
children, of whom our subject was the young
est. Robert W. was a well-known business
man of Poughkeepsie, who died in 1S92, Mary
E. is now the wife of George G. Berry, of
Brooklyn. New York.
Joseph G. Frost was born February .6,
1839, in Poughkeepsie, at No, 302 MHl street,
in the house now owned by Mr, Pelton. He
received a good education for the time, at
tending the Dutchess County Academy under
Prof. P. S. Burchan and Prof. McGeorge. In
1854 he began the study of dentistry with Dr.
Charles H. Roberts and remained with him
until the spring of 1859, when he opened an
office for himself at No. 292 Main street. In
1862 he was obliged to abandon all work on
account of HI health, and after two years of
rest he engaged in clerical labor in the office
of Provost Marshal W. S. Johnson, where he
remained until his appointment in 1865 to the
office of city chamberlain. In 1866 he was
reappointed to the common council, and in
1867 and 1868 was elected city coHector on
the Republican ticket. In 1868 he formed a
partnership with Robert H. Woolley, under
the firm name of Woolley & Frost, and pur
chased the harness business of James Bogardus,
which he continued until 1874, the firm name
being changed several times, ho\yever, first
to Frost & Parrish, then to Frost & Davis,
and finally to J. G. Frost. On disposing of

358

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

this enterprise to Overocker Bros, in 1874,
Mr. Frost engaged in the undertaking business
with MaHory & Doughty, and later with Nel
son & Seward, and in 1876 he established a
business in his own name at the corner of
Main and Academy streets, which he has since
continued successfully, removing five years
ago to his present location. No. 319 Main
street. In iSSi he was elected coroner for
three years, and has held the office for five
consecutive terms. His last election falling at
a time when the Republicans encountered re
verses everywhere, he was the only one on the
ticket to win the day. He has held the office
of supervisor of the Third ward for two years,
1877 and 1S78. He was one of the founders
of the Hudson River Driving Park Association
and its secretary for several years, and has
taken an influential part in many local move
ments. In 1865 Mr. Frost married Miss Rebecca
C. North, daughter of Reuben North, who was
for many years the cashier of the Poughkeepsie
National Bank. They have six chHdren:
Helen North, Mina Louise, Raymond Mott,
Allen, Marion North and Louis North, Mr.
and Mrs . Frost are members of Christ
Church (Protestant Episcopal), and he is an
active supporter of its various lines of effort.
In his younger days he was much interested in
the fire department, and he is now a member
of the Veteran Firemen's Association. He
also belongs to the F. & A. M. and the K. of P.

l^x/lfRS, MARY MELVILLE WATKINS. As
a substantial citizen of Pawling, Dutch
ess county, the late Alexander Watkins was
widely known, and his high character as a man
drew to him the friendship and warm esteem
of those whom business relations had brought
into acquaintance. For many years he had
been engaged in business as a blacksmith, win
ning a reputation as a leading worker in his
line, and his death from pneumonia, in 1891,
caused sincere grief among the people who had
known him as neighbor and friend, as well as
among the closer circles of the home, where
the loss fell heaviest. He left a widow, Mrs.
Mary MelvHle Watkins, and six children by his
first wife. Miss Ella Dougherty, also survive
him, namely: Harry, Charles, William, Agnes,
Alexander and George.
Mrs. Watkins is a native of Brooklyn, N. Y. ,
and her education was acquired in the schools

of that city. Her family is of Irish origin, the
home of her ancestors being at Dublin, where
her grandfather, John Melville, was born, lived
and died. He was .educated in the schools
there, and became a carpenter by occupation.
He andhis wife, Madge Farrell, reared a family
of children, among whom was John Melville,
Mrs. Watkin's father, who was born in Dubliin,
but was brought to America at a very early age.
His education, which had already been begun
in the schools of his native place, was com
pleted here, and he then engaged in business
as a ship carpenter, and was employed in that
capacity for about thirty years in the navy
yard at Brooklyn, N, Y. , where his death oc
curred in 1863. He married Miss Mary How
ard, and of their four children Mrs. Watkins
is the only survivor, the others — James, John
and Bessie — having died in childhood.

ICHARD TITUS (deceased) was born in
the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county,
February 4, 1S38, and was a well-known citi
zen of that locality. [A history of his ancestry
will be found in the sketch of his brother Rob
ert.] His boyhood days were spent in Titus
ville, where he attended the district school,
and he later became a student at the private
school of E. R. Roe, in Cornwall.
Mr. Titus learned the business of paper
manufacturing in Columbia county, N. Y. , but
for many years . was a member ofthe firm of
E.- Titus & Sons, manufacturers of woolen
goods. When the Civil war broke out he re
sponded to the call for volunteers, and in Oc
tober, 1862, enHsted in the. 150th Regiment,
N. Y. V. I., which was assigned to the Army
of the Potomac. He served until the close of
the war, and his record as a brave soldier is a
truly precious legacy to his family. He en
tered the army as first lieutenant, was pro
moted to captain, and for gallant conduct was
breveted major. The war ended he returned
to Lagrange, and resumed his business, which
he carried on until his death, March 19, 1882.
He was a quiet, unostentatious man, fond of
his home and family, and universally liked and
respected by his associates. He was married
in the town of Lagrange September 5, 1865,
to Miss Harriet Hopkins, whose birth- took
place in that township May iS, 1841, and of
this union six chHdren were born, namely:
Elias, Elizabeth, Florence, AHda, Marion and
Richard William.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

859

Dr. William H. Hopkins, the father of
Mrs. Titus, was born in Carmel, Putnam Co.,
N. Y., February 3, 1S13. He was graduated
from the Medical Department of Yale Univer
sity in 1837, and in the foHowing year passed
as physician and surgeon of the State prison
at Sing Sing. In 183S he located at Sprout
Creek, in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess
county, taking the practice of Dr. Sleight.
On February 5, 1840, he was united in mar
riage with Jemima, daughter of Elias T. Van-
Benschoten, and the following children blessed
their union: Harriet, born May 18, 1841;
Elias T., September 3, 1843; John, July 8,
1845 ; Elizabeth, May 10, 1848; and William
G., February 28, 1850.
Dr. Hopkins remained at Sprout Creek
untH 1868, then went to Providence for a year.
In 1870 he removed to Hyde Park, wherein
connection with his practice he carried on a
drug store until his death, which took place in
1890. Dr. Hopkins' ancestors came over in
the "Mayflower" and he inherited the best
characteristics of his Puritan forefathers. He
was a man of much abHity, and held an hon
ored place in his profession. In poHtics he
was a Republican; socially a member of the
Masonic order; in Church connection, a vest
ryman and treasurer of St. James Episcopal
Church at Hyde Park.

JrOSEPH D. HARCOURT (deceased). In
1866 J. \y. Harcourt, of Albany, N. Y.,
obtained the escutcheon and genealogical
chart of the Harcourts, which traces that
family back to the remote period of A. D. S76,
and shows it to have been one of the most
ancient, honorable and wealthy in England.
Further research having been made, it has de
veloped that Richard Harcourt (i) was the son
of a sister of Francis Weston, and settled in
Warwick, R. I., about 1650. He married
Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Potter, who
was an ancestor of Bishop Potter. Richard
Harcourt (i) removed with the Townsends to
Long Island about 1656, and afterward became
one of the first settlers of Oyster Bay. He
was twice a member of the Court of Commis
sioners, and at Oyster Bay was constable,
justice of the peacfe and surveyor, appointed to
confer with the governor, which offices in those
days were among the very highest. His chil
dren were Daniel, Benjamin, Isabel, Elizabeth,
Mary Dorothy, Sarah, Mercy and Meribah.

Of Daniel nothing is known except that his
wife's name was Sarah, and that he moved to
New Jersey. Benjamin married Hannah Dick
enson, and had two sons, Nathaniel and Rob
ert. In his will Nathaniel speaks of his
' ' mother Esther, " probably Esther Townsend,
of Oyster Bay, as she was married to a Har
court. The residence of Richard Harcourt (i)
was situated about 200 yards from the present
steamboat landing at Oyster Bay, a beautiful
spot. The family gra\'eyard has been ploughed
up, and all traces of the headstones lost. The
Harcourt family has always been prominent
in the history of Wappingers Falls, and its
member are worthy of place in the records of
Dutchess county.
Richard Harcourt (2), father of Joseph D.,
was born September 27, 1779, in Milton,
Ulster Co., N. Y., a son, it is supposed, of
Nathaniel Harcourt, above mentioned. He
married Elizabeth Merrit, who was born De
cember 26, 17S8, in the town of Marlboro,
Ulster county, and eight children were born to
them, their names and dates of birth being as
foHows: Jane, 1805; Nelly M., 1807; John
W. , 1809; Caroline, iSii; Elizabeth, 181 5;
Mercy, 1819; Joseph D., 1S22, and Sarah A.,
1S24. The father of these, who had been a
farmer all his life, died July 12, 1827, the
mother on January 13, i860.
Joseph D. Harcourt, the subject of this
memoir, was born in Milton, Ulster Co., N. Y. ,
January 6, 1S22, and received his education
there. His first employment was as a clerk in a
store at Clintondale, from which place he went
to Albany, N. Y. , where, for about five years,
he was superintendent of a steamboat house,
which ran a steamboat over the People's Line
on the Hudson river. His next location was
at Wappingers Falls, whither he removed
after his marriage, and with whose interests
he was identified for over half a century. He
engaged in the mercantile business, which he
carried on until his death, October 13, 1S82.
He was married, March 4, 1844, to Miss Mary
E. Woolsey, who was born in the town of
Lloyd, Ulster county, September 4, 1823.
Her father, Daniel Woolsey, was from the
same township as was his father, Moses Wool
sey. The latter married Miss KHsey, and had
several children. Daniel married Miss Eliza
beth Deyo, the daughter of Noah Deyo, of
one of the old famHies of Ulster county. Of
this union seven children were born, as fol
lows: Abby, who married Monroe Deyo;

860

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Phebe, who became the wife of James Elting;
Mary E., who became the wife of our subject;
Warner, married to Sarah Allen; Roenna, who
married Orlando Elting; Anthony, married to
Phebe Curtis; and Charles, married to Hattie
Carmon, After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt
settled in Wappingers Falls, where Mrs. Har
court still makes her home. Here the follow
ing children were born to them: Jay D,, who
is interested in the machine and foundry busi
ness in Poughkeepsie; Mary E., married to
Denis Van Wyck, a native of Hopewell Junc
tion, Dutchess county (Mr. Van Wyck died
August 4, iSSo, leaving one child, Nellie);
Emma W. and Carrie, who died in infancy;
Elizabeth W. , married to Dr. I. M. Cornell;
Israel T. N,, a merchant at Wappingers Falls.
During his active life Joseph D. Harcourt
was one of the leading citizens of his village,
and took part in all matters of public interest,
such as schools, churches, etc., and was presi
dent of the Wappinger Savings Bank. He
was a liberal contributor to all worthy enter
prises, and did much to promote the growth
of the town. He was a kind husband and
tender father, and had many warm personal
friends who deeply mourned him. His widow
is a most estimable woman, and his children
rank among the best people of the village where
their parents spent so many years.

T^HOMAS REED, one of the oldest mem-
 bers of the. New York Stock Exchange,
and a well-known business man, now residing
at Rhinebeck, was born in that village, Sep
tember 14, 1822.
For many generations his ancestors resided
in Cumberland, England, and his grandparents,
Thomas and Anna (Hall) Reed, reared there a
family of three chHdren: Stephen, Mary and
John. Stephen Reed died in 1785. His son,
John, our subject's father, was born in 1777,
and received his education in his native place.
In 181 1, inspired with a desire to try his for
tunes in the New World, he came to America,
and locating at Rhinebeck, engaged in farm
ing. He was a Baptist in religious faith, and
ever active in furthering the cause of religion.
He married Elizabeth Scott, a daughter of
Robert Scott, one of the pioneers of Rhine
beck, who came to the county in 1795 from
Lincolnshire, England. Robert Scott was a
man of fine talents, and his excellent education

enabled him to become a very successful
teacher; in 1796 he opened a school at Rhine
beck, and enrolled the children of some of the
best famHies in New York City, many of the
pupils becoming men of note. Before coming
to this country, Robert Scott, though of a family
belonging to the Established Church, had be
come a Wesleyan, and traveled about his na
tive country preaching as a minister of that
denomination. He later became a Baptist,
and then followed his trade, that of cabinet-
making, until his coming to this country, and
also for a few weeks after he reached New
York. He became the founder of the Baptist
Church at Rhinebeck, and was the first pastor.
He died September 24, 1834, and his wife,
Elizabeth Kitching, survived him twenty years,
dying at the age of ninety-four. Of their four
children, Mrs. Reed was the eldest; Ellen niar
ried O'Hara D. T. Fox, of Ulster county; Ann
married Charles Logan, of Rhinebeck, and
died at the age of eighty-nine years; Mary mar
ried William Hughan, and died at Rhinebeck
in 1 831; and Jane married Jacob Dedrick, and
died at Saugerties. John Reed died in 1857,
and his wife in 1852. Of their two children,
Thomas, our subject, is the elder, and Mary is
now the wife of Cornelius A. Rynders, of
Rhinebedc. Thomas Reed received a good education
for his time in the schools of his native town,
and his later reading has made him un
usually well informed upon current topics.
His first employment was in the dry-goods
store of William B. Platt, as a clerk and later
as a partner, in all covering a period from 1837
to 1850; he then clerked in New York in the
wholesale dry-goods store of L. & V. Kirby
for two years, thence going to Saugerties,
where under the firm name of WHbur, Reed &
Russell he was engaged in the wholesale Blue-
stone and general merchandise businesses until
1864, since which time he has been connected
with the New York Stock Exchange. His
first partner as a stock broker was C. N. Jor
dan (the firm being Reed & Jordan), the pres
ent sub-treasurer of New York.
On June 7, 1851, Mr. Reed was united in
marriage with Julia A. Van Keuren, a daugh
ter of Garrett Van Keuren, and a grand
daughter of Abram Van KeUren, an early set
tler at Rhinebeck, and a soldier in the war of
the Revolution. Abram Van Keuren bought
the estate now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Reed,
in 1782, and built the house in which they now

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

361

live, and in which his death occurred in 1817.
To our subject and his wife have been born
six chHdren, namely: Cora married Rev.
Lewis A, Mitchell, of Niagara Falls; Anna
HaH is at home; Thomas Reed, Jr., an attor
ney and counselor at law, is a member of the
New York Stock Exchange; Sarah married
Frank Herrick, of Rhinebeck; Henry, Helen
(a member of the class of '86 of Vassar Col
lege) and Julia are at home. Mr. Reed is now
located on his charming estate at Rhinebeck,
and there, with his wife and family, is now
enjoying the fruits of his past labors. He is a
man of much public spirit, a Republican in
politics; and he and his family are members of
the Baptist Church, taking a generous interest
in its various lines of work, Mr. Reed is also
a member of the New York Historical Society.

iPV\EORGE T. BELDING, who passed from
^^ earth December 19, 1888, at the age of
fifty-eight years, was one of the prominent
citizens of Dover Plains, Dutchess county,
where, as a leader among men, his name is
held in reverence and honor. He was born
January 28, 1830, the son of Dr. SHas T.
Belding, of Dover Plains, who was quite a lit
erary man in his day. Previous to the out
break of the Civil war our subject had estab
lished a clothing store in Chicago, 111., but
after the close of that struggle he returned to
Dover Plains, and purchased the William H.
Belding farm in the town of Dover, which he
conducted for some time. He afterward
erected a three-story building in the village,
where he carried on merchandising up to the
time of his death.
During his residence here, Mr. Belding
was very influential in public affairs, as by his
strong force of character and undoubted integ
rity, he gained the confidence of the people,
who saw in him a man whom they could trust
as a guide, and well fitted to hold public office.
He filled many positions of honor and trust,
including that of supervisor, which he held for
several terms. His death left a vacancy hard.
to be filled, and was considered a severe blow
to the material interests of the town.
Mr. Belding was unhed in marriage with
Miss Sarah E. Adriance, who was the only one
of the three children born to John and Eliza
(Storm) Adriance that lived to adult age.
Both parents had been previously married.
To our subject and his estimable wife were

born five children: Elias S., who was born in
Chicago, and is now the wife of Henry Has
brouck, superintendent of the Ralston Brick
Company; Walter A., who married Caroline
Lawrence, by whom he has two children —
George T. and Chester L.; Fred K. , who is an
employe of the Harlem road; and Mary B. and
Harriet C, who died in infancy.
The Adriance family are of Dutch descent
and were among the early Holland people
who came to America. Mrs. Belding has the
coat of arms that was worn by Heinrich von
Adriance, who was bourghermeister of Frei-
burgh in 1549, and who is described in the
records as Friheir or Baron. The arms are a
cross upon a rock between two grape vines
supporting two wolves.
Abraham Adriance, the grandfather of Mrs.
Belding, was a native of Hopewell, Dutchess
county, born AprH 6, 1766, and after com
pleting his education in the common schools
always devoted his time to agricultural pur
suits. On July 13, 1788, he married Miss
Anna Storm, whose birth occurred in 1760,
and five children were born to them: John,
the father of Mrs. Belding; Edwin, who mar
ried Eliza O'Connor; Albert; Eliza, who be
came the wife of Richard Parmalee; and Cath
erine, who wedded Charles Carmen.
John Adriance was also born at Hopewell,
his birth occurring January 10, 1795, where he
graduated from the public schools, and after
learning the trade of silversmith established
himself in that business at Poughkeepsie. He
was associated with a Mr. Hayes, under the
name of Hayes & Adriance, and this firm did
a successful business. As the firm was one of
the best and most reliable, much of the solid
silverware in use in this part of the country
was stamped with their name. Mr. Adriance
was always of an inventive turn of mind, and
it was through his efforts that the famous
Buckeye Mower was placed upon the market.
He established the first plant for manufactur
ing that machine at Poughkeepsie, where he
also made plows and other agricultural imple
ments, but made a specialty of the mower and
he always conducted that business alone. As
previously stated, he was twice married, his
first union being with Miss Sarah Harris, a
daughter of Capt. Joseph Harris, of Pough
keepsie, and to them were born five chHdren:
George H., Walter, John P., Anna E. and
Blandena. (i) George H, Adriance, deceased, the first

362

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

son of John Adriance, Sr. , was born in Pough
keepsie and was educated there and at Dover
Plains. He married Miss Matilda Ross and
they had three children: George, Anna and
Nellie. In religious belief Mr. Adriance was a
devout Methodist.
(2) Walter Adriance, the second son, was
born and reared at Poughkeepsie, there ob
taining his education, and on reaching man
hood was united in marriage with Miss Cor
delia Brinckerhoff, a daughter of Derrick
Brinckerhoff, who was an agriculturist, and
belonged to one of the oldest families of
Dutchess county. Four children were born of
this union, as follows: William died in in
fancy; Sarah B. married Stanley Kipp, by
whom she has three children; Anna, who
wedded Henry Raynor, also has two children;
and Nellie died in infancy. Both daughters
now make their home in Rutherford, New
Jersey, John P. Adriance, the third son, was also
born in Poughkeepsie, where he attended
school, and was later a student in the Dover
Plains Academy, from which he graduated.
Going to New Preston, Conn,, at an early
age, he there engaged in merchandising for
sometime and was very successful. On sell
ing out that business he went to New York
City, where he conducted a hardware estab
lishment, associating with him Mr, Platt, the
firm being known as Adriance & Platt, who
were located at 165 Cortland street. Previous
to his removal to that city, however, he had
conducted a similar business in New Hamp
shire. The firm of Adriance & Platt became,
in a, short time, one of the leading business
houses of the city, and always held a high rep
utation. Owing to pressing business in Pough
keepsie, at the Buckeye Mower plant, which
was conducted by his father, Mr. Adriance re
moved to that city, though he still kept his
interest in the New York firm. Being a man
of superior business ability and good manage
ment, he assumed control of the works. Many
of his relatives find employment in different
ways with the firm. He always took a deep
interest in political affairs, but could never be
prevailed upon to accept public positions. He
took great pleasure in fast horses, and owned
some fine stock. An active Church worker,
all worthy projects and deserving people al
ways found in him a willing and ready helper,
but his charities were always performed in a
quiet way.

On June 22, 1891, John P. Adriance was
called from this life, and the following ser
mon, which was preached at his funeral,
plainly indicates the character of the man:
The greatness of sewing — Mark x:43-44. Whosoever
will be great among you, shall be your minister; and
whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of
all. Throughout the preaching of this sermon, I am sure
there has been in your mind, even as there was in mine
throughout the preparation of it, the thought of one, who
with abundant and most sincere sorrow was laid to rest,
only six days ago. Our loss is so fresh and deep that it
will force itself upon our attention at every turn, and to
take no notice of it this morning here in this church
which he loved so well, and helped so richly, were well
nigh impossible. Words of praise concerning him it is
needless for me to speak.
The silent sorrow permeating the whole city is elo
quent; and the spontaneous expression of esteem uttered
by all who were acquainted with him; the lamentations
of those who had been privileged to share his friendship;
and above all the' tender benedictions of the many to
whom he had been a generous benefactor are his best
eulogy. Nor would words of public praise be fittmg.
He never sought them, nay, he rather shunned them.
On these days when ostentation and flourish of trumpets
are found so often, even in philanthropic and religious
activity, it was delightful to meet one who was wholly
free from them — one who obeyed so constantly the divine
injunction : "When thou doest alms let not thy left hand
know what thy right hand doeth." And to proclaim his
good deeds openly now, pleasant as the task would be,
were a violation of the modest secrecy with which he
covered them. But the lesson of his life is plainly before
us and may be spoken of, though very briefly, from this
pulpit to-day,
John P. Adriance was unquestionably one of the
chiefest among our citizens. Public opinion, with no dis
senting voice, declares that no man held a higher place
in the confidence and esteem of his fellows, no man had
a wider influence, or will be more sorely missed. The
secret of his supremacy is the same which our text has
brought before us. There have been among us other
men more wealthy than he, just as wise and able in busi
ness matters, equally blessed with the graces which make
a charming social life. But his endowments, to a most
unusual degree, he constantly employed in the service of
others. Wealth to him was a sacred trust, and in public
gifts, and still more in private charities, known only to
the recipients and to Heaven, he made his money of serv
ice to all. Because he thus used it he found the true
power which lies in large possessions; and the envy and
the bitterness which riches often beget -were felt by none
toward him. The poor rejoiced in his prosperity, because
they felt it in a certain sense to be their own. In like
manner his practical wisdom and business ability were at
the service of all who needed it. The man who was in
perplexity and needed safe counsel came confidently to
him; he gave it — not as men often give, carelessly and
impulsively — but with the same due consideration and
deep thought, as if the matter were his own. The man
•who found himself amid the breakers of financial disas
ter, lost unless some stronger arm and cooler head should
take the helm, found such in him. There are business
men to-day, in this city and elsewhere, to whom in an hour
of greatest danger he came as an angel of salvation.
¦ And the joys of private life were of little value to
hjm, save as he could share them with others. His house
was like a home to the many to whom he gave a father's
thoughtfulness, a brother's love. His acts of gracious
service to those who were in sorrow, or trial, or loneliness,
or need of any kind, were numberless. To a remarkable
degree he put himself in your place, and acted according

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

868

to the revelation thus given. He was a great man; great
because he rendered great service. Up from the whole
city, from the hearts of poor and rich alike, from all sorts
and conditions of men, comes the common testimony —
" He ministered to me." Is not this true greatness ? Can
any other compare with it ? The secret of such a life of
all lives which humble themselves to help others, lies in
Christianity. It is possible only to one who walks hum
bly as the servant of God, who loves Christ, and seeks to
be like Him, and who looks upon all men as sufifering,
needy, helpless brethren of the dear Lord and Master of
us all. May each of us learn the lesson which lies in the
beautiful years of him we mourn to-day; and raay a
double portion of his spirit rest upon all who take up the
service from which he has been called to receive reward.
WhHe in New York City, John P. Adriance
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Ruth-
ven Platt, daughter of Isaac Platt, a wealthy
and retired merchant of that city. To them
were born the following children: Isaac R,,
who married Ada CampbeH; John E., who
wedded Mary Hasbrouck; Harris E., who
wedded Sarah Holmes and is a minister in the
German Reform.ed Church; William A,, who
married Minnie Horton; James Ruthven, who
died at the age of twenty-one; Francis, who
married Mary Hampton; and Marion R,, who
became the wife of Silas Woodell. All of these
children were college graduates.
James R. Adriance was the first of the
above family to pass away. He was born in
New York, June 8, 1856, but when only two
years of age was taken by his parents to
Poughkeepsie, and in that beautiful city on the
banks of the Hudson, his childhood and youth
were passed. He was fitted for college under
the care of Otis Bisbee, Esq., at Riverview
Academy, and in the summer of 1871, with an
older brother and another young man, sailed
for Europe in charge of Rev. Alfred E. Myers.
They spent a year in foreign travel, extending
their tour as far east as Athens, Constantinople
and Smyrna, returning the following summer.
He completed his preparatory studies and en
tered the freshman class of Williams College
in September, 1874. In the early spring of
1876, during his sophomore year, he entered
upon a Christian life, connecting himself at a
later period with the Second Reformed Church
of Poughkeepsie. He graduated with honor
in July, 1878, and was elected by his class,
one of the two marshals. He again sailed
for Europe toward the close of the summer,
and during the remainder of the Paris Expo
sition took charge of business connected with
his father's firm. Being particularly fond of
the study of languages, he at once entered
upon a course of instruction, with the view of
perfecting himself in the French language.

He remained in Paris through the winter for
that purpose, and in February joined a party
of friends who were visiting the south of
France and Italy, spending a few days in
Rome at the time of the Carnival. He there
contracted the fatal fever, which developed
itself soon after his return. He spent a short
time in Paris, and ten days in England, sail
ing for home Monday, April 7. After a dis
agreeable voyage they arrived on the following
Monday. After reaching home he was stricken
doWn, and, notwithstanding the best of care,
he died on April 21, 1S79,
(4) Anna E, Adriance, the oldest daughter,
married Dr. F. H. Simpson, who was a prom
inent dentist of Poughkeepsie, and was also
quite a musician, being a member of the Men
delssohn Musical Society of that place. They
removed to the far West. In their family
were five children: Annie, who died in infancy;
Albert A.; Sarah E., who married WiHiam
Egbert; Louis, who died in infancy; and Harry
Adriance, The second child, Albert, is now
employed in the Buckeye Works of Pough
keepsie, He married Miss Lizzie Campbell,
and they have a son, Albert Simpson.
(5) Blandena Adriance married Zebulon
Rudd, teller of the Fallkill bank of Poughkeep
sie. He was made cashier of the Dover Plains
National Bank at the time of its organization,
was later cashier of the First National Bank of
Poughkeepsie, and afterward engaged in the
brokerage business for himself. Three chil
dren were born to him: Charles A,, who
married Miss Ella Robinson, died in 1894;
John A. has been quite a traveler, and at one
time was engaged in the lumber business at
Seattle, Wash., but now makes his home in
Poughkeepsie (he married Miss Bertha Morgan,
of Nebraska, and they have one daughter —
Helen M.); Arthur B. attended Williams Col
lege, and is now a theological student in New
York City, preparing for the Episcopal min
istry. Mrs. Sarah (Harris) Adriance died June 3,
1S38, and for his second wife Mr. Adriance
was married to Mrs. Eliza (Storm) Orton,
whose birth occurred in 1804, a daughter of
Abram G. and Mary (Adriance) Storm, and
who by a former marriage had one son, who
died February 5, 1828. To the second mar
riage of Mr. Adriance were born at Pough
keepsie, N. Y., the following: Sarah E,,
September 27, 1842; and Susan and Mary,
twins, who died in infancy. The mother of

364

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

these chHdren died in 1845 and the father
April 19, 1873.

PHILIP HOAG is a worthy representative
 of a family long identified with the history
of Dutchess county. His grandfather, Benja
min Hoag, a farmer by occupation, was a na
tive of Dutchess county, born at Pawling, and
was a son of John Hoag. Being a member of
the Society of Friends, he could not take up
arms during the Revolutionary war, but -^Vas
ever a patriotic man. He married Miss Abi
gail- Wing, of Quaker Hill, Dutchess county,
and to them were born seven sons: (i) Elihu,
the father of our subject, who will be spoken
of presently. (2) PhHip married Barbara Lys-
ter, and had two children — Peter and Abby
Jane (of these, Peter married Hannah Tomp
kins, and had five children: Sarah Elizabeth,
Mahala Allen, PhHip Henry, Jane and Mary
Frances, the sons being in Ohio, the daughters
in Missouri. Abby Jane married Alfred Haight,
and had two children: Amanda and Cornelius,
the latter of whom lives in Michican, and has
two chHdren — Alfred and Edith; Amanda mar
ried Joseph Van Voorhes, and had five chil
dren — Mariam, Alfred, Court, Emily and Wil
lis). (3) Eliab died in infancy. (4) Sanford
married Mahala Allen, and had one son —
Charles, now deceased. (5) Matthew married
Sallie Spalding, and has two children — George
and Phcebe, both deceased. (6) WHlet mar
ried Jane Shears, and has one son — Benjamin,
living in Palmyra, Neb. , of which city he has
been mayor. (7) Abraham married Phoebe
Ferris, and had two children — Edith and San
ford. The last named (Sanford Hoag) married
Lydia Benson, and three children graced their
union: Edith, Elihu and Charles; Elihu mar
ried Ida Benton, and they have four daughters
— Gertrude, Eda, Ida, and Annie.
Elihu Hoag (the father of our subject), who
was always known as " Squire Hoag," was a
native of the town of Pawling, followed the
vocation of farming, and for a number of years
served as justice of the peace. He wedded
Arabella Marsh, daughter of Joseph Marsh, of
Connecticut, and five children graced their
union : Philip, the subject of this review ; Lang
don (deceased), who married Mary Dorland;
Hannah and Arabelle, both single, who reside
at the old home in South Dover; and Nora
A., deceased in infancy. Langdon, the sec
ond son, was born and educated in Dover

town, where he carried on farming for some
time, but the latter part of his life was passed
in Poughkeepsie. In the town of Dover, Dutchess county,
PhHip Hoag, our subject, was born June 23,
1 818. He attended the common schools, la
ter a select school at Warren, Conn., where
he paid $3,00 a term for tuition, and $1.25
for board, with flour at $11.00 per bar
rel. After leaving school he assisted his fa
ther upon the farm till the latter's death, after
which event he and, his sisters remained on the
homestead by their father's desire, and he has
ever since followed agricultural pursuits, to
which he was reared. He has held numerous
town offices with credit to himself, and to the
satisfaction of all concerned. In politics he is
an Old-line Democrat, and from boyhood has
been possessed of strong Prohibition tenden
cies. Always a great reader, he is well-in
formed on the general questions of the day, as
well as history. He has been executor for
many estates, both among his neighbors and
at a distance from home.
Mr. Hoag has been twice married, first
time to Miss Mary A. Ward, by whom he had
three children: (i) Nora, born in Dover, mar
ried Gilbert Taber, a farmer, and has four chil
dren — George (married to May Stevens), Will
iam, Wright (married to Ida Hufcut), and Mary
(married to G. A. Stripling). (2) Martha,
who was born in Dover town, married Rozell
Meade, a farmer of that town, and they have
children — S. Jennie, Nora B., MaryL. , Morris
P. and Jerry L. (3) Frank, also born in Dover
town, is there engaged in farming; by his mar
riage with Miss Elizabeth R. Stark, a daugh
ter of Cyrus Stark, of Dover, he has two chil
dren — Mary E. and Frank P. After the death
of his first wife, our subject married her sister.
Miss Sarah A. Ward.
Mrs. Hoag traces her ancestry back to
Peltiah Ward, who was born in England, and
who was one of five brothers — Ichabod, Pel
tiah, Ebenezer, John and Nathan — who in an
early day sailed from Ireland to America,
Peltiah locating in Massachusetts, where he
died. He was born December 21, 1689, and
was married December 20, 1725, at Killing-
worth, R. I., to Jerusha Kelsey. A son, Ich
abod, later moved to KHHngworth, R. I., and
thence to New York State, locating in Dutch
ess county. He was a captain in the Revolu
tionary war. Ichabod, the son of Peltiah, and
a farmer by occupation, was the great-grand-

PHILIP HOAG,

ELIHU HOAG,

FRAHK P, HOAG,

FRAHK HOAG,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

365

father of Mrs. Hoag. He was born in 1743,
in KHHngworth, R. I., and died December 30,
1822, in Dutchess county. He married Me-
hetable Marcy,, and to them were born nine
children: (i) Griffin married and had fourchil-
dren — ^John, who wedded Miss Carhart, daugh
ter of Jacob Carhart; Spencer, who married
Miss Pattie Soule; Annie, who became the wife
of a Mr. Traver; and Mehitabel, who married
William Lee. (2) Peltiah (the grandfather of
Mrs. Hoag) was born in 1770, and educated
in the town of Dover, and was a farmer and
cattle drover; he was married February 27,
1 79 1, to Miss Anna Soule, who was born Sep
tember 24, 1774, adaughter of Ichabod Soule,
and to them were borij five children — Henry,
who married Almeda Beardsley; Ira; Edward
P, (father of Mrs. Hoag); Griffin; and Sarah,
who married Miron Preston. Peltiah Ward,
the father of these, died November 2, 1830,
his wife on July 20, 1840. Henry Ward and
wife have four children, namely: George, born
December 18, 18 14, married Elizabeth Somers,
and they had a daughter, Frances, who mar
ried WilHam Sheldon; Jane, born November
17, 1 8 19, never married; Peltiah, born Decem
ber 31, 1 82 1, married Jane Hermance, of
Poughkeepsie, and to them were born six
children. He was first an attorney and later
a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and at the breaking out of the Civil war was
the presiding elder of the Ellenville district, N.
Y. He immediately recruited a company, of
which he became captain, went to the front,
and was killed at the battle of BuH Run, Vir
ginia, falling with the flag of the regiment,
which he was carrying at the time. Martha,
the fourth chHd of Henry Ward, was born
March 27, 1826, and married Jackson Bow
dish, by whom she has one child, a daughter,
Cornelia, who married A. Wing. The latter
was cashier of the Pawling Bank for thirty
years. His death occurred at Poughkeepsie,
N. Y. (3) Ichabod, an agriculturist, married
Rachel Hurd, and they have one child, Myron.
(4) Joseph, also a farmer, wedded Eliza New
ton, and they had seven children: Phcebe;
MariHa, who married Reuben Chapman; New
ton and Alfred (twins); Mrs. Eliza Flower;
Mrs. SaHie Sweet; and Mrs. Hetty Pool. (5)
Ebenezer, an agriculturist, married Miss Abba
Sheldon, daughter of Agrippa Sheldon, by
whom he had seven children: Waldo, Aman
da, Lodesca, Ebenezer, Polly, Henry and
Oneida. (6) John, an agriculturist, married

Miss Cynthia Cyher, daughter of Peter Cyher,
and they had one son. Griffin. (7) Jerusha
became the wife of Reuben Wooster, by whom
she has five children: Peter, Ichabod, Will
iam, Oliver and Hannah, (8) Mehitabel mar
ried Edmond Varney, a farmer, and they had
seven children: Alfred; John, who married
Alma Stone; MHton; Ann; Mrs, Almeda StHl-
well; Clarinda, who married Dr. D. T. Mar
shall; and Frances. (9) Polly married Dan
iel Cutler, a farmer, and they had seven chil
dren: John, Fannie, Elma, Mrs. Jane Dru-
fee, George, Ward and Amor.
Edward P. Ward, the father of Mrs. Hoag,
was born in the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, November 10, 1796, was there edu
cated, and was employed as a carpenter and
millwright. In February, 18 17, he married
Miss Amy Pray, who was born March 3, 1796,
a daughter of Andrew and Mary (Duncan)
Pray, and they became the parents of ten
children: (i) Andrew, who lives in Eden,
Fond du Lac Co., Wis., was born December
20, 1 8 17, married Miss Almere Sheldon,
daughter of Luther and Mary Sheldon, by
whom he had four chHdren — Annie, Mary,
Delilah and Sarah L. ; after the death of his
first wife; he wedded her sister. Miss Amanda
Sheldon, and they had two children — George
and Hasley. (2) Mary A. , born January 20,
1820, was the first wife of our subject. (3)
Hannah, born March 17, 1822, married Har
rison Sheldon, and they had two children — ¦
Marion, who became the wife of William D.
Williams; and Emily, who married George
*Preston (after the death of her first husband
Mrs. Sheldon married Cornell Waite, and
they had four children — Mary A., unmarried;
Henry, who married Adda Kingsbury, from
Alliance, Ohio; William, who married Annie
Davis; and Irving, unmarried; Mr. and Mrs.
Waite live in Dutchess county). (4) Thad
deus, born February 4, 1S24, married Lois
Dean, daughter of Zenus Dean, of Deposit,
Broome Co., N. Y. , and they had one son —
George, who married Ella Rosencroft, of
Ithaca, N. Y. ; Thaddeus is deceased, and his
family reside at Deposit, Broome Co., N. Y.
(5) Francis M., born March 27, 1826, married
Charlotte Northrup, and they had four children
— Josephine (who married Charles Lawrence),
John, Jesse and Bennie; Francis M. resides at
Newton, Sussex Co., N, J., and has been in
the Legislature three years, both as assembly
man and senator. (6) Louisa M., born Feb-

866

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

ruary 20, 1829, died unmarried. (7) Sarah
A., born September 17, 1831, is the wife of
our subject. (8) Henry, born September 1 1,
1835, married Bathsheba Barnes, and had six
children — Amy, single; Sarah E,, wife of Wal
lace Freeman, of Norfolk, Va, ; Henry B.,
single; Mary L,, wife of Albert H. Prentice;
Edna G. ; and Edward P. Henry, the father
of these, has for the past twenty-eight years
been a Presbyterian minister in Buffalo, where
he has built a fine church, and has a congre
gation numbering over 1,200. (9) Martha,
born November 4, 1837, died in infancy. (10)
Edward, born January 14, 1840, wedded Mary
Mygatt (whose parents were from Amenia,
Dutchess county), and had three chHdren —
Charles and Clinton, both unmarried; and a
daughter who died in infancy; Edward lives at
Deposit, Broome Co., N. Y. Edward P.
Ward, the father of this numerous family, died
August 15, 1855, and his wife on April 17,
1869. Mrs. Philip Hoag has been a member of
the W. C. T. U. of Dutchess county for the
past twenty years; is serving her fifth year as
vice-president of same; has been a delegate to
the National Convention of that society, three
times, and to the State Convention nearly
every year.

EvDWARD BUCHANAN MANNING, the
 'I superintendent of the extensive works of
C, S. Maltby at MHIerton, Dutchess county,
was born November i, 1847, on the Shenan
doah river in Jefferson county, W. Va. , than a'
part of the Old Dominion. The family is of
English origin, the first of the name settHng in
Virginia about the year 1774. Nathaniel
Manning, our subject's great-grandfather, was
born in New Jersey in 1738, was graduated
from Princeton College in 1762, and became a
physician and surgeon. Later he went to
England and was ordained as a minister by the
Bishop of London, and on his return to the
colony settled in Hampshire county, Va, ,
where he was in charge of a parish until his
death in 1776. ,
Jacob Manning, our subject's grandfather,
was born in New Jersey, and became a suc
cessful farmer. He married Miss Mary Ruth
erford, ne'e Darke, a widow, the daughter of
Gen. William Darke, an officer of the Revolu
tionary army, and a representative of one of
the wealthiest and most aristocratic families in

the State. He was a large landholder, and
his daughter inherited from him an immense
estate. He took a prominent part in public
affairs and in mHitary operations at various
times, and he and a son were with St. Clair at
the time of his defeat in 1791, when the son
was killed and the General wounded. Darke
county, Ohio, is named in his honor. The fol
lowing extract from a biographical sketch of
Gen. William Darke appears in Vol. XVII of
Harper's Magazine: " Hii name belongs to
the Biography of American Heroes; nor is it
unknown in the early statesmanship of Vir
ginia. Gen. Darke was in the State Conven
tion of 1788, and voted for the Federal Con
stitution. He was badly wounded at St.
Clair's defeat and his son, Capt. Joseph Darke,
was slain. He served previously in the Revo
lution and suffered long as a prisoner. He was
one of the Rangers of 1755 (then nineteen
years old), serving under Washington in Brad-
dock's ill-managed march toward Fort Du
quesne. He was born in Pennsylvania, but
came to Virginia in 1741, when six years old.
The splendid estate, where he reared his fam
ily, was on Elk Branch, Duffield's Depot be
ing included in it." This sketch also states
that Darke was one of the few officers who
served uninterruptedly throughout the Revolu
tionary war and the subsequent struggle with
the Indians in the Northwestern Territory — a
fact which is shown by the large grant of land
in this county (Jefferson) made to him by the
Commonwealth of Virginia. Jacob Manning
was not active in public affairs, but was prob
ably a Whig in politics. He died about 1824
and his wife in 1S42. They had four children:
Jacob, Mary, Nathaniel W. and Monroe.
Nathaniel William Manning, our subject's
father, was born in 1S14, in the Shenandoah
Valley, and followed the occupation of farm
ing, in which he was fairly successful. He
was a man of fine intelligence and studious
habits, and at one time studied micdicine with
Dr, Briscoe, a brother-in-law, although he
never practiced. In the political affairs of his
locality he was a leader, holding various offices,
including that of sheriff of Jefferson county.
He married Martha Craighill, daughter of
Price and Eliza (Little) CraighiH, This fam
ily was of Scotch descent and among the most
prominent of that region. The eldest son,
WHliam Nathaniel CraighHl, was the father of
William Price Craighill, who is chief of engi
neers in the United States army with the rank

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

367

of brigadier-general. He was second in his
class at West Point and was a professor there
for a number of years. The other children
were Addison, Martha (Mrs. Manning), John
Little, Samuel and Fenton. Mrs. Manning
died in 1876, and her husband survived her
only two years. Six children were born to
Nathaniel William and Martha Manning:
Fannie, Mary, William, Edward B., Addison
and Lucy, all of whom are living.
Edward B. Manning was unfortunate in his
early educational opportunities, as the war in
terfered with the schools of his neighborhood
during the years when he might have found
them most helpful. He had no schooling after
the age of thirteen, but his naturally quick and
intelligent mind has enabled him to remedy
the deficiency to a great extent and gain a
good, practical education. Among his recol
lections of the exciting scenes of his boyhood,
the trial and execution of John Brown are
prominent and he also visited him in his prison
cell. At the age of twenty he left home and
secured employment as a fireman on the Balti
more & Ohio railroad, in the west division, and
a year later he went to Jefferson county and
for five years ran a steam sawmill in the Shen
andoah Valley, in which he had an interest.
In the springof 1S73 he began to work for C.
S. Maltby, as engineer at his iron furnace in
Knoxville, Md. , and in the fall of the same
year he came to Millerton as assistant engi
neer. He soon became first engineer, and also
founder in charge of the furnace. In 1884 he
was appointed superintendent of the entire
plant, and this responsible position he still
holds with satisfaction to his employers and
great credit to himself. The furnace is now
closed and Mr. Manning takes charge of the
mine. He is actively interested in public
affairs and has a wide acquaintance with the
leading men of his native State, ex-Postmaster
General Wilson being one. Although he is
known as a Democrat, he is inclined to be in
dependent, being an advocate of protection
and sound money. He was elected highway
commissioner in 1889, 1890 and 1891, and
later was appointed to fill a vacancy, and he is
now the nominee of his party for the office of
supervisor. He belongs to the Masonic Order,
Webatuck Lodge No. 480, F. & A. M., of
Millerton, of which he has been master for
three years, and also to the Poughkeepsie
Chapter No. 72.
In 1880 Mr. Manning married Miss Jose

phine Traver, who was born in Frederick
county, Md. , and is the daughter of Freeman
Traver, a well-known citizen of Columbia
county. Mr. and Mrs. Manning have seven
children: William, Lucy, Perry, Nathaniel,
Virginia, Elizabeth and Freeman.

WILLIAM B. PLATT (deceased). The
 subject of this memoir, who was for
many years a prominent merchant of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, and later was presi
dent of the First National Bank of that place,
was a native of Poughkeepsie, born February
I, 1799. His family originated in England,
and his father, John Platt, who served in the
Revolutionary war, and was a farmer by occu
pation, was an early settler in Dutchess county,
coming from Long Island, where a branch of
the family had located some time before. He
married Catherine Barnes, by whom he had
three children, our subject being the second.
Isaac, the youngest son, was a resident of
Poughkeepsie, while Eliphalet became a prom
inent physician "at Rhinebeck and was noted
for his varied talents as well as for his skill in
his profession. There was also a half brother,
Henry. WHliam B. Platt engaged in mercantile
business in Hyde Park at an early age and in
1830 removed Rhinebeck and opened a general
store at the northwest corner of Montgomery
and W. Market streets. After conducting it
alone for several years he formed a partnership
with Christian Schell, which lasted for a num
ber of years, when Mr. Platt retired. He then
became interested in the First National Bank
as director, and was soon after chosen presi
dent, which position he held with marked abil
ity until his death. He was never active in
politics, although, first as a Whig and later as
a Republican, he took keen interest in the
questions of his time. In various religious and
philanthropic movements he was a helpful fac
tor, and he was for many years a leading offi
cial in the Reformed Church.
On December 6, 1826, Mr. Platt was mar
ried to Miss Sarah C, Stoutenburgh, born in
1807, the daughter of John I, and Sally (Grif
fin) Stoutenburgh, of Hyde Park. Two chH
dren blessed this union: John H. (deceased),
born in 1S27, was a well-known lawyer of New
York; and Elizabeth, born in 1830, married
Charles H. Adams, a prominent manufacturer
of knitted goods at Cohoes, N. Y. They had

368

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

two children — a daughter, Mary Egberts
Adams, now the widow of Robert Johnston,
who was interested in the Harmony Mills at
Cohoes (she has one son, Robert, born in i88-2),
and a son, William Platt Adams, formerly in
the knitting business, but now retired.
Thp subject of our sketch departed this life
in 1879, his death bringing a sense of loss to
all who had ever come within his influence.
Nine years later his wife followed him, and the
remains of both now rest in the cemetery at
Rhinebeck, Thoroughly progressive, and ever
loyal to the interest of his town, Mr. Platt was
a leading citizen of his day, and was esteemed
and loved by everyone for his mental ability
and moral worth. His personal appearance
was most prepossessing, his manners genial,
courtly and refined, and his kind heart and
well-stored mind made him a valued friend
and companion.

JOHN G. WAIT, a prominent dairyman and
agriculturist residing near Dover Plains,
Dutchess county, was born July 8, 1829,
in the town of Unionvale, where his family
has been well known for many years. He
was educated there, and in early manhood
engaged in his present business, which he has
conducted twenty-eight years, keeping as many
as fifty cows. In local affairs he has taken
an influential part, holding various township
offices at times, and supporting the principles
of the Republican party. He married Miss
Catherine Van Wagoner, a descendant of one
of the old families of Clinton, Dutchess county,
and has had six children : Hattie, the wife of
Arthur Benham; Sophia and Joseph, who are
not married; Franklin, who married Sarah
Schermerhorn, and they have one child — Eva;
Minnie, who is at home; and Isaac P. (de
ceased). The ancestors of the Wait family were
early settlers of Rhode Island, where Joseph
Wait, our subject's grandfather, was born and
educated. He settled in Unionvale, town of
Dover, and he and his wife, Sarah (Draper),
reared a famHy of eight children, of whom,
Joseph Wait, our subject's father, was the
eldest. Of the others, George married Lucinda
Beatty; Patience married Robert Cornwall;
Catherine married William McDowell; Mahalie
never married; Helen was the wife of Beria
Suthern; Mary married a Mr. Hall; and Sarah
was the wife of Braria Austin.

Joseph Wait was born in the town of
Unionvale, Dutchess county, in 1797, and
after 'acquiring the education afforded by the
time and locality he learned the carpenter's
trade, and engaged in house buHding. He was
the leading builder of the day there, having
erected most of the houses in the township,
besides the churches in Dover and the resi
dence now occupied by our subject. He mar
ried Miss Amelia Applebee, by whom he had
ten children : Helen, Catherine, Edgar, Mary,
Oliver and Nannie, all six now deceased; the
others are: Charles, who married (first) Susan
Bertram, (second) Anna Kelley, and (third)
Sarah Porter; John G., our subject; William
M., who married Louisa Russell, and James E.,
who married Carrie Rozell.
Mrs. Waite's ancestors have been engaged
in agricultural pursuits in Clinton for several
generations, and her grandfather, Solomon
Van Wagoner, was born there. He married
Hannah Ham, and had eight children, of whom
two died in infancy; the six who lived to ma
turity were: Perlee, our subject's father;
Alonzo, who married Mary Dart; Lewis, who
married Polly Finks; Margaret, the wife of
Stephen Harris; Mary, who never married;
and Julia A., the wifeof Stephen Hoag. Per
lee Van Wagoner was also a lifelong resident
of Clinton, where he was well known and highly
respected. He and his wife, Hattie (Traver),
had four children, Mrs. Wait being the eldest;
Mary J. married C'nancey Isabell; Theron is
not married; and Cornelia is the widow of Dyer
Holdridge. Our subject owns a fine farm of 219 acres
of land at Lithgow, in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, which he farms in connection
with the place of 365 acres, on which he has
resided some twenty-one years. He has a
beautiful home, and he can look upon his pos
sessions with pride, as he came by them through
his own efforts.

F

RANKLIN LENT HAIGHT, a well-known
teacher of this section, is at present the
superintendent for eastern New York and north
ern New Jersey of the business of the Central
School Supply House, of Chicago, III., the
largest dealers in school specialties in the
United States. In this occupation, as well as
in his previous career as a teacher, Mr. Haight
has been eminently successful, his work in es
tablishing agencies, meeting school boards and

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

369

superintendents, and others interested in the
purchase of supplies, being performed with
tact and ability, and the introduction of many
new and valuable methods and appliances into
the schools of this section may be attributed
largely to his judicious exposition of their
worth. Apparatus for teaching physiology,
and a new series of relief forms showing the
topographical features of the earth's surface,
are the main specialties.
The Haight family appears to have de
scended from Baron Johanus Von Height, who
went from Normandy to Britain during the
thirteenth or fourteenth centuries. The imme
diate ancestors of the American branch were
among the earliest settlers of Massachusetts,
Simon Haight (or Height, as it appears on dif
ferent records), with his wife and three or four
chHdren arriving from England on the ship
"AbigaH," in 1628 or '29, and settling at Sa
lem, Mass, , under Endicott. The descendants
are now very numerous, and are located in
various parts of the country, many of them, in
past, as well as present times, occupying places
of trust and honor.
Mr. Haight was born at Fishkill, Dutchess
county, November 7, 1853, the son of Sylva
nus Haight, a well-known agriculturist. He
was a native of Putnam county, N. Y. , born
March 20, 1823, and his wife, Margaret Lent,
was born in Westchester county, September 17,
1825. Both are living, as are seven of their
eight chHdren, viz: Anna A. , Mary Z. , Eugene
H., Frederick C, FrankHn L., Sherman and
Howard. Katie, the sixth child, died at the
age of six years. After attending the Fishkill
schools for a time Mr. Haight, in 1874, en
tered the State Normal School at Albany, and
was graduated in 1876. He then taught suc
cessfully in the public schools of southern
Dutchess county for nearly fifteen years, and
in 1893 he accepted the position which he now
fills so ably. In politics he is a Republican.
Mr. Haight has a charming home, known
as "Sylvan Place," an estate of about twenty
acres, located on Hopewell avenue, three-
fourths of a mile east of Fishkill Village. The
house is spacious, and the grounds in front of
it, 125x225 in extent, are beautified by large
maples and other shade trees. There are two
orchards on the property, containing a variety
of fruit, including seventy apple trees and five
hundred peach trees, with some pear trees.
Mr. Haight married Miss Anna Snook, daugh
ter of Gilbert Snook, a life-long resident of
24

FishkHl, and his wife, Antoinette (Young),
formerly of Westchester county. Two chil
dren were born of this union: May Elizabeth,
in 1883, and Clifford Lent, in 1884. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Haight are active members of
the M. E. Church at FishkHl, with which he
has been connected as trustee and steward for
several years.

J CORNELIUS HAIGHT. The Haight
family, which has been prominent for
many years in this section, both numerically
and by virtue of their ability and energy ini
various lines of effort, is of Puritan ancestry,
and the subject of this sketch, a well-known'
retired business man of Fishkill-on-Hudson, is
of the eighth generation in direct descent from.
Simon Halt, or Hoyt, or Hoit, who was borm
in 1595, in Dorsetshire, England, and died.
September i, 1657, at Stamford, Conn. He
was one of the Puritans who left their native
land for America on October 6, 1628, in the
vessel "Abigail," with Col. John Endicott,
who was afterward appointed Governor of the
colony. Second Generation: John Hoyt, the eld
est son of Simon, was born in Dorsetshire,
England, in 1614, and died September i,
16S4, at Rye, Westchester Co., N. Y. He
was fourteen years old when he landed in this
country, and lived for some years in Massa
chusetts, later at Fairfield, Conn., and in 1665
moved to Westchester county, N. Y. , being
one of the grantees who purchased land of the
patent of Thomas PeH. He married Mary
Budd, and had five chHdren: Samuel, Mary,.
Rachel, John and Simon.
Third Generation: John, the fourth child
of John and Mary Hoit, was born at East
Chester in 1665. On June 26, 1696, he was
chosen town clerk of Rye, Westchester coun
ty ; as constable in 1 702 ; as supervisor in 1 7 1 1 ;
served as a representative or member of the-
Assembly from 1712-13-14-15. In 1716 he
was justice of the peace, and was honored.
with the distinctive title of "Mr." John
Haight. He was again chosen supervisor in
1717-19-20. He was chosen churchwarden
of Grace Church, at Rye, in 1719. He had
been a vestryman in 17 12. On February 11,
171 5, he was one of a committee appointed to
lay out the tract of land purchased from the
Indians, and on March 13, 1721, he obtained,
from King George II, Royal letters of Patent

370

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

to the Charter of White Plains. His father,
in company with Joseph Budd and Daniel
Purdy, had also received letters of patent from
the crowned King George I, to a large tract in
W^estchester county, containing about 1,560
acres. Mr. John Hoit married Elizabeth
Purdy, daughter of Daniel Purdy, and had
eight chHdren, as foHows: John, Samuel,
Jonathan, Joseph, Daniel, Elizabeth, Eunice
and Mary.
Fourth Generation: Daniel, fifth child of
John and Elizabeth Haight, was born about
1688, died at Yorktown, Westchester Co.,
N. Y. , in 1772, a prominent Episcopalian.
He married in 171 8 Elizabeth Norton, daugh
ter of Joseph Norton, and had nine chHdren:
Joseph, James, WiHiam, Daniel, Jonathan,
JRachel, Jemimah, Elizabeth and Charity.
Fifth Generation: Joseph, born at York-
town, Westchester Co., 17 19, died in Phillips-
town, July 30, 1776; married Hannah Wright,
daughter of John Wright, of Yorktown, West
chester Co., N. Y. They both died of smallpox
on the same day, only an hour and forty-eight
minutes apart. Their twelve children were:
Mary (or Polly), John, Joseph, Sylvanus,
Stephen, William, Daniel, Beverly, Hannah,
Phebe and Esther (twins), and Martha. Phebe
married Col. Zebulon Butler, of the Revolu
tionary army. Daniel, the father of Joseph,
purchased a tract of land on the water lot of the
PhHlips patent, called Phillips Precinct, old
Dutchess (now Putnam) county, in 174S, con
taining 640 acres. Joseph (his father having
.given him a deed in 1750) moved from Rye,
Westchester county, to Phillipstown in 1751,
and erected a log house by the old Indian
path on the west side of Clove creek. In
1765 he built the first frame house on the east
side of Clove creek, all the material for it
being made on the farm, which at that time
contained a sawmill, blacksmith shop and car
penter shop. Joseph and two of his sons were
carpenters. Sixth Generation: Capt. John Haight,
son of Joseph and Hannah (Wright) Haight,
¦was born at Rye, August iS, 1743, and on
March 20, 1770, in the old Col. Beverly Rob
inson house, in Putnam county (from this house
the traitor Arnold made his flight), was mar
ried to Merriam Swim, who was born Decem
ber 25, 1749, at Highland FaHs, daughter of
Cornelius Swim, of Highland Falls, Orange
county. Mr. Haight was a prominent man, a
captain in the Revolutionary army in the Sev

enth Regiment, otherwise called Col. Henry
Luddington Regiment (John Haight, captain,
date of appointment May 28, 1778), and served
throughout the war. In 1807 and 1808, he
was a member of the Assembly from Old
Dutchess county (comprising both Dutchess
and Putnam). In 1813 he was associate jus
tice of Putnam county, and in 1820 served as
judge of the Putnam Court of Common Pleas.
In religious affiliation he was a member of the
old Presbyterian Church of Brinckerhoff, and
held the office of ruling elder for forty years,
which incumbency he filled with satisfaction to
his constituents. His death occurred July 15,
1S36, in the old Haight homestead at Phillips
town, Putnam county. To Mr. Haight and
his wife were born the following children:
James, Joseph I., Cornelius I., Sylvanus,
Henry (deceased in infancy) John, Henry,
Mary, Stephen, Jacob I., Hannah, and Miriam,
widow of Capt. John Haight, March, 1842.
Beverly Haight, son of Joseph and Hannah
(Wright) Haight, and brother of Capt. John
Haight, was born in 1763, and married Char
ity, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Larrabee)
Hustis. They had eight chHdren, as follows:
Elizabeth, Joseph, Joshua, Mary, David,
Esther, Beverly, and John.
Seventh Generation: Beverly Haight, son
of Beverly and Charity (Hustis) Haight, and
father of our subject, was born at the old
homestead in the town of Fishkill, Dutchess
county, March 30, iSoi, and passed his life
there, being actively engaged in farming until
his sixty-fifth year, when he retired. He
served as assessor of the town of Fishkill,
1859-60. He was twice married, his first wife
being Eleanor Burroughs Haight, who was the
daughter of Cornelius I. and Hannah (Bur
roughs) Haight, granddaughter of Capt. John
Haight. She was born February 10, 1800,
in the town of East Fishkill, Dutchess county,
and died January 24, 1866, in PhiHipstown,
Putnam county. They were the parents of our
subject. For his second wife Beverly Haight
was married, November 16, 1S68, to his sec
ond cousin, Susan A. Mead, daughter of Rob
ert and Sarah (Purdy) Mead, of Newburg,
Orange county. She died in Newburg Octo
ber 2, 18S2, leaving no issue.
Eighth Generation: J. Cornelius Haight,
our subject, was born at the old farm July 16,
1S35, and was the only child of his parents.
His early education was acquired in the joint
district schools of Fishkill and Phillipstown, in

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

871

the academy at FishkHl Village, and in the
English Classical school kept by the Rev. Dr.
Pingree, at Roseville, N. J. On completing
his course of study, he returned home and
worked for his father during the following
season. The next two winters were spent in
teaching at Davenport's Corners, Putnam
county, and then, after a few months as clerk
in the store of Daniel J. Haight, of PeekskHI,
N. Y. , he went home for a time. He has been
twice married: In the winter of 1S58 he wed
ded Miss Sarah Jane, daughter of Henry
Warren and Jane (Mekeel) Haight, and a lin
eal descendant of Uriah Mekeel, one of the
earliest settlers near Cold Spring, Putnam Co. ,
N. Y. In the spring of 1S59 Mr. Haight was
employed in a store at Union Corners, near
Hyde Park, but after a few months he moved
to Matteawan and entered the service of the
Seamless Manufacturing Co., of which D. W.
Gitchell was manager. He remained there
two years, when the attractions of the old
home and the free life of a farmer led him to
return to the homestead. His first wife, Sarah
Jane, died December 4, 1873, and September
5, 1877, he married Julia Matilda Raynor, who
was born in New York City September 9, 1 842,
daughter of John and Mary A. (Bijatall) Ray
nor, of the same city. One child, Willie Ray
nor, was born to this union, August iS, 1878,
but died in infancy.
Until 1880 Mr. Haight assisted his father,
and then bought a farm in the town of Wapping
er, for four years enaging in horticulture there.
Selling out in 1884 he moved to FishkHl Plains
for one year, and then to Arthursburg, where
for a year he was in the dairy business, and
for the year following was engaged in garden
ing, and in carrying the mails from Arthurs
burg to the station. In 18S6 he went to Fish
kill village, spending a year with a son-in-law,
John R. PhHlips, then removed to Phillipstown,
and lived at the homestead of his mother's
family until May, 1S95, when having purchased
a tract of land in FishkHl-on-Hudson from Mrs.
Sophia Grohl, and built a residence thereon,
he removed to that place. He now owns ten
building lots there.
As an ardent Republican Mr. Haight takes
an active share in party work, and has been a
delegate to several county conventions. Since
1856 he has been a member of the M. E.
Church, of which he has now been a steward
for eight years and trustee for six years. He
and his wife are both helpful in Church work.

and are teachers in the Sunday-school. He
is also a member of the Sons of the Revolu
tion. Of his nine children by his first wife
five died in infancy, and a brief record of the
others is as follows: Eleanor A., the eldest
survivor, married John R. PhiHips, of Fishkill,
and died March 20, 18S6, leaving one son,
Charles H. Edgar Holden resides at the Bev
erly Haight homestead. Beverly W. is in the
grocery business at Newark, N. J. Grace A.
married Charles D. Rogers, a farmer and dairy
man near Fishkill village. Mr. Haight has
been engaged for several years past in the
compilation of a genealogy of the Haight
Family with the expectation of publishing it
in book form.

1IR KIN FAMILY, whose name both in past
J^^ and present times has been closely asso
ciated with the most important events in the
history' of this section, is of Scotch origin.
John Akin, the first ancestor of whom there
is a definite account, was born in Scotland in
1663, and when about seventeen years of age
he came to America and located at Dartmouth,
Mass. He married Mary Briggs, who was
born August 9, 1671, a daughter of Thomas
Briggs. Of their ten children, the eldest son,
David, born September 19, 1689, at New
Bedford, Mass., engaged in farming, and after
his marriage to Sarah AHen came to Dutchess
county and made his home at Quaker Hill.
Two children were born to him, John and
Jonathan. John Akin, the great-grandfather
of Miss Mary J. Akin, of Pawling, married
Margaret Hicks, by whom he had one son,
John; that son, John, married Mollie Ferris,
and had the following chHdren: Albro, Sarah,
Margaret, Ann, Daniel and Amanda. John
Akin also had three daughters: Ann, Mary and
Abagail. Albro Akin, our subject's father, was born
at Quaker HiH, March 6, 1778, and in his day
was one of the leading citizens of Dutchess
county. On March 24, 181 5, Gov. Daniel D.
Tompkins appointed him to the office of judge
of the court of common pleas for life, as was
the custom in those days. When he was sixty
years old he resigned, having been judge for
twenty-three years. This position he filled
with distinguished ability. His first wife,
Paulina Vanderburgh, who was born Decem
ber 15, 17S3, died in iSio, leaving three chH
dren: Albert John, who married Jane WiH-

872

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

iams; Almira V., the wife of Joshua L. Jones;
and Helena Maria, who married John W. Tay
lor. Mr. Akin's second wife, Sarah (Merritt),
died without issue, and he married a third wife,
Jemima Thorne Jacacks, daughter of David
and Mary (Thorne) Jacacks. Seven chHdren
were born of this union: (i) Mary J., who
has always been a leader in the social life of
the locality, filling every duty with grace and
dignity. Among other events in which she
took part was the ceremony attending the
opening of the Harlem railroad, where she was
chosen to hand the shovel to the one who
broke the first sod for that undertaking. (2)
William Henry, who married (first) Martha
Taber, and (second) Sarah Miller, and had
two children: Albro, who married Emma Read,
and has two children — Albert and Helen ; and
Amy, who married Benjamin Aymer Sands,
and has one daughter — Mary E. (3) Cornelius
is still single. (4) Gulielma Maria Springet
Penn was named after William Penn's wife,
whose name was Gulielma Maria Springet
Penn, (5) Amanda, who married Dr. Charles
W, Stearns. (6) Annie, who married Will
iam Hamilton Ogden, and has one daughter —
Harriet Hamilton. (7) Caroline, who married
Adolph WHm-Beets, from Hamburg, Ger
many.

LEACH FAMILY, THE, which has long
 : held a prominent position in the town of
Pawling, Dutchess county, is one of Colonial
stock, and by intermarriage it is related to
others of our leading pioneer families, notably
the Akin and Ferris lines, so well known in the
history of this region. The genealogical rec
ords of these families give interesting data of
the early times.
Amos Leach (I), the head of the Leach
family, came from Wales to America with two
brothers, and landed in Massachusetts. After
living there for some time he moved to Con
necticut and settled in Leach Hollow, town of
Sherman. He married Mercy Martin, of Do
ver, Dutchess county, and to their union were
born seven sons and five daughters, as follows:
(i) Amos Leach (II) married Deborah Wan
zer, November 25, 1752, (2) John Leach
married (first) Martha Wanzer, April 2, 1760,
and (second) Hannah Page, July 9, 1772; he
removed in 1785 to New Fairfield, Vt,, with
his large family of chHdren, where many of
his later descendants are still living; he was

the executor of his father's will, which is now
on file at Danbury, Conn. (3) Simeon Leach
married Elizabeth Prindle, January 22, 1766.
(4) Ephraim Leach married Dorothy Bennett,
February 8, 1762. (5) Ebenezer Leach is
more fully spoken of farther on. (6) James
never married. (7) Ichabod Leach married
Ruth Marsh, January i, 1776. (8) Mercy
Leach married Ebenezer Wright. (9) Sarah
Leach married Silas Hall, January 4, 1757.
(10) Jemima Leach married David Prindle,
January 19, 1763. (11) Miriam Leach mar
ried Samuel Marsh, November 13, 177 1. (12)
Johannah Leach married Thomas Northup,
August 25, 1757.
Ebenezer Leach, fifth son of Amos Leach
(1), married Mary Marsh, daughter of Elihu
and Mary Marsh, whose children were: Elihu,
Joseph, Samuel, John, Daniel, Amos, Sophia,
Eunice, Lydia, Mary and Ruth. Ebenezer
Leach and his wife Mary (Marsh) had three
children: Lucy, who married Husted Wan
zer; William, who is mentioned below; and
Susanna, who married Gilbert Lane, and had
eleven children.
William Leach (I), second child of Ebe
nezer Leach, was married 25th of the loth
month, 1792, to Charlotte Stedwell, who was
born 19th of 5th month, 1772, daughter of
GHbert and Mary Stedwell. To William Leach
and his wife were born the following children:
(i) Anna Leach, born 27th of 9th month, 1793,
married Abraham Wanzer (no issue). (2)
Mary Leach, born nth of loth month, 1795,
died November 30, 1875, aged eighty years;
she married Philo Woodin, of Columbia, N.
Y., February 26, 1822, and had three chil
dren. (3) Moses W. is more fuHy spoken of
below. (4) Lucy Leach, born 4th of 7th
month, 1800, died May 28, 1885, aged eighty-
five years lacking five weeks, married Ebene
zer Wanzer, October 26th, 1820, and had
three children. (5) Susan Leach, born 21st
of 1st month, 1S03, died February 27, 1885,
married George Mooney, November 17, 1825,
and had five chHdren. (6) Phebe Leach, born
13th of 6th month, 1805, died January 16,
1867, married Jacob Wanzer, October 26,
1826, and had six chHdren. (7) Ira Leach,
born 4th of loth month, 1807, died May 7,
1857, married Elizabeth Haviland, November
12, 1830, and had three children. (S) MerrHt
H, Leach, born nth of 12th month, 1809,
died October 13, 1850, aged forty-one years,
ten months; he married (first) Phebe Dorland

HARTIB" LEACH,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

373

Purdy, and (second) Susan W. Marriot, Octo
ber 10, 1838, by whom he had three chHdren.
(9) Paulina Leach, born 26th of 12th month,
181 1, died July 14, 1882, in the seventy-first
year of her age; she married Dr. David Sands,
of New York City, June 16, 1834, and had
eleven chHdren. (10) WiHiam Leach (II), born
4th of 6th month, 181 5, died October 19,
1874, aged fifty-nine years, four months and
thirteen days, married Catherine Peck, of
Brookfield, Conn., and had three chHdren.
(11) Jane Charlotte Leach, born 31st of ist
month, 1818, died March 9, 1852, aged thirty-
four years, one month, married David Sanford
Dunscomb, of Reading, Conn., and had three
chHdren. The father of this family died No
vember 20, i860, aged eighty-nine years and
thirteen days. The mother passed to her final
rest in September, 1846, aged seventy-four
years and four months.
Moses W. Leach, third chHd of WHliam
Leach (I), was born iSth of 3rd month, 1798,
died October 18, 184S, aged fifty years and
seven months. He married Phebe Akin, Sep
tember 26, 1 82 1, and they became the parents
of seven children, as follows: (i) Peter A. , born
January 16, 1824, died March 29, 1888, aged
sixty-four years, two months and sixteen days.
(2) Anna A., born October 19, 1825, died Au
gust 31, i860. (3) Lillius Cornelia, born
August 22, 1829, is the one who furnished the
data for this memoir. (4) Isaac A., born No
vember 20, 1833, died July 22, 1855. (5 & 6)
Elizabeth F. and Abigail (twins), born April
9, 1837; the former died May 17, 1856, aged
nineteen years, one month and four days, the
latter died August 8, 1837, aged four months.
(7) Martin, whose portrait here appears, was
born September 6, 1839, at Kinderhook, Co
lumbia Co., N. Y., and is the only male de
scendant living of this Leach family. He had a
high-school education, is a farmer by occupa
tion; he is living at the old Akin homestead, as
is also his sister, Lillius C. In religion and
politics, father and son represent the same.
Moses W. Leach, the father of this inter
esting family, was of an ingenious turn of
mind, and invented the first mowing machine.
He had a good education for his day, and was
well-informed on all questions of the times in
which he lived. In religious faith he was a
member of the Friends Society, and in politics
he was a stanch Democrat, but no office-
seeker. Jonathan Akin (I), son of David and Sarah

Akin, of Quaker Hill, the great-grandfather of
L. C. Leach and her brothers and sisters, was
represented in the government; also his grand
son, Jonathan Akin (II), the son of Isaac A. and
Anna Wing Akin, of Pawling. The fore
fathers were people of large estates, and agri
culturists by profession. The Akin family were
people of high standing, and were well known
at home 'and abroad.
Genealogy of the Akin Family, of
Dartmouth. — John Akin, of Scotland, emi
grated to America about 16S0, and settled at
Dartmouth, Bristol Co., Mass. He died June
13, 1744, aged eighty-three years. He was
twice married, first to Hannah Briggs, and
(second) to Miss Sherman. He had fifteen
children, namely: (i) David, born September
19, 16S9, married Sarah Allen, and they set
tled on Quaker HiH. (2) Thomas, born March
20, 1702, married Abigail Allen, of Dartmouth,
in 1727, (3) James, born August i, 1706,
married, November 14, 1728, Anne Fish; his
second wife was Ruth Sandford. (4) Benjamin
married Eunice Taber, September 13, 1739;
second wife, Lydia Almy; third wife, widow
Barker, from whom he separated in about one
year; he died in iSoo, aged eighty-seven years.
(5) Ebenezer, who was a militia captain, died
November 16, 1770. (6) Timothy, born June
6, 1695, died a bachelor, (7) Elihu, born Au
gust 6, 1720, married Ruth Penny, in 1744;
for his second wife he married Miss Wilcox,
when he was seventy years old. (8) Joseph
was lost at sea. (9) Deborah, born December
30, 1692. (10) Mary, born January 23, 1697,
married a Mr. Aldin, and died aged over ninety
years. (11) Hannah, born March 12, 1699.
(12) Judith, born January i, 1691, married
John Getchel, April 10, 1727; she died aged
ninety-three years. (13) Elizabeth, born May
20, 1704. (14) Susanna, born September 27,
1718, married Hicks, of Fall River. (15)
Abigail. David Akin, eldest son of John Akin, came
to Quaker Hill and there settled. He and his
wife Sarah (Allen) reared a family of ten chil
dren, as follows: (i) John Akin married Mar
garet Hicks, of Portsmouth, R, I,, January 29,
1742, she died October 8, 1803, and he passed
away April 7, 1779. (2) Mary Akin married
Abraham Thomas, at Dartmouth, July 24,
1740. f3) EHsha Akin married Elizabeth
Tripp, July 5, 1734. (4) Josiah Akin married
Judith Hurdleston, of Dartmouth, in 1746. (5)
Abigail Akin married Murry Lester, (6) Sarah

374

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Akin died young. (7) Hannah Akin married
James Birdsall. (8) James Akin married
Patience Howard. (9) David Akin (II) mar
ried Deborah Gray. (10) Jonathan Akin
(born July 26, 1737) married Lillius Ferris,
daughter of Benjamin (I) and Phebe (Beecher)
Ferris. They had eight children, whose
names and dates of birth and their matrimon
ial partners are here given: Elizabeth, April
3, 1758, married Peleg Howland, son of Na
thaniel Howland. (2) Isaac, August 27, 1759,
married Anna Wing (daughter of Jersham
Wing and Rebecca, his wife), moved to Canada,
and their two children were — Martha, who
married Daniel Merritt, and Jonathan Akin (II),
who married Harriet Taber. (3) Martha,
March i, 1761, married William Taber, son
of Thomas Taber. (4) Benjamin, October
26, 1762, married Martha Palmer, daughter
of John and Hope Palmer; moved to Green
bush; Benjamin Akin was drowned in the Hud
son river. (5) AbigaH, March 9, 1764, mar
ried Mathew Pendergast, and had two children
— WHliam and Lillius. (6) SybH, November
26, 1767, married William Field. (7) WHliam,
June 13, 1769, married Matilda Cary, daughter
of the eldest Dr. Ebenezer Cary (lived in
Greenbush). (8) Peter is more fully referred
to below. Peter Akin, of Pawling, Dutchess county,
was the youngest child of Jonathan and Lillius
(Ferris) Akin, grandson of David and Sarah
(Allen) Akin, of Quaker Hill, and great-grand
son of John Akin, of Scotland, who came to
America about 16S0, and settled at Dart
mouth, Bristol Co., Mass. He was born Jan
uary 8, 1 77 1, and married Abigail Ferris, only
child of Mathew and Sarah (Kelly) Ferris.
They became the parents of the following chil
dren: (i) Sarah Akin married Jesse Skid-
more, and had four children, viz.: Peter A.,
who married Ruth Moore; Andrew J., who
married Fannie Wing; and Elizabeth and Abi
gaH (both deceased). (2) Mathew F. Akin.
(3) Phebe Akin, born September i, 1803,
married Moses W. Leach, died February 21,
1S58, aged fifty-four years [record of chHdren,
etc., given in Leach genealogy]. (4) Lillius
Akin married Daniel P. Haviland, and had
nine children, as follows: Elizabeth F. mar
ried Thomas Wetherald; William T. married
Elizabeth D. Hoag; Abigail A. married Philip
H. HavHand; Isaac H. died August 15, 1858,
aged eighteen years; Jonathan A. rnarried
Angeline Hungerford; Daniel J. was drowned;

Lydia W. married Merritt Haviland; Lillie A.
married Samuel R. Neave; and Joseph H.
married Ella Patchen. (5) WHliam P. Akin,
born July 23, 1810, died August 16, 18S2,
aged seventy-two years and twenty-three days;
he married Lydia Moore, October 23, 1S33,
and to their union came the following chH
dren: Ruth M. Akin married Franklin Haight
(deceased); Abigail F. Akin married Charles
Wild; Jonathan Akin married Anna Tweedy
(both now deceased); Lydia Akin married
Cyrus Hiliker (deceased); Anna M. Akin mar
ried Daniel Edward Wanzer (both now de
ceased). (6) Isaac Akin (2) died February 17,
1863, aged forty-nine years. (7) John Akin
died March 28, 1S29. (8) Peer Akin died in
October, 1S05. (9) Infant son, died 1797.
(10) Infant daughter, died 1799. The father,
Peter Akin, died December 2, i860, aged
eighty-nine years, ten months and twenty-five
days. The mother, AbigaH, passed away July
16, 1844, aged seventy years.
Genealogy of the Ferris Family. —
Samuel Ferris and Jerusha Reed, Presbyterian
or Puritans, came from Reading, England,
probably about the year 1678. There are
records in Stratford showing that the Ferris
family were in America in 1650.
Zachariah Ferris, son of Samuel Ferris,
married Sarah Noble in 1698, and had eight
children, whose names with dates of birth are
as follows: (i) Deborah, June, 1700; (2) Jo
seph Ferris, September 27, 1703, married
Hannah Weltch, November 11, 1 72 5 ; (3) David
Ferris, May 10, 1707; (4) Benjamin Ferris,
November 10, 1708; (5) Sarah Ferris, Novem
ber 10, 1 7 10 (the first white child born in New
Milford. Conn.); (6) Hannah Ferris, August 6,
171 2; (7) John Ferris, February 6, 17 14,
more fully spoken of below; (8) Zachariah,
September 30, 171 7. Five children of this
family, viz. : David, Benjamin, Hannah, John
and Zachariah became eminent and valuable
Quaker preachers. Their lovely mother also
became a Friend or Quaker in the early days
of that society.
Benjamin Ferris, fourth child of Zachariah
Ferris, married Phebe Beecher, of Litchfield,
Conn. They had eight chHdren, whose names
with dates of birth are here given: Zebulon,
born March 19, 1729; Reed, born August 16,
1730, married Anna Tripp; Susannah, born
September 8, 1731, married Elijah Doty;
LHHus, born July 9, 1736, married Jonathan
Akin, son of David Akin; Benjamin, born Sep-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

375

tember 25, 1738; Gilbert, born March 15,
1740; Phebe, born and died 1734; and Ed
mond, born July 4, 1748.
Benjamin (III) Ferris, son of Benjamin (II),
married Mary Howland, and seven chHdren
were born to them, as follows: Walter, Jan
uary I, 1768; LiHius, September 25, 1769;
Wayman, September, 1771; Edwin, February
20, 1778; Peleg, January 21, 1781; Ebor, May
26, 1784; Phebe, January 28, 1788.
John Ferris, seventh child of Zachariah (I),
and grandson of Samuel Ferris, was tortured
and killed by the Indians betwen 1740 and
1750. He married, and had two children —
Zachariah and Huldah (the last named married
a Mr. Beardsley). Zachariah married Huldah
Adams, granddaughter of John Adams, from
Wales, who lived to the age of 1 10 years. To
their union were bom the following children:
(i) Mary, who married Seth Whittock, and
had one daughter — Nannie, who married Philo-
men Prindle, and had eleven children; (2)
Betsey, who married Ebor Ferris, son of Ben
jamin Ferris, of Quaker Hill, thus bringing to
gether the two branches of the family. They
had twelve children, of whom three died in
childhood, and one, Zachariah, in 1825, at the
age of seventeen. (3) Julia Ann, married Cal
vin Hyde, and had nine children.

LEWIS D. HEDGES (deceased) was for
 I several 5'ears one of the leading merchants
of Pine Plains, Dutchess county. He is a na
tive of that section, born at Jackson Corners,
town of MHan, Dutchess county, in 1S12, and
on both the paternal and maternal sides was
descended from old English families, who lo
cated on Long Island at a very early day in the
history of this country. His grandfather, John
Hedges, was there born, and his farm on Long
Island is now owned by one of his grandsons.
He there married Jerusha Hunting, daughter of
Rev. Hunting, the first Presbyterian minister
on that island, who had seven daughters.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hedges were born seven chil
dren: Mrs. Jerusha Huldred; Mrs. Lucinda
Hedges; Mrs. Harriet Hand; Stephen; John;
Josiah; and Harriet, who died unmarried.
Prior to 18 12, Josiah Hedges, the father of
our subject, removed to Dutchess county, lo
cating in the town of Milan, where he engaged
in farming, and was one of the prominent and
representative men of the community. He was

united in marriage with Elizabeth Dibble,
daughter of Christopher and Eliza Dibble, and
to them were born two children: Mary, wife
of Isaac Smith, whose descendants now live at
Millbrook, Dutchess county; and Lewis D.
The father was called from this life in 1844,
and his wife died in 185 1.
In the district schools of the town of MHan,
Lewis D. Hedges secured his elementary edu
cation, and being a great reader he became a
well-informed man. In 1 840 he began general
merchandising in Pine Plains, and later formed
a partnership with William Davis, which con
nection was continued for about a year. He
carried on mercantile pursuits up to the time
of his death, which occurred on January 4,
1859, and met with a well-deserved success.
His first location was where the opera house
now stands, but he later removed to the store
which is now owned by W. S. Eno. He was
one of the foremost merchants of the place, and
was highly respected by all with whom he came
in contact. On August I, 1844, Mr, Hedges led to the
marriage altar Miss Mary Pulver, daughter of
Andrus and Margaret (Thomas) Pulver, who
were of English descent. Her paternal grand
father, Nicholas N. Pulver, resided on a farm
east of the vHlage of Pine Plains, and by his
marriage with Polly Parks had children :
Andrus, Nicholas, Filer, Mary, Sutherland,
Matilda, Lewis and Julia. His death occurred
in 1850, and his wife died in December, 1S56.
The father of Mrs. Hedges was born in iSoo,
and in later life purchased of Dr. Reynolds
what is now known as the " Stissing Hotel, "
but was then called the " Pulver 's Hotel, "
which he conducted for many years. He
stood very high in the estimation of his fellow
men, and had the confidence of all who knew
him. In his family were three chHdren who
grew to years of maturity: Mary; Frances
Thomas, wife of Henry Myers; and Cornelia
B., wife of Egbert Van Wagner. The mother
of Mrs. Pulver bore the maiden name of Den
ton, and her mother was a Peck. Mrs. Pulver
for her second husband married Henry C.
Myers. Two daughters blessed that union:
Elizabeth, wife of B. C. Rizedorf, and Mar
garet, who married (first) Eben Husted, and
(second) WilHam Juckett.
Three children blessed the union of Mr.
and Mrs. Hedges: Lewis M., of Chicago,
who married Catharine O. Crononin; Henry C. ,
who is at the head of the advertising agency of

376

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Barnum's circus; and Elizabeth, wife of Isaac
RolHns, of the town of MHan, by whom she
has two children — Mary H. and Lewis H. H.
In politics, Mr. Hedges affiliated with the
Whig party, was very positive in his views, and
was greatly interested in all local political
affairs. He was public-spirited and progress-
sive, giving his support to all measures for the
benefit of the community, and was an impor
tant factor in the upbuilding of the locality.
He was one of the reliable members of the
Presbyterian Church, and was a conscientious
Christian gentleman.

J WATSON VAIL, a prominent citizen and
leading photographer of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, whose gallery is located
at Nos. 254 and 256 Main street, is a native of
Dutchess county, born May 18, 1849, on a
farm in the town of Unionvale, where the
family have lived for several generations.
They were of English origin, and the great
grandfather of our subject, who served as a
captain during the Revolutionary war, was
born probably on the old family homestead in
Unionvale. There the birth of Israel Vail occurred, and
on attaining adult age he was united in mar
riage with a Miss Hall, also a native of Dutch
ess county, by whom he had nine children:
Hiram, who became a builder and, later, a
banker of Amenia, Dutchess county; Jarvis, a
farmer of Dutchess county; Isaac, who was
also an agriculturist; Edmond, the father of
our subject; Hubbard, a mason by trade; Alan
son, who carried on farming; Mary, wife of
Alfred Van Black, a miller of Unionvale; Re
becca, who never married; and Phoebe, wife of
James Losee, a farmer. On the old homstead
the father of this family departed this life.
Edmond VaH, the father of our subject,
was born and reared there, and educated in
the district schools of the neighborhood. He
wedded Martha Husted, who was born in the
town of Washington, Dutchess county, and
was a daughter of Lewis Husted, a farmer by
occupation and a native of Dutchess county,
his birth having occurred in the same house
where his father was born. The parents of our
subject began their domestic life upon a farm
in the town of Unionvale, but later removed
to Poughkeepsie, where the father was en
gaged in the insurance business until his death
in 1884. In politics he was an ardent Repub

lican. The parental household included five
children, namely: Lewis H., who is president
of the Dutchess County Insurance Co. ; Her
bert, now engaged in clerking; J. Watson, the
subject of this sketch; Alonzo H., who is in
partnership with our subject, and is also in the
insurance business; and Dr, Edwin S., a spe
cialist, who is engaged in the practice of medi
cine at Enfield, Connecticut.
Until he was seventeen years of age J.
Watson Vail, whose name introduces this
record, remained upon the home farm, assist
ing in its cultivation and attending the com
mon schools of the locality. His first inde
pendent effort in life was as an employe in a
carriage factory which he entered in 1865, and
there remained for about a year and a half.
He then took instructions in photography un
der Isaac N. Van Wagner for about fifteen
months, after which he went to Fishkill, N. Y.,
where he opened a small gallery; but at the
end of five months he returned to Poughkeep
sie. On May 20, 186S, he opened his present
gallery, where he has since successfully en
gaged in business.
On April 5, 1S76, Mr. Vail was united in
marriage with Miss Flora H. Sterling, of
Poughkeepsie, a daughter of Junius SterHng, a
dry-goods merchant of that place. Her father
was born in Salisbury, Conn., and was the'
son of William C. Sterling, who owned large
iron interests in that State, but later in life
came to Poughkeepsie, and was president of
the FallkHl National Bank. The political
support of Mr. Vail is given the Republican
party, in the success of which he takes a deep
interest. In manner he is pleasant and genial,
in disposition kindly, and is universally held in
the highest regard.

m SA B. CORBIN. The Corbin family is
^^^ well known in the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, and its members in every
generation have given evidence of the qualities
which constitute good citizenship.
John Corbin, the father of the subject of
this sketch, was a native of that town and
passed his Hfe there, acquiring his education in
its public schools, and engaging in agricultural
pursuits on arriving at manhood's estate. He
was a devout Methodist, working actively to
advance the cause of religion, and was beloved
throughout the community. He married So
phia Burdick, and had three chHdren, of whom

ASA B, CORBIH,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

877

Asa B. was the second. The eldest, John
Corbin, Jr., was born in the town of Pawling,
and his education was obtained in the public
schools. He was engaged in business as a
carpenter and wagon maker during the greater
portion of his life. He and his wife MatHda
(Ferris), had one daughter, Alice, who was
born in Pawling, is now the wife of Mr. Gar
ner, a farmer in Connecticut, and they have
one child. The youngest of the three children
of John Corbin, Sr. , Betsy, born 1813, mar
ried Horace Haviland, and died March 28,
1894. Our subject was born December 16, 1814,
was educated at the common schools, reared
on a farm, and learned the trade of a carpenter,
later also that of wagon maker. Some forty
years ago he established that business, in con
nection with undertaking, in Pawling, and con
tinued same up to his death which occurred
February 28, 1887. He was a man of good
executive ability, and accumulated a fine prop
erty. On December 16, 1859, he married
Mary L. Allen, and they had one daughter,
Grace A., born September 22, 1866, now the
wife of Alonzo M. Leach. The mother died
June 16, 1889; she was born April 25, 1835, a
daughter of Horatio and Hannah (Pendley)
Allen, farming people of the town of Pawling,
who had a family of four children: Susan,
Ruth, Gideon and Mary L. Asa B. Corbin
was a progressive man, originally a Whig, and
later a Republican in politics, finally joining
the Prohibition party on its formation, and in
i860 he served as supervisor of his county. In
temperance work he was extremely active,
giving freely to the cause of his time and
money, and he was a zealous member of the
M. E. Church.
Alonzo M. Leach was born January 18,
1855, ill Sherman, Conn., a son of David W.
and Samantha M. (Hawes) Leach, who were
the parents of three children, Alonzo M. being
the youngest. Florence, the eldest, married
Edward P. Briggs, a merchant of Sherman,
Conn., and they have one child, BeHe.
Charles I., the second in David W. Leach's
family, married Ida H. Wanzer, and they have
had two children, Ray, and one that died in
infancy. They live on the old farm in Leach
Hollow, Conn. The Leach family are of
Scotch extraction, and trace their pedigree
back to Ichabod Leach, who was one of three
brothers (sons of Moses Leach) who came
from Scotland. David W. Leach, the father

of Alonzo M., was born in 1822, a son of
David Leach. He was a Democrat, served as
a captain in the old State militia, and was a
member of the State Legislature, besides hold
ing other minor offices at various times. Sa
mantha M. (Hawes) Leach (the mother of Al
onzo M.) was the third in the family of thir
teen children born to David Hawes and his
wife. She died in 1877.
Alonzo M. Leach received his primary ed
ucation at the common schools of the neigh
borhood of his boyhood home, afterward at
tending the Golden HHl Institute, Bridgeport,
Conn., where he was graduated in 1874. He
then worked on a farm until 1S82, in which
year he came to Pawling, where he entered
the employ of Merwin & Holmes, general mer
chants, with whom he has remained ever since,
with the exception of one year he spent in
Bridgeport. On October 19, 1892, he and
Miss Grace A. Corbin were united in marriage.
They have one chHd, Helen M., born Decem
ber 31, 1894. In his political preferences Mr.
Leach is a Republican.

C\OURT B. CUNLEY, the well-known to-
' bacconist of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess coun
ty, was born near Hillsdale, Mich., November
13, 1838, a son of Daniel and Sarah Ann (Van-
Voorhees) Cunley.
Our subject spent his boyhood at FishkHl,
attending the public schools. He learned the
tobacco trade of the John Jay Cox Co. , at
FishkiH, and then went to New York City,
where he finished his trade. Returning to
Fishkill he again worked for the John Jay Cox
Co. , subsequently going to Red Hook and
again to New York City. In 1867 he came to
Poughkeepsie, and started business at the old
stand established by Rudolph Griner in 1835.
Mr. Cunley began the manufacture of cigars
in 1S79, and in 1882 moved into the store he
now occupies.
Our subject was married at Fishkill, June
II, 1858, to Sarah J., a daughter of Morgan
Owen, and their children were: Frank G.,
Minnie V. and Fred. Mr. Cunley is a mem
ber of Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 266, F. & A.
M. ; Poughkeepsie Chapter No. 172, R. A, M. ;
Commandery No. 43, Knights Templar; King
Solomon's CouncH of Royal and Select Mas
ters; member of the N. Y. Mystic Shrine of
Mecca Temple; thirty-second Degree of Aurora
Grata Consistory of the Valley of Brooklyn,

378

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

N. Y. ; past exalted ruler of the Elks; member
of the K. of P. No. 43; and of FallkHl Lodge
No. 297, 1. O. O. F. He attends the services
of the Hedding Methodist Episcopal Church.
In politics our subject is a Republican, and for
six years represented the Third ward in the
city council. He was on the water board for
three years, and for the same length of time
on the Alms House board. He was a pro
moter of the Electric Light & Power Co., in
Poughkeepsie, and was chairman of the Hght
ing committee in the council. As it was
through his zeal that the plant was put in, he
was called the "electric light alderman." He
has always taken a great interest in politics.
Since living in Marshall street he has built
three houses, and he also owns property on
College avenue and Grand avenue.
Daniel Cunley, the father of our subject,
was born June 12, 1801, in Stuttgart, Ger
many, where he received his schooHng. He
was in the German army for five years. In
1822 he came to Fishkill and worked in a
woolen-mill as dyer, and was married in that
town to Miss Sarah Ann Van Voorhees, who
was born in Fishkill, October 20, 1809. They
went to HiHsdale, Mich., soon after their mar
riage, making the journey by packet on the
canal and across Lake Erie. In Hillsdale he
bought a farm of about 352 acres, but, becom
ing afflicted with the ague, he sold out and
moved to Allegany county, N. Y. , and farmed
there; but on account of the fever and ague he
again sold out and returned to Fishkill, where
he remained until his death, September 25,
18S5. Mrs. Cunley died February 29, 1884.
They had the foHowing chHdren: Court B.,
our subject; WHliam H,, born in 1840; George
A., born in 1S43; and Mary, John Wesley and
Fletcher, who are deceased.
The following is the pedigree of the Van-
Voorhees family, taking only our subject's
branch. The full record of this family makes
a volume of over 700 pages. The EngHsh
meaning of the Holland name of Van Voor
hees is "from before Hees," Van meaning
"from" and Voor meaning "before." Hees
being a small vHlage about a quarter of a mile
south of the town of Ruinen, in the province
of Drenthe, Holland, which, in 1660, con
tained nine houses and about fifty inhabitants.
The earliest of the family of whom we have
any definite information is Coert Alberts of
Voorhees, the father of the emigrant ancestor,
Steven Coerte Van Voorhees, and from the

fact of his second name being Albert, with the
terminal " s," we know that his father's first
name must have been Albert.
I. Coert Alberts Van Voorhees had seven
children, of whom Steven Coerte Van Voor
hees was the eldest.
II. Steven Coerte Van Voorhees was born,
in 1600, at Hees, Holland, and died February
16, 1684, at Flatlands, Long Island. He
married ( i ) in Holland (wife's name not known) ;
(2) prior to 1677 on Long Island, WHlempie
Roelofse Senbering, born in 1619, died in
1690. He emigrated from Hees, AprH, 1660,
in the ship " Bontekoe " ("Spotted Cow"),
November 29, 1660. He purchased from Cor
nelis Dircksen Hoogland nine morgens of corn
land, seven morgens of woodland, ten morgens
of plain land, and five morgens of salt meadow
in Flatlands, Long Island, for 3,000 guilders.
He also bought the brewery. He and his wife
were members of the Dutch Church of Flat-
lands. III. Coert Stevense Van Voorhees (third
chHd of No. II), born 1637, died 1702, mar
ried 1664 to Marretje Gerritse Van Comoen-
hoven, born April 10, 1644, died 1709. He
was a representative of Flatlands in the Gen
eral Assembly at New Amsterdam city hall
April 10, 1664, and delegate to the convention
of March 26, 1674, at New Orange, to confer
with Governor Colve. He was deacon of Dutch
Church, magistrate 1664 to 1673, and captain
of mHitia in 1689. He had nine children, of
whom Johannes Coerte Van Voorhees was the
youngest. IV. Johannes Coerte Van Voorhees, born
AprH 20, 1683, married (i) November 19, 1703,
Barbara Van Dyck, (2) May 2, 1744, Sarah
Van Vliet, died October 10, 1757. After his
first marriage he left Flatlands and settled at
Freehold, N. J. , on a farm of 200 acres. From
there he moved to Rombout precinct, now
Fishkill, Dutchess county, buying 2,790 acres
of land of Philip Verplanck, of the manor of
Courtlandt. He was one of the organizers and
many years elder of the Dutch Church at Fish
kHl village. The tombstone in the Dutch
church-yard bears this inscription: "Here
lyes the body of John Van Voorhis, aged sev
enty-five years. Deceased October 10, Anno
I7S7." V. Coert Van Voorhees (second child of
No. IV) was born AprH 5, 1706, married June
16, 1727, Catherine FHkin, died March 19,
1785. He lived at Fishkill.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

379

VI. Zachariah Van Voorhees (tenth child
of No. V), was born March 25, 1748. Mar
ried (i) February 12, 1772, Anna Lawrence,
born August 27, 1751, died December 10, 1781 ;
(2) November 25, 1786, to Nancy Springsteen,
who wasborn May 15, 1763, and died February
9. 1851. He died July 3, 1811. He resided
at FishkHl. VII. Coert Van Voorhees (third child of
No. VI) was born July 15, 1777, married May
8, 1803, to Elizabeth Palmer, born 1787, died
December 17, 1869. He died in 181 8.
VIII. Sally Ann Van Voorhees (third chHd
of No. VII) was born October 20, 1809. She
married Daniel Cunley, and died February 29,
1884. IX. Court B. Cunley (eldest child of No.
VIII) was born November 13, 1S38.

S\AMUEL VAN COTT (deceased). Among
) the sturdy, energetic and successful farm
ers of Dutchess county, who thoroughly under
stand the vocation they follow, and conse
quently are enabled to carry on their calling
with profit to themselves, vsas the subject of
this sketch, who was actively engaged in agri
cultural pursuits in the town of Lagrange, some
fourteen years.
Our subject was born in the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, February 8, 1S26, and came
of Holland lineage. His grandfather, John
Van Cott, who wasborn in Long Island, N. Y. ,
married a Miss Titus, and in their family was
Stephen Van Cott, the father of our subject,
who was also born on Long Island, and en
gaged in farming, in the town of both Dover
and Washington, Dutchess county. He was
united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Doty,
and to them were born the following children:
Nelson (deceased), Martha, Jane, George
Samuel, and Caroline and Oliver (both de
ceased). Samuel Van Cott was reared amid the hills
of the town of Washington, and there breathed
the spirit of freedom and independence which
was so largely characteristic of him. He se
cured his education in the common schools,
and early in life received a home training upon
the farm, which well fitted him for the calling
he so long followed. He was born in the
town of Dover, but most of his boyhood days
were spent in the town of Washington, where
he remained until nineteen years of age, when
he went to Onondaga county, N. Y. , there

conducting a store for a short time. For five
ytars he was engaged in farming in Broome
county, N. Y. , after which 'he went to Cali
fornia, where he remained ih the mining dis
tricts some three years. Returning to New
York State, he again located in Broome county,
where for some time he followed agricultural
pursuits, and was also engaged in the same oc
cupation in Herkimer county several years.
Later, for seventeen years, he conducted a
farm in Onondaga county, but in 1S82 he re
turned to Dutchess county, and made his
home in the town of Lagrange until his death,
which occurred February 6, 1896.
On Long Island in 1S60, Mr. Van Cott
married Miss Elizabeth R. Velsor, daughter of
John Velsor, and the following named five
children blessed their union: John, Valentine,
Henry R., George S. and Charles P. A
stanch adherent to the Republican party, Mr.
Van Cott took an active interest in politics.

^ ENRY JOSEPH TAYLOR, a highly-re-
'IL spected citizen of Poughkeepsie, Dutch
ess county, is a native of New York, born at
Highland Falls, December 4, 1862. Many of
the ancestors of our subject were natives of
Dover, Dutchess county, where his paternal
grandfather's birth occurred; but most of his
life was passed in Danbury, Conn., at which
place he was employed as a hatter.
The father, Ezra Taylor, was also born at
Dover, where his early education was received,
and for ten years he there worked as a me
chanic, after which he removed to Spuyten
Duyvel, N. Y. , where he worked at his trade
for several years. He then went to West
Point, N. Y. , where he was employed by the
government until 1885, and during the Civil
war enlisted there in the Union service, but
did not leave that post. For over twenty
years he made his home at Highland Falls, N.
Y. , where he was highly respected by his fel
low citizens. He was a man of excellent edu
cation, with scarcely an enemy in the world, of
a retiring disposition, and, though often ten
dered public office, would never accept. At
Dover, Dutchess county, Ezra Taylor married
Deborah Lee, daughter of Thomas Lee, but
she died in April, 1892, leaving five chHdren:
Royal E., a carpenter of Peekskill, N. Y, ;
Martha A,, wife of Capt. H. H. Meeks, of
Yonkers, N. Y. ; Warren Madison, who is con
nected with the Ansonia Clock Company, of

380

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

South Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Henry J., subject of
this review; and William E., head salesman
for C. Crum, furniture dealer, at Newburg,
New York.
The boyhood days of Henry J. Taylor
were spent at Highland Falls, where he at
tended school until sixteen years of age, when
he came to Poughkeepsie and for three years
worked for his uncle, William Taylor, in the
grocery business. He then went to New York
City, where he remained five years, being em
ployed by the New York, New Haven & Hart
ford Steamboat Company, and on his return
to Poughkeepsie was in the grocery store of R.
B. Cary for one year. The following five
years he worked for Holmes & Boice, after
which he went to Arlington, where he and his
uncle, William Taylor, engaged in the grocery
trade, under the firm name of Taylor & Tay
lor, for a couple of years. On selling out his
interest to his uncle, our subject entered the
employ of E. S. Craft, with whom he has re
mained since July, 1894.
On October 24, 1888, at Highland Falls,
Mr. Taylor was united in marriage with Miss
Olive T. Faurot, daughter of Capt. Theodore
Faurot, and their union has been blessed with
two children: Lee Faurot, born in July, 1889,
and Henry Earle, born in October, 1892. Mr.
Taylor has made many friends since coming
to Poughkeepsie, and by all who know him he
is held in the highest esteem.

DC. TRIPP, M. D., the leading physician
 .' and surgeon of the town of Beekman,
was born July 6, 1848, at Ithaca, N. Y. , the
only child of F. W. and Rebecca (Taber)
Tripp, the former of whom was a native of
Pawtucket, R. I., the latter of New York.
The father owned and operated a machine-
shop at Ithaca, where the iron work fpr canal
boats, etc., was turned out.
Our subject, after completing his educa
tion at the schools of his native town, entered
the office of Dr. S. P. Sackett, where he com
menced the study of medicine. Subsequently
he attended Bellevue Hospital Medical College,
New York City, where he was graduated in
1S75. For a time he practiced on Twenty-
fourth street, that city, while 'taking a post
graduate course, but being persuaded by his
relatives to return to Ithaca, he did so, and for
the following seven years was in active prac
tice there.

While attending medical college in New
York, the Doctor met Miss Sarah Elizabeth
Sands, daughter of Dr. Samuel Sands, of
Darien, Conn., towhom he was married June
5, 1S78. On April 3, 1885, he became a resi
dent of the town of Beekman, Dutchess coun
ty, having bought the practice of Dr. Clark A,
Nicholson, who soon afterward died. He was
the leading physician of the locality, and Dr.
Tripp has proven himself a worthy successor.
Successful from the start, he has a large and
growing practice, not only in the town of
Beekman, but in the towns adjacent on the
west. He stands high among the medical fra
ternity of the county, and is a member of the
Dutchess County Medical Society.

JUDGE ANDREW COLE (deceased). A
man's reputation is the property of the
world. The laws of nature have forbidden
isolation. Every human being either submits
to the controlling influence of others, or as a
master spirit wields a power either for good or
for evil on the masses of mankind. There can
be no impropriety in justly scanning the acts
of any man as they affect his public and busi
ness relations. If he is honest and eminent in
his chosen field of labor, investigation will
brighten his fame, and point the path that
others may follow with like success. From
among the ranks of quiet, persevering, yet
prominent citizens there is no one more de
serving of mention in a volume of this charac
ter than Andrew Cole, who departed this life
at his late residence in Pleasant Valley, De
cember 3, 1896.
Judge Cole was a native of Dutchess coun
ty, born in the town of Unionvale, July 31,
1825, and was the son of William Cowles (as
the name was spelled by his ancestors). The
father was also born in the town of Unionvale,
the date of his birth being October 14, 1790,
and was the only child of John M. Cowles,
who was of Holland descent, and a prominent
farmer of Unionvale town, where both he and
his wife passed the remainder of their lives.
They were earnest members of the Society of
Friends. WHliam Cowles was united in mar
riage with Miss Charlotte Lake, who was born
September 30, 1792, in the town ofLagrange,
Dutchess county, where herfather, James Lake,
was a lifelong agriculturist. The young couple
began housekeeping upon a farm in Lagrange
town, and later became residents of the town

..^drO: cZ-^v^ .M.^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

381

of Unionvale, and upon the old homestead
there the father died February 20, 1845; his
wife passed away February 23, 1871. They,
too, were members of the Society of Friends,
as were also the maternal grandparents of our
subject, and in politics the father was a Dem
ocrat. Andrew Cole, whose name opens this
sketch, was the fifth in order of birth in the
famHy of seven children, the others being
Milton, who engaged in farming in the town
of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, where his
death occurred; James, who followed the same
pursuit in Lagrange town, where he died;
Parleman, a conductor, who died in Pennsyl
vania; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Jar
vis Emigh, a miller and the postmaster at
Hyde Park, Dutchess county, and now makes
her home in Poughkeepsie; Mitchell, who is
engaged in wagon making; and William H.,
who at one time followed carpentering in
Dutchess county, later in Brooklyn, where he
died. In the usual manner of farmers' boys our
subject spent his boyhood and youth, receiving
his literary education in the old district school,
and at the Nine Partners School, in which he
taught for a time. He then entered the law
office of Varick & Eldridge, Poughkeepsie, where
he remained some time, from there proceed
ing to LaCrosse, Wis., where he was admitted
to the bar, and tried his first suit in that now
thriving city. It was then a mere hamlet, the
houses being all made of logs, and he built the
first frame house on what is now Second street.
He was also one of the first lawyers of Winona,
Minn. ; here he was appointed district attorney,
and afterward elected probate judge of Winona
county, there remaining until 1857, when on
account of ill health he returned to Pleasant
Valley, where he passed his declining days.
While a resident of Winona he was one of its
most active and influential ^citizens, and served
as attorney for the owners of the city.
In 1S52 Judge Cole was united in marriage
with Miss Sarah A. Mastin, a native of New
York City, and a daughter of James B, Mastin,
who finally became a resident of Pleasant
Valley, where his death occurred. The an
cestors of the Mastin family were from Eng
land. By the union of our subject and wife
were born three children: Lilly N. , Zoda A.
and WHhelmina, all of whom died in chHd
hood. Although Judge Cole was not engaged in

active practice of law after his return to Dutch
ess county, his services were, nevertheless,
frequently sought in legal matters, and he took
a lively interest in everything pertaining to the
legal fraternity. He was prominently identi
fied with the Democratic party, but was never
prevailed upon to accept office, though often
urged to do so. His estimable wife holds
membership with the Presbyterian Church,
but he always adheres to the faith of his an
cestors, being a Friend to the day of his
death. In the taking away of Judge Cole,
the Dutchess county Bar has lost one of its
most able members; Pleasant Valley, one of
its most prominent and most highly esteemed
citizens; and those of his own household, a
genial companion and sympathetic adviser.

JOHN C. SICKLEY, the city librarian of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess'county, is a native
of Springfield, N. J., born August 29, 1855,
and is descended from John Sickley, Sr., a
sea captain, of Holland birth. John, Sr. , was
married in Holland; his wife was drowned at
sea. Their only child, John Sickley,- Jr. , was
born at Schooley's Mountain, N. J., and in
that State engaged in agricultural pursuits.
By his marriage with Sarah Allen he became
the father of nine children: Margaret; James;
John, who was shot during the Revolutionary
war, at Millstonebridge, N. J. ; Archibald, the
grandfather of our subject; William; Catherine;
Obediah; Eliza and Robert.
By occupation the grandfather was a farmer
and successfully followed that pursuit in New
Jersey, his native State, but his death oc
curred in California. He was united in mar
riage with Miss Sarah Hazen, of the same
State, and they became the parents of six
children: John C, the father of our subject;
Ziba H., who was a merchant of Spring
field, N. J. ; Jane, who married Theodore
Pearson, a farmer, millwright and county judge
of Union county, N. J. ; Clarissa, who wed
ded Halsey Burnett, a boot and shoe mer
chant; James, a farmer of New Jersey; and
Andrew J., a farmer of the Empire State.
The father of our subject was born in Spring
field, N. J., and was reared on a farm in that
State. On reaching manhood he there kept a
country hotel for some time. The lady who
became his wife bore the maiden name of Mary
C. Bradbury, and she was also a native of
Springfield. Her father, Samuel Bradbury,

382

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

was a paper manufacturer of that place, and
was the son of John Bradbury, who was born in
England and sent out by that country to travel
through America and report on the condition of
the country. He published a work on his trav
els, entitled, "Bradbury'sTravelsin America in
1S09-10-11." After their marriage thepar
ents of our subject located on a farm in Spring
field, where six chHdren were born to them,
namely: Ellen and Clarissa, both of whom
died in chHdhood; John C. , subject of this
review; George, who died while young; and
James and Mary, who are living with their
mother upon the old homestead. The father,
whose life was passed in farming and hotel
keeping, died in August, 1865. In politics he
was an unswerving Democrat, and held sev
eral important offices in his locality.
Our subject spent his early days upon the
home f ar m , aiding in its operation, and attending
the district schools qI the neighborhood ; his edu
cation, however, was completed in the schools of
Poughkeepsie, where his mother removed with
her family in 1870. He began the study of
law with Judge Nelson, and later was with Mr.
Crummey. On being admitted to the bar in
1877, he began the practice of his chosen pro
fession, which he continued for sometime; but
in 1883 was appointed city librarian, and is
still serving in that capacity to the satisfaction
of all concerned.
Mr. Sickley married Miss Olivia M. Town-
ley, a native of New Jersey, and a daughter of
Albert Townley, a farmer by occupation, who
is of English lineage. One child blesses this
union, Katherine O. The parents attend the
Episcopal Church, and are widely and favor
ably known.

C\ORNELIUS R. VAN WYCK (deceased)
_' was one of the influential and highly re
spected citizens of the town of East FishkiH,
where almost his entire life was passed. There
his birth occurred, March 28, 1814, and there
his great-grandfather, Richard Van Wyck, a
native of Long Island, located at an early day,
the grandfather of our subject, Cornelius R.
Van Wyck, being born there January 26, 1753.
C. R. Van Wyck was a lineal descendant of
Cornelius Baruse Van Wyck, who emigrated
from Holland in 1650, and settled in New
Amsterdam. Col. Richard C. Van Wyck, the father of
our subject, was also a native of the town of

East FishkiH, born June 11, 17S3, and through
out life engaged in milling, farming and mer
chandising, in Dutchess county. He married
Elizabeth Thorn, and to them were born the
following children: Rynier, a farmer of Fish
kill, who married Elizabeth Van Wyck; Cor
nelius R., subject of this review; Jane E., who
became the wife of John Adriance, a farmer;
Anna, who married Jacob Horton, a farmer of
East Fishkill; Phcebe, who married Cornelius
S. Van Wyck, also an agriculturist; Henrietta,
who married James Du Bois, a farmer of Hud
son, N. Y. ; and Mary, who wedded Robert
McMurry, a merchant of New York City.
Our subject was reared to agricultural pur
suits, but for a short time during early life he
was engaged in merchandising in Poughkeepsie,
after which he again turned his attention to
farming. He continued to operate his farm in
the town of East Fishkill with the exception
of seven years, when he carried on the same
occupation in Culpeper county, Va., and was
quite successful in his undertakings.
On January 11, 1843, Mr. Van Wyck was
united in marriage with Miss Phoebe C. Wort
man, who was also born in the town of East
Fishkill, and is the daughter of Denis and
Elizabeth (Rapalje) Wortman, the former a
native of Westchester county, N. Y. , and the
latter of East Fishkill town, this county. Her
mother was the daughter of Jeromus and Eliz
abeth (Bedell) Rapalje, the former born on
Long Island, while her paternal grandfather,
James Wortman, was a native of Westchester
county, and a farmer and architect by occupa
tion. James Wortman, father of Dr. Denis
Wortman, was a descendant of Dirck Jansen
Wortman, who emigrated from Holland in 1646
and settled in Brooklyn, and was of Huguenot
descent. After their . marriage her parents
located at East FishkHl, N. Y. , where her
father engaged in the practice of medicine for
the long period of forty-seven years, and was
a most successful physician. He died greatly
lamented May 2, 1864, surviving his wife only
a few months, her death having occurred Jan
uary 14, 1864. They were earnest members
of the Reformed Dutch Church, and reared a
famHy of four chHdren: Elizabeth, who mar
ried John P. Flagler; Phoebe, widow of our
subject; Denis, a prominent Reformed Dutch
minister of Saugerties, N. Y. ; and Ann Aletta.
Mr. and Mrs. Van Wyck commenced their
married life at Fishkill Plains, N. J., afterward
moving to the home in Hopewell, N. Y., for-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

383

merly the home of Dr. Wortman and wife
(the father and mother of Mrs. Van Wyck).
Ten children were born to them: Richard C. ,
a prominent and beloved physician, who mar
ried Charlotte Underbill, and died January 28,
1896; Denis W., a merchant of Wappingers
Falls, N. Y. , who married Mary E. Harcourt,
and they had one child, Phebe EHen (he died
August 4, 1880); Eliza, who died at the age of
five years; Anna; Eliza Janette; Mary, who
died August 18, 1873; Phoebe Jane; Margaret
W. ; James C, a merchant of Matteawan, N.
Y. ; and Henrietta Du Bois.
Richard C. Van Wyck, M. D., eldest son
of Cornelius R. and Phcebe C. Van Wyck, was
a prominent and beloved physician. He was
graduated in medicine from the College of
Physicians and Surgeons in New York City,
March 12, 1867, after which he served two
years in Bellevue Hospital on the Surgical
Staff. He then went to Europe for the pur
pose of perfecting himself in his chosen profes
sion. Returning, he practiced awhile in Den
ver, Col., and afterward in Virginia (where he
went on account of his health). Recovering
his health, he settled in Hopewell, and con
tinued in active practice until his death. He
was thrown from his carriage, his horse taking
fright at a railroad crossing, and fatally in
jured January 25, 1896, and died January 28,
1896. There are few physicians who possess
more completely the confidence of their pa
tients than he did, and few have been more
widely missed or so sincerely mourned. Denis
Wortman Van Wyck, second son, was greatly
beloved and respected, and was a merchant at
Wappingers Falls.
The parents were both devout members of
the Reformed Dutch Church, and in political
sentiment Mr. Van Wyck was an ardent Demo
crat. His death occurred June 14, 1879, and
was mourned by many warm friends. He was
an active, public-spirited citizen, who had the
respect of all who knew him, and took a prom
inent part in those matters relating to the best
interests of the community.

WILLIAM PLATTO. Among those who
 foHowed the old flag on Southern bat
tlefields is this gentleman, now one of the lead
ing business men of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, where he is conducting a successful
carriage manufactory. He was born in that

city, December 23, 1845, and is the son of
Thomas Platto, a native of Schenectady, N.
Y. His paternal grandfather, Thomas Platto,
who was a farmer by occupation, was born in
the Mohawk Valley, and became the father of
five children. It is a family tradition that
great-great-grandfather Thomas Platto was
killed by Indians at Tribes Hill in the Mohawk
VaHey. In Schenectady, Thomas Platto, Jr, , passed
his boyhood days midst play and work, and
learned the carriage maker's trade. When
about twenty years of age he came to Pough
keepsie, where he met and married Mary
Proper, who was born in the town of Milan,
Dutchess county, and was the daughter of Isaac
and Mary Proper, agriculturists of that locality.
The young couple began their domestic life in
Poughkeepsie, where the father engaged in the
manufacture of carriages during the remainder
of his active career. He died there in 1872,
and his wife in 189 1. He was first a Whig in
politics, and later cast his ballot with the Re
publican party; both he and his wife were de
vout members of the Baptist Church. The
family of this worthy couple consisted of five
children, (i) James H., who was engaged as
a bookkeeper in Chicago, III., died in 1881;
he belonged to the KiHghts of Pythias frater
nity, and was also a member of the Masonic
order. (2) Charles V. L. is an assistant edi
tor of some newspaper, and a resident of Hoos-
ick Falls, N. Y. (3) WHliam is next in order
of birth. (4) Sarah married Frank Kennedy,
of Syracuse, N. Y. ; (5) Catherine G. is the
wife of Charles H. Baker, of the same city.
Williani Platto, whose name introduces
this review, spent his boyhood days in Pough
keepsie, receiving his education at the Dutch
ess County Academy, but when a youth of only
seventeen summers, the Civil war having broken
out, he enlisted in July, 1S62, in Company D,
i2Sth N. Y. V. I. After participating in many
hotly-contested engagements, and making for
himself an honorable war record, he was dis
charged and returned to his home in Pough
keepsie. In 1866 he took charge of his father's
carriage business, and was very successful in
its operation. The plant was located at Nos.
7, 9 and II South Hamilton street, and our
subject StHl owns that block, which has been
in the hands of the family for about sixty years.
Mr. Platto is an unswerving Republican,
taking an active part in political affairs, and in
January, 1895, was appointed chief of the po-

384

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

lice department of Poughkeepsie, in which of
fice he is still serving with credit to himself
and to the satisfaction of all concerned. He
is an active worker in the Grand Army of the
Republic, belonging to Hamilton Post, of which
for three terms he served as commander, and
is numbered among the valued citizens of
Poughkeepsie who have been devoted to the
public welfare. He has manifested the same
loyalty in days of peace as in days of war, and
all who know him have for him the highest
regard.

'^^T'lLLIAM H, SHELDON, in whose
jl/jC death Poughkeepsie lost one of her
brightest, most progressive and useful young
business men, was born October 29, 1859, in
Beekman, Dutchess county. New York,
Jeremiah Sheldon, father of our subject,
was born in the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, of English ancestry, and was a farmer
by occupation. A stanch Whig and Repub
lican, he took an active part in political mat
ters. He married Miss Sophia M. Doughty,
also born in Dutchess county, daughter of Jo
seph Doughty, and their children are as fol
lows: Amelia B,, married to Kromaline An
drews (they make their home on the old farm) ;
Mary J., unmarried; and William H., the sub
ject of these lines. The father died May 19,
18S2, the mother on February i, 1886.
William H. Sheldon passed his early days
on his father's farm, attending the district
school, and, later, the academy at Moores
Mill. Subsequently he entered Claverack
(Columbia county) College, and completed his
education at Wilbraham (Mass.) Academy; then
returned to the farm, where he remained until
his uncle, Wilson B. Sheldon, was elected
county clerk, when he became his assistant in
the office, there remaining some time. Our
subject then formed a partnership with R. D.
Cornell in the hay, straw and feed commission
business; but after a short time this partner
ship was dissolved, and in the fall of 1881 Mr.
Sheldon embarked in the coal business. He
began in a very small way, but was so success
ful, and his trade grew so rapidly, that he be
gan wholesaling, supplying coal for the Har
lem Railroad Company, At the time of his
death he was the largest wholesale and retaH
dealer in the vicinity, and had a prosperous
future before him, his well-known integrity and
fair dealing making him popular throughout the

county, and bringing him customers from all
parts. Besides attending to his regular busi
ness he acted as general manager of the
Poughkeepsie & Eastern raHroad, which was
purchased some years ago by Russell Sage,
who appointed Mr. Sheldon general manager
of that road. So faithfully and thoroughly
did our subject do his work, that his eniployer
took him into his confidence, and was influ
enced by him in his business probably more
than by any other man. Too close applica
tion to business, however, and his earnest de
votion to the many societies, etc., of which he
was an active member, began ultimately to
make inroads upon his health, and for some
time prior to his death evidences of a breaking
up of his constitution became apparent to his
friends, and even to himself. The close of the
year 1894 found him engaged in a more than
usual amount of work, preparing for the ensu
ing year, thereby necessitating additional ex
ertion from his already impaired system; nev
ertheless, unflinchingly he worked early and
late, carrying all his duties to a successful ter
mination. The strain, however, was more
than exhausted nature could stand, and one
evening, while at the home of a neighbor, his
tired brain refused longer to work. Kind hands
guided Mr. Sheldon to his home, where the
best of care was given him for a time, but his
frenzies became so wild and uncontrollable
that, for the better protection, he was taken to
the State Hospital for the Insane, where, in
spite of all that science and medical skill could
accomplish, he grew weaker every day, till
January 19, 1S95, death relieved him from his
sufferings. The earthly career of William H. Sheldon
was cut short just when most promising, and
when he had made the reputation of being one
of the ablest and most enterprising business
men in Poughkeepsie. In his home circle and
among his personal friends his untimely de
parture from their midst was most deeply felt.
Full of life and energy, buoyant in spirits, and
of a loving, generous disposition, he was
missed as few men are, and his place wHl be
hard to fiH. He was a member of nearly aH
the fraternities in the county, and also of the
New Manhattan Athletic Club of New York
City; was a Thirty-second degree Mason in high
standing, and aLso a member of the Methodist
Church. In politics he was a stanch Repub
lican, and he served as alderman of the Fifth
ward of Poughkeepsie. No better citizen, or

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

885

one more highly esteemed, has left his impress
upon the community.
On December 26, 1883, Mr. Sheldon was
married to Miss Augusta Baright, who was
born in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , January 27,
1863. Her father, Daniel S. Baright, who
was a native of the same township, born
March 25, 1838, married Mary Wing, who was
bornin the town of Clinton, June 15, 1840,
and their chHdren were: Augusta, WHHam
M,, Irving G. and Frederick. Mr. Baright is
a farmer, and also deals in agricultural im
plements. His grandfather was a native of
Holland, and his father, Elijah Baright, born
in the town of Pleasant Valley, N. Y. , was a
wealthy farmer. He married Amy, daughter
of Samuel Carpenter, and a relative of J. Du
Bois Carpenter, elsewhere represented in this
volume. In religious faith the Barights were
all Hicksite Quakers, and in politics were
Whigs or Republicans. The maternal grand
father ot Mrs. Sheldon, Alexander Wing, a
quiet, unassuming man, spent his entire life
on a farm in CHnton; he was a Democrat in
politics, and attended the Christian Church.
One child. George B., born December 3, 1S91,
is all the family born to our subject and his
wife, whose all too short happy married life was
brought to so sad a close.

CHARLES EDGAR FOWLER, of Pough-
_,' keepsie, Dutchess county, was born in
Carmel, Putnam Co., N. Y. , April 6, 1841.
He is a son of Ammon Merrick Fowler, who
was a son of James H. Fowler, of Car
mel, and a grandson of Ammon Fowler, of
Bedford, Westchester Co?, N. Y. , and a great-
grandson of Joseph Fowler, of West Patent.
Ammon Fowler (the father of Charles)
lived near Lake Mahopac, in the town of Car
mel, Putnam county. He was an upright, un
assuming man, of noble. Christian character,
and for many years was an elder in the Gilead
Presbyterian Church of Carmel. His wife
(the mother of Charles) was a woman of clear
intelligent Christian faith, and a worthy mem
ber of the same Church as her husband. She
was Charlotte Louisa Crane, daughter of Na
thaniel Crane, of the town of Carmel, and
granddaughter of John Crane, of the same
town. John Crane held a captain's commis
sion under the Provincial Congress of the
Province of New York, and after the Declara
tion of Independence received a captain's
25

commission from George Clinton, then Gov
ernor of New York, and held it through the
war. John Crane's grandfather was Joseph
Crane, and Joseph Crane's grandfather was
John Crane, from England.
Charles E. Fowler received a common-
school education, and from 1S57 to 1861
worked at wagon-making; from 1 861 to 1869 at
mill construction and repairs, and the develop
ment of water powers. During this latter
period he pursued the study of mechanical,
hydraulic and civH engineering. In 1869 he
married Louisa Maria Richards, daughter of
David Belden Richards, of the town of South
east, Putnam Co., N. Y., a man of marked
integrity of character. D. Belden Richards'
wife, mother of Louisa, was Delia Foster.
daughter of Thomas Foster, of the town
above mentioned. She was a most worthy
woman, and a consistent member of the Pres
byterian Church. Thomas Foster, father of
Deha, was the son of James Foster, grandson
of Thomas Foster, and great-grandson of Chil-
lingworth Foster. Chillingworth was the son
of John Foster, and grandson of Thomas Fos
ter, who came from England in 1634.
In 1S69 Charles E. Fowler entered the
employ of the Peekskill Manufacturing Co.,
of PeekskHI, N. Y., as draughtsman and me
chanical engineer. In 1S71 he began the
practice of land surveying and civil engineer
ing, in connection with the work of the Manu
facturing Co. In 1872 he opened an inde
pendent office, but continued the work for the
Manufacturing Co. This practice continued
untH 1 88 1. During this period he, as chief
engineer, designed and supervised the con
struction of the public water works of the vil
lage of Peekskill, also a system of water works
for the village of Tarrytown, N. Y. He was
also corporation surveyor for the vHlage of
Peekskill during several years of this period.
In January, 1881, he was appointed superin
tendent of the water works and sewers of the
city of Poughkeepsie, which office he held
until May, 1896, when the water works and
sewers, under a revised charter, became a
part of the public Vorks of the city, and he
was appointed superintendent of public works,
which office he now holds.
In 1857 he unHed with the Presbyterian
Church of Carmel, and in 1870 with the First
Presbyterian Church of Peekskill. He was an
elder in the latter Church from 1S74 tHl his
removal to Poughkeepsie in 1881, In iSSi

386

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

he united with the First Presbyterian Church
of Poughkeepsie, was chosen an elder in that
Church in 1891, and still retains that office.
The water and sewer systems of the city of
Poughkeepsie, with which Mr. Fowler has so
long been identified, are worthy of note for the
fact that they were constructed by the same
commission, at the same time, were designed
to work in harmony and have continued under
the control of one department of the city gov
ernment, thereby securing the best attainable
sanitary results. The water system is further
notable for being the first in this country to
adopt artificial purification by means of sand
filtration on the European method. The
Hudson river is the source of supply, the
water being pumped from the river to the sand
filters, and thence to a reservoir on College
Hill, at an elevation of 2S0 feet above mean
high water in the river. The works were
built in 1S69-1872, and originally comprised
about seventeen miles of water mains and
about thirteen miles of sewers. Seven miles
of water mains and three and one-quarter
¦miles of sewers have been added during Mr.
Fowler's term of service. The original water
commissioners, in 1869, were Stephen M.
Buckingham, Edward Storm, Edward L.
Beadle, Edgar M. VanKleeck, James H.
Weeks and Abram Wright.
The water commissioners held their final
meeting on May 2, 1896; the last commis
sioners being Charles L. Lumb, Edmund
Platt, Howard W. WeHes, Abraham S.
Humphrey and Charles H. Shurter. The
numerous commissioners holding office be
tween the years 1S69 and 1896 comprised
some of the most esteemed citizens and busi-
.ness men of Poughkeepsie. The Board of
JPublic Works, having charge of the water
works, sewers, streets, bridges and parks, was
organized May 2, 1896. The commissioners
were James E. Dutcher, James B. Platt and
Walter R, Case.

C\HARLES M. WOLCOTT (deceased). The
/ Wolcott family have ^eld a distinguished
place iU' the history of this country from the
earliest times. Colonial records showing vari
ous members to have occupied high positions,
and one of the name is enrolled among the
immortal signers of the Declaration of Inde
pendence. The first of the family to leave the ances

tral home in Somersetshire, England, was the
Puritan Henry Wolcott, who crossed the ocean
with his son Simon in 1630, and settled in
Windsor, Conn. The town of Wolcottville .
(now Torrington) was named in honor of the
family. These early pioneers were men of in
dependent means, and Henry and Simon were
active in the administration of the public busi
ness of the colony. Simon's son, Roger Wol
cott, who was born in Connecticut, was elected
Governor in 1750, and served for four years.
Oliver Wolcott, a son of Roger, and the grand
father of the gentleman whose name opens
this sketch, was one of the representatives of
the Colony of Connecticut, whose names are
affixed to the Declaration of Independence,
and during the Revolutionary war he held the
rank of brigadier-general in the patriot forces.
His part in the struggle was a notable one,
and the histories of that time make frequent
mention of him. An incident in his life was
interesting. A leaden equestrian statue of
George III stood in the Bowling Green, in the
city of New York. At the breaking out of the
war this was overthrown, and, lead being
highly valuable, it was sent to Gen. Wolcott's
at Litchfield, Conn., for safe keeping, where,
in process of time, it was cut up and run into
bullets by hif children and their friends. Oli
ver Wolcott was elected Lieutenant-Governor
in 1786, and Gov.ernor in 1796, which office
he held until his death, December i, 1797.
Judge Frederick Wolcott, the father of our
subject, preferred the practice of law to public
life, and on two occasions declined a nomina
tion as a gubernatorial candidate. His brother
Oliver, however, did not share this disinclina
tion for official duties, and not only served as
Governor of Connecticut but was Secretary of
the Treasury under President Washington.
Judge Frederick Wolcott was a graduate of
Yale College, and prepared for the bar in early
manhood; later he engaged actively in pro
fessional work, and served as judge for many
years. He was one of the leaders in the M'hig
party of his day, and despite his reluctance to
enter political life was elected to various posi
tions, which he filled ably, including the post
of representative in the State Legislature.
He married (first) a Miss Huntington, daugh
ter of Joshua Huntington, a well-known citi
zen of Connecticut, and (second) Mrs. Amos
Cook, daughter of Samuel Goodrich, of Berlin,
Conn., a member of another old and influential
family which has been prominently represented

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

387

in political, social and business life, and has
produced a number of eminent clergymen.
Charles M. Wolcott was one of a family of
twelve chHdren, his birth occurring in Litch
field, Conn., November 20, 18 16. On com
pleting his education he left home to en
gage in commercial life, entering the commis
sion business in Philadelphia. After a time he
transferred his offices to New York City, form
ing a partnership with his brother Henry, who
went to China in the interests of the firm. On
November 26, 1849, he married Catharine A.
Rankin, daughter of Henry Rankin, Esq., a
prominent merchant of New York City, who
was a native of Scotland, and for forty years
was an elder in the Scotch Presbyterian
Church, under the pastoral care of the cele
brated divine. Dr. John Mason. After his
marriage Mr. Wolcott settled at Fishkill-on-
Hudson, upon an estate known as " Rose-
neath," where his wife had previously resided.
From that time his attention was chiefly occu
pied with the m.inagement of his extensive
landed interests, and he was identified with all
the progressive movements of the locality,
whether in agriculture and manufacturing or in
the no less important fields of art and litera
ture. In politics he was an Independent. His
wife passed away June 24, 1889, and he sur
vived her but a short time, breathing his last
on November 20, of the saime year.
Three children were born to this union:
Henry Goodrich, a weH-known attorney at
Fishkill; Katharine Rankin, wife of Samuel
Verplanck; and Annette Rankin, who is not
married. Mrs. Verplanck still resides at the
family homestead " Roseneath," which is a
charming place overlooking the Hudson, the
elegant residence and extensive grounds dis
playing in their appointments a refined and
cultured taste.

W BRAHAM W. IRISH. The eariy ances-
,^k tors of our subject were French, were
military men, and served in the first and
second' Crusades; the name was originally
"D'Irey." The family moved to Germany,
where the D' was dropped, and the name be
came Irey. In the wars between Germany and
England the Ireys espoused the cause of the
English. They were successful as generals,
and one of them was knighted on the field of
Flodden. When the family went to England the

name was changed to Irish, and one of the
members became sheriff of London, holding
the office for nine years. Another member of
the family came to this country as a common
soldier under Miles Standish, and it is from
this ancestor that the family in America are
descended. Abraham W. Irish was born in the town of
Pleasant Valley March 31, 1S25, and after his
mother's death was taken by his uncle, Abra
ham Wing, and his wife, by whom he was
brought up and educated, and who were the
only parents our subject ever lived with, Mr.
and Mrs. Wing were Quakers. Abraham lived
with them until he was of age, when he went
to New York City and secured a situation in a
store in Bleecker street, remaining there during
the summer of 1844. In the summer of 1S45
he went to Matteawan, and taught school
there for six years. In 1851 he was mar
ried in that city to Miss Caroline West, and
began farming. His health failing him from
overwork, he bought a store on his grandfa
ther's place in the town of Lagrange. This he
sold in 1863 and moved to Poughkeepsie, where
he took a position as cashier for Smith Broth
ers. In politics Mr. Irish is a Republican.
He was in the county clerk's office for nine
years, and in the surrogate's office for eight
years. He is now clerk of the surrogate's
court, which position he has held for six years,
during which time he has not missed a day at
the office on account pf sickness. When he
was out of office Mr. Irish was in the millin
ery and fancy-goods business, and at one
time was with a Mr. Sisson,. dealer in second
hand furniture. Mrs. Irish died in 1887, and
our subject subsequently married Mrs. Rachel
Le Roy.
Amos Irish (grandfather of our subject), a
farmer by occupation, was a Quaker, and was
greatly persecuted during the Revolutionary
war. His children were as follows: Jedediah,
Charles, Joseph, Asa, Ruth, Rachel, Esther,
Jonathan and David, all of whom are now
deceased. Joseph Irish (our subject's father) was born
in Pawling, where he spent his youth. He
was married, in the town of Beekman, to Miss
Phcebe Dorland, a daughter of Enoch Dor
land, and they had the following children:
Edmund, Catherine, Jane, all now deceased,
and Abraham W. (there were also half broth
ers, Charles, and WHHam and Henry, twins).
Our subject's mother died when he was two

388

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

weeks old. Joseph moved to Pleasant Valley
after his first marriage, and engaged in farm
ing. After the death of his wife he moved to
New York City and worked at trucking. He
was married there to Miss Jane Stephenson,
who was born at Gaylords Bridge, Conn.
None of their children are living. Mr. Irish
died in Pawling at the age of eighty-six years.

F

¦^RANK B. VAN DYNE, one of the prom

inent business men and leading undertak
ers of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was
born in MHton, Ulster Co.. N. Y., October lo,
1857, but belongs to a family of Holland ori
gin that has been connected with the history
of Dutchess county for several generations.
Here his grandfather, Oliver Van Dyne, was
born, reared and engaged in farming through
out life. He wedded Susan Smith, by whom
he had two sons: James A., a carpenter by
trade; and William H., the father of our
subject. The birth of the latter occurred in Dutch
ess county, December 18, 1832, and he early
became familiar with the duties that fall to the
lot of an agriculturist, as his boyhood days
were passed upon his father's farm. He mar
ried Miss Anna C. Brevoort (a lady of Holland
descent), who was born in Fishkill, N. Y. ,
where her father, Benjamin Brevoort, was em
ployed at shoemaking. Five children were
born to this union, namely: James H,, a sign
painter of Poughkeepsie; Frank B., subject of
this sketch; Susan, wife of Arthur Rockwell, a
silk manufacturer of Matteawan, N. Y. ; Min
nie, who died in infancy; and Edward, a resi
dent of New York City. Shortly after his
marriage the father went to Milton, Ulster
county, where he formed a co-partnership with
his brother in a general store. He next re
moved to Hackensack, N. Y. , but at the end
of two years came to Poughkeepsie, where he
has since resided. He is an earnest supporter
of the Democratic party, and holds to the
faith of the Reformed Dutch Church, in which
he was reared. His faithful wife departed this
life July 3, 1893.
Frank B, Van Dyne was two years old
when he left his native village, and in 1864 he
came to Poughkeepsie, where he attended the
public schools. On the completion of his edu
cation, he was employed in various ways until
1875, when he began working for different un

dertakers. In 1888 he formed a partnership .
with John Mellady, at No. 391 Main street, un
der the firm name of Van Dyne & Mellady,
which connection lasted until May, 1893, when
it was dissolved, and our subject removed to
No. 406 Main street, where he has since been
alone in business. He is exclusively engaged
in undertaking, and thoroughly understands his
business in its various departments.
On June 30, 1891, Mr. Van Dyne was
united in marriage with Miss Minnie C. Cox,
daughter of William A. Cox, of the town of
Clinton, Dutchess county, where he was born.
One child blessed their union, Ruth, born Oc
tober 23, 1892; but March 11, 1893, the wife
and mother was called to her final rest, leav
ing many friends as well as relatives to mourn
her death. Mr. Van Dyne is a representative
business man, enterprising and industrious, and
holds a high place in the estimation of his fel
low citizens. He is prominently identified
with several clubs and social orders, among
which are the F. & A. M., the Knights of
Pythias, the Elks and the Royal Arcanum,
while his political connection is with the Dem
ocratic party, whose principles he earnestly
advocates.

C\HARLES M. COLWELL, a well-known
_' business man of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, is noted for his accurate and practical
judgment of values, his high reputation in this
regard making him an acknowledged expert in
the appraisal of property and the adjustment
of insurance claims.
The Colwell famHy is of Scotch origin, and
four geneiations have been residents of Dutch
ess county. Samuel Colwell, our subject's
great-grandfather, was a native of the town of
Washington; his son, Archibald Colwell, was
born in 1794, in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, and in early life was engaged
in the manufacture of cottoir goods, being em
ployed as foreman in the factories at Pough
keepsie, Pleasant Valley, Hart's Village and
Verbank, In his later years he followed agri
culture. He was an old-fashioned Methodist,
and often served as an unlicensed preacher.
His wife, Abigail Hall, was a native of Con
necticut and a relative of the Hubbards of that
State. He died in January, 1877, and his
wife in August, 1866, They had eight chH
dren : Hubbard ; Louisa (Mrs, Nathan Beach) ;
Archibald L, ; Julia (Mrs. John Burnett); Sam-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

uel; Edwin; Mary (Mrs. WiHiam Ackerman);
and Sarah (Mrs. Henry H. Seaman).
Archibald L. Colwell, our subject's father,
was born March 22, 1819, in the town of
Washington, His early life was passed in
Poughkeepsie, but for the last fifty-five years
he has lived at Verbank, following the occupa
tion of shoemaker and dealer. He has always
been quiet in his tastes, but is a man of good
natural powers, and has been successful in
business. Before the war he was a Whig, and
later a Republican, and he has served one
term as justice of the peace and two terms as
postmaster at Verbank. Like the majority of
his family, he is a Methodist. In 1841 he
married Sarah Seaman, daughter of Samuel
Seaman, a well-known resident of the town of
Washington. Her famHy is of English de
scent, and one of the oldest in the county.
Mrs. Colwell died in August, 1893, but her
husband still survives. They had five chHdren,
to whom they gave excellent educations, (i)
Seaman A. was graduated from the Albany
Normal School in 1862, and for some time
was a teacher and county superintendent of
schools in Pulaski county. III. ; he is now a
successful farmer and horticulturist there. (2)
Charles M. is our subject. (3) Mary M., who
is a graduate of Claverack College, Columbia
county, N. Y., married Dr. A. G. Paine, of
Chicago, III. (4) Armeda J., who was gradu
ated from Amenia Seminary, married Charles
T. Bird, of Wilkesbarre, Penn. ; both have been
dead for a number of years. (5) Phoebe mar
ried B. F. Conkright, a leading real-estate
dealer of Chicago, Illinois.
Charles M. Colwell, the second in order
of birth, was born January 4, 1847, i"^ the
town of Unionvale. He acquired the rudi
ments of knowledge in the district schools at
Owego village, which were unusually good,
and afterward studied at Claverack College
one year. At eighteen he left school and went
to Poughkeepsie to learn the carpenter's trade
with Nelson Searhan. He followed this occu
pation for twenty years, and that of contractor
and buHder for about twelve years. He was
superintendent of construction of the U. S.
Government BuHding at Poughkeepsie under
appointment of Charles J. Folger, Secretary of
the Treasury. About 1S87 he became engaged
in the insurance business as appraiser of dam
aged buildings, and his services have been
called into requisition in different parts of the
State. He has done a great deal of work be

fore the State Board of Assessors, and in con
demnation proceedings in railroads acquiring
real estate,
A strong Republican in principle, he has
been active in political work. In 1873 he was
elected assessor, and served for nine consecu
tive years; in 1888 he was elected supervisor
of the Fifth ward, and held that office one
term. At the beginning of President Har
rison's administration he was appointed clerk
in the Revenue office of the Fourteenth Dis
trict, and held this throughout Harrison's
term. When a successor was appointed he
became deputy revenue collector for the coun
ties of Dutchess and Columbia for six months.
In 1894, three days before the expiration of
his term, he was elected clerk of the board of
supervisors of Poughkeepsie, which office he
yet holds, and January i, 1895, he was ap
pointed president of the board of civil service
for the city. He has always taken an interest
in affairs of a non-political nature, and was in
the National Guard for eight years, serving as
first lieutenant of Company A, 21st Regi
ment. On March 22, 1868, Mr. ColweH married
Miss Mary F. Hayman, daughter of Richard
R. Hayman, a prominent resident of Pough
keepsie, and they have three chHdren: Grace
F., the wife of Charles J. Knapp, of Pough
keepsie; and May M. and Richard H. at home.
The family attend Trinity M. E. Church.

F\RANK VAN KLEECK, a well-known
 merchant of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born in that city June 25, 1857.
Here also his paternal ancestors for six gener
ations back lived.
Baltus Barentszen Van Kleeck, who was
the first of the name to emigrate from Holland
to this country, bought a farm, in 1697, where
the city of Poughkeepsie now stands, and later
built the first stone house in the place, which
was situated on MHl street, near Vassar. This
was in 1702, at which time the present fine
city consisted of only a few huts, no houses.
He was a member of the Colonial Assembly,
and was succeeded by his son Johannes. Six
children constituted his family, namely:
Barent, Johannes, Lawrence, Peter, great-
great-great-grandfather of our subject; Sarah
and Elizabeth. Of these Peter became the
father of Baltus, and he the father of Peter
B., the great-grandfather of our subject. His

390

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

son, Tunis Van Kleeck, the grandfather of our
subject, was born June 14, 1773, in Pough
keepsie, where he was reared to manhood and
learned the trade of a hatter, establishing him
self in business there in 1799, his first store
being situated opposite Crannell street. His
second location was where Joseph's clothing
store now stands, while the third was on the
site of the present store, which was occupied
in 1854. On January 15, 1792, he married
Irene Bacon, and nine children were born to
them, of whom the following record is given:
Sally A, married B. Davis Noxon, a lawyer of
Syracuse, N. Y. ; Cornelia married George W.
Somarindyck, of Poughkeepsie; Eliza became
the wife of Rufus Cossit, a lawyer of Syracuse;
George married Mary E. Tallmadge, a mer
chant in Poughkeepsie; Edgar who was a mer
chant in New York City, and married Nancy
Graham (he died in Orange county); Albert
was our subject's father; Mary became the
wife of WHlett Raynor, of Syracuse; Louisa
married Edward Beach, a merchant in Pough
keepsie; William H., who was a wholesale
grocer in New York City, married for his first
wife a Miss Mary Haight, and for his second
wedded Miss Margaret Hardenburg. On the
death of the father of this family, which took
place September i, 183 1, the business was
continued by his son Albert, and has been in
the family ever since. In politics he was a
Whig. Albert Van Kleeck, father of our subject,
was born December 27, 1807, in Poughkeepsie,
where (as has been stated) he carried on his
father's business as a hatter untH his own death,
November 7, 1866, and he was succeeded by
his son Edward, who, on February i, 1S90,
took his brother Frank in as a partner. Ed
ward died November 13, 1890, and his widow
and Frank continued the management of the
establishment until February; 1S94, since
which time the latter has assumed full control.
On September 25, 1S33, Albert Van Kleeck
was married to Miss Eliza Green, a native of
England, and of this union ten children were
born, as follows: Davis, Edward, Harriet,
Elizabeth, Julia, Cornelia, Albert, Augustus,
Irene and Frank. The mother of these died
in 1863. Mr. Van Kleeck was a prominent
man in his community. In 1857 he was elected
treasurer of Dutchess county, and was ap
pointed postmaster under Lincoln. He was re
appointed under Johnson, and died during that
administration. In politics he was originally

a Whig, becoming a Republican on the forma
tion of that party.
Frank Van Kleeck was married September
24, 1 89 1, to Miss Sarah P. Sleight, who was
born in Dutchess county, a daughter of Henry
A, Sleight. Mr. Van Kleeck is a Republican,
a member of the F. & A. M., of the HoHand
Society, and of the Amrita Club, a social or
ganization, of which he has been president.

HON. AUGUSTUS MARTIN (deceased).
 Among the able men who have repre
sented Dutchess county in the State Assembly
the late Hon. Augustus Martin will always hold
a notable place in the history of the locality;
his integrity and high sense of honor, no less
than his practical sagacity in public affairs,
winning and retaining for him the esteem of
all classes of people.
His family has had in the past many mem
bers whose lives have been conspicuous for
the same admirable qualities, and his direct
ancestors were among the pioneer settlers in
this section. Hendrick Martin, who came to
America in 1727, buHt at the vHlage of Red
Hook, Dutchess county, a residence which is
one of the oldest houses in the State; occa
sional repairs and alterations have still left in
tact a large portion of the original structure.
It is located about one-eighth of a mile from
the old New York & Albany post road, upon
land leased from the Beekman patentee. In
175 1 Hendrick Martin leased some adjoining
lands from the Van Benthuysen patentee. It
is related that when his son Gotlob married,
the father took a large stake, and walking to a
suitable spot drove it into the ground, remark
ing to the son that it was time for him to
" swarm for himself . " Here Gotlob buHt, in
1776, a stone house of the substantial Colonial
type, which is still standing. At the moment
when the Declaration of Independence was be
ing read in Philadelphia, the rafters of this
historic mansion were being put in place by
the workmen. Gotlob's son John married, in
1789, Isabella Fulton, a relative of Robert
Fulton, the inventor, and had ten chHdrenr
PhHip, Michael S., Augustus, Robert, Claudius
G. , James, Edward, Joseph, John and Serena.
Their grandfather willed the estate to them,
but they were not wiHing to take it from their
mother, and after her death it was purchased
by Edward as a home for his sister, who, like
himself, never married. Edward Martin, who

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

891

was born February i8, 1811, and died Decem
ber 3, 1893, made a large fortune as a civil
engineer, some real estate, which he took in
payment from a railroad for his services, prov
ing very valuable, a portion of it lying within
the present limits of Chicago.
The late Augustus Martin was born in Red
Hook, December 13, 1808, and although his
early educational opportunities were limited to
the common schools of that town, his fine
mental endowment enabled him to acquire a
wide and liberal education through the channels
of observation and private reading. While a
young man he was elected on the Democratic
ticket to the State Assembly, and was a merri-
ber of that body for two years (1852-53) un
der Gov. Seymour. In local affairs he held a
prominent place, and was chosen to many
positions of trust, including that of supervisor,
and his interest in educational affairs, and de
sire that children of all classes should have
ready access to the paths of knowledge, led to
years of faithful service as a school trustee.
He was an active helper in religious movements,
and was a trustee of the Lutheran Church, at
Red Hook, of which he was a member. His
wife, Lydia Maria (Benner), was born in Red
Hook, December 28, 181 1, the daughter of
Judge Jacob Benner, a leading member of the
legal fraternity. She died February 23, 1864,
and Mr. Martin foHowed her January 14, 1875.
Of their six children the first two — Margaret
M. and Marian M., died in infancy; the others
are: Cora A. (Mrs. John B. Scott); Ella A.;
Isabella (now Mrs. Luther L. Stillman); and
Serena.

MRS. JANE M. CHAPMAN. The late
  Frank Chapman, whose sudden death
in 1893, from heart disease, cut short a life
which had been filled with quiet but effective
endeavor, was a native of the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, where he received his educa
tion. As a young man he engaged in mercan
tile business in Pawling, Dutchess county; but
after some years he went to New York City,
as bookkeeper for J. B. Dutcher, and held
that responsible position until his death. His
widow, formerly Miss Jane M. Bishop, was
born in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, in 1831, and was educated in the town
of Amenia. Their marriage took place in
1 86 1, but no children were born of the union.
Mrs. Chapman now resides in Pawling.

The Bishop family was known in New
England at an early day, and Abiah Bishop,
Mrs. Chapman's grandfather, was a soldier in
the Revolutionary war. He was born and
educated in Rhode Island, and in early man
hood learned the cooper's trade. His wife,
Ruth (Wilbur), was a native of the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, and a descend
ant of a prominent Quaker family. Two sons
were born of their union: Archibald, who mar
ried Angeline  ; and George (Mrs. Chap
man's father), who was born in the town of
Washington, in 1809, and after availing him
self of the advantages afforded in the common
schools learned the trade of wagon making.
He followed this for some time, later becom
ing station agent at Wassaic, Dutchess county,
in which position he continued until his death,
in 1S74. He married Miss Desire Northrop,
whose father, Samuel Northrop, was a promi
nent farmer of the town of Washington. Her
mother's maiden name was Mary Benham.
Mrs. Chapman was the eldest in a family
of eight children; the others were born and
educated in the town of Amenia. (2) Seneca
S. followed the sea from early manhood, and
since sailing for the West Indies has never been
heard from; it is not known whether he mar
ried or not. (3) Mary A. married (first) John
Clark, and had two children who died, and
after his death she wedded Joseph Hobbs, by ,
whom she had one son, Amos A. (4) George
W. was a machinist by trade, and became
master mechanic of the New York & New
Haven railroad; he married Miss Isabella Mc
Connell, and had six children: George, Jen
nie, Isabella, Hattie, Minnie and Ida F. (5)
Charles W. was engaged in business in New
York City at the beginning of the Civil war; he
enlisted in the 6ist N. Y. V. I., and lost his
life in the seven-days' struggle at Bull Run.
(6) Catherine M. married Edward Brown, an
engineer of Amenia; they have no children.
(7) William G. was connected with the con
densed milk factory at Wassaic; he married
Miss Josephine Nichols, and had one son,
Harry, who died in infancy. (8) Noah L. was
superintendent of the Gail Borden Condensed
MHk factory at Wassaic; he married (first) Miss
Hattie Noyce, and after her death he wedded
Miss Jennie Jones; by his first marriage he had
one son, Frank, who died in infancy, and by
the second there were three children: Lena,JJ
the wife of Dr. Fred.Br^ce; Cora L,<^whoisat
home; and one who died in infancy.

892

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

JAMES VAN WYCK. The Van Wyck famHy
is prominent in this region not only by rea
son of the number of its members, but for
the ability and public spirit shown by many of
them in past and present times. The first of
this branch of the family to locate in Dutchess
county was Theodorus Van Wyck, our sub
ject's great-grandfather, who was born at
Hempstead, Long Island. He purchased 900
acres of land of the Madame Brett patent in
the town of Fishkill (now East FishkHl),
Dutchess county, and in 1740 built the house
which is still occupied by his descendants.
Although this old homestead has rarely ap
peared in print, there are few of our old places
more permanently associated with the pleasant
social life of the early settlers, and with the
personal presence of the prominent actors in the
Revolutionary period. Dr. Dorus Van Wyck,
on his marriage, abandoned the homestead to
a tenant farmer, and took up his residence on
the north side of the FishkHl creek, near Gen.
Swartwout's. At this time the Jay family, in
cluding the distinguished patriot. Governor and
Chief Justice John Jay, moved north, seeking
refuge from the threats and depredations of the
Tories and " cowboys " who infested the lower
counties, under the protection of the British at
New York. The Van Wyck homestead being
vacant, it was hospitably offered them by its
.owner, and it was occupied by Gov. Jay for
about two years. It was during his residence
here (the family fortunately being absent), that
a band of " cowboys " crossed the mountains
one night and robbed them of a quantity of
silver plate. A " spontoon," or rude lance,
dropped by the robbers, is now preserved at
Washington's headquarters, at Newburg. It
was from this house that John Jay set off on
his mission to France, to aid in negotiating a
treaty of peace with England.
Theodorus Van Wyck was a man of
marked ability, a farmer and surveyor, and
was so greatly interested in the development
of the locality that with his negroes (slaves)
he opened up highways through the forests in
many directions. His maps of Poughkeepsie
and the Nine Partners tracts are still in ex
istence. He was an active worker in the
Presbyterian Church. In 1752 he was ap
pointed judge of the court of common pleas of
Dutchess county, by George Clinton, then
governor of the Province of New York. His
death occurred in 1755. His wife was born
on Long Island, of English descent, and they

reared a large family, consisting of two sons
and a " noble group of girls," whose married
names were Platt, Hoffman, Graham, Bailey
and Adriance, respectively. The daughter of
one of these became the wife of Chancellor
Kent. Of the sons,, the elder, William, was a
fanner in East Fishkill, while the other, Dorus,
our subject's grandfather, became a leading
physician in the same locality. He married
Diana, a daughter of Col. John Brinckerhoff,
and made his residence at the old Brincker
hoff estate. They had several daughters, and
three sons — John B., Abraham, and WilHam
— who settled upon farms in East Fishkill.
Gen. Abraham Van Wyck, our subject's
father, married Miss Susan Haight, the daugh
ter of a prominent farmer of Westchester coun
ty, N. Y. , and reared a family of five children:
Henry, a farmer in Hughsonville, who married
Miss Ann Lee, of Yorktown; James, our sub
ject; Ann, who married Ralph Mead, a mer
chant in New York City; Louisa, the wife of
the Rev. Samuel Van Vechten; and Susan,
who married Robert Lane, a merchant in New
York City.
James Van Wyck was born September 4,
1 8 10, at the residence built by his father, Gen.
Abraham Van Wyck, higher up on the ridge,
and now in the possession of the family of his
grandson, the late Richard T. Van Wyck.
On his marriage in 1834 James Van Wyck re
modeled the old mansion for his own abode,
which was again enlarged and renovated a few
years since, and here he Saa.s happily resided
for more than three score years.
On arriving at man's estate our subject en
gaged in farming, succeeding to 414 acres
which belonged to his father. He has been
largely interested in raising stock and grain,
although not giving exclusive attention to them.
He has been twice married: First, on No
vember 12, 1834, to Miss Cornelia Ann Van-
Wyck, daughter of Richard T. Van Wyck, a
leading resident of FishkHl. To this union
were born two sons: Abraham J., who was a
Methodist minister at Casenovia, Mich., and
died January 9, 1887; and Richard T., who
was a farmer in his native township, and died
January 2, 1892, leaving a widow, two sons
and a daughter. On October 3, 1849, Mr.
Van Wyck, for his second wife, married Miss
Elizabeth M. Van Brunt, of Brooklyn, a de
scendant of one of the old Dutch famHies of
Long Island; her father, Nicholas Van Brunt,
was a well-known merchant of New York. In

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

393

politics Mr. Van Wyck is a Republican, and
in religious faith he adheres to the Reformed
Dutch Church, he and his wife attending serv
ices at HopeweH Junction. Both as a sub
stantial business man and a progressive citizen,
he commands the esteem of the people of the
vicinity.

T^HOMAS H. SEAMAN. As an enterpris-
 ing and wide-awake business man of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, and one who,
through his own efforts, has established him
self among the prominent men of the city, we
take pleasure in giving a brief biography of this
gentleman. He is engaged in the stone busi
ness, taking contracts for street work and build
ing purposes.
Mr. Seaman was born at Syracuse, N. Y.,
June 13, 1849, and is of Holland extraction.
His father, Thomas C. Seaman, was a native
of Albany county, N. Y. , and was a son of a
farmer of that locality. On starting out in life
for himself he engaged in teaching, and on
leaving his native county went to Syracuse,
where for a short time he followed farming.
He then located at Coeymans, N. Y. , engag
ing in the stone business at that place until his
removal to Wilbur, where he was similarly em
ployed. In 1 86 1 he established himself in that
line of trade in Poughkeepsie, which he contin
ued to follow until his death in November,
1888. His political support was given the
Republican party. He had married Miss Roxey
A. Garratt, a native of Greene county, N. Y. ,
and a daughter of Levi G. Garratt, an agricult
urist. Five children were born of this union:
Lydia M., who married George Stoddard, a
truckman, of Poughkeepsie; Annie E., who
died unmarried; Alvena H., wife of Daniel
White, a moulder of Poughkeepsie; Ursula,
who wedded Henry Warner, an engineer; and
Thomas H., of this review.
The childhood days' of our subject were
mostly spent in Wilbur, N. Y., where he was
educated, and early began to learn the stone
business with his father, with whom he con
tinued operations untH the latter's death. He
still continues to deal in stone at Poughkeepsie,
and has built up a large and lucrative business.
Mr. Seaman was united in marriage with
Miss Catherine DuBois, a native of Dutchess
county, where her father, James DuBois, fol
lowed the occupation of farming. One child
has been born to them: Mary N., now the

wife of William L. Dobbs, of Poughkeepsie.
The parents are earnest Christian people, faith
ful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and take an active interest in everything in
tended to promote the moral or material ad
vancement of the community. Politically, Mr.
Seaman votes the Prohibition ticket, as the
platform of that party embodies his principles
on the temperance question.

ARTIN FENDEL, the well-known and
popular proprietor of the "Old German
Tavern", No. 229 Union street, Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, -was born at Bingen-on-the-
Rhine, Germany, March 7, 1864. He spent
his boyhood in Germany, attending school in
the town of his birth, and was then in the coal
business with his father for two years.
In 1885 Mr. Fendel came to America on a
visit, and traveled throughout the United
States selHng wines to wholesale dealers, and
he traveled back and forth between the two
countries thirteen times. He was married in
New York City, in 1889, to Miss Messerschmidt,
a native of that place. Of this union the fol
lowing children were born: Freddie, born in
Bingen; Josephine and Kate, born in New York
City; and Gertie, born in Poughkeepsie. There
was also an adopted child, Joseph, who died
when three months old. After his marriage
our subject spent one year in Germany, and
two and a half years in New York City, en
gaged in selling wines to the wholesale trade.
In March, 1894, he came to Poughkeepsie and
opened the "Old German Tavern," a typical
German inn.
Mr. Fendel is a member of Concordia
Lodge, Knights and Ladies of Honor, and at
tends the CathoHc Church. He is a natural
ized citizen, but takes little interest in politics.

C^\HARLES H. BUCKINGHAM, a promi
se nent resident of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, whose extensive travels have made
him at home in nearly every country on the
globe, is in direct descent of the eighth gener
ation from one of the earliest settlers of Con
necticut. The name Buckingham is derived from
"Bucan," "Becen," or "Beechen" — beech
trees — and "ham" — a village — as a famHy
name it doubtless has its origin in the county
of Buckingham, England, whose shire town is

394

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

also Buckingham. Many members of the
American branch of the family have filled po
sitions of honor and importance in various
fields of effort. Thomas Buckingham, the
Puritan ancestor of this line, was one of the
company to which Eaton and Hopkins, two
London merchants, and two ministers, Daven
port and Prudden, belonged. They arrived at
Boston June 26, 1637, in the ship "Hector,"
and on March 30, 1638, sailed for Quinnipack
(now New Haven), where such records as this
are found on the old town books: "Mr. Wilke
is ordered to pay Thomas Buckingham five
bushels and a half of Indian Corn destroyed
by Mr. Wilke's hogs."
In 1839 Thomas Buckingham settled in
Milford, Conn., where his name stands fifth on
the list of Free Planters, and he was one of
the " seven pillars of the church " there. He
was married twice, first to Hannah  ,
by whom he had five children: Hannah,
Daniel, Samuel, Mary and Thomas. For his
second wife he married Ann  . His
youngest son, Rev. Thomas Buckingham, was
born November 8, 1646, and began preaching
in Wethersfield when only eighteen years old.
In 1665 he preached in Saybrook. He was
one of the founders of Yale College, and a
Fellow of that institution. Among the clergy
men of his time he held a high rank, leading
in all the efforts for the prosperity of the
Church, and he was one of the Moderators of
the famous Synod of 1708, which convened at
Saybrook, and formed the platform for the
Churches. On September 20, 1666, he mar
ried his first wife, Hester Hosmer, by whom
he had nine children: Hester, Thomas, Daniel,
Stephen, Samuel (i), Samuel (2), Hezekiah,
Temperance and Anne. His second wife,
whom he married August 10, 1703, was Mary
Hooker. He died April i, 1709.
Thomas Buckingham (3) was born Sep
tember 29, 1670, and lived to be nearly one
hundred years old, dying September 12, 1769.
He was a landholder in Lebanon, Conn., and
a prominent man in town affairs, being ap
pointed to many offices of trust, and was also a
leading member of the Church. On Decem
ber 16, 1 69 1, he married Margaret Griswold,
and had eight children : Thomas, Samuel,
Jedediah, Margaret, Mary (i), Mary (2), Jo
seph and Sarah.
Thomas Buckingham (4), the great-great
grandfather of our subject, was born January
24, 1703, and became a seafaring man. On

April 5, 1722, he married Mary Parker, by
whom he had four children, whose names with
dates of birth are as follows: Jedediah, Janu
ary 20, 1727; Stephen, September 20, 1729;
Mary, July 27, 1732; and Sarah, 1734. He:
died December 13, 1760, and his wife survived
him at least eleven years.
Jedediah Buckingham, our subject's great
grandfather, was born at Saybrook, Conn.,
married Martha Clark, of Lebanon, and set
tled in Columbia, Conn., where he died July
9, 1809, his wife surviving him until May 20,.
1 82 1, They had children: Sarah, Thomas,.
Joseph and Mary (twins), Jedediah P. , Sarah, :
Stephen, Esther, Martha and Nancy Ann.
Stephen Buckingham, our subject's grand-,
father, born May 12, 1763, was a farmer and
large land owner at Columbia, Conn. He
served three years in the Revolutionary war,
was sent to France to effect an exchange of
prisoners, and was absent about a year, being
shipwrecked in the Bay of Biscay. On Janu-'
ary 2, 1798, he was married to his first wife,
Polly Dorrance, of Lebanon, who died Janu
ary 26, 1799, and on June 30, 1807, he mar
ried,, for his second wife, Polly Brewster, of
Exeter Society, Lebanon, a descendant in the
sixth generation from Elder William Brewster,
of Plymouth, Mass., and daughter of Ishabod
and Lucy Brewster. She was born August 12,
1777, and in 1869 was living in Poughkeepsie
in her ninety-second year, in good health, able
to walk about the house without assistance.
Stephen Buckingham died February 26, 18 14,
leaving four children whose names with dates
of birth are here given: Mary Dorrance, Jan
uary 26, 1799; Stephen M,, July 12, 1808;
Charles J., July 7, iSio, and Ichabod B., Au
gust 3, 1 81 3, who died November 8, 1819.
Charles J. Buckingham, the father of our
subject, passed his childhood at the old home
in Columbia, Conn., and prepared for college
at Boston Academy, Colchester, Conn. He
entered Trinity College in 1S29, with a view
to the ministry of the Episcopal Church; but,
his health failing, his studies were remitted for
a time. On resuming them, he again found it
necessary to desist. After a long voyage in.
the Mediterranean he made a third attempt;
but was finally compelled to relinquish his lit--
erary pursuits. He made another voyage to
Europe, and on regaining his health engaged
in the mercantile business there and in NeW'
York City, where he resided until his removal
to Poughkeepsie in 1849. During the later

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

395

years of his life he devoted much of his time
to the pubHc schools of the latter city, and to
other educational interests.
On October i6, 1839, he was married, at
Poughkeepsie, to Emily Williams, a native of
New York City, born January 21, 1818, the
daughter of Josiah and Martha (Loomis)
Williams. She died in Poughkeepsie, January
26, 1848, and he survived her until October
2, 1889. They had four chHdren: Emily
Adelia, who was born November 7, 1840, and
died December 30, 1840; Charles Henry, our
subject, born September 13, 1S42; Richard
Cook, born January 11, 1S44, who died July
20, 1845, and Martha Williams, born Septem
ber 26, 1845, who was married December 27,
1 87 1, to George W. Wood.
Charles H. Buckingham, our subject, was
born at Bowling Green, New York City. His
boyhood was mainly spent in Poughkeepsie,
where he attended the College Hill School.
At the age of twenty he went to New York and
engaged in the dry-goods commission business
wHh Hunt, THlinghast & Co., with whom he
remained eight years. He was also interested
in mining in Colorado and ranching in Ne
braska. Since 1870 he has spent most of his
time traveling, and has circumnavigated the
earth once, and been partly around it several
times. He was on the first merchant steamer
that entered the harbor of Osaki, Japan, and
was one of the first Americans to visit the city
of Pekin, after it was taken by the EngHsh and
French in i860. Some years were spent in
visiting points in France, South America,
Mexico, Java, the island of Juan Fernandez,
and other places of interest, and he has been
in nearly every country on the globe. On
March 22, 1888, in Poughkeepsie, he was
married to Elizabeth Van Loan, daughter of
Benjamin Van Loan, a well-known resident of
CatskHI VHlage. His wife has accompanied
him on many long journeys, but they are now
enjoying the comforts of their elegant home in
Poughkeepsie.

LEWIS CARMAN (deceased), who in his
 ,' lifetime was a we.ll-known business man
of Bangall, Dutchess county, a dealer in coal
and farm produce, and the efficient agent of the
N. D. &C. R. R., was born in the town of Stan
ford February i, 1S60,
The family name was originally Preston,
and his paternal grandfather, Martin Preston,

was a native of the town of Milan, Dutchess
county, where, in his later years, he followed
farming. He was a Quaker in religious faith;
married and had three chHdren: Ada M., who
died in 1886; Leonard L., our subject's father,
and Nathan C. , who was in the United States
naval service for many years, including the
stirring times of the CivH war. He died in
18S6. Leonard L. (Preston) Carman, our sub
ject's father, lived in New York Cit}' until the
age of seven, later moving to Stanfordville,
where he spent some years, meanwhHe attend
ing the schools of that viHage; for two win
ters he studied at the Nine Partners Boarding
School, in the town of Washington, At the
age of nineteen he was adopted by an uncle,
Leonard L. Carman, of the town of Stanford,
his name being changed by act of Legislature
from Preston to Carman. At the age of twen
ty-one he took charge of the farm, on ' ' Bangall
Lane," relieving his adopted parents of care
during their later years, and on their death, in
i860, he succeeded to the estate, where he
continued to reside until his death, October
30, 1892. He was a member of the Baptist
Society. In his earlier years he was a Whig,
later becoming a Republican, He was twice
married, first to a Miss Sackett, who died leav
ing no children. His second wife was Miss
Emma j". Preston, a daughter of Ebenezer
Preston, a leading resident of the town of
Stanford. Two children were born of this
union: Lewis, our subject, and Ada M., who
married Joshua R. Traver (deceased).
Lewis Carman, the subject of this sketch,.
attended the district schools of the town of
Sanford during early boyhood, and later studied
at a private school in the same locality. After
he had learned all that they were prepared to
offer, he studied for some time at the Pelham In
stitute, Poughkeepsie. Returning home, he
assisted upon the farm until 18S4, when, hav
ing learned telegraphy at home, he accepted
the position of agent of the N. D. & C. R. R.
at Bangall. He also dealt extensively in coal
and farm produce. Politically he was a Re
publican and was one of the leaders among
the younger members of the party in his vicin
ity. For several terms he served as town
clerk, and AprH i, 1889, he was appointed by
President Harrison postmaster at Bangall, re
tiring August I, 1893. He was married AprH
12, 1 887, to Miss S. Jeannette Crampton, a.
daughter of H. E. Crampton, M. D., of New

396

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

York City, and four children were born to
them: Lewis C, Jeannette, Leonard and
Ward. Mr. Carman was a leading member of
the Baptist Church, and he belonged to the
K. of P. Lodge No. 43, at Poughkeepsie. He
died September 27, 1896, of typhoid fever,
after an illness of only two weeks.

JULIUS BENEDICT, a prominent resident
of the town of Northeast, and proprie
tor of an extensive iron foundry in New
York City, is a direct descendant in the eighth
generation from Thomas Benedict, who was
born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 161 7,
and came to America in 1638, settling on Long
Island. His son Samuel, from whom this branch of
the family traces their descent, was one of the
early settlers of Danbury, Conn. Samuel's
son, Nathaniel, born March 27, 1679, had a
son Nathaniel, who was a soldier in the Revo
lutionary war. He had a son Nathaniel,
whose son, Nathaniel, our subject's grand
father, was born January i, 1768, and became
a farmer at SaHsbury, Conn., where he died
January 23, 1S35. He was married (first)
August 24, 1787, to Jerusha Terry, who died
at Sharon, Conn., October 10, 1822, and he
married (second) Rebecca Darrow. By his
first wife he had eight children, whose names'
with dates of birth are as follows: Ethel,
November 15, 1788; Abel, November 3, 17S9;
Delia, November 23, 1791, married January
30, 1 8 17, to Nathaniel Cady; Benjamin, March
7, 1793, moved to the town of Northeast,
Dutchess county, where he became a well-to-
do miller, owning the stone mill now belong
ing to Martin Paine; Nathaniel, who married
Polly Fuller, and lived in Connecticut and later
in Yellow Springs, Ohio, was an iron founder,
and a man of political and mHitary prominence,
being a member of the Connecticut Legisla
ture in 1833, '34, 38 and '51; a justice of the
peace at Salisbury, Conn., in 1830, '43 and
'49; assessor in 1850; captain of the Con
necticut Militia in 1S20, major in 1828, and
lieutenant-colonel in 1835; Asahel, also an
iron founder, married Betsey, daughter of
Charles Belden, of Canaan, Conn., and died
in May, 1839; Olive, April 6, 1803, was mar
ried (first) on April 24, 1S25, to Horace
Wheeler, and (second) to Ammon Williams;
James, May, 1805, was married April 11,
1 83 1, to Maria, daughter of Richard and Eliza

beth Kellogg, of Sharon, Conn., and resided
at Wellington, Ohio, where he died.
Abel Benedict, our subject's father, was a
native of Bethel, Conn., but spent most of his
life at Sharon, where he and his brother Na
thaniel owned an iron foundry. He was of
an inventive turn of mind, and was the main
factor in. the success of the enterprise. In
later years he engaged in farming at Sharon.
He was never active in politics, but was much
interested in local improvements and in re
Hgious movements. He married Wealthy
Wheeler, daughter of Amos Wheeler, and had
six children, as follows: Angeline married
Francis Rogers, of Parma, Mich.; Caroline
married Charles Lamb; Julius, born November
3, 1818; Horace; Lucy A. married Edwin
Hartwell, of Sharon: Mary married Lee Can-
field, Jr.; and Matilda M. married Charles
Lamb, of Sharon.
Julius Benedict was born at Sharon, Conn.,
and during his early years he attended the
public schools there. He also studied for a
short time at Salisbury, and acquired a fair
English education, which he has supplemented
by a generous course of reading on current
topics. He remained with his father until he
was about twenty-four years of age, learning
the details of work in the foundry, and in
1845 he established a foundry at Falls Village
on his own account. This he carried on suc
cessfully until 1854, when he removed to Iron-
dale, Dutchess county, and built a blast fur-
nance, which employed eight or ten inside
workmen and several colliers. In i860, he
disposed of this, and then conducted a small
foundry at the same place for two years, man
ufacturing shot and shell for Mr. Hotchkiss,
the inventor. The exigencies of the war cre
ating a large demand for these articles, the
business was transferred to New York, and
conducted on a larger scale, and Mr. Benedict
leased the foundry on East Seventeenth street,
where he remained three years, removing after
ward to West Forty-sixth street. In 1S78 he
bought the property at No. 548 West Fifty-
fifth street, where his foundry now stands.
Since 1867 he has been engaged principally in
manufacturing sash weights, and grate bars for
steam boilers, and for some years he has made
the patent grate bar of W. W. Tupper & Co.
He employs a force of about thirty-five men
usually, and enjoys an extensive and profita
ble trade.
On January 5, 1S46, Mr. Benedict was

^^^^lX^>c^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

397

married to Maria, daughter of Lee Canfield,
of Falls ViHage, Conn., and made his perma
nent home on the old Wheeler homestead,
near Coleman Station, a fine farm of 140
acres, which he purchased in 1887. His wife
died June 9, 1885, leaving one son, William
B., who was born AprH 13, 184S, was a banker
in New York City, but died in Denver, Colo.,
in February, 1886; there was also a daughter,
Clara Maria, born February 2, 1855, and died
in February, 1872. Mr. Benedict's close at
tention to business has prevented him from
taking an active part in political Hfe, but he is
a generous sympathizer in all movements for
the public welfare. In early life he was a
Whig, voting for Gen. Harrison in 1840, and
and he became a Republican on the formation
of that party.

JOHN J. BAHRET, a well-known business
man of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is
a native of that thriving city, born May
15, 1840.
Jacob Bahret, father of our subject, was
born in 1809 in Wurtemberg, Germany, was
educated inthe schools of Burgstal, and learned
the taHor's trade. In 1835 he came to Amer
ica, locating first in New York City, where he
remained three years. He then moved to
Poughkeepsie and engaged in merchant tailor
ing at the head of Jay street, near Market,
but after a time he entered the employ of
Smith & Fineley at No. 2S0 Main street, and
in 1844 he bought their business, which he
carried on until his death, in 1S65. He was a
man of sterling qualities, fully identifying him
self with the best interests of his adopted coun
try, and during the Civil war he was an active
member of the Union League. He was mar
ried in New York City in 1836 to. Miss Dor
othea Furch, a native of Germany, by whom
he had six chHdren: JuHa Caroline, the wife of
August Koch; John J., our subject; Phoebe R.
(now living), who married C, Buechler (now
deceased); Mary C. and August P. (twins
both deceased); and George, a resident of St,
Louis, Mo. The mother of these died in 1849
and the father subsequently married Miss Fred
erica Dietz, Seven children were born of this
union, of whom only three are now living :
Louisa Nesbit, Charles H. and Frederick, all
residents of Poughkeepsie.
John J. Bahret received his early education
in the public schools of his native city, also at

the Lancaster school. At the age of thirteen
he became a salesman for his father, as time
passed learning the trade, and after the death
of his father he took charge bf the business in
partnership with August Koch, at Nos, 276
and 262 Main street. In 1882 the partnership
was dissolved, and Mr. Bahret continued the
business at No. 262 until 1894, when he moved
to No. 174 Main street, where his sons, A. H.
and P. E. Bahret, now conduct it. For over
thirty years Mr. Bahret held a prominent place
in business circles, and was for some time a
director in the Farmers' & Manufacturers' Na
tional Bank of Poughkeepsie. He was twice
married, first on September 6, 1863, to Miss
Mary Griffin, of West Redding, Conn., who
died in October, 1869. Two children were
born to them, WiHie G, and Dora, both of
whom died in infancy. Mr. Bahret was mar
ried the second time September 5, 1870, in
Saugurties, Ulster county, to Miss Sarah T.
AHard, and their chHdren are Adelia, James
L., Arthur H., Percy E. and Ruth E. He
and his wife are leading members of Trinity
M. E. Church, of Poughkeepsie, and the fam
ily have taken an influential part in many
philanthropic movements within and without
the Church.

A

BRAM B. CRAPSER, the weH-known
^ engineer of the steamer "Hasbrouck,"
was born November 21, 1832, in Pleasant
Plains, town of Clinton, Dutchess county, and
is of German origin. His great-grandfather
was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and
on coming to America his passage was paid by
his mother. On his arrival he bound himself
out to a man living in Wurtemburg, town of
Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, which village
was named for his birthplace. At that time
he had some money, and as his employer was
in need of financial assistance, he aided him.
Later he became a large property owner in
Clinton town, Dutchess county. He was mar
ried at Wurtemburg, N. Y., and became the
father of four sons, one of whom was John
Crapser (the grandfather of our subject), who
was born May 20, 1750.
On February 19, 1778, John Crapser was
married to Charity Ostrum, who was born
March 12, 1760, and fourteen cljildren were
the result of this union, their names and dates
of birth, etc., being as foHows: John J., July
5, 1780, died September 12, 1S60; Anna', Oc-

398

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tober27, 1781, d. December 7, 1S59; Albertus,
January 14, 1784, d. September 4, 1880; Fred
erick, September 20, 1785, d. March i, 1861;
Cornelius, August 30, 1787; Catherine, August
23, 1789, d. May 8, 1832; Elizabeth, Septem
ber 25, 1791, d. August 21, 1854; Margaret,
January 24, 1794; Mary, June i, 1796, d. Jan
uary 12, 1823; Levi, July 14, 1798, d. May
21, 1855; Gertrude, August 25, iSoo, d. Jan
uary 5, 1S52; PhHip, June 3, 1803, d. Sep
tember 19, 1S72; Sarah Ann, March 27, 1805,
d. July 3, i860; and Elias, June 21, 1807, d.
February 7, 1786. The father of this family
was a member of the Lutheran Church, and
devoted his life to agricultural pursuits in the
town of Clinton until his death, which occurred
February 24, 1824. His wife was called from
earth December 28, 185 1.
Elias Crapser, the youngest in their family,
and the father of our subject, was born in the
town of Clinton, where his early life was passed
in rural pursuits. In 1830 he went upon the
river, at first as the owner of a sailing vessel,
and afterward, for half a century, as pilot and
captain on steamboats, for many years being
with the Commercial Transportation Co. From
1850 up to the time of his death he made his
home at Poughkeepsie, passing the last four
years with his son, Abram B. Crapser. He
was married January 14, 1830, to Rebecca C.
Nickel, of the town of Rhinebeck, and they
became the parents of the following children:
Anna M., born September 22, 1830, became
the wife of Abram Wallace, December 2,
1847; Abram B., whose name introduces this
sketch, is the next in order of birth; Emeline
G., born November 15, 1835, married Ransom
La Paugh, January 6, 1855 (he died May 16,
1896); Catherine E., born AprH 5, 1S3S,
wedded George Clarke, February 12, 1861;
Levi, born April 8, 1841, married Mary J.
Ackert, June 29, 1S64; WHHam H., born No
vember 3, 1843, married Catherine Whitner,
of Brooklyn, August 15, 1868; Henrietta was
born September 22,- 1846; Rebecca, born De
cember 7, 1849, died July 23, 1851; Nelson,
born March 15, 1852, married Julia Fraleigh,
October i, 1S73; and Charles, born Novem
ber 4, 1854, wedded Rose Golden, January 5,
1 882. The mother of these died April 18,
1879. Our subject spent his boyhood in New
York City, where he was educated, and at the
early age of ten years began boating with his
fatheT: during the warmer months, while in the

winter he attended school. At the age of six
teen he secured a position as deck hand on a
steamer, where he remained for nearly one
year, and then was made assistant engineer on
the "Cygnet," being thus employed by the
Commercial Transportation Co. of the Phila
delphia and Albany line for four years. At
the age of twenty he was made chief engineer,
filling that position on the "Swan," "Pa
troon," "Commerce," "Tempest," "Consti
tution," "Commodore Foote," "Commodore
Du Pont," "William H. AspinwaH," "Col
umbus," "Francis King" and "Reliance."
During the Civil war he was chief engineer on
the ' ' Vidette, " in the Burnside expedition, and
for three years was in the govemment service.
Since the close of the struggle he has been chief
engineer of the steamer "John L. Hasbrouck, "
all of which will indicate his faithful discharge
of duty, and the high regard in which he is
held by his employers. He is the pioneer en
gineer of the Crapser family, and he now has
four brothers, a nephew, son-in-law and two
sons, who are also engineers, raised by him to
the trade, besides a brother-in-law (now de
ceased.) On December 13, 1855, Mr. Crapser was
married, to Adaline Ackert, who was born in
Pleasant Plains, town of Clinton, September i,
1833, and seven children blessed their union,
namely: Lester A., born February 22, 1858,
and married Carrie Falk June 5, 1882; Ethel-
ward v., born December 12, 1859, married
Mary Tracy, March 18, 1885; Ida M. , born
February 12, 1862, became the wife of Walter
L. Simmons July i, 18S3; Ella R. , born April
25, 1865, died February 19, 1S6S; Ira E., born
October 18, 1868, died February 2, 1869; Lil
lie Belle, born August 26, 1872, married Sam
uel H. Miller November 14, 1894; and Freddie
B., born June 3, 1874, died on the 26th of
July following. The chHdren that married all
have families!
Mr. Crapser is one of the oldest members
of Lodge No. 266, F. & A. M., of Poughkeep
sie, which he joined February 21, 1859, and
also belongs to and is one of the charter mem
bers of the Masonic Mutual Benefit Associa
tion, and a member of the Marine Engineers
Beneficial Association. His courteous, genial
manner has gained him a large circle of warm
personal friends, and he justly deserves the
confidence and esteem of all with whom he
comes in contact either in a business or social
way.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

399

JOHN P. AMBLER, wholesale and retail
dealer in books, stationery and fancy goods,
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born
June 25, 1841, in the town of Stanford, Dutch
ess county, and is the son of Rev. Silas and
Eunice D. (Olmstead) Ambler.
The Ambler family, of which our subject is
a worthy representative, was founded in Amer
ica during its early history. The first to locate
in New England was Richard Ambler, who
was born in Somersetshire, England, in 1609,
and was one of twenty-four men who organ
ized the town of Watertown, Conn., taking
deed from the Indians, and he became a lead
ing resident of that town. He was twice mar
ried and became the father of three children:
Sarah, Abram and Abraham. His death oc
curred in 1699. Of his family, Abraham, who
was a Baptist minister in Bradford, Conn,, vvas
born in 1642, and he was also twice married,
his union with Mary Bates being celebrated in
1662; they made their home in Stamford,
Conn. Their son John was born in 1668, and
in his family were three children: John,
Stephen and Martha. The birth of John Am
bler, of this family, occurred at Stamford,
Conn., in 1695, and he became a resident of
Danbury, in the same State, where he died.
By his will he bequeathed his gun and sword
to his only son, John, He was the father of
seven children — John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary,
Martha, Anna and Rachel. The only son was
born in 1733, and died October 2 1 , 1814. By
his marriage with Huldah Fairchild he had
eight children: Peter, Squire, Stephen, Gilead,
Diodote, Silas, Huldah and Deborah. The
father of these was a sergeant of a company of
100 men raised in Danbury May 17, 1775,
which joined the 6th Regiment, commanded
by Col. David Waterbury.
Peter Ambler, of the above family, was the
grandfather of our subject. He was born at
Danbury, Conn., September 20, 1759, and
there continued to engage in farming through
out life, owning the land on which the Dan
bury Fair is now held. During the Revolu
tionary war, he served as artificer in the Colo
nial army, and later took a prominent part in
public affairs, being a member of the State
Legislature for one term. He held member
ship with the Baptist Church, in which he
served as deacon, and died in that faith March
7, 1836. On October 21, 1784, he had mar
ried Miss Hannah Shove, who was born Octo
ber 27, 1761, and was the daughter of Deacon

Benjamin and Sarah Shove, and their family
included the following children: Fairchild,
Benjamin, David, Thomas, Joseph, Silas,
Sarah, Rachel and Hannah. The mother of
these died April 22, 1843.
Rev. Silas Ambler, Baptist minister, father
of our subject, was born at Danbury, Conn, ,
March 12, 1798. He was married August 29,
1822, to Miss Eunice D. Olmstead, who was
born October 28, 1800, at Wilton, Conn., and
died October 3, 1892, at Stanford, N. Y. They
had a family of seven chHdren: Samuel H.,
a sketch of whom appears elsewhere; Mary E,,
who makes her home in Greene county, N. Y. ,
is the widow of Ezekial Griffin; Augustus, born
April 19, 1829, died AprH 22, 1852; Catherine,
born May 23, 1831, is the widow of Levi
Boyce, of GreenvHle, N. Y. ; Sarah, born
January 31, i S3 5, is the wife of Henry Knick
erbocker, of Bangall, N. Y. ; Emeline, who was
born AprH 6, 1S37, and died AprH 3, 1869,'
was the wife of Charles Sheldon, now deceased;
and John P., born June 25, 1841, is the pro
prietor of a book store at Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
The father was for a time a minister in the
Baptist Church, having charge of congregations
at Cornwall and Norfolk, Conn., but in 1S40
on account of ill health he gave up preaching,
and located upon a farm in the town of Stan
ford, Dutchess Co., N. Y., near Stissing, which
is now owned by our subject. He there spent
his remaining days, dying November 22, 1857,
honored and respected by all.
John P. Ambler spent his boyhood days on
his father's farm in the town of Stanford, and
when fifteen years of age entered Greenville
Academy, where he spent two years. He then
taught school in Stanford for one year, and the
following year drove a market wagon. During
the winter of 1S60-61 he attended Eastman
Business College, at Poughkeepsie, and in
1 861 entered the bookstore of J. H. Hickok,
in Poughkeepsie, as clerk, remaining there
some six years. He was next employed in a
similar business with H. A. Reed, and on July
12, 1869, he purchased a small news business
on Market street. From this modest begin
ning he has built up an extensive and prosper
ous trade, and now owns a large building facing
on both Market and Main streets. Here he
has a fine assortment of fancy goods, a com
plete line of stationery; his establishment is the
headquarters for all the latest publications.
His industry, enterprise and undoubted integ
rity, as well as his courteous manners, have

400

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

made him popular with all classes of people
and have brought him well-deserved success,
and a host of warm friends.
On November i6, 1870, Mr. Ambler was
married to Miss Mary A. Tracy, a native of
Shelburne, Vt. , and daughter of Hon. Guy
Tracy, a farmer of that place. They have one
child. Donna Louise. Mr. Ambler is a Demo
crat and in 1884 was a candidate on that ticket
for county treasurer, being defeated by only
fifteen votes. He has been a member of the
board of health for two terms. Socially, he
belongs to the I. O. O. F. , Royal Arcanum,
and of the Reform Club, of New York City,
while in religious faith he and his wife are
members of the First Reformed Church.

JOHN U. ABEL (deceased) was numbered
among the prosperous and skillful farmers
of the town of Unionvale, Dutchess coun
ty. Here his grandfather, Daniel Abel, reared
his family of seven children: Jacob, John,
Lawrence, William, Peter, Mary (who became
the wife of Daniel Uhl) and Gideon. Jacob
Abel, the father of our subject, spent his en
tire life in Unionvale, devoted to agricultural
pursuits. He married Miss Margaret Uhl, and
in their family were three children: (i) Will
iam W. , who married Helen Cornell, and had
two children — Mary Elizabeth, deceased; and
Evaline, who married Henry Brill, by whom
she has two children — Theodore R. and Helen.
(2) Our subject is the next in order of birth.
(3) Mary wedded Luman B. Odell, who was
killed by accident, and they had three children
— Daniel, Wright and Flora.
In the town of Unionvale, Dutchess coun
ty, John U. Abel was born October 11, 1821,
and he acquired such an education as the
common schools of the locality afforded, and
for one year attended school at Quaker Hill.
For some time he followed the profession of
teaching; but his time was mainly devoted to
his farming interests, which were quite exten
sive, and at his death, which occurred Novem
ber 6, 1893, he left a large estate. He was a
popular and influential citizen, one who easily
gained the friendship of those with whom he
met either in a business or social way, was
charitable and benevolent, and took a com
mendable interest in the welfare and prosper
ity of those around him. For a number of
years he served as supervisor of his township,
was president of the Agricultural Society, and

held several other positions of honor and trust.
He was prominently identified with the Ma
sonic order, in which he took an active inter
est. On June 4, 1S46, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Esther OdeH, who was born in
the town of Unionvale, March 9, 1829, and
was educated there and in Amenia. She still
survives her husband, and like him is held in
the highest respect.
Uriah Odell, the grandfather of Mrs. Abel,
was a native of Pawling town, Dutchess coun
ty, and followed the vocation of a farmer. He
married Miss Esther Sheldon, and to them
were born the following children: John, Dan
iel, Benjamin, Isaac, Abijah (who married Ann
Hubbard), Ann, Lamira (who married Davis
Hubbard), Sallie, and Polly (who married
Daniel Butler).
Daniel Odell, the father of Mrs. Abel, was
born in Pawling town in 1781, attended the
common schools of Delaware county, N. Y.,
and later carried on farming in Unionvale
town. In the old training days he served as
captain of a company of militia, and took a
prominent part in public affairs. For his first
wife he married Miss Esther Stevens, daughter
of Archibald Stevens, of Dover town, Dutch
ess county, and to them were born two chH
dren: (i) Samuel, born December 3, 1809,
married Hannah Hunt, and had three chil
dren — -Duane, Sheldon and Adeline. (2) Eb
enezer, born August 23, 18 12, married Sallie
A. Baker, and had two children — Ann E. , who
married Duane Odell; and Levina, who died
unmarried. On June 20, 181 7, his first wife died, and
November 17, 1S17, Daniel Odell married Miss
Esther Cole, a daughter of Royal and Hannah
Cole. During the Revolutionary war her fa
ther aided the Colonies in securing their inde
pendence, and lived to be over ninety years of
age, dying on the Fourth of July. Seven chil
dren graced the second marriage, namely:
(i) Olive A., born June 2, 1818, married
Henry W. Uhl, a farmer of Unionvale, by
whom she had a son, Daniel H., who died
when young; her death occurred in 1847,
(2) Daniel W. , born AprH 28, 1S21, was a
farmer by occupation, and married Hannah
Devine, daughter of Abel Devine, by whom he
had a daughter, Mary E. , who died at the age
of seventeen years. For his second wife, Dan
iel wedded Elizabeth Giddley, of the town of
Lagrange, Dutchess county, and they had two
chHdren: Ardell E., who married Robert Mo-

¦"--¦«

%

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

401

rey, and later became the wife of Zachariah
Dorland; and Willis B., who married Annie
Baker. (3) Newton B., born January 18,
1823, married Christina Baker, and they had
one child: Ida, who married Frank Akerley.
After the death of his first wife he wedded
Annie Morey, and to them was also born a
daughter: Levina M. (4) Luman B. , born
February 23, 1826, wedded Mary Abel, and
had three children: Daniel J., who married Hat
tie Coe; Wright, who married Inez A. BrHI;
and Flora M., who married Charles Brill, Jr.
(5) Mrs. Esther Abel is next in order of birth.
(6) Alexander J., born AprH 17, 1832, wedded
Mary L. Taber, of Washington town. (7)
Hannah L. , born March 6, 1840, married
Rev. S. W. Butler, a minister of Fall River,
N. Y. , who is now living in Nebraska. They
had two children: Wright A.; and Odell C,
who was born at Fall River, February 22,
1874, was educated in the De Garmo Institute,
of Fishkill-on-Hudson, and is now engaged
in farming.

W BIAH W. PALMER, who was called from
^^^ this life in January, 1882, was widely
known throughout Dutchess county, having
spent most of his life in Amenia, and by all
was held in the highest regard. He was born
January 25, 1835, at Amenia, on the old home
stead which was deeded to his father by the
Nine Partners, the son of Abiah Palmer, Sr.,
who removed from the town of Stanford, Dutch
ess county, to Amenia, in 17S9, and immedi
ately took an active part in public business,
being a successful farmer and mine owner.
He died before his son was born, and the
mother of our subject passed away when he
was only nine years old. He then made his
home with two half brothers and two half
sisters. Mr. Palmer pursued his academical course
at the Amenia Seminary, later was a student
in the Cazenovia Seminary, and at the age of
twenty years entered Union College, which
he attended for two years. On account of ill
health he was not permitted to graduate, be
ing compelled to relinquish his studies in 1856,
and soon afterward he started for Europe,
where the following two years were passed in
travel. On his return home he was not strong
or thoroughly well, but greatly improved in
health. Being nominated by the Republican
party in 1859, he was elected to represent his
26

district in the General Assembly, receiving
over seven hundred majority, and at once took
high rank in that body. In the following year
he was unanimously renominated, an honor he
was compelled to decline; but later he was in
the Senate for two consecutive terms, taking
there, also, a prominent and active part, and
serving on several important committees.
Among the valuable property owned by
Mr. Palmer was the iron mine at Amenia,
which he sold just before the Civil war broke
out. For years he served as president of the
First National Bank of Amenia, and was re
elected to that position the day after his death,
as the news of that sad event had not reached
the village. He was always a strong Repub
lican in politics, socially was connected with
Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A.M., and was
a man of deep religious convictions, but not a
member of any Church. Public -spirited and
progressive, he was one of the most popular
citizens of the community, and no words are
needed to assert his high and delicate sense of
honor — his blameless integrity, both in public
and private life. In 1 860 he received the nomi
nation for comptroller of New York State, but
was defeated. At Westfield, Mass., in 1872,
he was married to Miss Jeanette Yeamans, a
daughter of Roland Yeamans, and two children
were born to them: Roland Swift and Katha
rine. Mr. Palmer was a man of great influence,
his advice being often sought and deferred to
by far older men, and no one's opinion in
the community on any subject of business
action, or social expediency, carried greater
weight than his. He had a marvelous faculty
of seeing, in any emergency, the precise thing
that should be done. His sympathetic, genial
nature put him often in confidential relations
with all, and no person was so unpopular or
so obscure as to forfeit his kind attention. For
a number of years prior to his death he was in
very poor health, and often made trips to the
South and to Colorado. A year before his
death he located permanently at Manitou
Park, Colo., hoping that the high latitude and
pure air would give him, at least, a partial
restoration of health. But it was decreed
otherwise, and he would have been glad to
have returned to Amenia; but the condition of
his health rendered it imposible. He breathed
his last at Manitou Park, and his remains were
brought back to Amenia and interred. We
cannot better close this brief record of his life

402

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

than by quoting a letter written by Bishop H.
N. Powers in tribute to him:
" I wish that I might stand up among those
who gather at Mr. Palmer's grave, and pay a
tribute to his youth. I knew him from his
early childhood to the years when he bore
great public trusts with distinction and honor,
and my recollection of him is singularly delight
ful. All through his boyhood and youth I can
recall nothing about him but what is suggestive
of rare qualities and a noble nature. His in
clinations from the first were good. With his
unfolding intelHgence he seemed instinctively
drawn to what was morally wholesome, refin
ing, uplifting.
"From his incipient boyhood he showed
those traits and that disposition which are
prophetic of an honorable and useful manhood.
As time went on he developed into the thought
ful, gentle, ingenuous, studious youth of high
aims and most attractive presence. His nat
ural talents were remarkable. His sympathies
led him into the best associations. His spirit
was lovely. There is no face, among those of
my early acquaintances, more clearly stamped
upon my memory than his, and every linea
ment of it indicated sincerity, sensibHity, a
keen, bright intelligence. His deep, soft,
luminous eyes, so trustful and searching, seem
looking upon me now, with meanings that go
to my heart.
" I thank God that it has been my privilege
to see and live in contact with a young life so
fair and lovely as his. The very thought of it
is refreshing, and I shall carry its sweetness
with me whHe I live."

WENDEL STROBEL (deceased). Many
 of the best class of citizens of Dutchess
county have come from over the sea, particu
larly from the empire of Germany. They
have transported to this country the industry,
thrift and economy of their native land, and
have been important factors in the upbuilding
and advancement of the land of their adoption.
Of this class of honest, alien-born citizens,
none have occupied a more prominent place
than Mr. Strobel and his famHy. He was
born, reared and educated in Germany, and
was one of the twelve children of Peter Stro
bel and wife, who were also natives of the
Fatherland. In the year 1S26, in Hessen-Darmstadt,
Germany, Mr. Strobel was married to Miss

Christina Ruth, who had received an excellent
education in her girlhood. Three children
were born to them, the birth of the eldest oc
curring before they left their native land.
They are as follows: Peter, who served as a
soldier in the German army; Mary; and Will
iam, who married a young lady of Barrytown,
Dutchess Co., N. Y. , by whom he has four
children. In 1846, with his family, Mr. Stro
bel left Germany for America, and in Barry
town made his home until called from this life
about four years ago. He enjoyed the esteem
and regard of the entire community, and at his
death was deeply mourned.
Henry Hirtsel, the maternal grandfather of
Mrs. Strobel, was born in Hessen-Darmstadt,
Germany, and there married Barbara Metz, of
the same place. They had both received a
common-school education in their native land,
and in the same province where their births
occurred were born their two children: Peter,
who married Eliza Stormf; and Susan; the lat
ter was given excellent educational advantages
in the Fatherland, and there she married Val
entine Ruth. They always made their home
in Germany, where were born to them five
children, as follows: Mary, who remained
single; Catherine, who married Anthony Han-
sey; Christina, widow of our subject; Eliza
beth, who died at the age of fifteen years; and
Valentine, who was also married. Mrs. Stro
bel and the other children were all born and
married in Germany.

C\HARLES L. FLETCHER, M. D. The
^1 first of the Fletcher family to come to the
New World was Cotton Fletcher, a Congrega
tional minister, who was born in England. He
reached the shore of this country in 1630, land
ing at Plymouth, Mass., with which colony
was his mission, and from him sprang the
present family of Fletcher, of which our sub
ject is a worthy representative.
Calvin Fletcher, the grandfather of the
Doctor, was born at Poultney, Vt., in 1738,
but in childhood removed with his parents to
Grand Isle county, of the same State. He re
ceived a common-school education, and be
came a very successful farmer. He took a
prominent part in political affairs, and was
called upon to serve in numerous town offices.
By his marriage with Miss Eunice Davidson, of
Vermont, he had nine chHdren: Asenith, who
married Benager Phelps; OHve, who married

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

408

Fisher Ames; William, who married Mary
Landon; Thomas, who married a Miss Phelps;
Cotton, who married Ann Landon; Edward,
the father of our subject; Ruth, who married
Benjamin Boardman; Lydia, who married
Calvin Robison; and Eunice, who married G.
H. Rice. Edward Fletcher, the father, was born in
Grand Isle county, Vt., in 1819, and after the
completion of his education turned his atten
tion to mercantile pursuits for a number of
years. He then engaged in farming for a time,
but afterward returned to merchandising. He
was one of the active and leading members of
the Republican party in the community where
he made his home, and at different times filled
all the town offices with credit to himself and
to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Edward Fletcher was married to Miss
Eliza M. Landon, a daughter of Baldwin and
Minerva (Phelps) Landon, agriculturists of
Vermont. Ten children were born to this
worthy couple, as follows: (i) Arelia E. mar
ried Edwin Phelps. (2) Henry C. engaged in
the ranch business in Montana, and was there
married. (3) Edward C. died at the age of
fifteen years. (4) Charles L, is the next in
order of birth. (5) Edgar E., who was born
in Vermont in 1853, was educated in the same
academy and university as our subject, and is
now engaged in the practice of medicine at
Boulder, Mont. He married Miss Emma Rob
inson, and they have three children. (6) Fred
F. is now engaged in civil engineering, and
owns a foundry at Bozeman, Mont. (7) Frank
E. studied law, but never engaged in its prac
tice; for some time he followed farming, but
wa's later connected with the Eagle Condensed
Milk factory at Wassaic, N. Y. ; he married
Miss Carrie Rozwell, and has four children —
Barbara, Leon, Edna and Francis. (8) El
mer is now engaged in the mercantile business
at New Bedford, Mass. (9) Kate M. is the
wife of Hegiston Hoag, a prosperous farmer,
and they have three children. (10) Ernest,
the youngest of the family, is now engaged in
the ranch business at Boulder, Montana.
The birth of our subject occurred in the
town of Milton, Chittenden Co., Vt., while his
primary education was obtained in the public
schools, and he supplemented the knowledge
there acquired by a course in the academy at
South Hero, Vt. , from which he graduated.
He then entered the medical department ofthe
Vermont University, graduating with the class

of '73, at the age of twenty-two. The follow
ing year he commenced the practice of his
chosen profession in the town of George,
Franklin Co., Vt., but in the fall of 1881 lo
cated at South Dover, Dutchess county, and
has since been one of the most successful phy
sicians of the community. In 1892 the Doc
tor purchased a fine farm of 335 acres on what
is called Chestnut Ridge, which is well stocked
and highly improved. Before coming to this
county he held a number of town offices in his
native State. As a Master Mason, he is con
nected with Dover Plains Lodge No. 666, F.
& A, M. He stands deservedly high as a mem
ber of the medical fraternity, and as a private
citizen also holds an enviable position in the
estimation _,of his fellowmen.
Dr. Fletcher was married to Miss Helen
Corwin, and to them were born four chHdren:
Helena and Edward, who died in infancy; C.
Harold, who was born in 18S0, and is now
preparing for college; and Alice C, who died
at the age of nine years.

T^HOMAS K. CRUSE, A. M., M. D., a
 leading physician and surgeon of Wap
pingers Falls, Dutchess county, was born in
Baltimore, Md. , March 3, 1S49, and is a son
of Isaac Cruse, whose birth occurred in Alex
andria, Va. , in 1806. His paternal grand
father, Thomas Cruse, was a native of Dub
lin, Ireland, by occupation a linen merchant,
and he there married a Miss Hamilton, of the
same city. About 1798, a continuance of resi
dence in Dublin having become impossible by
reason of his affiliation with the fomenters of
Emmet's rebellion, Thomas Cruse and family
emigrated to Virginia, and there he started a
successful business in the importation of Irish
linens. In religious belief he was an Episco
palian, and in politics a Federalist. His fam
ily comprised four children, namely: Mary,
who became the wife of a Mr. Power, of Car
lisle, Penn. ; Eliza, who married James Creigh-
ton, of Philadelphia; Franklin, who died in in
fancy; and Isaac, the father of the subject of
this sketch.
On reaching manhood Isaac Cruse left the
Old Dominion for Baltimore, Md., where he
engaged in merchandising. He there wedded
Mary W. Kelso, a native of Pittsburg, Penn.
She was a daughter of Dr, Joseph Kelso, sur
geon to the Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadel
phia, he being of Scotch descent through the

404

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Galbraiths of Revolutionary fame. Six chil
dren were born to Isaac and Mary W. Cruse:
Anna E. , who married David H. Paige (vice-
president Texas & Houston Central railway), of
New York City; Bertha, wife of Charles H.
Currier, of the same city; Mary W., married
to Edward J. Peters, also of New York City;
Virginia, wife of Eugene W. Watson, captain
United States navy; EmmeHne H., widow of
Graham Blandy, long a member of the New
York Stock Exchange, and Thomas K. , subject
of this sketch. On leaving Baltimore, Isaac
Cruse removed to New York City, where for
twenty-five years he was an active member of
the Produce Exchange, and at one time its
president. Throughout life he was a stanch
Democrat, and a pillar of the Madison Square
Presbyterian Church, now under Dr. Park-
hurst's charge.
When a chHd, Thomas K. Cruse accom
panied his parents to New York City, where
through five years he attended old ward school
No, 45, in Twenty-fourth street. Leaving
school, he was successful in gaining entrance
to the College of the City of New York, from
which institution he took his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1868. Having thus completed a
sound literary and scientific education, he began
the attendance of lectures at Bellevue Hos
pital Medical College, from which he gradu
ated as Doctor of Medicine in 1870, when
barely twenty-one years of age. Immediately
after graduation, and after a hard competitive
examination, he was appointed resident sur
geon to Bellevue Hospital, subsequently, also,
receiving the appointment of surgeon to the
Bellevue Hospital Bureau of Relief for Out-
Door Poor. These positions kept the Doctor
hard at work during most of the first four
years of his professional life, although for a
few months of that period he served also as
surgeon to the White Star line of transatlantic
steamers. After a term of hospital attendance in Lon
don, England, Dr. Cruse started private prac
tice in New York City, later at Tarrytown,
N. Y. , and in 1876 took up his residence at
Wappingers Falls, N.Y,, where he has made
his permanent home, although for a year he
was absent in England and France, and later
in Florida, traveling. For a time also he held
the post of professor of genito-urinary diseases
in the CoHege of Physicians and Surgeons at
Chicago, III,, and in 1886, after competitive
civil-service examination, was appointed Med

ical Examiner at Washington, D. C, in the
Pension Office. After serving for awhHe in
Washington, he resigned his position, and has
since given all his energies to his Dutchess
county practice.
On November 3, 1 883, Dr. Cruse was mar
ried to Florence S. Warhurst, of Brooklyn, N.
Y. , she being a daughter of Thomas War
hurst, the veteran dramatic agent. They have
had two children, boys, one, Thomas Gal-
braith, born in 1893, died in 1895; the other,
Creighton, born in 1896, survives.
The Doctor is an independent in politics,
is a member of the I. O. O. F. , and of the
Foresters of America, of various professional
organizations, of the Dutchess Club, of Pough
keepsie, of the Chi Psi Alumni Association of
New York City, and of the Society of Alumni
of BeHevue Hospital Internes. He is surgeon
to the Foresters, to the Hudson River Stone
Supply Co., and from 1885 to 1893 served the
village as health officer, during which time he
was zealous and impartial in his efforts to en
force strict isolation of persons suffering from
contagious diseases. At one time Dr. Cruse
gave a big slice of his time to writing papers for
medical journals and others — original papers
and criticisms. Two of his productions have
been honored with prizes. One, on " Rupture
of the Bladder, ' took the one-hundred-dollar
prize of the Alumni Association of Bellevue
Hospital Medical College, and was published
in the Medical Record in 1S71; the second, on
" Injuries which happen to the Wrist Joint,"
especially dislocations and fractures, received
the one-hundred-dollar prize of the New York
State Medical Society for 1S74, and was pub
lished in the volume of transactions of the So
ciety for that year.
Dr. Cruse, although not in the metropolis,
has won an enviable reputation as an up-to-
date operative surgeon, and the great esteem
in which his abilities are held by his profession
al brethren is the best testimony to his worth.

MILLER BROTHERS is the name of a
 _ well-known firm of Poughkeepsie, Dutch-,
ess county, dealers in marble and granite,
whose place of business is located at Nos. 100-
and 102 Market street. In 1894 Philip and
Valentine M, Miller formed a partnership, since
which time they have conducted their present
business with remarkable success, combining

I

i

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

405

the virtues of energy and perseverance with
excellent judgment and industrious habits.
Valentine Miller, father of our subject,
was born in Germany in 1825, and was there
reared to habits of thrift and economy, which
principles characterized his whole life. Hop
ing to better his financial condition, he, in
1855, emigrated to the New World, locating
finally at Poughkeepsie, where he first worked
with Peter Joy in the bluestone business.
Not long afterward he became a member of
the firm of NeHson & MHler, in the marble
business, which connection continued until the
death of Mr. NeHson, when Mr. Haxby was
received as a partner. On the latter's death,
the firm became MHler & Van Wyck, which so
continued untH Mr. Miller was caHed from
earth, in August, 1877.
Valentine MHler married Elizabeth Dilge,
also a native of the Fatherland, and a family
of eight children were born to them: Feier
abend and Peter, residents of Poughkeepsie,
where the former is in the butchering business;
Phillipina, deceased; Philip and Valentine M.
(who comprise the firm of MHler Brothers),
and Maggie (wife of John Hall, a coal dealer),
Kate, (wife of Valentine Hall), and Jacob (a
printer), all of Poughkeepsie. The mother of
these died in August, 1S93; the father was a
prominent member of the' I^utheran Church,
thoroughly identified with its interests, and in
politics he affiliated with the Republican party.
Both he and his wife were highly respected and
esteemed as valuable members of the com
munity. Philip Miller, the senior member of the
firm of Miller Bros., was born at Poughkeep
sie January 17, 1861, and in the city schools
acquired his education, subsequently learning
the marble business with his father. In 1S91
he went to Jersey City, where he was em
ployed in that line until 1S94, when he re
turned to Poughkeepsie and formed the part
nership with his brother, Valentine M,, in the
marble and granite business at their present
location on Market street, since which time
they have done an extensive business.
Philip Miller was married to Miss Mamie
Kuhner, a member of the Zither Club.
Valentine M. Miller, the junior mem
ber of the firm of Miller Bros, , was born April
18, 1864, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he
received his education. He wedded Miss Cath
erine Laufersweiler, and one daughter, Viola
May, has been born to them. Valentine M.

Miller is a member of the order of Chosen
Friends and of Fallkill Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.
Although StHl young men, the Miller Broth
ers are very liberal and public-spirited men,
taking a foremost position in every movement
or enterprise promising to accrue to the bene
fit of the people in general. In poHtics they
follow in the footsteps of their father, and
hold an equally high position in the regard of
their fellow citizens.

ICHARD BRIMSON CARY (deceased).
Few among the business men of Dutchess
county, past or present, have devoted to com
mercial life as many years as did the subject
of this biography. Born November 26, 18 14,
in East FishkHl, he began his mercantile career
at the age of twenty-one, and not until the
early part of 1896 did he lay aside his active
responsibilities. His ancestry is an honorable one. His pa
ternal grandfather, Joseph Cary, was a soldier
in the Colonial army during the Revolutionary
war, and enjoyed the unique distinction of
having first seen the light February 22, 1732 —
the day and year of Gen. Washington's birth.
The parents of our subject, Isaac and Nancy
(Burrow) Cary, were highly respected residents
of East Fishkill, and he and a younger brother,
Uriah, constituted the family.
Richard B. Gary's early education was
such as the district schools of the locaHty af
forded in his day, and although they do not
compare favorably with those of to-day, yet
he managed to secure a good foundation for
later progress through reading and observation.
His first business venture was in a general
merchandise store at JohnsvHle, N. Y. , in part
nership with William Pierce, and on the dis
solution of the firm seven or eight years after
ward Mr. Cary went to Glenham, N. Y. , the
manufacturing vHlage between Fishkill village
and Matteawan, and carried on a similar busi
ness for three years, with Thomas Burroughs
as a partner, Mr. Cary then moved to Fish
kill village, where he and Jacob G. Van Wyck
opened a general store, and after a time Mr.
Cary purchased Mr. Van Wyck's interest, and
for many years continued the business alone.
During the past twenty-five years he was a
commercial traveler, representing a firm of
paper manufa.cturers; but faHing health com-

406

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

polled him to retire, and he died a few months
after, August 25, 1896.
Mr. Cary was married October 22, 1844,
to Miss M. Garetta Washburn, daughter of
Jarvis and Hettie (Fuller) Washburn. Mrs.
Cary passed away December 26, 1S91, in her
sixty-fifth year, mourned as a loving wife and
mother, and by many as a cherished friend.
They had five children: Jarvis, Edgar, Mary,
Frank and Arthur, of whom all are living ex
cept Frank, who died in infancy, and Edgar,
who died at the age of thirty-six years leaving a
widow and two daughters. Politically Mr.
Cary was a Republican, but he did not take
an active share in party affairs.

E EDWARD BRAM AN, of Hyde Park,
 ^ Dutchess county, is the representative of
a well-known family there, connected with the
Sextons, Van Vliets, and others, whose gen
ealogies are of unusual interest.
The name of Braman first appears in New
England in 1653, at Taunton, Mass., where
the first settlers were mostly from Somerset
shire and Devonshire. The name belonged to
Plymouth, in Devonshire, in that day, but
there were also Bramans in London and Chi
chester, then and later. Thomas Braman, of
Taunton, 1653, is believed to be the ancestor of
all bearing the name in this country.
The immediate ancestor of the family, who
came to live in Dutchess county, was James
Braman, of North Kingston, R. I. He also
owned lands in Voluntown and Preston, near
Norwich, Conn., and about 1733 he took up his
residence in Voluntown, where he died aljout
January i, 1741, leaving, by his wife Eliza
beth, seven chHdren: Elizabeth, b. March
2, 1730; John, b. April 12, 1731; James, b.
October 13, 1732 (ancestor of the Bramans of
Richfield, N. Y.); Anna, b. August 28, I734;
Thomas, b. May 25, 1736; Benjamin, b. June
6, 1738, unmarried; and Esther, b. Febru
ary I, 1741. Of these, John and Thomas died
in Dutchess county. Thomas, after serving
in the "old French war" (he was at Fort
Edward in August, 1756), bought land near
Old Attlebury, in Stanford, in 1761 and 1765.
His wife, Anna, born December 21, 1735,
died February 9, 1799. He died  26,
1808 (tombstone injured), and they were buried
in the ground he gave for a church long since
extinct. He left no children, but made his
nephew, Braman Barlow, his principal heir.

John Braman, eldest son of James and
Elizabeth, was born in North Kingston, R. I.,
April 12 (O. S.), 173 1, and died at Hyde
Park September 6, 18 10. He married, Feb
ruary 5, 1763, Eunice, eldest daughter of Ben
jamin Adams, of Lexington, Mass., baptized
June 3, 173 1, died August 15, 1774. They
had five children:- Anna, b. December 6,
1763, d. 1S46, second wife of the Hon. Ben
jamin Fitch, of Pawlet, Vt. ; Cyrus, b. No
vember 28, 1766 [See below]; Lucy, b. June
14, 1768, d. August 20, 1796, first wife of
Benjamin Fitch, above mentioned; Eunice, b.
September 15, 1770, d. November 21, 1836,
m. Samuel Palmer, of Preston; and Mary, b.
May 18, 1772, d. 1809, m. Job Wickes, of
BurHngton, Otsego Co., N. Y. John Braman
settled in the East, or "Long Society," of
Norwich (which was set off to the adjoining
town of Preston in 1786), near the junction of
the Quinebaug and Shetucket rivers. After a
residence of forty years in a very pleasant lo
cality, all his children being married, he sold
his property there, in order to make his home
with his only son, with whom he removed to
Clinton, now Hyde Park, in AprH, iSoo.
Cyrus Braman, born at Norwich, Novem
ber 28, 1766, died at Hyde Park, October 10,
1850. He first married, on December 26,
1793, Elizabeth Dunbar, only child of Capt.
Joseph Teel and Elizabeth Searle, born at
Charlestown, Mass., July 9, 1775, died at Hyde
Park December 4, 1801. Her mother was of the
family of the Rev. John Searle, of Stoneham;
and her father was descended from one of the
oldest families of Maiden, Mass. Capt. Teel
fought at Bunker Hill, and was in the Massa
chusetts Line in the succeeding war, was pres
ent at White Plains and at Burgoyne's surren
der, etc. At one time he was a paymaster.
He died at his son-in-law's house, at Hyde
Park, February 14, 1843, aged ninety-eight
years. He was long an elder in the Reformed
Dutch Church. Cyrus Braman married, sec
ond, on April 11, 1802, Mary, born February
27, 1772, died October 26, 1849, only surviv
ing daughter of Samuel Hitt and Ruth, his
wife, daughter of William and Magdalena
(Woolsey) Dusenbury, of Harrison's Purchase,
Westchester county. The Dusenbury home
stead was in the famHy nearly a century and a
half. It was later owned by Benjamin Halli
day and, since, by the Hon. Whitelaw Reid.
Samuel Hitt was the only chHd of Samuel
Hitt, of Harrison (then a part of Rye), who

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

407

died in 1742, when the son was only a year
old. He received a classical education, and
inherited a considerable estate, which was
much diminished by the vicissitudes of the
Revolutionary days, as he lived " between the
lines" and suffered from both sides. His
daughter was old enough to remember some of
the events of those troublous times.
After the war he removed to Dutchess
county, and for some years lived on the place,
late of Elias Butler, then the property of Judge
David Johnston, of Lithgow. Here his wife
died, March 20, 1807, aged sixty-one; he died
August 3, 1 8 10, aged sixty-nine. By his first
wife Cyrus Braman had four chHdren: Joseph
Teel, b. January 29, 1796, d. August i, 1869,
unmarried. Elizabeth Dunbar Teel, b. June
22, 1797, d. January 16, 1875; m. in 1816
John Church, of Yates county, N. Y. John
Adams, b. January 18, 1799, d. September 13,
1886, unmarried; some time a merchant in
New York and Syracuse. Cassandana, b.
October 24. 1800, d. December 12, 1801.
By his second wife he had seven children:
Ruth Hitt, b. January 8, 1803, d. in New
York December 8, 1846; m. in 1821 WHliam
Elsworth, of New York, afterward of Hyde
Park, and had four children. Mary Smith, b.
March 8, 1805, d. May 12, 1881, unmarried.
Samuel Hitt, b. January 20, 1807, of whom
mention will presently be made. Catharine,
b. February 12, 1809, d. in Poughkeepsie, Jan
uary 30, 1890; became the second wife of
William Elsworth; no chHdren. Cyrus, b.
March 17, 181 1, d. June i, 1812. Phebe Ste
venson, b. May 23, 1813, d. August 15, 1861,
unmarried. WHHam Henry, b. December 27,
181 5, d. in New York February 24, 1876;
he was a merchant in New York; he mar
ried Sarah, daughter of John W. Elsworth,
and sister of William Elsworth, and by her
(who is living, 1897) had one chHd, Adelaide,
who married Dr. WHliam Brinck, now of New
burg. Cyrus Braman was educated at a high
school at Norwich. After his first marriage he
lived in Norwich for several years, but in 1796
Joseph Teel bought property in Rhinebeck
(afterward owned by Freeborn Garrettson, Jr. ,
and since by the Astors), and this led to the
removal of the Braman family to Hyde Park.
In November, 1799, Cyrus Braman bought of
Phinehas Fames "Lot No. 2," of the Hyde
Park Patent. This had belonged to Anna
Magdalen Valleau, wife of Lucas Lesier (com
monly called " Madame Lesier "), sister to the

wife of Dr. John Bard; and thus an heir of
Peter Fauconnier's estate. She built the stone
house, part of which stood until 1894. At an
early date this place was named " Belgrove ",
perhaps by Madame Lesier. In 1800 Mr.
Braman bought the adjoining farm, "Lot No.
3," of Capt. Samuel Cook, both purchases
comprising together 212 acres, with a frontage
of about half a mile on the river. This was
his home for fifty years. In 1824 he built
barns, still standing, considered a marvel of
convenience in their day; and in 1832 he built
a new residence, having a fine river and moun
tain view. He was a Federalist, and later a
Whig, but was averse to taking any part in
political affairs. He died at the age of eighty-
four, and his portrait shows him a man of
venerable and dignified appearance. In 1853
his executors sold the estate to his son-in-law,
William Elsworth, who died here in 1S70, aged
seventy-four, leaving three sons, Cyrus B.,
William H. and Eugene. His executors sold,
in 1873, to Nathaniel P. Rogers.
Samuel H. Brarnan was born at Belgrove,
January 20, 1807, and died there June 16,
1846. He married. May 16, 1832, Helen,
daughter of Cornelius Van Vliet, Jr., of Staats
burg, and Mary Russell, born at Staatsburg,
June 22, 1807, and died there October i, 1857.
They had six children: (i) Edward (now of
Hyde Park), b. December 13, 1833. (2)
Caroline, b. May 20, 1836, m. Samuel J. M.
Sexton. (3) Hiram Van Vliet (of Pough
keepsie, and No. 321 Clinton avenue, Brook
lyn, late importer, of New York), b. June 12,
1838, m. Irene Barlow, daughter of Charles
Thomas Newcomb, of Pleasant Valley, and
Elizabeth A. T. Sexton, and has had seven
children — Helen Elizabeth (died in infancy),
Mary Newcomb (m., June 11, 1896, to Francis
L. Noble, counselor at law, of New York),
Charles Francis (died aged fourteen years),
Irene Moir, William Reginald (died aged three
years), Hiram Van Vliet, Jr. (d. April 8, 1896,
aged eighteen years), and Emily Louise. (4)
Emily Bailey (living at Hyde Park), b. Sep
tember 22, 1840. (5) Samuel H., Jr., b.
AprH 13, 1842, d. February 14, 1869. (6)
Helen, b. November 13, 1S45, d. May 27,
1S64. Samuel H. Braman took some interest
in military affairs. He was a captain, major
and finally colonel of the Eighty-fourth Regi
ment of Militia. His sons all went early to
New York, and (later with their sisters) made
their home there many years.

408

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The ancestry of the Sexton Family* is
fully set forth in Stiles' "Ancient Windsor."
The first of the name who came to live in
Dutchess county was the late Samuel J. M.
Sexton, of Hyde Park. His line of descent
from the first George Sexton, of Windsor,
Conn., and Catharine, is: Capt. Joseph (1666-
1742) and Hannah Wright; Joseph, Jr. (1694-
17 — ), and Sarah Parsons; Deacon Joseph
(1726-18 1 9) and Rebecca Chapin; Joseph
(1753-1823) and Hannah Cadwell, of Wilbra
ham and Monsoon, Mass., whose eldest son
was Francis Sexton, born at Wilbraham, No
vember 22, 1779; a merchant in New York,
where he died August 7, 1S39; he Hved many
years at No. 28 Dey street, where all his chil
dren were born. He married, December 14,
1S09, Sarah Mills, born March 10, 1792, died
September 21, 1S62, daughter of WHliam
Ross and Johanna, his wife, daughter of Capt.
Alexander Leslie (who was lost at sea) and
Sarah Tufts (who married, second, John Mills,
of New York), Mrs. Leslie-Mills came of a
distinguished ancestry. She was a daughter
of the Rev. Joshua Tufts and Abigail Ellery
(cousin of William Ellery, signer of the Dec
laration of Independence), both of whom
died at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1766. Her
grandfather, the Rev. John Tufts, of Newbury,
Mass. , was the first to publish a collection of
psalm tunes in New England, thereby greatly
improving the singing in Churches. He was
son of Capt. Peter Tufts, of Medford, and
Mercy, daughter of the Rev. Seaborn Cotton,
of Hampton (son of the Rev. John Cotton, of
Boston), by Dorothy, daughter of Gov. Simon
Bradstreet, and Anne, his wife (the poetess),
daughter of Gov. Thomas Dudley. Mrs.
Mills (Sarah Tufts) was born November 24,
1744, and died in New York, September 19,
1 8 10. She lived in New York during the
British occupation, being then a widow, and
with her bounty relieved the wants of many
unhappy prisoners of war confined there. She
and her husband were prominent members of
the Brick Church, and she was very active in
benevolent and charitable works, and a co
worker with the celebrated Mrs, Isabella Gra
ham, Mr. Mills died in 181 5.
Francis and Sarah M. Sexton had sixteen
?The arras of Sexton, called "of London," by Burke, are:
"Argent, three chaplets in bend gules, between two bendlets of the
last: Crest, out of a ducal coronet or, a dexter arm in armour em-
bowed proper, garnished of the first, holding in the gauntlet an
anchor sable, fluke and cable or," An ancient seal engraved with
the above crest has come dc^wn, as an heirloom, to the present S, B,
Sexton, of " Torham;" and it furnished an appropriate design for
his private yacht signal.

children, eight of whom died young. Those
who survived were: (i) Sarah Mills, b. De
cember 30, 1 8 10, d. at Hyde Park November
23, 1872; m. John H. Newcomb, of Pleasant
Valley, and late in life of Hyde Park, and left
two surviving children, Thomas, and Johanna,
now widow of Walter Allen Seymour. The
first of this family in the county was Thomas
Newcomb, who bought "the greater part" of
Lot No. 8, Great Nine Partners. His son,
Zaccheus, built the well-known "Brick House,"
and Thomas, son of the latter, was father of
John H. and Charles T. Newcomb [See
Newcomb Genealogy, by J. B, Newcomb].
(2) Francis William, b. 1812, d. 1849, unmar
ried. (3) Elmira, b. 181 5, d. 1865; m. John
Mills Tufts, of Woodbridge, N. J., and left
no surviving chHdren. (4) Johanna, b. 1818,
d. 1883, unmarried. (5) Elizabeth Ann Tufts,
b. October 17, 1819, d. January 20, 1889; m.
(first) Charles Thomas Newcomb, of Pleasant
VaHey, and (second) Col. Charles StHes Phelps,
of Brooklyn [See StHes' "Ancient Windsor"].
By her first husband she had Irene B., m. H.
V. V. Braman, and Mary E. , who died unmar
ried. (6) Mary Jane, b. 1823, d. 1885; m.
Charles Morgan, of New York. (7) Emily H.,
m. William Moir, of New York. (8) Samuel
John Mills, b. August 11, 1832, d. at Hyde
Park May 3, 1873. Samuel J. M. Sexton
married, May 30, 1866, Caroline, daughter of
Samuel H. Braman, of Hyde Park, and had
one child: Samuel Braman Sexton, now of
"Torham," Hyde Park, born July 19, 1869;
married at Grace Church, New York, Novem
ber 2, 1893, Jean Hunter Denning, daughter
of the late Edwin James Denning, of New
York. The name of Van Vliet can be traced very
far back in the annals of the Netherlands. In
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and
later, several of the name achieved distinction
in the fields of literature and art, and in mili
tary and civil life, the relation of which is not
here necessary. That branch of the family
which settled in this country came from the
diocese or Province of Utrecht. Their ar
morial bearings, _ as given by Reitstap, are
"D'or, a trois losanges de gules: Casque
couronn^: Crest, une tete et col du chein
braque de gules." In the Documentary His
tory of New York [Vol. II, Colonial Docu
ments] is an account of the powder used by
the authorities in New Amsterdam, giving
some interesting glimpses of passing events.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

409

On July i8, 1661, Governor Winthrop arrived
in New Amsterdam, to proceed to "Father
land," in the "Trouw"; July 21 the ships
"Arent," "Hope "and " Trouw" saHed hence
for Fatherland, and eighteen pounds of powder
were fired. The "Trouw" sailed again, on
her return to New Amsterdam, March 21,
1662, under the command of Capt. Jan Jansen
Bestevan, and arrived on June 13, following,
when six pounds of powder were fired. Among
the passengers on this voyage were Adrian
Gerritsen, agriculturist, from the Province of
Utrecht, with his wife and five children, aged
thirteen, twelve, eleven, eight and seven years.
That he was' the Adrian Gerritsen, or Adrian
Gerritsen Van Vliet, who shortly after appears
at "the Esopus" (Kingston), there can be no
doubt. At marriage some of his children are
recorded as ' ' geboren in 't Stigt Van Uytrecht "
(born in the Diocese of Utrecht). In the
Indian attack of June, 1663, a daughter of
Adrian was one of the prisoners taken, but was
soon recovered with the rest. On April 28,
1667, Adrian signed, with others, reasons for
being in arms. By grant and purchase Adrian
became the owner of several parcels of land
in Kingston and the adjacent parts of Ulster
county [See Doc. Hist, of N. Y. ; Sylvester's
Hist, of Ulster County; Schoonmaker's Hist.
of Kingston; N. Y. G. & B. Record, 1871, p.
145, &c.]. On September i, 1689, at Kings
ton, "Gerritt Van ffliett" and "John Van-
ffliett" (sons of Adrian) took the oath of alle
giance; but it is recorded that "Arre Gerritt
Van ffiiett " and "Derrick Van Vliet" (his
other son) did not appear. [Doc. Hist, of
N. Y., Vol. I., p. 173]. The wife of Adrian
was Agatha Jans Spruyt, doubtless a descend
ant of the ancient family of Spruyt, of Kriek-
enbeck and Utrecht. She was frequently
a witness at baptisms in Kingston. Their five
children were: (i) Gerrit, or Gerard, ancestor
of the FishkHl branch. (2) Jan (or John)
married Judith, daughter of Frederick Hussey,
an English settler and large landholder at
Kingston; most of this branch remained in
Ulster county, but one son, Frederick, settled,
in 1725, in Somerset county, N. J., where his
descendants write the name "Van Fleet."
Vice-Chancellor Abraham Van Fleet, recently
deceased, was a descendant of Thomas, son
of this Frederick Van Vliet. (3) Dirck [See
farther on, " line of Dirck Van Vliet "]. (4)
Geertruyd married Gysbert Crom, of Marble
town, the owner of a large estate there, and a

brother of Floris Willemse Crom, of Flatbush,
Long Island, patentee of the " Crom Patent",
at Haverstraw. (5) Machteld married (first)
Barent Van Borsum, son of Egbert Van Bor-
sum, of New York [See N. Y. Gen. & Biog.
Record, 1895-96], and (second) Jan Jacobsen
Stol, son of Jacob Jansen Stol, one of the
earliest magistrates at the Esopus. [The wife
of Jacob was Geertruyd Andriese Van Does-
burg. She married (second) Aert Martensen
Van Doom; then she died, and he married
Aeltie Lansing, widow of Gerard Slegtenhorst,
and mother of Ehzabeth Slegtenhorst, wife of
Nicholas WHHam, son of Governor Stuyves
ant.] Line of Gerrit Van Vliet — Gerrit Van-
Vliet, probably the eldest son of Adrian and
Agatha, married Pieternelle, daughter of
Teunis Cornelissen Swart, of Albany, etc, ,
and Elizabeth Van derLinde. Their children
were: Cornelia, bapt. August 28, 1681; in.
Andries Davidsen. Agatha, born about 16S3;
m. Marcus Van Bommel, of Poughkeepsie.
Teunis, bapt. July 19, 1685, died young, Eliz
abeth, bapt. October 2, 1687; m. Nathaniel
Davenport, of Kingston. Jannetje, bapt. Oc
tober 30, 1692; m. Lewis DuBois, of Pough
keepsie. Geertje, bapt. November 11, 1694;
m. Christoffel Van Bommel, of Poughkeepsie,
one of the judges of the " Inferior Court of the
County of Dutchess." Neeltje, bapt. Febru
ary 21, 1697; m. Johannes Ter Bos, of Fish
kHl. Arie Gerritse, bapt. March 26, 1699
[See next family]. Teunis, bapt. June 14,
1702; m. Sara, daughter of Evert Van Wag
enen and Hillegond Van Heyningen. [For
his family see N. Y. G. & B. Record, 1891, p.
154]. Nelly (also Neeltje, perhaps originally
Pieternelle), presumed to be a daughter, m.
Christian DuBois, of Fishkill.
Gerrit Van Vliet was one of the petitioners
for a minister at Kingston, 1676. He settled
first at Marbletown, but removed to FishkHl,
probably about 1709. His name appears in
the first census of Dutchess county, in 17 14,
with a family of eight persons. At that time
there were only sixty-seven heads of families
in the county. His sons, Arie and Teunis, sub
scribed toward calling a minister for Pough
keepsie and FishkHl in 1745. [Hist, of the
Reformed Church, Poughkeepsie.]
Adrian Van Vliet (" Arie Gerritse "), bapt.
March 26, 1699, m. Janneke, daughter of
Frederick Cloet, of Albany and Kingston, and
Francina Du Mont. ChHdren: Nelly (Pieter-

410

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

nelle) m. Isaac Van Bunschoten; Francina m.
Petrus Low, of Poughkeepsie, and was dead in
1769; Garret, living 1792 (Dutchess county
deeds); Petrus, bapt. January i, 1737 [See next
family]; Teunis, bapt. October 7, 1740, m.
Lammetje Romeyn, 1762; Frederick, living
1792, m. Catharina Van de Water, 1779.
Catharine Brett, of FishkHl, widow, sold,
31 August, 1726, to Adrian Van Vliet, of the
same place, yeoman, for ^^98, New York
money, a piece of land at a place called the
"Steen Vlackte, or Stony Plain," lying upon
Wappingers creek, ' ' containing So acres and
noe more." It is found that, later, he owned
other lands adjoining this purchase. His wHl,
dated 27 September, 1769, was proved 3 July,
1778, and recorded in New York. He gives
all his estate, real and personal, to his wife
"Janakye," for life; then to be sold; and to
eldest son Garret " ^^25 and my gun;" to
daughter Nelly, wife of Isaac Van Bunschoten,
^30; to the three children of deceased daugh
ter (Francina), wife of Petrus Low, ;^30; and
all the remainder among his four sons, equally:
Garret, Petrus, Teunis and Frederick, the first
three executors. Garret, Peter and Frederick
Van Vliet, and Peter Low, signed the " Revo
lutionary Pledge" in 1775, in Poughkeepsie
Precinct. Garret and Petrus Van Vliet were
deacons in the Reformed Dutch Church, in
Poughkeepsie, and both first elected in 1778.
[Hist, of Ref, Church, Poughkeepsie.]
Petrus Van Vliet, son of Adrian and Jan
neke, bapt. January i, 1737, m. Johanna,
daughter of Johannes Van Wormer,* of Al
bany, and Engeltje, his wife, daughter of John
Concklin, of Poughkeepsie. Her tombstone,
at Fishkill Landing, says " Hannah Van Vliet,
died March 4, 1834, aged eighty-four years. "
ChHdren: Engeltje (Angelica), afterward called
"Anne," bapt. April 6, 1766, d. May 18, 185 1;
m. first John Cromwell, second Peter Bogar
dus. Jane, b. July 26, 1768, m. Jeremiah
Myers, of Fishkill, Johannes Van Wormer
(known as John), b. September 25, 1770 [See
next family]. Arie, b. July 20, 1773, m. a
Miss Borgardus, removed to Western New
York. Petrus, b. October 31, 1775, of Char
lotte, Vt. [See farther on]. Garret, b. Decem
ber 23, 1777, of FishkHl, d. December 27,
1S43, unmarried. Alida, b. February 25,
•The will of Johannes Van Wormer, of Albany, 23 October, IT52,
proved 16 October, 1753, names wife Engeltje and three daughters,
Hannah, Alida and Mary, Execulors, his '• beloved father " (inlaw),
John Concklin, and " beloved brother" (in law), Henry G.Living
ston. The latter married Susanna Concklin ; the Rev, Dr, John H.
Livingston was tjieirson.

1780, m. William Higbee, removed to Ver
mont. Francina (later Cynthia), b. August i,
1782, m. Jacob Bartley, removed to Ver
mont. Teunis removed to Vermont, then to
Canada, and finally to the West. Frederick
removed to Vermont, and later to Westfield,
N. Y. Christian, b. January 21, 1790, m. (first)
Rachel Hough, of Ferrisburg, Vt., and (second)
Maria Cromwell, of Fishkill. He lived sev
eral years in Vermont, but returned to FishkHl.
Gen. Stewart Van Vliet, U. S. A. (grad. West
Point in 1840), is a son by his first wife [See
Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography] ;
and a son by his second wife was the late
Lieut. Frederick Van Vliet, U. S. A.
John Van Vliet, son of Petrus and Johanna
(or Hannah), b. September 25, 1770, d. in
Fishkill October 25, 1847. He married Eliza
beth Cromwell, b. February 25', 1769, d. May
17, 1837. ChHdren: Rachel, b. November
27, 1793, d. January II, 1874; m. Peter Brett,
of Fishkill. Peter, b. July 20, 1795, d. March
20, 1846; m. Phebe Rickey; line extinct.
Joseph Cromwell, b. April 24, 1797, d. May
27, 1803. Hannah, b. June 5, 1799. d. June 2,
1879, atGalesburg, Ill.,m. Benjamin C. Weeks.
Cornelia, born June 19, 1801, d. October 6,
1886, at Matteawan; m. WilHam Brett. John,
b. AprH 7, 1803, of FishkiH, living, 1897; m.
(first) Hannah, daughter of Isaac Bogardus, and
(second) Henrietta Wiltsie; by his first wife he
had: Adelaide, d. young; Jacob Sebring, d.
young; GranvHle, of Low Point, m. Mary C.
Lounsbury, and has children; Amelia, d. March
21, 1S77; Theodore, of Matteawan, m. Caro
line Allen, and has children; Charles B. R., d.
young; and Sarah Sebring.. Benjamin Crom
well, b. August 14, 1805, d. February 25,
1 85 1, of Poughkeepsie; m. first, Sarah A. Da
kin, and, second, Persis Balding [See Russell
Genealogy]. Phebe Ann, b. September 7,
1807, d. March 16, 1836; m. Dr. Roderick
Royce, of Monticello; no surviving issue. Syl
vanus, b. March 5, 1810, d. April 8, 1889, of
FishkiH Landing; not married. William Henry,
b. February 18, 1813, living 1897. at Fishkill;
m. Sarah A. Cromwell, and has children.
Cornelius Westbrook, b. October i, 181 5, d.
April 10, 1889; of Birmingham, Conn.;m.
Eveline Hurst, and left children.
Peter Van Vliet, son of Petrus and Johanna,
born October 31, 1775, went to Vermont when
he became of age and settled at Charlotte,
near Burlington, where he died, September 18,
1853. He married Sarah Hough, and had

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

411

fifteen children, some still living. None of
these are connected with Dutchess county ex
cept his son Aaron (Arie), b. December lO,
1804, who returned to FishkHl, where he set
tled, and died March 4, 1839. He married
(first) Anne Catharine, daughter, of Peter Bo
gardus and Anne Van Vliet (no surviving
issue), and (second) Matilda, daughter of Peter
Brett and Rachel Van Vliet, by whom he had
one son, Benson Van Vliet, of Poughkeepsie.
Benson Van Vliet, born at FishkiH Landing,
August 22, 1837; m. October 12, i860, Kath
arine B. Saxton. ChHdren: Bertha, Annie,
Helena and Florence. He is business mana
ger of Vassar College.
Line of Dirck Van Vliet — Dirck Van VHet,
son of the first Adrian and Agatha, died in
Kingston in 1702. He married, April 23, 1685,
Anna, only surviving child of Andries Barent-
sen and Hilletje Hendricks, from Meppel, in
Drenthe, who arrived in the ' ' Trouw, " in De
cember, 1659. Andries was wounded in the
Indian attack on "Wiltwyck," in June, 1663,
and, dying soon after, his widow married Albert
Jansen Van Steenwyck. Anna was baptized
in Kingston, September 10, 1662. She long
survived her husband, and her Bible, printed
in 1629, is now in the possession of Henry R.
Van Vliet, of Clinton. Children: Arie (Ad
rian), b. June 10, 16S6. HHletje, bapt. Janu
ary I, 1688; m. Gysbert Peele, son of Paulus
Peele. Andries, bapt. November 5, 1691,
d. unmarried after 1722. Agatha, b. 1693;
m. Teunis, son of Adam Swart. Cornelia,
bapt. June 7, 1695; m. Matthew Edward
Thompson; he was still living when Kingston
was burned in 1777; his house, corner of John
and East Front streets, shared the common
fate; he rebuilt the house with the same walls,
and it stood untH recently. Gerrit, bapt. July
4, 1697; d. young. Rachel, bapt. May 7, 1699;
m. Teunis, son of Cornelius Swart, cousin of
Agatha's husband; both nephews of the wife of
Gerrit Van VHet. Dirck, bapt. January i,-
1701; m. Marritje Crispel; left one daughter.
Catharina, b. November 12, 1702, "between
II and 12 o'clock."
Arie, or Adrian, Van Vliet was born in
Kingstori, June 10, 1686, and was the only
son of the first Dirck who left sons to carry
the name. He married, February 26, 171 1,
Gerritje, daughter of Cornelius Masten and
Elizabeth Van W^agenen. Cornelius was son
of John Marston (as he wrote his name), an
Englishman (of New York, and afterward one

of the patentees of Flushing), and Dievertje
Jans Van Langendyck, from St. Martins, in
North Holland. He was probably named for
Cornelius Wynkoop, who married his mother's
sister, Marritje, and settled in Kingston, where
Cornelius Masten also came to live. Adrian
and Gerritje had nine children: Anna Cath
arina, b. June 30, 1 71 2, d. young. Elizabeth,
b. August 8, 1713; m. Gerrit Freer, of Ulster
county. Catharina, b. August i, 1715, m.
William Wood, of Ulster county. Cornelius,
b. October 13, 1716, d. unmarried in 1764.
Marritje, b. February 17, I7i8;m. her cousin,
Arthur Masten. Dirck, b. November 26, 1721,
of Clinton, Dutchess county [See farther on].
Johannes (twin), b. November 26, 1721, m.,
first, his cousin, Cornelia, daughter of Teunis
Swart and Agatha Van Vliet, and, second,
Seletje, daughter of Juriaan Snyder, and sister
of Col. Johannes Snyder, of the Revolutionary
army. Benjamin, b. May 20, 1723; m. Mach
teld, daughter of John Ostrom. Anna, b.
AprH 5, 1726; m. John Ostrom, son bf Roelof
Ostrom. Adrian Van Vliet, about 1740 to
1750, bought several parcels of land in Dutch
ess county, mostly in the Nine Partners Pat
ent, on which he settled his four sons. From
their new homes they could stHl see the Cats-
kill mountains, on which four generations of
the family had now looked. Cornelius and
Dirck remained where they settled, near
Pleasant Plains; but John soon returned to
Ulster county, where he settled on other
lands of his father, near the present Eddy ville;
while Benjamin, about 1772, removed to the
Mohawk Valley, near Schenectady. Cornelius,
in his wHl, i June, 1763, proved 20 June,
1764, styles himself "of Charlotte Precinct, in
Dutchess County, gentleman," and besides
other bequests gives two nephews named for
him, each ;£'200.
Dirck Van Vliet, born November 26, 1721,
settled in the present town of Clinton (then
Crumelbow, and afterward Charlotte Precinct),
where his great-grandson, Lewis Van Vliet,
now lives, and died there September 26, 1800.
He was buried in the Reformed Churchyard,
at Rhinebeck, of which Church he had been a
deacon. [Historical Address, by Rev. Dr.
Drury.] He married (first) December 21,
1 74 1, Rachel, daughter of Tjerck Van Keuren
and Marytjen Ten Eyck, and great-grand
daughter of Tjerck Claessen DeWitt, bapt.
February iS, 1722; by her he had one child,
Marytjen, bapt. August 8, 1742, who d. young.

412

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

He married (second) February i, 1754, Helena,
daughter of Johannes Weaver and Catharina
Elizabeth Denmarken (of Palatine famHies),
born July 24, 1733, and died in CHnton July
27, 1805; buried at Rhinebeck. Children:
Catharine, b. September 15, 1755, d. Septem
ber 29, 1804; m. Col. John DeWitt, son of
Capt. Petrus DeWitt, of Wittmount and
Rocksdale, in Staatsburg, and Rachel Rad
cliff. Gerritje, b. AprH 15, 1757; m, Abraham
Freligh, and removed, after the Revolution, to
Frelighsburg, Lower Canada. Anna, b. Feb
ruary 10, 1759; m. (first) Denis Relyea, Jr.
(of Huguenot descent), and (second) William
Brink, and removed to Broome county. Cor
nelius, b. December 21, 1760, of Clinton [See
farther on]. Elizabeth, b. October 20, 1762;
m., first, Benjamin, brother of Denis Relyea,
and, second, Conrad Sharpe, and removed to
Chenango county. Helena, b. August 19, 1764;
m. Ebenezer Babcock, of Poughkeepsie. John,
b. July 2, 1766, d. at Odelltown, Lower Can
ada, September, 185 1; m. Helena, daughter
of Charles Traver and Jemima Garrison. Rich
ard (Dirck), b. June 23, 1768, d. at Schodack
December 9, 1841; m, Sarah Masten. Lydia,
b. March 18, 1770, d, July 3, 182S; m. Jacob
Sleight, of Clinton, Mary, b. September 17,
1773, d. AprH 13, 1S39; m. Henry Sleight, of
CHnton. Henry, b. July 9, 1775; m. Mary
Seaman; removed to Aurora, Erie county.
When the Revolution came, and every man
was expected to choose one side or the other,
many respectable, law-abiding men were not
ready for extreme measures. The list of
those classed as " Loyalists " shows the names
of some members of most of the best families
in all the Colonies, and the greater number of
these were men who, honestly differing in
opinion, took no active part, and wished as
well for their country as did the other party.
Yet they suffered banishment or confiscation,
or both, rather than do what they considered
wrong. One of this class was Dirck Van-
Vliet. He had held an office, and had taken
the oath of allegiance to " the Crown." Now
when asked to take the oath of allegiance to
tne newly-constituted government, he said
"he could not break his oath." Then he was
required to retire within the British lines, and
did so. He remained in banishment on Long
Island five years, "without seeing one of his
family," as a grandson, in Canada, records.
Sabine, in his "American Loyalists," states
that he was permitted to return "on the peti

tion of Whigs," in 1784. The names of some
of these are known. They believed his banish
ment as needless as it was cruel. He escaped
confiscation, and so fared better than many
others. While some of his descendants may
wish his record had been different at this lime,
they may feel some satisfaction in contemplat
ing his character, as a man who was willing to
suffer rather than do what he thought was
wrong. Cornelius Van Vliet, son of Dirck and
Helena, born in Clinton, December 21, 1760,
died there February 7, 1S4S. He settled near
his father, just east of Pleasant Plains Church.
He married (first) Helena, daughter of Jost
Garrison and Magdalena Van Dyck, born March
12, 1757, died June 10, iSoi. Among her
ancestors are the names of De Groot, Montross,
Van Dyck, of New York, and Van Egmont, of
Albany, He married (second) Susanna, daugh
ter of Epenetus Platt, of New Milford. and
Susanna Mervyn, born August 25, 1762, died
January 23, 1852. He had nine children by
his first wife, and one by his second, viz. : Cor
nelius, b. February 10, 1783; of Staatsburg
[See next family]. Levi, b. January 6, 1786;
of Clinton [See farther on]. Rachel, b. AprH
30, 1788, d. March 15, iSio, unmarried.
John, b. December 3, 1789 [See farther on].
Elizabeth, b. December 15, 1791, d. July 13,
1795. William Benthouse, b. September 27,
1793. d, July 28, 181 1 (he was thrown from
a horse). Clarissa Maria (twin), b. September
27, 1793, d. January 26, 1871; m. John Cas
well, of Poughkeepsie. Henry Hiram, b. Au
gust 19, 1796, d. June 15, 1855; merchant in
New York, m. Jane, daughter of Capt. Joseph
Harris, of Poughkeepsie, d. December 31,
1 85 5, aged fifty -two; they had seven daughters
¦ — Cornelia (m. William H. Nevins, of New
York), Jane (m. Henley W Chapman, of Green
Bay, Wis.), Josephine (m. Van Buren Brom
ley, of Green Bay), and four who died young.
Richard Garrison, b. June 10, 1801, d. De
cember 5, I So I. Platt Garrison (by second
wife), b. May 15, 1807 [See below],
Cornelius Van Vliet, Jr., of Staatsburg, son
of Cornelius and Helena, was born February
10, 1783, and died April 22, 1863. He mar
ried Mary, daughter of Capt. Isaac Russell
and Hannah Fairbanks, who was born at Sher
burne, Mass., April 15, 1783, and died AprH i,
1849. Isaac Russell fought at Bunker HiH,
and was in the succeeding war. He was a son
of Thomas and Hannah (Coolidge) RusseH

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

413

[For his ancestry see "Descendants of John
RusseH, Sr. (of Woburn)," by John R. Bart
lett]. ChHdren: Helen, b. June 22, 1807, d.
October i, 1857; m. Samuel H. Braman.
Hannah, b. March 16, 1809, d. December 21,
1892, unmarried. Hiram, b. January 27,
181 1, d. August 26, 1S37, unmarried. Clar
issa Maria, b. April 9, 1813, d. February 20,
1881, unmarried. William, b. June i, 1S15,
d. in New York, February 25, 1S72; m, Caro
line, daughter of David Mulford, and had, Jane
Augusta, m. John C. Shaw, counselor at law,
of New York, James Mulford, d. young, and
Frederick, d. unmarried. Susan, b. October
7, 1817, d. July 21, 1891; m. the Rev. Will
iam Barham Heath, and had one child, Cor
nelius V. V, Heath. James Russell, b, April
4, 1S20, d. AprH 28, 1893, of Staatsburg; un
married. Isaac Fiske, M. D,, b. June 11,
1S22, d. February 23, 1876; of Rhinebeck
[See below]. Mary Asenath, b. April 13,
1S27, d. February 13, 1892, unmarried. Mr.
Van Vliet and his brother John bought the
Rocksdale estate, about 500 acres, formerly
the property of Capt. Petrus De Witt, and
divided it between them, John taking the west
erly portion (now Mr. Alfred De Witt's), and
Cornelius the easterly, with the old mansion;
and this remained the home of the family until
1866. Dr. Isaac F. Van Vliet settled at Rhine
beck. He married, in 1847, Susan, daughter
of David C. Benjamin, of Fishkill, who died
in Poughkeepsie February 10, 1893, and had
four children: Ella, m. the Rev. Henry L.
Ziegenfuss, D. D., Archdeacon of Dutchess.
She died in Poughkeepsie, January 23, 1894,
and he died February 8, following. William
B., now of Johnstown. N. Y., m. Frances S.,
daughter of Judge Fowler, of Milford, Conn. ;
no children. Edward B,, d. February 19,
1875, aged nineteen. Frank B., d. in Hon
duras, December 6, 1893, aged twenty-seven;
unmarried. Levi Van Vliet, son of Cornelius and Hel
ena, was born January 6, 1786, and died
August 25, i860. He married Mary, daughter
of Capt. Frederick Uhl and Huldah Mulford,
born February 10, 1792, died January 27,
1869. Children: George, b. July 21, 1816,
d. July 12, 1845; of Poughkeepsie, civil engi
neer; m. Helen, daughter of John Bard and
Eliza Helen Russell, and granddaughter of
Anthony Bard, of Rhinebeck; no children.
Lewis, b. March 18, 1827; late justice ofthe

county court; m. (first) Jane A., daughter of
William I. Brown, and (second) Mary J.,
daughter of John Caswell; no children. Henry
Richard, b. December 8, 1833; m. Hannah,
daughter of John Le Roy, Jr., and has one
son, George S., who m., in 1894, Mercedes,
daughter of Jacob L. Tremper, of Rhinebeck.
Levi Van Vliet became the owner of the home
stead of his grandfather, and later that of his
father. The former he left to Lewis, and the
latter to Henry. In 1S47 he built a new
house on the site of the onebuHtby his grand
father, Dirck, in 1753. The old house was of
stone, simHar to many yet remaining in King
ston. Col. John Van Vliet, son of Cornelius and
Helena, born December 3, 1789, died at El
bridge, Onondaga Co., N. Y. , in 1874. He
married (first) Maria E., daughter of John
Beadle, of Pleasant Valley, and sister of Dr.
Edward L. Beadle, who died March 8, 1827;
and (second) Ann, daughter of Thomas Thurs
ton, of Lagrange, and widow of Baltus Over
ocker. By his first wife he had: Ann Maria,
m. Edward Y. Barnes, and d. August 3, 1886,
aged sixty-six. John Beadle, merchant in New
York; m. Abbie J., daughter of Alexander
Purdy, of Macedon, and had, Purdy, of New
York; counselor at law, and William, d.
young. Henry Edgar, of Elbridge, N. Y. , d.
September 27, 1873, aged forty-nine; m.
Mary, daughter of James GHlies, and had, John
and Mary. Erastus Lockwood, accidentally
killed, while hunting, near Fremont, Kans.,
September. 28, i860, aged thirty-four, un
married. In 1836 John Van Vliet sold his
property at Staatsburg, and removed to Mace
don, Wayne Co., N. Y. ; but late in life he re
sided at Elbridge, to be near his son; and
there he and his second wife died.
Platt G. Van Vliet, son of Cornelius and
Susanna, born May 15, 1S07, died Decem
ber I, 1873; married Nancy, daughter of
Timothy Lamoree, of Pleasant Valley, who
died April 11, 1891, aged eighty-two. Chil
dren (only one of whom survived the parents):
Catharine E,, d, July i, 1854, aged nineteen
years. Susan E., d. October 13, 185 1, aged
fifteen years. De Witt, d. October i, 1872,
aged thirty-four; m. Elma Marshall, and left
two children, George Platt, who m., in 1894,
Florence Aldrich, of Whitfield, N. J,, and Caro
line, d. 1889, aged nineteen, George L. d. Sep
tember 30, 1871, aged thirty-one; m. Emily
C. Dale; no chHdren. Elmer Platt (of Hud-

414

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

son), b. January 26, 1843; i". (first) Han
nah E. Doty, and (second) Mary E. Allen,
and has, by his second wife, Ethel and Cor
nelius, John Henry, d. February 11, 1846,
aged ten months. Theodore, d. February 11,
1857, aged nine years. Alice, d. December
29, i860, aged eleven years. After his father's
death, that homestead being purchased by
Levi Van Vliet, Platt G. Van Vliet removed
to Salt Point, where he had purchased a
farm, mills, and other property, and there he
resided until his decease.

WILLIAM E. BADGLEY, a well-known
 agriculturist, residing near Arlington,
Dutchess county, is descended from one of the
oldest and most highly esteemed families of
the county; and although he has passed the
limit of three-score years and ten he still main
tains his own well-deserved reputation as a
progressive, liberal and public-spirited citizen.
He is a native of Dutchess county, born in the
town of Clinton, September 21, 18 16. His
great-grandfather, Anthony Badgley, came in
early manhood to Rhode Island, where his son
George, our subject's grandfather, was born in
1752. George Badgley married Elizabeth Moss, a
native of Dutchess county, and purchased a
farm in Pleasant Valley, where they passed
the remainder of their lives. He died Septem
ber 10, 1825, his wife on August 28, 1828.
They had twelve children: Phoebe, who mar
ried Mr. Peters, a farmer of Pleasant Valley;
Joshua, a farmer of the same locaHty; John,
who was also a farmer, first in the town of
Clinton, and later in Oneida county; Eliza
beth, the wife of Peter Welling, a farmer near
the old home; Mary, who never married; An
thony, a merchant in Pleasant Valley; Jona
than, a farmer in the town of Clinton; Stephen,
a farmer in Saratoga county; Ann, who mar
ried John Weeks, a farmer in Delaware coun
ty; George, our subject's father; and Joseph
and Elisha, neither of whom married.
The father of our subject was born Feb
ruary 8, 1 791, and grew to manhood at the
old farm in Pleasant Valley. He married
Emma Seelye, who was born September 15,
1794, and was the eldest of the five children of
Dr. Lewis Seelye, a prominent physician of
Wayne county, where he was born, and his
wife. Desire Mott. Of the others, Saphira
never married; Polly was the wife of Mr.

Town, a farmer in Wayne county; Milton was
a merchant in New York; and Lewis was a
prominent resident of Rochester, and repre
sented his district in Congress. (He was a
blacksmith by trade). After their marriage
our subject's parents settled upon a farm in
the town of Clinton, where they made their
permanent home. They were Presbyterians
in religious faith, and politically Mr. Badgley
was a Democrat. He died November 3, 1881,
and his wife on May 5, 1878. Of their five
children our subject is the eldest. The others
were George L, , who died in infancy; Mary
E. ; George E. , a farmer in the town of Pleas
ant Valley; and Emma C. , who married J. G.
Pells, a farmer in Pleasant Valley.
WHliam E. Badgley attended the district
schools of his locality for some years, and
later the Dutchess County Academy. His
first employment was as a clerk in New York,
where he remained fourteen months, but after
that his attention was devoted to farming.
On November 27, 1839, he married Jemima
Thurston, a lady of English descent, who was
born February 9, 1S19, a daughter of Samuel
Thurston, a prominent farmer of Pleasant Val
ley. He was also a surveyor, and laid out
many of the towns of his vicinity and some of
the streets of Poughkeepsie; he was a leader in
political affairs, being elected to the State
Legislature in 1823. In the spring of 1840
Mr. and Mrs. Badgley purchased a farm of
175 acres five miles from Poughkeepsie, ad
mirably adapted to general farming. Ten
children were born to them: Catherine died
in infancy; Mary E. married Edward Van-
Wagner, of Newburg; George manages two
large farms, and is proprietor of a "Temper
ance Hotel" at Washington Hollow; Calvert
Jerome is a milkman, residing near Pough
keepsie; Eliphalet, a farmer, is living on the
old homestead, adjoining farm to his father;
William E. is a farmer in the town of Clinton;
Flora and Minerva died in early womanhood;
Charles is a grocer in Newburg; Emma J. lives
at home. Mrs. Badgley died December 11,
1 89 1, after more than half a century of wed
ded life. They celebrated their Golden Wed
ding with their children and grandchildren
November 27, 1SS9. There are four genera
tions now living, there being a great-grandson,
Wm. E. Van Wagner, of Newburg.
In all the helpful activities of his com
munity Mr. Badgley ha€ always been a promi
nent factor; he is a member of the Presby-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

415

terian Church, and an ardent worker in the
temperance cause, in later years voting the
Prohibition ticket.

^DRIAN M. CORNELL. The CorneH
,^^ family is of French ancestry. The mem
bers went to Holland on account of religious
persecution, and from there came to America
in the seventeenth century. They were origi
nally Huguenots.
Adrian Martense Cornell, the subject of
this sketch, was born in the town of LaGrange,
Dutchess county, AprH i, iSiS. His early
life was spent there on the home farm and in
attending school. At the age of twenty-five
years he left home and bought a farm in the
town of Clinton, and engaged in farming. In
the fall of 1841 he was married to Miss Melissa
Diamond, who was born in Lagrange, and who
was a daughter of Henry Diamond. Of this
marriage two chHdren were born: Margaret
Jane, who married George K. Brand, and
Henry, an insurance agent in New York City.
In the spring of 1864 Mr. Cornell gave up
farming, after an experience of twenty-three
years, as his health began to fail, and came to
Poughkeepsie, where, in 1873, he engaged in
the dry- grocery business, carrying a stock of
tea, coffee, spices, etc., in which he has con
tinued for twenty-two years. For twenty-one
of these he has been located at 227J Main
street. He is an enterprising citizen, a con
scientious business man, and a member of the
Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Cornell departed
this life in 1871.
Cornelius Cornell, the father of our sub
ject, was born on Long Island, and his parents
moved to Lagrange when he was seven years
old. He married Miss Deborah Van Kleeck,
a native of Lagrange, and a daughter of Peter
Van Kleeck. Her father died forty years ago,
and her mother twenty-five years ago. Mr.
Cornell spent his life in farming, and was said
to have been the best farmer and to have had
the best farm in the town of Lagrange.
Peter Cornell, grandfather of our .subject,
was born on Long Island, He married Miss
Mary Mesoole, and six children were born to
them: Cornelius, Isaac, Jane, Eliza, Sarah
and Margaret. Mr. Cornell was in the gro
cery business at Flat Bush, L. I., where they
were kept prisoners at the time of the Revolu
tionary war. After the war was over he
moved with his family to Lagrange, and

bought a farm of 400 acres, on which he lived
the rest of his life. He owned a number of
slaves, which he freed after going to Lagrange.
He was an elder in the old Dutch Church, and
was much respected in the community,
Gideon Cornell, the great-grandfather, who
was born in France, emigrated to America, re
siding in Long Island untH the opening of the
Revolutionary war, when he moved to Bucks
county, Penn., where he died. He came to
America in the year 1736.

WILLIAM C. ALBRO. The Albro fam-
 Hy, of which this well-known resident
of Pokeepsie is a worthy representative in
this generation, has a notable hi.story, as will
be seen by the following chronological record:
(I) John Albro, born in England in 1617,
died December 14, 1712, at Portsmouth,
R. I. ; married Mrs. Dorothy Potter, widow of
Nathaniel Potter.
1634. Embarked on ship " Francis'' from Ipswich,
England, under care of William Freeborn, landing at
Boston. 1638, Went with Freeborn to the Colony of Rhode
Island. 1644. Served as corporal in the Colonial militia,
rising successively to lieutenant, captain and major,
1649. Was chosen to view cattle; was clerk of
weights and measures, and member of the town council.
1660. Was commissioner and member of the com
mittee to receive contributions for agents in England,
1666. Appointed with two others, to take areas of
highways and driftways not set off.
1670, With three others, loaned the Colony seven
pounds on account of town of Portsmouth.
1671. Elected assistant in some public office.
1676. With three others, was the committee for the
care and disposal of a barrel of powder for the supply of
Portsmouth; also with others, was a commissioner to
order watch and ward of the Island during King Philip's
war; also a member of a court martial at Newport to try
certain Indians,
1677. Committee with others in the matter of injur
ious and illegal acts of Connecticut.
1679. One of a committee to draw up a letter to the
King, giving account of the Territory of Mount Hope, and
of the late war with the Indians; also appointed with one
other to lay out the western line of the Colony.
1685, Major John Albro, assistant and coroner, sum
moned a jury in the case of an Indian found dead in Clay
Pit Lands, the verdict being "That said Indian, being
much distempered with drink, was bewildered, and by
the extremity of cold lost his life,"
1686. Member of Sir Edmund Andros' council, and
present at its first meeting in Boston, December SO, 1686,
1697. Allowed twenty shillings forgoing to Boston.
1710. By his will, dated December 28, proved 1713,
he divided a considerable amount of real and personal
property among his sons and daughters, and their chil
dren. He was buried in his own orchard. His children
were: Samuel, Elizabeth, Mary, John and Susannah,
(II) — John Albro, born 16 — , died De
cember 4, 1724. He married Mary Stokes in

416

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1693. 1677 — He was among those who were
granted 5,000 acres of land, to be called East
Greenwich. 1687 — He was fined 6s. 8d. for
refusing to take oath as a grand juror. 1720
— His wiH proved, December 14, 1724, left a
good estate, both real and personal. His chil
dren were: John, Mary, Sarah and Samuel.
(Ill) — John Albro, born August 23, 1694,
died 17 — . He married Abigail Ballon in 171 3.
In 1 717 became a Freeman, In 1739, moved
from Portsmouth to New Kingston. Some of
his children subsequently going to Exeter.
His children were: John, Samuel, Mary,
Maturin, Sarah and Peter.
(IV) — Samuel Albro, born October 10,
1 7 16, died in 1767. He married Alice  .
He went from N. Kingston to Exeter, where
he passed the rest of his days. His widow
died in 1787. He was an elder in the Baptist
Church at Exeter. His children were: Alice,
Thomas, Samuel, Martin and Waite.
(V) — Samuel Albro, born October 12, 1749,
died in 1816. He married Patience Bull. He
migrated from Exeter to the Clove Valley,
about eighteen miles east from Pokeepsie,
N. Y. He returned to Rhode Island for a
wife, who was a descendant of Henry Bull,
Colonial Governor of Rhode Island in 1685-
1686. He introduced an apple called the
Rhode Island Greening into Duchess county,
where it thrived and became very popular, and
is stHl a marketable winter apple. His chil
dren were: Thomas, Samuel, Waite, Alice
and Hannah.
(VI) — Thomas Albro, born May 9, 1779,
died September 24, 1S52. He married Ever
Tice. He lived a very uneventful life, never
moving from the farming section in which he
was born. Was elected a constable at one
time, which seems to have satisfied his polit
ical ambition. His children were: Joseph,
Samuel, John, Louisa, Catherine, William,
and Philo and Zeno (twins).
(VII) — Zeno Albro, born June 10, 1S09,
died November 25, 1883. He married Mary
A. Clark in 1847. He lived in many different
places in New York and Pennsylvania; he was
a man of thorough integrity, and much trusted
by other men. He did not seem to inherit a
taste for farming, but cast about for opportuni
ties to buy and sell horses, cattle, carriages,
merchandise and real estate, in most of which
transactions he showed shrewdess and good
judgment. At one time he owned a farm upon
which the present City of Scranton, Pennsyl

vania, is in part built. His children were;
William C, Louise (deceased), John P., Mary
E., and Merlin.
(VIII) — William Clark Albro, born August
16, 1S4S, married Theodora Rogers, Novem
ber 3, 1875. He attended Wesleyan Acad
emy, at Wilbraham, Mass. , and Cornell Uni
versity and Columbia College Law School,
then under the management of Theodore W.
Dwight, receiving at the latter institution, the
degree of LL. B. He was admitted to the
New York Bar in 1874, and has since resided
at Pokeepsie engaged in the practice of his pro
fession. He enjoys a general practice, and has
been executor or administrator of several im
portant estates. Since 1S91 he has been a
member of the Pokeepsie board of education,
and is deeply interested in the public schools.
His children were: Florence, who died in in
fancy, and Edna Clark, who, after completing
a course at Lyndon Hall School at Pokeepsie.
entered Vassar College in 1895.

EV. JOHN B. WESTON, D. D., Presi-
 dent of the Christian Biblical Institute at
Stanfordville, Dutchess Co. , N. Y. , was born in
Somerset county, Maine, July 6, 1821, the son
of Stephen and Rebecca Weston.
His grandparents, Stephen and Martha
Weston, were among the earliest members of
the Christian Church in that part of Maine,
and his parents belonged to the same denomi
nation, his grandfather and father both being
deacons. In his fourteenth year the subject
of our sketch was converted, and baptized, and
united with the same Church. Reared upon
a farm, his earlier years were spent in hard
work, to which he is indebted, however, for
the habits of industry which have made his life
fruitful. His opportunities for schooling were
meagre, but he learned easily, and by faithful
use of such advantages as he had, and im
proving his leisure moments at home, he made
unusual progress in study, standing high in
ordinary branches, and gaining a thorough
knowledge of algebra, geometry, trigonometry,
surveying and navigation by private study, with
his father's aid. At seventeen he began teach
ing school in winters; and from eighteen to
twenty-two, at other seasons of the year, he
attended the Academy at Bloomfield, Maine,
when he could be spared from the farm work,
making the equivalent about four terms in all.

//J^ %^2^ti^^-7^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

417

In this time he prepared for college in Latin
and Greek, and gained proficiency in French
and other advanced branches of a college
course; but his means would not permit him
to go to college at that time. He attended
the first Sunday-school organized in his native
place, and at sixteen years of age he became a
teacher of a class. At about the same age he
assisted in organizing the Young People's Total
Abstinence Society, the first society pledged to
total abstinence that he had ever known, and
was one of its first officers. He has from that
time taken an active interest in Temperance
work. From the time of his conversion, and
especially from his seventeenth year, he was
interested in all religious work, and had a
strong impression that it was his duty to enter
the ministry, though his natural timidity made
him shrink from the work. This conviction
became so urgent that in 1843, before he was
twenty-two, he united with the Maine Central
Christian Conference, and was approved as a
licentiate. In August of that year he accepted
a call to a small church in West Newbury,
Mass. In 1844 he was ordained, and con
tinued to minister to his first charge until
1846, spending some time in Boston, however,
in. the study of Hebrew with Dr. Eli Noyes,
and of elocution with James E. Murdoch, the
tragedian. In 1846 he was called to be office
editor and pubHshing agent of the "Herald of
Gospel Liberty," then published at Exeter,
N. H. After seven months there he moved
with it to Newburyport, Mass. , and in the fol
lowing year he accepted a call to the Christian
Church at Skowhegan, Maine, where he preached
three years. He was married in 1849 to his
first wife, Miss Nancy McDonald, who proved
to him a true helper.
In 1850 he was a delegate to, and one of
the vice-presidents of, the Christian Convention,
held at Marion, N. Y., where the denomina
tion determined to establish Antioch College.
Early in 1852, he became pastor of the Chris
tian Church in Portland, Me., and remained
untH October, 1853, when, to fulfill his long-
delayed wish for a collegiate education, he en
tered the first class in Antioch College, of Yel
low Springs, Ohio, of which Hon. Horace
Mann was president, graduating in 1857. At
the end of his third year he was invited by
President Mann to take the position of Princi
pal of the Preparatory Department; but he de
clined, accepting the appointment, however,
after his graduation, when it was again ten-
27

dered. During the war the entire responsibil
ity of the College was on his shoulders. At the
close he became professor of Greek, remaining
until 1 88 1, making twenty-eight years at An
tioch. In October, 1 881, he was elected Pres
ident of the Christian Biblical Institute, as suc
cessor to Dr. Austin Craig, and assumed the
position January i, 1882. During the fifteen
years in which he has held this position the
Institute has had a steady growth and improve
ment. The endowment funds have been more
than quadrupled; two resident professors and
one non-resident professor have been added to
the Faculty; the courses of study have been re
organized, and the standard of requirements
raised. Students have gone out every year
from the school, who are doing valuable service
and holding important positions as ministers of
the Gospel. Besides being the President of the
school and giving daily lectures, he has done
other professorial work usually devolving upon
several Chairs. Since 1891 he has also been
the Treasurer of the Institute, and the oversight
of the property and the management of its
funds have been in his hands, and important
improvements have been made in the buildings
and grounds. Both these positions he still
holds, and now (1897) at the age of seventy-
six, he is in vigorous health, and actively dis
charging the multipHed duties of his positions.
Dr. Weston's first wife died in May, 1858,
and in June, i860, he married a classmate.
Miss Achsah E. Waite, of Chicago, who has
been his assistant at Stanfordville, as she was
at Antioch. He has never been athletic, but
has always enjoyed good health, and had great
capacity for endurance. During his forty-three
years of school work he has never once missed
meeting his classes on account of his own
health, and never has called in a physician to
see him, except on the occasion of a single ac
cident. Possessing rare intellectual ability,
united with practical judgment and force of
character, he could have made his way in any
sphere of life; and his unswerving devotion to
the interests of the Christian Church, local and
general, has made him a helpful influence in
many of her most important enterprises.

S\TEPHEN HOLMES IRELAND (de-
) ceased) was one of the leading and pro
gressive agriculturists of the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county, where his entire life was
passed, his birth occurring there October 7,

418

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

1834. The family was founded in the United
States by three brothers — Isaac, William and
Edward Ireland' — natives of Wales. The first
named (who was grandfather of our subject)
was married in Westchester county, N. Y., to
Phoebe Keil, whose father, Christopher, was
born October 15, 1747, and when eighteen
years of age came from Germany. Six children
were born of this union, all now deceased,
namely: Deborah, Mary, Hannah, James,
Phoebe Eliza, and Ann. Isaac afterward
married Mary, sister of Phcebe. He was a
Quaker, and carried on farming for many years
in Westchester county; but the latter part of
his life was passed on a farm in the town of
Clinton, Dutchess county.
James Ireland, the father of our subject,
was born in Westchester county, December 29,
1806, and was three years of age when brought
by his parents to the town of Clinton, where
he attended school, and received his instruc
tion in farming upon the old homestead under
the able direction of his father, remaining there
until the latter's death. In 1856 he bought a
farm of his own in the town of Clinton, which
he continued to cultivate and improve until
called from this life, June 26, 1882. In that
township he had married Caroline Hoag (for
merly of Saratoga, N. Y. , and daughter of
Isaac and Martha (Hatfield) Hoag), who died
in 1877. Our subject was an only child, and after
completing his education in the district schools
remained upon his father's farm until his mar
riage, January 6, 1863, at White Plains,
Westchester Co., N. Y., to Miss Elmira A.
Horton, a daughter of John H. and Arna H.
(Park) Horton (Quakers), of White Plains.
Six children graced this union: Ella A. and
Irving H. H., both of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ;
Vernon A., of Clinton Corners, Dutchess coun
ty; Edwin Park Horton; Harry G. ; and Zera
Jay- Mr. Ireland continued to farm his father's
place untH 1S75, when his wife bought the
present home of the family, where he remained
until his death, which occurred June 20, 1892.
He was a worthy member of the Christian
Church of SchultzvHle, and in politics was a
Republican after the war, previous to which
event he and his father and grandfather were
all stanch Democrats. He never took an ac
tive part in political affairs, preferring rather to
devote his time to his business interests. He
supported aH feasible plans for the moral and

intellectual advancement of the community,
and was an important factor in promoting its
welfare. A valued citizen, a kind father and
affectionate husband, his memory should be
cherished and perpetuated by all. He had in
herited his father's farm, which, together with
the home place, his widow and sons now oper
ate very successfully. Mrs. Ireland, a most
estimable lady, is demonstrating her business
genius by the able manner in which she is now
conducting her affairs, and the farms now yield
a handsome income as the result of her good
management and sound judgment.

JOHN H. LAMBERT (deceased). Among
the prosperous agriculturists of the town of
- Rhinebeck, Duchess county, the subject of
this sketch took a leading rank. He was a de
scendant of an old German family, who came
from the city of Bredenfeld, Mecklenburg-
Strelitz. John Lambert, his grandfather, settled
upon a farm in the town of Rhinebeck, and he
and his wife (formerly Miss Elizabeth Sipperly)
were prominent members of the community
and devout adherents of the Lutheran Church.
Their only child, Henry Lambert, our subject's
father, grew to manhood at his father's farm
in that township, and married Eliza Fraleigh,
a daughter of John Fraleigh, a wealthy farmer
of Red Hook. After their marriage they lo
cated upon a farm in that township, where
their only son, our subject, was born Septem
ber 18, 1820. Their second chHd, EmeHne,
married John V. Benner, a farmer and wagon
maker. During his boyhood, our subject, like many
another farmer's boy, desired a mercantile
pursuit in preference to the routine of farm
work, and for some time he was employed in
a store as clerk. Even in youth he displayed
the qualities of leadership, and became captain
of a company of State militia. He was a fine
specimen of manhood, and while on parade on
one occasion Gov. Seward singled'him out for
complimentary notice. On November 9, 1 842,
he married Miss Louisa Schultz, a native of the
town of Clinton, and granddaughter of Jacob
Schultz, a prominent farmer of Rhinebeck. Her
father, Peter Schultz, spent his later years upon
a farm in Rhinebeck. (The Schultz family
came from Mecklenburg-Strelitz.) Her moth
er's maiden name was Elizabeth Sheak, and
she was a representative of one of the oldest

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

419

famHies in the town of Clinton, her ancestors
coming originally from Holland. After his
marriage Mr. Lambert became a farmer, set
tHng in the town of Rhinebeck. He tried va
rious farms at first, but in 1850 he established
his home permanently on a beautiful estate of
1 50 acres near the village of Rhinebeck, and
was engaged in farming forty-four years, mak
ing a specialty of raising hay and grain. He
was an active supporter of any local improve
ment, his fine abilities and public spirit giving
him wide influence, and his death, which oc
curred January 23, 1S94, was felt to be a blow
to the entire community. He and his wife
had long been members of the Lutheran
Church, and even in the midst of his business
cares he could always find time to assist in
Church affairs. Politically he was a Demo
crat, but he did not coyet office, and more than
once declined to permit the use of his name as
a candidate. His wife and two daughters,
Addie H, and Irene, survive him, and now
conduct the estate with marked success.

QEORGE W. KETCHAM, one of the
^ prominent and influential business men of
Dover Plains, Dutchess Co., N. Y., has for
many years been connected with its banking
interests, holding the office of president of the
Dover Plains National Bank since 1875. The
safe conservative policy which he has inaugu
rated commends itself to the judgment of all,
and has secured a patronage for the bank
which makes the volume of business transacted
over its counters one of no small magnitude.
The success of the institution is certainly due
in a large measure to Mr. Ketcham, and to-day
it stands among the strongest financial con
cerns in the State. The other officers are
Edwin Vincent, vice-president; Richard P.
Ketcham, cashier; and George T. Barrett,
book-keeper. James Ketcham, the paternal grandfather
of the subject of these lines, was a native of
Long Island, where, owing to the limited means
of the family and scarcity of schools at that
time, he received but a meagre education. At
the age of twelve years he came to Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, poor .in purse, but
rich in energy and progressiveness. His uncle,
who at that time was conducting a general
store near the village, observing the remark
able energy and brightness of the boy, took
him into his employ at one shilling per day;

but from the small beginning he rapidly rose.
During the war of 1812 he commanded a
company of miHtia as captain, and lent valu
able aid to the United States. In politics he
was a Whig, and was elected a member ofthe
Assembly from Dutchess county; also held the
office of postmaster at Dover Plains for over
fourteen years, and served in several other
public positions. His very eventful life was
ended in 1871, when he had attained the pa
triarchal age of ninty-four years. He had
married Miss Lois Belding, by whom he had
three chHdren: John M., the father of our sub
ject; David, who died at the age of thirty years;
and Maria, who became the wife of Seneca
Mabbett. John M. Ketcham was born in the vHlage
of Dover Plains, Dutchess county, February
14, 1807, and after completing his education
in the public schools he engaged in merchan
dising at that place, becoming very successful.
In the vicinity of the vHlage he purchased a
fine piece of farming land containing a marble
quarry, which property had previously be
longed to his father-in-law. His farm was
operated mostly by hired help, but he gave
considerable personal attention to the conduct
ing of the quarry in connection with his other
business. A man of the strictest integrity, and
upright in all his dealings, he held the confi
dence and esteem of all. He greatly increased
the fortune left by his father, becoming the
possessor of a handsome property. Like his
father, he was a leader in politics, but was
the only one of the entire family to support
the Democratic party; was three times elected
a member of the Assembly, and was also
elected supervisor of the town of Dover a num
ber of times.
On May 20, 1S28, John M. Ketcham mar
ried Miss Elizabeth A. Stevens, daughter of
Ebenezer and Elizabeth Stevens, of Dover
Plains. Her maternal grandfather, Stephen
Gushing, was born in the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, July 8, 1749, and July 12,
1773, he married Miss Rachel Foster, who
was born in the same town, July 13, 1752, a
daughter of Stephen and Rachel Foster. Mr.
Gushing was called from this life October 16,
1825, his wife on December 12, 1824. In
their family were eleven children, whose names
and dates of birth are as follows: William,
AprH 30, 1774; Jane, May 18, 1776; Stephen,
May 3, 1779 (at one time he was attorney-
general for the State of New York); Milton,

420

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

February 3, 1781; Elizabeth, October 4, 1782;
Jeremiah, June i, 1784; Thomas, December
15, 1785; MHton (2), September 7, 17S7; Deb
orah, November 15, 1789; Rachel, April 23,
1 791; and Catherine, July 31, 1793. Of this
family Elizabeth Gushing was a native of
Dutchess county, and on June 5, 1803, she
became the wife of Ebenezer Stevens, who
was born in Dutchess county, April 4, 1776,
and died in 1843; her death occurred Decem
ber 22, 1S40. In their family were six chil
dren, namely: Maria T. , born October 30,
1804, married Benjamin K. Delevan; Herman,
born May 12, 1806, married Miss Lucy Beld
ing; Elizabeth A., born October 16, 1808, was
the mother of our subject; Catherine, born
June 26, 1 8 10, was married October 11, 1831, .
to John R. Preston; WiHiam, born August 26,
182 1, was married in June, 1842, to Miss
Mary E. Ross; and Ebenezer, born July 27,
1824, was married in 1845 to Miss Sarah K.
Beldon. To John M. Ketcham and his estimable
wife were born nine children, as follows: (i)
William S. was born, reared and educated at
Dover Plains, and on reaching manhood he
married Miss Emily Titus, daughter of Judge
Titus, of the town of Washington, Dutchess
county ; he always took an active part in poli
tics, as a stanch Democrat, and held several
local offices, among them that of supervisor of
the town of Dover. (2) John H. was also
born in Dover Plains. (3) Maria L. married
William R. Butts. (4) George W. is next in
order in birth. (5) James C. and (6) Ebenezer
both died at the age of six years. (7) Eliza
beth C. married Romine Waterbury. (8)
James C. married Miss Alice F. Meeker. (9)
Morris married Miss Rosie H. Lowery, of
Washington, D. C. The father of this famHy
died June 17, 1853, the mother on December
21, 1S88.
George W. Ketcham, whose name intro
duces this memoir, was born in the town of
Dover, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , in 1838, and re
ceived an excellent education at Brown Uni
versity, Providence, R. I. , where he graduated
in i860. He then engaged in the marble busi
ness at Dover Plains, and also conducted a
large farm near the vHlage ; but most of his
attention was devoted to the former. Like his
brothers, he has always taken a deep interest
in political affairs, and has served as super
visor of his native town. Through his busi
ness he has not only promoted his own in

terests, but has aided in the advancement and
welfare of his town and county. He stands
high in financial circles, and is exceedingly
popular with all classes of citizens. Generous
and strictly conscientious and upright in all his
dealings, his career is one that he can look
back upon with just and pardonable pride.
On February 20, 1867, George W. Ketcham
married Miss Elizabeth A. Schofield, of Brock-
ville, Canada, in which city her father, Augustus
Schofield, was engaged in merchandising. Her
grandfather, Dr. Peter Schofield, was a native
of Dutchess county, N. Y. , where he married
Miss Deborah Gushing ; but a few years after
the birth of their first child they removed to
Canada, where he followed his profession.
Four children were born to them : Augustus,
Milton, Elizabeth and Herman. Augustus
Schofield was born at Pawling, Dutchess county,
and was four years old when taken by his pa
rents to Canada, where he was educated in the
public schools. After laying aside his text
books he commenced merchandising in Brock-
ville, and successfully conducted his store for
a number of years ; he was also United States
consul at Brockville some twelve years. He
married Miss Electa Breckenridge, daughter of
David Breckenridge, an officer in the British
army, who for his services had been granted
considerable valuable farming land in Canada.
Three children were born of this union : WHl
iam H. (deceased); Elizabeth, who died at the
age of seven years, and Elizabeth A. , the wife
of our subject.

WILLIAM D. BUDD, a prominent man-
 ufacturer and speculator of Dutchess
Junction, Dutchess county, has been for many
years a leading worker in the development of
that locality, having participated in some of
the most important constructions and enter
prises undertaken there. He is a native of
Phillipstown, Putnam county, the youngest
son of WHliam and Elizabeth Haight Budd,
the other children being Martha, Hannah,
Jane, Mary, John and UnderhiH.
During his childhood his parents removed
to Matteawan, and his education was acquired
in the public schools of that town. He began
to display his business ability at an early age
by speculating in real estate, improved and
unimproved, and also engaged in the wood
business. In 1848 and 1849 he assisted in
the construction of the Hudson River railroad,,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

421

and was one of the first men to ride on cars
from Fishkill to New Hamburg, or ' ' Old
Troy, " as it was then called. This was the
season of the great cholera epidemic, and was
marked also by the loss of the steamer " Em
pire," and the drowning of many of her pas
sengers and crew. The coroner, who was
called to hold an inquest on the bodies, died
of cholera before he had completed the task.
In 1868, the same year in which ground was
broken for the construction of the N. D. & C.
R. R., Mr. Budd began the manufacture of
brick, in partnership with Charles Griggs,
whose interest he purchased four years later
for $12,000. He continued the business alone
for some time, and then sold a share in it to
the Terry Brothers, the partnership then
formed lasting six years, when the business was
put up for sale at auction. Mr. Budd bought
in the plant, and for the last eighteen years
has carried on the business alone. The yards
are located upon a tract of twenty-^ix acres of
land originally bought from the raHroad, and
have recently been enlarged and much im
proved. He has always continued his real-
estate speculations more or less, and is still
interested in some important transactions in
that line. He has taken part at times in vari
ous other business enterprises, and was for
many years a trustee of the Fishkill Landing
Savings Bank.
Mr. Budd married Miss Ann Rogers, a
daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Scott)
Rogers, and they have two children, Lizzie
Kate, and Ella. The family attend the Meth
odist Church, and Mr. and Mrs. Budd have
always shown an active interest in whatever
concerned the welfare and advancement of the
town. They have a pleasant home at Dutchess
Junction. In early manhood Mr. Budd was a
Democrat in politics, later becoming a Whig,
and in 1 860 he cast his ballot for Abraham Lin
coln, since which time he hasgivenhis support to
the Republican party. He held the office of
coHector for his town for three years — 1858,
1859, and about 1877 — and has been trustee
of the schools of Matteawan, his interest in
improved educational advantages being shown
by his able discharge of the duties of that
position.
C\HARLES F. SEGELKEN, the efficient
'I manager of the Western Union Telegraph
office at Dover Plains, Dutchess county, is one
of the leading residents of that town. He is a

native of Germany, and was born in 1835, l"^
the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, where his
family had been prominent for many genera
tions. His grandfather, Herman Segelken,
was a highly educated man, and held the posi
tion of captain of a vessel. He married, and
reared a family of four children: Mary; Anti;
Theresa; and Herman, our subject's father.
Herman Segelken, too, was born in the Grand
Duchy of Oldenburg, Germany, and after re
ceiving a liberal education became a grain mer
chant and hotel keeper. His wife was Cath
erine S. Luhrs, also a native of Germany, and
our subject was the eldest of their three chil
dren; Heinrich died in infancy; and Herman
was the third.
Our subject enjoyed excellent educational
advantages in his youth, and in 1S54, at the
age of eighteen, he came to the United States
to seek his fortune. His first employment was
in New York City, where he remained five years,
and he then entered the service of the old
American Telegraph Company, first as battery-
man and then as lineman. In 1861 he was
sent to Dover Plains as a line repairer and in
1864, having learned the art of telegraphy, he
was appointed operator, and assistant agent of
the Harlem road. In the following year he
was appointed agent by J. C. Buckhouse, su
perintendent, and later was made the manager
of the western office at that place, under Geo.
B. Prescott, superintendent. He takes an ac
tive part in local affairs, and is well liked wher
ever he is known. In politics he is an ardent
Republican, and he has served as health officer
of the town. He is prominent in Masonic cir
cles, and is a charter member of Dover Lodge
No. 666, which was organized in 1867, and he
has held the office of secretary for twenty-six
years. In 1866, Mr. Segelken married Miss Jean
nette L. Talladay, a descendant of one of the
old families of the town of Dover, and four
children have blessed their union: Herman,
born December 15, 1866; Charles F., Jr.,
August 19, 1879; George W., September 16,
1882; and Harrison, June 13, 18S4. All are
living except George W. , who died in 1883.
Isaac Talladay, the grandfather of Mrs.
Segelken, was born an-d educated in the town
of Dover, where he engaged in agriculture.
He married Miss Martha Griffin, and had eight
chHdren: Isaac; Jacob, who died in childhood;
Seneca; John; NeHson, father of Mrs. Segel
ken; Alex; and Martha. NeHson Talladay

422

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

was also a native of Dover, where he carried
on carpentering. He married Miss Elizabeth
Colby, the daughter of a prominent farmer of
the same town, and had five children: Phoebe;
Jeannette L. (Mrs. Segelken); Mary; Elizabeth;
and Frank, a sketch of whom appears else
where.

»EV. JOSHUA COLLINS, a weH-known
t retired minister of the Presbyterian

Church, has been for nearly twenty years a
resident of Wappingers Falls, where his quiet
but earnest and effective work in various move
ments tending to moral and intellectual prog
ress is a recognized influence for good.
He was born in the town of Pleasant Val
ley, Dutchess county, July lo, 1814, and his
ancestry on both sides was of English origin.
His paternal grandfather, Joshua Collins (for
whom he was named), was a native of Rhode
Island, but settled in Dutchess county in earlj'
manhood. He married Mary White, who was
also of English descent, and reared a family of
six children: Martin W. , our subject's father;
Oliver, a leading resident of Pleasant Valley, a
school teacher by occupation, and for many
years a Justice of the Peace; Joshua, a farmer
in Illinois; Gideon, a farmer in Franklin
county, N. Y. ; Martha, who married Mr.
Viele, a farmer in the town of Lagrange, and
Susan, the wife of Caleb Angeline, a business
man of Poughkeepsie.
Martin W. Collins was born at the old
homestead in the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess
county, and lived there until his marriage
to Anna Foreman, a daughter of Isaac
Foreman, a prominent agriculturist of Pleas
ant Valley. The early ancestors of this fam
ily also came from England. Shortly after
his marriage, Mr. Collins settled upon a farm
in Pleasant Valley, and he became one of the
leading men of that locality, taking great inter
est in the work of the Democratic party, and
other public movements, holding the office of
Alms House Keeper, and Justice of the Peace
for many years. He and his wife were Presby
terians in faith. He died in 1876, and Mrs.
Collins survived him ten years. The subject
of this sketch was the eldest of their four
children; Isaac is a well-kmown resident of
Poughkeepsie, where his son, Martin CoHins, is
also attaining to a prominent place; Mary Ann
married WiHiam Gurney, a business man of
New York City, but both are now deceased,
and Rhoda Hves at Wappingers FaHs.

Rev. Mr. Collins spent his youth upon the
farm; but his abilities and inclinations fitted
him for a wider sphere of action, and at the
age of twenty-three he entered Yale College;
but his eyes faHed him, and after one year
there he was compelled to give up his inten
tion of graduating. From 1842 to 1847 he
was in charge of the Mathematical and Clas
sical departments of West Point College; but he
then retired to the old homestead in Pleasant
Valley. In 1S77 he moved to Wappingers
Falls, and in 1880 he was united in matri
mony with Miss Isabella Johnston, a lady of
Scotch descent. Although unfortunately de
terred from carrying out his plans in early life,
Mr. Collins has been a thorough student, fol
lowing many branches of learning as oppor
tunity afforded, and his years have been faithful
in good works. He was ordained a clergyman
of the Congregational Church in 1859, at
Arlington, Vt., and two years later was taken
into the North River Presbytery, and he has
preached effectively in several places. He
takes an active and intelligent interest in pub
lic affairs, is a Democrat in politics, and has
been for many years a leading worker in
temperance reform.
DR. ISAAC NEWTON MEAD. Many of
the most prominent citizens of Dutchess
county served their country during the dark
days of the Rebellion, making a record hon
orable and glorious. Among these brave boys
who " wore the blue " is the gentleman whose
name introduces this sketch. He is now an
honored resident of Amenia, where for many
years he has been successfully engaged in busi
ness. The Doctor is a native of Dutchess coun
ty, born in the town of Amenia, September
13, 1840, and traces his ancestry back to Na
than Mead, who died February 24, 1777, at
the age of eighty-six years. Job Mead, the
son of the latter, came to Dutchess county
from Horse Neck, Long Island, at an early
date, and bought a farm from the Nine Part
ners in the town of Amenia, where, during
the remainder of his life, he carried on agri
cultural pursuits. When the colonies resolved
to throw off the British yoke, he joined the
Continental army, and served through the war
of the Revolution as captain. He married
Miss Mercy King, and to them were born five

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

428

chHdren: Job, Jr., the grandfather of the
Doctor; Nathan; Joshua; Mercy and Alice.
The mother of these chHdren died August 28,
1812, and the father passed away April 23,
1 8 19, at the age of eighty-four years.
Job Mead, Jr., spent his boyhood days on
the home farm in the town of Amenia, and,
like his father, he also took up arms against
Great Britain, serving in the war of 18 12.
He was united in marriage with Miss Ruth
Hebard, who died January 29, 1808, at the
age of forty-six years, and they had six chH
dren: Nancy, Sarah, Mary, Henry, John K.
and Barak. The grandfather's death occurred
January 12, 1838, when he was aged seventy-
seven years.
John K. Mead, the father of our subject,
was born September 6, 1799, on the home
stead farm in the town of Amenia, where his
early life was passed in aiding in the work of
the fields, and in attending the district schools
of the neighborhood. All of his active busi
ness life was devoted to the improvement and
cultivation of the home farm. On February
28, 1827, he married Miss Jane A. Suther
land, who was born November 17, 1807, and
died April 20, 1885. Six children blessed
their union: Sarah Esther, born September
II, i82q.'^^arried E. W. Simmons; Mary
Jane, born July 3, 1832, married Rev. E. W.
Clark, a missionary to India; John F., born
March 16, 1834, died September 29, 1888;
Isaac N. is next in order of.^ birth ;-^^enry
,Sutherland. born May 2^, 1842 is living in
Millerton, N. Y. ; Ruth Alida, born June 11,
1853, married Charles Benham JJ^of Amenia.
Religiously, the father was a Baptist, taking
an active part in the work of his Church, in
which he served as deacon for many years,
and was also quite prominent in public affairs,
being a member of the New York Assembly
in 1844, and serving as supervisor of Amenia
and justice of the peace. His first vote was
cast in support of the Whig party, and on its
dissolution he became a stalwart Republican.
He died March 27, 1873, passing away at the
end of a long and well-spent life.
The boyhood and youth of Dr. Me^d were
passed upon the old home farm, and he ob
tained his literary instructions in the district
schools and the Amenia Seminary. In 1S57
he entered a store in Smithfield , town of Amenia,
where he clerked for one year, and then was
simHarly employed by Oliver Chamberlain at
Amenia. In the spring of 1859 he began the

study of medicine at Millerton, Dutchess coun
ty, with Dr. Lucius P. Woods, and the follow
ing fall took a partial course in the Berkshire
Medical College, at Pittsfield. Mass. In 1859-
60 he attended the College of Physicians and
Surgeons at New York City, after which he
returned to study at MHIerton.
In response to the call. of the general gov
ernment for volunteers to defend our national
life. Dr. Mead enlisted in the fall of 1862 as a
private in Company A, 150th N. Y. V, I.; on
the following Christmas Day was transferred
from this regiment to the 5th N. Y. C. as hos
pital steward, and in the fall of 1864 was pro
moted to assistant-surgeon. He remained in
active service with that command until August,
1865, when he was mustered out at Harts
Island. He escaped uninjured, but had two
horsesshot under him — one at Hanover, Penn.,
June 30, 1863, and the other at Winchester,
Va. He was always found at his post of duty,
gallantly defending the old flag, and saw much
hard service, participating in the following
battles: Upperville and Aldie, Va. ; Hanover,
Penn.; Gettysburg; Barnesboro; Hagerstown,
Md.; Falling Waters; Culpeper; Brandy Sta
tion; Wilderness; Spottsylvania; North and
South Anna River; Cold Harbor; Petersburg;
raid to Richmond; Winchester; Cedar Creek;
Fisher's Hill; Waynesboro; Charlotteville; Ap-
pomatox; and Five Forks. The 5th N. Y. C.
served under Gens. Sheridan, KHpatrick and
Custer. When hostHities had ceased, Dr.
Mead returned to New York, and again en
tered the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
where he graduated in the springof 1S66. For
one year he then engaged in practice in Amenia,
then in 186S removed to Millerton, where he
practiced for the same length of time, when
he again came to Amenia.
On January 13, 1869, the Doctor was mar
ried to Miss Julia Mygatt, daughter of Abram
P. Mygatt, and they now have one child, Alice.
Since his marriage the Doctor has successfuHy
followed his chosen profession in Amenia. In
1873 he became a member of the firm of Bart
lett & Mead, handling drugs, groceries, hard
ware, agricultural implements, grass seeds,
etc., which connection continued until 1889,
when Horace B. Murdock bought out the in
terest of Mr. Bartlett.
Socially, Dr. Mead holds membership with
Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M., in which
he served as first master; with John M. Greg
ory Post, G. A. R. , Department of Connecticut,

424

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

No. 59; and Cavalry Society of the Army of
the United States. In politics the Doctor
affiliates with the Democratic party, although
his first vote for President was cast for the
martyred Abraham Lincoln. In religious be
lief he is a Presbyterian, belonging to the
Church of that denomination in Amenia. He
has won his way to the regard of the people
with whom he comes in contact in his daily
rounds by his ready tact and kindly sympathy,
and is as faithful to his country in days of
peace as in the dark days of the Rebellion.

E\DGAR M. VANDERBURGH, a farmer
 'I and stock raiser, was born in the town of
Canaan, Columbia county, August 26, 1820,
and is the son of Martin and Mary (Halstead)
Vanderburgh. Col. James Vanderburgh, great-grandfather
of our subject, was a farmer in the town of
Beekman, His father was of Dutch descent,
and was probably born in Holland. Col. Van
derburgh served all through the Revolutionary
war, and Washington and La Fayette made
his home their stopping place. The Vander
burgh mansion, which was built some time
prior to the Revolution, was the first substan
tial house in Beekman. It stood about one-
quarter of a mile northeast of the vHlage of
Poughquag, and was torn down in i860. It
was built of wood and stone, and a broad, cov
ered veranda extended across the front of it.
The slaves had quarters in the basement. In
this house Col. James Vanderburgh had eight
een children born to him, all of whom reached
maturity, and whose descendants are reckoned
among the solid and substantial residents of
Dutchess county to-day. It is said that a
"Tory" plot was once hatched to kiH him in
his own house, but was frustrated by his wife,
who barricaded the mansion so effectually that
the "Tories " despaired of their purpose and
ran away. It was after that event that Col.
Vanderburgh entertained Gen. Washington at
his hospitable table. Many traditions clustered
around this old house, and it is a pity such a
historic spot should have been blotted out.
Col. Vanderburgh was born September 4,
1729, and died April 4, 1794. He was mar
ried, to Miss Margaret Noxon on September 29,
1753, and to them the following children were
born : Elizabeth, Henry, Bartholomew, James,
Magdalen, Peter and Stephen. Mrs. Vander

burgh died August 9, 1766. On October 25,
1767, Col. Vanderburgh married Miss Helen
Clark, and these children were born : WHliam,
Margaret, Richard, Gabriel L., Egbert B.,
Clarissa, George W. , Paulina, Almira, Federal
and Caroline. In "The Surrogate", a maga
zine published in New York, March, 1891, ap
pears the following: "Col. James Vander
burgh was one of the most influential citizens
of Beekman, Dutchess county, and was de
scended from Holland ancestors, who settled
at an early day in that region. He was a
member of the Provincial Congress in 1776,
and during the Revolutionary war was a zeal
ous friend of the patriot cause, and while Gens.
Washington and La Fayette were in his vicin
ity he entertained them and their staffs at his
home." In later life he followed farming in
Beekman, where he died.
Henry Vanderburgh, grandfather of our
subject, was born in the town of Beekman. He
married and located in the town of Hyde Park,
where he reared the following famHy of chil
dren: Lewis, Margaret, Martin, Fannie, John,
Richard, Lucinda, Eliza, Maria and Katherine.
The grandfather died in Hyde Park in May,
1 841; his wife had passed away several years
previous. Henry Vanderburgh was a captain
in the Revolutionary war, and participated in
the battle of Bunker HHl.
Martin Vanderburgh attained his majority
in Hyde Park, and was a merchant and school
teacher. He married Miss Mary Halstead,
who was born in the town of Clinton. Her
father, Richard Halstead, was a native of
Westchester county; he married a Miss Griffin,
and they had a large family of children. After
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Vanderburgh
moved to Canaan, Columbia county, locating
on a farm; they became the parents of nine
children, namely: Emeline, Susan, Oscar,
Edgar M., John, Richard, Annie E., Maria,
and Lucinda. Of these, Emeline died unmar
ried; Susan married V. J. Wilcox, a farmer in
Columbia county; Oscar is a retired farmer
in the town of Chatham, Columbia county;
John (deceased) was a farmer and merchant;
Richard was also a farmer and merchant, and
is now deceased; Annie E. became the wife of
Sylvester S. Kady, a merchant of Jamestown;
Maria married Rev. C. W. Havens, and is
now deceased; Lucinda became the wife of
E. W. Levensworth, a farmer and landlord in
Columbia county. The parents of this family
went to Columbia county in 1820, where the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

425

father died in 1864, and the mother in 1S66;
in politics, Mr. Vanderburgh was a Whig, and
in religious faith both he and his wife adhered
to the Society of Friends.
Edgar M. Vanderburgh, the subject of this
sketch, spent his boyhood days on the farm in
Columbia county, and attended the district
school until fourteen years of age, when he
went to Canaan Center Academy. He was
obliged to earn his own living, so taught school
in winters and attended them in summers; but
failing health prevented him from completing
the classical course. He married Miss Han
nah Sutherland in 1844, and they had three
children: Anna, who married Philip J. Sher
man, a farmer and school teacher; Amelia
married Rev. U. Symonds, and died in 1S82;
Henry is at home. In 1845 our subject moved
to the town of Stanford, where he farmed,
and where his wife died in 1S53. In 1870 he
married Mrs. Kate (Sackett) Lockwood, the
widow of John F. Lockwood, and moved to
his present place at Lithgow. His wife is a
descendant of one of the old families. Mr.
Vanderburgh was originally a Whig, voting
first for Henry Clay, and since the organiza
tion of the Republican party he has supported
it at every National election, including that of
1896. He was elected superintendent of com
mon schools in 1849, and again in 1850, '51,
'52, and '53; in 1857-58, he was elected su
pervisor of the town of Stanford; in 1864 he
was elected superintendent of the county poor,
being the first incumbent to that office in the
county, and he held it for six consecutive
years. Mr. Vanderburgh is a firm believer in the
Christian rehgion; that Christian unity should
embrace the faithful of aH denominations; that
Christ is more than creed ; that Christianity is
more than sect; and tljat Christian character
should be the test of Christian fellowship.
The following lines represent some of his
ruHng maxims: What conscience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to do.
This teach me more than hell to shun,
That more than heav'n pursue.
Teach me to feel another's woe.
To hide the faults I see;
That mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me.
If I am right, Thy grace impart!
Still in the right to stay;
If I am wrong, oh! teach my heart
To find that better way.

RS. MATILDA VAIL NOXON. Among
_ (!L the well-known pioneer famHies of the
town of Unionvale, Dutchess county, the VaHs
have always held an honored place. Each
generation has been engaged mainly in tilling
the soil, and industry, frugality, and progress
ive spirit of the typical American farmer have
been marked characteristics.
Moses VaH, the grandfather of the subject
of this sketch, was born and educated in the
town of Unionvale, and established his home
there upon a farm. He and his wife, Phoebe
Losee, had eleven chHdren: (i) James, a
farmer, married Anna Montfort, and had six
children, of whom, Stephen M., a clergyman,
married Louise Cushman; Isaac M. married
Mary Wheeler; Susan L. married Rev. James
Runyon; Phoebe A. married Henry Segine;
Cordeha E. married John Segine; and James
W. died in young manhood. (2) Isaac mar
ried Rebecca Vail, and had one chHd —
George W. (now deceased;, (3) Stephen died
at an early age. (4) Thomas married Susan
A. Barlow, and had five chHdren — Elisha B.,
who is single; Phoebe (Mrs. Charles Elmore);
Maria J., the wife of Mr. Pultz; Caroline (Mrs.
Presten); aad Louisa, unmarried. (5) John
is mentioned below. (6) Lavina married Tunis
Van Benschoten, and had seven chHdren —
Phcebe Ann (Mrs. James Thurston); Mary
(Mrs. Elisha French); Sarah (Mrs. Jones);
Elizabeth (Mrs. Bronson); Jennie; Catherine
White; and Phoebe (Mrs. Philo Vincent). (7)
Mary married Levi Vincent, and had eleven
children — Phebe (Mrs. J. Velie); Isaac (de
ceased); Deborah (deceased); Gideon; Platt
Thomas (deceased); Lavina (Mrs. Brown)
Edwin; Chester (deceased); Albert (deceased)
and Mary Ida (Mrs. Phelps). (8) EHas mar
ried Jane A. Cook. (9) Simon married Mary •
Potter, and had six children — Henrietta (Mrs.
Helms); Fredrick; Edwin (deceased) ; Clarence,
who married Maria Bartlett; Alice (deceased);
and Evelenia (unmarried). (10) Moses mar
ried Hester Bussing, and had no chHdren; he
was well educated, and practiced law in New
York City, but died at Saratoga, N. Y., in
1888. (11) Platt married Amelia A. Davis,
and had five chHdren — James D., who mar
ried Phoebe Vincent; Julia and Lavina, who
are not married; Jesse, who died in the army
in 1864; and Moses (deceased).
John Vail, our subject's father, was born
at Verbank, Dutchess county, in November,
1800, and was educated in the schools of the

426'

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

town. His main occupation was farming, but
he was also engaged in mercantile business, and
conducted a woolen-mill at Verbank for some
time. He married Elizabeth Vincent, and
had ten children: (i) Sarah, born February
8, 1828, married Jacob Baker, a blacksmith
of Freedom Plains, and is now deceased. (2)
Matilda is mentioned below. (3) Loretta, born
April 4, 1 83 1, remained single all her life. (4)
Samuel, born July 4, 1832, was a carpenter
by trade, and had four children — Libbie (wife
of Leonard Secord); Charles (who married
Carrie Cass), William and Abbie (both de
ceased). (5) Mary, born October 13, 1834,
married Simon Losee, and has two children —
Lizzie and Wesley. (6) Martha, born January
14, 1S36, was educated in Amenia Seminary,
became a successful teacher, and is now de
ceased. (7) Rebecca (deceased), born Octo
ber I, 1837, married Richard Hall, a farmer
of the town of Beekman, Dutchess county,
and had four children — Everett; Libbie (de
ceased); Herbert and Minnie. (8) Stephen,
born February 23, 1839, is a carpenter by oc
cupation. (9) James (deceased), born Febru
ary 22, 1 84 1, was a blacksmith by trade, and
he and his wife had one daughter", Sarah (now
Mrs. Richard Case). (10) George, born May
23, 1843, is a well-known dairyman of Union
vale; he married Miss Phoebe Noxon, and has
three children — Henry, Hettie and John.
Matilda Vail first saw the light September
14, 1829, at the old home in Verbank. She
was educated there, and later became the wife
of Dewitt C. Noxon, son of Abram Noxon, a
well-to-do farmer. Mr. Noxon followed mer
cantile pursuits in early life, and then for a
time engaged in farming, but he spent his later
years in New York City on the police force.
He bravely served his country in the Civil war
as a member of Company I, 128th N. Y. V. I.,
but was discharged on account of ill health.
He died in 1870. Mr. and Mrs. Noxon had
two children: Emma and Ada, of whom the
latter died at an early age; Emma (now also
deceased) married John G. Duncan, and had
two children — J. Davis and Emma.

€\LEVELAND H. TITUS, general mer-
_' chant, and the popular postmaster of
Webatuck, town of Dover, Dutchess county,
was born on January 29, 1843, in N^w York
City. There the birth of his grandfather,
Richard Titus, occurred, and as an occupation

he followed trucking in that city. In his fam
ily were five children : Joseph R. and Ben
jamin J. (twins), Richard, Alonzo and Sarah.
Joseph R. Titus, father of our subject, was
born in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, in
1809, but received his education in New York
City, and, like his father, engaged in trucking.
He spent two years in the West, where he fol
lowed farming; but owing to ill health returned
to New York. He married Miss Ruth Amelia'
Titus, daughter of Samuel J. Titus, a farmer
of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county.
The parental household included fourteen
children, (i) Adaline C, born November 3,
1 84 1, died in 1 85 1. (2) Cleveland H. is next
in order of birth. (3) Stanley, December 23,
1844, died July 27, 1861. (4) Agnes I., born
August 24, 1S46, died July 22, 1S47. (S)
Eugene, born June 29, 184S, died November
27, 1849. (6) Albert, born June 15, 1850,
died March 9, 1853. (7) Louisa J., born
August 13, 1852, died October 20, 1857. (8)
Mary A., born AprH 3, 1854, in New York
City, was there educated, and married Ferdi
nand Blackenhorn, of Poughkeepsie, who
served as cashier of the Third National Bank
of New York City, but is now deceased — dying
in 1S93. Six children were born of their
union — Barbara, Amie, Jacob F., Ethel, Eu
gene and Ruth. (9) Ida, born April 15, 1856,
died AprH i, 1862. (10) Stephen, born AprH
17, 1S58, in New York City, where he was
educated, married Miss Agnes O'Neill, of that
place, and they have three children — Ruth,
Albert and Cornelius B. (11) Frank L., born
December 5, 1859, in New York, married Miss
Ellen Diamond, of that city, and they are now
located at Palouse, Wash., where he is en
gaged in merchandising. They have three
chHdren — Joseph, Stanley and Margaret. (12)
Mellie S., born July 7, 1861, in New York
City, completed her literary education in the
New York Normal College, and after studying
law in the office of Mr. Hildreth, of New York,
was admitted to the bar in 1894 to practice
in the Supreme Court. However, she is now
engaged in teaching in the Eighty-sixth street
grammar school. (13) Eliza I., born May 13,
1864, was also a school teacher, and died
AprH 15, 1896. (14) George I., born Novem
ber 14, 1865, in New York City, is now em
ployed as ticket agent on the Second Avenue
Elevated road.
Our subject pursued his studies in the
common schools of the town of Dover, and

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

427

was employed in merchandising for his uncle
for some time. After the latter's death, he
turned his attention to farming until about
eight years ago, since which time he has con
ducted a general store in Webatuck, where he
also served as postmaster. He carries a full
and complete stock, and secures a liberal share
of the public patronage. Socially, he is a
charter member of Dover Lodge No. 666, F.
& A. M., of Dover Plains.
On May 17, 1S68, Mr. Titus was united in
marriage with Miss Sarah E. Allis, daughter
of Huram and Mary J. (Hoag) Allis, of the
town of Dover, Dutchess county, and they
now have two sons: (i) Joseph A., born
April 17, 1869, in Dover, received a common-
school education, and followed the mercantile
business with his father until his marriage in
1892, to Miss Matie Orton, daughter of Judson
and Susan (Wheeler) Orton, agriculturists of
Dover Plains (he is now engaged in carrying
the mail). (2) Stanley H., born July 23, 1879,
in the town of Dover, was there educated, and
is now in the store with his father at Webatuck.
David Allis, the grandfather of Mrs. Titus,
was also a native of the town of Dover, Dutch
ess county, and after leaving school always
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He married
Miss Sarah Burton, and they had three children,
of whom Huram was the eldest. Alva, the
second son, removed to Pennsylvania, where he
followed farming, but previously he had mar
ried Miss Mariette Briggs, of Amenia, Dutchess
county, by whom he had two children — Sarah
J., and one who died in infancy. Phcebe, the
only daughter, was born and educated in the
town of Dover. She became the wife of a
Mr. Sherman, a farmer of that town, and they
had one son, Ebenezer.
Huram Allis, the father of Mrs. Titus, was
born in the town of Dover, April 8, 1802, and
as a life-work also followed farming. Religious
ly, he was a member of the Society of Friends.
He wedded Miss Mary G. Hoag, daughter of
Joel and Hannah Hoag, the former a farmer
and blacksmith of Dover. Three children
graced their union: Phoebe, born February
20, 1840, married EHas H. Deuel, by whom
she had one daughter, Nellie L., wife of Eg
bert Slocum, and the mother of one son.
Homer; Martin A., born December 23, 1842,
died at the age of three years; Sarah E., born
April 24, 1849, is the honored wife of our
subject. Cleveland H. Titus and his wife are the

possessors of some 165 acres of land, which is
rented for farming purposes. In politics, Mr.
Titus is a Democrat.

M'

Il and respected by all, there is no man
in the business circles of Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess county, who occupies a more promi
nent position than this gentleman, not alone
on account of the success he has achieved, but
also on account of his honorable and straight
forward dealings. He was born September
17, 1854, in Hughsonville, town of Wappin
ger, this county, and has always made his
home in that locality.
Mr. Brewster's paternal grandfather was
William Brewster, of Bloomingburg, Sullivan
Co., N. Y., whose son, William H. Brewster
(the father of the subject of this sketch), was
born in that village in 1812. When a young
man he came to Hughsonville, Dutchess Co.,
N. Y. , where he engaged in his occupation as
carpenter and contractor, afterward accepting
the position as foreman of the carpenter de
partment of Garner & Co, 's print works at
Wappingers Falls, N. Y. , which position he
held for about thirty years. He was married
September 18, 1S52, to Mary Eliza Hoyt,
daughter of William and Maria (Roe) Hoyt,
and is still living at a ripe old age; but his wife
died July i, 1863.
Our subject's maternal grandfather was
William Hoyt, whose parents came from Sau
gerties, Ulster Co., N. Y. ; he married Maria
Roe, daughter of Joseph C. Roe, who was a
tanner and currier, and owned and conducted
that business at Gayhead, Dutchess Co.,
N. Y. WHliam Hoyt died August 3, 1885;
his wife still survives him, at the age of eighty-
five. W. A. Brewster, the subject proper of this
review, is the only chHd of this union. His
boyhood days were spent at Hughsonville,
where he began his education, which was com
pleted at Poughkeepsie. On laying aside his
text books, he was employed in the print
works at Wappingers Falls, at the carpenter's
trade, for about two years. On January i,
1S75, he became bookkeeper in the Bank of
Wappingers Falls, a deposit bank, where he
remained untH he became cashier of a private
bank of the same place, although at that time
he was only twenty-six years old. After fill
ing that position for a short' time he was, on

428

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

AprH 15, 1 88 1 , elected treasurer of the Wappin
gers Savings Bank, and November i, 18S4, was
elected trustee of the same institution. He is
also a local fire insurance agent, representing
ten of the largest American and foreign com
panies. Mr. Brewster was married October 19,
1 88 1, to Miss Sarah S. Siddie, who was born
in Clinton, Iowa, and is a daughter of Abram
Siddie, a paper manufacturer of that place.
The Siddie family is of English origin. A
daughter, Helen, graces the union of our sub
ject and his wife. As a Democrat in politics,
Mr. Brewster takes great interest in political
questions, and has served as trustee of the
Hughsonville school district, was town clerk
of Wappinger, and also represented his town
on the board of supervisors. He is an hon
ored and valued member of Wappinger Lodge
No. 671, F. & A. M., of which he is a past
master ; of Evening Star Lodge No. 98, K. of P. ;
and of Lafayette Lodge No. 18, I. O. O. F.
He stands high in social as well as commercial
circles, and his career has ever been such as
to warrant the trust and confidence of all.

S\TEPHEN T. DEUEL. Prominent among
.^ the leading and influential farmers and
stock raisers of the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, is the gentleman of whom
this sketch is written. He has one of the
finest farms in the township, comprising 250
acres of valuable and productive land, which
he has placed under a high state of cultivation,
and made thereon many substantial and useful
improvements. The passerby is at once at
tracted by its neat and thrifty appearance,
and knows the owner to be a man of industry
and of progressive methods.
Mr. Deuel was born in the town of Wash
ington, May 27, 1833, and can trace his an
cestry back to William Deuel, who emigrated
to this country August 3, 1640. The family
is of French origin, the name being originally
spelled Davol, and later assuming the present
mode. Jonathan Deuel, the son of William,
was born at Dartmouth, Mass., and died in
1709. His son, Jeremiah Deuel, was also
born at Dartmouth, and died November 29,
1753. In direct line to our subject, he was
followed by Timothy, who was born at Bristol,
R. I., January i, 17 14, and married Lydia
Mosher, by whom he had eight children,
namely: Lydia, PhHip, Hannah, Rhoda,

Juele, Silas, John and Benjamin. For many
years he engaged in farming in Rhode Island,
and about 1750 came to Dutchess county, lo
cating on a tract of land near MiHbrook.
The seventh in that family, SHas Deuel,
was born at Bristol, R. I., July 13, 1748, and
by his marriage with Hannah White became
the father of eleven children: Eunice, Sarah,
John, Ruth, Lydia, Silas S., Hannah, Phoebe,
Benjamin, Isaac and Malessa. The father,
who was an agriculturist, lived to quite an ad
vanced age, dying January 9, 1S25. His tenth
child, Isaac Deuel, who was born in Washing
ton township, Dutchess county, November 25,
1798, became the father of our subject. He
was united in marriage with Cynthia Thorne,
and five children blessed their union: WHl
iam, Josephine and Henry, deceased; Thorne,
a farmer in Washington town; and Stephen
T. , whose name introduces this sketch. The
father followed the various pursuits of farmer,
miller and merchant, and died in 1854.
Our subject was reared upon his father's
farm, and educated in the district schools of
the neighborhood. After attaining his ma
jority he commenced farming for himself, which
occupation he made his life work. As a com
panion and helpmeet on life's journey he chose
Miss Louise M. Allen, a native of Washington
town, born August 6, 1S40, and their marriage
was celebrated in that town, February i, 1S59.
She was the daughter of Norton Allen, a na
tive of Connecticut, who became a merchant
of Hart's Village. After their marriage Mr.
and Mrs. Deuel located on a farm near Mill
brook, where they resided about five years,
and where she died January 24, 1864. One
chHd blessed their union, Isaac N., who mar
ried Miss Katie F. Maroney, who was born in
Washington town, a daughter of Patrick and
Margaret (Whalen) Maroney. To Isaac N.
Deuel and his wife have been born three chil
dren: Stephen T. , Isaac M., and Olive C.
For his second wife Stephen T. Deuel married
Miss Kate Maroney, a lady of Irish descent,
and a native of Washington township.
In 1866 Mr. Deuel removed from MiH
brook, and settled at Little Rest, where he
purchased the homestead and an adjoining
farm, where he now lives. On his land is an
old mill, which was once a school building and
used for that purpose 125 years ago, and was
at that time an old building. He also has a
deed for the first land owned by the Deuels in
Dutchess county, the date whereof is 1759,

yo^£:^^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

429

and the signature that of Daniel Wood. Mr.
Deuel is entirely independent of party lines in
politics, considering, in the exercise of his
elective franchise, rather the fitness of the man
for the office than the party who placed him in
nomination. Public-spirited to a high degree,
he takes great interest in every measure cal
culated to benefit the community.

WILLIAM RECORD, a prominent mer-
 chant of Dover Plains, Dutchess coun
ty, and one of the most public-spirited citizens
of that town, is related by descent or marriage
with several of the oldest families of the local
ity. On the paternal side of his grandfather
was John Record, a native of South Mountain,
Dutchess county, where he passed his entire
life, receiving his education in the common
schools of the town of Dover, and later en
gaging in the manufacture of chairs, in which
business he won a notable success. The name
of his wife is not known, and of their children
three only are now remembered: George W. ;
Mary, who married Fred Shafer; and Amanda,
who married Mr. King. George W. Record,
our subject's father, was reared in his native
village of South Mountain, attending the pub
lic schools and learning the blacksmith's trade.
For a number of years he conducted a shop
on Chestnut Ridge, and then he moved to the
village of Dover, where he became a leading
worker in that line of business. He always
.took great interest in religious matters, and
was an active member of the Baptist Church
of Dover Plains. He married Miss Susan
BurHngame, daughter of John and 'Phoebe
Burlingame, well-known residents of the town
of Washington, Dutchess county, who reared
a family of children as follows: Susan, born
March 28, 1S16; Salina, January xi, 1818;
Jiles and MHes, twins. May 11, 1S21; Harriet,
May 13, 1823; John, AprH 3, 1825; Mary, No
vember 7, 1827; and Philip, May 10, 1830;
the youngest child, Phoebe, was born in 1831.
George W. Record and his wife had five chil
dren: Mary (Mrs. Samuel Hobson); Amanda
(Mrs. WiHiam G. Evans); WilHam, our sub
ject; Charles, who died in the army; and
Emma, who died at the age of twenty-six years.
The subject of our sketch was born June i,
1845, 3-t the old homestead in Dover Plains,
and received a good education in the public
schools there. His first experience in business
was gained as a clerk in a general store, which

he entered at the age of fifteen. After a few
years in this employment he engaged in farm
ing, continuing with marked success until 1872,
when he returned to mercantHe pursuits, estab
lishing a flour, feed, coal aijd lumber business.
This is one of the principal enterprises in the
place, his trade having increased at a gratify
ing rate as time has passed. Mr. Record is
progressive in ideas, and has the advancement
of the town at heart. He has always been ,
identified with the Republican party, and has
held a number of town offices, including those
of supervisor, collector and commissioner, hav
ing been elected to the last-named position
several times. He belongs to the Masonic
Lodge, No. 666, of Dover Plains. In 1871
he was united in matrimony with Miss AdeHa
Lee, and they have four children: (i) George,
born in 1S71, is now his father's partner in
business, and one of the leading young men of
the town. On June 20, 1894, he was married
to Miss Martha Moore, daughter of the late
Henry Moore, once a professor of penmanship
in the Eastman Business College at Pough
keepsie, and later a well-known farmer of the
town of Dover. He died at the age of thirty-
four years, and his wife. Amy, at the age of
thirty-six. (2) William Record, Jr., born in
1873, married Anna Weaver. (3) Theo, born
in 1876, is at home. (4) Obed, born in 187S,
died in infancy.
Mrs. Record was born, in 1849, in the town
of Dover, Dutchess county, and was educated
there. Her grandfather, William Lee, was a
native of Gaylords Bridge, Conn., where he
was engaged in farming for some years. He
married Miss Mehitabel Ward, by vvhom he
had six children: Jane (Mrs. Edward Ferris);
Louisa (Mrs. OHver Warner); Ward (Mrs.
Record's father); Egbert, who married Abbie
J. Carey; Emily, who married (first) George
Travers, and (second) Ira Bowlby; and Emiline,
the wife of George Wickham. Ward Lee was
also born at Gaylords Bridge, but he was edu
cated in the town of Dover, Dutchess county,
his parents removing to that locality when he
was a child. He learned the carpenter's
trade, and followed it all his life with the ex
ception of ten years which he spent in farming,
and many houses in the town of Dover were
built by him. In politics he was a Democrat;
was road commissioner for a number of years,
and held other offices at various times. In
1846 he was married to Miss Mary Cutler, and
had four children: Adelia (Mrs. Record);

480

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Emily (Mrs. Alvin Marcy); WHHam, who died
in infancy; and Angeline (Mrs. Darwin War
ner). Mr. Lee died August 12, 1886, ifl the
sixty-eighth year of his age, and while his
death was keenly felt among a large circle of
friends it left the deepest sorrow within the
home where his qualities of mind and heart
were best known. Mrs. Record's mother,
Mary Cutler Lee, was born in 1828, in South
Dover, Dutchess county, where her ancestors
were early settlers. Her grandfather, Will
iam Cutler, was a native of that place, and
passed his life there as a well-to-do farmer.
He married Miss Elizabeth Hiller, and had
eight children: (i) Rhoda (Mrs. Isaac North
rup); (2) Abigail (Mrs. Thomas Tompkins);
(3) Mahala, who never married; (4) Thursie,
who died; (5) Bigelow and (6) Thomas, the
names of whose wives are unknown; (7) Will
iam, who married Irene Brush; and (8) Calvin,
the father of Mrs. Lee. He was born in South
Dover in 1799, and after obtaining an educa
tion in the schools of that place engaged in
agriculture. His wife was Miss Keziah Varney,
daughter of John and Mary (Rodgers) Varney,
prosperous farmers in Connecticut. Eight
children were born to this marriage: John
and Jerome, who died in infancy; Elihu, who
married Lydia Wilcox; Elezer, who married
Maranthy Eggleston; Francis, who married
Elizabeth Carey; Priscilla (Mrs. William Hall);
Mary (Mrs. Ward Lee); and Sarah (Mrs. WHl
iam Hooker).

WILLIAM S. TRIPP. As an enterpris-
 ing and wide-awake citizen of Mill
brook, Dutchess county, engaged in the butch
ering business, we take pleasure in giving this
brief biography of the gentleman whose name
introduces this sketch. He is a native of
Dutchess county, born in the town of Wash
ington, near MiHbrook, on June 24, 1856, and
is a son of Daniel Tripp, who was born at the
same place in 1833. On that farm his great
grandfather, Samuel Tripp, had located after
his marriage with Miss Mary Howard, and
there reared their family of eleven chHdren,
whose names and dates of birth are as fol
lows : Phoebe, January 29, 1779; John, No
vember 27, 17S0 ; Hannah, March i, 1782;
Susanna, January 31, 1784; George, Novem
ber 16, 1785; Howard, December 5, 1787;
Patience, October 20, 1789; Mary, November
21, 1 79 1 ; Samuel, AprH 6, 1794; Wasson,

July 8, 1796, and Isaac, October 7, 1798.
The father of this family was born November
15, 1751, and his wife on Novembers, 1757.
In religious belief the family were Friends.
Wasson Tripp, the grandfather of our su]p-
ject, was born on the old homestead, where he
was reared, and which he continued to culti
vate after reaching man's estate. In 1S18 he
was united in marriage with Sally Buckbee, by
whom he had two chHdren : Edward B., who
was born October 7, 18 19, and foHowed farm
ing as a means of livelihood, and Malvina, who
was born August 17, 1821, and became the
wife of Henry C. Haight, also an agriculturist.
Both are now deceased. For his second wife
Wasson Tripp chose Hannah Tompkins, and
their wedding was celebrated May 18, 1825.
Seven children blessed their union, namely :
Howard, born June 26, 1826, became a mer
chant and, later, station agent at MHIbrook;
Charles, born July 27, 1828, was for a time a
merchant in New York City, but now makes
his home in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; Sarah, born
August 8, 1830, married Edwin Curtis, a mer
chant, but both have passed away ; Daniel,
born October 28, 1833, is the father of our
subject ; Maria, born May 7, 1836, is the wife
of William Rust, a contractor of Poughkeepsie;
George, born February 23, 1839, is a cigar
merchant of Poughkeepsie, and Mary E. , born
January 3, 1842.
After reaching manhood, Daniel Tripp was
married to Miss Mary E. Seeley, a native of
the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, and a
daughter of William Seeley, who in early life
followed farming, but his later years were
passed in retirement at Poughkeepsie. After
their marriage they located upon the old fam
ily homestead, where they reared their family
of nine children: Wasson, who died in March,
1865; WHliam S., of this review; E. Bennett,
who makes his home in Poughkeepsie; Hiram,
a resident of Millbrook; Gertrude, wife of
Clark Barmore; Edward and Daniel, who live
in Moores Mill; Kate, wife of Frank Taylor, of
the same place; and Elizabeth, at home. The
father still carries on farming at Moores Mill,
and in politics is an ardent Democrat, by
which party he has been elected to several
positions of honor and trust.
The boyhood days of WiHiam S- Tripp
were spent upon the home farm untH sixteen
years of age, when he started out to fight life's
battle, being employed as a farm hand until
he was twenty-two. He then came to MiH-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

431

brook, and for a year and a half worked at the
butchering business for Hiram Warner. He
has since made that business his life work, and
has met with a fair degree of success, estab
lishing his present shop in September, 1881.
He is numbered among the prominent busi
ness men of Millbrook, and stands high in the
estimation of his fellow citizens.
On January 18, 1882, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Tripp and Esther M. Smith,
and one daughter was born to them — Esther;
but the mother was called from this life April
18, 1884. For his second wife our subject
wedded Frances La Due, a native of the town
of Pleasant Valley, and a daughter of Alex
ander La Due, who is of French descent and
a farmer by occupation. The lady is a con
sistent and faithful member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, whHe in political sentiment
Mr, Tripp is a Democrat.

[RS. ANN A. HAYES. It is not alone by
eloquence of speech and force of argu
ment that the modern advancement in the
status of women — which means the advance
ment of ^he human race — has been brought
about. The changes in public sentiment
which have made it possible for the women of
to-day to extend their activities to every Hne
of effort have found their most potent justifi
cation and cause in the lives of thousands who
have quietly taken their places in public life,
and proved the wisdom of their course by an
unmistakable success. The subject of this
sketch, a descendant of two of the oldest and
most highly esteemed famiHes in the county,
has spent more than forty years in the service
of the government as assistant postmaster at
Quaker Hill, Dutchess county; a fact which in
itself speaks volumes for her ability, energy
and independence of character, for in the be
ginning of this long term the employment of
women in such positions was by no means
common. It is well for the present aspirants
to official places that the pioneers labored so
successfully as to disarm the objections of the
most conservative.
Mrs. Ann Akin Hayes was born at Quaker
HHl, where her grandfather, John Toffey, set
tled prior to the Revolutionary war. He was
a native of England, born June — , 174S, and
in early years was a hatter by trade, but later
a farmer, his estate at Quaker HiH being the
same that is now occupied by Mrs. Hayes.

He was married January i, 1776, to AbigaH
Akin, daughter of John Akin, of the well-
known Quaker family, whose various members
have held conspicuous posts of honor and use
fulness, Mrs. Toffey was a member of the So
ciety of Friends, to which her husband in
clined. He was a man of strong character,
and was prominent in the locaHty. His death
occurred in 1825; that of his wife in 1829, when
she was in her eighty-first year. They have
five sons, who in manhood had not a pound
of difference in their weight. Their names and
dates of birth are as follows: Hewlett, De
cember 5, 1776, who married Miss Scofield,
and settled, in Canada; Akin, June 28, 1781,
who lived at Quaker Hill; George, June 15,
1783, a resident of the town of Beekman;
John, January 21, 1786, Mrs. Hayes' father;
and Daniel, May i, 1788, who settled at
Quaker HHl.
John Toffey inherited the homestead, and
for many years carried on a general mercantile
business in a store adjoining his farm, erecting
a new buHding in 1823. He was a thrifty man,
successful both as a farmer and as a merchant,
and was also prominent in local politics, hold
ing the office of postmaster for many years.
His honesty and generosity were noticeable
traits, and he was highly respected by the peo
ple of his locality. Although he was a Friend in
principle, he never united with the Society.
He was married September 18, 18 14, to Es
ther H. Akin, daughter of James Akin, of
Quaker HiH, and had three chHdren. Polly,
born AprH 4, 181 5, married DeWitt C.
Thomas, and settled near Delhi, Delaware
county, N. Y. ; John James, born March 3,
1 819, died January 12, 1838; Ann Akin, our
subject, was born March 12, 1821. The father
died March 15, 1867, in his eighty-second
year; his wife passed away July 12, 1S79, in
her eighth-third year. In 1847 the subject of
our sketch was united in matrimony with John
P. Hayes, who took charge of the store and
continued the business successfully for many
years. They have no children.

K/rrATTHEW V. B. SCHRYVER, a lead
ing citizen of Rhinebeck, Dutchess coun
ty, and president of the board of trustees of
that village, is a member of one of the oldest
and most influential families of that locality.
John T. Schryver, his grandfather, was born
about 1788, in Dutchess count}', and was one

432

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of the principal workers in securing the incor
poration of the vHlage, and was the first to
hold the offifce of president, which his grand
son now fills so ably. John T. Schryver, who
was of German descent, married Miss Helen
Conklin, a native of FishkiH, Dutchess county,
born about 1780, and a descendant of a well-
known Holland-Dutch family. Their son,
George W. Schryver, our subject's father, was
born in Rhinebeck, in 18 10, and spent the
greater portion of his life there. His wife,
Maria E. Fellows, was born in 18 19. They
had six children, of whom two died in infancy.
Matthew was the youngest of the four who
lived to maturity, the others being : Helen,
Mrs. E. Marshall Pavey, of New York (de
ceased); Kate, Mrs. Edward D. Cowman, of
New York (deceased); and Georgia, now Mrs.
D'Linton W. Greenfield, of Rome, New York.
Matthew V. B. Schryver began his mortal
career January 12, 1859, in Rhinebeck. He
was carefully educated, and completed his lit
erary studies at De Garmo Institute, gradu
ating in 1875. He prepared for the legal pro
fession, receiving the degree of LL. B. in
iSSo, from the law department of Columbia
College, and was admitted to the bar immedi
ately after graduation. He began to practice
in New York City, and after two years went to
Stevens Point, Wis., where he spent one year
in professional work. In comparison with other
places the old home acquired new attractions,
and he returned to Rhinebeck, where he is now
engaged in insurance business in connection
with certain lines of legal work. For nine
years past he has served as justice of the peace
— his logical, well-trained mind making him a
most valuable official. He is identified with
the progressive movements of the locality and
is especially prominent in municipal affairs, as
is attested by his successful administration of
his office as president.

UFUS S. CRAIG, engineer and engine
dispatcher on the Harlem railroad, with
residence at Dover Plains, Dutchess county, is
descended from a worthy Scotch family. Alex
ander Craig, his grandfather, was born in
Scotland, and, having joined the British army
as a commissioned officer, came to the United
States with Gen. Burgoyne, at the age of
nineteen years, being with that commander at
the time of his surrender to Gen. Gates. He
served as lieutenant, and participated in seven

battles in this country. He wedded Miss Mary
Newton, of Groton, Mass.. and to them were
born eight children: Thomas, who married
Sarah Allard; Carrie and George, who were
also married; Silas, the father of our subject;
Aaron, who married Olive Allen; Rebecca,
married to Devilla Lawrence ; Mary, who mar
ried Chester Cooley; and Elizabeth, married
to Isaiah Lawrence.
Silas Craig was born at Westfield, Mass.,
August 29, 1792, and was educated in the
common schools. By occupation he was a
farmer, and in politics was an unswerving
Republican, but cared nothing for public office.
He was united in marriage with Miss Mary
Wood, a daughter of Hezekiah and Mary
(Savage) Wood, farming people of Vermont,
in whose family were eight chHdren: Joel;
Peter, who married Laura Hitchcock; Thomas,
who married Mary Cooley; John, married to
Betsey Clark; Betsey, who married Dudley
Hayes; Mary, the mother of our subject; Har
riet, who married William Clark; and Levina,
who married John Livingston. Eight children
were born to the parents of our subject, as
follows: (i) Obediah, born at Highgate, Franklin
county, Vt. , in 1824, worked at the carpenter's
trade and at bridge building there throughout
life. He married Miss Arvilla FuHer, daughter
of Rodney Fuller, a farmer, and they had two
children — Frank and Flora. Of these, Frank
was born at Dorchester, Mass., in 1858, and
was educated in the schools of Lowell, that
State. He entered the railroad service with
the Vermont Central at Lowell, and from there
went to Santa F6, N. M. , being an engineer
on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe rail
road, on which road he was killed in 1S94.
He was a charter member of Fort Madison
Lodge of the Masonic fraternity, and served as
master of a lodge in Iowa. In that State he
also held membership with the Order of Red
Men, and was grand high sagamore. He was
one of the leading railroad men of the West,
and served as chief engineer of the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers. He married
and had two children — Ida, who died at the
age of nine years ; and Frank B. Flora, the
daughter of Obediah Craig, was also born
at Dorchester, Mass., and married Charles
Shearer, a railroad employee, formerly of New
Hampshire, and they have three children.
(2) Eunice, a sister of our subject, was
born at Highgate, Vt., and married Josiah

c^C---*-'-^^^.*.^ ^^^^-iv^-^t.^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

433

Clark, a farmer of that State. They have no
chHdren living.
(3) Richard Baxter, also a native of the
Green Mountain State, was there educated
and followed farming and milling. He mar
ried Miss Agnes Daniels, daughter of Joseph
and Agnes Daniels, in whose family were five
children: Ezra, Margaret, Ira, Agnes and
Joseph. Richard Baxter Craig and his wife
had three children: Sewell, born in 1862; and
Darwin and Baxter (twins), born in 1868.
(4) Abraham was born in Vermont, and
there engaged in farming. He married Miss
Laura Allen, and had five children: Rufus S.,
Joshua C, Emma, Annie and Ellen.
(5) Rufus S., the subject of this sketch, is
next in order of birth. (6) Harlo, a native of
Vermont, who is engaged in farming in Canada,
married Miss Marion Davis, and has two chil
dren: Warren and Ida. (7) Myron enlisted
in the Second Vermont Cavalry, becoming a
member of Company M, during the CivH war;
was also in the navy for three years, and now
draws a pension for both army and navy serv
ice. He was also married. (8) Flora married
John Whiting, an agriculturist, of Highgate,
Vt. , and they have four children.
Rufus S. Craig, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born at Highgate, FrankHn Co., Vt.,
January 10, 1834, and there secured his educa
tion. At the age of sixteen years he started
out in life for himself, going to Michigan,
where for one year he was fireman on the
Michigan Southern raHroad. He then went
to Lake Erie, as assistant engineer on the old
" United States," where he remained for two
years. At Boston, Mass., he next secured a
position on the Boston & Providence railroad,
being with that road for two years as fireman
and engineer. On March 6, 1865, he came to
Dover, Dutchess county, and has since been
with the Harlem railroad as engineer and
engine dispatcher. His long continued service
well indicates his faithful discharge of duty,
and he is held in the highest esteem by all who
know him. On June 13, 1866, he joined King
David Lodge, F. & A. M., of Taunton, Mass.,
whose charter dates back to 1798, being one of
the oldest lodges in the country, and assisted in
the estabhshment of Dover Plains Lodge No.
666. He is also a member of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers.
Mr. Craig was united in marriage with Miss
Harriet M. Thornton, a daughter of Joseph
and Mary Thornton. Her father, who was a
28

native of Nantucket, Mass., was a mason by
trade, but became a prosperous farmer of Ded-
ham, that State. She was the third in order
of birth in a family of five chHdren, the others
being Susan, who married James Kinney ;
Louisa, who married John Johnson ; Mary J.,
who niarried George Varney; ^nd Mrs. Lu
cretia Taylor. Mr. Craig has been called upon
to mourn the loss of his faithful wife, who died
July 16, 1886, and was laid to rest in Brook-
vale cemetery, Dedham, Massachusetts.
Sewell Craig, a nephew of our subject, was
born in FrankHn county, Vt., in 1862, and is
the son of Richard Baxter and Agnes (Daniels)
Craig. After finishing his education in the
public schools of that State, he became con
nected with a brass foundry, but later entered
the employ of the Harlem railroad in the round
house. He was promoted to engineer on that
road, a position he now fills, and is one of their
most trusted and careful men, as his long serv
ice of fifteen years indicates. He holds mem
bership with the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, and also with Dover Plains Lodge
No. 666, F. & A. M. , while politically he is a
Republican. In 1886 Sewell Craig was married to Miss
Alice Dennis, who was born in England, and
in 1 88 1 came to the United States. They
have two children : Richard B., born August
25, 18S7; and Cora E., born October 11, 1888.
Thomas Dennis, the grandfather of Mrs. Craig,
was born, reared and educated in England,
where he also learned the carpenter's trade,
which he followed throughout his life. He
married Miss Emma Godfrey, and they always
made their home in England. Their only child
was Benjamin (the father of Mrs. Craig), also
a carpenter by trade ; he married Miss Sarah
E. Dennis, a distant relative, and they had two
daughters: Alice (Mrs. Craig) and Maude,
who was also born and educated in England.
She married a Mr. Beardwell, of that country,
where they still reside, and have one child,
Charlotte Rose.

OAH L. BISHOP, a worthy cHizen of
Jj,^ Wassaic, Dutchess county, was there
born June 20, 1848, his father, George Bishop,
being depot agent, and a local preacher of the
Methodist Episcopal Church at that time.
George Bishop was twice married, having by
the first union two daughters and three sons,
namely: Jennie, wife of Francis Chapman,

434

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

deceased, of Pawling, Dutchess county; Mary
A., wife of Joseph S. Hobbs, of Centralia, 111.;
Seneca Smith, who was a sailor and is sup
posed to have died at sea; George W. , a me
chanic, who died and was buried at sea while
on his way to Japan, where he was going to
superintend th* erection of some buildings (he
left a wife and four children at New Haven,
Conn.); and Charles Wesley, formerly a busi
ness man in New York City, who died in the
army. After the death of his first wife George
Bishop wedded Miss Louisa Butts, and to them
were born three children: William G., now
deceased; Catherine M., wife of Edward
Brown; and Noah Lent.
The education of our subject was such as
the district schools near his home afforded; but
at the early age of ten years he laid aside his
text books and began work for Gail Borden as
an errand boy in the condensed milk factory,
where he has since remained, serving as super
intendent since 1S70. His promotion was
gradual; after serving as errand boy for a time
he worked at filling cans by hand in the fore
noon, putting up all the milk there made; next
heated up the mHk in the wells as received,
and was then engaged in sealing the milk. In
the tin shop he was next employed at general
work; later fired the boHers, then became
operator at the vacuum pans, and subsequently
served as milk inspector until appointed to his
present responsible position in 1870. His
long-continued service well indicates his faith
ful discharge of duty, the confidence and trust
reposed in him, and the capable and efficient
manner in which he conducts the business.
At Wassaic Mr. Bishop was married to Miss
5j^ennie A. Jones, daughter of Jarvis Jones, and
they now have two children: :)S^ena M. , wife
of Dr. F. Bruce, of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; and Cora
J. Mr. Bishop takes quite an active interest
in civic societies, being a member of Amenia
Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M., and the Royal
Arcanum at Wassaic, while politically he uses
his right of franchise in support of the men
and measures of the Republican party.

9)^
J|^iPV\EORGE T. WILLSON, senior member
\^ of the well-known firm of WHIson & Eaton,
wholesale grain dealers of Amenia, Dutchess
county, belongs to that class of reHable and
trustworthy citizens to whom may be attrib
uted the stable welfare and prosperity of a
community. A native of Dutchess county, he

was born February 3, 1837, in the town of
Northeast. His paternal great-grandfather,
Robert Willson, a native of Scotland, was one
of the early settlers of that town, securing his
land from the Indians.
The grandfather, who also bore the name
of Robert Willson, was born, reared and edu
cated in the town of Northeast, and on reach
ing manhood there followed farming. He was
one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war,
and was a Presbyterian in religious belief, serv
ing as deacon in his Church. He married Miss
Sarah Thompson, and to them were born nine
children, namely: John, Hiram, Theron, Sam
uel, Edmund, Henry, Barak, Sarah and Re
becca. Theron Willson, the father of our subject,
was also born in the town of Northeast, and
spent his boyhood days upon the home farm.
By occupation he was also a farmer, and was
a strong temperance man. He married Miss
Eliza Collins, daughter of Capt. James ColHns,
of Northeast, and they became the parents of
five chHdren: Collins, who Hves at Pine Plains,
Dutchess county; Eli, of Northeast; Sarah,
wife of Joseph Belding, of Amenia; George T.,
of this review; and Lydia, wife of Samuel
Guernsey, of Northeast. The mother was
caHed to her final rest in 1856, and the father
died in January, 1862.
George T. Willson was reared on the home
farm, and acquired his education in the dis
trict schools. On the breaking out of the
Civil war, he joined his country's service, en
listing in Company A, 150th N. Y. V. I.; this
regiment was assigned to the Eastern army
until after the battle of Gettysburg, when it
was transferred to Gen. Sherman's command.
Our subject continued with his regiment all
through the war without receiving a furlough.
At the battle of Gettysburg he was wounded
in the head, and taken up for dead; on ascer
taining that life was not extinct, he was taken
to the hospital, and a few days later was able
to rejoin his command, with which he served
until mustered out at Poughkeepsie. He par
ticipated also in the battles of NashvHle, Chat
tanooga, Resaca, and in the Atlanta campaign.
Returning to the town of Northeast, he re
sumed work upon the home farm, where he
remained for three years, and then removed
to the village of Amenia to engage in the horse
and cattle trade. In March, 1878, he assumed
control of the feed and grain business hereto
fore run by B. WHIson & Co., taking as his

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

435

partner Lewis F. Eaton, and the firm has since
been WHIson & Eaton. They were the first
to sell hominy chop in the locality, and they
are now at the head of an extensive and con
stantly increasing business, their wholesale
trade extending throughout several counties in
New York, while they carry on a retail trade
at Amenia, Wassaic and Shekomeko.
In the town of Amenia, in May, 1876, Mr.
WHIson was married to Mrs. Emma (Darke)
Reed, daughter of Charles Darke, and they
now have four children: Charles T., Bessie,
Georgia and Lee. Mr. Willson is public-spir
ited and progressive, and faithfully discharges
every duty of citizenship with the same fidelity
that he displayed on Southern battlefields,
when he followed the stars and stripes to vic
tory, and thus aided in the perpetuation of our
glorious republic. In poHtical sentiment he is
a Republican.

JOHN J. HUMESTON, who is practically
Hving retired in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, is one of the most promi
nent citizens of the community. He was born
in that town on July 5, 1835, and is a son of
James E. Humeston, whose birth occurred in
the town of Dover, Dutchess county, Decem
ber i, 1795, while his grandfather, Eli Humes-
ton, and his great-grandfather, Joyton Humes-
ton, were both natives of East Haven, Conn.
After his marriage, the grandfather, who was
a wagon-maker, removed to the town of Dover,
where he reared his family of five children, of
which the father of our subject was the eldest.
He was followed by Hannah, who married
Joseph Palmer, a farmer of Dover; Edwin and
Joseph, both wagon-makers of Dover; and
Hariett, wife of George Bassett, a railroad
man of Chicago, 111. The family belonged to
the Society of Friends.
James E. Humeston grew to manhood in
the town of Dover, where he learned the
wagon-maker's trade, and there married Eliz- .
abeth Perry, by whom he had two chHdren :
Thomas P. (deceased July 22, 1885); and
Catherine E. (deceased October 19, 1895),
who became the wife of George T. Underbill,
a farmer of the town of Washington. Mrs.
Humeston died June 12, 183 1, and for his sec
ond wife Mr. Humeston wedded Lydia V. Un
derhHI, the ceremony taking place February 5,
1832. She was born in the tovvn of Washing
ton, September 24, 1804, and was a daughter

of Nathaniel Underbill, a native of the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county, and of English
descent. After his marriage Mr. Humeston
located upon a small farm near Hibernia MHls,
where our subject, the only chHd by the second
union, was born. In poHtics, the father was
a Whig and for several years served as justice
of the peace. His death occurred in the town
of Washington, July 31, 1872, and his wife
departed this life October 4, 1881.
The earliest years of John J. Humeston
were spent near Hibernia in the uneventful
manner of most farmer boys, and in early life
he learned the carpenter's trade. On February
20, 1 86 1, Mr. Humeston was married to Miss
Lydia A. Deuel, a native of the town of Dover
and a daughter of Jacob and Charity (Gould)
Deuel, the former of whom was born January
21, 1797, on the same farm where his daugh
ter's birth occurred, and the latter May 24,
1804, in Ballston, Saratoga Co., N. Y. Mr.
and Mrs. Deuel were farming people, and the
parents of eight children, namely: Anna M. ,
who died November 10, 1S76; Lydia A., hon
ored wife of our subject; Phoebe G. , who
wedded Jonathan Benham, a farmer living
near Lithgow, Dutchess county; Mary G.
(twin sister of Phoebe), who died May 11,
1856; Elias H., a farmer and landlord at South
Dover, Dutchess Co.; Myra J., who died March
10, 1854; Emily H., wife of E. W. Benson, a
farmer of South Dover; and Obed J. , also a
farmer of that locality, who married Charlotte
Horton, has always remained on the home
stead. The father, who supported the Democ
racy, was elected road commissioner and town
assessor, and in religious belief both he and his
wife were Quakers. He was called to his final
rest October 27, 1879, and his wife died June
2, 1895. He was a son of Joshua Deuel (a
farmer of the town of Dover), whose father
and grandfather both bore the name of Benja
min. The maternal grandfather of Mrs.
Humeston was Joel Gould (a son of Adam
Gould), who was born in the town of Washing
ton, where on reaching manhood he engaged
in farming. After his marriage, Mr. Humeston took his
bride to Amenia, Dutchess county, where he
followed his trade for two years, and then
went to Dover, where he engaged in the same
occupation for some thirteen years, after which
he came to the town of Washington. For the
past three years he has resided upon his pres
ent farm, where to a limited extent he engaged

486

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in agricultural pursuits, but is practically liv
ing retired. He has a beautiful home, and is
surrounded by all the comforts and many of
the luxuries of life. In the family are two
children — Mary C. and Phebe A. — and they
hold a high position in the social circles ofthe
community, where true worth and ability are
received as the passports into good society.
In politics, Mr. Humeston is entirely inde
pendent of party lines, preferring to vote for
the man who, he thinks, will best fill the
position.

M RTHUR V. ROCKWELL, "sHkthrow-
.^^ ster" of one of the leading manufactories
of Matteawan, was born February 14, 1866,
at Millbrook, Dutchess county, the only son of
the late Ralph Rockwell and his first wife,
Elizabeth Broadhurst.
It seems quite in the natural order of things
that Mr. Rockwell should be engaged in the
silk business, his father having been prominent
in that Hne of work, while his ancestors on the
mother's side were even more closely identi
fied with that industry, being among its earli
est promoters in this country. John Broad
hurst, Mrs. Rockwell's father, wove the first
piece of broad silk goods ever made in Amer
ica, and her brothers were masters of every
detail of the art of silk manufacturing as it
was carried on in their day, having perfected
their knowledge in the great silk mills of Mac
clesfield, England. But, if these pioneers
should to-day visit the extensive warp spinning
works at Matteawan, they would find much to
interest them while examining its highly im
proved machinery so delicately adjusted that
the breaking of a single fibre of silk stops the
" take up. " Formerly both warp and filling
were spun at this establishment, but now its
16,000 spindles are devoted exclusively to the
making of warp, and turn out about 33,600,-
000 yards per day.
Arthur V. Rockwell, the presiding genius
of this busy place, a courteous yet business
like young man, was educated at Poughkeep
sie, graduating from the high school in 1884,
and from the Eastman Business College a year
later. He then engaged in the sHk-throwing
business with his father, who was a partner in
the firm of J. Silbermann & Co., at Pough
keepsie, and in 1890, when the father moved
to Matteawan and established the present
plant, in partnership with John Cummings,

our subject took charge of his interests in
Poughkeepsie. In 1892 he also moved to
Matteawan, took Mr. Cummings' interest in
the firm, and has since remained there, carry
ing on the business for the estate since his fa
ther's death, December 2.7, 1894. He mar
ried Miss Susie Van Dyne, daughter of WHl
iam H. and Anna C. (Brevoort) Van Dyne, of
Poughkeepsie. They are members of the First
M. E. Church of Matteawan, and are promi
nent in social life. Mr. Rockwell is a Repub
lican in politics, and he belongs to the Mattea
wan Club, the Hudson River Lodge No. 57,
K. of P. , and is president of the Beacon En
gine Co., of Matteawan.
The late Ralph Rockwell was born Septem
ber 27, 1837, in the town of South Windsor,
Conn., and at an early age engaged in the
woolen business at South Manchester, Conn.,
remaining three years. He then began his
long experience as a silk manufacturer, enter
ing the factory of Cheney Bros., well-known
pioneers in this business, where he spent seven
years learning the trade in all its branches.
On leaving them he went to Yonkers as super
intendent of G. B. Skinner's mills, and after
six years there he moved to Paterson, N. J.,
the "Lyons of America," and, with William
S. Archer as a partner, purchased the factory
known as the Benson Mills, now one of the
old landmarks of this business. He sold his
interest in this plant in the following year, and
for some time occupied the famous old " Red
MiH" at Poughkeepsie; but the failure of the
water power there led to his removal to Hart's-
Village, in i860, where he took the factory
owned by Abraham Swift at the Upper Pond..
The death of his first wife occurred Feb. 19,
1 866, and shortly afterward Mr. Rockwell re
turned to Yonkers and embarked in business
there, remaining about six years. While there
he married Miss Clara J. Du Bois, who sur
vives him. On leaving Yonkers he resumed
business at Paterson, and after four years re
turned to New York City, and established for
J. Silbermann a factory for "silk throwing"
on Tenth avenue, which was transferred to-
Poughkeepsie four years later. The partner
ship with Mr. Cummings, referred to above^
was succeeded by the firm of Rockwell & Son,
which continued until the death of the senior
member; but for some years previous the active
management of the works devolved upon our
subject, his father retiring to an estate at MiH
brook, where he died of heart disease Thurs-

-^^^^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

437

day afternoon, December 27, 1894, at the age
of fifty-seven years.
Though not lacking in public spirit, Mr.
Rockwell never sought public office, and was
best pleased when he could remain quietly at
home. His business associates speak highly
of his fairness and liberality, and say that he
took more pleasure in paying them than in
collecting debts. His circle of acquaintances
in this vicinity was not large, but those who
knew him best speak most highly of his excel
lent qualities of head and heart. As a friend,
neighbor and citizen, his death was deeply
mourned. He was a Master Mason, a charter
member of Manchester Lodge, at South Man
chester, Conn., and was one of the oldest
members of the fraternity in the State of Con
necticut. His remains now rest in the ceme
tery at Wapping, Conn. , his birthplace.
Russell Rockwell, our subject's grandfather,
was a prominent resident of Windsor, Conn.,
the owner of a sawmHl, and a pioneer in the
cultivation of tobacco in that section. At one
time he had the option of purchasing, for $300,
the entire site of the present village of Rock
vHle, Conn, , including the remarkable water
power at that point, a property now worth
mHHons of dollars.

WILLIAM K. ROY, the popular post-
 master of Wappingers FaHs, Dutchess
county, and one of the most prominent citi
zens of that vHlage, was born there December
31. 1853-
James Roy, the father of our subject, was
born in Belfast, Ireland, in 18 16, learned the
business of calico printing, and became fore
man of his father's works, when only a boy.
When eighteen years old he came to America,
and for a short time lived at Stockport, N. Y.,
being foreman engraver in the print works at
that place. In 1837, he removed to Wap
pingers Falls, and took a position in the print
works there, retaining same for nearly ten
years. In 1848 he opened a drugstore, which
he carried on until his death, which occu'rred
in 1868. James Roy was married May 25,
1S43, to Susanna DarHng, who was born at
Cumberland HiH, Mendon, Mass., in 181 8.
She was the daughter of Seth DarHng, a native
of Cumberland, Mass., and Susanna Clark,
who was also born in Massachusetts, on both
sides the families were of English descent.

The Clarks came to America at a very early
period and settled in Rhode Island, where our
subject's mother spent a part of her childhood
on the old homestead. When she was eight
years old her parents removed to Fall River,
Mass., where she grew to womanhood.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs, Roy
came to Dutchess county, and settled at Wap
pingers Falls, where they reared a family of
eight chHdren, of these, James S. married Car
rie A. Orr, and has two chHdren; Emma Dar
ling married Edward Griffith, of Newport, R. I. ;
WiHiam K. , the subject of thissketch ; Albert M. ,
who is in the drug business with his brother in
Wappingers Falls (he graduated with honors in
the class of 1 88 5 from the College of Pharmacy,
New York City, taking two prizes); Elizabeth
Clark married George H. KeHey, of Newport,
R. I., a descendant of one of the old and lead
ing famHies of that State. Three other chH
dren died in infancy. Since the death of her
husband Mrs. Roy has conducted the drug
business in which he was engaged; and has
made a great success of it. She is thoroughly
conversant wHh all Hs details, and so high does
she stand in the estimation of medical men,
that when the State Board of Pharmacy was
organized, she was sent a certificate authoriz
ing her to practice pharmacy wHhout taking
an examination. She is one of the best known
business woman in Dutchess county, and pos
sesses unusual ability in that direction, besides
being a lady of refinement and culture.
Mr. Roy took an active part in all matters
of public interest, especially in the cause of edu
cation. He was instrumental in building up
the present excellent school system in the
county, and was one of the principal promoters
in the establishment of the high school ; he was
one of the small number who secured the ground
and laid out the beautiful cemetery at Wap
pingers Falls, and was the secretary and treas
urer of the association up to the time of his
death. In politics he was a Democrat, and in
all the relations of Hfe proved himself a most
loyal and honorable man, whose influence wiH
be felt many years to come.
WilHam K. Roy was graduated from the
Union Free School No. i, Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess county, in 1870, and in 1S72 entered
Cornell University, taking two courses, those
of civil engineering and chemistry, and was
graduated with high honors in the class of '76.
During the Centennial at PhHadelphia, in 1876,
he was in charge of some of the chemical ex-

438

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

hibits. Of late years he has been connected
with his brothers in the drug business. Mr.
Roy is a Democrat in his political belief, and
has held a number of responsible offices. He
was town clerk for two terms in the town of
Poughkeepsie; was supervisor for one term in
1S87; was clerk of the viHage board two years;
and was made postmaster at Wappingers Falls
in May, 1887. This position he held untH
July, 1892, when he resigned to become Index
Clerk of the State Assembly at Albany, serv
ing in that capacity for two years. On Janu
ary 30, 1896, he was again appointed post
master, and is now filling that office to the
satisfaction of the public and with honor to
himself; he has made many improvements in
the arrangements and handling of the mails.
Mr. Roy has always taken much interest
in everything pertaining to the grov,'th and
welfare of his community. He was one of
those instrumental in building the bridge across
the river at Wappingers Falls; was influential
in getting the electric road built, and is a di
rector in the company. He is also secretary
of the board of park commissioners, and was
a prominent factor in having the park legally
located in the village. For the past twenty
years he has been a member of the Democratic
County Committee, and for ten years was one
of the executive board, at present its secretary.
He is one of the directors and a member of
the executive committee of the Wappingers
Falls Savings Bank, and is trustee and secre
tary of the board of the Grinnell Library in
that village. No man is more closely identi
fied with the best interests of the place, and
none is held in higher esteem than Mr. Roy.
James S. Roy, the eldest brother of our
subject, has efficiently managed the drug busi
ness since the death of his father, in 1S67, and
has been prominent in the public affairs of
Wappingers Falls. He was secretary of the
board of health, and chairman of the board of
highway commissioners. Mr. Roy, after serv
ing several terms as vHlage trustee, was elected
president of the village, and is now serving his
seventh consecutive term as village president.
The good roads of the town are a monument
to his zeal in this direction; the purchase and
embellishment of the beautiful village park was
mainly effected through his efforts; he has also
been treasurer of the village; is a trustee and
first vice-president of the Wappingers Falls
Savings Bank, and a member of its funding
committee, and has held other minor offices.

These sons of a worthy father have followed
in his footsteps, and none are more deserving
of a place in this record of the county.

WILLARD W. HICKS. On the nth
 of November, 1621, the ship "For
tune" arrived at Plymouth, Mass., from Lon
don. She followed the " Mayflower, " bring
ing over the parts of families left behind by
those who came in that famous vessel the year
before. In the "Fortune" with this second
body of Puritans came Robert Hicks, the an
cestor of the family in America. He was a
leather-dresser from Bermondsey street, South-
wark, London. His father, James Hicks, was
lineally descended from Elias Hicks, who was
knighted by Edward the Black Prince on the
battlefield of Poictiers, September 9, 1356, for
bravery in capturing a set of colors from the
French. Margaret, the wife of Robert Hicks, and
her children, came over in the ship "Ann,"
which arrived at Plymouth during the latter
part of June, 1622. This family settled in
Duxbury, Mass, ; but two of the sons, John
and Stephen, subsequently (about 1642) came
to Long Island. In October, 1645, Gov. Kieft
granted a patent to Thomas Farrington, John
Hicks and others for the township of Flushing,
Long Island. John Hicks seems to have taken
a leading part in the affairs of the settlement,
and was appointed at various times to fill the
most important offices. His name, also that
of his son Thomas, appears in connection with
almost every public measure for many years.
Robert Hicks married (first) Elizabeth Mor
gan, and had the following children: Eliza
beth, Thomas, John, Stephen. For his second
wife he married Margaret Winslow, and had
children, viz: Samuel, Ephraim, Lydia, Phoebe.
His son, John Hicks, and the third child of his
first marriage, married Rachel Starr, and had
three children: Thomas, Hannah and Eliza
beth. Their son, Thomas Hicks, married
Ma}' Washburn, and had two children: Thomas
and Jacob. He married, for his second wife,
Mary Doughty, and had the following chil
dren: Isaac, William, Stephen, John, Charles,
Benjamin, 1 Phebe, Charity, Mary and Eliza
beth. Jacob Hicks, the second child of the first
union, married Hannah Morgan, and had the
following chHdren: Samuel, Stephen, Thomas,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

439

Joseph, Jacob, Benjamin,^ Elizabeth, John,
Sarah and Hannah. Their son, Joseph Hicks,
married (first) Elizabeth Desler, and had the
foHowing children: Mordecai, Thomas, Ber
nard, Elizabeth. For his second wife he mar
ried Catharine Filkins, and has the following
chHdren: Isaac, Benjamin,' Catharine, John,
Joseph, Abraham, Sarah, Samuel and Stephen.
— Benjamin Hicks ^ married Deborah Doty,
and had the following children: Elias, Joseph,
Benjamin,* David, Amy, Elizabeth, Sarah,
Deborah, and Annie. — Benjamin Hicks* mar
ried Hannah Couse, and had the following
children: Samuel, Ury, George, Annie, Ed
ward, Asa, Zadieann, Perry, Elizabeth, Cath
arine, and Benjamin. 5 — Samuel Hicks married
Eliza Ann Link, and had the following chil
dren: Emily, Willard W. (our subject), Esther,
Jasper, Irving, and Samuel E. — Willard W,
Hicks married Fannie H. Smith, daughter of
Egbert Smith, a well-known citizen of Pine
Plains, arid has had two children: Iduma E.
and Emma Z.
Our subject is one of the leading residents
of the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county,
and was born May iS, 1S44, in the town of
Milan, near FayettevHle. Until the age of
eighteen he attended the district schools of that
neighborhood, and then spent one term at the
little Nine Partners School at Millbrook. At
nineteen he taught a term of four months in
the Bartlett district, town of MHan, also a
winter term in his home district, and the fol
lowing year he spent nearly two terms as a stu
dent at Charlotteville, Schoharie county, to
further prepare himself for the work of teach
ing. In this calling he was very successful,
having natural talent and inclination for it,
and he became known as one of the leading
educators of the locality. He taught three
successive terms at home, several years in the
Germain district, two terms in the Carroll dis
trict, in the town of Stanford, and one in Mt.
Ross district, but he has also given his atten
tion to other pursuits. In the summers of 1 865
and 1866 he was engaged in carpentering, and
he has followed this trade intermittingly since
that time. Since 1873, the year of his mar
riage, he has owned and cultivated a farm of
153 acres in the western part of the town of
Pine Plains, to which he added ninety-six acres
more in 1S83. He is quite extensively engaged
as a dealer in sheep and cattle, Michigan sheep
being his preference on account of their thrift,
hardiness, quiet and orderly inclinations. From

that State he has brought many car-loads to
his locality, where at all times he finds a ready
market. He is also engaged somewhat as an
auctioneer, and has the credit of succeeding in
securing first-class prices for goods which he
sells. He says his motto is ' ' Better wear out
than rust out," and that he has no affinity with
idleness or inactivity — "God helps him who
helps himself."
Mr. Hicks is a director in the Farmers Mu
tual Insurance Company, of Milan, Pine Plains
and Stanford townships. As a well-read man,
versed in legal forms, he is often engaged by
his neighbors to draw up contracts, leases,
deeds, mortgages, wills, and other papers, and,
as may well be supposed, he is a very busy
man. Enterprising in private business he is no
less so in public affairs; and, having in mind
the difficulties with which he contended in gain
ing his education, he has been especially active
in the interests of the local schools, serving as
trustee for a number of years. On national
questions he has always been a stanch supporter
of the Democratic party, but in local matters
he votes independently, choosing the best man.
He has been town assessor for five years. He
and his wife are leading members of the Chris-
tia,n Church of West Pine Plains, in which Mr.
Hicks holds the office of deacon.

MRS. MARY J. (VELIE) TRAVER. The
  name of Velie is a reminder of the early
days to any one familiar with the history of
the development of Dutchess county, the an
cestors of this respected Holland-Dutch family
having been pioneer settlers in the town of La
grange. Minard B. Velie, the grandfather of
the lady whose name appears at the opening
of this sketch, was born and educated in that
town, and at an early age engaged in agricult
ural pursuits, which he continued throughout
his life. He married Miss Mary Baldwin, and
had seven children: Isaac, who married Pam-
ahe Wheeler; Baltus, who remained single;
Mary A., who never married; Richard, our
subject's father; Susan (Mrs. Elias Tompkins);
Carrie, the wife of Peter PeHs; and Phoebe
(Mrs. John Losee).
Richard Velie was born in the town of La
grange, and after receiving an education in the
common schools of that town, he engaged in
farming, as had his father before him. His
wife, Rebecca Traver, was a daughter of
David and Catherine (Pells) Traver, who were

440

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

prominent among the agricultural residents of
the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county. Of
their two children, our subject was the elder.
The younger, Phcebe R. , was born and edu
cated in the town of Unionvale, and has never
married. Mrs. Mary J. Traver was also a native of
the town of Unionvale, and her education was
obtained in the common schools of that local
ity. She married (first) Albert Ingraham, a
iarmer of the same locality. They had no
children. By a second marriage, to Herbert
L. Traver, also a farmer and well-known citi-
,zen of Unionvale, she has one son, Arthur E.
Another branch of the Velie family in this
section traces its descent from William Velie,
who lived and died in the town of Lagrange,
Dutchess county, where his son, Baltus, was
born February 19, 1785. The latter also
passed his life in that town and died there May
25, 1 87 1. His early years were spent upon
his father's farm with the common-school ad
vantages of that time, and later he learned the
details of tanning and shoemaking at Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, but his main business
throughout his active career was agriculture.
He owned an excellent farm, upon which he
built a comfortable residence and other build
ings. He was a self-made man and a good
citizen, taking a hearty interest in public ques
tions; the Whig party received his support
until the Republican organization was formed,
when he became one of its steadfast adherents.
He was married at Pleasant Valley to Miss
Nancy Losee, a lady of French descent, who
was a devoted member of the Presbyterian
Church. Ten of the fourteen children of this
union have joined the silent majority, and
their names with dates of birth and death are
as follows: Simon, July 12, 1808 — Novem
ber 4, 1876; Hepsibeth, AprH 5, 1807 — March
14, 1867; Egbert, December 12, 1809, died
in childhood; Zacheus, March 12, 181 1 — June
29, 1S85; EHza Ann, March 21, 1813 — July
15, 1849, (married John Pells); Catherine,
June 4, 181 5 — November 16, 1S51, (married
Jacob Baker); Jacob O., February 26, 1817
— 1829; Mary Rebecca, August 26, 1819 —
August 2, 1869; Alonzo B., July 8, 1S22 —
February 26, 1896; Isaac, January 5, 1825 —
October 16, 1829. Four of the family are
stHl living: WHliam Morris, December 31,
1S26, resides on Main street, Poughkeepsie;
William J., May 17, 1829; Susan Jeannette,
March 29, 183 1, is mentioned below, and

George Edward, September 28, 1833, lives at
Poughkeepsie. Susan J. Velie was married January 28,
1S57, to John Henry Brinkerhoff, who was
born in the town of Fishkill, Dutchess county,
in September, 1835, son of John H. Brinker
hoff, a prominent agriculturist residing in Dow
Point. Mr. Brinkerhoff's boyhood was spent
in his native town, and on learning the car
penter's trade he settled in business there, re
maining until iS69,*vhen he moved with his
family to Lagrange, where they lived for sev
eral years. The only son, Clarence V., was
educated at Leslie's private school at Pough
keepsie, and became a pharmacist in that city,
first with Strickler & Swartz, and later with A.
M. Doty. On January 28, 1891, he wedded
Miss Stella Van Wyck, daughter of Abram C.
Van Wyck, and granddaughter of James Van-
Wyck, of Unionvale. Two children were
born of this union: George, March 11, 1892;
and Frank Raymond, January 14, 1894.

JOHN REDMAN, an enterprising and pros
perous business man of Fishkill-on-Hud-
~ son, is one of the leading plumbers of the
county, and a member of the New York State
Master Plumbers' Association, also of the
National Plumbers' Association. His exten
sive establishment at Fishkill contains a show
room fitted up with all the latest appliances for
gas, steam, and hot water plumbing, and for
arrangement and workmanship it will compare
favorably with any in the United States.
Robert Redman, our subject's father, was
a native of Bradford, Yorkshire, England, and
followed the occupation of a plumber. He
married Rhoda Jennings, who was a descend
ant on the maternal side of an old and well-
known family, the Ogdens. To their union
were born two children: Susanna, who mar
ried John Horrocks, and resided in Fishkill,
where she died in November, 1895; and John,
our subject. The father died in 1842.
John Redman, our subject, was born in
Bradford, Yorkshire, England, in 1839, and
was baptized in Haworth Church by Charlotte
Bronte's father. He was left fatherless at the
age of three years, and received but little
schooling, his attendance being limited to
half-days from his ninth to his twelfth year,
the other half of his time being spent in work
ing in a factory. From twelve to fifteen he
was employed full time in a woolen-factory.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

441

and then he began to learn the plumbing busi
ness, receiving seventy-five cents per week
during his apprenticeship. He worked at his
trade in different shops until 1870, when he
came to America, and, in 1S71, he opened a
shop in Fishkill, which he carried on with
gratifying success. In 1895 he buHt his pres
ent show room, with a workshop adjoining
show room, that are considered models in con
struction, fitting and arrangement.
In 1864 Mr. Redman married Miss Susan
Taylor, daughter of John. and Jemima Taylor.
Their only daughter, Rhoda, married Dr.
James Richard English, of Matteawan. The
family are all members of the Episcopal
Church, and take a leading part in the social
life of the locality. Mr. Redman votes the
Republican ticket, but is not an active political
worker. He is interested in fraternal society
work, and is a member of the K. of P. Our
subject is the only Redman of his branch of
the family living. In iSSo he made an ex
tended tour throughout England, visiting
among other places the scenes of his child
hood. In 1 88 1 his wife and daughter (the
latter being but eight years of age) made a
simHar tour.
Dr. James Richard English, our sub
ject's son-in-law, one of the leading physicians
and surgeons of FishkHl, was born August 27,
1865, at ConstablevHle, Lewis Co., N. Y. , the
son of Dr. R. S. English and his wife Marga
ret (Gormully). He was the youngest of four
children, the others being John Bernard, Gus
tavus Pierce, and Alice E. His academic
education was obtained in the public schools
of his native town, and after graduating from
the high school he began the study of medi
cine at the Long Island College and Hospital,
in Brooklyn, N. Y., from which hewasgradu-
ated in 1892. He began the practice of his
profession at Fishkill-on-Hudson, and has al
ready established a large and lucrative busi
ness. In politics he is neutral. Socially he
and his wife are prominent, and he is a mem
ber of the I. O. O. F. , the R. A. , and I. O. F. ,
of the home lodge of which latter organization
he is a ph sician.

politician of ability, and a leader in his party.
He was honored with a number of town offices,
and was a prominent worker in Masonic cir
cles, taking a great interest in that order.
Our subject was born at Dover Plains, and
in early life entered upon a mercantile career,
engaging in that business for some years.
Later he conducted the mill of his father inthe
town of Dover, but at the latter's death the
plant was sold to a Mr. Reiner. He has been
called upon to serve in several local offices, in
cluding that of assessor of his township.
Socially, he is a member of the Masonic fra
ternity, and is affable and pleasant in manner,
winning friends wherever he goes. The house
in which the family lived for years was burned
to the ground in March, 1897.
Mr. Hufcut was united in marriage with
Miss Jennie Flinn, who was born and educated
in New York City, and they have become the
parents of two children: WHliam M., and
Sara B. Her father, John Flinn, was a
native of Dublin, Ireland, and belonged to the
nobility of that country, his father being a
titled gentleman and one of the large land
owners there. The son was highly educated
in his native city, and had in his own right a
large income after he had reached man's estate.
Owing to his love of adventure, he with his
valet and fortune, embarked for the United
States without the knowledge of his family.
He located in New York City, where he
established himself in the crockery and glass
ware business on an extensive scale. This
venture proved very successful, and after con
ducting the business for a number of years, he
laid aside business cares, and lived a retired
life. Mr. Flinn married Miss Sarah Powell,
daughter of WiHiam Powell, a prominent and
wealthy lawyer of England, and to them were
born six chHdren: Morris R., Charles B. and
John I., all of whom died in infancy; Mary T. ,
who became the wife of George Terry, of Bos
ton, Mass.; Sarah, who died in infancy; and
Jennie A., the estimable wife of our subject.

irv\EORGE HUFCUT has been a leading
%^ and prominent citizen of Dover Plains,
Dutchess county. His father, who was a
lawyer and surrogate, practiced his profession
in Dover Plains for many years; was also a

PETER V. W. MONTFORT, a leading
__ agriculturist of the town of Wappinger,
Dutchess county, is the owner of one of the
choicest farms in that vicinHy, a tract of 450
acres, which has been in the possession of his
family for more than a century. He is a de
scendant of two of the oldest and most dis
tinguished famHies in the county. On the

442

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

paternal side, his great-great-grandfather, Peter
Montfort, was a native of Holland, coming to
America in Colonial times with three sons, one
of whom located on Long Island, and the
other in New Jersey. Our subject's great
grandfather, Peter Montfort, who about 1735
settled in FishkHl, Dutchess county, upon land
of which the present homestead is a part (it
being then known as the Verplank Patent),
was born in 171 1 and died in 1791. The farm
consisted of 370 acres, and he built and oc
cupied the stone house still standing. He had
five children: Mary, who married Albert Mont
fort, from Long Island; Peter, who will pres
ently be spoken of; Magdalene, who married
Cornelius Van Wyck; Jacobus, married to
Ruth Van Voorhis; and Jeanette, wife of
Major Fort.
Peter Montfort, grandfather of our subject,
was born December 14, 1760, on the home
stead just referred to, and passed his entire busi
ness life as a farmer. At the age of sixteen he
served in the Revolutionary war, and our subject
has the musket which he carried at that time,
and a fowling piece which in those days cost
a hundred bushels of wheat, rated at $3 per
bushel. For a short time after the close of
that struggle grandfather Montfort lived near
Harlem, where he married Susan Waldron.
Returning home after his father's death to his
half of the farm, he there built a residence on
the site of the one now occupied by our sub
ject, and which was burned in i860, and he
also added ninety acres to the farm. He died
in 1824. His brother Jacobus lived in the
original stone house until 1S25; he had five
sons: Cornelius, EHas, Peter J., James and
Abraham, Peter P. Montfort, our subject's father,
was the only son of his parents, and was born
at the old homestead November 10, 1795.
After the death of Jacobus Montfort, his uncle,
he bought the stone-house part of the farm.
Agriculture was his principal occupation
throughout his life; but he was also engaged
for some time in boating and in mercantile
business. He was a man of great force of
character, active in local affairs as a member
of the Whig party, and at his death, February
26, 1854, he was a member of the State Leg
islature. His wife, Maria Du Bois, to whom
he was married November 26, 18 17, was a
native of Fishkill, born April 22, 1798. She
was a daughter of Garret Du Bois, and a
granddaughter of Christian Du Bois, both in

their time leading residents of FishkiH, the
family being descended from the old Huguenot
stock which has been represented by so many
able and prosperous citizens in Dutchess and
Ulster counties. She died October 13, 1836,
and of the family of four children our subject
is the onlysurvivor. Susan, born July i, 1819,
married George Brinkerhoff, and both died at
an early age; Garret, the twin brother of our
subject, died at the age of thirteen; and Han
nah, born May 13, 1S25, died in September,
1855. The subject of our sketch, the second child
of this union, was born January 19, 1S21,
and has always lived at the old farm. On
December 27, 1S43, he was united in marriage
to Julia A. Stockholm, daughter of John C.
Stockholm, a native of Dutchess county, and
a prominent farmer of the town of Fishkill,
and his wife, Eliza Underbill, who was from
Eastchester, Westchester county. Mrs. Mont
fort died November. 5, 1871, leaving seven
children, all of whom are still living: John P.
is a traveling man, and resides in New Paltz,
Ulster county; Charles D. B. is a farmer inthe
town of Wappinger; Maria L. is at home;
Eliza is the wife of Jeremiah FoWler, of
Providence, R. I.; Meta married George
White, of the town of Wappinger; Julia A.
married Milo J. White, a lawyer, of Mt. Ver
non, and Eugene is a farmer in the town of
Wappinger. Mr. Montfort's time has been mainly em
ployed in the supervision of his farm, upon
which he raises a variety of crops. He has
always been prominent in local affairs, and
although he has never sought political office is
an influential member of the Republican party.
The Montforts have always been zealous sup
porters of the Reformed Dutch Church, and
their influence has been a helpful factor in
every line of progress.

RS. MARY LEE is the widow of Ward
^ Lee, who, prior to his death at Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, a few years ago, was
one of the well-esteemed and earnest-hearted
men of that village whose influence always
count for social well-being and advancement
in the community in which they live. He was
unassuming in manner, but was called by his
fellow-citizens to serve in various local offices,
among which were those of commissioner of

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

448

highways for three terms and collector for
two terms.
Mr. Lee was a native of Connecticut, where
he was born in 1820. His parents were Will
iam and Mahetable ( Ward ) Lee, who were
descendants of New England people. Ward
Lee was a boy, in his early " 'teens," when he
left his native State and settled in the town of
Dover, Dutchess county. He was the eldest
of six children, as follows : Ward, Egbert,
Jane, Louise, Emily and Emiline ( twins ). He
was married at South Dover, November 7,
1S48, to Miss Mary Cutter, who was born
at Dover Furnace, and is the daughter of
Calvin and Kesiah ( Varney ) Cutter, of Amer
ican ancestry for generations. Four children
were born to Ward and Mary (Cutter) Lee,
namely: Adelia Ann, born July 14, 1849;
Emily S., who was born July i, 1850, married
Alvin Maray, and has since died, her husband
surviving ; WHHam, born November 17, 185 i
(now deceased); and Angeline K., born Janu
ary 26, 1853. By trade Mr. Lee was a car
penter, and he followed this calling through
life. His political affiliations were with the
Democratic party. He died August 12, 18S8,
aged sixty-eight years, and was buried at South
Dover. Mrs. Mary Lee, his widow, survives
him, and is now living at Dover Plains in a
pleasant home which is her own property,
and among friends whom she has known almost
from her chHdhood.

MRS. MARY FLAGLER FOOTE, now a
 resident of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess coun
ty, spends a portion of the season at her resi
dence at Green Haven, town of Beekman.
The property owned by her is a portion of the
large tract of land owned by her great-great
grandfather, Joshua Carman, who came from
Long Island and settled here, being a large
land owner and prominent in the early history
of Dutchess county.
Her great-grandfather, Capt. Cornelius
Van Wyck, married Sarah Carman, and lived
at Hopewell, Dutchess county. He served
with distinction in the Revolutionary war, and
was kHled in the battle of White Plains, Octo
ber 31, 1776. Her other great-grandfather,
Joseph Doughty, wasborn in England in 1744.
He came to this country when a boy with his
mother (then a widow), and settled on Long
Island. His mother, for her second husband,
married John Carman, and moved to Green

Haven, town of Beekman. Joseph Doughty,
married Psyche Wiltsie, of FishkHl, and paid
^100 for the right to settle on a tract of land
adjoining the Carman estate. He had the
honor of entertaining Gen. La Fayette when
on his travels through Beekman about the year
1824. Her grandfather, WiHiam Doughty,
married a widow, Sarah Van Wyck Vander
burgh, and was a highly respected citizen of
his time. The above are ancestors on her
mother's side.
On her father's side, her grandfather, Zach
ariah Flagler, was born in the town of Beekman.
His first v»ife was a Miss Wilkinson, by whom
hc' had one daughter, Mary. His second wife,
Catherine Collins, was a native of the town of
Unionvale, and to them were born ten chil
dren: Collins, John, Zachariah, David, Frank-:
lin, Enoch, Philip, Shadrach, and George and
Gilbert (twins). Religiously the family were
members of the Society of Friends.
Gilbert Flagler, the father of Mrs. Foote,
was also a native of the town of Beekman.
He married Psyche Doughty, daughter of Will
iam Doughty, and after his marriage located
on a farm near Green Haven. To them were
born five children: Mary, Martha R. , who is
the widow of John Peters, and resides in Fish
kill village, Dutchess county; Theodore V. W.
(now deceased) married Helen Jones; Henry
died unmarried; and Sarah died in infancy.
Mr. Flagler was a consistent member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, dying in that
faith in 1873. His widow passed away in
1894 at the ripe old age of eight-six years.
They had many warm friends, and were held
in high esteem in the locality which was so
long their home.
Mary Flagler was married September 10,
185 1, from her home in the town of Beekman,
to George Benton Foote, of New Haven, Conn.
Mr. Foote was a merchant in New York City
for a number of years, engaged in the import
ing of fine cloth. The latter part of his life
was passed in the town of Beekman, where he
died December II, 1871. Two sons were born ,
to them: Gilbert F. and George B., Jr.
Gilbert Flagler Foote married Clara Will
iams, of Poughkeepsie, December 5, 1893,
and to them two children were born: Andrew
Giraud, February 2, 1895; and Gilbert Flag
ler, Jr., September i, 1896.
George Benton Foote, Jr., married Ida
Williams, of Poughkeepsie, June 14, 1894, a
sister of Clara WHliams, and daughter of Orren

444

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

A. and Josephine Giraud Williams, both
families being prominently known in Pough
keepsie society.
All of Mary Flagler Foote's ancestral fam
iHes have been prominent in the history of
Beekman and Dutchess county. Mrs. Foote
merits and receives the esteem of all who know
her, and is beloved by all with whom she
comes in contact for her noble traits of
character.

MRS. MARY H. ROSS, Hke many of the
  prominent and highly respected citizens
of the town of Dover, Dutchess county, comes
of an honored family that was early established
in Connecticut. There her paternal grand
father, Josiah Hungerford, was born, on Sep
tember 15, 1774, in the town of New Milford,
Litchfield county. On the completion (jf his
literary studies he began harness and saddle
making, which he continued to follow through
life. He married Miss Hannah Miles, who
was born November 18, 1779, and to them
was born a son, Abner G,, the father of Mrs,
Ross. The wife and mother died September
12, 1805, and Mr. Hungerford was again mar
ried, his second union being with Miss Mary
Miles, a sister of his first wife; she was born
August 19, 1786. His death occurred Decem
ber 25, 1852, and that of his wife, Mary Miles
Hungerford, March 5, 1829. They had two
sons: (i) Averil, born February 14, 1808, in the
town of New Milford, Litchfield county, mar
ried and had one chHd that died in infancy;
his second wife bore the maiden name of Cor
nelia Demorest; his death occurred December
28, 187S, and that of his second wife, Decem
ber 27, 1S79. (2) Fred G., born October iS,
1812, married Miss Mary M. Freer, and they
had one daughter, Mary Frances, who married
George Neilson, a prominent lawyer of New
York City, and died one year later; Fred G.
died February 26, iSSi.
Abner G. Hungerford, the father of Mrs.
Ross, was also born in the town of New Mil
ford, Litchfield Co., Conn., February 21, 1805,
and in the district school near his home ac
quired his education. Learning the harness
maker's trade, he followed that occupation
during early life, but later turned his attention
to farming. As early as 1830 he removed
from Quaker HHl, Dutchess county, to a farm
which he had purchased in the town of Dover.
On May 7, 1828, he was joined in marriage

with Miss Maria Sabin, born June 10, 1803,
daughter of Jeptha and Anna Sabin. Her fa
ther was a harness maker of Brookfield, Conn.
Jeptha Sabin was born January 5, 1770, and
on March 17, 1794, married Anna Starr, who
was born April 23, 1773; his death occurred
June 26, 183S, and that of his wife January
24, i860. The death of Abner G. Hungerford
occurred October 4, 1S92, and that of his wife,
December 9, 18S8.
Mrs. Ross, the only child of her parents,
was born in the town of Dover, July 20, 1833.
During her girlhood she attended the public
schools of the locaHty, where she acquired a
good education. She was united in marriage
with Duncan Ross, whose birth occurred in the
same township, March 8, 1827. In his native
county he always followed farming and butch
ering, but at one time, for seven years, had
charge of stables at the Union Stock yards, at
Chicago. He departed this life September 23,
1883. In politics he was a Republican.

m LFRED E. HALL, one of the most
,^%^ valued and reliable citizens of the town
of Amenia, Dutchess county, purchased the
Jacob Rundall farm, between Amenia and Was
saic, in 1 889, a most beautiful place, where he
has since resided, and during the summer
months he keeps boarders, easily accommo
dating twenty. Mr. Hall was born in Berk
shire county, Mass., near Monterey, Novem
ber 21, 1854, and for several generations the
family have made their homes in that State.
Luke Hall, his great-grandfather, emigrated
from England to New London, Conn., but later
became a resident of Marlboro, Mass. The
grandfather, George Hall, was born at New
Marlboro, and for a companion and helpmeet
on life's journey chose Miss Cynthia Fargo.
Their third son, William A. Hall, is the
father of our subject, and is still living at
Monterey, Mass. His educational privileges
were such as the common schools afforded, and
as a young man he worked at the carpenter's
trade. However, he later turned his attention
to agricultural pursuits, and also speculated
in timber. He is a devoted member of the
Congregational Church, and in politics is a
stalwart Republican, always supporting the
candidates offered by that party. He was
united in marriage with Miss Fannie E. Clark,
of Sheffield, Ma^s. , and they became the par-

DUHCAH ROSS.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

445

ents of three sons — Alfred E., WHliam B. and
Frank — and one daughter — Georgia A.
Until eighteen years of age Alfred E. Hall
remained at home, attending the common
schools of Monterey, and then became a stu
dent in the Connecticut Literary Institute, at
Suffield, Conn., taking a three-years' course.
The following two years he passed at home,
and was then for the same length of time fore
man of a farm at Great Barrington, Mass.
Subsequently he worked on a farm on shares
at Kent, Conn., for two years, whence he
came to Dutchess county, and operated the
farm of George W. Ketcham, at Dovgr Plains,
for six years, since which time he has resided
on his present place. In connection with the
cultivation and improvement of his land, he
also handles agricultural implements for D. M.
Osborne & Co., in which he has built up a
good trade.
At Monterey, in iSSi, Mr. Hall was mar
ried to Miss Minnie V. Langdon, daughter of
Chauncey D. Langdon, and they now have
four children: Mary, Laura, Chauncey and
WilHam. On AprH 15, 1895, Mr. Hall re
ceived the appointment of county deputy of the
Patrons of Husbandry, and during the winter
of 1895-6 he organized five granges in the
county. Although his residence here is of
comparatively short duration, he takes an ac
tive interest in the public affairs of the locality,
and to all improvements of a substantial na
ture he gives a generous aid. Like his father,
he also supports the Republican party, and in
religious belief is a Presbyterian, holding mem
bership in the Church at Amenia, of which he
is an elder, and one of the trustees.

J\ N. BULLIS. No country has afforded
greater opportunities for the poor man than
- our own; it is, indeed, the poor man's
country. Here, an industrious, frugal man
has a chance to accumulate wealth. Many
fail to do so, but the best of our population lay
by some of their earnings, and soon find them
selves in the possession of a handsome prop
erty; among them is the gentleman whose
name introduces this article. He is a native
of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, and
now makes his home at Bangall.
His father, David Bullis, was the only child
of Thomas Bullis, and always resided in the
town of Stanford, where he engaged in farm
ing. There his death occurred in 1S45, at

the age of fifty years. Politically he was
identified with the Whig party. By his mar
riage with Deborah Reed he became the fa
ther of the following children: Thomas has
now passed away; Jane, deceased, was the
wife of Robert Hoffman; Peter, deceased,
married Permelia Carroll; Julia is the wife of
Edward Walters, of Mclntyre, Dutchess coun
ty; John N. is next in order of birth; and
George W., deceased, married Emma Den-
ozell. During his boyhood John N. Bullis attended
the district schools of the town of Stanford,
and as his parents both died when he was quite
small, he was early thrown upon his own re
sources, being compelled to seek his own live
lihood while still quite young. He worked by
the month for various farmers, his first em
ployer being Stephen G. Guernsey, Sr. , and
was thus engaged until seventeen years of age,
when he began clerking in the store of Moses
Denney, at Hull's Mills. At the end of eight
months, however, he went to Stissing, where
he conducted a store on shares for two years,
and for the following seven years clerked
for N. Halsted and G. G. Sharpenstein, at
Bangall. Going to Poughkeepsie, he was there
engaged in the spring-bed business with E. L.
Bushnell for two years, and for the same length
of time he was in the employ of Arnold Con
stable & Co. , of New York City. Purchasing
a store at Bangall, he conducted the same for
seven years with good success, but at the end
of that time sold out the stock and has since
rented the buHding. He also purchased his
present residence there.
On December 6, 1858, Mr. Bullis was mar
ried to Mary Husted, daughter of Henry D.
Husted, of Washington HoHow, Dutchess
county. Three children were born to them:
Henry D., who died at the age of nine and a
half years; May, who died at the age of four
months; and John N. Mr. Bullis has now
retired from the active labors of life, and is
spending his later days in the ease and com
fort to which he is justly entitled. Politically
he affiliates with the Republican party.

m LBERT L. RIDER, the efficient and
.^k popular postmaster at Rhinebeck, Dutch
ess county, and one of the most prominent
citizens of that locality, was born July 11,
1S42, at.WestkiH, Greene county.
The American branch of this family origi-

446

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

nated with three brothers who came from
HoHand and located in Connecticut, from
whence some of their descendants came to New
York State. Our subject's father, Lewis
Rider, was a native of Schoharie county, born
March i6, 1808. He married Celia La Ment,
a lady of French descent, but a native of
WestkHl, where Mr. Rider engaged in the tan
ning business. In 1844 he moved to Poland,
Herkimer county, and a few years later went
to Florence, Oneida county, continuing the
same business, which he followed in all forty-
five years. In 187 1 he and his wife came to
Rhinebeck, and for some years he was engaged
in contracting in partnership with a son-in-law,
John O'Brien, and contracted the R. & C. R.
R., and many miles of the D. & H. canal, but
he afterward retired from active business and
died November 15, 1896, at the ripe old age
of eighty-eight years. He held a prominent
place in every community in which he was
known, and represented the town of Florence
in the board of supervisors of Oneida county
for many years, and in 1851 he was elected
• from Florence (Third Assembly District), to
the Assembly on the Democratic ticket. Of six
children only. two are now living. George has
been for some years employed in developing
his father's mining interests in California, but
is now at home; Adelbert died at the age of
four years; Albert L. is the subject of our
sketch; Sarah married John O'Brien, men
tioned above, and died in 18S6; John, Lucy
and Elijah died in infancy.
Albert L. Rider received his early educa
tion in the academy at Mexico, Otsego county,
and the Walworth Commercial College, at
Rome, N. Y. , and then entered the tanning
business with his father, carrying it on until
1875; ill 1 867-1 868 was supervisor from Flor
ence, Oneida county, when he came to Rhine
beck. After a short time he went to Kingston
as agent of the American Express Co. ; but he
soon became interested in organizing a com
pany to buHd the " Grand Hotel " in the Cats-
kill Mountains, and was engaged for two years
in its construction. He then began to contract
for different important enterprises, among
which may be noted especially the Catskill
to Burden Iron Mine railroad, Utica & Bing
hampton and several others; the dredging of a
part of the D. & H. canal, the building of one
and one-half miles of aqueduct at Yonkers,
and the Sodam dam at Brewsters, which was
the largest of its kind in the country at the time.

In 1S95 he returned to Rhinebeck to reside,
and he has since identified himself with the
best interests of the town. He was married
February 9, 1864, to Cynthia Comstock, a
daughter of Abner Comstock, a leading farmer
of Williamstown, Oswego county. Her famHy
is of English origin, the first of the American
line settling in Connecticut, and among their
descendants are some of the most prominent
residents of New York City. Two chHdren
were born of this union: Sarah Mosella and
Celia Alberta, both at home.
Mr. Rider is an influential counsellor in the
Democratic party in his vicinity, and is active
in all local affairs lending his aid to any bene
ficial measure. In 1867-68 he was supervisor
from Florence, Oneida county. On May i,
1 894, he was instaHed as postmaster of his town,
and has since discharged the duties of the office
with signal success.

C\HARLES C. GARDNER, now one of the
^1 most progressive, energetic and successful
farmers of the town of Dover, Dutchess coun
ty, is a native of Connecticut, where the fam
ily was founded at an early day. Thomas
Gardner, his grandfather, was born in New
Fairfield, Fairfield Co., Conn., and after fin
ishing his literary course in the common schools
of that locality, he learned the tanner's trade,
which he followed throughout life. He mar
ried Miss Johanna Pepper, and to them were
born eight children: Seth, who married Polly
Bullard; Michael, who married Anna Davis;
Humphrey, who marriedRuth Morris; Thomas,
who married Jane Morris; Lois, who married
Allen Joyce; Zuba, who married Francis
Sturges; Ann, who married Benjamin Well-
man; and Hannah, who died in infancy. After
the death of his first wife, Thomas Gardner
wedded Hannah Chase, daughter of Gideon
Chase, and they had three chHdren: Gideon,
who died when young; FrankHn, who married
Christina Eggleston; and Mary, who married
MHan Steddel.
Michael Gardner (the father of our subject),
who passed away May 16, 1884, at the age of
seventy years, was born in the town of New
Fairfield, Fairfield Co., Conn., where he at
tended the common schools and was reared to
farm life. The first land which he owned was
in the town of Sherman, that county, where
he made his home for twenty-five years, and

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

447

then purchased a farm in South Dover, Dutch
ess county. During the old training days he
served as a drummer in the militia.
On October 15, 1837, he married Miss
Anna Davis, whose grandfather, Stephen
Davis, was a native of England, whence at an
early day he came to New Fairfield, Conn.,
where he engaged in farming. He married
Miss Hannah Leach, and to them were born
eight chHdren: WHHam, who married SaHie
Quimby; Daniel, the father of Mrs. Gardner;
Paul, who married Miss Morehouse; Lucy,
who married Holman Marsh; Rilla, who mar
ried Eli Brush; and three who died when
young. Daniel Davis was born May 6, 1797,
in New Fairfield, was there educated and en
gaged in farming. His death occurred Febru
ary 5, 1835. He had married Miss MermeHa
Hodge, who was born January 16, 1797, and
died October 23, 1887, when over ninety years
of age. To them were born four children,
Mrs. Gardner being the eldest. The others
are as follows: Miner, who was born in Con
necticut, engaged in farming, and married
Miss Mary Osborn, by whom he had three sons
— Stephen, who died at the age of fourteen
years; Charles and Marshall. Julia, also born
in Connecticut, married Daniel Whaley, and
had three chHdren — Daniel and Leander, who
died in infancy; and Gertrude, who married
Theodore Carter. Flora, born in Connecticut,
married George Abbot, and had six children —
Permelia, who died in infancy; Emeline, who
married Thomas Hoyt; Henry, who married'
Laura De Camp; Julia, who married John
Gallop; Hannah, who married Myron Knapp;
and Stephen, who married Cora Roberts.
To the parents of our subject were born
five chHdren: (i) Edward D., born in 1842,
was educated in the public schools, and
learned the trade of tinsmith, at which he
worked during the greater part of his life.
SociaHy, he was a member of the Ancient
Order of United Workmen. He married Miss
Electa Brewer, and, as they had no children of
their own, adopted two sons, Howard and
Taylor Gardner. He died very suddenly on
the 2 1st of November, 1S93. (2) George K.
was born in 1845, ^t Sherman, Conn., where
he acquired his education, and is now follow
ing farming in the West. He wedded Miss
Mary Wilbur, of Schenectady, N. Y. , and they
had two children — Eliza, who was born May
I, 1879, a^nd died at the age of five years; and
NelHe C, born November 14, 1885. (3)

Charles C, subject of this review, is next in
order of birth. (4) Martha, born at Sherman,
Conn., in 1840, married WHliam F. Wildman,
a farmer of Brookfield, Conn. , and had two
children — Carrie Bell, who was born June 8,
1868, and married Charles Jackson, but died
at the age of twenty years; and Ray Clifford,
born March 23, 1882. (5) Lydia, born in
1843, married Stephen A. Barnum, a carriage
trimmer of New Fairfield, Conn., and they had
eleven chHdren, whose names and dates of
birth are as follows — Effie Arminta, March 4,
1862; Charles E., November 21, 1863; Anna
E., November 14, 1865; Emma P., April i,
1868; Mary. J., February 5, 1870; Julia G.,
March 5, 1872; Lottie M., May 17, 1874;
Hattie E. , February 5, 1876; Stephen D.,
September 18, 1879; Grace L., May i, 1S82;
and Kittie M., September 21, 18S3.
Charles C, Gardner was born in the town
of Sherman, Fairfield Co., Conn., in 1847,
and during his boyhood and youth he pursued
his studies in the common schools of his native
place. As a life work he chose the occupation
of farming, which he has always followed very
successfully. He has served as collector of
the town and on the board of excise of the
town of Dover, and has held other minor
offices. His political support is always given
the Republican party, and, socially, he holds
membership with Dover Plains Lodge No.
666, F. & A. M. He has made many friends
since coming to the county, and has the high
est regard of all who know him. He was
united in marriage with Miss Kate Dennis, and
they have one son, Chester C. , born Septem
ber 3, 1883.
Robert Dennis, the grandfather of Mrs.
Gardner, was a native of the town of Union
Vale, Dutchess county, where on reaching
maturity he followed farming and married a
Miss Rozell. Mrs. Gardner's father, Lewis
Dennis, was born in the same township, in
1S37, was there educated and also engaged in
farming. He wedded Miss Mary StHlweH, of
Union Vale, and they became the parents of
five children: George married Ida Sweet, by
whom he has two children — Mary and Sarah;
Royal married Kate Oliver; Phcebe married
Isaac Vermilyea, by whom she has three chil
dren — Irving, Grace and Arthur; Nathaniel
married Angeline Van Seay, by whom he has
five children — George, Mary, Emma, Lewis
and Edna; and Kate, the wife of our subject,
completes the family.

448

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

MISS MARGARET B. MONAHAN. It is
 said that in the Hebrew language there is
no word which corresponds to our word
"charity", but that a term is used instead
which signifies justice. In this distinction,
with its deep lessons, the philosopher may see
one reason, if not the reason, for the close
union and general prosperity of that wonder
ful race. With such an idea of helpfulness, a
Hebrew who sees another in need says to him
self, "There is something wrong that this my
brother, my sister, should be in want in this
beautiful world. It is my duty to right this in
justice as far as I can, and so help to establish
that order of things which wHl make such a
deplorable evil no longer possible." And so
he does not carelessly deal out a few dimes or
dollars in self-righteous satisfaction, and dis
miss the matter from his mind; but he inter
ests himself in the case as if it were his own,
devoting his wisdom, his experience, and influ
ence to the task, and gives that friendly, prac
tical assistance which he would wish for were
he in the same plight.
What a different world this would be if
such a conception of our duties to each other
were to prevail! Here and there we see in
stances of it, and their quiet but effective work
contrasts nobly with that of some of our loudly-
advertised charities although their beneficent
influences may attract little or no attention.
Miss Margaret B. Monahan, whose mind,
prompted by the kindly impulses of her char
itable nature, originated the plan of giving a
cultured rest to the weary working-girl, was
born in New York City, the daughter of
Thomas and Mary A. (Beers) Monahan, both
of whom were natives of the same city. She
was educated at a private school.
John Monahan, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born at Banbridge, in the linen dis
trict of Ireland, and was there married to Miss
Mary Campbell, also a native of that place,
and they early came to this country. He had
received a good education in the "Emerald
Isle," and on arriving in New York taught
school for a time. Several years later he
moved to English Neighborhood, N. J., now
called Fairview, where he engaged in farming,
and where, also, his death occurred. To him
and his wife were born the foHowing chHdren:
Arthur, Hugh, Thomas, all three deceased;
WiHiam (retired), now living in Brooklyn;
Catherine, deceased, unmarried; and John, a
retired merchant of New York, never married.

Thomas Monahan was born in New York
City August 27, 181 3. When he was fifteen
years of age he began to fight the battle of
life alone, by entering the employ of Cyreneus
Beers, a commission merchant of New York
City. In this place he remained ten years, or
until 1838, when he started out in the same
business for himself. On March 15, 1848, he
was united in marriage with Miss Mary A.
Beers, one of the thirteen children of his former
employer. On her mother's side she was a de
scendant of an old Dutch family. Van Ant
werp, well known in the early days of the
Dutch colonies. Her father was a native of
Newtown, Conn., coming to New York when
quite young, and by industry laying the found
ation of the fortune that made him one of the
foremost business men of his day in New
York. Thomas Monahan continued in the com
mission business until 1858, when his natural
abilities as a financier were publicly recognized
by his election to the presidency of the Fulton
National Bank, New York City, which posi
tion he held until his death. May 13, 1886,
followed November 28, 1890, by his faithful
and devoted wife. The union of this worthy
couple was graced by two children — one of
whom died in infancy, and Margaret B. Mr.
Monahan was the architect of his own fortune,
accumulating his property by slow and con
servative methods rather than by speculation.
He was aman of quiet, retiring disposition, but
ever ready to aid in anything for the general
good of the community. In early days he was
a member of the old Volunteer Fire Depart
ment, of New York, and was one of those who
fought the great fire of 1835. He united with
no Church, but his wife belonged to the Duane
Street Presbyterian Church, now Dr. John
Hall's. After Mr. Monahan's death, his wife and
daughter continued to be residents of New
York City untH 1890. At that time they
purchased a farm at Quaker Hill, Dutchess
county, intending to make it their summer
home, but after Mrs. Monahan's death, in the
following November, her daughter decided to
live there permanently.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Monahan were much
interested in the life of working girls in New
York, and were in cordial sympathy with their
daughter's work among them ; so, when, in
June, 1893, Miss Monahan rented a quaint,
little, century-old cottage near her own place.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

449

Broadfields, and opened it to a small party of
working girls from New York, it was but the
carrying out of long-talked-of, and much-cher
ished, plans. The invigorating air, the charm
ing views of hHl and valley and open skies,
the drives and picnics, the refinements of that
delightful home, and, above all, the cordial
friendship of their hostess, were a revelation to
these over-worked and under-paid girls whose
lives were clouded by the experiences of the
dreary tenement houses and noisy workshop.
Heroic in spirit these girls are, working un
complainingly year in and year out, many of
them supporting some helpless relative, and
who can estimate the benefit that this bright
experience gave them .-" The good work thus
begun could not be abandoned by one who had
the heart to begin it at all. The house rented
was the summer residence of Mrs. E. M. Scott,
a well-known New York artist, who was then
abroad ; but, as she intended to occupy it on
her return, other quarters had to be provided.
A house was, therefore, built for the exclusive
use of the girls ; and every summer ' ' Hill
Hope ", as it is called, holds group after group
who come to stay two weeks or more and then
return to their weary routine. The invitations
have thus far been extended through the New
York City Mission ; but all the expenses con
nected with the outing are met by the hostess,
except the raHroad fares, which are paid by the
Tribune Fresh Air Fund at the City Mission.
The guests at HHl Hope write their names in
a visitors' book, with their occupations — a
strange and motley list, including the making
of fishing tackle, hat frames, rubber coats,
perfumes, casket lining, dresses and under
wear, and embroidery, polishing jewelry, filling
salt bags, washing (by a girl of fourteen), bar
ring button-holes, ten thousand a day. One
girl stirs, constantly, a steaming cauldron at a
wholesale chemist's, watching lest it boil up
and explode. "It did twice last year," said
the giri, "and hurt a lot of people, but that,"
she added, " was before I came."
There is no matron at HHl Hope; the
' ' house mother, " as the girls love to call her,
is an experienced trained nurse, and associated
with her is some younger lady, who, being free
from household responsibilities, has leisure to
devote herself to the girls, and her constant
though unobtrusive presence among them does
away with the most objectionable feature of
the ordinary vacation home. The King's
Daughters, of Quaker Hill, are more than
29

kind to their sisters, taking them into their
hearts. as well as their Circle.
About eighty girls are usually entertained,
in all, and many more such homes could be
filled with those who are equally needy. Miss
Monahan has plans, or rather hopes, for the
enlargement of the work, in time, to include
industrial training. Perhaps abetter idea can
not be given of the present scope of the enter
prise than by some extracts from a report made
in 1893: Beautiful for situation is Hill Hope, Eight hundred
feet above the Harlem Valley, and» 1,500 feet above sea
level, it stands facing the sunset, with the beauty of the
Shawangunk Mountains before it and the lovely fertile
valley at its feet, A good garden supplies fresh vegeta
bles and berries, while the Jersey milk, eggs, butter and
home-cured hams come from Broadfields, the farm of
which Hill Hope is an offshoot.
Over the ninety acres of this farm, including a bit of
woodland divided by a pebbly brook, the girls have free
range to come and go as they please. During haying sea
son the fields are alive with «girls; they run after the
mower, toss the hay, ride the ropes, and come home on
the loads of fragrant hay, driving the horses and chatter
ing to "Chris" in his native German.
The daily routine at Hill Hope is very simple. An
hour each morning is devoted to care of rooms and other
housework, and arranging flowers for the table; half an
hour at noon, the same at night. Every Saturday a thor
ough cleansing of rooms takes place, in anticipation of the
incoming party of girls in the afternoon; this completes
the work required. Faraily worship morning and even
ing; and who among the girls but will recall the pleasant
little talks and the prayers offered at this time? For
evenings and rainy days there are books and music,
games, quiet and noisy, without end, with croquet, bean-
bags, etc., and hammocks and lounging chairs for the
long summer evenings. They enjoy even the chill rainy
days, because they offer an excuse for a wood fire in the
fireplace in the dining room. An occasional candy-pull,
also, enlivens the wet days. Many of these girls have
never been in the country before; very many see cows
milked and horses groomed for the first time; and the
hay-scented barn, at milking time, with the long rows of
soft-eyed Jersey cattle, and the farmer and his assistants
answering questions, is an inexhaustible fund of amuse
ment. Each set walks to the old Quaker Meeting House,
a relic of ante-Revolutionary days, and listens to the
thrilling stories of events which happened "on the spot;"
and they often walk to the post office, where a gentle
Quaker lady and her daughter entertain them, bringing
out Quaker bonnets many years old, and relatmg their
history. Then there are picnic days, when " Chris " and the
horses arrive early, and all are off for a drive through
shady woods to the lake, a long day of boating, fishing
and lunching in the woods, and at sunset a drive home
" over the hills." Through the kindness of a gentleman,
whose lovely home crowns the hill, the freedom of the
lake was one year extended to Hill Hope; boats, fishing
tackle, bathing suits, ice, lemonade, etc, being freely ten
dered to the girls at any time. Through the kindness of
another gentleman from a distance, an outing fund was
provided, so the girls might have driving when the home
teams were not available. A lady has devoted many aft
ernoons and evenings to our girls, reading and walking
with them, taking tea in the woods, and making barn pic
nics for them. Many of the summer residents have shown
thoughtful kindness by sending in quantities of fresh
vegetables; and, once, the girls were invited to one of the

450

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

finest gardens in the place to pull all the flowers they
wished. Said one pallid, sickly-looking girl: "I never
saw a sweet pea growing before." She and her compan
ions gathered almost a bushel that morning, and in the
afternoon assisted the King's Daughters Circle to arrange
them to send to the New York Flower Mission.
Another set were invited by the manager of the
" Dutcher House," in Pawling, to hear the band play.
After a drive of six miles and an hour spent in rambling
through the hotel grounds, they were served with ices in
the music room.
One lovely September afternoon another set was asked
by a lady, owner of a beautiful summer residence, to take
tea at her home, and there charmingly entertained for two
hours; after which they went, also by invitation, to walk
through the garden and grounds of the gentleman who
gave them the use of the lake, and whose wife has taught
the successive partis of girls faithfully in the Sunday-
school all summer, winning the heart of everyone of them
by her sweet graciousness of manner and her earnest
teachings. Who can estimate the influence of this sim
ple, kindly hospitality and friendliness upon the toilful,
cramped lives of our poor girls, except, mdeed. He who
spoke the "Inasmuch"?

/r»V\EORGE H. CRAMER, the proprietor of
\J^ a well-known meat market at Red Hook,
Dutchess county, is a representative of several
of the oldest families of the vicinity. His
ancestors on the paternal side settled here at
an early date and bought land which succeed
ing generations cultivated. His grandfather,
George Cramer, married Miss AHendorf, of
Red Hook, and had seven children : Frederick,
George, Henry A. , Gettie, Lydia, Caroline
and Bailey.
Henry A. Cramer, our subject's father, was
born in 1804, was educated in the schools of
Red Hook, and, like his forefathers, became a
farmer. He married Miss Catherine Wal-
dorph, and to their union were born the fol
lowing chHdren : BalindaA. , in 1827; John
V. R, , in 1830; George H., in 1834; James A.,
in 1836 ; and WHliam C, in 1845. The
mother died in 1895, ^t the age of eighty-three
years; the father in 1S80. Our subject's
mother was a descendant of another pioneer
family which has taken a prominent part in
the history of that locality. The old house,
which has been the home of the family for
generations, is still standing, a landmark which
is looked upon with interest at this day. Mrs.
Cramer's father, John Waldorph, was an influ
ential man of his time. He succeeded to the
fertile acres which composed the family estate,
and early in life married Miss Regina Benner,
a daughter of Peter Benner, a leading farmer
of Red Hook. Seven chHdren were born of
this union: WiHiam, John, Christopher, David,
Maria, Catherine and Elizabeth.

George H. Cramer, our subject, attended
the schools of his native place during his youth,
and assisted his father upon the farm. He
was married in October, 1862, to Miss Sarah
C. AHendorf, a daughter of Philip AHendorf, a
well-known resident of Red Hook, and one
child blessed this union : Emma A., born
October 30, 1866, who married Dr. WHHam
'E. Traver, a promising young dentist of Red
Hook. In 1876 Mr. Cramer gave up agricult
ural pursuits to engage in the meat trade in
partnership with Philip Stickel. A year later, a
brother-in-law, P. A. AHendorf, succeeded Mr.
Stickel, but three years afterward he died and
Clarence Shook took his interest, continuing for
ten years, when C. N. Hicks, then an employe
of the firm, purchased his share. Two years
afterward Mr. Cramer bought out Mr. Hicks,
and has since conducted the business in his
own name, his energy and fine business abihty
assuring his continued success.

WILLIAM A. SHOOK, of " Ardmore "
 farm, the well-known horticulturist
and dairyman, whose large and admirably-con
ducted farm near Wappingers Falls, Dutchess
county, is considered a model of its kind, is
one of the most progressive citizens of the
county. His family has been prominent in the
vicinity of Red Hook, Dutchess county, for
several generations, and many of the name
still reside there, among them being Sheridan
Shook, a second cousin of our subject.
John Shook, our subject's grandfather, a
native of Red Hook, was a leading agricultur
ist in his day, and an influential Democrat.
He married Miss Nellie Shoemaker, and they
reared a family of ten children, as follows:
Christina, Maria, Helen, Cornelia, Aaron,
Archibald, John, Walter, Alexander and Cath
erine. The parents were both members of
the Lutheran Church. Aaron Shook, the fa
ther of our subject, grew to manhood at the
old homestead, and married Miss Catherine
Cramer, a descendant of an old Holland fam
ily, a daughter of Frederick Cramer, a leading
carpenter of Red Hook. They settled on a
farm there, and seven chHdren were born to
them: Lucetta, now the widow of Sylvester
Teator, a farmer; Cornelia, the wife of Charles
Schryver, a harness maker by trade; Helen,
who married Robert W. Lewis, a farmer;
WiHiam A., our subject; Gordon L., a farmer

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

451

by occupation (now deceased); Lydia E. , who
is at home; and Frederick, a resident of Rhine
beck. Aaron Shook died at the old home in
1884, his wife some five years later. He was
an active worker in local affairs, and in the
Democratic party, and held the offices of col
lector and poor master.
William A. Shook, our subject, was born
April 24, 1837, and spent his early years at
the old homestead. In i S62 he married Miss
Sarah D. Stickle, a daughter of Stephen P.
Stickle, and granddaughter of Hailey Stickle,
both of whom were natives of Columbia coun
ty, N. Y. Her mother, Elizabeth (Couse)
Stickle, was also born in that county, and both
families traced their lineage to early Holland-
Dutch settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Shook made
their first home upon a farm in Red Hook, but
in 1889 they moved to their present home,
"Ardmore" farm, a fine estate of 400 acres.
Since that time Mr. Shook has made many
improvements. His specialties are fruit,
bottled milk and cream, and garden produce,
and he has about fifty cows, mostly Jerseys,
besides other cattle. Among his extensive
orchards there are 4,000 peach trees.
Mr. and Mrs. Shook have three sons:
Frank B., manager of " Ardm'ore " farm, who
married Miss Louise R. Hendricks; Edgar A.,
who married Miss Mary Scofield, and lives in
the village of Fishkill; and Alfred E., at
home.

M OBERT M. GREENE, a prominent hor-
 ticulturist of the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, was born December 23,
1827, in the town of MHan. His family is of
English extraction, and the first to come to
America were Quakers in religious faith, and
settled at an early period in Rhode Island —
that refuge of the persecuted for conscience
sake. His grandfather, Tobias Greene, was
a native of that State, and passed his life there.
John R. Greene, our subject's father, was
born near Providence, R. I., AprH 16, 17S8,
in early manhood came to Dutchess county,
where he married Sabrina Martin, a lady of
English descent, born AprH 8, 1793, a daugh
ter of George Martin, a leading farmer of the
town of Milan. After his marriage he settled
upon a farm in the same town, where he re
mained a number of years, removing later to a
farm in the town of Rhinebeck. He was a
Democrat of the old-fashioned sort, and he

and his wife belonged to the Christian Church,
and were among the leaders in their vicinity in
many of the progressive movements of their
time. They had thirteen chHdren: Mahala,
who married (first) Mr. Hicks, and (second) Mr.
Platt; Sarah J., the wife of Peter Welch, a
farmer; EmeHne, who married William C.
Rikert, a butcher; Margaret A., the wife of
Edward Knickerbocker, of Albany, who was,
in early life, a teacher, but later on was a lum
berman; Martin T., a retired merchant, of
Kane county. III. ; George N. , who died in
childhood; John, who was a farmer in the town
of Clinton; Elizabeth, who married Andrew J.
Fish, a retired mechanic, in Iowa; Robert M.,
our subject; Theron, who died in infancy;
Martha, who rnarried (first) Mr. H. Gray, and
(later) Mr. Foster, of Hiawatha, Kans. ; Walter
N. (deceased), a lumber merchant at Burling
ton, Vt.; and Edmund, a wagon maker in the
State of Washington. The father of this fam
ily died in 1867, his wife July 2, 1882.
The subject of our sketch was seven years
of age when he came with his parents to his
present home, where he has now lived for sixty-
two years. He was married November 5,
1S51, to Ann Eliza Vail, a native of the town
of Stanford, born April 10, 1S29, and a daugh
ter of Aaron Vail, a leading farmer there.
They have had seven chHdren: Evelyn, the
wife of H. J. Lown, a farmer of Rhinebeck;
Alice; Bertha; Hubert, a resident of the same
township, and married to Miss Susie Harris;
Delbert, who married Bertha V. L'Homme-
dieu; Fanny; and Anabel, who married Reuben
F. L'Hommedieu November 25, 1896.
Mr. Greene's farm comprises 138 acres de
voted to fruit raising, in which he has made a
marked success. In politics he is a supporter
of the principles of the Republican party, but
he takes no active share in political work.

^'t3)ENJAMIN H. fry, a wide-awake, ener-
-jUf) getic and progressive business man of
Amenia, Dutchess county, was born in that
viHage AprH 2, 1S51. His father, Simeon Fry,
was a native of Winchendon, Mass. , born in
1S17, and on reaching manhood was married
to Miss Phebe Harris, of Pine Plains, Dutchess
county, whose death occurred in 1852. In
1846 the father established the tin and stove
business in Amenia, which he successfully con
ducted until 1870, when the management was
turned over to our subject, who ten years

452

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

later, on the death of his father, assumed full
control of the business. Politically, he was
first a Whig, and later supported the Repub
lican party, while socially he was identified
vvith Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M.
Mr. Fry, of this sketch, was an only chHd,
and his boyhood and youth were spent in
attendance at the district schools and the
Amenia Seminary, where he completed his
literary course. At the age of seventeen he
left the schoolroom to learn the tinner's trade
with his father. In February, 1876, he was
married in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, the lady of his choice being Miss Ida
B. Warner, daughter of Frederick Warner,
and to them have been born four children:
Clara, Louie, Helen, and Florence.
The Amenia Foundry was established by
Mr. Fry in 1890 for the manufacture of gen
eral castings, making a specialty of sash
weights, since which time the foundry has
been in continuous operation, producing 1,500
tons of castings per year. As a manufactory
of sash weights it ranks as one of the best in
the country.
In connection with the foundry, Mr. Fry
also has the largest and best-equipped tin and
stove store on the lihe of the Harlern railroad.
There a specialty is made of the manufacture
of copper wash boilers, making 7,000 a year,
for which he has a large wholesale trade
throughout the Eastern States as far north as
Portland, Maine. He employs forty men and
eight teams, with a pay-roll of $1,500 per
month. Although one of the infant industries
of the county, it seeks not the protection of a
high protective tariff, but owes its success to
the untiring perseverance and abfe manage
ment of Mr. Fry. The Amenia Foundry is one
of the few enterprises which furnish the life
and prosperity of the village of Amenia. In
1S95 our subject established a similar foundry
at Waterbury, Conn., in connection with Julius
Benedict, one of the oldest manufacturers of
sash weights in this country, and they there
employ from twenty to thirty men.
The different industries with which Mr. Fry
has been connected have been crowned with
success. Many of the men employed in the
foundry when started are there at the present
time, some of them having been with Mr. Fry
for a quarter of a century, which fact speaks
well for the judgment of the employer and the
capabilities of the employes. From the time
of the establishment of the business, in 1846,

up to the present time, a period of fifty years,
a Saturday pay-day has never been missed, at
which time the men find the cashier as free to
give as they to receive. The fact that Mr.
Fry is at the head is a guarantee for the pros
perity and success of any enterprise, and we
take pleasure in expressing our admiration for
his remarkable business ability.
Socially, Mr. Fry affiliates with Amenia
Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M., of which he has
been master, and is also connected with Pough
keepsie Chapter, Council and Commandery,
and Mecca Temple of Mystic Shrine in New
York City. He is president of the Amenia
Water Company, of which he is one-third
owner, dilci oA-tk^ ^j^'A^&i^^'^ir.'jA''***'-
IIS LBERT W. CORBIN (deceased). On
^^^ the 4th of August, 1893, there passed
away at his home, in the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, the subject of this sketch,
whose life of quiet and consistent usefulness
had endeared him to a large circle of friends.
Although by choice he followed the peaceful
life of agriculture, he took a helpful part in the
various local enterprises which marked the so
cial, religious and educational advance of the
community, and his sympathies were always
given to the side of progress.
Born in Patterson, Putnam Co., N. Y.,
Mr. Corbin was reared in Dutchess county, and
as he reached manhood's estate he identified
himself completely with the interests of
this locality. His family was already well-
known here, his grandfather, Jabez Cor
bin, having come to the town of PawHng
in the latter part of the last century, from
Long Island, where the first ancestor of
the American branch had settled at an
early period on his arrival from England.
Jabez Corbin probably located at Quaker HiH.
He married Lucy Cheeseman, and reared a
famHy of eight children — Isaac, our subject's
father; William, a blacksmith at JohnsvHle;
George, a carpenter at Sherman, Conn. ;
Thomas, who Hved near FishkHl; Benjamin, a
farmer in Pennsylvania; Tallman, who also
went to Pennsylvania; Lawrence, a resident of
Putnam county; and Sarah, who married
Harry Case, of Matteawan.
Isaac Corbin was born at Quaker Hill.
November 10, 1790, and in early manhood
lived for a time at Patterson, but in 1823 he
returned to his native county and established

A^ P^^^r,.^^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

453

his home in the village of Pawling, in the house
occupied later by James Ferris. He was a
blacksmith by trade, his shop being located
just south of the Baptist church, and his in
dustry and successful management gained for
him a fine competence. At one time he owned
all that portion of the village site which lies
west of the railroad. He wielded great influ
ence in local affairs, and was a strong sup
porter of the Democratic party. His wife,
Martha (Haynes), was born January 8, 1796,
a daughter of Archibald Haynes, a well-known
resident of Patterson. They had four children,
whose names with dates' of birth are as follows:
Jane, February 17, 18 17, married John Ferris;
Emeline, October 8, 1819, married Sheldon
Haynes; Albert W., August 27, 182 1; and
Helen M., December 11, 1825, married Henry
W. Wright, of Beekman, and is now the only
surviving member of the family. The father
died February 10, 1878, the mother on Oc
tober 28, 1882,
Albert W. Corbin attended the district
schools of the town of Pawling, and a select
school at Quaker Hill conducted by Serenus
Jones; but although his advantages were the
best which the time and the locality afforded,
he was in a large degree self-educated, his
reading in later years being unusually broad in
its scope, history being his favorite study. He
learned the blacksmith's trade with his father,
but did not follow it, preferring agriculture.
He began by working a farm east of the village,
on shares, and gradually acquired large tracts
of farming land, among them the Howland
farm, upon which he made his home, the
Stockholm farm, the Cook farm, and the one
whereon Mrs. Corbin now resides, making him
one of the most extensive real-estate holders in
the town. He also at one time owned the ore
bed at the top of the mountain, and was a stock
holder in the lower ore bed, of which he was
superintendent for some years. He was an
excellent business man, cautious, yet enterpris
ing, and of unquestioned integrity^ and his
advice was asked and followed in many im
portant enterprises. He was one of the orig
inal incorporators of the Savings Bank at
Pawling, of which institution he held the office
of trustee until the time of his death; and he
was often called upon to assist in the settle
ment of estates. Possessing much public spirit,
he took a generous interest in local affairs, and
was a leader in the Republican organization of
his town, serving for several terms as assessor.

and for five terms in succession as township
supervisor. In 1842 Mr. Corbin married Miss JuHa A.
Beardsley, a lady of English descent, and the
daughter of Lewis Beardsley, a prominent
resident of New Fairfield, Conn. Two chH
dren came of this union, viz.: Isaac L., born
October 5, 1849; and Anna E., born January
12, 1 85 1, now the wifeof Edwin B. Dodge, a
leading citizen of PawHng. Lewis Beardsley,
father of Mrs. Corbin, was born January 17,
179S, in New Fairfield, Conn., and November
10, 1S17, married PauHna Barnum, by whom
he had five children: (i) EHza married WHl
iam H. Wright, and had nine children: WHl-
am H., John L. , Thomas E., George W.,
Harriet E., PauHna, Albert W., Daniel B.,
and Albert D. ; (2) JuHa A. (Mrs. Corbin)
comes next; (3) Daniel H. married Mary Lind
ley, and had three chHdren: Huldah A., Alice
and Lewis D. ; (4) Huldah deceased when
eighteen; (5) Paulina married Orris Haynes,
and had two chHdren: Lewis I., and Mary
(deceased.) The mother of this family died
October 7, 1S32, and February 17, 1833, Mr.
Beardsley wedded Miss Harriet Barnum (a
sister of his first wife), and one chHd was born
to them, named Hannah; her mother died in
1886. Mr. Beardsley passed from earth April
24, 1843, a member of the Presbyterian
Church. By occupation Mr. Beardsley in his
younger days was a farmer, later a speculator
and merchant for some ten years, also bought
and sold cattle.
Edwin B. Dodge, son-in-law of Mrs. Cor
bin, was born August 18, 185 1, in the town of
Pawling , Dutchess county, a son of John B.
and Julia (Allen) Dodge, farming people, the
other children in the family being Charles S.,
Priscilla F. and Ida A. The father of these
died in 1861; the mother is yet living. Ed
win was married February 12, 1874, and they
had two children: Essie A., born September
2, 1876, died September 24, 1877; and Albert
E., born November 11, 1878, at present hold
ing a lucrative position in the general passen
ger agent's office New York Central & Hud-
River R. R., city.
Edwin B. Dodge has served as collector of
taxes, commissioner of public works, elected
twice supervisor from Pawling, was nominated
for member of Assembly in the First district of
Dutchess county, but declined the nomination;
is also a composer of religious, comic, and
sentimental music.

454

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Isaac L. Corbin, eldest chHd of Albert
W. and Julia A. Corbin, married Jennie Sher
man, June 14, 1 87 1, and three children came
of this union: Albert I., born November 6,
1S72; Annie Maud, February 12, 1875, died
April 23, 1875; Charles L. , born March 3,
1876. The mother of these chHdren died
May 2, 1882, and Isaac L., in June, 1883,
married for his second wife Mary F. Allison,
of Canada. The children by this marriage
are six in number: Willie A., born April 4,
1884; Frank B., born September 11, 1885;
Cecil I., born June 12, 1887; Ethel B., born
May II, 1889; Lewis D., born AprH 21, 1891;
Clement W., born April 27, 1896.
I. L. Corbin has large farming interests in
Pawling, has always confined himself to agri
cultural pursuits, and is a conceded authority
on up-to-date farming.

CHARLES H. SLOCUM, a traveling sales-
_ ' man for the wholesale grocery house of
Wright, Depew & Co., Nos. 103-105 Murray
street. New York City, was born in the town
of Pawling, Dutchess county, in i860, and is
about eight generations removed from Roscom
Slocum, the founder of the family in the New
World. He was a wealthy planter, and his wife,
a Miss Fitzgerald, belonged to a prominent and
well-to-do Irish family; she ran away from
home, and her future husband paid her pas
sage in cattle.
Hiram Slocum, the father of our subject,
was born in 1834, in the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, where the birth of his father,
Pardon Slocum, also occurred, and there the
latter devoted his life to agricultural pursuits.
Hiram Slocum's mother died when he was an
infant, and he was reared by an uncle living
near Cornwall Bridge, Litchfield Co., Conn.,
where he received only a limited district-school
education. At the age of nineteen years he
started out in life for himself, coming to Dover,
where he engaged in shoemaking for a time.
There he wedded Mary Olivett, by whom he
has five sons: William E., of Poughquag;
Hiram, a builder of the same place; Charles
H., of this sketch; and Henry D. and Fred,
also of Poughquag. After his marriage the
father turned his attention to agricultural pur
suits in the town of Dover, where he remained
until 1867, when he removed to his present
farm in the town of Beekman. He is a self-
made man, his possessions being the result of

his diligence, enterprise and perseverance, and
he well deserves the success that has come to
him. In politics he is a Democrat, and re
ligiously his wife is an earnest member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
In the town of Beekman, Charles H.
Slocum attended the district schools, and after
completing his education clerked in the store
of H. Colwell for two years. At the age of
nineteen years he bought out his employer,
and conducted the business from March, 1880,
until November 10, 1894, when his property
was destroyed by fire, but he rebuilt the store,
which he now rents to S. L. Davis & Dibble.
Since June, 1895, he has been on the road in
the wholesale grocery business as the outside
financial agent for the firm. He was at one
time treasurer and manager of the American
Electric Light Company. As a business man
he is winning success, and his unabating energy
and diligence are important factors in his pros
perity. At South Amenia Mr. Slocum was married
to Miss Ella M. Odell, daughter of George W.
Odell, and to them have been born two chH
dren: Blanche and Russell. Like his father,
our subject also supports the Democratic
party; was supervisor of the town of Beekman
in 1885, being the youngest member of the
board; and in the fall of 1886 was nominated
as a member of the General Assembly, but
decHned the honor. Since 1884 he served as
postmaster of Poughquag except when Ben
jamin Harrison was filling the Presidential
chair, and in both public and private life he has
ever discharged his duties in a prompt and
efficient manner. Socially he is connected
with Hopewell Lodge No. 596, F. & A. M.,
and holds membership in the Methodist Epis
copal Church at Poughquag. Although he
sustained a heavy loss at the time he was
burned out, he was able to pay all his creditors
one hundred cents on the dollar. All who
know him esteem him for his sterling worth,
his unimpeachable integrity and his up
right life.

C\HARLES B. MORGAN, one of the highly
_' respected citizens and leading business
men of Amenia, was born at his present resi
dence in the town of Amenia, Dutchess county,
June 28, 1S52, and isa son of George Morgan,
whose birth also occurred on the old home
stead, June 14, 1823. There WiHiam Morgan,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

455

the grandfather, had located on coming from
Redding, Conn., in 1806. On June 3, 1S05,
he married Miss Polly Wood, who was born
September 8, 1786, and died October 2, 1876.
In their family were eleven children, whose
names and dates of birth are as follows : Nel
son, September i, 1806; Caroline, September
20, 1808 ; Evaline, October 10, 1810; an infant
son, October 8, 1812 ; Russell, December 8,
1813 ; Amanda, July 18, 1816 ; Minerva, No
vember 18, iSiS ; Benson W., March 25, 1S21;
George, June 14, 1823 ; Mariette, September
15, 1826 ; and Andrew J., December 12, 1827;
all are now deceased except Amanda and
Mariette. The grandfather, who was of Welsh de
scent, was born November 26, 1782, and in
early life learned the carpenter's trade. He
and his wife migrated on horseback to Dutch
ess county in 1806, having scarcely enough
money at that time to pay for the one acre of
ground which he purchased in the town of
Amenia. Here he established the manufac
ture of grain cradles, which is now carried on
by our subject, and also engaged in the manu
facture of coffins. He was entirely a self-made
man and became quite well-to-do, leaving a
good property at his death, which occurred
January 21, 1859.
George Morgan, the father, spent his boy
hood days in Amenia, attending the district
schools, and with his father learned cradle-
making, which he continued to follow through
out life, having a good trade in the Hudson
VaHey and in western Connecticut. A capable
business man, he deserved the success which
rewarded his efforts ; in politics was a Demo
crat, and was a member of the old mHitia. At
Hudson, N. Y. , he was married November 18,
1848, to Laura B. Hood, a daughter of Samuel
Hood, and to them were born two sons :
Charles B., of this sketch ; and WHHam, who
wasborn June 27, 1S50, and died March 30,
1852. The death of the mother occurred May
5, 1 89 1, and the father passed away October
9, 1894. After attending the public schools, our sub
ject entered the Amenia Seminary, where he
completed his literary education. He then
learned the trade of cradle-making, which his
grandfather and father followed, and since
1889 has had complete charge of the business,
which he is now successfully conducting. In
the year 1896 he also manufactured cider from
12,000 bushels of apples, and also evaporated

over 5,000 bushels, thus using over 17,000
bushels, and is engaged in farming to a small
extent. Politically, he follows in the footsteps
of his father, supporting the Democratic party,
and is now serving as school trustee in his
district. At Smithfield, in the town of Amenia,
October 9, 1874, Mr. Morgan was married to
Miss Cora Van Hovenburg, daughter of John
Van Hovenburg, and they have two children:
Clara Belle and Harry B., The family holds
an enviable position in social circles, and has
many friends throughout the community.

C\HARLES A. FLINT. The name Flint
.^1 was given to a minor Saxon god represented
by a great flint stone. It appears in old Colo
nial records as Fflint, Fflynt, Flinte and Flynt,
and the latter form should have been retained
by the family. The first to come to America
were Thomas and WilHam Flint, who became
early settlers of Salem, Mass. , probably locat
ing there before 1638. The former, from whom
our subject is descended, purchased 150 acres
of meadow and pasture land from John Pick
ering, in 1654, and in 1662 bought fifty acres
from Robert Goodall. That farm is stHl in the
possession of his descendants. By his mar
riage with Anne Sutherick he had six children
— Thomas; Elizabeth, born in 1650; George,
who was born in 1652, and died in 1720; John;
Anna, who was born in 1657, and died in 1663 ;
and Joseph, born in 1662. The father died
April 15, 1663, and the mother on March 20,
1673- John FHnt, the fourth in order of birth,
was bornin 1655, was made a freeman of Salem
in 1690, and died in 1730. He took up arms
in defense of the colonists during King PhilHp's
war. His wife was Elizabeth Putnam, and to
them nine children were born: Samuel, John,
Hannah, Stephen, Joshua, Joseph, Lydia, Sarah
and Elizabeth.
Joshua FHnt, the fifth chHd of John, was
born October 28, 1689, and in 1716 removed
to Windham, Conn. He lost his life at sea.
Twelve children were born of his marriage with
Miss Deborah IngaHs: Sarah, Mary, Joshua,
James, Asher, Bartholomew, Huldah, Eliza
beth, Abner, Eliphalet, Aikelas and Theodora.
Asher Flint, of this family, was born at
Windham, Conn., June 6, 1724, and the year
1 77 1 witnessed his removal to WiHington, that
State. On August 20, 1752, he was married

456

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

to Sarah Bingham, who died in 1754, at the
age of twenty-two years. Later he married
Luc}' Kimball, whose death occurred October
20, 1800, and he passed away in January, 1803.
In his family were the following children: Jabez,
Lucy, Aaron, Sarah, Elisha, Enoch and Asher.
Jabez Flint, the eldest, was born May 2,
1756, at Windham, and when the colonists
took up arms against the mother country he
joined their forces, faithfully serving in the
Revolutionary war. He was the grandfather
of our subject, and was the first of the family
to migrate to Dutchess county, locating in the
town of Amenia about 1782, and erecting the
present residence of Charles A. Flint in the
summer of 1S15. There his death occurred
March 28, 1844. He was married May 16,
1782, the lady of his choice being Mrs. Eliza
beth Merritt Willson, who died August 28,
1790, and on May 10, 1792, he was again mar
ried, his second union being with Elizabeth
Paine. He was an Old-line Whig in politics,
and ably served as justice of the peace from
1797 untH 1 8 12. His family included nine
children, namely: Merritt P., Maurice Kim
ball, Alfred, PhHip, Eliza M. , Mary Paine, Ed
ward, Augustus and Jane Maria.
Augustus Flint, the father of our subject,
was born March 28, 1807, and acquired his
education in the district schools of the town of
Amenia, Dutchess county. After he had at
tained two years of maturity he served as colo
nel in the State militia, and was a devoted
member of the Presbyterian Church, dying in
that faith October 29, 1881. He first wedded
Catherine J. Bockee, who was born in 181 1,
and died April 9, 1843, leaving three chHdren:
George Peters, who was born August 29,
1S36, and died at Camp Douglas, Chicago,
October 27, 1862; Jacob Bockee, who was
born December 12, 1838, and died in 1S44;
and Martha B;SKborn August 8, 1841. For
his second wife, Augustus FHnt chose Julia
Lord, their wedding being celebrated March
4, 1847. Her birth occurred AprH 10, 1814,
and she survived her husband untH November
16, 1895.
Charles Augustus Flint, of this review, was
the only chHd born of the second union, his
birth taking place at his present residence, De
cember 20, 1847. He spent his early life in
much the usual manner of farmer boys, ac
quiring his primary education in the schools
near his home, was later a student in the
Amenia Seminary, and completed his literary

training by a course at Fort Edward Collegiate
Institute in Washington county, N. Y. On
laying aside his text books he returned to the
old homestead, where his entire life has been
passed. On October 6, 1880, Mr. Flint was mar
ried to MatHda P. Hall, who wasborn Novem
ber 20, 1848, and they have four children:
Gilbert A., born March 27, 1883; Julia Mi
nerva, born February 5, 18S5; Charles HaH,
born March 8, 1887; and Dorothy Lord, born
November 4, 1893. Mr. Flint is an advocate
of the principles of the Republican party, and
displays his allegiance thereto by casting his
ballot for its nominees, while religiously he is
an earnest member of the Presbyterian Church
at Smithfield. He is public-spirited and pro
gressive, devoted to the welfare of the com
munity, and his standing among his fellowmen
is high.

WILLIAM J. STORM, of Stormville,
 Dutchess county, is the senior member
of the firm of W. J. and W. B. Storm, dealers
in flour, feed, coal, lumber, builders' materials,
and other commodities. In addition to the
management of his extensive trade, he owns
and conducts a farm of 330 acres in the town
of East Fishkill, Dutchess county, the old
homestead of his family.
The family, of which he is a member, in
this country dates back to Derrick Storm, who
came to America in 1662 from the Mayorality
of Borch, Holland, and, being both intelligent
and well-educated, speedily arose to prom
inence, being secretary of Brooklyn in 1670,
town clerk of Flatbush, and clerk of sessions
in Orange county, from 1691 to 1703. He'
also filled the important office of school master
in different places. He owned land and paid
taxes when Peter Stuyvesant was Governor of
New Amsterdam. He and his wife, Maria
Pieters, reared a family of four children: Goris,
Peter, David and Maria. Goris married An-
geltey Van Lyck, daughter of Thomas Van-
Lyck', of New Utrecht, and had two sons —
Derick, born in 1695, and Thomas T. , our
subject's great-great-grandfather, who was
born in 1697. He purchased a large tract of
land from Col. Phillips, of the Manor of Phil-
Hpsburg, in Westchester county, N. Y., and
settled at Tarrytown, where many of the de
scendants now live, and where he was buried.
His wife's name was Annie ^  , and their

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

457

nine chHdren were Thomas, Jacob, Garrett,
Goris, Abraham, John, Isaac, Catherine and
Angeltey. Two of the sons died in early man
hood, leaving chHdren. In a will dated June
17. 1763, now on record in the surrogate's
office in New York City, he makes division of
a large amount of property. The will was
made and executed in Dutchess county, where
he was probably visiting his chHdren, and it
was probated before Bartholomew Cronnett,
in Dutchess county, January 15, 1770. To
his grandson, Abraham, son of Isaac, he gave
one hundred pounds, and to his granddaugh
ters, Christina and Anna, forty pounds. To
his sons, Garrett and Goris, he gave the lands
which he had purchased from Madame Brett,
in Rombout Precinct, lying on the north side
of the Fishkill, and containing 406 acres, of
which Garrett received 204 acres and Goris
202. This was known as the " first purchase. "
To his son Abraham he gave, with the exception
often acres, the lands of his " second pur
chase, " lying south of the Fishkill, and to
Isaac he gave his improved estate at Phillips
Manor. Later these two exchanged posses
sions, and Isaac came to Fishkill. The fact
is especially worthy of note that now, after a
period of more than one hundred and fifty
years, these lands stHl remain almost intact,
in the hands of the descendants.
Isaac Storm, great-grandfather of William
J., married Elizabeth Locy, and their son
Abraham (grandfather of WHliam J.), who
was born October i, 1772, married Sarah Vin
cent, daughter of Philip and Catherine (Haleck)
Vincent, and had five children : Isaac, Will
iam, John v., Charlotte and Elizabeth.
John V. Storm (father of WiHiam J.), now
the only survivor of this family, was born No
vember 24, 1800, and was educated in the
district schools of Stormville. His manhood
has been passed mainly in the management of
the ancestral estate, which is beautifully situ
ated, surrounded by primeval forests, and com
manding a view of Nicopee and the Beacon
Heights, of the Highlands, in the- distance.
Under his hands the property has assumed new
beauty and fertility until even the passing
stranger is attracted by its appearance. His
stables have always held some of the best horses
in the country, and his fields have been cov
ered with waving crops of the finest grain ever
grown in the rich and productive valley of the
Fishkill. He has held, too, various positions
of trust and responsibility ; for many years he

was a civil magistrate, and also supervisor of
the town, and at the organization of the Fish
kill Savings Bank he was chosen a director
and the first president of that institution.
On December 4, 1839, John V. Storm was
united in wedlock with Miss Jeannette E.
Wooley, a lady of English descent, and daugh
ter of William Wooley, a leading farmer of the
town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county.
She died in June, 1886, leaving three sons and
four daughters. The eldest, Abraham J., a
civil engineer and extensive land-holder, be
sides being largely interested in the cattle busi
ness in Texas, was married October 29, 1878,
to Miss Kate Fowler. Joseph H,, the owner
of a fine farm at Green Haven, Dutchess
county, was married September 4, 1867, to
Miss Sophia Sheldon, and has two children —
WHson and Jeannette. WiHiam J. is the sub
ject proper of this sketch. Of the four daugh
ters the eldest, Sarah Frances, was married
June 7, 1876, to Sylvester Southard, of Fish
kHl, and has one daughter — Jane Wooley
Southard. Elizabeth B. was married January
24, 1873, to Charles A. Storm, of Hopewell.
Helen and Cornelia Storm (twins) are at home.
The reminiscences of Mr. Storm, the pa
triarch, would make an interesting book. He
takes an especial delight in talking over the
incidents of the more primitive conditions in
which his youth was spent. When he was
about eighteen years old he and his father
drove to Kingston to get a load of shingles,
crossing the ice at Rhinecliff, and by starting
at 2 A. M., they made the entire distance,
eighty miles, in one day, arriving home before
midnight. Fortunately his advancing years
have not brought with them the usual tokens
of old age, and with the exception of impaired
eyesight his health is excellent and his facul
ties undimmed. His mind is clear, and his
memories of the past make his conversation
most interesting to his hearers of later gener
ations. He is an honored resident of FishkHl
viHage, Dutchess county.
WHHam J. Storm, the subject proper of
these lines, was born July 9, 1845, and re
ceived his first instruction in the school of
District No. 5; later he attended Dutchess
Academy and the Albany High School, and at
nineteen returned home to engage in farming.
In 1872 he married Miss Isabel Harpel, a
native of New York City, and a daughter of
George M. Harpel. Shortly after his marriage
he settled at the old homestead, and in 1873

458

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

he purchased the estate from his father. Four
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Storm:
G. Harpel, who was with G. A. Benedict, in
New York City, and Ethel M., William R.
and Isabel M., all three at home.
Mr. Storm does not make a specialty of
any particular branch of agriculture, raising a
variety of crops and stock. On his farm is a
beautiful lake of about twenty-five acres in ex
tent, that is fed by bubbling springs, but has
no visible outlet. On the banks of this lake is
situated a creamery from which is sent forth
115 cans of milk daHy. In 18S5 he carried
on lumber and coal business on commission
for another party, and in 1895 he formed a
partnership with W. B. Storm. The firm has
a fine office and well-managed yards, and does
an extensive and lucrative business. A Demo
crat in principle, Mr. Storm gives his influence
to his party in a quiet way, and has never
sought office. His parents were adherents of
the Reformed Church, and he and his wife are
now among the leading members of that de
nomination in their vicinity.

J SACKETT ALLING is a prominent and
influential agriculturist of the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county. Asa Ailing,
his grandfather, came to Dutchess county from
New Haven, Conn., at an early date, and lo
cated near Hunns Lake, in the town of Stan
ford, where he was engaged in farming during
the remainder of his life. He married Jemima
Purdy, by whom he had five children: Stephen,
Sally, Anna, Rhoda and Asa, the last named
being the father of our subject.
Upon the homestead in the town of Stan
ford Asa Ailing was born in 1789, and there he
spent his entire life. In 18 12 he was united
in marriage with Cornelia Sackett, the eldest
daughter of Jehiel Sackett, of the town of
Stanford, and to them were born four children:
Emily (deceased), was the wife of Jordan
PhiHips, of Hudson, N. Y. ; Samantha E. was
the wife of Jeremiah W. Payne, of the town
of Northeast, Dutchess county ; J. Sackett is
the next in order of birth; and Laura H. is the
widow of William D. Humphrey, of Jackson
Corners. After the death of his first wife Mr.
Ailing wedded Mary Thompson, daughter of
Asa A. Thompson, and to them were born two
children: John T., of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ,
and Cornelia S., widow of G. F. Butts, for
merly of Stanford. The latter gave his alle

giance to the Democratic party, and served as
supervisor and justice of the peace, while, re
ligiously, he held membership with the Bap
tist Church.
J. Sackett Ailing, the subject of this sketch,
spent his boyhood days upon the home farm,
attending the district schools of the neighbor
hood, and later was a student in Amenia Sem
inary and the Jacob Willets Boarding School,
in the town of Washington, Dutchess county.
He was born May 17, 1822, and remained a
member of the parental household until twenty
years of age, working on the farm during the
summer months, while during the winter sea
son he taught school. In 1S45 he went to
New York City, where he was engaged in the
carpet business some twenty years, when he
returned to the old homestead, of which he
purchased 170 acres, and has since lived upon
that place.
In 1855, in New York City, Mr. Ailing
married Miss Ann Eliza Bertine, who was born
in 1835 in that city, of Huguenot ancestry.
This worthy couple became the parents of
nine children: Charles Sumner, who died at
Seward, Neb., in 1893; Frank P., of BangaH,
Dutchess county; Robert B., a lawyer of New
York City; Samuel D. (deceased); Jehiel S.,
of Great FaHs, Mont.; Newton D., who is
connected with the Nassau Bank, New York
City; Asa A., of the legal firm of Kennessey,
Grain & Ailing, corner of South William and
Beaver streets. New York City; Lewis W.,
bookkeeper for the above firm; and Mary, who
died in chHdhood. Although Mr. Ailing has
reached the age of seventy-five years, he is still
well-preserved and quite active. He has al
ways been successful in his business undertak
ings, and by his fair and honorable dealings
has won the esteem and regard of all with
whom he has come in contact. Politically, he
is a member of the Democratic party, and he
adheres closely to the lines drawn by that
organization.

C»\HARLES C. ANDREWS. The subject
JJ of this narrative is one of the leading agri
culturists of the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, and has contributed his quota toward
advancing the interests of the locality. His-
grandfather, Thomas Andrews, also engaged
in farming in the same town, and at an early day
carried the mail through this section of the
county. He married a Miss Cline.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

459

Philip S. Andrews, a native of the town of
Unionvale, was the father of our subject.
There he secured his education, and early be
gan to assist in the labors of the farm. As a
Hfe work he has since followed that occupation,
and has served his fellow citizens as overseer
of the town. He married Miss Cornelia Krom,
daughter of Lucas Krom, of Ulster county, N.
Y., and by their marriage they had six children:
Charles C, of this sketch; Mary E. ; Kroma
line, who married Amelia Sheldon; Anna M.,
wife of Eliphus Delamiter; James Emmet, who
married Josephine Woodward; and Isaac, who
married Carrie VanBlack.
Charles C. Andrews was born in the town
of Unionvale, in 1850, and, after there com
pleting his elementary education, took a course
of study at Poughkeepsie. After completing
his education, he went to California, where he
remained for five years greatly enjoying the
delightful climate. On April 4, 1878, he mar
ried Miss Minnie M. Vincent, daughter of John
W. Vincent, and they have four children —
Bessie M., Gordon Schuyler, Mabel R. and
Norman C. Since his marriage he has fol
lowed agricultural pursuits exclusively with
most gratifying results. Their pleasant home
is the center of attraction to a large circle of
friends and acquaintances, whose esteem and
confidence they have won by their cordial
manners, kind acts and hearty sympathy with
aH. Jonathan J. Vincent, the grandfather of
Mrs. Andrews, spent his entire life in the town
of Unionvale, and married Miss Loretta Will
iams, daughter of Squire Williams, a surveyor
of that town, and they became the parents of
seven children — Elizabeth, who married Reu
ben L. Cole; Rebecca, who married Dr. David
Knapp; John, who married Rhoda Butler, and
they became the parents of Mrs. Andrews;
Gilbert, who married Kate Uie, and after her
death wedded Eliza Ham; Lewis; Michael, who
married Estella O'Neil; and Mary A., who
married Orin Able.

f^REDERICK J. CORNWELL, of Rhine-
 cliff, Dutchess county, is a self-made
man, one who, without any extraordinary
family or pecuniary advantages at the com
mencement of life, has battled earnestly and
energetically, and by indomitable courage and
integrity has achieved both character and suc

cess in business. By sheer force of will and
untiring effort he has worked his way upward,
and is now at the head of the largest general
store in his village.
Mr. Cornwell is a native of Dutchess coun
ty, born October 5, 1852, at Rock City, in
the town of Milan, and is the son of James
B. Cornwell, who was born in the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county, in 1820. The
family is of English descent, being founded
on this side of the Atlantic by three brothers
who located on Nantucket Island, and on sepa
rating took' the names of Conell, Cornwall
and Cornwell. William Cornwell, the grand
father of our subject, was a son of the latter.
He was a farmer by occupation, and Hved for
many years in the town of Milan, Dutchess
county. He was married to a Miss Bernard,
and to them were born four children: Reuben,
James B., Eliza (wife of Walter Crandall), and
Amy. When a young man the father of our sub
ject learned the wagonmaker's trade in La-
Fayetteville, Dutchess county, and for many
years followed that occupation at Rock City.
He was an expert workman, and had the re
spect and esteem of his fellow citizens. He
married Helen Emeline Cramer, daughter pf
Frederick Cramer, and they became the par
ents of five children: Frances, wife of Henry
D. Ostrom, a merchant of Rock City; Julius
W. , of Wurtemburg, N. Y. ; Frederick James,
subject of this sketch; Charles Bernard, of
Fonda, N. Y. , where he is engaged in book
keeping; and Byron H., a painter and paper
hanger, of Troy, N. Y. Members of the
family belong to the Friends and New Light
Churches. The father was called from this
earth in 1872, but his wife still survives him.
Although Frederick J. Cornwell received
but a limited education in the common schools
of Rock City, which he was compelled to
leave at the age of fourteen years, he has be
come a well-informed man by reading in sub
sequent years. On leaving the school room he
entered the employ of his brother-in-law, H.
D. Ostrom, with whom he remained eight
years, and August 23, 1875, became to Rhine
cliff, where he established a general store, in
partnership with Mr. Ostrom. At the end of
a year and a half he removed his stock to an
other store building, where he remained for
four and one-half years, and in April, 1S82,
came to his present site. He is a careful, con
servative business man, and well deserves the

460

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

success which has come to him, as he gives
the closest attention to his affairs.
On August 17, 1875, Mr. Cornwell was
married to Miss Cora Fero, daughter of Eli
Fero, of Rock City, and to them has been
born a daughter, Edna B. They also have
an adopted son, Fred R. , a son of Mrs,
Cornwell's brother. Our subject casts his
ballot with the Republican party, but takes
no active part in political affairs as his busi
ness occupies his entire time. He has served
as postmaster of Rhinecliff, for three and
one-half years under President Harrison, and
four years under President Cleveland, and
is still serving as postmaster under President
McKinley. For two terms he was one of the
assessors of his township. He is an active
member of the Methodist Church, of Rhine
cliff, of which he has served as trustee and
steward for many years.

JOHN H. DRAPER, a worthy representative
of the commercial interests of Poughquag,
Dutchess county, where he has engaged in
merchandising for twenty-three years, belongs
to that class of American citizens who take
advantage of surrounding opportunities, and
working their way upward have attained a
competence. In the spring of 1873 he arrived
in Poughquag, where he purchased the store of
Daniel F. Brill, which he has since conducted
with good success, and in the spring of 1SS9
erected his present building.
George W. Draper, his father, was born
about 18 16, in the town of Dover, where he
acquired his education in the district schools,
and was bound out to Ephraim Cronkright, a
farmer of that township; but he bought his
time and began work for Elihu Hoag. Having
secured a little money he entered Jacob Wil-
let's boarding school, in the town of Washing
ton, Dutchess county; and after completing his
education he engaged in teaching in the town
of Unionvale, Dutchess county, and continued
for twenty-four consecutive years, becoming
one of the most able instructors in the county.
He also served as school commissioner for
three terms. In Unionvale he was united in
marriage with Ruth E. Hall, who died in AprH,
1867, and his death occurred twenty years
later. In their family were three children:
Maria C, wife of Gilbert H. Purdy, of Pough
keepsie; Angeline, who died in infancy; and
John H. The father belonged to Shekomeko

Lodge, F. & A. M,, of Washington Hollow,
and in politics was a Democrat until the war
of the Rebellion, when he joined the Repub
lican party.
John H. Draper, our subject, was born in
the town of Unionvale January 4, 1849, and
his literary education was obtained under the
able instruction of his father. For one term,
in 1865-66, he attended Bryant & Stratton
Business College, at Poughkeepsie. He began
his business career as a clerk in the store of
David D. Vincent, of Unionvale, where he re
mained during 1S64 and 1865, and in the sum
mer of 1866 was employed in the drug store
of Wood & Tittamer, of Poughkeepsie, while
in the following fall he was engaged in teach
ing in the town of Unionvale. He next oper
ated the home farm in that town untH 1873,
during which time he served as school trustee,
and was elected justice of the peace in 1872.
Since leaving the farm he has carried on his
present business, and he well deserves the lib
eral patronage accorded him. Besides his
store, in which he carries a stock of $10,000,
he does an extensive business.
In 1870, in the town of Beekman, Mr.
Draper was married to Miss Jane Noxon,
daughter of Alfred and Deborah (Ganung)
Noxon, farming people of Delaware county,
who had a family of three children: Elizabeth,
William and Jane (Mrs. Draper). The mother
of this family died in 1878, the father is yet
living. Mr. and Mrs. Draper have two chil
dren: Fred and Ehzabeth, both at home.
Politically, Mr. Draper is an ardent Repub
lican, and is a public-spirited, progressive citi
zen, deeply interested in all that pertains to
the welfare and advancement of the town and
county with which he is identified. In 1877
and 1878 he served as supervisor, and at the
present time is the efficient town clerk, having
been elected in 1S94 and again in 1896. For
the past four years he has been a member of
the county committee. During Harrison's ad
ministration he served as postmaster.

y

ILES BUCKLEY. The Buckley fam
ily, of Wassaic, Dutchess county, is a
remarkable one, whose history is as honorable
as it is unique. Joseph Buckley, the grand
father, was born in England in 1792, and
when only ten years of age was brought to
America by his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

461

Hinchcliff. In the district schools of Amenia,
Dutchess county, he acquired his education,
and during his youth learned the weaver's
trade, at which he worked for many years.
His death occurred in 1S64. He was united
in marriage with Miss Julia Chapman, daugh
ter of Robert Chapman, of Sharon, Conn.,
and to them were born eight children : Henry,
Benjamin, Betsy, Robert, Joseph, Sarah, Sey
mour and Miles, all now deceased with the
exception of Betsy, who is the wife of Charles
Hall, of Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut.
Benjamin Buckley was born in the town of
Amenia, November 20, 181 2, and was there
reared, attending the district schools of the
neighborhood. When a young man he went
to Ohio, where he lived for three years, and
on his return east located in New York City,
where he learned the shoemaker's trade, which
he followed for some time at Sharon, Conn.
There, at the age of twenty years, he was
married to Miss Sally Ingraham, by whom he
had one daughter ,-^Julia^ who was born May
13, 1S34, and is now the wife of Gilbert Lake,
of Sharon. After a six-years' residence at that
place the father removed to Amenia, Dutchess
county, where the death qf his first wife oc
curred. At Pleasant Valley, Dutchess Co., N.
Y., June 24, 1840, by Rev. B. F. WHes, Ben
jamin Buckley was married to Harriet Lewis,
daughter of Hezekiah Lewis, of Amenia.
Twelve children — ten sons and two daugh
ters — blessed this union, namely: Seymour,
born March 24, 1841, lives at Amenia; Albert
P., born June 15, 1S42, resides at Dundee,
IH.; Louisa L. , born February 8, 1844, is the
wife of George Berch, of Wassaic; Lewis,
born March 29, 1S45, also lives in Wassaic;
Henry, born January 10, 1847, is a carpenter
of South Dover, Dutchess county; EHjah S. ,
born June 13, 1848, makes his home at New
Berlin, N. Y. ; Benjamin FrankHn, born Sep
tember 17, 1S49, resides in Elgin, 111. ; Charles,
born February 27, 185 1, is a resident of Was
saic; Miles, born December 16, 1S52, also
lives in Wassaic, N. Y. ; Edward, born June
4, 1854, also Hves in Wassaic; Catharine, born
September 10, 1855, died May 26, 1865; and
Norman R. , born September 5, 1856, is living
in Dundee, III. The children were all born
within the space of fifteen years, and received
honest, sensible names. Elijah, Charles, Ed
ward, Lewis, Albert and Norman are all in the
employ of the New York Condensed Milk Co.
All are now married, and are thrifty, enter

prising citizens, owning comfortable homes of
their own.
For three years after his second marriage,
Benjamin Buckley continued to make his home
at Amenia, and then removed to Ellsworth,
Conn., where he lived for eight years, at the
end of which time he located in the village of
Amenia, there passing the following four years.
After six months then passed at Sharon, Conn.,
he removed to Wassaic, where most of the
family have since resided. His death occurred
March 6, 1893, at the ripe old age of eighty-
one years. He was a Republican in politics,
and an honored veteran of the Civil war. The
war ref ord of the family is one of which they
may be justly proud, four of its members enter
ing the Union army to defend the country in
its hour of peril. Although over fifty years of
age, the father enlisted in Company A, 150th
N. Y. V. I., in which he faithfully served until
the close of the war; while of his sons, Sey
mour was a member of the 13th Connecticut;
Albert, of the 48th New York, and Lewis of
the 2nd Massachusetts regiment.
The mother died June 13, 1896, at the age
of eighty years, while she looked to be not over
sixty. She was the daughter of Hezekiah and
Lydia (Perry) Lewis (the former a native of
Connecticut, the latter of Amenia, Dutchess
county), and was' the third in a family of six
children, all now deceased. They were Sarah,
wife of John Church; Louisa, wife of Calvin
Day; Abigail, wife of Norman Bates; Lydia
Ann (unmarried); and Catherine, wife of Will
iam McArthur. Her father, who was a soldier
in the war of 1812, always lived in the town of
Amenia, where he followed the trade of a car
penter. Her grandfather, Joseph Lewis, was
a resident of Great Barrington, Mass., and
a Revolutionary soldier, faithfully serving
throughout the entire struggle for independ
ence.

¥IRGIL G. WINANS, one of the most
 energetic and enterprising agriculturists
of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county,
where he operates a good farm, is a native of
the county, born in Pine Plains, February 15,
1867, the only son of Seymour and Caroline
A. (Guernsey) Winans. He obtained his early
education in the district schools near his home,
later attending the Seymour Smith Institute,
in the village of Pine Plains,
Mr. Winans began life for himself, in li

462

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

on the Desault Guernsey farm, where he has
since resided, and has placed the land under a
high state of cultivation. On June 7, 1893,
he was united in marriage with Miss Susie
Conklin, a daughter of Isaac P. Conklin, of
the town of Washington, Dutchess county.
Mr. Winans is a prominent member of Stan
ford Grange. Although yet a young man, he
is rapidly growing into the esteem and respect
of his neighbors, and bids fair, in the near
future, to assume a prominent and influential
position in the community.
Calvin P. Guernsey, his maternal grand
father, was born in the town of Stanford, No
vember I, 181 1, and was a son of Ezekiel
Guernsey. His boyhood days were spent upon
the home farm, near Hunns Lake, and in the
district schools of the neighborhood he secured
his education. He studied medicine with Dr.
Haight, in the town of CHnton, Dutchess
county, and also with Dr. Peter Guernsey, of
New York City. After practicing for some
time at Clinton Corners he removed to Schultz
vHle, Dutchess county, but finally returned to
the town of Clinton, where he continued in
successful practice up to his death, which oc
curred December 3, 1855.
On October 30, 1839, in the town of Clin
ton, Dr. Guernsey was married to Miss Louisa
A. Arnold, who was born May 5, 1822, and
died December 4, 1853. They became the
parents of two children, namely: Welcome
A., who was born March 4, 1841, married
Laura Morris, of New York City, and died
January 22, 1867; and Caroline A. (mother of
our subject), who wasborn June 29, 1S46, and,
December 7, 1864, became the wife of Sey
mour Winans. Since i860 she has been a
faithful member of the Baptist Church, and is
a most estimable lady. Her mother was the
daughter of Welcome Arnold, who was born
September 11, 1783, and died October 2,
1 88 1. He wedded Mary Rowe, by whom he
had three children (all now deceased), namely:
Archibald H. R. , Melinda, and Louise. The
mother was born November 27, 1788, and de
parted this life March 24, 1876.

^ip\EORGE HENRY SWIFT, one of the
%^ representative and highly respected busi
ness men and farmers of the town of
Amenia, Dutchess county, is descended from
WHliam Swift, who came from England in the
great Boston immigration of 1630-1631. He

was born in the county of Essex, England
and on his arrival in Massachusetts located at
Watertown. In 1637, however, he sold his
possessions there, and removed to Sandwich,
Mass., on the cape, where he purchased the
largest farm in the locality, which is to-day
still owned and occupied by his lineal de
scendants. In his family were three chHdren:
William, Hannah and Esther.
William Swift, the son, was born in Eng
land, and accompanied his father to America.
He married Miss Ruth  , by whom he had
eleven children: Hannah, William, Jireh,
Josiah, Temperance, Esther, Dinah, Ephraim,
Samuel, Ruth and Mary. Ephraim Swift was
born at Sandwich, June 6, 1656, and died in
January, 1742. By occupation he was a car
penter and cooper. He married Miss Sarah
 , who died in August, 1734, and to them
were born seven children: Elizabeth, Johann,
Samuel, Ephraim, Sarah, Hannah and Moses.
Samuel Swift, the third son, was born at
Sandwich, Mass., April 9, 1686, and by trade
became a carpenter and blacksmith, which
pursuits he followed up to his death in Decem
ber, 1757. At Falmouth, Mass., December
24, 1712, he had piarried Miss Ruth Hatch,
and they became the parents of nine chHdren:
Ephraim, Manasseh, Judah, Reuben, Moses,
Mary, Joanna, Joan and Lydia,
Judah Swift, the third child of the above
family, was born at Sandwich, September 3,
1716, and December 14, 1738, was united in
marriage with Miss Elizabeth Morton, of Fal
mouth, Mass., where they continued to reside
until 1769. In that year they became resi
dents of Dutchess county, traveling the entire
distance to Amenia with an ox-team. Mr.
Swift there purchased what is now known as
the Barlow farm; but desiring a larger tract,
he exchanged it for the farm now owned by
Nathan W. Smith. He became one of the
most extensive land owners of the county,
owning at the time of his death (January 17,
1807) 1,800 acres of valuable land. Politic
ally he was a Tory. In his family were eight
children: Lois, Samuel, Nathaniel, Moses,
Rebecca, Seth, Elizabeth and Moses.
Seth Swift, the sixth of the family, was
the grandfather of our subject. He was born
at Falmouth, Mass., March 16, 1757, and died
November 12, 1S23. He erected a house upon
a portion of his father's vast estate, and there
continued to carry on agricultural pursuits untH
I his death. In 1782 he wedded Mary Wells,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

468

by whom he had six chHdren: Henry, Moses,
E. Morton, Ann W., Maria and Thomas.
Henry Swift, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Amenia February 5,
1784, and, after attending the district school
near his home, entered Yale College, where he
graduated in 1 804. He then studied law with
Van Ness & Livingston, of Poughkeepsie, N.
Y., and was admitted to the bar in 1S07. He
began the practice of his chosen profession at
Washington Four Corners, in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, where he re
mained until December, 18 16, at which time he
removed his office to the three-story brick build
ing opposite the Farmers' and Manufacturers'
Bank, Poughkeepsie, there successfully engag
ing in practice until his death, November 5,
1S66. From 1S41 until called from this life he
resided inthe house now occupied by Dr. A. P.
Van Gieson, on Cannon street. Socially, he
was identified with the Masonic fraternity, and
held a high position in the regard of his fellow
citizens. At Poughkeepsie, July 23, 1807, he
married Rebecca Warner, who was born there
June 26, 1785, a daughter of Thomas and
Alida Warner, and died October 7, 1855. In
their family were the fpllowing children :
Charles Wells, born June 27, 18 12, died No
vember 19, i8;^7; Maria, born September 22,
1S14, died June 2, 1841; John Morton, born
September 18, 1816, died April 3, 1SS7; George
Henry, of this sketch, is next in order of birth;
Frances, born November 29, 1821, died No
vember 13, 1887, and James Harvey, born
April 23, 1825, died September 27, 1889.
George Henry Swift, the only one of his
father's famHy now living, was born at the
family residence on Market street in Pough
keepsie, February 8, 1S20, and acquired his
early education at the Dutchess County Acad
emy, and at Judge Hall's private school, Elling
ton, Conn. , while he completed his literary
course at Yale College, entering in 1S37 and
graduating in 1840. Returning to Poughkeep
sie, he began the study of law in the office of
his father, and was admitted to the bar at
Utica, N. Y. , in 1843. He at once began the
practice of his profession at Poughkeepsie in
connection with his father and brother, Charles
W., and there remained until the spring of
1S46, when he sold out to them and came to
the town of Amenia, for one year making his
home with his brother John. He then pur
chased the farm on which he has since lived,
devoting his attention mainly to agricultural

pursuits, though he still engages in the prac
tice of law to a limited extent. He is now
president of and attorney for the First Na
tional Bank of Amenia. A conscientious,
earnest Christian gentleman, he has for many
years served as local preacher of the Methodist
Episcopal Church at Amenia Union, and in all
the relations of life he has faithfully discharged
his duties to himself, his neighbor and his
country. On January 28, 1844, at Poughkeepsie,
Mr. Swift married Emily Eddy Babcock,
daughter of Elder Rufus Babcock, pastor of
Lafayette Place Baptist Church, and they had
one son, Rufus Eddy, who was born October
25, 1844, and died July 3, 1870. The wife
and mother departed this life November 5,
1844. At Amenia, March 17, 1847, Mr. Swift
was again married, his second union being
with Pamela Forrest Paine, daughter of Har
vey and Hannah Paine, of that place. Six
children graced this union: Emily Eddy, born
January 21, 1848, died June 20, 1855; Eliza
beth R., born July 23, 1849, is the wife of
Samuel L. Brengle, of New York City, a ma
jor in the Salvation Army, and they have two
children — George S. and Elizabeth S. ; George
P., born March 26, 1851, died November 19,
1864; Harvey W., born July 23, 1855, died
December 10, 1864; Maria R., born May 12,
i860, died November 29, 1864, and Susan F. ,
born July 10, 1862, graduated at Vassar in
1883, and is now a brigadier in the Salvation
Army, and stationed at National headquarters.
New York City. The mother of this family
passed away June 20, 1S96.
Politically, Mr. Swift is a Republican, and
in 1854, at Washington Hollow, he took a
prominent part in the mass meeting that organ
ized the Republican party in Dutchess county,
and he has ever been one of its active sup
porters. He has efficiently served as super
visor and clerk, but has never been an office-
seeker.

yr ATHAN SMITH, a reliable and energetic ^
JllL business man of Dutchess county, is now
successfully conducting a general store at /
Amenia Union, where since 1S91 he has effi
ciently served as postmaster. A native of the
county, he was born in the town of Amenia,
April 21, 1848, and is a son of John H. and
Maria (Reed) Smith. His father, who was a
weH-known wagon maker of Amenia, traces his

464

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ancestry back to Nehemiah Smith, who came
to this country from England some time before
1637. He married Annie Bourne, and their
only son, who also bore the name of Nehemiah,
married Lydia Winchester. Their son Nehe
miah married Dorothy Wheeler, by whom he
had twelve children, the seventh being Isaac,
who wedded Esther Denison. Of their family
of eleven chHdren, William was the ninth in
order of birth. He married Sarah Smith, and
to them were born eleven children, Nathan
Smith, the seventh, being the grandfather of
our subject. By his marriage with Nancy
Waterman, he had five children, of whom John
H. was the youngest.
At the public schools of Wassaic, our sub
ject acquired his education, and at the age of
eighteen years he began working on the farm
of Homer Hitchcock. The following winter
he passed at Schenectady, N. Y. , after which
he returned to Dutchess county and was em
ployed on the farm of his uncle, Nathan W.
Smith, for a year. Subsequently he clerked
for two and a half years for Oliver Chamber
lain, and was again with his uncle Nathan for
three years. Four years later he spent in farm
ing at Cornwall Bridge, Conn. In 1S72 he
married Miss Josephine L. Hufcut, a daughter
of William Hufcut, of the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, and by her had one daughter,
Josephine. The wife and mother was called
to her final rest in 1875, ^nd in the spring of
1877 Mr. Smith was married at Amenia to
Miss Sarah Barrett, and they have one son,
Nathan Collins.
After his second marriage, Mr. Smith went
to Poughkeepsie township, Dutchess county,
where for two years he operated the farm of
Lawyer Weeks, and on his return to Amenia
town he conducted his uncle's farm for two
years. He was next superintendent of D. H.
Sherman's farm for a year, and the following
four years he rented land of W. A. Sherman.
On leaving that place he purchased the Jacob
Rundall farm, between Amenia and Wassaic,
where he made his home for three years, and
at the end of that time sold out to A. E. Hall.
In the spring of 1889, he purchased of A. D.
Buckley the old Lambert store at Amenia
Union, and has since engaged in general mer
chandising at that place, carrying a large and
well-selected stock. His courteous treatment
of his customers, and his systematic methods of
doing business, have won for himself a liberal
patronage, so that he now enjoys a lucrative

trade. Politically, he supports the men and
measures of the Republican party, and is promi
nently connected with Webatuck Grange, while
in religious belief he is a Baptist, being a lead
ing member of the Church of that denomina
tion at Amenia.
r^itFRIGHT DEVINE, the efficient post-

jIllL. master of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, who, in relation to the village, has
largely promoted its interests and supported
all measures calculated to prove of public
benefit, was born December 13, 1838, in that
locality. In the early Colonial days there came from
Holland to America the founder of the family
in the New World. He was the great-grand
father of our subject, and his son, the grand
father, Abram Devine, was born in New Jer
sey. The latter married Ann Devine, and
located on a farm in the town of Pleasant
Valley, where he reared a family of seven chil
dren, as follows: Daniel, a farmer of Pleasant
Valley; Abel, who carried on agricultural pur
suits in the town of Washington; Jonathan,
father of our subject; Joshua, also a farmer of
Washington; Phcebe, who married Abram Van-
Vlack, a farmer of Dutchess county; Nancy,
who married William Welling, of Dutchess
county; Joel, a physician of Poughkeepsie.
Grandfather Devine made farming his lifework
and died on the old homestead in 1850, a Hfe-
long Democrat, his wife passing away some
years previous.
Jonathan Devine, the father of our subject,
was born and reared on the old home place,
and became a shoemaker by trade. In 1827
he married Catherine Van Vlack, a native of
Dutchess county, and a daughter of Andrew
and Elizabeth Van Vlack, the former of whom
was also descended from Holland ancestry.
Mr. and Mrs. Devine took up their residence
upon a farm in the town of Pleasant Valley,
and reared a family of ten chHdren: Abram and
Albert, who follow farming in Pleasant Valley;
Mary E., deceased; Sarah J.; Bartlett, who
operates the old homestead; Reuben C. , a
farmer of Lagrange township; Erastus and
Theodore, both deceased; Anna E. , wifeof E.
C. Drake, a merchant of Pleasant Valley; and
Wright. The father died October 3, i88i,at
the age of eighty-four, the mother on October
29, 1890, aged eighty-one years. He was a
Democrat in politics, and for thirty years

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Am-

served acceptably as justice of the peace, dis
charging his duties in a highly creditable and
satisfactory manner.
Throughout his life Wright Devine, our
subject, has lived in Pleasant Valley. Farm
work and study in the public schools occupied
most of his time during childhood, and after
leaving the district school he engaged in teach
ing in the town of Lagrange for one year.
He afterward continued his education in the
Nine Partners School, and later resumed teach
ing, after which he was employed as a sales
man in a general mercantile store at Four Cor
ners. His next service was in the employ of
a fire insurance company, which he repre
sented in Ulster county. He is now serving
as postmaster of Pleasant Valley, to which
position he was appointed by President Cleve
land, and his administration of the affairs of
the office commends him to the respect and
confidence of all. He has been justice of the
peace some twelve years, and town clerk for
several years. Mr. Devine was married Sep
tember lo, 1866, to Miss Julia M. Way, daugh
ter of James Way, a carpenter, and they have
two children: Grace E. and Seward W. The
mother died in 1893, a devout member of St.
Paul's Church.
In the spring of 1 867 Mr. Devine, in con
nection with his brother Albert, purchased his
present store, and after a partnership of two
years became solfe proprietor. He is an enter
prising, progressive merchant, and his large
and carefully selected stock receives the pat
ronage of the public in a liberal degree. Mr.
Devine is never too busy to devote a portion
of his time to the public welfare. He was
largely instrumental in buHding the sidewalks
in Pleasant Valley village, and is interested in
all that pertains to the upbuilding of the com
munity. In religious faith he attends St.
Paul's Church, of which he is vestryman and
treasurer. Socially, he is a member of the
order of F. & A. M. , and for two years was
master of Shekomeko Lodge No. 458, and he
is now treasurer of that lodge. His innate
nobUity of character, and his devotion to every
manly principle, have made him one of the
most highly esteemed residents of Pleasant
Valley. 
Es^DWIN BROWN, a well-known artist, re-
 'I siding near Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
finds much of the inspiration for his beautiful
landscapes in the picturesque scenery which
30

surrounds his home. " His farm had been ini
the possession of his family for several gen
erations. Bastian Brown, great-grandfather of our
subject, and who was one of three brothers
who came from Holland about 1730, leased a
large tract of land from Col. Beekman soon
after his arrival, and a portion of it comprises
Mr. Brown's present estate. Bastian Brown
married Margaret Schultz, and had three chil
dren: Peter (our subject's grandfather), Elea
nor, and John. Peter Brown married Eleanor
Paulding, and settled at the old homestead.
Six children were born of this union: Sebas
tian (our subject's father), John (who died in
chHdhood), Margaret (Mrs. Camp, of Newark,
N. J.), WilHam and Edwin (who never mar
ried), and Abigail (who married James Clear-
man, of New York).
Sebastian Brown was born at the old farm
in 1795. He married Eliza Bard, a daughter
of Anthony Bard, a prominent butcher of
Rhinebeck. He was a native of Germany,
and the name of the family was originally
Barth. For some years after their marriage
our subject's parents lived upon a farm in
Hyde Park, but in 1844 they returned to the
old homestead, where they spent their remain
ing years. They had eight chHdren: Peter,
a painter in Rhinebeck; Helen (deceased),
formerly the wife of Harry Wheeler, a carpen
ter; Emily, who married Levi Baker, a mer
chant; Eliza (deceased); Lewis, a carpenter
(now deceased); Edwin, our subject; John C. ,
a resident of Rhinebeck; and Henry H., who
lives in Philadelphia. The mother of our sub
ject died September i, 1850, the father on Oc
tober 21, 1883. He had been a Whig in bis
younger days, later becoming an adherent of
the Republican party, and still later voting the
Prohibition ticket.
The subject of this sketch was born De
cember 21, 1833, in the town of Hyde Park,
and he was eleven years old when his parents
moved to the homestead, where he has since
resided. He was married, July 7, 1863, to
Miss Geraldine F. Pultz, a daughter of the
late Philip Pultz, a prosperous butcher of the
town of Rhinebeck. They have had five chil
dren: Nettie married David L. ParHman;
EmHy is at home; Charles H. married Augusta
Pless, and lives in New York; Robert B. is at
home; and Mabel died in chHdhood. The
early generations of his family adhered to the
Reformed Dutch Church, but our subject and

466

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ibis wife are members of the Methodist Church.
In every movement for the educational or
social improvement of the community they
take deep interest, and they are prominent
supporters of the temperance cause, Mr. Brown
giving his vote of late years to the Prohibi
tion party.

JOHN L. HAMMOND, an honored and
worthy representative of one of the pioneer
- families of Dutchess county, is a true type
of the energetic and progressive farmers of the
present day. He is a native of the county,
his birth having taken place in the town of
Northeast, August 7, 1850, and he is a son of
James Hammond, who was born in the town
of Washington, January 31, iSio.
Benjamin Hammond, paternal grandfather
of our subject, was of English lineage, and be
came a leading farmer of the town of Wash
ington. By his marriage with Anna Fitch, he
had six children, namely: Cyrus, a farmer of
Washington town; John, who also engaged in
farming in that township, but died in Niagara
county, N. Y. ; Isaac, who was a harness
maker of this locality, and died unmarried;
James, the father of our subject; Andrew B.,
also an agriculturist of Washington town; and
Lydia, wife of Nathaniel Lockwood, a farmer
of the same township.
After reaching man's estate James Ham
mond married Lucinda B. Washburn, a native
of Erie county, N. Y. , and a daughter of Sol
omon Washburn, who was of EngHsh descent,
and a blacksmith by trade. They began their
domestic life upon a farm in the town of
Nojrtheast, where they reared their four chil
dren, who in order of birth are as follows:
Anna M. is the wife of Calvin Bryan, a farmer
of the town of Northeast; Henry C. died un
married in 1872; James E. spent his life on
Wall street. New York, and died in the town
of Stanford, Dutchess county; and John L. is
the subject of this review. Throughout his
entire life the father carried on the occupation
of farming, and was quite prominent in politic
al circles, being a leader in the Republican
party in his community. In 1847-48 he was
a member of the General Assembly of New
York, and he held many minor offices, being
sheriff of Dutchess county in 1 8 59-60-61. Re
ligiously he was a member of the Friends
Church, to which his widow also belongs. His
death occurred in 1867.

Our subject received the benefits of a good
common-school education, and was otherwise
fitted for the battle of "life. On attaining his
majority he left the parental roof, going to
Buffalo, N. Y., where for two years he was
employed by R. L. Howard in the Howard
Iron Works; in 1872, however, he returned to
the farm in the town of Northeast, where he
remained until 1883, when he removed to his
present farm. It comprises 170 acres of rich
and arable land, and besides general farming
he is also extensively engaged in the dairy
business, which proves to him a profitable
source of income.
Mr. Hammond was married, in 1877, to
Miss Josephine M. Bertine, who was born in
New York City, a daughter of Robert and
Mary Bertine. The family is of French origin.
Two sons have been born of this union: James
E. and Robert B. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond
are members in good standing of the Reformed
Church, and number their friends by the score
in that locality. He uniformly votes the Re
publican ticket, and has materially assisted in
the progress and development of the country
around him.

C^HARLES J. VAN WYCK. a leading under-
__' taker of the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, is a worthy representative of a family
that has long been identified with the inter
ests of the county. He is descended from
Cornelius Van Wyck, who was born and edu
cated in the town of Beekman, and when the
Revolution broke out he entered the Continen
tal army and was made captain of his com
pany. At the time of his enhstment, in 1776,
he was living at Green Haven, Dutchess
county. He proved a brave and fearless
officer, and was killed at the battle of White
Plains. As an occupation he followed farm
ing and milling throughout life. In his family
were two children: Theodorus, the great
grandfather of our subject; and Sarah, who
married William Doughty.
Theodorus Van Wyck was also a native of
the town of Beekman, in early life followed
farming, but later turned his attention to hotel
keeping and milling. He married Miss Clarissa
Vanderburgh, daughter of George and 
(Clarke) Vanderburgh, of the town of Beekman,
and to them were born eight chHdren: Robert,
the grandfather of our subject; James, who
married Ann Cline; Cornelius; George, who

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

467

married Jane A. Scriber; Gilbert, who married
Rebecca White; Almira, who became the wife
of G. Washington Waite; Caroline, who
wedded Robert Miller; and Clarissa, who mar
ried WHliam Miller.
Robert Van Wyck was born in the town
of Beekman in 1800, was there educated and
learned the carpenter's trade, at which he
worked untH 1828, when he took up the
occupation of farming. He became a Re
publican in politics, and was called upon to
fill some minor offices in his locality. He
married Miss Caroline Van Sicklin, daughter
of Court and Sarah (Van Wyck) Van Sicklin,
and they became the parents of seven children:
John S., the father of our subject; Sarah A.,
who married Joseph Vincent; William, who
married Catharine Lawrence; Mary, who first
married Gilbert J. Vincent, and after his death
wedded Benjamin Shelley; Caroline, who mar
ried Charles White; Clarissa, who married
Oliver Lawrence; and Phoebe, who married
John L. Wright.
The birth of John S. Van Wyck took place
on Pearl street, in New York City, in 1827,
but he was educated in Dutchess county, and
on starting out in life he engaged in the butch
ering business. Later he has been employed
at mHHng, hotel keeping and farming. He
has taken a prominent part in public affairs,
always supporting the Republican party by his
ballot, and has efficiently served as supervisor,
town clerk, assessor, poor master, and in many
other town offices, but is now living retired.
Socially, he is connected with the Hopewell
Lodge No. 596, F. & A. M. In 1848 he mar
ried Miss Mary E. Brill, daughter of Cornell
Brill, and to them were born three children:
Cornell B. married Lottie Morris, and had six
chHdren — Sarah, Eddie, Georgiana, Edith,
Herbert and Ida; Sarah A. married James
Adriance, and has two chHdren — Frank and
Elizabeth; and Frank Van Wyck died when
young. After the death of his first wife, Mr.
Van Wyck wedded Miss Mary A. Duncan,
daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Gardner) Dun
can, and five children graced their union:
Carrie, who died in childhood; DeWitt C,
who married AHce Vincent, and has two chil
dren — Ida and Annie M. ; Charles J., subject
of this review; John G. ; and Ida, now the
wife of WHliam A. Ross, by whom she has
two children — Viola and Inez.
Charles J. Van Wyck was born in the town
of Beekman, and acquired a good education in

the schools of Beekman, and at Poughkeepsie.
He began his business career as a farmer, later
was for three years in the employ of Mr. Os
trander, an undertaker of Poughkeepsie, and
since that time has engaged in the undertaking
business on his own account in the town of
Uniondale. He is a popular and highly re
spected citizen, one who easily makes friends,
and has the happy faculty of retaining them.
He married Miss Lillie E. Knapp, daughter of
George J. Knapp, a farmer and mHler of the
town of Beekman, and to them has been born
a son, Charles G.
John Knapp, the great-grandfather of Mrs.
Van Wyck, was a native of England, where he
was reared and educated, and on coming to the
United States located in Putnam county, N.
Y., there carrying on the occupation of farm
ing. By his marriage with Nancy Shaw he had
eight children: John, Isaac, Israel, Michael,
William, Enoch, Lizzie and Denia.
William Knapp, the grandfather, was born
in Putnam county, and there followed farming
throughout life. He married Statia Jewell,
and nine children were born to them, namely:
Clarissa A., who married John R. Knapp;
Phoebe, who married a Mr. Belknapp; Han
nah, who married Charles Van Dine; William,
who died in infancy; Nancy, who married Will
iam Ellis; George J., the ^father of Mrs. Van-
Wyck; Catherine, who first married a Mr.
Stricklin, and after his death wedded Henry
Bush; Emma, who married Oscar Budd; and
Robert D., who remained single.
In Putnam county, N. Y. , George J.
Knapp was born in 1842, and received his
education at CortlandvHle, N. Y. The princi
pal part of his life has been devoted to agricult
ural pursuits, but he is now engaged in mill
ing. He was united in marriage with Miss
Sarah E. Warner, and their only child is now
Mrs. Lillie E. Van Wyck, who was born in
1869. The mother was born in New Milford,
Conn., and the parents now make their home
in the town of Beekman, Dutchess county.
Thomas Simpson, the great-grandfather of
Mrs. Van Wyck, of the maternal side, was a
native of Dutchess county, and in early life
learned the shoemaker's trade, which he con
tinued to follow. He also was a Revolutionary
soldier. He married Miss Sarah Whaley, and
to them were born the following children:
Isaac; Brunson, who married Clarissa Pendly;
Peter; George, who married Catharine Sey
mour; WiHiam H., who married Mary Pattie;

;l;1

468

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Neilson; John; Abel, who married Rachel
Clarkson; Hannah; and Cornelia, who died in
infancy. Of this family Hannah Simpson was
born and educated in Dutchess county, and on
reaching womanhood married Rozell Warner,
a miller of Dutchess county, by whom she had
six chHdren — Harriet; Isaac S., who married
Sarah Lee; John S. (deceased); Thomas S.,
who married Lillie Blithman; Armette A. , who
became the wife of Henry Canaday, and
Sarah E., the mother of Mrs. Van Wyck.

(RS. RUHAMER W. PULVER BIRD,
who is prominently identified with the
best social circles of the town of Stanford, where
she resides on a fine estate near Shekomeko,
is a member of a family which has long been
held in high esteem in this locality.
Her grandfather, WHliam W. Pulver, a
German by birth, was^a leading agriculturist
of his day in the town of Pine Plains, Pulver's
Corners being named in his honor. He was
married there to Christina Millais, by whom
he had eleven children: John, William, Henry,
Levi, Peter, Jacob, Catherine, Mary, Herman,
Anthony and Esther. Henry Pulver, Mrs.
Bird's father, was born January 13, 1806, and
passed his early life at Pulver's Corners, where
he attended the district schools, and later pur
sued more advanced studies under tutors at
home. He was married June 7, 1829, to Jane
Eliza Cook, a descendant of one of the old
families of Amenia, born November 23, 1808,
daughter of Lewis Cook, and granddaughter of
Col. Cook, who once kept the ' ' Pratt House "
at that place. Six children were born of this
union, whose names with dates of birth are as
follows; Ruhamer W. (Mrs. Bird), February
28, 1830; Frances S., AprH 10, 1831, the wife
of Orrin Wakeman, of MHIerton; Mary J., De-
cerirBer''20^ 1832, who married Myron H.
Sherman, of Beekman, N. Y. , and died No
vember 17, 1882; Henrietta P., March 26,
1834, the wife of L. L. Barton, of Coleman
Station; E. Maria, November 28, 1839, who
married ColHns Sheldon, of Millerton, and Del-
lie A., June 3, 1845, who died May 24, 1879.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Pulver settled
upon a farm at Livingston Manor, Columbia
county, where he remained untH 1839, when
he came back to his native county and located
permanently upon the homestead now occu
pied by Mrs. Bird, her present beautiful resi
dence being erected by him. He was promi

nent in local affairs, and, although never an
office-seeker, he took great interest in political
questions, first as a Whig and then as a Re
publican, and he was a member of the M. E.
Church at Bangall, the family, of the Presby
terian Church at Smithfield. His wife passed
from earth August 21, 1880, and he survived
her untH July 19, 1894.
On February 17, 1858, the subject of our
sketch was married to the late VirgH Bird, a
member of an old New England family, whose j
interesting genealogical record is given below. /I
He was born at SaHsbury, Conn., May 3i,l\
181 5, but was educated at the Nine Partners)
Boarding School, in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county. He became a carpenter and
joiner, and followed that trade until 1849,
when he went to CaHfornia and spent three
years in mining. Returning to Dutchess coun
ty, he engaegd in the cattle business at Amenia;
but after his marriage he moved to Binghamp
ton, where he resided until 1866. The follow
ing fifteen years were passed at Salisbury,
Conn., and in 1881 he came back to this
county, and spent his remaining days in the
town of Stanford, where he died March 27,
1895. He was a man of many admirable
qualities of character, and was held in the
highest regard by all who knew him. In poli
tics he was a Democrat; but he made no effort
to secure personal advancement in public life.
Of the eight children of Mr. and Mrs. Bird, all
but two survive: Cora C. married Myron E.
GHlette, of Ansonia, Conn. ; Henry P. married
Daisy Wedge, of Naugetuck, Conn. ; James E.
married Grace Scott, of Danbury, Conn. ; Jen
nie P. is at home; Virgil B. Hves at Ansonia,.
Conn.; Ruey W. died July 4, 1892, aged
twenty-two years; Isaac B. is at home; and
Salome T. died in infancy.
The subjoined sketch of the Bird family
was written by Rev. Isaac Bird, in 1855, and
was intended to show mainly the male de
scendants of the original ancestor of the
American line, omitting, especially in the early
generations, the names of the daughters and
such of the sons as left no issue that has sur
vived to the present day. The records cover
eleven generations, as follows: (I) — Thomas
Bird, first known at Hartford 1644, died
about 1660, leaving legacies to two sons —
Joseph and James Bird — and two daughters
— Mrs. North and Mrs. Scott.
(II) — Joseph and James Bird are found
among the first settlers and proprietors of

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

469

Farmington, about 1660, and both, with their
wives, were members of the Church. Joseph
had eight chHdren — five sons and three daugh
ters — and died in 1695. " James married Lydia
Steele, and died in 170S, leaving one son and
six daughters, all married. 1 i
(III) — Joseph, son of Joseph, married Mary
Steele, had three sons and two daughters, and
died in 1729. Thomas, son of James, lived in
that part of Farmington afterward called
Northington (now Avon), of "Shady Side"
memory. He united with the Church in 169 1,
married Mary Woodford, July 3, 1693, had
three sons and five daughters, and died 1725.
(IV) — Samuel, son of Joseph, son of Joseph
(2), married Eunice Wadsworth, February 13,
1730, had three sons and four daughters.
John, Joseph and Jonathan, sons of Thomas, of
Avon. The two former were among the first
settlers and proprietors of Litchfield, and
Joseph, of Salisbury, also — John was born
1695, married his second wife, Mary Atwood,
June 20, 1728, by whom he had six sons and
two daughters. He died about 1750. His
wife lived till 1794, and died at Bethlehem, aged
ninety-two. Joseph was born December 27,
1696, went to Litchfield in 171 8 or 1719,
married (1721) Dorcas Norton, daughter of
John Norton, Jr., and of Ruth Moore, his
wife (who was a daughter of Deacon Isaac
Moore), all of Farmington; removed to Salis
bury, 1748, lost his wife, Dorcas, in 1750-
51, married widow Eldredge, 1752, by
whom he had one daughter. He died 1754.
He had seven sons and three daughters —
Jonathan was born December 28, 1699, mar
ried Hannah Thomson 1732, had three sons
and four daughters, died in Kensington, 1748,
worth 1,600 pounds.
(V) — Joseph, son of Samuel, was born
1736, had three wives and many children.
Sons of John, Joseph and Jonathan: (i) Of
John — Seth, Ebenezer, Atwood and Jonathan.
Seth was born January 4, 1733, rnarried sec
ond wife, Hannah Sheldon, February 8, 1768,
one surviving son; died 1805 at Litchfield,
South Farms. He was a physician of consid
erable eminence. Ebenezer was born 1739,
married about 1773, died Bethlehem 1789.
Left four sons — Amos, David, Ebenezer and
Daniel. Atwood, born about 1741, was mar
ried twice, died Verona, N. Y. — a man re
markable for his integrity. He had one son
by first wife; had eight chHdren by his second.
One by the name of Chauncey was supposed.

in 1855, to be stHl living. Jonathan, born
1743, married Amy Humphrey about 1777; had
two sons- and four daughters; died 1786, in
Simsbury, Conn., aged forty-three. Was a
physician. The daughter left children by the
names of Bodwell, Everett and Goodwin. (2)
Sons of Joseph (V) — James (VI), Joseph and
Amos. James (VI) was born in Litchfield,
1722; married Abigail Gridley, of Kensington,
1750; had two sons and three daughters; died
in Salisbury, September 28, 1794, aged
seventy-two;' his wife died 1S15, aged eighty-
four. Of his three daughters, Dorcas married
Col. Noah Lee, of Castleton, Vt. ; Abigail
married D. Mcintosh; and Eunice, (first) J.
Lord, fsecond) William Mather, a physician of
Torringford, Conn. All have numerous de-
scendents. Joseph, born in Litchfield, June 18,
1733; marriedHuldah Sprague; had six sons and
six daughters intermarried respectively with
Messrs. Garfield, Herrick, Chapin, Fowler
and Curtis. Amos was born in Litchfield,
May 13, 1 741; married Hannah Swift, of Sal
isbury; died greatly respected, in Castleton,
Vt., 1773, leaving a young daughter, Dorcas,
who married William Holabird, of Canaan,
Conn. (3) Son of Jonathan — Jonathan born
Avon, 1747; graduated Yale college, 1768;
married  Hogeboom; lost son and wife
early; died 1813 in Hebron, Conn., was a
preacher and physician.
(VI) — Benjamin (son of Joseph, of Samuel)
was born October 23, 1780; married Deborah
Carrington, 1801; had two sons and three
daughters. The daughters rnarried, respect
ively, Messrs. Cloyes, Hammond and Lewis.
Benjamin still lives. His residence is in Plain
ville, Conn. (II) Grandsons of John, of Litch
field — (i) John of Seth; born Litchfield, 1769;
graduated Yale College, 1786; married (first)
Eunice, daughter of CoL Joshua Porter, of
Salisbury, (second) Sally Buell, of Litchfield;
had two sons; died Troy, N. Y., 1806, aged
thirty-seven. He was a lawyer and politician.
(2) Sons of Ebenezer, of John, viz. : Amos,
David, Ebenezer and Daniel. Amos was born
Bethlehem, June 13, 1774; married Miss Cook,
of Wallingford, 1797; now (1855) living in
New Haven, Vt. ; has had three sons and six
daughters; one son living; the daughters mar
ried into the names of Ballon, Washburn and
Hinman. David born in Bethlehem 1776;
married Elizabeth Church about 1797; both
died in 1849, aged seventy-three. They had
ten chHdren: Three of the daughters took the

470

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

names of Gaylord, Thompson and Loomis.
Ebenezer was born June 6, 1778, married Lois
Barber, 1806; had five sons, among whom were
Daniel, Ebenezer M. and Newton, and six
daughters. Four of the latter married Thomp
son, Eddy, Gregory and Crowley, Ebenezer
lives in Victory, Cayuga Co., N. Y. Daniel,
supposed in 1855 to be still living near his
children at Prairie Ronde, Kalamazoo Co.,
Mich. , has two sons and three daughters. One
of the daughters married W. B. Austin, of New
York. (3) Son of Atwood, viz.: Chauncey
married in Farmington, resided a whHe in
Litchfield; afterward removed his family to
some part of Onondaga county, N. Y. , and in
183S to Michigan. (Another son of Atwood
married in Farmington, and lived in Cincin
nati, where he died. He was wealthy, and
left a son supposed to be living in 1855 in New
York City.) (4) Son of Jonathan, of John,
viz.: Jonathan, born Simsbury, 1775; married
Betsey Grinnell, of Greenfield, Mass. ; had
three sons and one daughter; died Greenfield,
Mass., 1813, aged thirty-seven.
The grandsons of Joseph (V) of Litchfield
and Salisbury, (i) The two sons of James
(VI), viz. : Thomas and Isaac (VII). — Thomas,
son of James, was born SaHsbury, April 22,
1754; married Betsey Chamberlin, 1777, of
South Canaan, Conn. ; had five sons and three
daughters. The daughters married Messrs.
Dibble, Rockwell and Collamer, of Sandy
HHl, N. Y. Isaac, brother of Thomas; born
May 5, 1757; married Rhoda Selleck, of SaHs
bury, February 28, 1780; had four sons and
three daughters. He died Salisbury, January
16, 1829. His daughters married Messrs.
Covey, of Penfield, N. Y., Wheeler, of Salis
bury, Conn., and Reed, of Bethany, Penn.,
respectively. (2) Three sons of Joseph, of Tyringham,
Mass. — (i) Moore was born October 22, 1756;
married Delavergne, of Amenia, N. Y. ; had
four sons and two daughters; died in Amenia.
His daughter, Julia, married Hiram Brown.
(2) Joseph was born August 8, 1759; married
Cynthia Binney; had five sons and four daugh-^
ters. He is still living in Bristol, Vt. His
daughters married into the names of Keeler,
Foote and Eastman. (3) Nathaniel was born
in Salisbury, 1761; married Hannah Ballard;
lived in North Marlboro; removed to Westfield,
N. Y., 1 8 16; had five sons and six or seven
daughters. He died at his daughter Foster's
house, near Buffalo, while on a visit. His

daughters married into families named — Ma-
comber, Foster, Sessions and Heminway, re
spectively. (VII) — (i) Son of Benjamin — George, born
March 10, 1802; married first Elizabeth Stan
ley, of Plainville, second Miranda Munson, of
Plymouth; resides New Haven, Conn., has
daughter, Sarah Ely, and a son, Norton Stan
ley. (2) Great-grandsons of John of Litch-'
field. — (i) Sons of John, of Troy, son of Dr.
Seth, of Litchfield, viz: John Herman, born
1790; was kHled on board the frigate "Presi
dent" by a ball from the "Belvidere," June 23,
18 1 2. WilHam A., born 1797; has two sons
and two daughters; resides at Black Rock, near
Buffalo, N. Y. (2) Sons of Amos, David,
Ebenezer and Daniel of Generation VI. —
Canfield, son of Amos, of New Haven, Vt. ;,
born February, 1803; married Elizabeth
Washburn, of Leominster, N. H., December
30, 1828; has three sons and four daughters;
resides in New Haven, Vt. — Harmon, son of
David, of Bethlehem, Conn. ; born August,
1798; married November, 1823; one son,
James. — Joshua, of David; born May 21, 1800;
married Carol Jackson September 5, 1822;
children — five sons and three daughters; reside
in Bethlehem, Conn. — David, of David, born
March 11, 1804; married Miss Phelps about
1835; one son and one daughter; resides in
Winchester, Conn. — Daniel, son of Ebenezer,
of Victory; born March 20, 18 19; married
Mary Thompson, August, 1840. — Ebenezer
M., do. ; born October 25, 1821; married Eliza
Barney, 1846. — Newton L., do.; born Decem
ber 4, 1826; married Mary Ann Martin, Au
gust, 1845. — Sons of Daniel, of Michigan; two
in number; names unknown; reside in Prairie
Ronde, in Michigan. (3) Sons of Chauncey,
unknown. (4) Sons of Jonathan, son of Dr.
Jonathan, of Simsbury; these are George,
Jonathan and Edward, residing in BellevHle,
New Jersey.
The great-grandsons of Joseph, of Litchfield
and Salisbury: (i) Son of Thomas, son of
James, of Salisbury; Orren, born in 1794, died
182^, Sandy Hill, left one son. (2) Sons of
Isaac (VII) of James: James (VIII), born Janu
ary 27, 1785; married Susan Dauchy; five sons
and five daughters; died in Kirkwood, N. Y. ,
January 25, 1865. His daughters are aH mar
ried. Isaac, born June 19, 1793, graduated
Yale College, 18 16; a minister; married Ann
Parker, of New Hampshire, November, 1822;
ten children — six living, two sons and four

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

471

daughters; resides in Hartford, Conn. ; died
Great Barrington, Mass., May or June, 1876,
at the Sedgewick Institute, of which he and
his son, James Bird, A. M. , were successful
principals many years previous to, and at the
time of, his death.
(3) Sons of Moore, of Amenia, N. Y. : Au
gustus, removed to West Michigan, near Kal
amazoo; died leaving a family; Henry resides
in Amenia with a family; has two sons married.
(4) Sons of Joseph, of New Haven, Vt. :
¦Thomas had two sons and four daughters;
died Canton, N. Y. — Gustavus A., born about
1 791; graduated Middle'toq College, 18 12; had
one son and two daughters; died in Missouri.
One daughter, Jane, married Lorenzo D., son
of Nath. Bird, of Westfield. Frederic A. had
eight sons and one daughter. The daughter
married H. Dorrance, Rutland, Vt. The sur
viving sons are Roderick D. , Myron L. , Charles
L., Edwin, Riley and Dr. Amos, supposed
without famHy. Anson is in New Haven, Vt. ;
has two sons, James and Joseph.
(5) Sons of Nathaniel, of Joseph, of Tyring
ham, Mass. : Amos, went from N. Marboro
to Westfield, N. Y., 18 12; married Mary Grif
fith, 1814; died 1823. Surviving children —
two sons and one daughter. Frederick mar
ried Lovisa Warren about 1823; died 1844;
left seven children; two sons in California; a
married daughter and the remaining children
with their mother at Warrenville. Ira R. was
married, 1834, to Caroline Beecher, niece of
Dr. Lyman Beecher; died 1841; two surviving
children — Lorenzo D., born 1813; graduated
Yale College, 1839; went to Missouri, 1842;
married Jane, daughter of Gustavus Bird, of
St. Genevieve, Mo., practicing law in Weston,
a town 400 mHes up the Missouri river. Charles
Lee, born 18 16; married Ellen Kent; has one
son; has lately gone to California with his
family. (VIII) — (i) ChHdren of George, of New
Haven, Conn.: Susan E. , Norton S., and
perhaps others. Two chHdren of William A.,
of Black Rock: John H., a physician in Chi
cago; another son educated at Union College.
Two other children, daughters. (3) Children
of Canfield, of Vermont: Julia, born in New
Haven, July 6, 1S30; Amos Cook, born Octo
ber 14, 1832; Ellen Sophia, born December
II, 1834; James  , born in Richland,
Mich., February 16, 1837;- Elijah Washburn,
born in New Haven, September 30, 1840;
Emma Melinda, June 26, 1845; Mary Eliza

beth, November 16, 1848. .(4) Son of Har
mon, of Bethlehem: James. (5) Children of
Joshua, of Bethlehem: Andrew Jackson, born
November 28, 1823, died in 1824; Theodore,
June 8, 1825, married Eliza, daughter of Rev.
F. Harrison, October 9, 1849; Elizabeth Mary,
born October 9, 1826; Samuel Jackson, born
August 7, 1S2S; David, died young; Stanton,
born July 3, 1833; Caroline Martha, born Oc
tober 19, 1837; Sarah Imogene, born June 26,
1840. — Son of David, of Winchester, Sterling.
(6) Grandchildren of Daniel, of Michigan.
(7) GrandchHdren of Chauncey, who moved
from Litchfield to Onondaga and to Michigan.
(8) Son of Orren, of Sandy Hill. (9) Henry,
of Isaac, of Salisbury, has a widow remaining,
and a daughter married E. N. Hart, of Still
water, N. Y. (10) Children of Agustus and
Henry, sons of Moore, of Amenia, N. Y. ; the
former are in Michigan, the latter in Amenia.
(11) Children of Thomas, son of Joseph, of
Bristol, Vt. : One son, Joseph, and four daugh
ters, now living near Canton, N. Y. (12)
Children of Gustavus A., of St. Genevieve:
One son and two daughters; one of these
daughters married Lorenzo D. Bird, son of
Nathaniel. (13) ChHdren of Frederick A.:
Eight sons and one daughter, viz. : Rhoderick
D., of Waynesburg, Greene Co., Penn. (who
has a son and daughter), Myron L., Charles
L., and as before mentioned M. L. and C. L.,
have gone to California. (14) Children of
Anson, viz.: James, and Joseph, New Haven,
Vt. (15) Children of Amos, of Nathaniel, of
Westfield, viz. : Philander, merchant, Roscoe,
111. ; Nelson, of Chautauqua county, a farmer.
His daughter married — Boilvin, of Peoria.
(16) Children of Frederick: Byron B., and
Edwin, in CaHfornia; Ellen D., married to a
physician — with Henry and three daughters
all in WarrenviHe, III. (17) Children of Ira
R. : Two only survive, viz. : Franklin (a printer),
western Missouri, and William went to Cali
fornia and China.
(IX) — Children of James, son of Isaac, of
Salisbury: Ripley, Virgil, Henrietta married
B. Cook, Annis married -EHza Leach, Isaac,
Celestia married John Leach, James, Sarah
married J. Woodruff, Marion married M.
Langdon, George, all born in Salisbury. The
family homestead is now in Conklin, near
Binghamton, N. Y. (10) ChHdren of Isaac,
son of Isaac, viz. : WHliam, born on the island
of Malta, August, 1823; graduated Dartmouth
College, 1844, married Sarah F. Gordon, of

472

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Exeter, N. H., February, 1853, resides near
Beirut, Syria; Emily Ann, born Beirut, 1825;
married Rev. H. J. Van Lennep, of Constan
tinople, Turkey, AprH, 1S50; James, born
Beirut, 1826; Martha Jane, born Malta; Mary
,E., born Beirut; Caroline, born in Smyrna.
(IX) It will be seen from the foregoing that a
few representatives of the ninth generation
had begun to appear at the time of the prepar
ation of the record, among them Virgil Bird,
the second son of James, of Salisbury. (X) The
children of Virgil and Ruhamer Bird. (XI)
The children of Cora C. and Myron E. Gil
lette: Eva May, December 20, 1883. (2)
Children of Henry P. and Daisy Bird (none).
{3) ChHdren of James E. and Grace Bird:
Isaac Knox, born July 20, 1896.
Of the other branches of the family the
record, rapidly widening, is not yet written.
Of the early ancestors, a few incidents of more
than ordinary importance should be noted
here. The name of Thomas Bird appears in
different records of Massachusetts, and some
have isuggested that Thomas B. , of Scituate,
and of Dorchester, Mass., of 1642, might be
the same man with our ancestor of Hartford.
But the Dorchester Birds seem to have been of
a separate origin. Of that family are many
of the Birds in Boston and New York, and of
the same was the Rev. Samuel Bird, a pastor
of one of the New Haven churches, just before
the Revolution, and who, though he did not
graduate, was educated at Cambridge, in the
class of 1744, leaving college a little before
the commencement that year. Thomas Bird
came to Hartford some ten years after its first
settlement, and was proprietor only of a small
homestead south of the city limits, and of a par
cel of land of about fourteen acres, constitut
ing, as the records say, " an island in the great
river over against the Landing." Whether he
removed with his sons to Farmington, or
remained and died in Hartford, is unknown.
It is remarkable how the male descendants of
Joseph, son of Thomas, have been, in the
providence of God, removed. He appears to
have but three of these representatives remain
ing now alive, one in the VI Generation, one
in the VII, and one in the VIII,
Thomas (Generation III) was the only
male heir of his father, and was possessed of
an estate valued at 550 pounds, a sum which
constituted riches in those days. As Noah
occupied the place of the second great head of
the Human family, so this second Thomas

Bird stands as the great second head of nearly
all the fa,milies of Birds,
John and Joseph (Generation IV), sons of
Thomas, seem to have been men of unusual
enterprise. They were pioneers in the settle
ment of Litchfield, and were among the chief
town officers. The two home lots of land,
that fell to them in the town, are still pointed
out S. S. E. of the present village, they being
designated on a map published within a few
years, with a pamphlet, by G. C. Woodruff,
Esq., of Litchfield. Johnjvent on in specula
tion in lands farther west. He was one of
the company known by the name of The Little
Nine Partners, who purchased lands extending
from the Connecticut line to the North river.
This company became involved, and unable to
meet the demands of their creditors, and John,
overcome by his disappointments, died, it is
said, in a state of mental derangement. He
built a stone house in Dover on land, probably,
which he owned as one of the company,
which house is supposed to be still standing.
Joseph must have obtained some addition to
his means by his marriage. Deacon Isaac
Moore, one of the wealthiest farmers in Farm
ington, had four children, all daughters. Ruth
was married to John Norton, Jr., son of a
very respectable settler, lately come froni
Branford. Dorcas, the youngest daughter of
this connection, became the wife of Joseph
Bird. She was sister of Thomas, father of
Lot Norton, the elder, of Salisbury. Joseph^
in ten years, while in Litchfield, was chosen
nine times to the General Court or State Leg
islature, and was at his death a justice of the
Quorum. His grave in Salisbury is marked by
a tombstone of Italian marble, lately erected
by the chHdren of his grandson Isaac.
Dr. Seth Bird (of the V Generation) was
one of the most skillful physicians of his time.
It is said of him that he lived on very intimate
and friendly terms with one of the neighboring
physicians, so that they were in the habit of
generously recommending to each other, their
own patients, whenever one thought the other
to be more skillful in the cure of any particular
complaint. He has a marble monument in the
cemetery of Litchfield, S. Farms, erected to
his memory by his son John.
Jonathan Bird, of Simsbury, brother of
Seth, was a physician, and, as it appears, a
Freemason. There is said to be extant a
eulogy on his character, prepared after his
death, and on his tombstone is this inscription:

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

473

In memory of Dr. Jonathan Bird, who (after
exhibiting a striking example of Philosophic
Patience and Fortitude through a distressing
Hlness) departed this life on the 17th of De
cember, A. D., 1786, in the forty-third year
of his age.
FAITH. HOPE. CHARITY.
Stop, brother, and impart a generous sigh.
O'er one in prime called to resign his breath;
Since all your social band this scene must try.
Square all your work before the hour of
death.
Jonathan, son ofr Jonathan, son of Thomas,
was educated at Yale College, graduated 1768;
he studied for the ministry, and became a
preacher about 1773, though he never was or
dained, and of course is never called by the
name of "Reverend." His brethren in the
ministry called him a good preacher, and it is
related of him, that, happening late in life to
be in Boston, Dr. Griffin took him and would
have him preach to his people. He addressed
them a number of times in the course of a
week, and they were so well pleased and so
much profited that they presented him with a
new suit of clothes. He was a sound theo
logian, but not an awakening, animated speaker.
He was embarrassed by deafness, so that, after
preaching a while, he betook himself to the
practice of medicine. Near the close of his.
life he prepared a few of his sermons for the
press, which, under the direction of Rev. Dr.
Bassett, of Hebron, appeared, in a small vol
ume, after his decease. He had had two or
three occasional sermons published previously,
and was the author of an article in the Boston
Panoplist, on InfideHty, it being the substance
of a letter actually written and sent to one of
his nieces in Hartford in 181 1. [See Pano
plist, February, 1873. J His place of resi
dence, at the time he died, was Conway,
Mass. , but his death occurred in the family of
his friend. Rev. Dr. Bassett, at whose house
he happened to be on a visit when he was
overtaken by his last Hlness. ' He had lost
both his brothers and his only son, and with
him expired his father's male branch of the
family. It seems a matter of some doubt whether
there was not another son of John Bird be
longing to this IV Generation, whose name is
doubtful, and does not appear in this sketch.
The following are the words of WHliam A.

Bird, Esq., of Black Rock, son of John and
grandson of Dr. Seth, of Litchfield: "In re
lation to the brother of my grandfather, who
went to Philadelphia, my mother knew very
well that such a brother resided there. Will
iam, I think his name was. Dr. Seth, she
told me, once went to see him, and my father
once met a son of his in New York, when he
was in the Legislature in New York, say in
1796." May not this be the same case as that
mentioned by Gen. David B., of Bethlehem,
who says that Atwood B. had a son (name un
known), who went to Cincinnati [Philadel-
phiai"], became rich and died, and has a son
now living in New York.' Of the Generation
just spoken of was Amos, son of Joseph,
whose short life may merit a few special re
marks. He is spoken of as a man of great
enterprise, and was the leader in commencing
the settlement of the town of Castleton, in
Vermont, near which a prominent mountain
still bears and perpetuates his name. The
settlement was yet in its infancy when it
pleased the Lord to remove him, and the first
products of the first sawmHl, which he had
erected there, were made use of for his coffin.
On a new monument, lately placed over his
remains, were the following inscriptions:
(In front.)
Erected October ip, 1S42, to the memory of
Col. A mos Bird,
By citizens 'of Castleton, and friends, as a
tribute of respect to a worthy man.
Born at Litchfield, Conn.,
and died September 16, 1772, aged ^o years.
(On one side.)
Col. Bird was the first white man who as
serted dominion in Castleton, where he arrived
in January, 1766. He was the first possessor
of the soil for civilization, and the first called
to resign it, leaving the fruits of his bold en
terprise to others. (On the east side.)
The mortal remains of Col. Bird were first
interred by his direction, near his dwelling in
the valley of Bird Creek, and after seventy
years disinterred and here entombed to wait
the summons that awakes the dead.
It may be added here that the settlement
of the town was continued by Noah (after-

O /C<ivia-<<-M-H,i

474

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

ward Col.) Lee, who married Bird's niece, a
daughter of James, and who had accompanied
him in his enterprise. Lee entered into the
war of the Revolution, which broke out about
this time, and there continued to its close.
At his own expense he raised a company of
"Green Mountain Boys," and acted for a time
in concert with Ethan Allen. He was after
ward at the battles of Trenton, Princeton and
Germantown, and witnessed the surrender of
Lord Cornwallis. He died at Castleton, 1840,
aged ninety-six years, leaving a large number
of descendants. John B., of the Sixth Generation, son of
Dr. Seth, was the second of the descendants
of Thomas, of Hartford, who was educated at
college. He read law, it is believed, in Salis
bury, Conn., where he had relatives. After
this he resi.ded in Litchfield for a time, and
then removed to Troy, where he was chosen
repeatedly to the State Legislature, and after
ward to Congress. He died suddenly at the
early age of thirty-seven. He is universally
spoken of, by those who knew him, as a man
of extraordinary powers of mind.
Chauncey, son of Atwood, had the reputa
tion among his Litchfield neighbors of possess
ing very eminent natural gifts, not falling, if
any, in this respect, much behind his cousin
John. But Chauncey had not the advantages
of education enjoyed by John, and his line of
life was not such as to bring him before the
public. Of his later history we have very lit
tle information. He is supposed to be still
alive, and somewhere inthe State of Michigan.
Isaac, son of James, enlisted about the age
of eighteen under Col. Burrall, of Canaan, in
the Revolutionary army of the North against
the Canadas. The smallpox having broken
out in the army, he was among the number
that had to be inoculated. In connection with
this disease he was seized with remarkable
swellings, which greatly debilitated him, and
in this condition, by a reverse in the fortunes
of the army, he was left, with many other sick
men, to shift for himself, and he resolved to
attempt finding his way to his sister's (Mrs.
Noah Lee's) in Castleton. This he succeeded
in accomplishing, and after begging his bread
through many weary days and nights of travel,
he at length presented himself at the door of
the log cabin, in the complete habit and con
dition of a common mendicant. Here, how
ever, he had all the aid which a sister's care,
in a new settlement, could offer; but his re

covery was too slow and too imperfect to en
able him to return to the army. Joseph, son
of Joseph, of Tyringham, with one exception
was, in 1855, the only living representative of
the Generation to which he belonged. He was
one of those men to whom we owe so much
for having, at the expense of great suffering,
and hazard of life, defended our liberties and
achieved our national independence. He en
listed in the army in 1776 and spent the sum
mer at Ticonderoga, and in autumn, in com
pany with others, was discharged. He soon
after enlisted for three years, or during the
war, and went during the campaign of 1777 as
an attendant of Dr. Binney, of Tyringham,
whose daughter he afterward married. He
was in the field at the various battles with
Burgoyne. When Gen. Frazier was killed,
and Maj. Ackland wounded and taken pris
oner, the latter was brought to Joseph Bird's
tent, and there it was that Lady Harriet, of
whose character Burgoyne himself has given
so affecting a description, came and nursed
him. After the surrender of Burgoyne, the
soldiers of the Northern army were sent to
unite with forces of Washington at Valley
Forge, and Bird went with them. When Gen.
Clinton commenced his march from Philadel
phia toward New York, the Americans moved
also to attack him in the rear. The account
that follows is in the language of Roderick D.
Bird, of Waynesburg, Penn., grandson of Jos
eph. " My grandfather, " he says, "was sent
with a detachment of 2,000 men on the east
road, and another detachment of 2,000 men
was sent on the west road to harass the enemy
until the main army arrived. On Saturday,
June 27, Gen. Lee joined us at Monmouth
with 2,000 men, and orders to attack Clinton's
army. At that point, our army retreated. The
British followed until W^ashington came up
and commanded to file to the right and left.
My grandfather was with the left wing. At
this period the cannon began to boom on both
sides, which lasted from one and a half to two
hours. Grandfather says he caught a number
of cannon balls in his camp-kettle as they
rolled upon the ground. The first that he saw
coming in that way a young soldier put out his
foot to stop, which dislocated his ankle. About
I o'clock the British right wing undertook to
flank our left. Col. Selby called for volunteers
to turn it. Grandfather went with others and
turned it, and charged and drove them back.
In this charge he received a wound. The

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

475

contending parties were not more than one or
two rods apart. He was shot through the left
arm, the ball breaking the bone and leaving a
detached fragment of about one inch in length.
The ball then penetrated his left side, and re
mains there to this day. He says he well re
members his sensations when the ball hit him.
It beat his breath from him, and he staggered
a while and fell. When he came to he was
lying with his face upward exposed to the rays
of the burning sun; he supposed he had simply
been asleep, but soon found that he was
wounded. That night he was taken with
others to Monmouth church, where his wound
was dressed. He was then carried to Eliza
bethtown, where he was left, through a dreary
night, in a barn, having for his companions
the wounded and dying. He suffered most for
want of water, and they had no light. The next
day they were taken in wagons to Princeton
CoHege, where he remained, having the best
of treatment." He was considered unfit to re
sume the duties of the army until October,
'79, when he rejoined his regiment at West
Point, and was subsequently employed, with
out any very important military occurrence, in
protecting the inhabitants of the Mohawk Val
ley from the incursions of the British and
Indians. Benjamin Bird, of Connecticut, and Joseph
Bird, of Vermont, are now the only living
members of the Generation VI; the one de
scended from the elder of the two sons of
Thomas, of Hartford, the other from the
younger. It is worthy of remark, that while the liv
ing male members of the family, who stand as
guardians of the name, scarcely exceed, if they
even reach, the number of fifty; the descend
ants of the female lines probably far exceed a
thousand. As we look back upon these sev
eral past generations that have risen and fallen
in quick succession, we are forcibly reminded
of the rapid flight of time and the shortness of
life. ' ' We have here no continuing city. " The
generations of men have been aptly compared
with the waves of the sea. They rise and roll
on, each urging his predecessor forward, tHl,
one after another, they dash upon the shore
and disappear. We ourselves are pressed on
by the resistless tide behind, and there is no
escape for us more than for others. But there
is a sea, and there is a shore, where no surg
ing and dashing and disappearing exist — where
generations of all ages mingle in harmony and

rest, and if our days are but spent in ' ' Wis
dom's ways," They'll waft us safely o'er
This life's tempestuous sea,
And soon we'll reach the peaceful shore
Of blest eternity.

PATRICK ROGERS is numbered among
 the stalwart and substantial citizens of
the town of Dover, Dutchess county, who are
of alien birth. He is a native of County Ca-
van, Ireland, where he secured his education,
and there followed farming until emigrating to
the United States in 1846. He is the son of
Peter Rogers, whose birth also occurred on
the Emerald Isle, and his mother bore the
maiden name of Miss Mary Riley. In their
famHy were six children: John; Hugh and
Peter, who never married; Patrick; Mary, who
became the wife of James McCarty; and Ann,
who married John Clark.
On reaching the New World, our subject
located in New York City, where he married
Miss Margaret Rogers, also of Ireland, who
came to America in 1863. From that city
they removed to their farm in the town of
Dover, where they now reside. They have
been blessed with seven children: John, born
October 9, 1864, married Kate Sheehan; Pat
rick, born July 4, 1867, married Mattie Kin-
nie, by whom he has one son. Hall; Peter,
born AprH i, 1869, wedded Mary Hacy; Mary,
born April 6, 1 871, is the wife of John Bridge-
ford, by whom she has one child, Leo; Mar
garet, born May 15, 1874, Catharine, born
September 12, 1878, and Thomas, born Janu
ary 10, 1883, are all at home.
Charles Rogers, the grandfather of the wife
of our subject, was born, reared and educated
in Ireland, where he followed weaving in con
nection with agricultural pursuits. In his fam
ily were five children: PhHip, who married
Catharine Lynch; Lawrence, who married
Margaret McCall; Thomas, who married Mary
Lynch; John, the father of Mrs. Patrick Rog
ers; and Patrick, who married Elizabeth RHey.
John Rogers, like his ancestors, was born
and educated on the Emerald Isle, where, dur
ing manhood, he carried on the pursuit of
farming. He married Miss Ann Martin, daugh
ter of Patrick and Ann Martin, of the same
country, and seven children were born to them:
Patrick, who married Catharine McBrean;
Thomas, who also married a Catharine Mc-

476

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Brean, no relative, however, of his broth
er's wife; Mary, who remained single; Cath
arine, who married Philip McBrean; Ann, who
married Patrick Boyle; Margaret, who married
Patrick Rogers, subject of this sketch; and
John, who married Mary Coonie.

C\HARLES H. SHURTER, a public -spirited
/ and enterprising citizen of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, whose place of business is
located at No. 368 Main street, is engaged in
plumbing and gas fitting, and also deals in hard
ware and house-furnishing goods. He is car
rying on a successful and well-established busi
ness, occupying an important place among the
various industries of that thriving city, and
conducted on strictly honest principles. He
is looked up to as a useful and honorable citi
zen, one who takes a commendable interest in
the welfare and progress of his city and county.
Mr. Shurter was born March 28, 1836, in
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and is a son of Isaac H.
Shurter, whose birth occurred in Fishkill,
Dutchess county. His great-grandfather came
to the New World from Holland, and located
upon a farm in Ulster county, N. Y., where
Frederick Shurter, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born. After his marriage the latter
located in the town of Fishkill, Dutchess coun
ty, where he followed farming, and reared his
five chHdren.
In early life Isaac H. Shurter learned the
shoemaker's trade, and in the town of Fishkill
was united in marriage with Miss Clorinda
Wheeler, a native of that township, born of
French descent. The young couple removed
to Poughkeepsie in 1832, where for about five
years the father engaged in the grocery busi
ness, and then began boot making, in which
line he continued for a number of years. He
was caHed from Hfe in 1875, his wife in 1S72.
They were conscientious, earnest Christians,
and for about thirty-five years had been mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Dur
ing his later years the father was an ardent
Republican. Charles H. Shurter attended the first free
school ever held in Poughkeepsie, and after
finishing his education, about the year 1850,
began to learn the tinsmith's trade, which oc
cupation he followed untH 1876. At that time
he formed a partnership with George H. Briggs
in the hardware trade, being located at No.
368 Main street, where he still carries on busi

ness. In 1868 he married Miss Mary Kidney,
a native of Poughkeepsie, and a daughter of
Charles and Maria Kidney, the former of whom
was a leading liveryman of Poughkeepsie, and
belonged to a family that was early established
in Dutchess county. In January, 1892, our
subject was called upon to mourn the loss of
his wife, a most estimable lady.
Politically, Mr. Shurter votes the straight
Democratic ticket, and he is now a member of
the water board of Poughkeepsie. He was
one of the seven men who organized the O.
H. Booth Fire Company, in 1853, since which
time he has been actively connected with it,
and has held all the positions in the same, be
ing foreman eight years, chief of the fire de
partment three years, and twenty years a rep
resentative of the company, which position he
still holds. He is a member of the Order of
American Firemen, was the first president of
the local organization, and is now past presi
dent. For twenty-nine years he has been
trustee of the local lodge of the I. O. O. F,,
is a member of the Encampment, and also
belongs to the Sons of Temperance. To Trin
ity Church he and his faithful wife were lib
eral contributors.

C\HAPPELL ROBINSON, a well-known
_' agriculturist of the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county, started in life with nothing
save his own indomitable energy, and his ac
cumulation of this world's goods is attributable
to his good judgment, perseverance and indus
try. His word in business transactions is con
sidered as good as his bond, and he is justly
recognized as one of the energetic and repre
sentative citizens of Stanford.
In the town of Kent, Putnam Co., N. Y.,
our subject was born November 23, 1816.
There his grandfather, Chappell Robinson,
with two brothers, had located at an early
day, and he continued to make the town of
Kent his home untH late in life, when he re
moved to Tompkins county, where his death
occurred. By occupation he was a farmer.
He wedded Miss Mary Sprague, by whom he
had five chHdren: Stephen, Sabins, Squire,
Mary and Eli.
Stephen Robinson, the father of our sub
ject, was also a native of the town of Kent,
Putnam county, where his education was ac
quired in the common schools, and he there
married Martha Kelly, daughter of Seth Kelly.

^I^^^WLi^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

477

To them were born thirteen children, namely:
Chappell, Seth Kelly, Osborn, Enos, Emily,
ZiHah, Jarvis, Ada, Nathaniel, Priscilla, Rob
ert, Catherine and William. The father en
gaged in farrriing in his native township until
1836, when he removed to the town of Stan
ford, Dutchess county, where he followed the
same pursuit for several years. The following
twelve years were passed at Lithgow, in the
town of Washington, Dutchess county, after
which he returned to Stanford town, where he
died in February, 1876, at the ripe old age of
eighty years. He had served as a soldier in
the war of 1 8 1 2 , and was a faithful Republic
an in politics.
The early life of our subject was passed
upon the home farm in the town of Kent,
where he attended the district schools, and he
remained a member of his father's household
untH he attained his majority, when he started
out for himself as a farm hand, working in
that way some three years. On December 13,
1845, he was united in marriage with Miss
Mary Bunnel, a daughter of Levi and Lois
(Mosher) Bunnel, the former of whom was a
native of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, and
was descended from Connecticut Yankees.
To our subject and his wife were born four
chHdren, namely: Charles H. and Enos, who
died in infancy; Henrietta, who became the
wife of Seth K. Winans; and Ida, who mar
ried Almon Harrison. Mr. Robinson began
his domestic life upon a farm near Stanford
ville, where he lived until March, 18S0, since
which time he has resided upon his present
farm. His time and attention have always been
devoted to general farming, and he has met
with a well-deserved success in his undertak
ings. During the three years he was employed
by others, when a young man, he never lost
but seven days time, six being spent in train
ing (or he would have been fined) and the
other in attending a political celebration at
Poughkeepsie. His political allegiance is al
ways unfalteringly given the Republican party,
and he has been called upon to serve as assess
or of the town of Stanford. As a citizen of
the community in which he has so long made
his home, Mr. Robinson is highly respected,
enjoying the confidence of his neighbors and a
wide circle of friends. Since 1840 he has
been an active member of the Baptist Church
at Bangall, in which he has served as trustee
and deacon, and has also been superintendent
of the Sunday-school.

€\EORGE E. PARKS, owner and propri-
r etor of a general mercantile store at
Hibernia, in the town of Clinton, is one of the
promising young business men of Dutchess
county, where his entire life has been passed.
His father, Richard J. Parks, was born in
London, England, June 22, 1833, and is the
eldest in a family of eight children born to
Richard and Hannah Parks, also natives of
that wonderful city. By trade the grandfather
was a shoemaker, and when his eldest son was
eighteen years of age he emigrated with his
family to America, making his first home at
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He later became a resi
dent of Highland, where his wife died, and he
passed away while in Poughkeepsie. After
coming to the New World he continued to fol
low his trade of shoemaking.
In the schools of London the father of our
subject obtained his literary education, and on
coming to Dutchess county began working on
a farm in the town of Washington. Later he
purchased land in the town of Stanford, which
he operated for twenty years, on the expiration
of which he sold out and returned to the town
of Washington. For thirteen years he was
engaged in farming there, and he is now living
in the town of MHIbrook, Dutchess county.
He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and
is highly respected by all who know him. In
Washington town he was united in marriage
with Hannah Smith, and to them were born
four children : George E. , Charles (who died
at the age of ten years), Sarah and Robert.
The birth of George E. Parks occurred
June 20, i860, in the town of Stanford, where
his early life was passed in an uneventful man
ner, the greater part of the time being spent
in the school room or in aiding his father in
the work of the farm. He remained under
the parental roof until twenty years of age,
when he took up the profession of teaching,
which he followed for twelve years, his first
school being near BangaH ; was then employed
at StanfordvHle, Hibernia, Pleasant Valley, Salt
Point and Clinton Hollow. In December,
1894, he started in his present business, in
which he is meeting with well-deserved suc
cess, having secured a large and lucrative trade.
He is also serving as deputy postmaster of
Hibernia. In the town of Stanford, December 24,
1884, Mr. Parks was joined in wedlock with
Miss Carrie E. VaH, a daughter of George VaH,
and two children bless their union : Charles

478

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

E., born AprH 19, 1886; and Roy I., born
July 17, 18S7. Socially, Mr. Parks holds
membership with the Knights of Pythias lodge
No. 143, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He has made
a very successful start in life, and by his sys
tematic methods of conducting his business,
his strict attention to it in all its details, and
his thorough, upright dealings, have already
made him an honorable record in the business
world.

2^ LFRED VAN WEY, one of the enter-
^^^ prising and wide-awake citizens of Barry
town, Dutchess county, has held his present
position in the employ of the New York Cen
tral RaHroad Company for thirteen years.
He is descended from one of the early families
of Ulster county, N. Y. , where his paternal
grandparents, Henry and Cornelia Van Wey,
were both born. In their family of five chil
dren were Mary, Cornelia and De Witt. The
maternal grandparents, Zacharia and Gertrude
(Near) Cole, were natives of the town of
Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, and in their
family were thirteen children, namely: Jacob
married Catherine Hapeman; Frederick mar
ried Sarah Aldridge; Edward L. married Eliza
Traver; Simon married Julia Broadhead;
George W. married Catherine Straut; Eliza
married John McCurdy; Catherine married
Charles Riggins; Susan married Henry Batcher;
Lydia married Alfred Plass; Sarah married
John Van Etten; Lucy remained single; Delia
was the mother of our subject; and Margaret
married Frank Stickle.
De WHt Van Wey, the father of Alfred,
was born in the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess
county, and by trade was a wagonmaker,
which occupation he followed throughout most
of his life. He died in 1S90. He had mar
ried Delia Cole, who was also a native of the
town of Rhinebeck, and was there educated.
Two children were born to them: Alfred, the
subject of this review; and Charles, who wed
ded Hattie Traver, by whom he has four chil
dren — Ralph, Charles, Marion and Minnie.
Alfred Van Wey was united in marriage
with Anna Albers, who was born in New York
City in 1857, and in its public schools acquired
a fair education. Two children have come to
bless their union: MHdred, born in 1884; and
Clara, born in 1885. Mrs. Van Wey is the
daughter of Christian Albers, who was born in
Germany. He was an engineer, and on emi

grating to the United States first located in
New York City, where he married Maria Wul-
pin, also a native of the Fatherland, who had
come to this country for that purpose. They
became the parents of five children: Anna,
wife of our subject; John; Mary, who became
the wife of Thomas Quillen; Lewis, who mar
ried Emma Daily; and Herman, who died in
infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Van Wey are pleasant, in
telligent people, and well deserve the esteem
and respect of those among whom they make
their home. Socially, he is prominently iden
tified with Christian Lodge, I. O. O. F. , of
Red Hook, and is also a member of Shiloh
Encam.pment of the same place. He is a pro
gressive and public-spirited citizen, taking a
commendable interest in the advancement and
upbuilding of his town and county.

LOUIS SCHAFER, a well-known business
 : man of Dover Plains, Dutchess county,
where he has been for many years engaged in
the shoe trade, was born February i, 1844, in
Brunswick, Germany, which has been the
home of his ancestors for many generations.
WilHam Schafer, father of our subject, was
born there, and received a good education in
the public schools, and after learning the shoe
maker's trade engaged in business there. He
married Fraulein Sophia Schrieber, and had
six children: William, who married Sophia
 ; Henry, who died in the U. S. army;
Louis, our subject; Charlotte, who married;
Anna, who died in infancy; and Sophia, who
died at the age of twenty-three.
Our subject's early educational opportuni
ties were excellent, and he improved them well
during boyhood. He learned the shoemaker's
trade with his father, but his business career
was interrupted by a compulsory service of
three years in the German army. At the end
of his term he obtained a pass and came to
the United States, locating in Brooklyn, N. Y.,
where he followed his trade for three years.
In 1872 he moved to Dover Plains, and estab
lished his present prosperous business. He
has always been a Republican in politics, but
has never aspired to office, and he is a promi
nent member of the Baptist Church at Dover
Plains. In 1872 he was married to Miss Cath
erine Miller, and has two children: Albert,
born November 10, 1875, and Lizzie, born
December 16, 1879.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

479

Antonie Miller, Mrs. Schafer s father, is a
native of Reichshoffen, Alsace-Lorraine (then
a part of France), and was educated there.
He was for some time engaged in farming,
later becoming a tavern-keeper there. His
wife was Catherine Bruner, daughter of Michael
and Barbara Bruner, well-to-do farmers of
Reichshoffen, and they had four chHdren:
Catherine (Mrs. Schafer); Philomane, who
married George Durrenburger; Louis, who
died at the age of twenty- three years; and
Annie, the wife of Mr. Mower.

'rENRY J. YEOMANS is a wide-awake
,^^ and progressive citizen of the town of
Unionvale, where he is successfully engaged in
the operation of his farm. He isa nativeof
Greene county, N. Y., born in Cairo township,
August 22, 1847, and is a son of WHliam Ira
Yeomans, whose birth occurred in the same
place in 1 8 1 7. There the father attended the
common schools, and after reaching years of
maturity turned his attention to farming. On
November 25, 1846, he married Miss Mary
Haight, daughter of John and Sarah Haight,
farming people of Dutchess county. Four
chHdren were born of this union, but with the
exception of our subject all died vvhen young.
They were John H., born August 31, 1849;
Charles W., born May 7, 1852; and Sarah
Lucinda, born December 30, 1854. The wife
and mother died in June, 1863, and later the
father married Mrs. Harriet M. Green.
William Yeomans, the grandfather of our
subject, was also a native of Greene county,
received a district-school education and from
early life engaged in farming. He married
Miss Lucinda Blackmer, and they had nine
chHdren: Leonard; Elisha; George, who mar-
I ried Eliza Haight; Henry, who died unmarried;
~J WHHam I.; Hannah, who married Isaac Place;
Annis, who married Cornell White; Catharine,
who married John Hill; and Almira, who mar
ried Emmer Haight.
The advantages of our subject for securing
an education were such as the public schools
of his native county afforded, and on starting
out in life for himself he engaged in mercantile
business. Later he purchased the farm of
ninety-four acres, of Mary Taber, on which he
has since resided, and now has the place under
a high state of cultivation and well-improved
with all modern conveniences. He is a man
of good financial ability and excellent judg

ment, and since becoming a resident of Union
vale has won the respect and Confidence of the
community, and occupies a leading position
among its influential citizens.
Mr. Yeomans was united in marriage No
vember 4, 186S, with Miss Mary Jane Wilber,
who wasborn in 1849, at Duanesburgh, Schen
ectady county, N. Y. Eleven children blessed
their union, whose names and dates of birth
are as follows: WilHam H., March 31, 1872;
George D., October 23, 1873; Sarah Eliza,
October 14, 1875; Charles E. , July 20, 1877;
Bradford W., May 14, 1879; Edwin J., Jan
uary 16, 1881; Ester D., AprH 4, 18S3; Theron
J., September 21, 18S5; Lizzie V., February
28, 1888; Lena M., November 21, 1891; and
Florence, June 4, 1893. All are still living
with the exception of Charles E. William H. ,
the eldest son, was born in the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county, was educated in the
district schools, and is now carrying on farm
ing. On November 28, 1S93, he married Miss
LaNeta Colwell.
Benjamin WHber, the great-grandfather of
Mrs. Yeomans, was a native of Dartmouth,
R. I., but became a resident of Schoharie
county, this State, where he engaged in agri
cultural pursuits, which he made his life work.
In 1799 he married Miss Mary Wilber, of
Dutchess county, who though of the same
name was no relative. They became the par
ents of seven children: Nathaniel (the grand
father of Mrs. Yeomans), Alanson, Briggs,
Benjamin, Joseph, Rachel and Rhoda.
¦The birth of Nathaniel Wilber occurred in
Schoharie county, June i, 1800, and there he
received his education. In early life he en
gaged in farming, but later carried on the meat
business. In 18 18 he wedded Rachel Brad
ford, who wasborn in Stanford in 1797, and
by her he had six chHdren: David, Bradford,
Benjamin, Julius, Nathaniel and Sarah A.
David Wilber, the father of Mrs. Yeomans,
was born in Schoharie county, in 1823, and
after finishing his education learned the carpen
ter's trade, at which he was employed through
out the principal part of his life. For his first
wife he married Miss Eliza N. Hoag, a daugh
ter of Enoch and Mary (Norton) Hoag, farm
ing people of Quaker Hill, Dutchess county,
and the only chHd born ot this union was Mary
Jane, the wife of our subject. The wife and
mother died in 1850, and later Mr. WHber
married Miss Monemia Levey, daughter of
Philip and Monemia Levey.

480

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Of the nine children by the second mar
riage of Mr. Wilber, Rosa, born in 1871, died
in infancy, and another died in infancy un
named. The others are as follows: (i) Charles
E., born March 30, 1853, in Duanesburgh
township, Schenectady county, is a carpenter
and wagon maker by trade; on November 4,
1882, he married Miss Sarah J. Van Pelt,
daughter of Alexander Van Pelt, and they had
five children — Mary, Avan (deceased). Pearl,
Roscoe (deceased) and Rosie. (2) Julius R.,
born in Schoharie county, June 22, 1856, is a
conductor in the employ of the Albany & Sus
quehanna Railroad Company; he was married
February 22, 1883, to Jennie Donahue, and
they have three children — Nina, Ivy and Ray
mond. (3) WHliam J., born January i, 185S,
died at the age of twenty-one years. (4) Brad
ford B., born in Schoharie county, August 11,
1859, married Minnie Van Steenburgh, of
Dutchess county, by whom he has a daughter,
Hazel; he is engaged in merchandising. (5)
Edwin P., born in Schenectady county, Sep
tember 22 , 1 86 1 , is on a ranch in Meeker, Colo. ;
he rnarried MolHe Watson, and has three chil
dren — Frank (deceased), Ella, and one whose
name is not given. (6) Agnes, born in Sche
nectady county, November 7, 1S63, is the wife
of WilHam Showers, who is at the head of the
electric works at Schenectady, and they have
two children — Flossie and Edna. (7) Ella
M., born in Schoharie county, November 24,
1865, is the wife of Frank Watson, a carpen
ter of Meeker, Colo., and they have one child —
Everett.

HYMAN B. ROSA. The weH-known firm
 -of H. B. Rosa & Son, of FishkiH and
Matteawan, undertakers and dealers in furni
ture, is one of the oldest business concerns of
that locality, having been founded in 1827 by
the father of the subject of our sketch, John
H. Rosa, who was a prominent citizen of Fish
kHl during the early part of this century. The
home of the family had previously been at
Hurley, Ulster county, where our subject's
grandfather, Hyman Rosa, a son of Jacob
Rosa, was a leading resident of his day. He
and hisiwife, Rebecca Sleight, reared there a
family of six children: Jacob, Jane, Maria, John
H., Caleb Merritt and Newkirk. John H. Rosa
married Margaret Crispell, and settled in Fish
kiH, where he at once engaged in business.

They had a family of seven children: Abram
Gaasbeck, Hyman B., Jane Ann, Sarah Cy
Theodore A., John C. and Mary D.
Hyman B. Rosa was born in Fishkill vil
lage, January 26, 1S29, and after attending
the public schools of that place until the age
of fifteen, he began to help his father in the
store, acquiring there a complete knowledge
of the business. In 1857 he was taken into
partnership, and at the death of his father, in
i860, he became sole proprietor, and contin
ued alone until his son, Frederic L., was ready
to take a place in the firm. Since that time
the business has been greatly enlarged, a
branch at Matteawan having been established
under the charge of his junior partner.
Mr. Rosa married Miss Sarah B. South
ard, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth South
ard, and their union was blessed with four
chHdren: Margaret C, Frank (who died at
the age of eight years), Laura and Frederic L.
The family are leading members of the Re
formed Dutch Church, at Fishkill Village, and
Mr. Rosa has taken an influential part in many
local movements, giving his support to the
Republican party on all political issues.
Frederic L. Rosa, who has already
given evidence in his business career of the
possession of that inherited ability, foresight,
and energy which has built up in past years
the success of the firm of H. B. Rosa & Son,
was born in FishkHl VHlage, March 15, 1867,
and received his education in the public
schools there. At the age of sixteen he entered
the store as a clerk, and in 1888 became a
partner. The wide acquaintance and high
reputation which his firm has enjoyed for more
than half a century justified the establishment
of the branch store at Matteawan, which was
opened in October, 1894, and has since been
carried on under his supervision. He also has
full charge of their large undertaking business
in Matteawan and FishkHl Landing, and has
the finest hearses and other paraphernalia to be
found in the county.
In June, 1893, F. L. Rosa married Miss
Effie B. Coldwell, daughter of Samuel A. and
Rebecca (Tompkins) Coldwell, and they reside
at Fishkill Landing, in a pleasant home at the
corner of Church street and Cottage place.
They are prominent in the Reformed Dutch
Church of that locaHty. Mr. Rosa is an active
member of the K. of P. , holding, at the pres
ent time, the office of prelate in Melzingah
Lodge No. 304; also a member of Evergreen

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

481

Lodge No. 131, I. O. O. F., and of the Lewis
Tompkins Hose Company. In politics he ad
heres to the Republican party.

ipEORGE FEROE. Few men are more
1^ prominent in the enterprising village of
Tivoli than this gentleman. He has been an
important factor in business circles, and his
popularity is well deserved, as in him are em
braced the characteristics of an unbending
integrity, unabated energy and industry that
never flags. He is public-spirited, and thor
oughly interested in whatever tends to promote
the moral, intellectual and material welfare of
the community.
Mr. Feroe was born in the town of Red
Hook, October 14, 1825, and is a son of Henry
Feroe, also a native of that town. The birth
of the paternal grandfather occurred in France,
and on emigrating to this country he located
in the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
where he engaged in farming and reared his
two chHdren: Henry; and Betsy, who became
the wife of Jacob Van Steenburgh, a farmer
of the same township. The grandfather was
a faithful member of the Reformed Dutch
Church. Although reared to agricultural pursuits,
Henry Feroe learned the carpenter's trade,
which he foHowed exclusively through life. He
was united in marriage with Maria Lasher, a
native of the town of Red Hook, and of Hol
land descent. Her father, Sebastian Lasher,
followed the occupation of farming. After
their marriage the young couple located upon
a farm in their native township, where they
reared their family of eleven chHdren: John is
a retired carpenter of Tivoli; William (de
ceased) was a shoemaker by trade; Peter is
also a carpenter of Tivoli; Betsie (deceased)
was the wife of John Huffman, a shoemaker;
Edward is a carpenter of FishkiH, N. Y. ;
Eugene and Robert died unmarried; Margaret
wedded Stephen Clum, a carpenter; Matilda is
the widow of Mr. Leason, an undertaker;
Cornelia, who married EH Best, a farmer, now
makes her home in Tivoli; and George, of this
review, is the eighth in order of birth. The
parents, who were consistent members of the
Reformed Dutch Church, have both departed
this Hfe.
Our subject remained upon the home farm
until reaching his majority when he went to
Tivoli, where he worked by the day. In 1843

he married Miss Sarah J. Simonson, a native
of Red Hook town, and a daughter of James
and Julia Simonson, the former a merchant.
The following year Mr. Feroe started west
ward, going by steamboat to Albany, thence
up the Erie canal to Buffalo, from there to
Toledo, Ohio, and then up the Maumee river
to Logansport, Ind., but did not long remain
there, returning to Red Hook in the fall.
After working at the carpenter's trade for some
time he went to New Jersey, where he en
gaged in farming for four years, and for two
years followed the same occupation in Michi
gan. Returning to New Jersey, he was there
employed at painting and carpentering for
some time, and in the city of Newark for four
years followed gardening. His next home was
near Peoria, 111., where he engaged in agricult
ural pursuits some four years, after which he
followed the same occupation in Michigan for
thirteen years. In 1863, however, he returned
to Tivoli, purchasing his present place, and
has here since made his home. In connection
with landscape gardening he is also engaged in
the cooperage business, and in 1893 made 60,-
000 fruit barrels, one-half of the whole amount
manufactured in Dutchess county.
Five children were born to our subject
and his wife, two of whom died in infancy,
and Adda passing away in 1893. Those Hving
are Clarence, a resident of Tivoli; and Emma,
wife of Montgomery Queen, who also lives in
Tivoli. The mother's death occurred May 18,
1876. The present wife of our subject was
Mary L. Moore, of Dutchess county, whom he
married in 1 876. They contribute liberally to
the support of St. Paul's Church, and hold a
high position in the social circles of the com
munity. Although not very active in politics,
Mr. Feroe keeps himself well informed on
current events, and uniformly votes the Re
publican ticket.

31

E^\GBERT WOODIN, who is pleasantly lo-
 4 cated in the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county, is operating successfully as a farmer,
and, although now over eighty-one years of
age, is still numbered among the industrious
and enterprising men of the county. He is a
native son of Dutchess county, born in the
town of Pawling, July 24, 181 5, and here his
entire life has been passed, his boyhood being
spent in the place of his birth, but for thirty-
five years he has resided upon his present farm

482

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in the town of Beekman. Active and ener
getic, he has not laid aside his business cares ;
in the spring of 1896 he planted a large field
of corn. Solomon Woodin, his father, was also born
in the town of Pawling, and was the eldest in
the family of seven children belonging to Amos
and Lucretia (Millard) Woodin, residents of
that township. There the father was reared,
and was married to Miss Annie Franklin. In
1845 they removed to Beekman town, where
he carried on farming and where their deaths
occurred. Thirteen children were born to
them: Ransom, Esther, Ira, Milton, Sarah,
Amos, Federal, Lucretia, Egbert, Henry, Ben
jamin, Ruth and Chauncey. All are now de
ceased with the exception of Sarah, Federal,
Egbert, Henry and Ruth.
The boyhood days of our subject were
passed in the town of Pawling, but he was
married in the town of Beekman, in 1833, to
Miss Mary Millard, and they have three chil
dren: Elizabeth, the wife of Dr. John H.
Doughty, of Matteawan, Dutchess county;
Matilda, widow of W. H. Wright, and Robert,
of Ann Arbor, Mich. Since 1838 Mr. Woodin
has been a resident of the town of Beekman,
and has been prominently identified with its
affairs. He was first a Whig in politics, and
now votes the Republican ticket; he has most
acceptably filled the offices of collector and
overseer of the poor. For over forty years he
has held membership in the Methodist Episco
pal Church at Poughquag, in which he is now
serving as steward, and is a most consistent
and earnest Christian.

JACKSON HUSTED, who occupies a fine
and well-improved farm in the town of
Clinton, Dutchess county, is numbered
among its prominent farmers, who from a
small beginning has built up one of the best
homesteads within its borders. The residence
and its surroundings are highly creditable to
the proprietor, and indicate him to be a man
of industry and energy, one who has kept his
eyes open on what is going on in the world
around him, and avaHed himself of the most
approved methods of carrying on agriculture.
Mr. Husted was born in October, 1828, in
Saratoga county, N. Y., where his grandfather
had made a settlement at an early day. The
latter was a native of England, and on coming
td the United States made his first home in

Maine, whence he removed to Saratoga county.
There the father of our subject, Louis Husted,
was also born and reared, and on reaching
man's estate wedded Phcebe Jackson, by whom
he had four children: Walter W. (deceased);
Jackson, subject of this review; Mary Ann,
widow of John Robinson; and Phoebe Jane,
wife of John H. Miller. The father continued
to carry on agricultural pursuits in his native
county until 1831, when he brought his family
to Dutchess county, locating upon a farm in
the town of Stanford, where his death occurred
about 1855,, and his wife survived him but a
few years. He was a sincere Christian, and
a member of the Baptist Church.
Being only three years of age at the time
of his arrival in Dutchess county, Jackson
Husted was here reared, attending the com
mon schools of the town of Stanford during
the winter terms, and assisting his father on
the farm during the seasons of sowing and
reaping. On starting out in life for himself he
engaged in farming in the town of Stanford,
but later removed to Washington town, where
he farmed for sixteen years, and the following
two years were passed in Pleasant Valley town,
Dutchess county. In iSSi he located upon
his present farm in the town of Clinton, to the
cultivation and improvement of which he has
since devoted his attention.
In Stanford town Mr. Husted was united
in marriage with Mary Elizabeth Haight,
daughter of George Haight, and to them have
been born three children: Sarah H. is the wife
of Jordan Cornelius, of LaFayetteville, town
of Milan, Dutchess county; George L. was
married in the town of Washington, Septem
ber 9, 1879, to Annie M. Sissons, and they
now make their home in Clinton town; and
Judson is a resident of Stanford town. Mr.
Husted, politically, votes with the Republican
party, and he is a man worthy of the regard in
which he is held by all.

LEONARD L. MOREY has for the last
 : thirty-two years been successfully oper
ating on a fine farm in the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county, with most excellent results.
The place, with its tasteful and substantial
buildings, and its general air of thrift and com
fort, forms one of the most attractive spots in
the landscape of the township. As a citizen
and business man, Mr. Morey stands high in
the esteem of his neighbors. He is a native

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

483

of Dutchess county, born in the town of Wash
ington January 17, 1825.
John Morey, grandfather of Leonard L.,
was born about 1767, in the town of Lagrange,
Dutchess county, where throughout life he
carried on agricultural pursuits. He was a
conscientious. Christian man, and a faithful
member of the Reformed Church. He mar
ried Catherine Dean, who was born about
1770, and to them were born four children:
Elizabeth, Isaac, Margaret and John.
Isaac Morey, the father of our subject, was
born in the town of Lagrange March 4, 1798,
and there spent his early days. On reaching
manhood he was married in the town of Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, to Miss Maria Pells,
daughter of Evert and Deborah (Lewis) Pells,
and they became the parents of five children :
Evert P., Leonard Lewis, Deborah, Mary and
John. Leonard Lewis, grandfather of Mrs.
Isaac Morey, was the first judge of Dutchess
county. For about five years after his mar
riage Isaac Morey engaged in the cultivation of
land in the town of Washington, at the end of
which time he came to Stanford town, where
he followed farming during the remainder of
his life. In political sentiment he was first a
Whig and later a Republican, while in matters
of religion he held membership with the Meth
odist Episcopal Church of Bangall, N. Y. He
lived to an advanced age, dying in March,
1887; his wife passed away December 20,
1876, at the age of eighty-one years.
The early life of our subject was spent
after the manner of most farmers' sons, his
education being carried on in the district schools
of the town of Stanford. He continued to
assist in the care and cultivation of the honie
farm for five years after his marriage, October
17, 1850, in the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess
county, to Miss Elizabeth L. Hicks. This
estimable lady, who was the daughter of Ben
jamin and Hannah (Couse) Hicks, was born
June II, 1S30, and died December 20, 1887,
lea-ving many friends as well as her immediate
family to mourn her death. One child came
of this union: Ida J., born October 26, 1854,
married January 6, 1874, to Philip Dorland,
by whom she has two chHdren: Anita, now
the wife of Emmer Haight, and has one child
— Ruth A., born November 29, 1895; and
Eula. The entire life of Mr. Morey has been
devoted to farming in the town of Stanford,
and there are few men in the community more
widely or favorably known, or who have a

larger list of warm friends. In politics he is
identified with the Republican party, and is a
strong believer in its principles.

JOHN HOPKINS, one of the enterprising,
energetic and industrious citizens of Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, conducts a drug
store there, and has done much toward pro
moting the welfare of the place. By close
application to his business and good manage
ment he has built up an excellent trade.
Mr. Hopkins is a native of Dutchess county,
his birth having occurred in the town of La
grange, July 8, 1845, and he is a son of Will
iam H. Hopkins, who was born in Putnam
county, N. Y. His paternal grandfather, Will
iam G. Hopkins, was also a native of Putnam
county, and was one of the leading physicians
of Peekskill, N. Y. He married Elizabeth
Frost, of Croton Landing, N. Y., and to them
were born two sons and two daughters, namely:
William H.; Calista, who became the wife of
Reuben Baldwin, of Mahopac, Putnam county;
Phoebe Jane; and Alonzo (deceased), who was
a farmer in Illinois. The grandfather died
in 1870. The father of our subject was educated at
Yale College, and began the study of medicine
with his father, afterward graduating from the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New
York City. About 1S38 he began practice for
himself at Sprout Creek, N. Y. . traveHng
round to see his patients on horseback, with
his saddle bags. In 1S6S he removed to Provi
dence, R. I., where he also followed his pro
fession, to some extent, until coming to Hyde
Park, two years later. Prior to 1885. he en
gaged in general practice, but from that time
untH his death. May 23, 1890, he did mostly
an office practice, and was one of the leading
allopathic physicians of the community, receiv
ing a liberal patronage from all the surround
ing country. As a private citizen he took
quite an active interest in politics, voting. with
the Republican party, and for a number of
years served as postmaster at Hyde Park. He
held membership with St. James Episcopal
Church, of which he was a vestryman, and
was serving as treasurer of same at the time of
his death, while early in life he belonged to the
Masonic fraternity. He was an intelligent,
cultured gentleman, thoroughly conversant
with his profession, and kept well-informed on
matters of general interest. Dr. Hopkins

484

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

married Jemima Van Benschoten, daughter of
Elias Van Benschoten, of Lagrange town, and
they became the parents of five children: Har
riet (now deceased); Elias, freight agent for
the West Shore railroad at Brooklyn, N. Y. ;
John, subject of this review; William G., who
is engaged in the manufacture of jewelry at
Providence, R. I. ; and Elizabeth, who died
at the age of twelve years.
John Hopkins, the subject proper of these
lines, attended the Poughkeepsie Academy,
finishing his literary training at the age of six
teen, and in 1861 entered the drug store of
Wood & Tittamer, where he remained some
eight years, during which time he thoroughly
learned the trade. Going to Providence, R. I. ,
in 1869, he there engaged in the drug business
for two years, after which, for one year, he
was a member of the firm of Hopkins & Ar
nold, conducting their store where Charles E.
Bowne is now located. Selling out to Charles
Mitchell, he entered the drug store of his
father, at Hyde Park, and in 1893 purchased
the establishment, which is one of the oldest
stores of the kind in the village. Politically,
Mr. Hopkins is a stalwart Republican, strongly
endorsing the course of that party, and takes
quite an active interest in public affairs, being
treasurer of his School and Fire districts.

T^IMOTHY HERRICK is a prominent and
 weH-known agriculturist of the town of
Hyde Park, Dutchess county, and the capable
superintendent of the extensive farm of the
late William B. Dinsmore, known as "The
Locusts." He traces his ancestry in this
country back to Henric Herrick, who was
born in England in 1604, and became one of
the three original ancestors of the Herrick
family in America. He was the fifth son of
Sir William Herrick, who was bornin 1557,
and lived at Beau Manor, in Leicestershire,
England. His father was John Eyrick (or
Heyrick), who was born in 15 13, in the same
county, and was a son of Thomas Eyrick, of
Houghton. The- latter's father, Robert Ey
rick, was born at Houghton about 1450, and
was a lineal descendant of Erick the Forester,
who was a Danish chief, and one of the in
vaders of England during the reign of Alfred,
the Saxon King of Britain, by whom he was
overcome and compelled to settle in East
Anglia, in which is that part of England now

called Leicestershire, and where his descend
ants still reside in great affluence.
Joseph Herrick, of Cherry Hill, Mass.,
was the son of Henric Herrick, the founder of
the family in the New World, and was born at
Salem, in 1645. Of him Upham's " Salem
Witchcraft" says: " He was a man of great
firmness and dignity of character, and, in ad
dition to the care and management of his large
farm, was engaged in foreign commerce. As
he bore the title of Governor, he had probably
been at one time in command of a military
post or district, or perhaps at the West India
Colony. He was the acting constable of
Salem, and as such concerned in the early
proceedings connected with the witchcraft
prosecutions. For a while he was under the
delusion; but his strong and enlightened mind
soon led him out of it. He was one of the
petitioners in behalf of an accused person,
when intercession by any for any was highly
dangerous; and he was a leader in the party
that rose against the fanaticism, and vindicated
the character of its victims." His son John
was born January 25, 1670, and was the father
of Josiah, born February 6, 1704. The next
in direct line also bore the name of Josiah
Herrick. He was born November 10, 1733,
and became the father of Joseph Herrick, of
Beverly, Mass., who was born November 3,
1775- The father of our subject, Nathaniel
Brown Herrick, was the latter's son, born at
Beverly, Mass., AprH 23, 181 3, and removed
to Antrim, N. H., at the age of six years, with
his parents.
Timothy Herrick, the subject of this re
view, was born at Antrim, N. H., October 19,.
1^36, and duringhis boyhood he supplemented!
the knowledge acquired in the common schools
by a two-terms' attendance at an academy at
Francistown, N. H., securing an excellent ed
ucation for those times. He has always been
much of a student, and has made a special
study of agriculture in all departments. At
the age of seventeen years he completed his
literary education, but continued working upon
his father's farm under that gentleman's most
able instructions, who instilled into his son thor
ough-going business principles. In the winter
of 1856-57 he was employed by Esquire Dodge
(of Bennington, N. H.), an uncle of William
B. Dinsmore, and upon the former's recom
mendation he became superintendent of "The
Locusts" for Mr. Dinsmore. The farm then
consisted of only 100 acres, and he had but

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

485

two men under him; but it has gradually grown
until it now comprises over i,ooo acres, and it
is now necessary to employ forty men in its
cultivation and improvement. For the last
forty years Mr. Herrick has had entire control
of the place, conducting it exactly as if
it were his own, and its interests have ever
been forwarded in his hands. He possesses
great executive ability, and is the peer of any
in his life endeavor. The place well indicates
his able management, industry and progressive
spirit. In 1858, Mr. Herrick wedded Elizabeth
Muldoon, daughter of John Muldoon, of New
York City, and they have become the parents
of five children: (i) George A., born July
20, 1859, is an engineer on the Hudson River
railroad, with residence at Croton, N. Y. (2)
Mary Elizabeth, born July i6, 1S61, married
Eugene V. Daly; after graduating at a female
medical college, she practiced her profession in
New York City for twelve years, during which
time she became well known; she is quite tal
ented, and is very popular among her acquaint
ances. (3) LueHa J., born August 26, 1S64,
is the wife of Dr. Barker, of Woodside, Long
Island. (4) John J., born AprH 5, 1866, is a
graduate of Cornell University, and is now
superintendent of the Department of Docks
in New York City. (5) Albert E., born Janu
ary 19, 1869, is connected with the National
Ice Co. , of New York City.
In politics, Mr. Herrick is a strong adher
ent of the doctrines of the Democratic party,
and takes considerable interest in local affairs.
In 1871-72, and again in 1884-85, he served
as supervisor of the town of Hyde Park, and has
frequently been urged to accept other offices in
the county. He is prominently connected with
the Masonic order, belonging to Rhinebeck
Lodge No. 432, F. & A. M., at Rhinebeck; the
Royal Arch Chapter No. 45, at Kingston, N. Y.,
and of the Knights Templar, at Poughkeepsie.

WENRY S. MARSHALL, an enterprising
 and progressive agriculturist of the town
of Washington, Dutchess county, is of pioneer
stock, his ancestors in more than one Hne of
descent having been early residents of the
county. His grandfather, Henry S. Marshall, was
born in Pleasant Valley, and married Sarah
Gifford, a native of Stanford, by whom he had
six chHdren: Susan, Ann, John Gifford, Theo

dore, Caroline and Edward H., none of whom
are now living, except Edward H. Marshall,
of Millbrook. He is a leading farmer of the
town of Hyde Park, and a well-known auc
tioneer; he is a Hicksite Quaker in reHgious
faith, and in politics a Democrat.
John Gifford Marshall, our subject's father,
was born in the town of Hyde Park, July 16,
1824, and died there March 8, 1892, having
always lived at the old homestead, following
agriculture as an occupation. His education
was carefully supervised at hjme in early boy
hood, and later he entered Jacob Willett's
Boarding School in the town of Washington.
Like his ancestors, he was a member of the
Society of Friends. He was married in Hyde
Park to Phcebe Jane Marshall, daughter of
Henry B. Marshall, a prominent resident of
that town. Of the three children of this union
our subject was the youngest; the others are:
(i) Leonora married Oliver H. Drew; (2)
Theodore, deceased, married Anna Foreman.
Henry S. Marshall was born April 6, 1S61,
in the town of Hyde Park, and was reared at
the old homestead. He attended the public
schools there for some time, and was then sent
to Gideon Frost's school on Long Island, and
De Garmo Institute at Rhinebeck. He mar
ried Miss Vernie Smith, daughter of George
P. Smith, a leading citizen of Clinton Corners,
and has three children: Atherton G. , Gifford
H. and George S. Mr. Marshall has been
engaged in farming in Hyde Park and the town
of Washington since he first began in business
for himself. He is active and influential in
local affairs, and at present holds the office of
school director at Clinton Corners.

JOHN H. ENSIGN, a weH-known resident
of Dover Plains, Dutchess county, is one
of the most valued employes of the Harlem
Railroad Company, having been in their service
for a quarter of a century. He was born in
Dover Plains in 1S45, and after attending the
schools of that place during boyhood entered
the employ of the raHroad company as brake-
man, and his faithful discharge of his duties
soon led to his promotion to the position of
conductor. He is actively interested in local
affairs, and is a member of the Masonic frater
nity. Lodge No. 666, of Dover. In 1882 he
married Miss Ida Vincent, of Dover, and they
have one son, John O. Ensign, born in 1885.
The Ensign family is of New England

486

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

origin, and our subject's grandfather, Asa
Ensign, was born and educated in Massachu
setts. He was a blacksmith by trade, and
came in early manhood tb Dutchess county,
locating in the town of Dover, where he and
his wife, Catherine, reared a family of six
chHdren: John, our subject's father; Samuel,
who married (first) Julia Orton, and (second)
Adelia Hubbel; Stillman, who married Amy
Sherman; Eliza and Maria, who never mar
ried; and Sarah, the wife of Harrison Sherman.
John Ensign was born in the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, in iSoo, and on leaving
school he learned the carpenter's trade. He
then engaged in contracting and building, and
followed this business throughout his life. He
married Miss Almira Manchester, daughter of
Stephen Manchester (a well-known blacksmith
of Dover) and bis wife Elizabeth. Five chil
dren were born of this union: Eliza, who is
not married; Emily, the wife of John E. Ben
son; Mary, who died at twenty-six years of
age; John H., our subject; and Catherine, who
died in infancy.
Mrs. Ensign is a descendant of one of the
old families of the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, her grandfather, Jonathan Vincent,
having been a native of that locality. He
married Miss Martha Duncan, and settled upon
a farm there, where their eight children were
born and reared. William married Ann
Eggleston; Allen, Mrs. Ensign's father, is men
tioned below; Isaac married (first) Jane A.
Beers, and (second) Imogene Butts; George
married Amanda Coolie; Leonard and Edgar
are not married; E. Ann married William
Colby; and Amanda was the wife of Oscar
Wilcox. Allen Vincent grew to manhood in
the town of Dover, and engaged in agriculture.
His wife was Miss Mary Stage, daughter of
David and Mary Stage, prominent residents of
Dover Plains. Mrs. Ensign was the eldest of
six children. Of the others, Addie married
George Vincent; Mary — Martin Wilcox; Mar
tha — William Brown; Augusta — Fred Wilcox;
Daisy is not married.

J

YOHN A. FRALEIGH. The name of this
gentleman is well and favorably known
throughout the town of Red Hook, Dutch
ess county, where he is prosperously engaged
in farming. The famHy have long been resi
dents of that locality, of which Peter Fraleigh
(2), (a son of Peter Fraleigh (i) ), the grand

father of our subject, was a native (born Feb
ruary 25, 1772, died October 8, 1853), and
there he followed agricultural pursuits through
out life. He was twice married, his first union
being with a Miss Teator, by whom he had
two children, both now deceased; Katie, who
became the wife of WiHiam Feller; and Peter,
who married Lany Link. After the death of
his first wife, Mr. Fraleigh wedded Mrs.
Catherine (Coon) Cooper, a widow.
The only child born of the latter union was
George W-. Fraleigh, the father of our subject,
whose birth occurred in the town of Red Hook,
June 6, 1 8 16. After completing his education
he took up farming, and made that occupation
his life work. In the old training days he was
a member of a company of cavalry; in early
life held a number of township offices, and he
was a stalwart Republican in politics. He
was united in marriage November 28, 1838,
with Miss Regina Waldorf (who was born AprH
23, 1820), a daughter of Capt. William Wal
dorf, and five chHdren were born to them:
Peter W., who married Helen Crandall, and
is now deceased; John A., subject of this
sketch; Monroe, who married Gertrude Martin;
Rosalie; and PhHip E. , who wedded Phcebe
K. ConkHn. The father of these died July
15, 1866, the mother on December 28, 1870,
and they are both buried in the M. E. ceme
tery at Red Hook.
Our subject was born in the town where
he still makes his home, and was there edu
cated. Reared beneath the parental roof-
tree, he remained with his father and mother,
assisting in the manual labor incident to the
life of an agriculturist, until 1869, when he
secured a position in the New York post office
under Postmaster James, being appointed by
Governor Fenton. After leaving that employ,
he returned to the town of Red Hook and
assumed the management of his father's farm,
which he purchased after the latter's death in
1 87 1. He has since conducted the farm with
remarkable success, and is one of the reliable
and most esteemed members of the community.
He makes a specialty of dairy and fruit farm
ing, and by the exercise of industry and ex
cellent management his efforts have been re
warded with a weH-merited success. In 1871,
Mr. Fraleigh was united in marriage with
Miss Irene Curtis, daughter of John Curtis, of
Red Hook, and three children now grace their
union: Curtis, born June 24, 1872; Rosalie M.,
born May 5, 1875; and Herbert E. , born De-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

487

cember 27, 1877. Of these, Curtis is a clerk
in the hardware store of P. E. Fraleigh, at
Red Hook; RosaHe M. is receiving her edu
cation at Dr. Clark's, Tivoli, and, at Mrs.
Currie's, Albany; and Herbert E. is attending
Moody's school at Mt. Hermon, preparing
himself for the study of civil engineering.
Mrs. Fraleigh was born September 2, 1845,
in the town of Red Hook, and received her
education at the Stocking Academy (afterward
known as the De Garmo Classical Institute),
Rhinebeck. Her father, John Curtis, was a
nativeof Rhinebeck, born February 17, 18 18,
married Jane B. Beaumont, a native of York
shire, England, and to them were born eight
children, to wit: LeGrand, in the Hudson
River Hospital; Edwin S., a captain in the
U. S. regular army, having joined in 1S61;
Irene (Mrs. John A. Fraleigh); Florence,
Grace and WHHs (all three deceased); Herbert
J., of Red Hook; and J. Canfield (deceased).
Mrs. Fraleigh's grandfather, LeGrand Curtis,
was a native of Trumbull, Conn., and was a
son of Capt. John Curtis, who was a captain
in the Light Horse during the Revolutionary
war, and is interred at Barrytown, in Dutchess
county.

E

LATHROP BARRETT, one of the most
progressive and enterprising agriculturists
of the town of Northeast, Dutchess county,
and the owner of a fine farm near Coleman
Station, was born in that vicinity August 30,
1858. His grandfather, the late E. Lathrop
Barrett, a native of Norwich, Conn. , came to
Dutchess county in early manhood, locating
first at Pine Plains, and later in the town of
Northeast. He was a carpenter by trade, but
after purchasing a tract of 120 acres of land in
[Northeast, he devoted his time to its cultiva
tion, and became noted for his successful man-
|agement. He married Rhoda Dakin, daugh-
iter of Caleb Dakin, and a descendant of one
of the earliest settlers of the town. He died
in 1857, and his wife in i860. They had five
children: Sarah Louise, Dakin, Edward L.,
Myron, and Oliver, our subject's father.
During his boyhood the subject of this
sketch attended the district schools near his
home, and a private school in Sharon, Conn.,
later studying for one year in Cazenovia Sem
inary, a Methodist institution at Cazenovia,
N. Y., receiving a good English education.
As he has always been a reader, he has ac

quired a large fund of information on subjects
of general interest. At nineteen years of age
he returned home, where he remained for some
time, but on June 16, 1881, he entered the
service of the Harlem RaHroad Co., as agent
at Coleman Station, having the entire charge
of their interests there. He remained twelve
years without interruption, with the exception
of a six-months' leave of absence.
He married Miss Alice N. Clark, a member
of one of the oldest famHies of Northeast, and
a daughter of PhHo W. Clark, a well-known
farmer there. They have one son, Raymond
Lathrop, born June 21, 1S94, and one daugh
ter, Louisa Alice, born April 16, 1896. In
1892 Mr. Barrett purchased Mr. Clark's farm
of 215 acres, and January 16, 1893, he resigned
his position with the railroad company to en
gage in agriculture. He gives especial atten
tion to horticulture, and has a fine orchard
upon the estate. As a careful yet progressive
manager he has been successful in his enter
prise. In politics he is a Democrat, but he
has never done any political work, although
in local affairs, which do not involve any par
tisan issues, he has at times been a prominent
helper. He and his wife are active members
of the Presbyterian Church, and he is also a
member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging
to Webatuck Lodge, of MHIerton, in which he
has held all the offices, Poughkeepsie Chapter
No. 172, and Commandery No. 43.

ISAAC CORBIN. Among the pleasant rural
 homes of the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county, is that of Mr. Corbin, a prosperous
agriculturist and one of the leading citizens of
the town. His present wife, whose maiden
name was Mary F. Allison, was born in Hast
ings county, Canada, Aug. 29, 1S60, and re
ceived her education in the common schools of
her native country. Their marriage took place
in 1883. By his first marriage, to Miss Jennie
Sherman, Mr. Corbin had three chHdren: Al
bert J., born November 6, 1872; Anna M.,
February 12, 1875; and Charles L. , March
3, 1876; and there are six children of the sec
ond union: William, born AprH 4, 1884; B.
Frank, September 11, 1S85; I. CecH, June
12, 1887; Ethel B., May 11, 1889; D. Lewis,
AprH 21, 1891; and Clement, AprH 27, 1896.
The Allison family has been identified with
Prince Edward county, Canada, from a very
early period. Mrs. Corbin's grandfather, John

488

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Allison, was born in New Jersey and educated
there, and served in the British army in the
Revolutionary war. On his return home he
purchased land there and followed farming and
weaving throughout the remaining years of his
life. He married Miss Ann Sprague, and had
eight chHdren, of whom Benjamin I., Mrs.
Corbin's father, was the first. Of the others,
Henry B. married Delanie Schamerhorn; Da
vid wedded Jane Smith; Joseph — Catherine
Wood; Phoebe — Griffin HoweH; Betsy — Myron
Wood; Catherine died in infancy; and Sophia
married Samuel Parks.
Benjamin I. Allison was born at the old
home in Canada in 1817, and after availing
himself of the educational privileges afforded
in the common schools of his native place, be
came a farmer there. He Tvas a great sports
man, and was much interested in political
questions, espousing the liberal side, but he
never aspired to public office. He married
Miss Eliza H. Greeley, daughter of Jonathan
and Harriet (Roblin) Greeley, the former of
whom was a well-known surveyor and farmer.
Twelve children were born of this union, all
of whom were educated in the schools of Hast
ings county: (i) Absalom G. has been a train
dispatcher on the Grand Trunk railroad in
Canada for over thirty years. He married
Miss Nancy Simpkins, and has had five children:
Maude, who married Ned Dickson, and has
two daughters — Florence and Nettie; Florence,
who married Kep C. Lyons, and has one daugh
ter — Grace; Arthur; Claude; and Emma.
(2) John S., a farmer in Pennsylvania, mar
ried Miss Mary WHson, and has had four chil
dren: Benjamin, WilHam, Fred and Maggie.
(3) Jonathan, a farmer in Canada, married
Miss Sarah Prentice, and has had five children:
May, Olive, Flossie, Pearl and Lena. (4)
Harriet married William Toppings, and has
had four children: James, Jonathan, Eva and
Laura. (5) William H. has been train dis
patcher on the Credit Valley & Canadian Pa
cific railroad for eighteen years. He married
Miss Georgiana Cole, and has one son, CecH.
(6) Benjamin R., a speculator in Canada,
married Miss Kate Hazzel, and has one daugh
ter, Gertrude. (7) Phoebe E. married James
Ferris, and has had three chHdren: Allison,
Bessie and Greeley. (8) Sarah C. married
Charles Baker, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and
and has seven children: Dufferin, Horace,
Robert, Elma, Victoria, Ruth and Florence.
(9) Eva H. married John Noble, of St. Paul,

Minn., and has had five chHdren: Frank, Clara,
Benjamin, Mabel and Marion. (10) Mary F.
is the wife of Isaac Corbin. (11) Martha N.
married Benjamin Frank Burr. (12) Joseph
C. died in infancy.

JOHN OSBORNE WHITEHOUSE (de
ceased) was born July 19, 1817, at Gonic,
- a village near Rochester, N. H., and was of
French and English descent. His father, who
was a farmer, gave his son the best education
which the neighborhood afforded, but the young
man developed an early desire for a wider field,
and when scarcely more than sixteen years old
went to New York, which has been so aptly
termed the " City of Opportunity," and few
ever made better use of the city's opportunity.
Entering a jobbing house in boots and shoes,
utterly without experience, he in a very few
years thoroughly mastered the business, out
stripping many older employes. He went to
live in Brooklyn, and in 1838, when but twen
ty-one, married Fanny Smith, later buying a
house and establishing his home in Clinton
avenue. In the meantime he started in the
boot-and-shoe business in Brooklyn for him
self, as head of the firm of Whitehouse & Co.
His success was marked, and his advancement
rapid. Among other remunerative contracts
which he had during the next few years was one
on Randall's Island.
In 1863, having sold his Brooklyn business,
Mr. Whitehouse removed to Poughkeepsie and
built an immense shoe factory, which he con
ducted with increasing success until his death,
often employing as high as five hundred opera
tives. His close attention to business, indom
itable energy, skill in adapting himself to the
needs of the times, prudence and upright char
acter brought their logical rewards, and he
amassed a large fortune. Interests outside of
his business attracted his serious attention but
once. In 1872 he consented to become a can
didate for Congress on the Democratic ticket,
in the district comprising the counties of
Dutchess, Putnam and Columbia, a district
supposed to be hopelessly Republican. Into
this campaign Mr. Whitehouse brought the
same energy and sagacity which had marked
his business career, and though skilled and ex
perienced politicians were pitted against him,
he was elected by nearly a thousand majority,
defeating John H. Ketcham. The campaign
was an exciting and memorable one, and is

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

489

still spoken of as a remarkable instance of
what a trained business man may accomplish
in politics when so disposed. Two years later
he was re-elected, but declined a third nomina
tion. His terms in Congress were marked by
hard and honest work, and were satisfactory
to his constituents.
On moving to Poughkeepsie Mr. White-
house bought a large estate on the edge of
town and established a country home, the
beautifying and enlarging of which became his
pride. This estate adjoined " Springside, "
the home of Matthew Vassar. In 1 868 ' 'Spring-
side " was annexed and incorporated with the
Whitehouse property. Mr. Whitehouse was a
stockholder in various financial institutions,
and the largest stockholder and managing
director of the Ninth National Bank, of New
York. During the Civil war he was loyal to
the Union and active in promoting its cause,
and became a member of the Union League
Club. Mr. Whitehouse may probably best be
described as a typical American in the best
sense of the term. No trait of his character
was more marked than his independence and
self-reliance. He made up his mind on a
given subject carefully, and from a thorough
understanding of all its details, and then acted
with the full courage of his convictions.
Loyalty to his friends was another of his
marked characteristics. He died at Pough
keepsie August 24, 1881 ; his wife passed away
January 13, 1893. Of their six chHdren, John
O., Spencer S., WHHam, Fanny A., and
James H. are deceased, leaving Mary Jose
phine, wife of Eugene N. Howell, as the
only surviving child. She, with her husband
and son, John Whitehouse Howell, reside dur
ing the summer months at Poughkeepsie, on
the old Whitehouse estate.

F^RANK BENTLEY WILBUR, an expe-
 rienced farmer and most genial and com
panionable gentleman, has made his home on
his present fine farm in the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county, since 1869. He is a man of
great energy and perseverance, and has effected
many improvements on his place since taking
possession. He is recognized as a valued ad
dition to the community, a man possessed of
excellent judgment, and giving his support
and encouragement to those enterprises calcu
lated for the general welfare.

His grandfather, Samuel WHbur, who was
a native of Milan town, Dutchess county, mar
ried Elizabeth Hicks, by whom he had eight
children: George, Hiram, Ephraim, Benjamin
(father of our subject), Jeptha, Cynthia, Mary
and Phoebe, all now deceased save Hiram and
Phoebe. The family is of English origin, and
was founded in this country at an early day.
The grandfather of our subject spent most of
his life engaged in farming in Pine Plains, where
he was a well-known and highly-respected citi
zen. His political support was given to the
Whig party.
Benjamin Wilbur, the father of our sub
ject, was born in the town of Pine Plains Jan
uary 17, 1815, and, after completing his edu
cation in the common schools, taught there
for several years. On December 10, 1842, in
his native township, he was united in marriage
with Miss Antoinette Bentley, a daughter of
Hiram Bentley, of Pine Plains, and to them
were born four children: Frank Bentley, sub
ject of this review; Emma V., who was born
January 9, 1846, and is now the wife of Charles
L. Carrol, of Pine Plains; Guliette, who' was
born September 9, 1S55, and died December
24, 1859, and Cora L., who was born March
I, 1859, and died on the 28th of December
following. After his marriage the father lo
cated upon a farm in Pine Plains town, where
he followed agricultural pursuits until his
death, which occurred July 23, 1893. He
took a leading part in the affairs of the town
ship, served his fellow citizens in the offices of
assessor and commissioner, and was promi
nently identified with all public interests. Po
litically he was an ardent Republican in later
years, and previous to the organization of that
party supported the Whig candidates. He was
a faithful member of the Christian Church at
Pine Plains, in which, for many years, he
served as deacon. His loving wife died July
12, 1893, only a few days previous to his
death. Frank B. WHbur remained at home until
his marriage, assisting his father in the opera
tion of the farm during the summer months,
while in the winters, during his boyhood days,
he attended the district schools, where he ac
quired a practical education, and was thus
fitted for the responsible duties of life. In the
town of Stanford, October 19, 1869, he mar
ried Miss Mary B. Sackett, daughter of Phineas
K. Sackett, of that township, and they have
become theparents of three children, namely:

490

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

NinaB., who was born March 12, 1S71, and
who was married June 20, 1894, to Henry E.
Cornelius, of Stanford town (they have two
children: Elinor, born April 26, 1895, and
Mary, born December 29, 1896); Mae S., born
October 9, 1S73, and Effie G. , born October
7, 1 878. On July 17, 1895, Mr. Wilbur was
called upon to mourn the loss of his estimable
wife, who had ever been a faithful companion
and helpmeet to him.
Politically our subject is a stanch adherent
of the doctrines formulated by the Republican
party, finding in that organization what to him
seem the principles most calculated to perpet
uate our form of popular government. He is
one of the prominent and representative men
of his township, looked up to and esteemed by
the entire community.

JOHN GOLLENBECK. Among the most
enterprising citizens of this country are
those who were born in Germany, and who
have brought to this fertile and productive
land the thrift and economy of the Old World.
Among these there is no figure that stands out
more prominently in the history of Dutchess
county than the gentleman whose name intro
duces this sketch, and who is now a leading
farmer in the town of Unionvale.
His paternal grandfather, John Wiseman,
was born in Liebstadt, Prussia, and was a
farmer by occupation. He wedded Miss Maria
Linman, and to them were born six children:
Stephen, Harry, John, Katie, Elizabeth and
Mary. Stephen Wiseman, the father of our
subject, was a native of the same place, was
there educated and learned the wagon-maker's
trade, at which he worked most of his life.
His employer left his business to him, provided
he would take his name, which was Gollen-
beck. This he assumed, and took control of
the property. He was united in marriage with
Miss Maria Scheroff, and they had four chil
dren: John, William, Frank and Maria.
John Gollenbeck, our subject, was born in
Westphalia, Germany, in 1825, and in the
place of his nativity attended school. In the
old country he also learned the wagon-maker's
trade, at which he worked untH crossing the
Atlantic to America in 1855. He at first lo
cated in New York City, where he worked at
his trade for thirteen months, but at the end
of that time came to the town of Unionvale,
Dutchess county, and turned his attention to

farming. During the dark days of the Rebel
lion, he resolved to aid his adopted country in
preserving the Union, and at Poughkeepsie en
listed in Company A, 150th N. Y. V. I., with
which he faithfully served until hostilities had
ceased. He now holds membership with Ham-
Hn Post, G. A. R.
Mr. Gollenbeck was married to Miss An
toinette Austin, daughter of Irving Austin, a
laborer of Dutchess county, and they have two
chHdren: Mattie and William. Mattie is the
wife of Obed Hewett, a butcher, carpenter
and farmer of Arthursburg, Dutchess county,
and they have six children: Robert, Ephraim,
Judson, Lehman, Mabel and Florence. WHl
iam was born, reared and educated in the town
of Unionvale, where he is now carrying on
farming. J. Austin, the grandfather of Mrs. Gol
lenbeck, was one of the Revolutionary heroes.
He was a native of Dutchess county, and a
farmer by occupation. By his marriage with
Miss Sallie A. Mclntyre he had five chHdren :
Sallie, who married Joseph Bowman ; John,
who died when young; Irving, the father of
Mrs. Gollenbeck; Jane, who married Jacob
Rozell, and Mary, who became the wife of
Clark Duncan. Irving Austin was born in
Dutchess county in 1803, received a common-
school education, and during his youth learned
the shoemaker's trade, but the principal part
of his life was devoted to general farming.
He married Miss Ann Sweet, daughter of
Uriah Sweet, a collier, of Dutchess county,
and they became the parents of seven chU
dren: Almira, who married George Van Cott;
Lavina, who married John Rosterhauft; Sarah
A., who married Romaine Stevens; Amelia;
George, who married Emily Dennis; Henry,
who married Hannah Cooper; and Antoinette,
the honored wife of our subject.

/r»^\EORGE W. RYMPH. This gentleman
ibrr occupies no unimportant position among
the leading citizens of the town of Hyde Park,
Dutchess county. He is a native of Ulster
county, N. Y. , born in the town of Gardiner,
near Tuthill, July 19, 1839, and is a son of
James Rymph, whose birth occurred at the
old Rymph homestead on the Hyde Park road
in this county. The family name was origi
nally spelled Rim, and the great-grandfather,
George Rymph, who was a native of Witten
berg, Germany, came to this country with the

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

491

Cookinghams, who settled at Wurtemburg. He
arrived a few years prior to 1769, when the
house on the old homestead was built, and the
farm, consisting of 2 1 5 acres, was purchased
of Dr. John and Susanna Bard, the Doctor
being one of the Great Nine Partners. Mr.
Rymph, being a thrifty and enterprising man,
added to his land until at the time of his death
he had 600 acres, and was one of the prosper
ous and prominent citizens of the locality. His
sons were George, Abram, Luke, James and
John, and, of his three daughters, one married
a Mr. Buckingham, of CatskHI, N. Y. , and
another married a Mr. Beeman. George mar
ried and went west, but the other four sons
remained upon the old homestead in the town
of Hyde Park, where they were held in the
highest regard. Slavery was still tolerated at
that time in this section, and the family owned
a few slaves. With the exception of John
Rymph, the grandfather of our subject, the
other sons that remained on the homestead
did not marry. He wedded Wyenna Has
brouck, who belonged to one of the old Hu
guenot families of Ulster county, and to them
were born the following children: James; John;
WilHam George; David; Edward L. ; Maria,
who became the wife of Abram S. DuBois;
Margaret, who married Benjamin L. Has
brouck; Sarah, who wedded Jacob Chambers,
of Ithaca, Tompkins Co., N. Y., brother of
Dr. George Chambers, of Stone Ridge, Ulster
Co., N. Y. ; Rachel, who married John P.
Schryver, of Hyde Park; and Susan. All of
this family lived to quite advanced ages. In
early life their father was a captain and boat
man on the Hudson river, but after his mar
riage his time was devoted to agricultural pur
suits upon the old homestead farm.
James Rymph, the father of our subject,
was joined in wedlock with Hannah Budd,
daughter of James Budd, of the town of Pleas
ant Valley, Dutchess county, and the aunt df
Gov. James H. Budd, the only Democratic
governor elected in California; and the sister
of Joseph H. Budd, a justice of the supreme
court of that State. To this worthy couple
were born six children, three sons and three
daughters — Ellen, who died in infancy; George
W., of this review; Jane, who died unmarried;
John J., living in Clinton, Dutchess county;
Mary A., twin sister of John, who died un
married; and Albert J., who is living in Har
per, Harper Co. , Kans. During the first two
or three years of his married life the father

lived in what is now Gardiner, and then pur
chased a farm in the town of Clinton, Dutch
ess county, where he spent his remaining
years. For that farm of 148 acres he went
$7,000 in debt, but so well did he succeed in
his business undertakings that at the time of
his death he had two other farms, was direc
tor in the City National Bank, and one of the
original stockholders in both the Rhinebeck
Bank and the City National Bank of Pough
keepsie, all of which property was the result of
his own untiring efforts and perseverance. He
was originally a Democrat in politics, but at
the time of the Civil war he joined the Repub
lican party, and was ever afterward one of its
stalwart supporters. He was a well-read, in
telligent man, a member in good standing of
the Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Plains, in
the work of which he took an active part, and
was a leading citizen of the community. His
earthly career was ended in 1884.
Mr. Rymph, whose name introduces this
sketch, was educated in a private seminary and
the Dutchess County Academy (the latter of
which he attended a part of two years), and
is well informed on the current events of the
day. On leaving the school-room he returned
to his father's farm, where he remained until
1883, giving his attention to its management
and also to the one his father had given to
him. In the spring of 1884 he removed to
the latter place, on the Hyde Park road, then
comprising 165 acres, to which by purchase he
added fifty acres, making the original 215
acres which belonged to his great-grandfather,
George Rymph.
In December, 1883, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Rymph and Miss Estelle
Pearsall, of the town of Hyde Park, daughter
of Samuel H. Pearsall, and they have two
sons and one daughter, — George H., James
G. B., and Marguerite E. Reared in the Re
publican party, our subject has always adhered
to its principles, but at local elections usually
votes independent of party ties, supporting the
man whom he thinks best qualified to fill the
position. In 1875 he was elected assessor of
his town, and in the spring of 1894 was elected
justice of the peace for a period of four years.
Socially, he is connected with Poughkeepsie
Lodge No. 266, F. & A. M.; religiously, he is
identified with the Reformed Dutch Church,
which he attends. He is at present serving as
secretary and treasurer of the Farmers Town
Co-operative Insurance Company, of the town

492

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

of Hyde Park, and is one of the stockholders
of the Huguenot Bank of New Paltz, Ulster
Co., N. Y. He has aided in the advancement
of his town and county in many ways, and is
uniformly the friend of progress and education.

FvRANK HERRICK, an enterprising and
 prosperous merchant of Rhinebeck, Dutch
ess county, was born February 2, 1852, in the
town of Pine Plains, where his family has long
been prominent.
He is a great-grandson of Ephraim Herrick,
-who had a son Ephraim Herrick (2), whose
son, John A. Herrick, our subject's father, was
born in 18 17, and became one of the leading
citizens of Pine Plains. He followed farming
during his active life, but is now passing his
declining years in retirement in the village of
Rhinebeck. His fine mental abHity and high
character have made him deservedly popular
among a wide circle of acquaintances, and he
has often been called upon to fill positions of
trust, and was supervisor of the town of Pine
Plains for eight years, and for a long period
was assessor and commissioner of highways.
Politically he was a Democrat, and has given
much of his attention to the interests of his
party in his locality. He married Miss Mar
garet Sherwood, daughter of Isaac Sherwood,
a well-known resident of MHan. Of their three
children, our subject is the second; the others
are: Louisa, the eldest, married John D.
Hedges, of MHan; and Minerva married Charles
Ferris, formerly of Milan, now of Rhinebeck.
Frank Herrick received a good English ed
ucation in his youth, attending the district
schools near his home for some years, and
later the seminary at Amenia, and as he pos
sesses an active mind, and is of an investigating
turn, he has since gained much information by
reading and observation. On leaving school
he began to learn the practical details of mer
cantile life in "Dibble's Store" at Pine Plains,
where he clerked for one year, then, in 1875,
went to Rhinebeck as a clerk for his uncles,
I. & P. Sherwood, leading grocers of that
town, and on the death of the senior partner,
in 1 88 1, he was taken into the firm, which
became Sherwood & Herrick. In 1892 Mr.
Sherwood retired and Mr. Herrick removed to
his present stand, and added coal and lumber
to his stock, an enterprise which has been jus
tified by its success. He has one of the most
complete stores in the locality, it being ad

mirably adapted in every way to the demands
of the business, wholesale and retail. .His ex
tensive trade is, perhaps, the largest in volume
of any store in the town, is evidence of the
confidence and esteem in which he is held
throughout the community.
He is public-spirited; in politics a Demo
crat, and always ready to forward any meas
ure for local improvement, but he has not been
active in political work, as his business inter
ests demanded his exclusive attention. In
1S84 he was married to Miss Sarah Reed, a
daughter of Thomas Reed, a leading citizen of
Rhinebeck; she was born December 3, 1858,
in Saugerties, Ulster county, and educated in
the De Garmo Institute at Rhinebeck.- [For
history of her ancestry see sketch of Thomas
Reed, elsewhere in this volume.] Mr. and
Mrs. Herrick are active members' of the Bap
tist Church, in which he is an official. He
belongs to the Relief Hook and Ladder Co.,
and served as foreman for several years.

ATHAN W. SMITH, residing upon a
J[^ valuable farm in the town of Amenia,
presents in his life a splendid example of hard
labor, close application to business, and perse
verance. He commenced life at the foot of
the ladder, but by his own well-directed efforts
he is now able to take life easily and comfort
ably, in the enjoyment of the fruits of his early
industry. Mr. Smith was born on the old family
homestead at North Lyme, Conn., January
12, 1818, and is a son of Nathan and Nancy
(Waterman) Smith, in whose family were five
children, the others being: Sarah M., who
became the wife of Columbus Reed; GHbert
B.; Nancy L. and John H. His father was
born at the same place, November 12, 1788,
and was four times married, his first wife be
ing the mother of our subject; they were mar
ried in 1810, and she died July 2, 1824. After
her death he married Hannah Stark, by whom
he had two children — Fitch C. and Henry S.
His third wife was Nancy Baker, widow of
Mathias Baker, and daughter of Deacon Eli
phalet Hillyard, and after her death he mar
ried Mary Gallup. At one time he was cap
tain of a sloop, but the greater part of his Hfe
was devoted to agricultural pursuits at Salem,
Conn. He lived to a ripe old age, dying
March 26, 1886. For many years he served
as deacon in the Baptist Church at North

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

498

Lyme, Conn. ; was one of his country's defend
ers in the war of 1812, and was always an up
right, honorable man, who had the confidence
and esteem of all with whom he came in
contact. Our subject can trace his ancestry back to
Nehemiah (i) Smith, who landed in Massachu
setts prior to 1637, and was prominently con
nected with the early history of Connecticut.
In his family of nine children there was only
one son, Nehemiah (2), who for several years
served as a member of the General Assembly
at Hartford. His son, Nehemiah (3), was a
farmer of New London county. Conn., and
was the father of Isaac Smith, in whose family
was William Smith, the grandfather of our
subject. The latter, who was a farmer in New
London county, married Sarah Smith, a daugh
ter of Nathan and Elizabeth Smith, and to
them were born twelve children: WilHam,
Sarah, Elizabeth, Gurdon, John D., Edward,
Nathan, Phebe, Charlotte, Lucy, Almira and
Ansyl. N. W. Smith, whose name introduces this
sketch, attended the district schools near his
boyhood home at North Lyme, Conn. , and com
pleted his education at Essex Academy. For
two years he then clerked in a general store at
North Lyme, later was similarly employed at
j Hamburg, Conn., for a year, after which he
went to Saratoga county, N. Y., where he
worked on a farm for a season. By stage
and steamboat he then came to the town
of Amenia, Dutchess county, to visit his
sister, Mrs. Columbus Reed, and subsequently
was employed by Noah Gridley on a farm at
Wassaic, where he remained two years. ' For
the same length of time he worked for Mrs.
Jacob Rundall, after which he went to Chicago
by way of canal, railroad and Great Lakes,
but after a short time spent in that city he re
turned to Dutchess county, and for three years
was in the employ of William A. Benton, of
Leeds vHle.
In January, 1847, Mr. Smith was united in
marriage with Miss Adeline E. Holly, who
died in October, 1848. To them had been
born one son, John Holly, who died in infancy.
In the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
on February 4, 1850, he was again married,
his second union being with Esther J. Odell
(born in 1828), one of the four children of
Peter and Sarah Odell, of Jefferson county,
the others being George, Levi and Elizabeth.
In 1847, Mr. Smith removed to Northeast

town, where for two years he engaged in farm
ing, but the following year he passed as a
clerk in the store of Columbus Reed, at Was
saic. He was again on the farm of Jacob
Rundall for three years, and for seventeen
years operated the Noah Gridley farm. In
1870 he removed to his present place south
of South Amenia, a farm consisting of 400
acres, which he purchased for $30,000, but
mortgaged it for $20,000, and also bought
several thousand dollars worth of stock.
Three years later he sold 115 acres for $8, 500.
So well did he succeed in this undertaking that
by 1883 the place was free from indebtedness,
and was yielding a handsome return for the
care and the labor expended upon it. His
achievement was all the more remarkable as
the man who had previously lived upon the
place declared he could not make a living
there. Industry, perseverance and energy are
numbered among his chief characteristics, and
as he has been dependent upon his own re
sources from boyhood, his success is but the
just reward of his own unaided efforts.
At the age of seventeen years, Mr. Smith
united with the Baptist Church at Lyme,
Conn., and now holds membership with the
Church at Amenia, of which he is a deacon.
His father and grandfather before him held the
same position in the churches to which they
belonged. Since the organization of the Re
publican party, he has been one of its most
earnest advocates.

)EVERLY W. HOWARD. The subject of
this sketch stands second to none among
the well-to-do farmers of the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county, whose record it has
been deemed wise to preserve in this manner
for the perusal of the coming generation. As
a judicious tiller of the soil he has met with
success, and as a man and citizen holds a
good position among his neighbors. He be
longs to a family long prominent in the history
of Maryland, where the founder of the family
in the New World (who was from England)
located at an early day. He was born in the
city of Baltimore on April 21, 1850.
His grandfather, Samuel Howard, was born
in Baltimore county, Md., in 1785, where his
early life was passed. He was a man of lei
sure, as he was possessed of considerable wealth.
By his marriage with Miss Ariana Cole, also a
native of Baltimore county, he became the fa-

494

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ther of eight chHdren, as follows: Abram, de
ceased, was a farmer of Muskingum county,
Ohio; George W. is the father of our subject;
Samuel and John died in childhood; Eliza be
came the wife of James Fulton, a merchant,
but both are now deceased; Celia is the widow
of William L. Rieman, a merchant of Balti
more; Sarah married Eli Beckwith, a real-es
tate dealer of Cleveland, Ohio, and both have
now passed away; and Anna is the widow of
Luther Norris, a merchant of Westminster,
Md. The parents of this family were Meth
odists in religious belief. The grandfather
spent his last days in Muskingum county, Ohio.
George W. Howard, the father of our sub
ject, was born in Maryland, October 12, 18 10,
and after reaching man's estate was for fifty
years a wholesale dry-goods merchant of Balti
more. . In later Hfe he wrote a book of that
city, entitled "The Monumental City." He
was quite a prominent man, widely and favor
ably known. His political support was given
the Democratic party. His death occurred in
Baltimore, on November 26, 1888, but his
wife is still living. In that city he had married
Carrie Foreman, a daughter of Arthur Fore
man, who was engaged in milling. They be
came the parents of two children: Ella and
Beverly W. The former wedded Henry J.
Davison, a civil engineer of New York City,
who became very wealthy; he had learned his
trade in the Novelty Iron Works of that city,
after which he became connected with the gas
business, also engaged in the building of steam
boats, and in this way secured a fortune, so
that at his death, which occurred July 12,
1890, he left a large estate. His wife had
died July 12, 1878. In their family were four
chHdren — George Howard, Clarence B., Car
rie Theresa and Ella C.
The boyhood and youth of Beverly W.
Howard were passed in Baltimore, Md. , and
in 1873 he came to MabbettsvHle, Dutchess
county, where he purchased his present farm of
213 acres of valuable land, now under a good
state of cultivation, so that it compares favor
ably with other fine farms of the locality.
On October 8, 1878, Mr. Howard was
married to Miss Laura H. Coffin, a daughter
of R. G. Coffin, and their union has been
blessed by the advent of eight chHdren, name
ly: Samuel B., born November 27, 1879; an
infant, who was born January 21, 18S2, and
died March 10, foHowing; Robert C, born
March 21, 1883; Henry D. born August 29,

1SS5: Ella T., born September 4, 1S88; Mar
ietta B., born December 5, 1890; Evlyn, born
May 5, 1893; and Clarence K., born Septem
ber 2, 1895. Mr. Howard takes an intelligent
and earnest interest in public affairs, actively
promoting any scheme that will benefit the
community, and is eminently worthy the trust
and regard in which he is held by his fellow
citizens. He uses his right of franchise in
support of the men and measures of the Dem
ocratic party.

C\HARLES ALBERT CLINE, of the well-
_' known firm of Cline Brothers, of Miller
ton, Dutchess county, leading commission
dealers in wholesale dressed beef, was born No
vember 22, 1S57, in the town of Amenia. He
is of Holland-Dutch descent, the family name
being originally Klein, then Kline and later
Cline. His great-grandfather was John Cline,
of Amenia, and his grandfather, Philo Cline,
was born in Amenia, Dutchess county, with
his three brothers. All four settled in the
Oblong valley, and all left descendants who
are now living in Dutchess county. Philo Cline
was engaged in mercantile business and in
conducting a hotel for some time, and he also
owned large tracts of land in the town. His
good education and naturally powerful intel
lect, united with perfect integrity and imparti
ality, gave him great influence in the commun
ity, and he was often called upon to settle dis
putes, both unofficially and in his capacity as
justice of the peace. He was often employed
to conduct cases in court, and sometimes was
chosen to plead both sides. Politically, he
was first a 'Whig and later a Republican, and
in religion he held liberal and tolerant views.
He died in 1864, and his wife, Harriet Swift,
daughter of Moses Swift, departed this life in
1 86 1. They had two sons: Albert, our sub
ject's father; and Franklin, born in 1833, who
is now a farmer in the town of Amenia.
Albert Cline wasborn March 3, 1828, and
in early manhood was a miller at South
Amenia. Since 1S63, he has been a success
ful farmer there, also .having a fine farm of
350 acres which he inherited. He has made
many improvements, and is regarded as one of
the leading agriculturists of that locality. In
public affairs he is active, giving his influence
to the support of the Republican party, and he
has held a number of local offices, including
that of supervisor. He is a member of the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

495

Masonic fraternity, and is progressive and
broad in his views on all the questions of the
day. He married Eliza Reed, adopted daughter
of PhHo Reed, of Amenia. She died in 1872,
leaving four children: Hattie, who married
Frank Baylis, of Amenia; Philo R., of the
firm of CHne Brothers; Charles Albert; and
Maria, who married Walter A. Sherman.
The subject of our sketch received his
elementary education in the district schools
near his home, and later attended Dover Plains
Academy, and Fort Edward Institute, at
Fort Edward, N. Y. , for three years, being
compelled because of ill health to leave before
completing his course. Returning home in
1876, he conducted the farm on shares for one
year, and then moved to Millerton, and be
came bookkeeper for the East St. Louis Beef
Company. A year later, when Nelson Morris
bought out the company, Mr. Cline and his
brother were made their agents, and for the
last five years they have been in the commis
sion business under the firm name of Cline
Brothers. They supply a large section of the
surrounding territory, including many points
in western Connecticut, and for a long distance
up and down the Harlem railroad, and by
their energy and enterprise they have accumu
lated a fine property. On March 20, 1888,
Mr. Cline was married to Miss Cornelia F.
Sherman, daughter of Samuel W. Sherman,
and they have one son, Charles Sherman CHne.
As a citizen Mr. Cline has shown great public
spirit, and is a leader among the younger men
of the town. He has always been a Republic
an, and takes an active share in party work.
In 1894 he was elected supervisor for a term
of two years, and performed his duties so ably
that he was re-nominated in 1 896.

f^\REDERIC BOSTWICK, who since the
 age of twenty years has been connected
with banking interests, was born in the village
of Pine Plains, on September 8, 1849, and is
a son of Reuben Bostwick. On the paternal
side he traces his lineage in an unbroken line
to Arthur Bostwick, who was born in Tarpaly
parish, Cheshire, England, in 1603. He had
two sons: Arthur, born in 1636, and John,
born in 1638. The chHdren of the latter were:
John, Zachariah, Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth and
Jane. John, the first of this family, was born
in 1667, and became the father of the follow

ing chHdren : John, Robert, Ebenezer, Joseph,
Nathaniel, Lemuel, Daniel and Mary. In the
family of Nathaniel Bostwick, who was born
in 1699, were eleven children, namely: Arthur,
Sarah, Lois, Reuben, Zadock, AbigaH, Elijah,
Gideon, Eunice, Tamer and Ichabod. Reu
ben, of this family, was born in 1734, and he
had three chHdren: Benjamin R. , Mabel and
Electa. The only son, Benjamin R. , was
born in 1762, and in his family were the fol
lowing chHdren: Lodema, Almon R. , Reuben
W., Charies B., WHliam H. and Horatio N.
Reuben W. Bostwick, of this famHy, was the
grandfather of our subject. He was born in
1788, and had four chHdren: Reuben, Eliza
Ann, William and Jerusha. Reuben, the father
of our subject, was born in 1823, and in his
family were seven chHdren: Frederic, WHliam,
Ida, Hattie, Walter, Walker and J. Hunting.
Our subject was educated at Poughkeepsie,
at the College HHl Military Academy, which
was then conducted by Otis Bisbee, and there
continued his studies for three years. After
his graduation from that institution he returned
to his home at Pine Plains, and at the age of
twenty years entered the Stissing National
Bank, being appointed cashier in 1870, suc
ceeding his father in that position. WHliam
S. Eno was at that time president of the bank.
He continued to serve as cashier untH 1889,
when he resigned in order to accept the ap
pointment of National Bank Examiner, ten
dered him during President Harrison's admin
istration. He had charge of three counties in
New York — Columbia, Dutchess and West
chester. Later he went to Massachusetts,
where he . examined banks for nearly a year,
and was then detailed for the same business in
what is known as the Southern District of New
York, comprising the counties of Rockland,
Orange, Ulster, Greene, Delaware, Oneida,
Erie, a part of Albany county, and the coun
ties bordering along the Pennsylvania line.
For a year after the expiration of his term he
was still retained in the office, which fact
clearly indicates the capable manner in which
he filled the position.
In his political views Mr. Bostwick has al
ways been a strong Republican, taking a deep
interest in the success of his party, and is now
serving as county committeeman. He has per
sonally promoted many of the local enterprises
of a public nature in Pine Plains, and is on'e of
its most popular and influential citizens. He
attends the Presbyterian Church, to which his

496

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

family all belong, and socially is a prominent
member of the Dutchess Club, of Pough
keepsie.

JOHN M. HASKINS, a well-known resident
of Amenia, Dutchess county, is now living
retired from active labor and in the enjoy
ment of all the comforts and many of the lux
uries of life. A native of Dutchess county, his
birth occurred February 14, 1824, in the town
of Washington. His father, Alexander Has
kins, was born on Long Island, but, when a
young man of about twenty years, located in
the town of Washington, where he engaged in
farming until 1826, when he removed to the
town of Amenia, there following the same oc
cupation. Politically he was a decided Demo
crat. He married Miss Deborah Masten, a
native of the town of Milan, Dutchess county,
and their family consisted of four children:
Phebe, Levi and Ezekiel, all deceased, and
John Masten, of this review. The father's
death occurred August 7, 1848, and the mother
was called from this life in 1857.
At the age of two years our subject was
brought by his parents to the town of Amenia,
where he attended school until the age of ten
years, when he started out in life for himself.
For six years he worked in the Gridley Iron
Mine at Amenia, but on the expiration of that
time, on account of his father's failing health,
he returned to the old home, caring for his
parents untH they crossed the dark river of
death. Subsequently Mr. Haskins engaged in
teaming for a few years before the railroad was
constructed, and in 1858 entered the Manhat
tan Iron Mine at Sharon Station, Dutchess
county, where he remained for eight years.
He then again entered the service of the Grid-
ley mine at Amenia, where for the long period
of twenty-one years he capably served as
superintendent, but has now laid aside aH
business cares.
At Pine Plains, Dutchess county, July 31,
1850, Mr. Haskins was married to Miss Mary
M. Platt, who was a daughter of Hiram and
MatHda Platt, and died August 4, 1884. To
them were born four sons — William and
George W. , deceased ; one who died in infancy,
and John M., Jr. Since 1868 Mr. Haskins
has been identified with Amenia Lodge No.
672, F. & A. M., and he is a highly-respected
and honored citizen of the community. He
was first a Whig in politics, but since the dis

solution of that party he has been an active
Republican, supporting the principles of his
party with all the force of his convictions, and
in 1894 and 1895 was a member of the excise
board.

DAVID BRYAN, a weH-known and pros
perous agriculturist of the town of Amenia,
is a worthy representative of a family that for
a century and a half has been prominently
identified with the best interests of Dutchess
county. The first of the family of whom there is any
record was Alexander Bryan, who lived in Con
necticut, where his death occurred in 1760.
In his family were two sons and one daughter,
namely: Elijah, Ezra and Sarah. Ezra Bryan,
the second in this family, was the grandfather
of our subject. He was born November 30,
1740, and at the age of twenty-one was mar
ried, in Newtown, Conn. , to Sarah Peck. From
there the young couple made their way on
horseback to the town of Northeast, Dutchess
county, where Mr. Bryan took up a farm of
400 acres, and cultivated it in connection with
his trade of cabinet making. He was a mem
ber of the Society of Friends, and through his
loyalty to the Colonial government lost the
bulk of his property in supporting the Revolu
tionary cause. He died while on his way to
meeting, July 7, 1825.
Amos Bryan, the father of our subject, was
born in the town of Northeast ( formerly Ame
nia), January 31, 1779, and was the youngest
in the family of five children. His education
was obtained in the district schools of his na
tive town, and on reaching manhood he pur
chased 150 acres of the old homestead from
the other heirs, which he operated. He also
carried on the fanning-mill business, and, to
gether with Calvin Chamberlain, originated the
' ' Chamberlain Plow " . He took quite a prom
inent part in public affairs, serving as assem
blyman in 1840, and also as supervisor and
justice of the peace. By birthright he was a
Quaker, and died in that faith April 12, 1863.
In the town of Northeast, Dutchess Co.,
N. Y., on October 14, 1804, Amos Bryan was
married to Betsey Finch, who was born Octo
ber 5, 1781, and died May 24, 1863. Their
family consisted of nine chHdren: Laura, born
in 1805, died in 1831; Ward W., born AprH
12, 1807, died December 14, 1863; Eliza, born
March 16, 18 10, became the wife bf Henry

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

497

Sisson, of the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, and died September 3, 1884; Ezraf..
born March 4. 1812. died March 22. I'S^G;
Isaac, born August 25, 18x5, died September
14, 1885; James, born November 27, 1817,
died March 16, 1839; David is next in order
of birth; Mary, born December 9, 1822, died
November i, 1853; and Sarah, born April 10,
1825, died April 15, 1872.
The birth of David Bryan occurred at the
family homestead in the town of Northeast,
September 22, 18 19. He began his education
in the district schools, and the knowledge there
acquired was supplemented by a term's attend
ance at the Peekskill Military Academy and by
a course in the Banks boarding schools at Do
ver Plains, Dutchess county. He remained
upon the home farm and carried on the fan-
ning-miH business until i860. Removing to
the "Square" in the town of Northeast, he
bought the farm of Judge Smith, comprising
454 acres, where he lived until the fall of 1884,
when he came to his present place in the town
of Amenia. On October 2 1, 1854, Mr. Bryan was united
in marriage with Miss Annvennette L. Sackett,
a daughter of Phineas K. Sackett. Her death
occurred July 21, 1858, and at Astoria, Long
Island, March 20, 1867, he was again married,
this time to Miss Cornelia T. WHIson (daugh
ter of John H. WHIson), by whom he had one
son, Frederick, born August 23, 1868, and
died June 26, 1872. In his political views Mr.
Bryan coincides with the Republican party,
whose ticket he usually supports, and previous
to the organization of the party he was a Whig.
He has ever taken a commendable interest in
the upbuilding and prosperity of his native
county, and by his fellow-citizens has been
called upon to serve in several positions, in
cluding those of supervisor, assessor and justice
of the peace in the town of Northeast. He is
a stockholder and at present a director in the
First National Bank of Amenia.

FETER W. FUNK. Prominent among the
 leading citizens of Barrytown, Dutchess
county, is the gentleman whose name stands
at the beginning of this biographical notice.
He is a native of Columbia county, N. Y. ,
born in the town of Clermont, January 23,
1843, and is of HoHand origin.
David Funk, his grandfather, was born in
Holland, and was a member of the British
33

army untH coming to the United States. Lo
cating in Columbia county, N. Y., he there
followed his trade of shoemaking. He mar
ried Miss Betsy Olmstead, also of Holland,.
and to them were born eight chHdren: Jacob,
John, Edward, Alexander, Andrew, Margaret,
Deborah, and a daughter that died in infancy.
The birth of Alexander Funk, the father of
our subject, occurred in the town of Clermont,
Columbia county, in 1818; there he received
a common-school education, and followed
farming through the greater part of his life.
He wedded Miss Nancy Plass, a daughter of
Peter Plass, a farmer of the town of Clermont,
and they became the parents of nine children,
of whom our subject is the eldest; Edward
married Mary Van Tassel; John married Dora
Brazie; David married- Mary Lasher; Winfield
married Alice Buck; Alonzo married Jennie
Vandemark; Frank died in infancy; Mary E.
was three times married, her first union being
with Alexander Palmetier, the second Martin
Drum, and the third Hiram Dutcher; and
Catherine died in infancy.
In the common schools of his native coun
ty, Mr. Funk, of this review, acquired his edu
cation, and after leaving the school-room he
worked at farming, but was rudely awakened
from his quiet dreams of the future, by the
dark cloud of war that overshadowed our be
loved country. On August 28, 1862, his pa
triotism having been aroused, he enlisted in
the 150th N. Y. V. I., which was raised in
Dutchess county, and participated in many of
the famous battles of the war, including Get
tysburg, Buzzards Roost (which was fought
May 14, 1863), Resaca (on the 15th), Gulps
Farm (on the 22d), and Dallas' (on the 25th of
the same month), and Peach Tree Creek (on
the 20th and 22d of June following). The
following winter the regiment was quartered at
Savannah, Ga. , and the following spring was
in two important engagements, one at Averys-
boro and the other at Bentonville, N. C. He
was with Sherman on his celebrated march to
the sea, participating in the capture of Atlanta
and Savannah, and was in the last engage
ments of the war. He had entered the serv
ice as a private, but for meritorious conduct
had been promoted to the non-commissioned
office of corporal, and after the close of hos
tHities was honorably discharged in June, 1 865.
Mr. Funk was united in marriage with Miss
Delia Houghtaling, daughter of Jeremiah
Houghtaling, of the town of MHan, Dutchess

498

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

county. They now have a pleasant home in
Barrytown, where our subject is employed as
clerk in a mercantHe house. He is a promi
nent member of Christian Lodge, I. O. O. F. ,
of Red Hook, which he joined in 1894, and
has filled several chairs of importance in that
order. He is also a charter member of Shiloh
Encampment, of the same place, and a mem
ber of the Odd FeHows Mutual Benefit Asso
ciation of Dutchess county, with headquarters
at Poughkeepsie. He keeps up his acquaint
ance with his army comrades by his connection
with Armstrong Post No. 104, G. A. R,, of
Rhinebeck, Dutchess county. He has mani
fested the same loyalty in days of peace as in
days of war, and all who know him have for
him the highest regard.

ISAAC SWIFT belongs to a family that for
 many generations have resided in this coun
try and taken a prominent part in its history.
He traces his origin back to WHliam Swift,
who was born in England in 1634 and died in
that country in 1705. He was followed by his
son William, who was born in 1654, and died
in 1 70 1. The next is Benjamin Swift, whose
birth occurred in West Falmouth, Mass. He
wedded Mary Gifford, and died in 1775. Their
third son, Zebulon, wedded Rebecca Wing, of
Falmouth, and Abraham, their third son, who
was united in marriage with Johanna Sisson,
became the grandfather of our subject.
The earliest recollections of Isaac Swift
are of the old home farm where his birth took
place November 19, 1822, and he there early
became familiar with the duties which fall
to the lot of an agriculturist. On reaching
manhood he continued the cultivation and im
provement of that place until April, 1881,
when he disposed of the same, and has since
lived retired, enjoying the fruits of his former
toil. Mr. Swift was married to Miss Lydia H.
Almy, a native of Vermont, and a daughter of
Obediah and Rhoda (Barrett) Almy, who were
the parents of six chHdren, namely: Helen,
Lydia, Rhoda, Margaret, Stephen and James.
On both the paternal and maternal sides Mrs.
Swift was of English origin, and the families
were all members of the Society of Friends.
She died November 12, 1857, leaving two
children: Charles I., a contractor and buHder
of MHbrook, Dutchess county; and Henrietta,
wife of W. L. Swift, editor of the " Round

Table," of MHIbrook. On January 5, 1858,
our subject was united in marriage with Rhoda
A. Almy, a sister of his former wife.
As a farmer, Mr. Swift was quite success
ful, always fair and honorable in all his deal
ings, and has the confidence and respect of all
who know him. He is a progressive, enter
prising citizen, taking a deep interest in every
thing for the advancement of his town and
county. He uniformly casts his vote with the
Republican party, and he and his estimable
wife are members of the Friends Church.

JAMES H. WRIGHT. This highly respected
citizen of the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, has resided upon his present farm
since 1853, and is successfully engaged in gen
eral agriculture. His early ancestors emi
grated from England to this country, and his
grandfather, John Wright, was a native of the
town of FishkHl, Dutchess county, where he
devoted his whole life to agricultural pursuits.
In his family were twelve children, as follows:
Polly, Susan, Lydia, Ruth, Isaac I., John,
Aaron, Esther, Dena, Peter, Freelove and
Harvey. Isaac I. Wright, the father of our subject,
was also born in the town of Fishkill, where
he later attended school, and learned the car
penter's, wagonmaker's and blacksmith's trades.
In 1836 he came to the town of Stanford, lo
cating on a farm near Mclntyre Station, which
he operated for a number of years. The lat
ter part of his life, however, was spent at
Bangall, where he died in 1 871, at the ripe
old age of eighty-two years. He was a self-
made man, having made all his possessions by
his own industry, diligence and economy, and
is entitled to high praise for his commendable
activity. He was a member of the Baptist
Church at Bangall, and in politics was first a
Whig, later a Republican. He was married
in the town of Fishkill to Jennett Howe, daugh
ter of Libbens Howe, and they became the
parents of the following children: Margaret
and Hannah Maria (both deceased); Ymar
(deceased); James Harvey, subject of this
sketch; John (deceased). Lucy Ann, wife of
Joel Williams; Rebecca, wife of Clark Guern
sey; Phoebe, wife of Eli Wright; and George,
of Mount Ross, MHan.
The birth of our subject occurred April 5,
1S20, in the town of East FishkiH, where he
began his education, later continuing his stud-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

499

ies in the town of Stanford, and at the Jacob
WiUets Boarding School in the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county. He grew to man's
estate upon his father's farm, and as soon as
old enough assisted in its cultivation until his
marriage, gaining a good practical knowledge
of the business under the wise guidance of his
father. In the town of Stanford, December 5, 1853,
Mr. Wright was married to Mary A. Humphrey,
daughter of John and Clarissa Humphrey, of
that township. To them were born six chH
dren, in order of birth as follows: (i) John H.
married Ella Vandewater, December 21, 1S80,
and they have three children — Ralph, Maud
and Roy. (2) Clara, of Yonkers, is the wife
of Franklin Talmadge, by whom she has two
chHdren — Mabel and Marian. (3) Isaac I. is
deceased. (4) Charles W., who makes his
home at Clinton Corners, Dutchess county,
married Della Stewart, and they have three
children — Harold and Edith (twins) and Ethel.
(5) Ira is the next in order of birth. (6) Net
tie, the youngest, is also deceased.
Mr. Wright is a keen, practical man, well
gifted with mental vigor. His genial manners
and sturdy integrity have won him a host of
friends, and he is highly regarded by all with
whom he comes in contact. He is a sincere
and earnest Christian, a member of the Bap
tist Church for fifty-four years. He united
with the Church in 1S42, and served the same
foi: several years as chorister and superintend
ent of the Sabbath-school, and trustee; was
elected clerk of the Church in 1874, and still
continues as clerk; and later was elected dea
con of said Church. On account of his views
on the temperance question, he is a. stanch
supporter of the Prohibition party.

DWIGHT ABEL. Jacob Abel, grandfather
of our subject, was born in the town of
Unionvale, Dutchess county, where he passed
his days in agricultural pursuits. He married
Miss Margaret Uhl, by whom he had three
children:. WiHiam W., John U. and Mary.
WilHam W. Abel, father of our subject,
was born March i, 18 14, in the town of Union
vale, and during his boyhood attended the
Nine Partners School, after which he taught
school for a time. Later he foHowed agricult
ural pursuits exclusively, becoming one of the
most extensive farmers in his township. He

took an active interest in political matters, al
ways voting with the Whig or Republican
party, and held a number of township offices,
including those of supervisor, justice of the
peace and revenue collector. He was twice
married, first time to Helen Cornell, by whom
he had two children: Evaline and Mary, the
last named dying at the age of twelve years.
Evaline married Henry Brill, of Beekman, N.
Y. , and two chHdren were born to them:
Theodore R. , who married Miss Emma Hicok,
and Nellie C. For his second wife WHliam
W. Abel wedded Miss Mary Jane Austin,
daughter of Beriah and Sarah (Waite) Austin,
and four children were born to them: Orlin
B., Dwight, H. Clay and John Jacob. Of
these Orlin B. is more fully spoken of else
where; H. Clay was born in the town of Un
ionvale, and received a good common-school
education, after which he followed the pro
fession of teaching. He is now engaged in
mercantile business at Wappingers Falls, Dutch
ess county. Socially, he affiliates with the F.
& A. M. He married Miss Maggie Traver, by
whom he had two children, "William C. and
Melburn T. , and after her death he wedded
Miss Mary Manning.
Dwight Abel was born in 1 846 in the town
of Unionvale, where his entire life has been
passed. His elementary education was re
ceived at the schools of the neighborhood of
his boyhood home, and later he pursued his
studies at Charlotteville, Schoharie Co, , N.
Y. He early began to assist in the labors of
the home farm, and has since devoted his
time and attention to rural pursuits with ex
cellent results. Politically, he is identified with
the Republican party, but has never aspired to
public office. He is enterprising and public-
spirited. On December 18, 1S67, he married
Miss Adaline E. Coe, daughter of Reuben L.
Coe, of Unionvale, and they became the par
ents of three children: Charles H., born Jan
uary 27, 1869, and who died at the age of
twenty-one years; Walter J., born AprH 25,
1872; and Jennie L. , born February 25, 1887.
The second son, Walter J. Abel, was born in
the town of Unionvale, in 1872, attended the
Claverack College, and is now engaged in farm
ing in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county.
He married Miss Anna C. Hyzer, daughter of
Abram Hyzer, an agriculturist of that town
ship, and their union has been blessed with
one child, Edwin Dwight, born January 11,
1896.

500

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

*\DWARD M. SMITH. In Munsel's "Amer
ican Ancestry, giving the name and de
scent of the male line of Americans whose an
cestors settled in the United States previous to
the Declaration of Independence," we have
the genealogy of Edward M. Smith, the author
of the History of Rhinebeck, as follows:
Edward Martin Smith, of Rhinebeck, N.
Y. , born at Red Hook, N. Y., March 29, 1S17,
the eleventh of thirteen children, left home at
the age of twelve to work on uncle's farm;
tailor's apprentice 1833-183S; journeymai;!
taHor in Rhinebeck 1 838-1 840; master tailor
from last date; co-founder of the Rhinebeck
Gazette 1846; merchant tailor 1850; president
of the village 1875; president of the school
board 1S81-1889; author of the History of
Rhinebeck 1881; married September 13, 1842,
Mary Elizabeth Davis, daughter of Jabez Davis,
of Shropshire, England.
Son of Philip Smith, born June 27, 1773;
died at MHan, N. Y. , December 13, 1851;
farmer; spoke German, Dutch and English
with equal fluency; possessed much mechanical
skHl and ingenuity; married December 4, 1796,
Anna Coopernail, daughter of William Cooper-
nail, of the Mohawk Valley, descendant from
Jan Van Koppenol, who came to America in
1659. Son of Johannes Schmidt, born in Rhine
beck, March 30, 1730; died April 18, 1813;
married February 3, 1761, Elizabeth Sipperley,
born August 12, 1741; died March 25, 1804;
daughter of Frederick Sipperley and Catharine
Wegeler, daughter of Hans Michael Wegeler,
one of the Palatine founders of the town of
Rhinebeck; married August 15, 1727.
Son of Zacharias Schmidt, born in Ger
many; was clerk, fore-reader, deacon, elder
and treasurer of the Reformed German Church;
located on part of his farm three miles north of
the present village of Rhinebeck; married
about 1728 Anna Maria, daughter of Valentin
Bauder, who with his wife, Anna Margaretha
Stopplebeen, came to America in 17 10 on the
ship "Midfort," Capt. Fowles, with the Rev.
Joshua Kocherthal and other Protestant re
ligious refugees from the Palatinate on the
Rhine. At the death of his father, PhHip Smith,
the only one of four sons who remained a
farmer and at home at maturity, became the
owner of the homestead, with the farm-stock
and three slaves, Tom and Flore and their son
Tobe. As the older sons of the family were

approaching manhood, Tom, an intelligent
negro, made up his mind that his master could
do very well without him, and besought him,
very earnestly, to sell him to Peter Van Ben
thuysen, who had expressed a wish to own
him; which, after much hesitation, he finally
did. Before Tom had been a fortnight on the
premises of his new master he absconded,
without leaving a clue to his destination be
hind him.
After 1827, when New York had freed all
her slaves by an act of the Legislature, Tom
came into the State from Massachusetts with
a good team of horses and a wagon, his own
property, with which he was earning his living
as a teamster. He was on his way to the
Hudson river for a load of merchandise, and
sought out his old master, then living in the
town of Milan, to tell him that when he im
portuned him to sell him he had fully made up
his mind to run away, but preferred to do so
from a new rather than his old master, to whom
and his family he had become greatly attached;
and that he was quite as eager that he should
obtain a good price for him as he was that he
should sell him.
Tobe had long been given away, a mar
riage present to a daughter of the family; Flora
had gone away, the wife of a decent negro,
able to support her; at his death she found a
home with her son, Tobias, her only offspring,
who earned his living mainly by fishing and
fiddling. Old and tottering, she walked four
miles to be present at her old mistress' funeral.
In 1822 PhHip Smith sold the leasehold of
the old Red Hook home, and took his family
of twelve children to a larger farm in Colum
bia county, N. Y., under a Livingston Lease,
where the thirteenth child was soon added to
the family. Here the older children soon
found it necessary to look beyond the farm for
a livelihood, and drifted away to various occu
pations. Before 1830 this farm was also dis
posed of, and what was left of the family be
came the owners in fee of a small farm in the
town of Milan. Here the father died, Decem
ber 13, 1 83 1, his children all living, and at his
funeral; the mother October 26, 1864, her
thirteen children all living and at her funeral,
the youngest forty-one years old, who is now,
and has been for several terms, a justice of the
peace in Germantown, Columbia Co., N. Y.
The grandfather, Johannes Schmidt, served as
a soldier in the French and Indian war; was
an " Associator" at the outbreak of the Revo-

-W, ,A^. /#?^^c^t^^V^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

501

lution, and did what he could for the freedom
and independence of his country.
On May 2, 1896, the semi-centennial of the
Rhinebeck Gazette, the present editor and pro
prietor published what follows about its founder
and his History of Rhinebeck:
When Mr. Smith disposed ot the Gazette establish
ment, and ceased to be its editor, he did not wholly
abandon his literary work. The following item copied
from Mason's Illustrated History of Dutchess County,
published in 1882, gives due credit. to what he has since
§one in the literary line:
"During his residence of forty-three years in Rhine
beck, Mr. Smith has collected from various sources the
material included in his history of this old town. It is a
work of years, in the preparation of which much time,
lafior and money have been expended, and to which,
through the kindness of the author, we are indebted for
nearly all the data relating to Rhinebeck. His work,
more complete in its minutiae than can be any history of
the county at large, may be justly regarded as a valuable
contribution to the historical data of the county and State.
Mr, Smith's History of Rhinebeck was published in 1881,
mainly for subscribers, and the entire edition was ex
hausted in a few months. No copies are to be had now,
'for love or money.' Persisting in his researches, we are
told that he is now in possession of facts related to the
history of the town and its early settlers that will enable
him to revise, correct and greatly enhance the interest of
the work, and that he is accordingly employing some of
his leisure time in re-writing and enlarging it. Having
entered the eightieth year of his age, Mr. Smith will hardly
assume the task of its republication. We hope some one
will secure the manuscript, and in due time offer it to the
people."

ip\EORGE W. CRONK. Prominent among
^^ the successful and enterprising farmers of
Dutchess county may be found the subject of
this biographical sketch, whose home is situated
in the town of Unionvale, and who is consid
ered one of the most industrious and worthy
citizens of this part of the cc^nty. Here his
entire life has been passed, his birth having
occurred in the town of Amenia, in 1818, whHe
his education was obtained in the schools of
Lagrange and Fishkill town. His paternal
grandfather, Jacob Cronk, was a native of Hol
land, and on coming to the New World lo
cated in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess
county, about eight mHes from Poughkeepsie,
and there engaged in farming.
Timothy Cronk, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Hyde Park, in 1748.
He became a resident of the town of Fishkill,
where he worked at his trade of coopering, and
was a faithful soldier in the war of 1 812. He
was twice married, by his first union having
three children: Hiram, Samuel and Rhoda.
For his second wife he wedded Deborah A.
Brown, and to them were born five children:

Sarah, who married Saxon Raymond; Harri
son, who was killed in war; Henry, who died
unmarried; Nelson, who married Harriet Mar
shall; and George, our subject.
During his youth George Cronk learned
the weaver's trade, at which he worked for
nine years, later for ten years was in the mHl-
ing business, and then turned his attention to
carpentering and masonry. For the past thirty
years, however, he has devoted his attention
exclusively to his farming interest, and though
enterprising and public-spirited, has never
cared for office. He married Miss Emeline
Howard, who was born AprH 26, 1824, in the
town of Dover, and was there educated in its
common schools.
Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Cronk, namely: (i) Mary, born August 10,
1843, married George HHlker, a farmer of the
town of Poughkeepsie, and they have one son,
George Henry, now an operator on an elevated
railroad in New York City. (2) George H.,
born October 18, 1845, who engaged in farm
ing after completing his education. At the age
of twenty-one years he enlisted at Poughkeep
sie in the 150th N. Y. V. I., and served untH
the close of the war, being in the battle of
Petersburg, and also at Appomatox when Lee
surrendered. He holds membership in the
Grand Army of the Republic. Carpentering
is now his occupation. He married Annie
Harrington, and they have had four chHdren —
George B., who married Agnes Salter; Julia
A., who married WHliam E. Ostram; WiHiam,
who died at the age of eleven years; and Her
bert. (3) Helen A., born AprH 3, 1848, died
May 18, 1849. (4) Albert, born June 15, 1850,
went to California as overseer of a farm for
Governor Stanford, and later was inspector in
gold mines. He married Sarah S. Perry, of
that State, and died May 15, 1884. (5) WiH
iam B., born August 20, 1852, died July 8,
1874. (6) Emma, born November 27, 1854,
married James P. Organ, a farmer of Noxon,
Dutchess county, and they have two sons —
Floyd and William. (7) Martha, born July
26, 1858, married Harvey Van Dewater, for
merly a farmer, but now engaged in merchan
dising at New Hackensack, N. Y. (8) John,
born October 23, i860, is by trade a carpenter,
but is also engaged in farming in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county. He married
Ella Bostwick, an adopted daughter of Henry
Bostwick. '(9) Charles E. , born May 30,1 862 ,
is an architect of Herkimer, N. Y., and is now

502

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

finishing the plans for ex-President Harrison's
summer residence in the Adirondack Mount
ains. He married Elizabeth Risedorf. (lo)
Sarah E. , born October 23, 1864, completes
the family. On April 28, 1897, she married
John E. Forshay, a carpenter by trade, of New
York City. They were all born and educated
in the town of Amenia, Dutchess county.
Zebaniah Howard, the grandfather of Mrs.
Cronk, was a native of the town of Dover, and
engaged in farming from youth until his death,
conducting a good farm which he owned on
Chestnut Ridge. In religious belief he was a
Friend. By his marriage with Miss Lydia
 he had the following children: John,
Charles, Sylvester, Valirie, Pontius, Edward
and Silas.
The birth of Silas Howard, the father of
Mrs. Cronk, occurred in the town of Amenia,
but most of his life was passed in Fishkill
town, and throughout his life he followed the
profession of teaching, being one of the able
instructors of the county. By birthright he
was a member of the Society of Friends. He
was united in marriage with Miss Amelia Cash,
daughter of David and Amelia Cash, farming
people of Columbia county, N. Y. They be
came the parents of nine children, namely:
William, born August 15, 1S09, married Pau
Hna Storms; Rachel, born May 28, 181 1, mar
ried Isaac Harrington; Aaron, born March 26,
1 81 3, married Harriet Sweet; David, born
February 21, 18 15, married Caroline Sweet;
SHas, born December 21, 18 16, married Cath
arine OdeH; Asa, born September 24, 18 19,
married Jane Northrop; Lydia, born August
29, 1821,' married John Ulrich; Emeline, wife
of our subject, is next in order of birth; and
Elizabeth, born February 28, 182S, married
Joseph Martin.

JOHN W. PULVER, a well-known business
man of MiHerton, Dutchess county, and the
proprietor of extensive bottling works, was
born July 23, 1830, at Red Hook, Dutchess
Co., N. Y. , where his ancestors were among
the pioneer settlers. His grandfather, David
Pulver, was a native of the same place, and
became a successful farmer there, owning a
tract of land near the old post road between
Upper and Lower Red Hook, now belonging
to Mr. Coons. David Pulver was a substan
tial citizen, influential in local matters, and
prosperous in business. In addition to his

farming, he engaged largely in the breeding of
running horses. He died in 1842, and his
wife, formerly Catherine Simmons, died in
Red Hook, in 1836. They had seven children:
David, Henry, Peter and Zachariah (twins),
Anna (Mrs. WiHiam Fredenburgh), Peggy
(Mrs. John Witherwax), and one who died in
infancy. Zachariah Pulver, our subject's father, was
born at the old home at Red Hook, in 1793,
and lived there until 1835, following farming
as an occupation. He and his brother, Peter,
made their home together for sixty years, and
married two sisters, the daughters of Philip
Teeter, a leading citizen of the town of Milan,
and a descendent of a German family. Peter's
wife's name was Maria, and Zachariah 's wife's
name was Catherine. A few years after mar
riage they moved to Columbia county, and
bought a farm of 209 acres in the town of
Chatham, adding to it later until the farm
contained about 300 acres. Zachariah Pulver
was a strong Democrat, and a leading official
of the Lutheran Church, of which this famHy
have been members from early times. He
died in 1873, his wife surviving him fourteen
years. They had five children, of whom two
are now living. Mary died in infancy; Cather
ine at the age of three, and David Henry in
1874. The survivors are John W. , our sub
ject; and Elizabeth A., who married Lewis
Smith, of Chatham, New York.
The subject of our sketch received a good
English education in the district schools of the
town of Chatham, and was especially noted for
his ability as a mathematician, being considered
the best in C(^umbia county. His brother
David also possessed the same powers to an
unusual degree. Mr. Pulver left school at the
age of sixteen, but he has been an unwearied
reader and is well informed upon general topics.
He remained at home until he was twenty-two
years old, and then took charge of a farm be
longing to his father, in Rensselaer county, and
three years later he moved to another at the
head of North Chatham Village, where he re
mained eleven years. He then sold out to a
brother and removed to Nassau, Rensselaer
county, and engaged in the milling business in
a rented mill. Later he bought the property
and formed a partnership with Mr. Davis, the
owner ; but this venture proved unfortunate,
and he sold his interest to Mr. Davis before a
year had elapsed. The following year he was
in partnership- with E. M. Crum in the mow-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

503

ing-machine business, and on disposing of his
share in that he bought a store and followed
the business alone. In 1871 he moved to
Amenia, and engaged in his present employ
ment of bottling during the summer season,
and cutting pork and making sausage in winter.
This establishment was removed to Millerton
in 1877, and has since commanded the largest
business of the sort in this locality.
Mr. Pulver is one of the leading men of the
town of Northeast, an unwavering Democrat
and an earnest worker for local improvements.
He was supervisor in 1888 and 1889, and in
1890 was defeated by only one vote. In 1S52
he was married to Miss Abbie Middlebrook,
daughter of Aaron Middlebrook, and has had six
children: Luella, who married Collins Barton,
of Northeast town; Elzada; Elmer; Anna M. ;
George ; and Andrew, the proprietor of the
"Millerton House ". Of this family the eldest
and the youngest are the only survivors. Mr.
Pulver and his wife have been prominent mem
bers of the Presbyterian Church for many years,
and he also belongs to Webatuck Lodge No.
480, F. & A. M.

J VAN NESS DUTCHER is a prominent
citizen and a worthy representative of one
of the honored pioneer families of the
town of Dover, Dutchess county. Cornelius
Dutcher, his grandfather, was numbered among
the first settlers of the township, where through
out life he followed agricultural pursuits. In
his famHy were ten children, whose names and
dates of birth are as follows: Simeon, April
21, 1772; Gabriel, July 11, 1773; Cornelius,
March 15, 1775; Priscilla, December 27, 1776;
Peter, July 20, 1779; Wheaton, October 20,
1781; Joshua, May 12, 1784; Ruleff, June 25,
1786; Betsy, March 19, 1788; and Sylva,
April I, 1792.
The birth of Joshua Dutcher, the father of
our subject, occurred in the town of Dover.
He acquired his education in the common
schools and followed farming. He was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah Carrington, daugh
ter of Daniel and Thankful Carrington, agri
culturists, of Connecticut. Three children
graced this union, namely: (i) Jennette, born
July 9, 182 1, married Aaron Butts, a police
man of New York City, and they had three
children — Cora; Blendina, married to J. G.
Suydam, of New York City; and Joshua, who

married Josephine Way, of MabbettsvHle, and
had one child, Laura Jennette, that was left
an orphan at an early age, its father and
mother both dying. (2) J. Van Ness is next
in order of birth. (3) Elizabeth, born Febru
ary 25, 1826, became the wife of James Fry,
a farmer, of the town of Dover, and to themi
was born a son, Frank, who married Miss
Emma J. Wing, and has two chHdren.
J. Van Ness Dutcher was born January 31,
1823, in the town of Dover, where on reach
ing a sufficient age he attended the public
schools, and, like his ancestors, has devoted
his time and energies to the cultivation of the
soil. He is public-spirited and progressive,
taking a genuine interest in the enterprises set
on foot for the advancement and welfare of
his native county,
Mr. Dutcher was united in marriage with
Miss Harriet M. Benson, daughter of Samuel
and Sarah Benson, farming people of the town
of Dover. Five children came of this union:
(i) Mary Estella, born in February, 1S63, is
the wife of Alfred Still, a carpenter of White
Plains, Dutchess county, and they have one
child— Ida F., born July 26, 1883. (2) Ber
tha E, , born October 22, 1867, is the wife of
George Cutler, a postal clerk of New York
City, and they have one chHd^Ethel, born
November 26, 1891. (3) Harriet V., born
January 13, 1 871, is the wife of Elmer Dutcher,
an agriculturist, and they have one child —
Mabel, born September 10, 1895, (4) Van-
Ness, born AprH 2, 1874, a farmer by occupa
tion, married AmeHa RozeH, daughter of Obed
Rozell, by whom he has one child — Mary, born
February 15, 1895. (5) Cora, born October
27, 1S76, completes the famHy.

JfOHN CORNELL SHEAR was for many
years one of the most prominent and influ
ential citizens of the town of Lagrange,
Dutchess county. He was born in that town
ship, October 12, 181 1, and is the son of John
C. and Margaret (Cornell) Shear, the former
born November 21, 1776, and the latter Au
gust 25, 1781. The parental household in
cluded six children: Anna, born October 31,
1800, died January 8, 1891; Catherine E.,
born AprH 8, 1803, died in December, 18SS;
Israel J., bOrn February 26, 1806, died July 7,
1 821; Johu Cornell, subject of this review;
Abraham, born October 8, 181 5; and Sarah,

504

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BEOOBD.

born December 3, 18 18. The father owned
and operated a farm in the town of Lagrange,
where his death occurred August 14, 1825, and
his wife, who long survived him, passed away
November 25, 1868.
The educational advantages of our subject
were good for that early day , as he supplemented
the knowledge acquired in the district schools
of his native township by a course in the Jacob
Willets Boarding School, in the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county. He also early be
came familiar with the labors of the farm, and
in connection with his brother Abraham oper
ated land in Lagrange town until 1888, when
their interests were separated, and our subject
removed to his present farm in the same town
ship. He has always been an energetic, pro
gressive man, and secured through his efforts a
handsome competence.
On April 27, 1876, Mr. Shear was united
in marriage with Catherine L. Pierce, who is of
French ancestry, and a daughter of Caleb
Pierce, of Fishkill, Dutchess county. One
child blessed this union, Anna. Mr. Shear
is recognized as one of the valuable mem
bers of the community, giving his support and
encouragement to those enterprises calculated
for the general welfare, and has ever been
held in the highest respect and esteem by his
fellow citizens. While engaged in active busi
ness, he was one of the most noted stock-rais
ers of Dutchess county, giving special atten
tion to the raising of cattle and sheep. On
February 16, 1874, he sold in the New York
market a couple of "Durhams," weighing
4,616 pounds, for $450. His sheep were of
the Southdown and Cotswold breeds, for which
he received first premium at the county fair
held at Poughkeepsie.
Johannes Shear, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was born in 171S, in Germany,
and came to America in 1751. His son, John
C. Shear, grandfather of our subject, was born
in America, in 175 1.

JOHN WOODBURY PUTNAM (deceased).
The thanks of a grateful nation are due to
the heroes who, in their country's hour of
peril, went forth in defense of the Union, and
beneath the burning rays of the Southern sun
displayed their loyalty to the "flag of the free
heart's hope and home." The gentleman
whose name introduces this review belonged

to that noble army that proved the country's
salvation, and he well deserves a place on the
pages of its history.
The earliest ancestors of the Putnam fam
ily in this land was John Putnam, who, in
1634, came to America from Buckinghamshire,
England, bringing his wife, PriscHla, and his
three sons — Thomas, Nathaniel and John.
The sons grew to manhood in Salem, Mass.,
and became the owners of large estates. In
1 68 1 the three paid one-seventh of the total
tax to Church levied on the ninety-four tax
payers in Salem village. Thomas Putnam was
twice married, his second wife being Mary
Veren, the daughter of a large ship owner. In
the family of "Thomas Putnam was a daughter
who was one of those accused of witchcraft in
1692, and only saved her life by fleeing into
the wilderness untH the search was given up.
His son, Joseph, born in 1670, married, in
1690, Elizabeth, daughter of Israel Porter, and
among their eleven or twelve children was
Israel Putnam, weH-known and endeared to
every American for his gallant services during
the Revolutionary war — a general who ' ' dared
to lead where any dared to follow." He was
born July 7, 171 8, and died May 19, 1790. His
wife was Hannah Pope, a sister of John Pope,
with whom, in 1739, Israel Putnam bought a
large tract of land in Connecticut. David, a
lineal descendant, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a native of Massachusetts; but his
active business life was spent in farming in
New Hampshire. He, too, was a soldier in
the war of the Revolution, and fought at Bun
ker Hill. By his marriage with Miss Phcebe
Woodbury he had a family of six children —
three sons and three daughters — of whom
John Putnam, the father of our subject, was
the youngest. The latter was born and reared
in the Old Granite State, and remained upon
the home farm, in Croydon, Sullivan county,
dying in that town in 1885. He married Al
mira French, whose death occurred in 1862.
Seven chHdren were born to them: James, a
Universalist minister, who for fifteen years
preached at Danvers, Mass. , and was the father
of two chHdren — Eliza and James H. ; Lucy,
widow of the late T. C. Eastman, a successful
cattle dealer of New York City; John W., of
this review; Franklin (deceased), who was an
attorney at Kansas City, Mo. ; Ellen (deceased);
Nathaniel French, formerly an Episcopal min
ister, and who died at Salt Lake City, leaving
four chHdren — Graham, an attorney at Salt

f, 'i^,.^^.^;::^:^;^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

505

Lake City, married and has one son, John;
John F. (deceased), Louisa and Ella; and
George F. , a banker and attorney at Kansas
City, Missouri.
On AprH 6, 1825, in Croydon, Sullivan
Co., N. H., John Woodbury Putnam was
born, and in the district schools and academy
he secured a good practical education. He
was married in his native town to Laura S.
HaH, a daughter of Carlton and Rhoda (Fos
ter) Hall, and they became the parents of
three children: Minnie, now the wife of
Howard Kinney, a farmer in Stanford town
ship, by whom she ha's two children — Laura
and RosweH P.; Katharine B., wife of Harry
B. Conklin, traveling salesman for the Ameri-
can Brush and Broom Co., of New York; and
Drury W., deceased.
Carlton Hall, the father of Mrs. Putnam,
was the son of James and Hulda (Cooper) Hall,
the former of whom was a soldier in the Rev
olutionary war, and the latter a descendant
of Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration
of Independence. Carlton Hall, a farmer and
cattle dealer by occupation, married Rhoda
Foster, by whom he had three children: Cari-
ton F. died when about fifty years old, leaving
five chHdren; Mary Ann died at the age of ten
years; and Mrs. Putnam. The mother died in
1838; the father on AprH 28, 1856. The HaHs
are descended from Edward Hall, who came
from England to Duxbury, Mass., in 1636.
After his marriage Mr. Putnam lived upon
a farm in Croydon, SuHivan Co., N. H.,
where he resided thirteen years previous to his
coming to Amenia, N. Y. Before his marriage
he had taught school winters, and assisted his
father on the farm summers. In 1861, when
the news spread throughout the North that
Sumter had been fired upon, the martial spirit
that had animated the breast of the much-
loved "Old Put" stirred the pulses of this
younger generation, and John Woodbury Put
nam enrolled his name as a member of the 6th
N. H. V. I., commanded by Gen. Burnside,
and was commissioned captain of Company G,
which he had enlisted in his own county; but
whHe in the swamps of North Carolina, he
contracted typhoid pneumonia, and in 1863
was honorably discharged and returned home.
He participated in a number of skirmishes, and
in the battles of Roanoke Island and Falmouth,
Va., at the latter of which he was slightly
wounded. In February, 1866, he came to
Amenia, Dutchess county, and made it his

home until his death, which occurred February
s. 1897. In politics Mr. Putnam was an earnest ad
vocate of the principles of Democracy; served
his town as supervisor, assessor and commis
sioner, and was frequently called upon to pre
side at Democratic conventions. He once ran
for Assembly in the First District of Dutchess
county, and his great personal popularity
nearly overcame the heavy normal majority.
Fraternally, he is connected with Mt. Vernon
Lodge, F. &A. M., at Newport, N. H. He
was a man of strong convictions of his own,
and knew how to respect the opinions of
others; quiet and reserved in manner, a true
friend, and in all the relations of life he dis
charged his duties with loyalty and fidelity. A
man whose word was as good as a bond, who
made no boast of his religion, but practiced it
in his every-day life.

OBERT D. BUTLER, a well-known ag
riculturist residing near Chestnut Ridge,
Dutchess county, is one ofthe most active and
influential workers in local affairs in that lo
cality. He is a native of Dutchess county,
born and reared in the town of Unionvale, and
he began his business career in Dover town in
early manhood as a merchant. After some
years in that calling, "he engaged in agriculture
at his present farm. PoHtically he has always
been a supporter of the principles of the Re
publican party, and he has held various town
ship offices. He is actively interested in the
Masonic order, being a member of Dover
Lodge No. 666, of Dover Plains, with the rank
of Master Mason. His life has so far been
spent in single blessedness.
The first ancestor of his family to come
to America was his great-grandfather, Sam
uel Butler, a native of England, who lo
cated in Rhode Island for a time, and then
moved to a farm in the town of Unionvale,
Dutchess county, where his last years were
spent. His son, Daniel Butler, married Mary
Hoxsie, and had five children: (i) Allen mar
ried Sarah Crouse; (2) Samuel, Eliza Fowler;
(3) Peter, Mary Haight; (4; Elizabeth died
in earlv youth; and (5) Joseph married Amy
Wolley. Peter Butler, our subject's father, was born
in the town of Unionvale, Dutchess county,
December 10, 1799, and was educated in the
common schools of that section. He learned

506

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

the carpenter's trade and worked at it until his
marriage, when he engaged in farming. This
occupation he followed for many years success
fully, and he became a leading citizen of his
locality, and was one of the strongest adher
ents of the Republican party there. His wife
was Miss Mary Haight, daughter of Robert
and Phoebe Haight, of the town of Washing
ton; seven children were born at the old home
stead in Unionvale, and received the best edu
cation that the common schools of that neigh
borhood afforded, (i) Elizabeth has taught
school for some time in Dover, and is regarded
as one of the most successful educators of that
town. She and her sister Julia, the second in
order of birth, have, like their brother Robert,
the third child and first son, chosen to remain
unmarried. (4) Joseph H. engaged in farm
ing, but some years later learned the black
smith's trade and opened a shop at New Mil
ford, N. Y. , where he now resides. He mar
ried Maria Underbill, and has seven children:
Peter, John, Minnie, Ella, Joseph, Irene and
Frank, none of whom is married except Peter,
who wedded Hattie Gray and has two chil
dren — Townsend and Oscar. (5) Benjamin
F, , a farmer by occupation, is now married.
(6) Rhoda J. married John Vincent, a promi
nent resident of Poughkeepsie, who for some
time held the offices of justice of the peace
and county clerk. They had four children
born and educated in Poughkeepsie. (a) Ella
married Obed Vincent, a farmer of Dover, and
has one child. Hazel, (b) Minnie married
Charles Andrews, a farmer in the towns of
Lagrange and Unionvale, and has four chil
dren: Bessie, Gordon, Mabel and Norman.
(c) Walter and (d) Elisha V. are not married.
(7) Peter died at the age of fourteen.
On the maternal side Mr. Butler is a de
scendant of the Haight family, which has long
been prominent in Dutchess county. His
grandfather, Robert Haight, was born and
reared in the town of Washington, and estab
lished himself in business at MabbettsvHle as
a merchant and hotel keeper. He and his
wife, Phoebe (Tripp), reared a family of ten
children: Concerning (i) Seneca, (2) Edward,
and (3) Josiah, no particulars are given. (4)
Morris married Miss Howell, and had three
children: Theron, Julia and Alvira. (5) Neil
son married Miss Hoffman, and had five chil
dren — Milton, Robert, Abraham, Hoffman and
Edward. (6) Deborah, who was born in the
town of Washington, married Dr. Benjamin

S. Wilbur, a leading physician and surgeon of
Pine Plains, and they have nine children:
Robert, William, Francis, Benjamin, Theron
(married), Kate (Mrs. Fred Lewis), Charles,
Maggie (Mrs. Williams), and Henry, who is
not married, is a physician and surgeon iii
Pine Plains. (7) Julia was born in Mabbetts
vHle, and married Jacob Sparks. Two sons
were born to them — Homer and Cornelius —
who, at the breaking out of the Civil war, en
tered the army with their father, and all three
lost their lives in defense ofthe Union. Mrs.
Sparks married a second husband, Henry
Davis, a carpenter in Poughkeepsie, and they
have one daughter, Lizzie, now the wife of
John Propson, of Poughkeepsie, and the
mother of five children. (8) Mary married
Peter Butler, our subject's father. (9) Eliza
beth married Cornelius Lamoreaux; and (10)
Milton married Miss Howell.

W. NDREW C. SMITH, a leading merchant
-^^ of Bangall, Dutchess county, was born
July 26, 1865, in the town of Pleasant Valley,
where his ancestors were among the early set
tlers. The late William S. Smith, his father,
was a lifelong resident of that town, and he
and his wife, formerly Loretta Husted, had
been active members of the M. E. Church for
many years previous to their death. They
had five children: Egbert and Mary (both de
ceased), Jane (who married Daniel Albertson),
William, and Andrew C.
Our subject spent his boyhood days in his <
native town, attending the district school, and
later engaged in clerking as the best possible
training for a mercantile career. After one
year at Salisbury, Conn., one at Cold Spring,
N. Y. , and three in Bangall, he opened his
present store, where he carries a line of gen
eral merchandise, his fine business abHity and
high character winning for him a constantly
growing trade. He was married December 4,
1892, to Miss Martha D. Millis, a daughter of
William MHlis, a well-known resident of Ban-
gall. In politics he is a Democrat, and he is
among the .foremost among the younger local
workers. In 1893 he was elected clerk of the
town of Stanford, and has since filled the posi
tion with marked satisfaction to the public.
Socially, he belongs to the K. of P., Pough
keepsie Lodge No. 43.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

507

m UGUSTUS HOLDRIDGE, one of the
^^ leading and representative citizens of
Dover Plains, Dutchess county, ,is now con
nected with G. D. Chapman, in the firm of C.
E. Buckley & Co., manufacturers of the Buck
ley water device. The Holdridge family has
long been prominently identified with the in
terests of Dutchess county. Dr. Augustus
Holdridge, the grandfather of our subject, was
a well-known physician practicing in Union
vale and Beekman towns. He was born at
Spencertown, Columbia Co., N. Y. , and was
very prominent in Masonic circles; the apron
which he wore at his lodge is still in the pos
session of the family. He had six chHdren,
namely: Standish; Myron, the father of our
subject; Peter, who married Mrs. Margaret
Friday; Mrs. Elsie Sweet; Harriet, who mar
ried James Hamblin; and Betsy, who died in
1896. The last named was the wife of Sey
mour Tomlinson, proprietor of a hotel at
Washington Hollow, Dutchess county, who
died in 1856. Until recently the county fair
was held upon his land.
Myron Holdridge, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Dover, Dutchess coun
ty, in 1806, was there educated, and followed
farming. He held membership with Dover
Plains Lodge No. 666, F. & A. M., and was
the oldest member of the Sons of Temperance
in the community, being a charter member of
the lodge to which he belonged. He was
Democratic in politics, and at one time he was
elected coroner, but would not qualify, as he
cared nothing for public office. He died Octo
ber 30, 1889. He married Miss Lucina Til
ton, a daughter of Daniel and Lucy (Salisbury)
THton, of Deerfield, Oneida Co., N. Y.,
who removed to Dover Plains when she was
but two years old. Her father was three
times married, his first union being with a
Miss Wilbur, by whom he had two sons, Peter
and WHbur. By his second wife, Lucy, he
had two daughters, Lucina and Mary. His
third wife, who bore the maiden name of Abi
gaH Foss, was the sister of Rev. Job Foss, a
Baptist minister of Dutchess county. Mrs.
Holdridge died May 31, 1895.
Augustus Holdridge, the subject of this
sketch, who is an only child, was born at
Dover Plains, Dutchess county, January 5,
1846, and there received his Hterary training.
He foHowed farming until 1869, when he
turned his attention to raHroad work, at first
being employed on the Harlem road, but later

was with the Long Island RaHroad Co. for
about sixteen years as conductor. Like his
father and grandfather before him, he is iden
tified with the Masonic fraternity, having
joined Dover Plains Lodge No. 666, F. & A.
M., in 1868, but is now connected with Peconic
Lodge, of Greenport, Long Island. Like his
father, he is a Democrat.
Mr. Holdridge was united in marriage, Sep
tember 8, 1870, with Miss Ruth Rosalie Gid
ley, who was born at Hanover, Chautauqua
Co., N, Y., December 3, 1848, and they have
become the parents of six children, namely:
Grace, born July 9, 1872; Myron T. , who was
born December 9, 1874, and died September
28, 1875; Augustus, born October 16, 1876;
Harvey G., born October 4, 1880; Frank H. ,
born June 11, 1884; and Henry E. , born Au
gust 20, 1889.
Jonathan Gidley, the grandfather of Mrs.
Holdridge, was born and educated in the town
of Lagrange, Dutchess county, and was a
farmer by occupation. His political support
was given the Democratic party. He wedded
Miss Mary Hall, and to them were born nine
chHdren: Elizabeth, who married John A. Van-
Vlack; Waite, who married Richard Ferguson;
Mrs. Ruth Moe; Mrs. Polly Morey; Rebecca,
who died unmarried ; Henry, who wedded Mary
Kelley; Hall, who married Currence A. Daton;
Jonathan, who married Jane KeHey; and Tim
othy. Timothy Gidley, the father of Mrs. Hol
dridge, was a native of Dutchess county, born
in the town of Lagrange, August 27, 1806,
and, like his father, engaged in agricultural
pursuits. He was a stanch Democrat in poli
tics, but cared nothing for the honors or emolu
ments of public office. Agreat Church worker,
he always took part in the progress of the
Methodist Church, of which he was a promi
nent member in Chautauqua county, where he
removed soon after his marriage, which oc
curred August 27, 1 83 1, Miss Mary Christie
becoming his wife. She was the daughter of
Leonard and Ruth Christie, of the town of La
grange, Dutchess county. By this union there
were six children, all born in Hanover town
ship, Chautauqua county. Catherine R., born
October 4, 1835, died unmarried at the age of
twenty-seven years; Hall, born August 27,
1838, a carpenter by trade, married Miss Lu
cinda E. Smith, daughter of Daniel C. and
Cordelia Smith, agriculturists of Hanover town
ship; Henry R., born October 10, 1840, also

608

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

a farmer, married Miss Ella D. Kewley, daugh
ter of John and Dorcas Kewley, farmers of
Hanover township; Mary A., born November
i6, 1S43, died September 29, 1844; Harvey
J., born November 22, 1846, engaged in mer
chandising in Dunkirk, N. Y., and married
Miss Nettie M. Ellis, daughter of Frank and
and Abi Ellis, of Forestville, N. Y., by whom
he has one son, Ellis Harvey, born June 28,
1 88 5; Ruth Rosalie, the wife of our subject,
completes the family.

LEONARD D. HALL. There is probably
 : no man in the town of Beekman more
widely or favorably known than this gentle
man, who is now a resident of Poughquag.
In that town he was born December 28, iSii,
and is the grandson of William Hall, a native
of Rhode Island, who became one of the earli
est settlers of the town of Beekman, where he
followed farming throughout life, dying in
1822. Our subject's maternal grandmother was a
daughter of Simeon Draper, a native of Mas
sachusetts, who prior to the Revolutionary
war, with thirty-five others, bought near where
is now Wilkesbarre, Penn., seventeen town
ships of land. He died there, however, very
soon after his settlement on the place, and
later the family were driven away by the In
dians. Many years afterward our subject,
then a lad of seventeen summers, accompanied
by his mother, drove with a team from Union
vale, Dutchess county, over to this property
with the intention of trying to recover at least
a portion of it; but as the records had been
destroyed nothing could be done. Mr. Hall
says the trip was an arduous one, occupying
some two weeks, and adds that it was the only
time he ever felt homesick.
Israel Hall, the father of our subject, was
born in the town of Beekman, Dutchess county,
the second son in the family of ten children of
WiHiam and Mary (Vail) Hall, and his educa
tion was secured at the district schools of the
neighborhood. He married Catherine Albro,
a native of Rhode Island, and a daughter of
Benjamin and Eleanor (Draper) Albro, and
nine children blessed their union, as follows:
Amy, who died unmarried at the age of eighty-
eight years; Eleanor, widow of Isaac Northrup;
Mary and Leonard D. (twins), the former
being the wife of John Townsend; Margaret,
living at Unionvale, on the old homestead;

Maria Ann and Draper, both deceased; Rutsen
S,, a prosperous farmer, living on the old
homestead in Unionvale; and Richard V., de
ceased. With the exception of two years
passed in the town of Clinton, Dutchess
county, Israel Hall devoted his entire life to
agricultural pursuits in the town of Beekman,
In the war of the Rebellion he had been com
missioned a lieutenant, and received 160 acres
of land from the government for his services.
In politics he was an Old-line Whig.
Leonard D. Hall, the subject of our sketch,
received a liberal education at the district
schools of his native place, and remained un
der the parental roof until he was thirty-seven
years of age. After he became of age he re
ceived $100 a year for his time, his father giv
ing his note for the same, which note our sub
ject deposited in a crack in the old house,
where it remained one year, and was then paid.
In the fall of 1849 Mr. Hall was married to
Maria Lossing, a cousin of Benson J. Lossing,
the historian. In the fall of 1884, she was
called from earth, and February 4, 1886, Mr.
Hall married Harriet Eliza Hurd, daughter of
Benjamin D. and Mary (Campbell) Hurd, both
natives of the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county, where they passed their entire Hves,
the father dying June 16, 1S72, in the seventy-
eighth year of his age, the mother passing
away January 7, 1882, at the age of eighty-
one. They were highly respected farming
people, and Mr. Hurd was a stanch Repub
lican in his political preference. They had a
family of seven children, as follows: Archi
bald C, who, when twenty years old, died
January 18, 1842, in Cuba, whither he had
gone for the benefit of his health; WHliam T.,
who married Mary Cook, and had three chil
dren (he died June 26, 1854); Harriet Eliza
(Mrs. Leonard D. Hall); Mary Jane, who mar
ried Thomas BriH, and died in June, 1893,
leaving five children; Edgar I., a farmer in
the town of Pawling, who married Caroline
Howard, and has four children; Eustacia A.,
who married Gerome Dodge (now deceased),
and had one daughter, Effie, who died when
eight years old; and Julia G. , who married
James Longhead (now deceased), and lives in
Pawling with her only child, Robert. To our
subject and his wife have been born no chil
dren. On leaving the old home, Mr. HaH began
the operation of a 480-acre farm in the town
of Dover, Dutchess county, on shares, work-

0^y^^^*-i<^£.^^^ Sz5 , ^-^t^4d^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

509

ing in that way some four years, and the fol
lowing eight years were passed upon a farm of
700 acres in the town of Pawling, which be
longed to James Hooker, of Poughkeepsie.
Returning to the town of Beekman he pur
chased 160 acres, on which he made his home
for thirteen years, when he disposed of the
same, and for three years boarded at Pough
keepsie. On the expiration of that period he
bought his present residence at Poughquag,
where he has since lived.
Mr. Hall has made his own way in the
world, the money he earned from his father, as
before related, being the sole pecuniary founda
tion of his prosperity. His boyhood ambition
was to become comfortably well off and inde
pendent, and his expectations have been real
ized, for to-day he is a man of wealth, made
so, not by speculation, but by industry and
good management. He relates many interest
ing tales of adventure which his ancestors had
with the Indians, one being about Amos Spaf-
ford, a distant relative, lying concealed for
many days in the swamps in order to avoid
capture by the Indians, at which time the rest
of the family escaped. Mr. Hall has always
voted the Republican ticket, and never had a
desire to change; he has never cared for polit
ical preferment, though at one time he served
as commissioner of highways in the town of
Beekman. He has never united with any re
Hgious denomination, but is liberal of his
means in support of the M. E. Church, of
which his wife is a member, whHe he believes
in God and humanity. This honored couple
have the esteem and friendship of all who
know them — young and old, rich and poor —
and their hospitable home is always open to
the reception of their numerous friends. Mr.
Hall attributes his prosperity to hard work,
honesty and sound judgment.

WILLIAM BURNAP JORDAN, a weH-
 known and reliable agriculturist of the
town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, is a
native of the same, having been born there
December 4, 1848, and is a son of Josephus
D. Jordan, who was born in HHlsdale town
ship, Columbia Co., N. Y., in 1808. The
family came from Belfast, Ireland.
Major WHliam Jordan, the great-grand
father of our subject, was born at North Cas
tle, Westchester Co.,, N. Y. , September 22,
175 1, and obtained his title while serving as a

soldier in the war for independence. By oc
cupation he was a farmer, a pursuit he fol
lowed the greater part of his life in Columbia
county. By his marriage with Ruth Ferris,
of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, he
had eleven children, whose names and dates
of birth are as follows : John, 1774; William,
1777; Rebecca, 1 78 1 ; Benjamin, 1783; Abram,
1785; Nancy, 1787; Ambrose, 1789; Daniel
Gano, 1791; Lucy, 1793; Hannah, 1796; and
Asa Allen, 1798. Of this family, Ambrose
became a prominent and leading lawyer, hav
ing a State-wide reputation.
The birth of WHHam Jordan, Jr., the
grandfather of our subject, occurred in Hills
dale township, Columbia county, and in 1803
he was married to Rhoda Allen, who was born
in 1782, the wedding being celebrated at the
old Allen homestead, which has been in the
possession of the family for over a century and
a half. He was a captain inthe war of 18 12.
The names and dates of birth of their children
are as follows: Hanna J., 1805; Moors, 1806;
Josephus Dunham, 1808; Ambrose Latting,
1809; Ruth, 181 1 ; Cornelia Allen, 1S13; Polly
Hoffman, 1814 ; Sally Ann, 1816; James
Philip, 1818; Harriet Tuttle, 1820; Mathias
Bragden Talmadge, 1S21 ; Jane Elizabeth,
1823; and WHliam Howard Allen, 1826.
Josephus D. Jordan received an academic
education at Claverack, Columbia county, and
later studied law with his uncle, Ambrose L.
Jordan. After his admission to the bar he
practiced his profession at Hudson, N. Y., for
a number of years, and later at various places
in Columbia and Dutchess counties. He was
one of the leading attorneys of his time, was
a well-read man, understood civil engineering,
and was much interested in music, in which
he was well educated. In religious belief he
was a Presbyterian; politically, he supported
the Republican party. On January 13, 1844,
Josephus D. Jordan was married, by Rev. W.
N. Sayre, to Mary Elizabeth Knickerbocker.
who was born at Poughkeepsie, October 19,
1 8 19, a daughter of John Knickerbocker.
Three children graced this union, namely:
Mary Burnap, born in 1846, died unmarried;
William B., subject of thissketch; and Laura
Ailing, born in 1852, who became the wife of
L. O. Pitcher, of New York City, but is now
deceased. The mother of these children died
in 1867, the father in 1885.
WiHiam Burnap Jordan completed his edu
cation by one year's attendance at the academy

510

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

conducted by Mr. Bisbee, knowm as the
Poughkeepsie MHitary Institute, and since
leaving the school-roohi, at the age of nine
teen years, he has been engaged in the oper
ation of his fine farm of 150 acres, one of the
best in the town of Pine Plains. Being quite
a reader, he is well informed on the current
literature of the day. Public-spirited and pro
gressive, he has always taken quite an interest
in local affairs, and is a strong Republican in
poHtics. From 1878 until 1880 he served as
supervisor, and during that time was on the
equalization committee, the district attorney
committee, and the committee on the county
treasurer's accounts, and the physician's and
coroner's accounts. With the Presbyterian
Church he and Mrs. Jordan hold membership,
and he has served as elder and trustee in same.
On December 28, 1876, Mr. Jordan was
united in marriage with Miss Mary Elizabeth
Harris, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and three
chHdren have been born to them, as follows:
Mary Elizabeth, born in 1S77, a graduate of
Seymour Smith's Academy in the town of Pine
Plains, class of '95, and at present teaching
school in her home town; Cyrus Victor, born
in 1880, also a graduate of Seymour Smith
Academy, class of '95, and now attending col
lege in New York City; and William Burnap,
born in 1885. The mother of these died in.
1889, and in 1894 Mr. Jordan wedded her half-
sister Myra.
Israel Harris, the grandfather of Mrs. Jor
dan, was a son of John Harris, who came from
Lynn, Mass., and founded the Pine Plains
branch of the family in Dutchess county. His
children were: WHliam and John, who be
came residents of Onondaga county, N. Y.;
Victor and Myron, who in 1849 removed to
Grand Rapids, Mich., where they became ex
tensively engaged in the lumber business;
Eunice, the wife of Henry Akin, of Fort Col
Hns, Colo. ; Mary, wife of WiHiam Herrick, of
Salt Point, N. Y. ; and Silas, who made his
home in Grand Rapids, Mich. Of these, My
ron was a member of the House of Represent
atives of Michigan; Silas served as speaker of
the same body, and Victor was a State
senator. Myron Harris, the father of Mrs. Jordan,
was born in Dutchess county, in 1820. He
married Mary Gleason, by whom he had chil
dren as follows: Mary Elizabeth, first wife of
Williatn B. Jordan (she graduated from Oak
HiH Seminary, New Haven, Conn.); and Mat-

tie Gleason, who married C. B. Bogue. For
his second wife Mr. Harris wedded Miriam
Carpenter, daughter of Benjamin Carpenter,
of Lansing, Mich., and by her he had four
children, viz.: Abbie, who died unmarried;
Myra, second wife of W. B. Jordan (she grad
uated from Seymour Smith Academy); Lucy
Carpenter, wife of George Strayer, of Denver,
Colo. ; and I. Victoria, of Fort Collins. The
father of this interesting famHy was one of the
prominent Democrats of Michigan, and con
tinued to make his home at Grand Rapids up
to his death in 1880.

JrrAMES H. HAIGHT, a prominent mHler of
Ij Stanfordville, Dutchess county, was born
" December 9, 1851, in the town of Wash
ington. He is of Puritan ancestry, being of
the eighth generation in direct descent from
Simon Hayt (or Haight), who came from Eng
land in 1829 and located first at Salem, Mass.
He was one of a party to leave that town and
settle at Charlestown, Mass., where, previous
to their coming, there was but one white fam
ily. From Charlestown he went to Dorches
ter, where his name appears about 1630, and
from there to Scituate and later to Windsor,
Conn., his name appearing there in 1640. He
afterward moved to Fairfield, and then, about
1649, to Stanford, Conn., where he died. He
had two sons — Benjamin and Moses. The
latter was born before 1637, and came from
Fairfield, Conn., to East Chester, N. Y., in
1665. He married, and reared one chHd,
Moses, who was born before 1662, and lived
in East Chester. He married, and had several
children, among them a son, Moses, who was
born in East Chester, October 28, 1696. He
was a farmer by occupation, and moved, in
early manhood, to Crum Elbow, being the first
Quaker to come to this locality. He married
and reared a family, among whom was a son,
Joseph, born in Dutchess county, who married
and had eight children — Joseph, Jonathan, Oba
diah, Rachel, Reuben, Amos, David and Dan
iel. Reuben was born in Washington town
ship, January 17, 175S. He married Miss
Mary Haight, and reared a family of eleven
children, whose names with dates of birth and
death are as follows: Stephen, January 8,
1788, died September 15, 1851; SHas R., Feb
ruary 4, 1790, died January 18, 1848; Jona
than, April 27, 1792, died November 13, 1873;
David, February 3, 1794, died March 31, 1795;

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

511

David (2), October 17, 1795, died March 23,
1800; Daniel, August 24, 1797, died in August,
i860; Sarah, July 10, 1799, died October 19,
1839; Phoebe, August 9, 1801, died January
17, 1885; Walter, April 26, 1803, died May
27, 1879; Joseph, May 31, 1805, died Decem
ber 7, 185 1, and John R., June 17, 1808.
SHas R. Haight, our subject's grandfather,
was born in the town of Washington. He
married Lydia Congdon, a native of, the town
of Unionvale, Dutchess county, where her an
cestors were among the early settlers, her great
grandfather, James Congdon, coming from
Rhode Island. His son Ephraim, her grand
father, and James Congdon, her father, were
leading farmers in their day. After their mar
riage Silas Haight and his wife moved to a
farm in Pleasant VaHey, where they lived eleven
years, and then came to the town of Washing
ton to spend their last days. They had three
children : James, • who died in childhood ;
Reuben S. , our subject's father; and Phoebe J. ,
who married John Clement, a farmer of Wash
ington. Silas Haight was a Democrat in poli
tics, and he and his wife were both Quakers in
religious faith. His wife survived him thirteen
years, dying December 25, 1S61.
Reuben S. Haight was born in the town of
Pleasant Valley, January 24, 1S28, and moved
to a farm in the town of Washington with his
parents in 1S35. He married September 11,
1849, Marie Antoinette Howard, a lady of En
glish descent, who was born in Ontario county,
a daughter of James Howard, a native of the
town of Pawling, Dutchess county. Her uncle,
Thomas Howard, was a farmer in Washington.
Reuben Haight and his wife lived on a farm
north of Millbrook for seven years, and in April,
1866, after one year on a farm near Washing
ton Hollow, and eight in the town of Washing
ton, Mr. Haight bought a gristmill at MHIbrook,
and has since resided there. He is one of the
leading citizens of the place, and a Republican
in politics, and he and his wife are members of
the Reformed Church, in which he has been an
elder for several years. They have six chH
dren : Laura, who married Thorn Devel, a
farmer of Washington ; James H., our subject;
Gertrude, the wife of Albert F. Smith, a lum
ber dealer in Millbrook; Lucy, who lives at
home; and Howard and Jay, who conduct a
feed store at Millbrook.
James H. Haight, the subject proper of our
sketch, attended the district schools of the
town of Washington, and later the Nine Part

ners Boarding School, mastering his studies
with characteristic energy. Until he was
twenty-one he worked in his father's mills, and
in the spring of 1873 he started in the same
business near Stanfordville, although at that
time he had no capital, and paid interest on all
the money invested. Of this he has made a
success, and his proved abHity, judgment and
enterprise give him a high rank in business
circles. He was married on June 14, 1876, to
Miss Georgia A. Thorne — daughter of Dr. John
S. Thorne, of Millbrook, and has two chHdren:
Francis T. and Thorne.
Politically, he is a stanch Republican, but
he is not a politician in any sense and has not
held office. He is, however, prominent in
local affairs, and a leading supporter of every
movement for the welfare of the community.

WILLIAM TOMPKINS, who was caHed
 from this earth January 23, 1894, was
one of the well-known and highly respected
native citizens of Dutchess county, his birth
having occurred in the town of Pine Plains
March 9, 18 10, and was a son of Thomas and
Judith (Acker) Tompkins. His father, who
was born in Westchester county, N. Y. , in
1778, devoted his entire life to agriculture in
that county and in the town of Pine Plains,
Dutchess county. He passed away November
23, 1854. His household included five chil
dren, namely: John, deceased; Stephen; Will
iam; Jemima, deceased wife of Smith Acker;
and Thomas, deceased.
At the age of six years William Tompkins
accompanied his parents to Westchester coun
ty, where he attended school and was reared to
rural life. He contributed his share to the
cultivation and improvement of the old home
stead, and later secured employment on the
sloops running from Sing Sing to New York
City. He served as foreman on the construc
tion when the aqueduct was being built to
New York, but most of his life was devoted to
agricultural pursuit, in which he was very suc
cessful. In the town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester
county, December 20, 1S37, was celebrated
the marriage of Mr. Tompkins and Miss Jane
Merritt, daughter of John Merritt, and they
became the parents of three children, as fol
lows: Ophelia was born June 5, 1839, mar
ried Arthur Sherman, January, 1865, and had
one child, Jennie Sherman; Uriah W. , an at-

512

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHIOA'L BECOBD.

torney of New York City, was born December
12, 1840, married Hattie Coons (she died
leaving three sons — Harry L. , WilHam C. and
Frank W.); Emmet, of Staatsburg, Dutchess
county, was born October 23, 1842, and mar
ried Henrietta Kipp, by whom he had the fol
lowing chHdren: WHliam (deceased), Luella,
and Sanford (deceased).
After his marriage, Mr. Tompkins removed
to the town of Pine Plains, where he engaged
in farming until 1870, when he went to Rhine
beck, and there lived for five years. On the
expiration of that period he went to Clinton
Corners, where his remaining years were passed
in retirement. He was one of the self-made
men of the county, having commenced life
without capital other than his strong hands
and resolute will, and attained to a fine posi
tion, socially and financially, among his fellow
citizens. He was a man of indomitable energy
and perseverance, and in early life was an un
tiring worker, so that he secured a comfortable
competence, which enabled him to lay aside
business cares and rest in the enjoyment of
his former toil. In his religious views he held
to the faith of the Society of Friends, and his
death was widely and sincerely mourned. In
politics he was an earnest Republican.

WILLET TITUS. In the year 1635, on
 the third of April, the good ship
"HopeweH", WHliam Burdick, master, sailed
from London, England, for Massachusetts.
With her came Robert Titus (i), husbandman,
of St. Katherines, aged thirty-five, and his two
children — John (aged eight years) and Edmund
(aged five years). This famHy at first located
in Boston, but soon moved to Weymouth, and
from there to Rehoboth, where four children
were born, namely: Samuel, Susannah, Abiel
and Content. About 1654, the entire famHy,
except the eldest son, John, went to Long
Island, and took up land in Huntington, Suf
folk county. The second son had previously
(about 1650) settled in Westbury, L. I., where
he had acquired a large tract of land, and
erected the house in which his descendants
still reside. Edmund and his wife were Quak
ers, and most of his descendants still hold to
that faith. Robert Titus (i) married Hannah
— and had children: John, Edmund (2), Sam
uel, Susannah, Abiel, Content. Of these,
Edmund (2), married Martha Washburn, and
had eleven chHdren, as follows: Samuel,

Phcebe, Martha, Mary, Hannah, Jane, John
(3), Peter, SHas, Patience and Temperance.
Of these, John (3) married Sarah WHliams,
and the following were born to them: Mary,
John (4), PhHadelphia, Jacob, WHliam, Sarah.
He married (second) Mary Smith, and had
one child, Richard. Of these, John (4) mar
ried (first) Sarah Pearsall, and they had six
chHdren: Henry, Mary, James (5), Elizabeth,
Sarah, Jonathan. He married (second) Phoebe
Thomas, and had no issue. Of these, James
(5) married Ann Cook, and they had : Martha,
John, Joshua, Willett (6), Sarah. Of these,
Willett (6) married Ruth Stratton, and the
following children were born to them : Eliza
beth, Anne, James, Jonathan (7), Sarah, John,
Mary. Of these, Jonathan (7) married Nellie
Roosa, and had the following issue: WHlet,
Ann* Peter, Jonathan (8), Catherine, Richard,
Mary, William, Sarah, John, Andrew J., Henry
B. Of these, Jonathan (8) married Helen
Hasbrouck, and children as follows were born:
WHlet (9), Joseph H., Henry T. , Sarah Jane,
Nellie. (Of these, Sarah Jane married WiH
iam A. Wright, and the following were the
issue: Florence Fraternity, Mabel, Helen Has
brouck, Jennie M., WHliam, Titus, Mary, Adna
Damerel). WHlet (9) Titus, our subject, was born July
3, 1844, in the town of Shawangunk, Ulster
Co., N. Y. , attended the public schools of his
native place, and then for three years studied
at Knox College, Galesburg, 111. He was
much interested in mathematics and philoso
phy, and gave particular attention to those
branches of study. After his mother's death
he went to High Falls, and lived one year with
his uncle, James H. Van Demark; then was
apprenticed for four years to L. B. Van Wag
oner, of Kingston, to learn the carpenter's
trade. For Mr. Van Wagoner he worked a
few months after serving his apprenticeship,
and in the spring of 1866 went to Newburg,
where he remained a while, then returning to
Mr. Van Wagoner, continued with him until
July, 1867, at which time he went to Red Hook
and built a house and barn for WHliam H.
Teator. In Red Hook he reinained about a
year, and August 3, 1S68, came to Pough
keepsie, where he was engaged in journeyman
work untH 1875, in which year he commenced
his present business of contractor and builder.
He is one of the oldest contractors in the city,
and has built up a large and lucrative business,
employing not less than fifteen men in the win-

m^.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

513

ter and as many as fifty men in the summer.
In connection with Mr. Rounds our subject
built the Vassar Hospital. He has also built
the library and rectory at Wappingers Falls
(for $25,000); Archibald Rogers' stables (for
$43,000); State Hospital, section E, and Doc
tors' residence and attendance house; the dor
mitory at Vassar College, and four cottages at
the same place; Mrs. Jackman's residence (for
$23,000); the Thorn memorial school at Mill
brook (for $80, 000) ; and the private residences
of I. R. Adriance and William Adriance. Mr.
Titus has built many of the largest buildings
in the city and county. He also had the con
tracts for the buHding of Recitation hall at
Vassar College, and the Adriance Library.
Our subject was married AprH 17, 1872,
to Miss Sophia Leslie, a native of Poughkeep
sie, N. Y., and they had one son, Harry Les
lie, who died at the age of nineteen years. In
politics Mr. Titus is a Democrat, but in local
matters votes independently; in religious faith
he is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church;
socially he is affiliated with Triune Lodge No.
92, and belongs to all the branch lodges, chap
ters and commanderies, being a past officer in
the order. He has always been a public-spir
ited man, is an extensive reader, well informed
on all current topics, is a typical self-made
man, and in business one of the most suc
cessful. Jonathan Titus, the father of our subject,
was born in Shawangunk, November 20, 1821.
He followed the occupation of a farmer until
1868, when he engaged in the lumber business
in Galesburg, 111., together with the carpenter
trade, in which he continued until 1874, when
he retired. He married Miss Helen Hasbrouck,
who died in November, i860. Jonathan sur
vives her.
Jonathan (7) Titus, grandfather of our sub
ject, was also a native of Shawangunk; was a
farmer, and spent his entire life in Ulster
county. The members of the Titus family have
generally been Democrats in their political
views, and, although stanch citizens, have not
been active in such matters. They have always
been members of the Reformed Dutch Church,
and fairly active in Church work.

/rv\EORGE T. CHAPMAN, the senior mem-
\^ ber of the well-known firm of George T.
Chapman & Co., of Pawling, Dutchess coun
ty, is one of the leading citizens of that town.
33

He was born April 26, 1858, in Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, the grandson of
Wooster Chapman, and son of Hiram W,
Chapman, who first saw the light in the town
of Dover in 1829, and was for many years suc
cessfully engaged in mercantile business in
Dutchess county. He had a store in Dover
Plains for nearly a quarter of a century, with
three or four different partners, and for more
than twenty years of the time he was post
master there. His home, however, was in
Dover, whence he removed to Amenia in 1865,
where he owned a large farm, and after clos
ing out his business at Dover Plains he spent
twelve years in agricultural pursuits. In 1877
he moved to Pawling, N. Y. , bought out the
assignments of Ballard & Peck, and continued
in mercantile business until his death in 1882.
He was the principal merchant in Dover
Plains, and possessing great energy and nat
ural ability, accumulated a fine property. He
was a Democrat, though not very active in
politics; while in Amenia, he attended the
Presbyterian Church, but in Pawling he at
tended the Methodist Church. He married
Cordelia Sheldon, daughter of Theodorus B.
Sheldon, also of Dover, and a well-known
farmer and blacksmith in that place. To this
union were born three children: Allie T., who
married Williatn H. Arnold; George T. , our
subject; and William T. , who was postmaster
under President Harrison for four years, and is
now deputy postmaster.
George T. Chapman was educated mainly
in Amenia Seminary, and also attended school
at Fort Edward, N. Y. , for over a year. On
leaving school, at the age of nineteen, he en
gaged in farming in South Amenia for two
years; in 1877 went to Pawling with his father
and was with him as clerk until the latter's
death. At that time (1882) Mr. Chapman be
came the head of the firm of George T. Chap
man & Co., the " Co." being the brother, Will
iam T. , and his mother. In i S89 he bought out
his brother's interest, and since that time Mr.
Chapman and his mother have been sole own
ers. Mr. Chapman has enlarged the stock and
greatly increased the business, and is regarded
as one of the successful men of his locality.
He has always been a Democrat in politics,
and has taken quite an interest, in an unofficial
way, in the success of his party. On August
30, 1S94, he was commissioned postmaster by
President Cleveland, and later he was appoint
ed by the President, the Senate confirming the

514

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

nomination on December ii, 1894. He in
clines toward the Methodist faith, contributing
to that Church, and in many ways he has shown
his loyalty to the best interests of the town.
¦ In 1882 Mr. Chapman married Miss Sarah
White, daughter of Sewell and Nancy (Emeigh)
White, of Pawling, N. Y. , and to them have
been born four chHdren: Mary Louise, Ella
Cordelia, Grace Sophia and George T., Jr.

JAMES R. KERLEY. No man, probably,
in Dutchess county is more worthy of rep
resentation in a work of this kind than he
whose name introduces this sketch. He has
been identified with the agricultural interests
of the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
most of his life, and there owns a fine farm of
100 acres of land, equipped with good and
substantial buHdings. The estate is one of
the most valuable in that section of the county,
and indicates in all its appointments the super
vision of a man of intelligence and sound judg
ment. Our subject was born December 29, 1829,
at Tivoli, Dutchess county, and is a son of
James Kerley, who was born in the town of
Red Hook. His great-grandfather came to
the United States from Scotland, and here
married a lady vvho was a native of Holland.
The birth of their son, James Kerley, occurred
in Vermont, and when he had reached man's
estate he removed to Dutchess county, N. Y. ,
and wedded a Miss Miller, by whom he had
four children: Catherine, who became the
wife of Michael Leonard, a merchant of Co
lumbia county, N. Y. ; John, a farmer of Red
Hook town; James, the father of our subject;
and Hannah, wife of Edwin Greene, who was
4 farmer of Dutchess county and represented
his district in the General Assembly.
The father of our subject grew to manhood
upon the farm in Red Hook town, where his
parents had located soon after their marriage.
He married Miss Sarah A. Graves, a native of
Columbia county, where her father, Titus
Graves, engaged in farming. After their mar
riage they made their home at Tivoli, where
the father engaged in merchandising until his
death, in 1S30. His wife died in 1874. Their
family consisted of two sons: John D., a phy
sician and farmer of the town of Northeast,
Dutchess county; and James R.
Our subject was but three months old when
his father died, and upon a farm he passed his

childhood days, attending the district schools
of the locality, finishing his education at the
Hudson Academy, after which he returned to
the farm. In September, 1854, he married
Eliza K. Pitcher, who was born in the town of
Red Hook, a daughter of Abram Pitcher, whose
ancestors came from Holland. In 1890 he
was called upon to mourn the death of his
wife, who was a most estimable lady. Six
children graced their union: R. D. , a farmer
of Red Hook town; Abram P., a chemist and
druggist of New York City; James E., a
painter; Charles G. , a physician of New York;
John G., anagriculturist of Red Hook town;
and Mary E.
On October i, 1S62, Mr. Kerley was ap
pointed Deputy Internal Revenue Collector
for his district, which position he held for
twenty-one years, during which time he also
engaged in the insurance business, and con
tinued the operation of his land. Since that
period, however, he has devoted his time ex
clusively to the cultivation of his farm. He is
an active, enterprising citizen, taking a lively
interest in Church and educational matters,
and is one of the stockholders of the academy
at Red Hook. In politics he is a stanch
Republican.

ATTHEW J. CASHIN is a prominent
JP^ and enterprising merchant of Wapping
ers Falls, where he has built up a fine grocery
trade by honest dealing, courteous treatment of
his customers, and by carrying the best stock
that the markets afford. He is a native of
Dutchess county, born in the town of Pough
keepsie, December 11, 1859. The birth of
his father, James Cashin, occurred in County
Kilkenny, Ireland, and when a young man he
bade adieu to the friends and scenes of his
youth, and sailed for America, locating in
the town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
he here carried on agricultural pursuits up to
the time of his death. Here he wedded Cath
erine Harold, also a native of the Emerald
Isle, and to them were born six children:
Matthew J., Thomas J., John F., William H.,
Edward C, and a daughter who died in in
fancy. The mother is still living. The father
was a devout member of the Catholic Church,
and was a stalwart supporter of the Demo
cratic party.
Mr, Cashin, whose name introduces this
record, was reared upon the home farm,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

515

where he was trained to habits of usefulness,
and after his education was completed in the
district schools, he and his brother Thomas
carried on the retail milk business, started in
the year 1876 by their father, carrying on that
enterprise untH AprH i, 1886, when our sub
ject sold out to his brother, and established
his present grocery store.
On October 31, 1883, Mr. Cashin was
united in marriage with Miss Margaret E.
Burns, who was born at Wappingers Falls,
and is the daughter of Peter Burns, a native of
Ireland. A famHy of four children have been
born to this worthy couple: Katie, James,
Mary and Joseph. The parents are commu
nicants of the Catholic Church, and are highly
respected people. In his political views Mr.
Cashin coincides with the principles of the
Democratic party, taking an active interest in
the local campaigns of that organization, and
was trustee of the village for one year, after
which he resigned, preferring to give his entire
attention to his business interests.

JOHN R. SCHULTZ, a prominent agricult
urist and dairyman of the town of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, was born April 26,
1 849, on a farm which has been in the posses
sion of his family seventy-three years.
His great-grandfather, Peter Schultz, a na
tive of Holland,, came to America soon after
the Revolutionary war, and located in the
town of Rhinebeck. His son Abram, our sulj-
ject's grandfather, made his home upon this
farm throughout his life. He married Miss
Shell, and had four children: Margaret, who
married Edgar Ratcliff,, a butcher at Yonkers;
JuHa, who married James Schryver, also a
butcher at Yonkers; Richard, our subject's
father, and one who died in chHdhood. Rich
ard Schultz was born October 4, 18 19, and al
ways Hved on the old homestead. He was a
leading farmer of the vicinity, a Democrat in
politics, and a member of the Reformed Dutch
Church. He married Frances Rowe, a daugh
ter of William M. Rowe, a well-known farmer
of the town of Milan. She was a member of
the M. E. Church from her childhood to her
death, which occurred February 13, 1895, her
husband surviving her only a few months, dy
ing May 21 of that year. They had five chil
dren, of whom our subject is the eldest. Will
iam M. is a farmer on the old homestead; Edwin

resides in New York City; David E. died in
Rhinebeck March 23, 1857, and Julia F. mar
ried Herman Brown, of Dutchess county, a
traveling salesman by occupation.
John R. Schultz grew to manhood on the
old home, and December 15, 1869, he married
Sarah A., Cronk, a lady of Welsh descent, the
daughter of Nathaniel T. and Aurilla (Hall)
Cronk, both of whom were natives ol West-;
Chester county, where Mr. Cronk's father' set
tled on his arrival in this country from Wales.
Four children were born of this marriage: Car
rie L., the wifeof WHHam B. Traver, of Hud
son, N. Y. ; Hattie F. , who is at home; Harry
R. , who died December 12, 1883, and Edwin
B., now at home.
In his specialty of dairying Mr. Schultz is
among the leaders of his locality, as was his
father before him. For eighteen years he has
sold milk in Rhinebeck at retail, but previous
to that he wholesaled it. His farm of eighty
acres is a beautiful one, commanding a fine
view of the Hudson. He and his wife are ready
sympathizers with all progressive movements
in their vicinity, and they contribute to the M.
E. Church. Politically he is a Democrat, and
an influential one; his intelligence and public-
spirit making his judgment valuable, he ,has
been commissioner of the town of Rhinebeck
for nine years.

AMILTON PRAY, who is at the head of
^KL one of the important industries of the
town of Unionvale, Dutchess county, was
there born in 1844, and was educated in the
schools of Amenia. On starting out in life
for himself, he first engaged in farming, but
later turned his attention to blacksmithing.
In 1890 he invented and patented an ice plow,
which has completely revolutionized the ice
trade in this country, and at once sprang into
public favor. It is designed for horse power,
and he established a factory at North Clove,
in the town of Unionvale, which he has run
to its utmost capacity. In 1892 he took out
other patents on the improvements in the plow,
which is one of the most important inventions
perfected in Dutchess county, and has lessened
the price of ice plows throughout the entire
country. Mr. Pray can safely be called the
father of the two cutter beams, known as a
marker and cutter beam combined. He is
justly entitled to a place among the leading

516

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

inventors of the county, and has more than
ordinary ability as a business man. He is a
wide-awake, progressive citizen, fully abreast
with the times in every particular, and his
career has been one of honorable activity.
Andrew Pray, the grandfather of Hamilton
Pray, was a resident of the town of Dover,
and was a member of Asssembly from there.
He married Mary Duncan, and had ten chil
dren' (i) Amy, who married Edward Ward,
and had nine children,^ Andrew, Thaddeus,
Mary, Frank, Hannah, Louisa, Sarah, Henry
and Edward; (2) Hannah, never married; (3)
Sarah, who married William Ross, and had
six children, John, Mary, Delia, Andrew,
Washington and Duncan; (4) David, who
married Sarah Stephens, and had two children,
Richard and Mary; (5) Mary, who married
Josiah Dickerson, and had three children, Will
iam H., Wilhemina and Estella; (6) Martha,
who married Isaac Stephens, and had two
children, Mary and Henry; (7) Albert, who
married Margaret B. Wyman, and had six chil
dren, Hamilton (subject of this sketch), Mary
L., Emma P., Blanche, Andrew and Alber-
tine; (8) George, who married Nancy Baker,
and had five children, Elias, Lavinia, Martha,
George and Seward; (9) Andrew, and (10)
John, who never married.
David Wyman, the maternal grandfather
of our subject, was a resident of the town of
Clinton, and a mechanic. He married Lorana
Lapham, and had nine chHdren, namely: Lor-
anda, who married David Donald; Lapham,
who married Susan Woolsey, and had eleven
children, Lorana, Holmes, Henry, Jane, Lor-
anda, Lorenzo, Alice, Frank, Clifford, Nelson
and Charles; John, who never married; Tacy,
who married Jacob Rider, and had one child,
Wyman; David never married; Phebe, who
married Albert Bullard; Solon, who married
Mary Woolsey, and had two children, Dick
and Don; Harris, who married Elizabeth
Tompkins, and had one child, George; and
Margaret, who married Albert Pray.
Hamilton Pray was united in marriage with
Miss Sarah E. Gregory, who was born in the
town of Dover, Dutchess county, and was
educated at the Clove, in Unionvale town.
Five chHdren were born to them, namely:
Albert G., born in 1878; Mary L. , born in
1880; WiHiam H., born in 18S4; Andrew G.,
who was born in 1S85 and died in infancy; and
David H., who was born in 1895, and also died
in infancy.

Philo Gregory, the great-grandfather of
Mrs. Pray, was a native of New London,
Conn., and a farmer by occupation. He had
two sons, Samuel and Philo. The former was
born and educated in the town of Unionvale,
Dutchess county, and followed agricultural
pursuits. He married Miss Ann Burton, a
daughter of Daniel and Naomi Burton, and to
them were born six chHdren : Elizabeth, who
became the wife of OrvHle Le Due; Silas, who
first married Eliza Sheldon, and after her
death wedded Phoebe Emigh; Sarah, who re
mained single; WHliam, the father of Mrs.
Pray; Naomi, who married Charles Brazer;
and Charles, who married Lydia Thayer.
William Gregory is a native of the town of
Dover, Dutchess county, and throughout life
was engaged in farming and mining. Socially
he holds membership in the Masonic Lodge at
Shekomeko. He was joined in wedlock with
Miss Lucy J. Lee, a daughter of Lyman and
Harriet (Soule) Lee, farming people of the
town of Dover. Five children graced this
union, namely: Mary L. , born in Dover
town, in 1851, wedded Theodore Nickerson,
and had two children, Ella and Willie; Sarah
E., born in 1S53, wife of the subject of this
sketch; Harriet A., born in 1855, married
Adelbert Terwilliger, and has three chHdren,
Leander, Frank and Effie; George L., born
in 1866, engaged in farming, and married to
Lillie Babcock; Carrie, born in 1869, the wife
of John P. Ham, by whom she has one daugh
ter, Mary.
On the maternal side, Mrs. Pray traces her
ancestry back to John Lee, a native of Con
necticut. His son, Hezekiah Lee, was born,
reared and educated in Connecticut, and was
a farmer by occupation. He served his coun
try in the war of 18 12. By his marriage with
Miss Jane Wilson, he had the following chil
dren — Peter; Reuben; Lyman, the grand
father of Mrs. Pray; Sallie, who married John
Chamberlain; Rosanna, who married Isaac
Jordan; Betsy, who first married a Mr. Bost
wick, and after his death wedded Jason Cross;
Lucy, who married John Benson; Jeannette,
who married William Atkins; and Jennie, who
married Smith Perry.
Lyman Lee was a native of Kent, Conn.,
and was also an agriculturist. He married
Miss Harriet Soule, a daughter of Henry and
Abigail (Benson) Soule, and they became the
parents of ten chHdren, as follows: Susan,
who married Austin Frink, a farmer, by whom.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

517

she had. five children, George, Arthur, Albert,
Henrietta and Harriet; Lucy, the mother of
Mrs. Pray ; Frances, who married Isaac Greg
ory; Hannah, who married Lyman Benson
and has three children, John, Hattie and El
mer; Senaca never married; Henry, a rail
road employe, who married Sarah Raymond,
and had three chHdren, Edwin, George and
Clara; Hezekiah never married; Harriet, who
married Peter Sliter, and has three children,
Ella, George and Mary; George remained
single; Josephine, who married Charles Sher
wood, and has five children, Frankie (who
married Earnest Buckley), Fred, Bertha (who
married Bert Spencer), Anna, and Maude.

JOHN D. HOWARD, who is now living
retired from active life in his pleasant home
in Poughkeepsie, was born in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, September 22,
1835- Edward Howard, the paternal great-grand
father of our subject, was born Decem
ber 24, 1724, and was one of the early set
tlers of the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county. He married Phoebe Hart, who was
born May 3. 1735, and the names and dates
of birth of their children are as follows: Ste
phen, May 26, 1753; Matthew, September — ,
1754; Ruth, February i, 1756; Mary, Novem
ber 8, 1757; Richard, March 13, 1760; Sarah,
September 20, 1761; Edward, AprH 26, 1763;
Patience, November 8, 1764; Phoebe, Decem
bers, 1767; Thomas, May 14, 1770; Benjamin,
JUrife 14, 1773; John, December 21, 1774;
WHliam, March 6, 1777. All the members of
this family married. The father died October
I, 1801; and the mother on August 4, 1804.
Thomas Howard, grandfather of our sub
ject, was -born in Pawling, and married a Miss
Hayiles. Their chHdren were as follows:
Thomas, Patience, Anna, Lucy, Jane, Laura,
Sophia, and James (the father of our subject).
James Howard was born September 2,
1804, in Pawling. On October 24, 1827, he
vvas married to Ann Dodge, who was born
August 24, 1806, also in Pawling. In 1847
they removed to Lagrange, where they spent
the remainder of their lives, the father dying
October 29, 1890, and the mother about 1879.
Their children were : Marie Antoinette, born
March 26, 1829, married September 11, 1849,
to Reuben S. Haight; Lucy Ann, born July 16,

1830, died January 26, 1863; Frances Helen,
born January i, 1832, was married August 25,
1863, to Dodge P. Blackstone; CaroHne Au
gusta, born October 23, 1833, married E.
Irving Hurd, AprH 28, 1859; John Dodge, born
September 22, 1835, married Adeline B.
Barnes, October 24, 1861 ; fhomas N., born
July 19, 1839, died May 13, i85i;Jay, born
March 11, 1848, was married in the year 1S71,
to Ruth A. Halleck; Sarah Jane, born Septem
ber 10, 1 841, died December 22, 1858; Laura,
born August 7, 1844, died September 10,
1854; Zenobia, born January 7, 1S45, died
February 8, 185 1. One of these sons. Jay,
remained upon the farm in Lagrange with his
father until the latter's death, they being as
sociated in their work for nearly fifty years.
Jay Howard was married in Stamford, N. Y.,
in 1 87 1, to Miss Ruth A., daughter of Samuel
Halleck. She died October 26, 1874, leaving
three chHdren: Frank, Kathryn and Ruth
A., all of whom are at home with their father.
John D. Howard, the subject of thissketch,
received a good common-school education in
the schools of Lagrange; and at the Nine Part
ners School, also attending a private school in
Washington township. On October 24, 1861,
in Lagrange, he was married to Adeline B.,
daughter of William Barnes. The chHdren
born of this union are: Sophia, who married
Nicholas Flagler, and has two children — Ethel
and Sophie; James, who married Ella Acker
man, and has two children — John and Willard
D.; Lucy, who married Charles Stark, and has
two children — Howard and James; Annie, who
married Henry Taylor; Sally, Mary and Ade
line. Of these, Sally was a professional' nurse,
and for three years was superintendent of
nurses at the "Womans Hospital, corner of
Forty-ninth street and Fourth avenue. New
York; she was married in February, 1897, to
Dr. Burch, of the city of Washington, and re
sides there. Sophia, Lucy and Annie were
for a time teachers in Dutchess county, the
last named being a graduate of Linden Hall,
Poughkeepsie. Mr. Howard has spent the greater portion
of his life in agricultural pursuits, but in 1890
left his farm in charge of his son, and went to
West Superior, Wis. , where he remained two
years. Since his return he has made his home
in Poughkeepsie, and is not now engaged in
any active employment. His wife departed
this life June 14, 1886. Mr. Howard has been
a Republican ever since the formation of the

518

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

party, and has worked for its interests. He
was supervisor of the town of Lagrange for
three terms, and has always been an enterpris
ing, public-spirited man.

TENRY VAN BENSCHOTEN. The sub
ject of this sketch, one of the most prom
inent agriculturists of Dutchess county, was
born on the old homestead in the town of
Lagrange, June 6, 1822.
Elias T., father of our subject, was also
born on the old homestead, December 27,
1783. He married Miss Cynthia Velie, Sep
tember 10, 1807. She was born October 5,
1786. Their children were: John E. , born
December 5, 1808, died March 6, 1873; PhHip,
born February 10, iSji, married on February
20, 1S40, to Miss Hannah Thorn, and they
had one child. Thorn, born February 17,
1 841; Sarah, born January 21, 1813, died
February 13, 1S30; Harriet, born February
23, 181 5, became the wife of Aris I. Vander
bilt October 19, 1841, and died June 13, 1869;
Eliza, born March 3, 1818, married J. Harry
Pettit, September 4, 1844, and died January
8, 1893; Jemima, born November 29, 1S19,
married Dr. W. H. Hopkins February 5, 1840;
Henry, born June 6, 1822, married Miss Mary
Jane Ver Valen December 9, 1857; Cynthia,
born May 9, 1824, married David H. Mulford
October22, 1857; Elias, born August 15, 1S26,
married CorneHa Harris December 9, 1857,
and for his second wife Sarah L. Wooster,
January 6, 1875; Jane, born in August, 182S,
died December 19, 1866.
Mr. Van Benschoten was well known and
highly respected. Tall, erect, and remarkably
active, physically he was a type of man with
whom we associate the stirring events of the
early history of the country. He was an ex-
-cellent citizen and neighbor, and his uniform,
genial temperament made his presence always
attractive in the social circle. By his industry
and business capacity he acquired a handsome
competence, and became one of the largest
land owners in his section of the country. His
entire life was spent on the old home in La
grange, and he was a member of the Presby
terian Church.
Tunis Van Benschoten, the grandfather,
wasborn October 9, 1755, and was married
August 23, 1775, to Miss Elizabeth Van Der-
burgh, who was born October 13, 1759. He
departed this life December 23, 1835, and his

wife December 31, 18 19. Their chHdren were
as follows: Jemima, born July 13, 1776,
became the wife of Oliver "Green; Henry, born
August 30, 1778, married Miss Mary Jackson,
and died September 25, 1832; Elias T; Sarah,
born January 8,  , died September 5,
1803. Tunis was an elder in the Hackensack
Church. He owned the first one-horse pleas
ure wagon in Lagrange. He was born upon
the old homestead now owned by our subject.
The great-great-grandfather of our subject
was Elias Van Banschoten, as the name was
first spelled. His son, Elias, Jr. , owned the old
place, which was deeded to him by his father
in 1738. through Gideon Ver Vealin, great
grandfather of Mrs. Van Benschoten. The
deed is now held by our subject.
The chHdren of Dr. W. H. and Jemima
Hopkins were: Harriet, born May 18, 1841,
married Richard Titus; Elias, born September
3, 1843, married Miss Emily Field; John, born
July 8, 1845; Elizab'eth, born May 16, 1848,
died in infancy; WilHam, born February 28,
1850, married Miss Ida Sayles. These chH
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Pettit: Sarah,
June 30, 1845, niarried James O. Conklin;
James, October 4, 1846, married Miss Ella
Flagler; Cynthia, January 27, 1849; John H.,
November 10, 1850, married Miss Maria Bab
cock; Janie, January 26, 1862. The children
of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Van Benschoten were:
Anna, born February 19, 1S59, married De-
Witt Bergen September 16, 1885; Louise,
March 25, 1861, married the Rev. Joseph
Paige Davis, who is deceased; Elias, April 19,
1867; John E., July 27, 1870. Mr. and Mrs.
Mulford had one child, Hattie, who married
John Hackett. She was born October 25, 1859.
Henry Van Benschoten spent his boyhood
days on the old homestead, and attended the
district schools. He has held the offices of
town clerk, assessor and supervisor, elected
on the Democratic ticket. He was appointed
by the Legislature town auditor in i860.

/r^EORGE C. PAYNE, a valiant member of
\^f the Union army during the Civil war, is
now one of the prominent and representative
business men of the town of Stanford, where
he is successfully engaged as a wholesale and
retail butcher. He was born in that township
January 7, 1841.
The birth of his father, Samuel Payne, oc-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

519

curred July 8, 1799, and in Putnam county,
N. Y., on September 18, 1822, he married
Miss Ann Hager, who was of German ances
try. She was born May 4, 1803, and died
May 5, 1879. Seven chHdren were born of
this union: (i) Rachel O. , born September 10,
1824, became the wife of David L. Thompson.
(2) Anthony H., born December 28, 1826,
makes his home in Brooklyn, N. Y. (3) War
ren C, born May 31, 1829, resides at Bangall,
Dutchess county. (4) John H. , born Decem
ber 19, 1831, enlisted in Company B, 128th
Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, Au
gust 20, 1862, and was discharged November
19, 1864, at Albany, N. Y., on account of dis
abHity. He is at present living at Stanford-
viHe, Dutchess county. (5) Orra S. , born
August 30, 1836, became a member of Com
pany A, 20th New York State Militia, October
22, 1S61, and was discharged March 20, 1S63,
on account of wounds received at the battle of
Chantilly. (6) Jehiel P., born August 30,
1836, died August 17, 1848. (7) George C. ,
subject of this review, completes the family.
For several years after his marriage the father
remained in Putnam county, N. Y. , but later
became a resident of Stanford town, Dutchess
county, where he engaged in farming until his
death, which occurred November 24, 1865.
Politically he was a Democrat, and religiously
was a consistent member of the Baptist Church
at Bangall. The education of our subject was obtained
in the schools of Stissing, and, after completing
-his education, he was employed as a farm hand
for three seasons. While thus engaged the
storm of war broke over our beloved country,
and in response to the call for men he enlisted
August 20, 1862, in Company B, 128th Regi
ment, New York Volunteers, and served until
-the South laid down its arms. He participated
in the Red River expedition, the siege of Port
Hudson, the expedition up the Pearl river,
and the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.
He was mustered out at Albany, N. Y., July
27, 1865. For some time after his discharge
he was in poor health, having become ill whHe
in Savannah, Georgia.
After his return home Mr. Payne engaged
in farming for a time, and then opened a gen
eral store at Bangall, which he conducted for
a year, after which he clerked a year for C. H.
Humphrey, at that place. He then removed
to the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
where for three years he carried on agricultural

pursuits, after which he returned to Stanford
town, and for the past twenty years has been
engaged in the meat business.
Mr. Payne was married October 20* 1869,
to Miss Emeline C. Mosher, who was born at
East Chatham, Columbia Co., N. Y. , January
12, 1850. Herfather, David Mosher, was a
native of Saratoga county, N. Y. , where his
father, Benjamin Mosher, was also born. The
latter married Jane Bloom, and they became
the parents of seven children: Joseph, David,
Jane, Mary, Rennselaer, Amy and Esther.
The father of this family spent his entire life
in farming in Saratoga county. There his son
David was educated in the common schools,
and on reaching his manhood he was united in
marriage with Miss Alice Mosher, by whom he
had two chHdren: Edwin B., who became a
member of the 21st New York Cavalry during
the CivH war, and was shot by a guerilla; and
Emeline C, the wife of our subject. Her
maternal grandfather, William Mosher, was
born March 5, 17S6, and wedded Martha A.
Mosher, by whom he had ten children. His
father, Barnabas Mosher, was born September
2, 1758, and married Ruth Mosher, who was
born July 13, 1757. In their family were
eight children.
To Mr. and Mrs. Payne were born five
children: Edward Van Rensselaer, born on
March 24, 1872, is now a civH engineer, lo
cated at Lockport, N. Y. ; Alice Gertrude,
born September 28, 1874; WiHiam Mosher,
born February 22, 1882, died April 9, 1885;
Rose Cleveland, born February 8, 1886, died
February 18, 1895; and Albert Henry, born
September 19, 1887, completes the family.
As a Democrat Mr. Payne takes great in
terest in political questions, and has served as
collector of Stanford town. In religious be
lief he is a Baptist, holding membership with
the Church of that denomination at Bangall,
and socially is identified with Warren Lodge
No. 32, F. & A. M., at SchultzviHe, N. Y.
As a soldier he displayed bravery, sagacity and
true patriotism; as a business man his actions
have been above reproach or criticism, and as a
citizen he is an illustration of a high type df
American manhood. In social circles he
and his wife occupy a prominent position.
She is an earnest worker in the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union, and for four
years has been recording secretary for the
Dutchess County Woman's Christian Temper
ance Union.

520

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

C'\HARLES W. HOAG (deceased) was one
_jl of the most genial and whole-souled men
of Dutchess county, where was spent his long
and useful career. The genealogy of the fam
ily can be traced to John Hoag, who was born
in 1643 and died in 1728. On AprH 21, 1669,
John Hoag married E. Emery, by whom he
had the foHowing children: John, born Feb
ruary 28, 1670; Jonathan, born October 28,
1671; Joseph, born January 10, 1677; Ben
jamin; Hannah, born January 3, 16S3; Judith,
born April 20, 1687; and Mary.
For his first wife Benjamin Hoag wedded
Sarah Morris, and they became the parents of
six children: Mary, born AprH 5, 1704; John,
born September 3, 1706; Jonathan, born in
December, 170S; Sarah, born May 3, 171 1;
Benjamin, born November 15, 1714; and
Judah, born April 29, 17 16. By his second
wife, who bore the maiden name of Esther
Sneatt, he had ten children, whose names and
years of birth are as follows: Patience, 1719;
Daniel, 1720; Moses, 1721; Elizabeth, 1723;
Anna, 1724; Mary, 1728; Isaiah, 1730; Aben-
ezer, 1 73 1 ; Theodore, 1732; and Esther, 1734.
John Hoag, the second child of the first
union, was joined in wedlock with Mary Hoag,
who was born January 9, 1706, and they had
six chHdren: Elijah; Enoch, born ini73i;
John, born May 10, 1734; Abner, born in
1736; Mary; Paul, born in 1741. For his sec
ond wife John Hoag married Patience Rogers,
and to them were born four children: Isaiah,
in 1754; Rachel, in 1756; Jeremiah, in 1759;
and Nathaniel, in 1765.
The next in direct line was John Hoag, a
resident of the town of Washington, Dutchess
county. He was united in marriage with
Mercy Tripp, who was born March 16, 173S,
and they became the parents of eight children,
whose names and dates of birth are as follows:
Abel, December 12, 1761; Philip, December
6, 1764; Lucy, March 17, 1767; Amy, June 2,
1769; Charles, December 25, 1771; Ruth,
AprH 22, 1775; Tripp, March 6, 1778; and
Mary, May 25, 1782.
The fifth child of that union, Charles
Hoag, was the grandfather of our subject, and
died January 23, 1S40. On November 21, 1793,
he married Betsy Denton, who was born April
5, 1772, and died Augu-st 30, 1852. Their
family included nine chHdren, as follows:
Anna, born October 2, 1794; John T. , Sep
tember 27, 1796; James D. , February 14,
1799; Henry C, May 3, 1801; Phoebe, Au

gust 13, 1805; Ezra B., December 11, 1807;
Benjamin, October 23, iSio; Deborah, Octo
ber 18, 1812; and Mary, February 25, 1815.
The father of our subject, John T. Hoag,
spent his boyhood days at Pine Plains, Dutch
ess county; on November 30, 1825, he was
united in marriage with Mary C. Bedell, born
July 20, iSoo. By this union they had two
children: Charles W. , born October 7, 1826;
and Mary B., born June 10, 1835. For some
time the father engaged in farming in Colum
bia county, N. Y., and on his return to Dutch
ess county first located in CHnton town, but
later removed to the old homestead in Pine
Plains town, which he operated up to his death,
May 8, 1849. He was reared in the faith of
the Society of Friends, and was highly re
spected and honored. His wife departed this
Hfe on July 14, 1858.
Charles W. Hoag passed his early life in
the usual manner of farmer boys, in the town
of Pine Plains, and secured a good education
at the Nine Partners Boarding School, in the
town of Washington, Dutchess county. He
assisted his father in the labors of the home
farm until he was married, June 10, 1857, to
Laura Bryan, whose birth occurred April 21,
1 83 1. They became the parents of five chil
dren: Ward B., now a physician of New
York City; he was born July 3, 1859, and
married L. Lilian Sills, of New York City,
May 9, 1895; John E., born November 2,
1S61; Mary E. , who was born November 25,
1863, and December 9, 1891, wedded William
H. Ulrich, of Greenfield, Mass, ; Anna Ger
trude, born July 6, 1 868; and Charles Will
iam, born February 14, 1870.
For two years after his marriage Mr. Hoag
remained in the town of Pine Plains, and the
following eight years were passed near Miller
ton, Dutchess county. In April, 1869, he re
moved to the town of Stanford, where he
erected the large house at the upper end of
Upton Lake, now known as the "Upton Lake
House," and there continued to live untH his
death, which occurred March 4, 1893. He
was classed by his fellow citizens as one of the
public-spirited and representative men of the
county, and merited and received the warmest
confidence and esteem of the entire com
munity. The family of Mrs. Hoag has also long
been identified with the history of Dutchess
county, her great-grandparents, Ezra and
Sarah Bryan, being residents of the town of

^^^-tZ-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

521

Northeast. Their son, Amos Bryan, who also
lived in that township, married Betsey Finch,
and to them were born nine chHdren, of whom
WardW., the father of Mrs. Hoag, was the
eldest. His entire life was passed upon the
old homestead farm in the town of Northeast.
On December 12, 1829, he was united in mar
riage with Elizabeth Wanzer, and they became
the parents of eleven children, whose names
and dates of birth are as follows: Laura, April
21, 1 831; Calvin, January 6, 1833; Elihu (de
ceased), July 26, 1835; Amos (deceased), Oc
tober 9, 1836; James, March 25, 1839; Sarah
(deceased), November 25, 1840; Jane, Febru
ary 25, 1843; Ezra, December 16, 1S44;
Phcebe, February 5, 1847; Reuben, June 20,
1849; and Coralie (deceased), February 9,
1853. The father, who was a faithful mem
ber of the Friends Church, died December
14, 1863; his wife survived him till July 27,
1885.

E EDWARD BARMORE, of the town of La-
 'I grange, Dutchess county, is a representa
tive agriculturist, his farm, near Moores Mill,
being among the best of its size in that locaHty.
He is a native of Dutchess county, but his
father, Clark C. Barmore, was born May 25,
1805, in Westchester county, N. Y. , and came
to Dutchess county with his parents when he
was six years old. He attended the district
schools of the town of Unionvale, and taught
for several terms in early manhood. On De
cember 26, 1831, he was united in marriage
with Mary C. Alley, who was born December
8, 1 8 10, the daughter of James Alley. For a
few years after his marriage Mr. Barmore was
engaged in farming in Unionvale, but, in the
spring of 1836, he moved to the town of La
grange, and settled upon the farm now occu
pied by his grandson, Clark Barmore. He was
a birthright Quaker, always adhered to the old
forms of speech, and was a regular attendant
at the Friends' meetings, serving as clerk for
many years. A self-made man, he was very
successful as a farmer, and his fine character
gave him great influence among his acquaint
ances. He was a life-long Democrat, and held
several offices in the town of Lagrange. His
death occurred there September 30, 1873, and
his wife foHowed him February 22, 1880.
They had nine chHdren: Phoebe, who mar
ried Crumline Patterson, of Arthursburgh,
N. Y. ; Edward, our subject; Stephen, deceased;

Caroline, the wife of Andrew S. Wanzer, of
Moores Mill; Eliza M. , deceased; Sarah, who
married Cyrus Perkins, of Moores MHl; John,
deceased, who married Josephine Phillips;
Charles, deceased, and Mary Adelia, the wife
of Gilbert V. Downing, of Poughkeepsie.
Edward Barmore was born in the town of
Unionvale November 8, 1S35, hut accompa
nied his parents to the town of Lagrange at
the age of four months. He was educated in
the district schools of his neighborhood and at
a boarding school at Oswego village. He
taught successfully in Lagrange during the
winter terms of 1856 and 1857. On Novem
ber 24, 1858, he was married in the town of
Beekman to Miss Lucy E. Wanzer, daughter
of Isaac Wanzer, and a native of the town of
New Milford, Litchfield Co., Conn. Immedi
ately after their marriage they settled upon the
farm, where they now reside, in a house built
by Mr. Barmore. Three children blessed their
union: (i) Clark, a farmer in the town of
Lagrange, born February 13, 1862, is a grad
uate of Eastman Business College; he was
married December 17, 1885, to Gertie l^ripp,
daughter of Daniel Tripp; he is a member of
the Lagrange Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union; was one of the organizers of the Farm
ers' Insurance Co., of Lagrange, of which he
is a director and the treasurer. (2) Mary
Eliza is president of the local W. C. T. U.,
and treasurer of the County Union; at the
time of the Constitutional Convention of New
York State, in 1894, she canvassed the town
of Lagrange for signatures to the Equal Suf
frage petition, securing nearly 300 names; she
was also secretary to the county campaign
committee. (3) Emma B. was married Jan
uary 2, 1890, at the age of twenty, to Charles
Huestis, of Unionvale.
Mr. Barmore is a Prohibitionist politically,
and his wife is one of the leading members of
the W. C. T. U. of Lagrange. He is a non-
combatant, and, having been taken in the first
draft during the war, he was released by Pres
ident Lincoln, owing to his conscientious scru
ples against the use of arms.

LEWIS SMITH. Among the young and
 ! enterprising citizens of Barrytown, Dutch
ess county, there is probably none more ener
getic or thorough -going than the gentleman
whose name introduces this sketch. He made
his appearance on the stage of life at Rondout,

522

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Ulster Co., N. Y. , in iS68, and acquired a
good practical education in the schools of
Canarsie and Brooklyn, N. Y. He learned
the art of piloting, and was granted a license as
a pHot on the Hudson river, New York harbor
and Long Island sound. He now follows that
calling, being mostly engaged in taking freight
steamers. He is one of the prominent and
representative young men of Barrytown, where
he now makes his home, and has the respect
and esteem of all who know him. His estima
ble wife was Miss Hattie Moody, daughter of
George and Lucinda Moody, of Clinton town
ship. Dutchess county.
Mr. Smith is of German descent, his par
ents, Robert and Sophia (Helm) Smith, both
being natives of the Fatherland, the former
born at Glangstadt in 1841, and the latter at
Maxfeld, Prussia, in 1S44. They were edu
cated in Germany, and in 1865 took passage
on the same vessel, bound, for the United
States. They met on board the ship, and,
their friendship ripening into love, they were
married on reaching Rondout, N. Y. The
father had been a sailor previous to his loca
tion in this country, and had visited almost
every country on the globe. At present he is
a boatman, and makes his home in Barrytown.
In the family were seven children, namely:
WilHam, who died at the age of seventeen
years; Lewis, subject of this review; Eliza
beth, who died in infancy; and Robert, Mar
tha, Rebecca, and Albert, all at home.
John Helm, the maternal grandfather of
our subject, was born at Mecklenburg, where
he was educated, and there married Miss Eliza
beth Yager, also a native of Prussia. They
became the parents of eight children, but the
names of the oldest three are not known. The
others are: William, who married a Miss Rus
sell; Mary, who became the wife of Charles
Klopp; Sophia, the mother of our subject;
Caroline, who wedded August Heidman; and
John, who when a young man served in the
Prussian army, and who died of a fever soon
after his return home.

FLATT V. AND JOHN J. HALL, leading
 and prominent citizens of the town of
Unionvale, are worthy representatives of an
honored family of Dutchess county. William
Hall, their grandfather, was born in what was
then the town of Beekman, but is now Union
vale, and secured his education in its public

schools, after which he followed the vocation
of farming. He wedded Miss Mary Vale,
daughter of Israel Vale, who held the commis
sion of captain in the Colonial army during the
Revolutionary war. The following children
were born of this union : Levina, who mar
ried Solomon Duncan; Ruth, who became the
wife of Henry Deyo; John, the father of our
subjects; Israel, who married Catherine Albro;
Isaac, who wedded Mary Rogers; Gideon and
Benjamin, who remained single; Mary, who
became the wife of WHliam Pine; WHHam;
Abigail, who married Isaac Titus; and Rebecca,
who married Joseph Losee.
John Hall, Sr. , who was born in the town
of Beekman, in 1776, was educated in the
schools near his home, and there engaged in
agricultural pursuits. He married Miss Mary
Waite, daughter of Joseph and Catherine
Waite. Her father was a lawyer by profes
sion, and also followed auctioneering, and was
a prominent member of the Masonic order.
Thirteen chHdren graced the union of the
parents of our subjects, as follows: (i) Cath
arine, born in the town of Beekman, Novem
ber 10, 1802, married David Hawes. They
had eight chHdren: John D. , who married a
Miss Fuller; Daniel; Charles, who married a
Miss Briggs, and, after her death, wedded a
Miss Wheeler; Erthemer, who married a Miss
Edmonds; Phoebe, who married George HaH;
George; Benjamin; and Judson. (2) Mary,'
born August 3, 1804, married Smith Titus.
(3) Phoebe A., born August 13, 1806, married
Henry P. Emigh, by whom she had one chUd
that died in infancy. (4) Pauline A., born
August 2, 1808, married Levi Haskel. (5)
AbigaH, born March 3, 18 10, married Fred
erick Davis. (6) Levina. born December lO,
181 1, married Smith THus. (7) Ruth, born
January 6, 18 14, died unmarried.
(8) Platt V. Hall, one of our subjects, was
born in Beekman, Dec. 25, 1S15, and, after
completing a common-school education, turned
his attention to farming. He was united in
marriage with Miss Louise Paul, daughter of
Alfred and Levina Paul. Her father was a
hotel keeper in Chenango county, N. Y. Two
children were born to Platt V. Hall and his
worthy wife, namely: Mary L. , who was born
September 6, 1865, and died in infancy; and
Alfred P., who was born in the town of Union
vale, July 26, 1868. For twenty-five years
their father served as postmaster of Mansfield-.
Alfred P. Hall was educated in the State

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

523

Normal School, at Albany, N. Y., and as a life
work chose the occupation of farming. Since
1894 he has acceptably filled the office of as
sessor of Unionvale town, has been inspector
of elections and held other public positions of
honor and trust. In 1890 was celebrated his
marriage with Miss Loda K. Pitcher, daughter
of Charles J. and Wealthy (Tanner) Pitcher,
the former a farmer and lumberman of Sheko
meko, Dutchess county. Two chHdren were
born to Alfred Hall and wife: Susie V., born
April 6, 1892; and Paul A., born January 8,
1894, and died in infancy.
(9) Rebecca, the ninth child of John Hall,
Sr., was born Apnl 24, 18 18, and married
George Hopkins, by whom she had two daugh
ters: Sarah and Mary, twins, the former the
wife of Egbert Benson, and the latter the wife
of George THlinghast. After the death of her
first husband, Rebecca became the wife of
Victor Fuller, who was a soldier in the CivH
war, and to them were born two children:
Ruth and Estelle, both of whom died in in
fancy. (10) Helen, born March 31, 1820,
married Joseph Benson. They had eight chil
dren: Levina, deceased; Mary, who became
the wife of Truman Case; Platt J., who first
married Flora Dickerman, and after her death
wedded Louisa Benson; Franklin D. married
Carmel Gay; Homer, deceased; Fred J., de
ceased; Augusta, who married Clarence Oak
ley, and EHa, who wedded Fred Irish. (11)
Sarah E., born October 26, 1821.
(12) John J. Hall, another of the subjects of
this sketch, was born in the town of Beekman,
February 10, 1824, and obtained an excellent
education in the Staie Normal School, of
Albany, N. Y. He was admitted to the bar
in 1868, but has never engaged in practice.
His early life was principally devoted to teach
ing, but in later years he has carried on farm
ing with good success. For eight years he has
filled the office of justice of the peace, having
the unanimous vote of the people; was also the
jirst postmaster appointed at Mansfield, and
was superintendent of the schools of Unionvale
town, all of which offices he creditably filled,
proving a most trustworthy and capable offi
cial. (13) Fred D. Hall, the youngest of the
family, was born in the town of Unionvale,
September 17, 1827. After finishing his liter
ary education, he entered the law school at
Ballston, N. Y., under Professor Fowler, and
was admitted to the bar in 1852. He removed

to Chickasaw, Iowa, where he was elected dis
trict attorney, but is now engaged in farming.
He married Miss Harriet Moore, by whom he
has chHdren as follows: Amos, John and Mary
Emily. The farm now occupied by Alfred P. and
John J. Hall is the old Hall homestead, which
has been in the possession of the Hall family
from 1767 to the present time.

J HAVILAND HAIGHT was born in the
town of Washington, Dutchess county,
" February 12, 1S28. He spent his early
life in Clinton, where he attended the district
and Quaker schools, finishing his education at
the Amenia Seminary, in the eastern part of
the county.
After leaving school our subject settled on
a farm in the town of Washington, where he
remained two or three years, removing then to
Poughkeepsie, and engaging there in the coal
and lumber business for a short time with James
Collingwood, later with Charles Pearl, in the
saddlery and hardware business. In 1855 he
went to Iowa, stayed there untH 1864, returned
to Poughkeepsie and lived here until 1 87 1 , when
he went to Kansas and engaged in farming for
some twenty years. In 1866 he was united in
marriage with Miss Mary Wanzer, daughter of
Dr. H. C. Wanzer, of Rochester, N. Y. In
January, 1891, Mr. Haight moved from Kan-r
sas to Poughkeepsie, where he is now living a
retired life. Mrs. Haight died August 23,
1894. Although our subject takes an interest
in politics, he is no politician, being independ
ent in politics more than anything else. He
is a member of the Hicksite Quaker Meeting,
and is interested in all matters pertaining to
the development and improvement of the city
in which he resides.
Dr. Charles Haight, father of our subject,
was a native of the town of Washington, born
June 15, 1806. After obtaining a common-
school education he went to New York City
and studied medicine. He returned to Dutch
ess county, and at Four Corners practiced un
til 1845, when he moved to Poughkeepsie and
practiced there until his death, September 26,
1 89 1. He married Miss Elizabeth HavHand,
who was born in the town of Washington, a
daughter of Jacob HavHand. After their mar
riage Dr. and Mrs. Haight located at Four
Corners, which, with Hart's VHlage, is now
known as MiHbrook. Our subject was the

524

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

only child. Mrs. Haight died in 1856. Dr.
Haight was a Republican, and he was a
highly successful physician.
Jacob Haight, the grandfather of our sub
ject, also born in Dutchess county, married
Amy Clement, and they settled on a farm
where they reared a family of four children, as
follows: Charles, father of our subject; Alonzo,
a prominent farmer and physician in Dutchess
county; Alexander, who was a farmer in Vir
ginia; and Maria, married to James Barlow, a
merchant of New York, but at one time a
farmer in Virginia. Mr. Haight followed farm
ing in Dutchess county until 1840, when he
went to Virginia and farmed there until his
death. Jacob Haviland, father of Mrs, Haight,
was a native of Dutchess county, where he
followed the occupation of farming. Daniel
Haviland, great-grandfather of Mrs. Haight,
was a Quaker preacher, and followed farming
as a vocation.

JOSEPH HARRISON BENSON was born
in the town of Amenia, Dutchess county,
September 8, 181 5, and acquired his educa
tion at the district schools. At the early age of
sixteen years he left the home farm and began
working by the month and year as a farm hand.
His attention has always been devoted to agri
cultural pursuits.
While still a young man he and his brother,
Samuel K. Benson, bought the Thomas Swift
farm. After running this farm together for
three years, he decided to branch out for him
self, and, selling his interest to Samuel, he
bought the Reuben Reed farm on the hill near
the Steel works, where he lived for twenty-five
years. Wishing to enlarge his farming opera
tions, he bought the farm known as the Judah
Swift farm, one and one-half miles south,
where he stHl resides.
In the meantime he was united in mar
riage, in March, 1842, to HeHen S. Hall, of
the town of Unionvale, Dutchess Co., N. Y.,
daughter of John Hall, who was an influential
member of the Friends (or Quaker) Church at
Mechanic, N. Y. Mrs. Benson passed to the
better land in June, 1880. Unto them were
born eight children: Lavina and Frederick
De Peyster (both deceased); Mary E., wife of
Truman Case, of Norwich, N. Y. ; Platt J. ;
Franklin De Peyster; Augusta, wife of Clar
ence Oakley, of Norwich, N. Y. ; John Homer

(deceased); and Ellen, deceased wife of F, M.
Irish, of Wassaic, New York.
Like his father, Mr. Benson was first a
Whig, and now advocates the principles of the
Republican party, bilt has never aspired to
political preferment. In 1877 he purchased
the handsome residence and farm situated at
the junction of Tower HHl and Dover Plains
road, known as the Cal. Nase property, also a
place on Chestnut Ridge, both of which he
presented to his two sons, Platt J. and Frank
lin D. He is now in his eighty-second year, a
living monument to the coming generations,
showing what a young man with a pair of wHl
ing hands and good judgment may accomplish.
Franklin De Peyster Benson, one of
the sons of Joseph Harrison Benson, and a
thorough and systematic farmer of the town
of Arnenia, Dutchess county, was born there
March 22, 1854. He belongs to a family
that has for several generations carried on
agricultural pursuits within the borders of that
town. Samuel Benson, his great-grandfather,
was a native of Horseneck, R. I., but early
became a resident of Dutchess county, locat
ing in the southern portion of Amenia town,
where he engaged in farming. He married
Rachel DarHng, and reared a family of four
sons and three daughters: Samuel, Joshua,
Bethiah, John, AbigaH, Phila and Polly. The
grandfather, who also bore the name of Sam
uel, was born in Amenia town, where he spent
his boyhood days attending the district
schools. He was married at Otsego, N. Y.,
to Sarah Knapp, but soon afterward returned
to Amenia town, and there followed farming
untH his death. In early life he was a Whig,
and on the organization of the Republican
party he joined its ranks, becoming one of its
faithful supporters. There were eleven chil
dren in his family, namely: Joseph H., father
of our subject; Samuel K. and John, deceased;
James v., of Dover town, Dutchess county;
Ebenezer, of South Dover; DariuS, of Amenia;
Charles and Sarah Jane, both deceased; Ada,
wife of J. G. Dutcher; Harriet, wife of Van-
Nest Dutcher, of South Dover; and Joshua,
deceased. Franklin De Peyster Benson obtained his
literary education in the district schools. Fort
Edward Academy and the Amenia Seminary.
After attaining his majority he went to vvestern
Kansas, where for flve years he was engaged in
the stock business, and he still owns a large
cattle ranch there. Returning to Amenia, he

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

525

located upon his present farm in 1887, and
has since been engaged in its cultivation and
improvement. He follows in the political
footsteps of his father and grandfather, voting
the Republican ticket, and is deeply interested
in the success of his party. In Lane county,
Kans., January 24, 1887, he was united in mar
riage with Miss Carmel Gay, a daughter of
Rev. E. L. and Mary A. (Massey) Gay. Her
father, who was from Boston, Mass., is now
serving as pastor of the Baptist Church at
Dighton, Kans. Three children bless the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Benson, namely:
Luther Joseph, Frank De Peyster and Fannie
Augusta. Platt J. , a brother of Franklin De Peyster,
and a prosperous farmer of Amenia town, was
born AprH 29, 1852, and attended the district
school and the Amenia Seminary. In Amenia
he married Flora Dickerman, who died April
3, 1892, and to them were born nine children:
Clarence, Sadie, Helen, Joseph, Hadley, Milo
(deceased), Anna, and Flossie and Flora
(twins). For his second wife he wedded
Louisa Benson, daughter of Samuel Benson.
Politically he supports the Republican party.

OLIVER BARRETT, one of the enterpris
ing and prosperous agriculturists of the
town of Northeast, resides on a farm near Cole
man Station, which has been in the possession
of the family without interruption for nearly
one hundred years. The Barretts are of En
glish descent, but is not known positively when
the first of the name came to this country.
Ezekiel Barrett, our subject's grandfather, was
born September 17, 1742, in Norwich, Conn.,
where he passed his entire life, following the
trade of carpenter and joiner. He was not
prominent in politics, nor was he a Church
member, although he was a Universalist in be
lief. On July 7, 1773, he married Sarah
Lathrop, who was born in Norwich, April 29,
1749. She was a descendant in the fifth gen
eration from Rev. John Lathrop, a Congrega
tional minister, who left England on account
of religious persecution, and arrived at Scitu
ate, Mass., September 28, 1634, accompanied
by his six sons and two daughters. He died
in 1653. His son, Samuel Scudder Lathrop,
had a son, Israel, who married Rebecca BHss;
their son WHliam married Sarah Huntington;
their son Ezra, Mrs. Barrett's father, married
Esther Clark. Mrs. Barrett died October 27,

181 1, in her sixty-third year, her husband sur
viving untH February 10, 1S3S, when he passed
away at the age of ninety-six years. They had
four chHdren: Mary B., born May 19, 1774;
Ezra Lathrop, born September 27, 1775; and
Oliver and Backus (twins), born April 10,
1779. Ezra Lathrop Barrett, our subject's father,
was a carpenter and joiner, and worked at his
trade for many years. He came to Dutchess
county prior to 1800, and, after a short stay
at Pine Plains, he moved to Northeast and
managed the Caleb Dakin farm, now occupied
by Mrs. Coleman. Later he bought the farm
which our subject owns, moving there in the
spring of 1820. The house he built at that
time is still in excellent repair, and he con
structed other substantial buildings, including
Mrs. Coleman's present home, built for Caleb
Dakin. He was a Democrat, and very positive
in his views on public matters, and was a mem
ber of the Masonic fraternity. Early in life he
united with the Congregational Church at
Sharon, Conn., but afterward assisted inthe
establishment of the Northeast Center Congre-
grational Church, in which he held the office of
deacon until his death. On January 3, 1S05,
he married Rhoda Dakin, daughter of Caleb
and Rhoda (King) Dakin, and granddaughter
of Simon Dakin, a well-known Baptist minis
ter, and an early settler of the town. Of this
union five children were born: Sarah Louise,
born December 6, 1805; Caleb Dakin, born
November 21, 1807, married Caroline, daugh
ter of Douglas Clark; Edward Lathrop, born
July 26, 18 10, married Sarah Fish; Myron,
born September 9, 18 16, a minister of the
Presbyterian Church, married Emma Elizabeth
Ryerson; and Oliver, born December 9, 18 19.
Ezra Barrett died November 18, 1S57; his
wife died May 23, i860.
The subject of our sketch has always lived
at the old homestead, having been absent from
it not more than six months in all. There are
two other farms in the vicinity, which have
been owned by the family for about one hun
dred years, having been handed down by in
heritance. Mr. Barrett has been very suc
cessful, his prosperity being attained by close
attention to business, and he has added to
his original farm of 123 acres, the Smithfield
farm of 188 acres, acquired from the Dakin
estate. On November 21, 1S54, he was mar
ried to his first wife, Catherine Sophia Horn-
fager, daughter of Adam Hornfager. Five

626

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

children were born to them: Charles MHler,
October 24, 1S55, a farmer, inarried to Jose
phine Devoe; Ezra Lathrop, August 30, 1S58,
married to Alice N. Clark; Rhoda Louise;
Cornelia, who died in 1865; and Albert, the
railroad agent at Coleman Station, married
Edna Dodd Hazard. The mother of this
family died in 1870, and in 1874, Mr. Barrett
married Julia Elizabeth Pulver, daughter of
Nicholas N. Pulver, and a descendant of one
of the old Holland-Dutch famHies.
Mr. Barrett is well informed on general
topics, and takes an intelligent view of the
questions of the day. In politics he has
always been a Democrat, and he has taken an
active part in local affairs, and served two
terms as justice of the peace. He and his
family have always belonged to the Congrega
tional Church, in which he held the offices of
trustee and deacon. *

MILES SCOFIELD. The Scofield fam-
 Hy in this country is descended from Sir
Cuthbert Scofield, of Scofield Manor, parish of
Rochdale, Lancashire, England, two of his
grandsons, Daniel and David Scofield, having
come to America in 1639, in the ship " Susan
and Ellen," settling in Stamford, Conn. The
family history is now in process of completion,
and, according to present expectations, will
shortly be in print, giving a complete account
of the many descendants of these pioneers.
The subject of this sketch traces his lineage to
Daniel Scofield, through a long list of ancestors.
His great-grandfather, Jacob Scofield, mar
ried Hannah Knapp; his grandfather. Miles
Scofield, married Abigail Hustis, and their son,
Ephraim M., our subject's father, was born
November i, 1796, in Putnam county, N. Y. ,
south of Fishkill, near Cold Spring. He was
a farmer in Fishkill, and, January 8, 1824,
married a native of that town, Catherine Phill
ips, who was born September 24, 1802, the
daughter of Henry PhHlips, a Hollander by
descent, and his wife, Sargih Southard, an
EngHsh lady. Our subject was one of a fam
Hy of nine chHdren: Emily, Miles, Joseph,
Julia, Mary, Sarah, Catherine, Ephraim and
Cordelia. The father departed this life July
21, 187S, and the mother December 29, 1893.
MHes Scofield was born August 3, 1827, in
the town of FishkiH, and was educated in the
common schools of the village of Fishkill, un
der J. C. Howard and Rev. Mr. Pingree, and

in the FishkiH Academy. He left school in
1850, and February 5, 1852, he sailed from
New York for California onthe steamer ''Pro
metheus," for Greytown, by the Nicaragua
route. On the Pacific coast he took the old
steamship "North America," which was
wrecked on the coast of Mexico 100 mHes
below Acapulco, the vessel being a total loss.
The passengers were taken by land to Acapul
co, where they remained five weeks, and then
took passage to San Francisco on the steamer
" Independence," arriving April 10, 1852. Mr.
Scofield with three others started immediately
for the gpld mines on the Yuba river, where
they purchased an interest and went to work
with a will. After three years of mining in
Yuba and Nevada counties, Mr. Scofield joined
a company in constructing the Excelsior canal,
to supply the hydraulic works in Rose Bar
township, Timbuctoo Diggings. They brought
the water first from Deer creek, a distance of
sixteen miles, and later extended the canal to
the South Yuba river, thirty-one miles away.
While in California Mr. Scofield was a strong
supporter of the Vigilancemovement in 1856..
He left the mines and went down to San Fran
cisco, where he offered himself to the VigHance
committee to be held in reserve for use H
needed. He remained in California four years
and a half, and then, in the fall of 1858, came
back to his native place, where he purchased
his present farm of eighty-five acres near Fish
kHl village, now known as Fruit Ridge, then
Osborn Hill.
In the following year, October 2, 1859, he
married Miss Mary Vail, daughter of WiHiam
R. and Sarah Ann (Bogardus) VaH, highly es
teemed residents of the town of Fishkill. A
new home was built in the spring of 1859, and
there Mr. and Mrs. Scofield began their
wedded life. For some time he devoted his
land to general farming and dairying, but
gradually put it into use in fruit growing, and
at the present time he has fifty acres in fruits
of various kinds, and is considered one of the
best horticulturists in that region. In 1S90 he
purchased a residence on Main street, in the
village of Fishkill, where he has since resided,
although he still owns and cultivates his farm.
His wife's father lived with them for three
years and died July i, 1896, in his ninety-first
year, leaving a large estate. Mr. and Mrs.
Scofield have had two children, of whom,
Frank died in infancy; the other, Mary Louisa,
is the wife of Edgar A. Shook, formeriy of

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

527

the town of Red Hook, but now a resident of
Fishkill. Mr. Scofield and his wife are leading mem-
ibers of the Reformed Church of Fishkill, in
which he holds the office of elder. He was
appointed to attend the general synod of the
Church at Kingston in June, 1896. In poli
tics, Mr. Scofield is a Republican.. He
was elected assessor in 1877, and he served
two terms of three years each. For several
years he has held the office- of school trus
tee, and he has been a trustee of the Fish
kHl Rural Cemetery Association from its organi
sation to the present time. In business circles
he is also prominent, and for many years he
bas been connected with the management of
the FishkHl Savings Institute, and is now its
vice-president.

J WESLEY VAN TASSELL, a leading citi
zen of the town of East Fishkill, is noted
- no less for his ability as a business man
and political worker than as an agriculturist,
ihis success in various lines of effort showing
unusual grasp of affairs.
His' family originated in Holland, but his
ancestors settled in Westchester county, N. Y.,
at an early date, acquiring extensive estates
there. Henry Van Tassell, our subj ect's grand
father, was born there and became a promi
nent agriculturist. He married a Miss Tickly,
and reared a family of six children: John L. ,
our subject's father; Isaac, Henry, Jones, Jane
and Delia.
John L. Van Tassell, who was born August
25, 1817, and spent his early years upon the
old homestead in Westchester county, married
Miss Catherine Baker, a lady of English de
scent, whose family had been located in Dutch
ess county for several generations. Her father,
Bennajah Baker, was a well-known carpenter
and buHder. After his marriage Mr. Van Tas
sell settled in Old Fishkill, where he engaged
in business as a farmer, miller and speculator
in cattle, his shrewd judgment enabling him to
make a success of each. Politically he was a
Republican. His wife died March 16, 1888,
and he did not long survive, passing to his rest
February 16, 1895. They had eleven chil
dren: Sarah (deceased), formerly the wife of
Alonzo Townsend, a carpenter in Connecticut;
]'. Wesley, our subject; James, who died at an
«arly age; WHbur, a resident of Lagrange;
Eliza, who has never married; Benjamin, a

farmer in Wappinger town; Isaac, who lives
at FishkiH Plains; Phoebe, the wife of John
Nolin, a farmer near Matteawan; Kate, who
married Charles Dains, of Matteawan; and
Eugene and Charles, who are not married.
J. Wesley Van Tassell was born October
12, 1845, and was educated in his native town
of Fishkill, attending first the district schools,
and later the old academy at Fishkill. On
completing his studies he engaged in farming,
which he has always foHowed, spending about
three years at his first place, in East Fishkill,
and six upon another farm in Fishkill Plains,
two in the town of Northeast, and afterward
returning to his present farm in East FishkHl.
On September 19, 1866, he married Carrie C.
Haight, a descendant of the well-known fam
ily of that name. She is a native of Dutchess
county, and was the youngest daughter of
Henry Haight, a leading agriculturist of East
Fishkill. They have had seven children,
whose names with dates of birth are as follows:
Cora, October 26, 1867, married C. M. Dol-
son, a farmer in the town of Wappinger; CHn
ton W. , July 15, 1869, the manager of a com
mission store in New York City; MHton J.,
June 9, 1874, a cashier in a restaurant. No. 1305
Broadway, New York City; Howard C, Octo
ber 26, 1875, a cashier in a restaurant, iNo. 221
Sixth avenue. New York City; Carrie Mae,
September 11, 1879, at home; Orrin, April 28,
1884, died July 24, of the same year; Wesley
Augustus, November 5, 18 88, at home.
In addition to his agricultural interests Mr.
Van Tassell carries on a fire-insurance busi
ness in Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester
counties. He has been an able and energetic
public official, and a prominent worker in the
Republican party. Ever since he was twenty-
one years of age Mr. Van Tassell has been
closely identified with the politics of the
county. He has been a delegate to every Re
publican county convention since that time,
and has cast a vote at every election. He was
elected assessor of East FishkHl in 1S73, over
Abram Adriance, for three years. While on a
farm in Middleton, 1877-79, he investigated
the iron ore interest of J. V. W. Brinckerhoff,
of that town. In 18S0 he was elected com
missioner of highways in the town of East
Fishkill for three years. In the faH of 1888
he was elected sheriff of Dutchess county for
three years, defeating Storm Emans by a ma
jority of 466. He was elected supervisor of
the town of East Fishkill in 1894, for two

528

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

years, and in the spring of 1896 he was re
elected for a similar term. He was appointed
in 1886 assistant superintendent of the State
Stove Works at Sing Sing, and held the posi
tion for two years.
WhHesheriff of Dutchess Co., Mr. Van Tas
sell managed the two farms of A. A. Brush, and
was proprietor of the flour, feed and grist mill
at Hopewell. He has held school trusteeship
in every town in which he has lived. In the
spring of 1897 his name was frequently men
tioned as a candidate for sheriff on the Repub
lican ticket.

FHILIP KLADY, who during the greater
 portion of his life was an esteemed citi
zen of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was
born October 22, 182S, at Muehlhoffen, Rhein-
Pfaltz, Bavaria, Germany, the son of Jacob
and Lucetta (Alexander) Klady. His father
was also born in that town, and was a member
of one of its old famiHes which came originally
from France, and are descendants of Hugu-
nots; his mother's famHy were also descendants
from Huguenots. The name Klady originally
was Kloedy.
Our subject had one brother, Jacob Klady,
and four sisters, Catherine (who married Jacob
Strope), Ehzabeth (who became Mrs. PhHip
Riedinger, of Poughkeepsie), Mary (who mar
ried Jacob Barth), and Eva (who married Paul
Baur, of Cincinnati, Ohio). The family were
Lutherans in their religious views, but became
members of the Reformed Dutch Church.
The father was a carriage and wagon manu
facturer by occupation.
Philip Klady obtained his education in the
common schools of his native land, and then
learned the trade of cooper, at which he served
an apprenticeship. In 1849 he came to the
United States, his destination being Pough
keepsie, where he had two sisters and a
brother living. He was soon employed by the
Vassars, for whom he worked some years; he
also spent a short time in Hudson, N. Y. Mr.
Klady followed his trade as journeyman cooper
untH 1857, when he formed a partnership with
Valentine Frank, in the brewing business, un
der the firm name of Frank & Klady, and in
this business Mr, Klady was engaged until Oc
tober I, 187s, when he retired from the firm.
During the continuance of this partnership a
large business was built up, it becoming one of

the most prosperous and substantial firms in
the city.
Mr. Klady was married, in 1857, to Mary-
etta, daughter of William Keesler, one of the
old and prominent citizens of Poughkeepsie,
and of this union one child, George Robert,
was born in 1867.
Mr. Klady's second marriage took place in
the City of New York, June 10, 1875, when
he was united with Miss Lena Alexander, a
cultured and refined lady, daughter of George
Alexander, whose family are also descendants
of Huguenots; no children have been born of
this marriage. The death of Mr. Klady oc
curred September 18, 1892, at Lahr, Baden,
Germany, whither he had gone for his health,
his remains being brought home for burial.
For some years previous to his decease Mr.
Klady had not been engaged in active business,
but spent his time in retirement at his pleasant
home, and in traveling. He was much de
voted to his family and friends, finding his
greatest enjoyment in their society. In busi
ness affairs he showed excellent judgment, and
a resolute will that overcame all obstacles.
Coming to this country a poor young man, he
accompHshed his purpose of becoming' a suc
cessful financier, and during his active Hfe he
held an enviable position among his business
associates as a man of integrity and upright
life. His generosity and benevolence were
well known, and his tender heart could never
refuse assistance to those in need. Mr. Klady
took great interest in all public matters, and
was a loyal citizen of his adopted country.
He belonged to' the Royal Arcanum, and was
an attendant of the First Reformed Church.
His widow is yet a resident of Poughkeepsie,
but spends her winters at Tarpon Springs,
Florida.

S\TEPHEN C. VAN WYCK, an agricult-
__^ urist of energy and ability, belongs to a
family that long has been prominently con
nected with the interests of the town of East
Fishkill, Dutchess county. His great-grand
father, Cornelius R. Van Wyck, was married
March 2, 1775, to Ann Duryea, by whom he
had five chHdren: C. R., Annie, Duryea,
Stephen D. and Richard C. For his second wife
he married Magdalene Montfort, and they also
had a family of five children: Stephen D. and
Peter M. (twins), Annie, Barbara, and Cor
nelius R.

J>/- d'Ciad^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

529

Stephen D. Van Wyck, grandfather of our
subject, was born in the town of Fishkill,
March 3, i795- He was a farmer, and in
1840 efficiently served as sheriff of Dutchess
county. His death occurred June 3, 1879.
He was united in marriage with Hetty Purdy,
a native of Fishkill Landing, and they located
in the town of FishkHl, where they reared their
family of six chHdren: Cornelius S., the father
of our subject; Francis P. , who was a whole
sale dry-goods merchant of Chicago, and was
the American minister to Turk's Island at the
time of his death; Jane Ann, widow of David
Heacock, at one time a glove manufacturer of
Gloversville, N. Y. ; John P., who died when
a young man; Helen M., deceased, unmarried;
and Tunis B., a retired merchant of Chicago.
Cornelius S. Van Wyck, the father of our
subject, born in Fishkill town, March 9, 1831,
grew to manhood on a farm, and October 14,
1846, married Phoebe Van Wyck, who was
born in the town of FishkiH, March 9, 1823,
the daughter of Richard C. Van Wyck, whose
father was Cornelius R. Van Wyck, the pa
ternal great-grandfather of our subject. After
their marriage they located upon the farm now
occupied by Stephen C. , who was the second
in their family of four children, the others be
ing Robert M., born May 20, 1848, and now
a retired jeweler of Chicago; John Adrian,
born May 23, 1852, and died February 16,
1859; and Francis, born October 24, 1854,
and at one time a merchant of Fishkill Plains,
but now living retired. The father followed
farming, but for ten years lived at Poughkeep
sie, while he was educating his sons, during
which time he served as alderman and super
visor of the Sixth ward. He was a Republic
an in politics, and both he and his wife were
earnest members of the Reformed Dutch
Church, while he served as deacon in the
Church in Poughkeepsie. She passed away
March 7, 1880. Cornelius S. Van Wyck mar
ried, for his second wife, Helen Josephine Bar-
den, of Earles, Yates county, in December, 1883.
After his marriage he united with the Presby
terian Church in Balona, and was elected
elder of the Church, and was elder at the time
of his death. He was one of the building
committees of the Memorial Church. He
died June 18, 1895, and was buried in the
family plot at Hopewell, his widow surviving
him. On June 22, 1850, in the town of FishkHl,
was born Stephen C. Van Wyck, the subject
34

of this sketch, and in the schools of Pough
keepsie he acquired his education. On leaving:
school he clerked for some time for a Mr. Van-
Wyck. On October 23, 1872, our subject
married Miss Libbie Underwood, a native of
Poughkeepsie, and a-daughter of Capt. Charles
Underwood, who was bornin PeekskiH, N. Y. ,
but has spent most of his life in Poughkeepsie,
where he is now living retired.. Mr. and Mrs.
Van Wyck began their domestic life upon the
farm, comprising 120 acres, which is still their
home, and there they have reared their two
children: Charles U., born June 3, 1874; and
Robert M., born January 16, 1876, the elder
of whom is now studying law. In 1879 Mr.
Van Wyck erected his present beautiful resi
dence. His political support is unwaveringly
given the Repubhcan party, and both himself
and wife are faithful members of the Reformed
Dutch Church.

JOEL N. BUDD. The subject of this no
tice is certainly entitled to be considered
~ not only one of the enterprising farmers of
the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, but
one of its representative and honored citizens,
and a man of more than ordinary abHity. He
was born in the town of Pleasant Valley,
Dutchess county, August 10, 1S19, and is the
son of James Budd, also a native of the county,
born in the town of FishkiH, December 18,
1781. Mr. Budd's paternal ancestors were of
French descent. The exact date when the
first of the name emigrated to America is un
known, but it was early in the Colonial history
of the nation. John Budd, the grandfather of
our subject, was born about 1730, and was an
early settler in Dutchess county. He moved
from the town of Fishkill to the town of Wash
ington, and later purchased the farm, in the
town of Pleasant Valley, now owned by Mr.
Van De Water. He married Miss Mary Mer
ritt, who was born September 19, 1741. The
twelve children of John and Mary Budd were
as follows: GHbert, born December 25, 1758,
settled in Columbia county, N. Y. ; Joseph,
born November 14, 1760, died of yellow fever
in New York City October 13, 1795; Mary,
born January 24, 1763, married and settled in
Canada; John, born December 28, 1766, set-
tled'in Kentucky, and there married; Abigail.
born AprH 4, 1768, married Mr. Emmans, and
settled in the town of FishkHl, Dutchess

530

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BEOOBD.

county; Daniel, born June 27, 1770, left home
May II, 1799, and settled near Rochester,
N. Y. ; Elijah, born October 11, 1772, died
January 28, 1796; Merritt, born March 3,
1775, died June 6, 1795; Hannah, born AprH
22, 1777, died June 6, 1802; UnderhHI, born
October 17, 1779, settled in Greene county,
N. Y. ; James, father of our subject, born De
cember 18, 1 78 1, remained on the home farm,
and Sarah, born February 13, 1783. John
Budd, who was regarded as one of the suc
cessful farmers of Dutchess county, died on
his farm in Pleasant Valley October i, 1S13;
his wife departed this life July 31, 1S20.
When about sixteen years old James Budd,
the father of Joel N., accompanied his father
to the town of Pleasant Valley, and soon after
ward assumed the active management of the
farm. His education was mostly obtained at
night schools, where he became a good mathe
matician, and by subsequent reading and study
he became a well-informed man. His whole
life was devoted to agricultural pursuits, and he
added to the original farm until he had over
208 acres of highly cultivated and productive
land. He was married November 23, 1805, to
Miss Eleanor Schryver, a daughter of John
Schryver, and by her he had the following
children: Mary, born September 30, 1806,
married William Traver; John, born January
26, 1808; Caroline, born February 20, 1S12;
Gilbert, born September 6, 1813; Hannah,
born June 23, 1S15, wedded James Rhymph;
George, born August 6, 1817; Joel N.; Joseph
H., born January 13, 1822; Jane Ann, born
November 23, 1825, married Charles N. Cole;
Elizabeth, born September 28, 1826, married
Oliver Stelle, of New Jersey; and Albert, born
August 16, 1830. Aside from casting his bal
lot in support of the Whig party, the father
took but little part in political affairs, though
he was always willing to give his aid to any
thing for the good of the community, and was
held in the highest regard by all.
Joseph H. Budd, a brother of our subject,
graduated from Williams College about 1844,
and was the leader of his class in mathematics.
After studying law in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., he
went to Janesville, Wis., where he engaged in
practice, and also became largely interested in
the manufacture of agricultural implements;
but during the panic of 1857 his business was
ruined. Going to California, he began life
anew, and after winning a case for his em
ployer he became quite prominent, and is now

one of the foremost lawyers and leading Dem
ocrats of the State. He is now judge of the
superior court of his district. His son John is
a prominent lawyer of California; and James,
another son, is the present governor of that
State. Joel N. Budd entered the New Paltz Acad
emy, where he pursued his studies for two win
ters, thus acquiring a good practical education.
He remained on the home farm, which, after
the death of the father, in 1S44, was divided
between himself and bis brother, Albert.
There he resided until 1872 when he sold, and
in the spring of 1876 purchased the farm which
he now owns, to the cultivation and improve
ment of which he has since devoted his time
and attention with good success.
In 1850 Mr. Budd was married to Miss
Elizabeth Du Bois, daughter of Peter K. Du
Bois, of the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, and by her had the following children:
Warren J. , who died at the age of nineteen
years; Bertha M. and Frederic Albert (twins),
the latter of whom died in infancy; G. Gordon;
Charlotte DuBois, who died at six years of age;
George N. ; and Rosamond, wife of John Van-
^De Water. On February 22, 1888, Mr.A
Budd married Mrs. Mary Jane Van Wagner,/

V

daughter of Oliver Wilber.

Mrs. Budd is a descendant in the seventh
generation of one of the earliest New England
settlers, William Wilber (as the name was
then spelled), who in 1630 came to America
with his uncle, Samuel Wilber, from Doncas-
ter, Yorkshire, England. They were Quakers,
and, settling first at Boston, were driven out
by religious persecutions. William Wilber
settled at Portsmouth, R. I., in 1656, and died
there in 17 10. He had a family of ten chil
dren, several of whom settled at Little Comp
ton, R. I., where they owned a large tract of
land, some of which yet remains in the pos
session of descendants. The seventh child
was Samuel Wilber, born in 1664; he married
Mary Potter, and died in 1740; they had eleven
children; the farm where they lived is stHl
owned by descendants, and includes the burial
ground where seven generations are at rest.
William Wilber, son of Samuel and Mary (Pot
ter) Wilber, was born June 6, 1695, and died
in 1774; in 171 7 he married Esther Burgess,
of Little Compton. Their children were
Thomas, born June i, 171 8; Mary, born in
1720; Esther and Lydia (twins); WHliam;
Daniel; Samuel and Charles. Samuel married

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. ^^ s.

Elizabeth Shaw, and died in May, 1791. The
children of Samuel and Elizabeth WHber were:
Sylvanus, born August 18, 1749; Clark, born
May 3, 1752; Anthony, born July 24, 1759.
Sylvanus Wilber, the grandfather of Mrs.
Budd, was married January 20, 1770, to Syl
via, daughter of James Chase, born in 1749.
The twelve children of Sylvanus and Sylvia
Wilberwere: Huldah, born June, 1771; Eliza
beth, born July 16, 1772; James, born Sep
tember 5, 1774; Rhoda, born September 22,
1775; Sarah, born March 16, 1778; Abner,
born July 16, 1779; .Elsie, born November i,
1780; Sylvanus, born August i, 1783; Clark,
born August i,, 1786; and Cynthia, born De
cember 29, 1788. AH these chHdren were
born at Little Compton, R. I., except Samuel,
the youngest, who was born in the town of
Hyde Park, Dutchess Co., N. Y. Oliver and
Samuel were soldiers in the war of 18 12, and
Samuel died at Harlem.
In May, 1793, Sylvanus Wilber sold to his
brother Anthony his farm in Little Compton,
R. I., and with his wife and eleven children,
and the families of Philip Irish and Isaac
Wood, came to Hyde Park, Dutchess county,
settling on a farm which his grandchildren now
own. It was from a point in Sakonnet river
that the party of Rhode Islanders embarked on
a sloop and made the journey by way of the
sound to New York, thence up the Hudson
river to the landing at Hyde Park.
Oliver Wilber, the father of Mrs. Budd,
was a corporal in the American army during
the war of 1812. On January 15, 18 18, he
married Maria Hoffman, who was born March
18, 1798. He died July 26, 1869, his wife
on December 26, 18S7. Eleven chHdren were
born to them, namely: (i) Evas V., born
February 20, 1819, died January 10, 1829;
(2) Benjamin V., born July 26, 1821, died
July 20, 182S; (3) Catherine H., born Sep
tember 20, 1823, died July 27, 1S28; (4) Syl
via Ann, born AprH 15, 1S25, died March 15,
1828; (5) Stephen Pettit, born March 18,
1827, died AprH 27, 1S56; (6) Emeline E.,
born August 2, 1829, married WHHam A. Lat
tin, a farmer, February 9, 1S48; they had two
children: Henry W. (a , wagonmaker, who
married Mary Crapser, and has two children — •
Emma and Harriet), and Ardell (who married
Augustus Cramer, who died in 1889; they had
two children — Ethel and William Augustus) ;
(7) John A., a farmer, born AprH 6, 1831,
married Emily Dunn, and has one child — Lena;

'^i/uvn-iict /

^

^/ut^-

3S2£

531

%

(8) Mary Jancj^born July 27, 1833; (9) Mor
gan L., a butcher, born October 30, 1S35,
married Josephine Ackert; (10) Henry K., a
farmer, born December, 1S37; and (11)
Amelia K., born October 5, 1840, married
George H. McLean, March 24, 1S65, and
died July 13, 1873. Mrs. Budd, the eighth
child of Oliver and Maria Wilber, was first
married January 15, 1851, to Evert A. Van-
Wagner, a farmer, who died October 30, 18S4.
Their five chHdren are: (i) Amelia C, who
marriVd '^\\^^ W Downing, and has four chH- ,
dren — Harry S., Francis Vivian, Bertha M. c
and Arthur R. ; (2) Theron C, a farmer, who
married Louise Lattin, and has two children —
Libbie and Clayton ; (3) Oliver WHber, a
farmer; (4) Christable; and (5) George M., aN
'farmer, who married Ernestine E. Deviney
.and has two chHdren — Inez and Wilber. Ai^ai'
^ Mr. Budd is a clear-headed, intelligent
man, with sound, common-sense views of life
and its duties. He is active in well-doing, sober,
industrious, and of good business habits; in
fact, possessing in an eminent degree all the
qualities that go to make up a good citizen
and honorable man. In politics be was
formerly a Republican, but is now independ
ent, usually supporting the Democratic party.
He attends the Baptist Church.

J MULFORD CONKLIN. Amongthe pros
perous farmers of the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county, the record of whose lives
fills an important place in this volume, it gives
us pleasure to commemorate the name of the
gentleman here presented. One of the native-
born, energetic, progressive citizens of the
community, actively identified with all its in
terests, he was born in the town of Northeast,
Dutchess county, December i, 1S19.
Nathan Conklin, his grandfather, was born
in Amagansett, Suffolk Co., N. Y. , April 20,
175S, and in Long Island was married, in Sep
tember, 1 78 1, to Amy Mulford, who was born
July 7, 1759. Their family included the fol
lowing chHdren: Nehemiah, born January 20,
1783; Jeremiah M., born February 23, 1785;
Nathan, born November 20, 1787; John H.,
the father of our subject; Henry, born April
16, 1793, married May 20, 1S18, to Mary Ann
Hewett; Betsy, born November 9, 1795, died
AprH 9, 1800; Phebe, born October 8, 179S,
married September 9, 1823, to James Bowne;
and Eliza, born August 29, 1802, married Au-

582

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

gust 15, 1820, to Stephen B. Trowbridge. All
of these are now deceased. The grandfather
served in the Revolutionary war, and at its
close removed to Dutchess county, where he
purchased a farm in the town of Northeast.
He made the journey from Long Island on
horseback, with his wife on the pillion behind
him, and they came byway of an Indian traH,
as few roads had been laid out at that time.
Upon his farm here he died April 23, 1827.
He was known to every one by the title of
"Major." John Herriman Conklin, the father of our
subject, was born in the town of Northeast,
July 27, 1790, and was educated in the public
schools near his home, where he remained
until his marriage. On December 24, 18 18,
he wedded Miss Eliza Hunting, who was born
January 25, 1800, and died October 12, 1S63.
They became the parents of five children: J.
Mulford, subject of this review; Isaac H., born
July 29, 1822, died in 1890; Elizabeth, born
August 12, 1824, married Israel R. Wilson, of
the town of Northeast; John N., born August
12, 1826, is a resident of the same town; and
Nathan, born March 13, 1829, is now deceased.
The father was one of the most prominent citi
zens of Northeast, where he successfully fol
lowed farming through, much of his life. Po
litically he affiliated with the Democratic party,
and held a number of local offices, including
that of supervisor, which he held for two
terms. Like his father, he went to the de
fense of 'his country, serving in the war of
1 8 12, and participated in the engagement at
Harlem Heights. He was a conscientious,
earnest Christian, a member of the Presby
terian Church, in which he served as elder,
and faithfully followed its teachings until called
from life, September 14, 1870.
J. Mulford Conklin, whose name introduces
this record, was supplied with excellent edu
cational advantages during his boyhood and
youth. After attending the district schools
for a time, he entered a private school at
Poughkeepsie, later was a student in College
HHl Seminary under Charles Bartlett; attended
the Amenia Academy, and completed his edu
cation at Warren, Conn.. On laying aside his
text books he assisted in the labor of the home
farm until he had reached his majority, when
he came to the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, and located upon his present farm,
where he has since resided.
In Stanford town, September 12, 1844,

Mr. Conklin was married to Miss Mary E.
Husted, who was born in that town, April 4,
1826, a daughter of James and Elizabeth
(Harris) Husted. She received her education
at the schools of Poughkeepsie. For over
half a century Mr. and Mrs. Conklin have now
traveled together as man and wife, and are
nearing the last milestone that marks the end
of life's journey; but they are surrounded by
many loving kindred and friends, and can look
back upon their honorable and useful lives,
knowing that they have accomplished much
good in the world. Three ' chHdren were born
to them: Mary Elizabeth (deceased), who was
the wife of Henry C. Thompson, by whom
she had two sons — Mulford C. and Edward P. ;
Phoebe E., the wife of Frank Dibble, by whom
she has a daughter, Cora M.; and Ella M., the
wife of Joseph Brace, of West Hartford, Conn.
Mr. Conklin is one of the leading representa
tive men of the town of Stanford, one who
merits and receives the warmest confidence
and esteem of his fellow citizens, and his pub
lic spiritedness and charity are proverbial. In
the exercise of his elective franchise he invar
iably supports the candidates offered by the
Democratic party, has himself served as super
visor for two terms, and also been excise com
missioner. He and Mrs. Conklin, their chil
dren and grandchildren, are members of the
Presbyterian Church of Pine Plains.

T^ DE WITT VAN WYCK, one of the
 wealthiest and most prominent agricult
urists in the town of Wappinger, Dutchess
county, is a descendant of an old Holland
family whose representatives have held an in
fluential place in that locality for nearly two
hundred years. The head of this branch of
the family was one of five brothers who came
to America between 1690 and 1700, his ances
tor settling in Fishkill after a short stay on
Long Island. In an old Bible printed in Hol
land in 1690, we find the following record
in Dutch: "In the year 1668, I, Theodore
Van Wyck, was born September 17. Inthe
year 1675, the 3d of February, Margerita Abra
hams was born. In the year 1693, the 29th
of AprH, we were married." The children of
this marriage were Cornelius, born April 21,
1694; Abraham, November 7, 1695; Theo
dorus, October ^5, 1697; Catrina, July 15,
1699; Susanna, March i, 1701; Berent, March
4, 1703; and Altia, May 19, 1706. The next

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

533

inscription is in EngHsh, as follows: "In the
year 17 17, I, Cornelius Van Wyck, married
my wife, Hannah Thorn. The age of my wife,
she is born in the year 1 700, February the 1 7th.
The following chHdren were born: Phoebe,
December 5, 171 7, and Theodorus, May 4,
1720. In the year 1741, my wife died, the
27th of August. In the year 1753 my grand
father Van Wyck died, December 4th; 1761,
June 28th, my father Cornelius died; 1771,
August 23d, the wife of Cornelius, who was
Hannah, died." This is the family record of
Richard Van Wyck, who was born November
25, 1730. and they were married May 12,
1749. Four children were born of this union:
Cornelius, January 6, 1753: Catherine, Novem
ber 23, 1756, the wife of Henry Boerman;
Theodorus, November 18, 1761, who married
Hannah Griffith; and Hannah, June 30, 1764.
The mother of this family died August 16,
1807, and the father three years later, April
5, 1810. Cornelius Van Wyck, our subject's grand
father, a farmer by occupation, was married
March 2, 1777, to his first wife, Anna Duryee,
who was born October 6, 1758. She died
April 9, 1 79 1, and for his second wife he mar
ried Magdalene Monfort. His death occurred
October i, 1S20, the father of eight children,
whose names with dates of birth are as fol
lows: Of the children of the first marriage —
Anna, December 31, 1777, married Turnus
Brinkerhoff, of Poughkeepsie; Stephen, March
27, 17S1, was a farmer in East FishkHl; Rich
ard, June II, 1783, was a farmer and mHler in
the same town; Abraham D., AprH 11, 1785,
is mentioned below; and Theodorus, July 15,
17S7, was a physician at Bloomingburg, N. Y.
The four chHdren of the second marriage were:
Peter and Stephen (twins), March 3, 1795;
Anna, August 25, 1797; and Barbara, Febru
ary 15, 1800.
Abraham D. Van Wyck, our subject's
father, grew to manhood on the old home
stead, and January 27, 1810, was married to
Phoebe Boerum, who was born May 8, 1790, a
descendant of an old Dutch family. He then
settled upon a farm in Fishkill, where he be
came prominent in local affairs. He was a
strong believer in the policy of Prohibition, but
always voted the Repubhcan ticket on national
issues in later years, having been a Whig previous
to the war. His wife died July 17, 1851, and
he survived her untH 1 866. They were leading
members of the Reformed Dutch Church, and

highly esteemed in the vicinity. They reared
a family of five children, whose names with
dates of birth are as follows: Jane A., March
10, 1812 (died September 24, 1832), married
John Adriance, a farmer of Fishkill, who died
in Chicago; Elizabeth, November 4, 1815,
married R. S. Van Wyck, a farmer and miller
in the town of East FishkHl; T. DeWitt, July
28, 1822; Duryee, February 27, 1S27, is a
farmer in the town of Wappinger; and Cort
land, March 8, 1S29, is now living in retire
ment at Dunkirk.
The subject of our sketch spent his boy
hood at the old home farm, and attended the
district school in the neighboring village of
Fishkill Plains, until the age of eighteen, when
he engaged in farming. On February 28,
1855, he was united in marriage with Miss
Catherine Luyster, who was born December
10, 1829, in what was then known as the town
of FishkHl. Her father, Matthew Luyster,
who was a well-known farmer there, was of
Dutch stock, and a descendant of one of the
oldest families in the county. Four children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Van Wyck:
Abraham D., February 14, 1856; Mathew,
May 15, 1858; EsteHa, March 20, 1866; and
Charles H., October 9, 1870. The daughter
is at home, and the sons have all settled upon
farms, one in the town of Lagrange, and three
in the town of Wappinger, comprising in all
about 500 acres devoted to general farming.
In politics Mr. Van Wyck is a steadfast Re
publican, and he is always ready to encourage
any progressive movement, being especially in
terested in the temperance cause. He and his
wife are prominent members of the Reformed
Dutch Church; he is an elder in the Hopewell
Church, and for sixteen years has been a trus
tee of Fishkill Plains Chapel.

JACOB S. ACKERMAN, a prominent and
influential resident of Low Point, Dutchess
county, is a member of a family that has
been identified with that locality since Colonial
times. His ancestors were from Holland
originally, and his great-grandfather, John
Ackerman, was the first to locate in Dutchess
county. His son, Peter, who was born in
1779, was married March 15, iSoi, to Eliza
beth B. Lent, also a native of Dutchess coun
ty. They located upon a farm in the town of
FishkHl, where they reared a family of ten
children, (i) John, a farmer, in Dutchess

584

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

county, married Ann Terboss. (2) Dorothy
never married. (3) Abram L. was the foun
der of the Matteawan Cotton Factory, and
with his brother, David L. , was the buHder of
the first locomotive for the N. Y. C. R. R. ;
he married Miss Hagerman, and his later years
were spent in Pennsylvania. (4) Peter S.
was a farmer, and married Deborah Vail.
(5) Margaret A. married Jacob Sebring, a
farmer. (6) David L. , a farmer and machin
ist by occupation, married Cynthia Robinson.
(7) Jasper C. , a farmer, married Susan Col
lins. (8) Eliphalet P., a Methodist minister,
married Julia B. Hedden. (9) Samuel B. is
mentioned below. (10) Sylvester B. never
married. Samuel B. Ackerman, our subject's father,
was born in what is now Wappingers Falls,
in 1820, and was reared upon the old home
stead. His wife was Delia Brinkerhoff, a
native of the town of Fishkill, born September
I, 1822. Her father, John W. Brinkerhoff,
was a well-known farmer there, and later be
came a merchant in Fishkill. After their
marriage our subject's parents settled upon a
farm near Newburg, Orange county, where
they reared a family of three children, of
whom our subject was the eldest. Edward
F. , born June 7, 1846, was a farmer and lead
ing Republican in Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, and died there April 20, 1894. Fred
E., born June 24, 1856, is a prominent lawyer
in Poughkeepsie. Our subject's father was a
highly-respected citizen, a Republican in poli
tics, and he followed farming all his life. He
died in 18S9, and two years later his wife fol
lowed him to the grave.
Jacob S. Ackerman was born Nov. 11,
1S43, in Newburg, and at the age of four
years he was taken to Low Point where he
grew to manhood, receiving his education
there with the exception of a short time in
the schools of Schodack. He learned the art
of photography on leaving school, but followed
it only a year and a half, when he began to
learn the house-painter's trade. This he
found uncongenial also, and he then returned
to the farm, and has since given his time to
the agricultural pursuits. He was married
October 9, 1867, to Sarah C. Eshleman, a
daughter of Eurich Eshleman, a well-known
baker of Poughkeepsie. Three children were
born of this marriage, all of whom reside at
Low Point. Frank married Miss Eva Ward;
Charles married Miss Bertha Leubert; and

Kittie is at home. Mr. Ackerman has a smaH
estate on the Hudson river, his pleasant resi^
dence commanding a charming view. He
also owns several houses in the village. He
takes an influential part in the liical work of
the Republican organization, and has held the
offices of pathmaster and excise commissioner.

TTf ENRY CHATTERTON. For more than
^^ half a century the subject of this sketch
was engaged in agricultural pursuits upon his
late farm near the vHlage of Moores MiH,
Dutchess county, and he was one of the oldest
and most highly respected residents of that
locality. He was born January 4, 1818, in La
grange, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , and spent his
boyhood there, receiving his education in the
district schools near his home. On arriving
at manhood's estate he engaged in farming,
and always followed that calling, locating at
his late home in 1844.
His first wife, who was Miss Mary Ann
Haviland, of Unionvale, died, leaving no chil
dren, and for his second wife he was married,
in Unionvale, to Miss Helen Miller (now de
ceased). One daughter, Mary Ann, was born
of this marriage, but she did not long brighten
his home, passing away at the age of four and
one-half years. Mr. Chatterton always took
an intelligent interest in public questions. In
early life he was an adherent of the Whig
party, later espousing Republican principles.
He died December 21, 1896.
UnderhHI Chatterton, father of our sub
ject, was a native of Dartmouth, Mass., whence
he was brought by David S. Dean to Dutchess
county when ten years old, and afterward
made his home there. By occupation he was
a farmer and tanner, and his life was spent
mainly in Lagrange. In religious faith he was
a Quaker. He was married in Lagrange to
Miss Elizabeth Gidley, and they reared a fam
ily of thirteen children, all now deceased.

Tr\|URYEE VAN WYCK, one of the most
jUP intelligent and prosperous agriculturists
in the town of Wappinger, Dutchess county,
was born February 27, 1827, upon the estate
which he now owns. His ancestors came from
Holland about the year 1700, and were among
the early settlers of that locality, and the family
has held a prominent place there for several
generations, our subject's brother, T. DeWitt

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

585

Van Wyck, of the town of Wappinger, being
among its representatives.
The subject of our sektch received an ex
cellent education for the time, supplementing
the course at the Fishkill district school by
an attendance at the schools at Rhinebeck,
New Paltz, and Middletown Point, N. J., spend
ing a year at each, and he afterward studied
for six months in the Polytechnic College near
Red Bank, N. J., which was founded by O.
S . Fowler, the phrenologist. On leaving schoo I ,
Mr. Van Wyck returned to the old homestead,
and remained until 1 86 1 , when he bought a farm
near Hopewell, where he lived about thirteen
years. He then returned to his present home,
where he cultivates between 2 50 and 300 acres.
The land is unusually level, and lies near Sprout
creek. In June, 1863, Mr. Van W^yck married Caro
Hne D. Stockholm, a descendant of an old Hol
land family, and a daughter of Andrew Stock
holm, a native of Dutchess county, and a promi
nent agriculturist of near Hopewell. The only
daughter, Miss Ella Van Wyck, is at home
with her parents. In politics our subject is an
ardent Republican in principle, but he has
never been a seeker after political honors.

WILLIAM C. HOLMES, a prosperous
 farmer of Dutchess county, was born
near Washington Hollow, in the town of Pleas
ant Valley, December 21, 18 iS. There he
was reared and received his education.
At the age of twenty-five Mr. Holmes was
married, on March 6, 1S44, to Miss Sarah C.
Van De Water, who was born in the town of
Hyde Park, AprH i, 1S18, and whose death
occurred May 31, 1892. Our subject bought
his grandfather's farm in 1843, lived on it for
seven years and then traded it for another farm
in Tompkins county, where he lived seven
years. He then rented a farm in Hyde Park
for a year, and one in Bloomingdale, Pleasant
Valley, for two years. He next went to live
on the farm with his father, and Remained there
until the latter's death, when he bought the
homestead. After seven years' residence on
the place, he traded it for other property. In
1885 he moved to the town of Lagrange. His
chHdren were: Phoebe Elizabeth, born August
30, 1845, niarried December 16, 1864, to Or
lando E. Gazely; WiHiam V., born September
18, 1847, married Miss Emma E. Ayres De
cember 25, 1869; Lavina Adelaide, born Octo

ber I, 1849, became the wife of C. W. Stout-
enburg, December 2, 1874; Florence Augusta,
born March 5, 1852, married April 14, 1875,
to John Welch; Henrietta, born February 22,
1855, married WiHiam B. Merritt February
27, 1884; Joel O., born July 7, 1862, married
September 23, 1884, to Miss Emma F. White,
who died April 10, 1891. Our subject is a
stanch Democrat in politics, but has always
refused to accept public office.
Wheeler C. Holmes, father of our subject,
was a native of the town of Pleasant Valley,
where he spent his boyhood, attending the
public school. He married Phoebe, daughter
of William Allen, and moved to a farm about
two miles from the paternal homestead, where
he lived for over fifty years and reared the fol
lowing children: Allen, Nathaniel, Phoebe
Maria, and Joel O., all deceased, and WilHam
C. , our subject. Mr. Holmes was again mar
ried, his second wife being Miss Betsy Craw
ford. Of their children only one is living,
Isaac, who is in Colorado. Mr. Holmes was
a Democrat, and a member of the Presbyte
rian Church. Both the parents and the step
mother of our subject died in Pleasant Valley.
William Holmes, grandfather of our sub
ject, came of Scotch ancestors. He settled in
Pleasant Valley before the Revolutionary war,
being one of the first pioneers*. He married
Miss Phoebe Cromwell, who was of Holland
descent, and they had the following children:
Nathaniel, Joseph, Isaac, Wheeler, Joshua.
Mr. Holmes was a soldier in the Revolution
ary war, and lived to the ripe old age of nine
ty years.

JOHN B. FREDRICK, an enterprising and
successful business man of Dover Plains,
— Dutchess county, and the proprietor of a
first-class meat market there, was born in 1856,
in the town of Lloyd, Ulster county. He was
educated in the public schools, and on enter
ing business Hfe learned the butcher's trade
with J. H. Brown. After working at the
trade some time for different parties, he
moved to Dover Plains, in 1886, and opened
his present fine establishment. The firm was
at first known as Shelly & Fredrick, and then
Mr. Fredrick conducted the business alone for
a time. Later the firm became Fredrick &
Boyce, and then Fredrick & Fox, but our sub
ject is at present the sole owner. He is a
public-spirited citizen, but has never been de-

536

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

sirous of political office, although at one time
he served as excise commissioner. In 1881 he
married Miss Emma J. Terwilliger, and their
home has been blessed with eight children, of
whom all but two are living. The names, with
dates of birth, are: Herbert J., 1882; Lilly
M., 1883; Edith, 1884; Bessie, 1885 (died in
infancy); Clarence, 1887; Mabel, 1888; Arthur
(deceased), 1891, and Clayton, 1895.
Mr. Fredrick is of the fifth generation in
direct descent from Peter Fredrick, a native of
Holland, and a miller by trade, who came to
this country at an early date and settled in
New Jersey. His son Peter, our subject's
great-grandfather, was born and educated in
New Jersey, but he and two, brothers left home
and settled in Ulster county, where he en
gaged in farming. He married, and reared a
famHy of seven children: Jacob; William;
Catherine, who married Mr. Decker; Lucy,
the wife of Louis Palmater; Hannah, who
married John Banker, and two whose names
are not known. William Fredrick, our subject's
grandfather, was born in Ulster county, and
after acquiring a common-school education,
also engaged in agriculture. His wife was
Miss Devoe, and they had two children: Dor
cas, the wife of Abram Tompkins; and George,
our subject's father, who was born in 1836, in
the town of Lloyd. Ulster county, and always
lived in that neighborhood, receiving his edu
cation there, and spending his later years as a
farmer. He married Miss Emerett Johnson,
daughter of Andrew Johnson, a well-to-do
farmer of Ulster county, and had six chHdren,
of whom our subject is the eldest. The two
youngest children — ^William, and one %vhose
name is not given — died in infancy, and the
others are: Maria, who married Warren
Palmer; Evelena, the wife of Joseph O'Don-
nel; and George W. , who is not married.
Mrs. Fredrick's ancestors were early set
tlers in Ulster county, and her grandfather,
Cornelius Terwilliger, was a native of New
Paltz, and a leading farmer there. Pie mar
ried Miss Wicklow, and had five chHdren, of
whom Ira Terwilliger, Mrs. Fredrick's father,
was the youngest- Hiram died at the age of
twenty; Elijah married Catherine Freer; Elmira
married David Dunn, and Sarah was the wife
of Anthony Dunn. Ira TerwHliger was born
in New Paltz in 1826, and passed his entire
life there, following the carpenter's trade. His
partner in life was Miss Harriet Van Noy,
daughter of Andrew J. Van Noy, a well-known

wagon-maker of the town of Lloyd, Ulster
county, and Hester Johnston, his wife. Mrs,
Fredrick was the oldest of five chHdren — the
others being Annie, the wife of Wallace Phil
lips; Andrew, who married Alice SmHh;
George, who is not married; and Carrie, who
died at the age of twenty-one years.

HENRY LIVINGSTON CAMPBELL (de-
 ceased), in his day an honored and wor
thy citizen of the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, was born March 23, 1829, in the town
of Pawling, in the same county. He was a
grandson of Archibald Campbell, who followed
farming and merchandising throughout life.
He married Miss Elizabeth Mitchell, of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, and they became the
parents of ten children, as follows: (i) Cap
tain Archibald married Miss Samantha Sher
man. (2) Mary, born in Pawling, wedded
Benjamin Hurd, and they had six children —
Harriet E., who married Leonard Hall; Irving,
who married Miss Howard; WilHam T. ; Mrs.
Mary J. BrHI; Stacia, who married Jerome
Dodge; and Julia. (3) Harriet Louise mar
ried Dr. Fowler, and they had one son — Archi
bald, who also became a physician; after the
death of her first husband she married Rev.
John Pierpont, the paternal grandfather of
John Pierpont Morgan, the great railroad mag
nate. (4) Stacia married Cushen Green. (5)
Jane became the wife of Rev. Dr. Foss, father
of Archibald Campbell Foss, and Cyrus Foss,
Methodist Episcopal Bishops. (6) Catherine
married Haxton Van Deburg. (7) Duncan was
the father of our subject. (8) Sarah married a
Mr. Merrick. (9) Thomas Clement married
Cordelia Noxon; he was district attorney of
Poughkeepsie some time, but now a prominent
lawyer of New York; (10) Eliza married Mr.
Calhoun. Duncan Campbell was born and educated
in the town of Pawling, and also at Pough
keepsie Academy, and engaged in farming in
Pawling, becofning quite prominent in business
affairs. He married Amanda Ferris, and five
chHdren graced their union: Amanda Ferris;
Henry Livingston; Priscilla; Harriet Louise,
who died when young; and Duncan, who died
in infancy. Henry Livingston Campbell was educated
at Pawling and Amenia. As a lifework he
took up the occupation of farming, in which
he was successful. In public affairs he took

HEHRY L, CAHPBELL,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

537

an active and leading part, and by his fellow
citizens was called upon to fill such offices as
supervisor, justice of the peace, and others of
equal honor and trust, the duties of which he
discharged in an able manner. He married
Miss Emeline C. Collins, and five chilclren
were born to them, as follows: (i) Duncan
was educated at Helmuth CoHege, London,
Ontario, Canada, and at the Bisbee MHitary
School, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., graduating with
the highest honors, in 1874; he is now en
gaged in operating the home farm, also the
father's farm in Pawling. (2) Ada Ferris
Campbell was educated at Linden Hall,
Poughkeepsie, and Helmuth College; she mar
ried I. Reynolds Adriance, a manufacturer of
Poughkeepsie, by whom she has two children
— Marion C. and John P. (3) Elizabeth Bor
den Campbell was educated at Linden Hall,
Poughkeepsie; she is now the wife of Albert
Adriance Simpson, superintendent of the Buck
eye Binder Department of the Adriance Platt
& Co., manufacturers of mowers, reapers and
binders, of Poughkeepsie, by whom she has one
son — Albert Adriance. (4) George Collins
died in infancy. (5) Harry Borden died at the
age of four years.
Hezekiah Collins, the paternal great-grand
father of Mrs. Campbell, was the son of Heze
kiah Collins, who was the son of Humphrey
Collins. Hezekiah was the father of eight
children: Hezekiah, Joseph, Solomon, Joshua,
Samuel, Jabez, Nathan and Mary. The last
named Hezekiah Collins was the grandfather
of Mrs. Campbell. He was born December
1. 1739, and in 1765 married Miss Rhoda
Ricketson, whose birth occurred August 8,
1748. Their family included thirteen children:
Catherine, born in 1767, married Zachariah
Flagler; Meredith, born in 1768, married Gen.
Barker; Mary, born in 1770, married David
Arnold; Lydia, born in 1772, married Martin
Doughty; Elizabeth, born in 1774, married'
a Mr. Manney, of Poughkeepsie; Phoebe, born
in 1776, married Jacob Doughty; Rhoda, born
in 1777, married Morton De la Vergne; Ricket
son, born in 1779, married Elizabeth Robin
son; Martha, born in 1781, married Gurline
Ackerman; Ann, born in 1784, married Dr.
Burrows; GHbert, born in 1786, married Miss
Susan Bogart; George, born in 1788, was the
father of Mrs. CampbeH; and Lancelot Wen
del, born in 1792, never married.
George Collins, the father of Mrs. Camp
bell, was born in the town of Unionvale, at

tended the schools of that locality, and there
engaged in farming throughout life. He mar
ried Miss Elizabeth Borden, by whom he had
three chHdren — Phebe (i) who died in infancy;
Phebe (2) who married (first) Isaac Ackerman,
by whom she had three children — Emma,
George C. and Jacob H. — and after his death
wedded Willis Case, by whom she had
two children — Oscar and Olive A.; and
Emeline C, who was born in Unionvale
April 22, 1835; she was educated in Pough
keepsie and New York City, and, as already
related, married Henry Livingston Camp
bell, the subject proper of this review. She
is a most estimable lady, whose circle of
friends is only limited by the circle of her ac
quaintances. The Collins family crest is two
doves and an olive branch, emblems of love
and peace.
Perry Borden, Mrs. Campbell's maternal
grandfather, was a son of Samuel and Peace
Borden; Perry married Phoebe Sisson. His
nephew, Simeon Borden, was at one time a
member of the Massachusetts Legislature. In
1830, Simeon Borden devised and constructed
for the State of Massachusetts an apparatus
for measuring the base line of the trigono
metrical survey of that State, which at that
time was the most accurate and convenient in
strument of the kind extant. Mr. Borden as
sisted in the measurement of the base, and in
the subsequent triangulation. In 1834 he took
charge of the work and completed it in 1841,
It was the first geodetic survey ever completed
in this country, and its precision has since
been proved by tbe coast survey.

JACKSON GIDDINGS, a leading citizen of
the town of Dover, Dutchess county, who
~ throughout his active business career fol
lowed wagon making, is descended from a
family that for many years made their home
in Connecticut. At Chestnut Sand, in that State, his grand
father, William Giddings, was born, reared
and educated. He was a prosperous tiller of
the soil, and during the old training days
served as captain in the militia. By his mar
riage with Miss Armida Noble he had eleven
chHdren: (i) George married Phoebe Hunger
ford, and two children were born to them —
Orissa, who married Nelson Hoag; and Susan,
who married Edwin Hungerford. (2) WHliam
was married, and had two chHdren. (3) David

538

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

married Betsy Salmon, and had two children
— Ammi, who married Augusta Page; and
David B., who married Hannah Beecher. (4)
Noble remained single. (5) Buell was the
father of our subject. (6) Daniel, who was
born in Connecticut, married Betsy Gorman,
and has three children — Ralph; Jay; and Pau
line, who died at the age of sixteen years.
(7) Sarah married Bennett Picket, and had
five children — Noble, who married Laura Gid
dings; William, who married a Miss Stewart;
Daniel; Eunice, who married David Strong;
and Buell, who now lives at Rockford, 111.,
and is nearly eighty-six years of age. (8) Dor
cas married WHliam Leach. (9) Lucinda
married Abraham Seaman, and had seven
chHdren — Hannah, who married Joshua Mor
gan; Eliza, who married Timothy HoUoway;
David, who married Malissa Howard, and was
elected sheriff of Dutchess county in the early
forties; Nancy, who married Archibald Wing;
Polly, who married Benjamin Soule, and they
settled in Kent, Litchfield Co., Conn, (they
had three children — Jo'tin, Adaline and Sea
man; in 1835 they removed to Chemung coun
ty, N. Y. ; the youngest son, Seaman, now
lives in Michigan); and Harvey and Permelia,
who remained single. (10) Ann became the
wife of John Seeley, and has four children- —
Franklin, who never married; Morgan, who
married Minnie Page; Abel became a merchant,
and enlisting as a soldier during the Rebellion
died in the service; and Charlotte. (11) Lydia
married Samuel Giddings, and has seven chil
dren — Rebecca, who married Hiram Giddings;
Sallie A., who never married; Dorcas, who
married William Turner; Alfred, who married
Sophia Picket; Henry, who married a Miss
Leach; Ann, who remained single; and Caro
line, who married David Fuller.
Buell Giddings, the father of our subject,
was born September 20, 1781, in the town of
Sherman, Fairfield Co., Conn., and at his na
tive place acquired his education in the com
mon schools. On leaving the school room he
learned the wagon maker's trade, at which he
worked the greater part of his life. On com
ing to the town of Dover, Dutchess county, he
established business at Webatuck. In early
life he was connected with the Whig party,
and on the organization of the Republican
party joined its ranks, ever afterward being
one of its stalwart supporters. By his fellow
citizens he was called upon to fill a few minor
offices in the town. He was united in mar

riage with Miss Sarah Reasoner, daughter of
Peter and Betsey Reasoner, farming people of
the town of Beekman, Dutchess county. By
this union five children were born: (i) Adelia
A. married Luther Dutcher, a manufacturer, of
Dover, by whom she had four children — Hiram,
Gilbert, George and William. (2) Jackson,
the subject of.this sketch, is next in order of
birth. (3) Orin N. at the age of sixteen went
to Poughkeepsie, where he clerked in a dry-
goods store, and married Miss Harriet Cox; in
1835 he removed with her father's family to
Kalamazoo county, Mich. , and became a mer
chant; after the financial crash of 1837 he en
gaged in mHHng, but was soon after elected
clerk of the county, and removed to Kalamazoo,
where he is now engaged in the insurance and
real-estate business. He has represented his
county in the State Legislature, and was ad
jutant-general of the State during the CivH
war. He has one son, Theron F. , now State
commissioner of insurance for Michigan. (4)
Martin L. learned the wagon-maker's trade
with his brother Jackson, but did not follow it,
becoming a cattle drover. He married Miss
Mary Hoag, and died in 1862, leaving no
chHdren. (5) WHHam M., the youngest, did
not marry.
Jackson Giddings was born in the town of
Beekman, Dutchess county, in 1812, and in
the common schools of tbe town of Dover re
ceived a fair English education. Learning the
wagon maker's trade, he followed that occupa
tion until eighty years of age, since which time
he has laid away business cares, and is now
enjoying a well-earned rest. In early Hfe he
took quite a prominent part in public affairs,
and served as assessor and in other town
offices. His ballot is always cast in support of
the men and measures of the Republican party.
Mr. Giddings married Miss Deborah Hoag, a
daughter of John and Delila Hoag, of the town
of Dover, and to them have beenborn four
chHdren: (i) John H. first married Amanda
Chase, and after her death wedded Maria
Olivet; (2) Almira became the wife of James
Reynolds, and has two sons — Jackson and
Harry B. (3) George W. married Jennie VHl-
inger, and has four daughters — Grace, born in
1886; Almira in 1887; Laura, in 1888; and
Hazel, in 1891. (4) Andrew completes the
family. Mrs. Gidding's ancestors have long been
residents of Dutchess county, the birth of her
great-grandfather, John Hoag, occurring in the

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

539

town of Dover, where he engaged in farming.
In his large family of children was Nathaniel,
an agriculturist, who married MolHe Howland,
and had three chHdren: Priner, who married
Eliza Griffin; John, father of Mrs. Giddings;
and Deborah, who wedded Russell Tabor.
John Hoag was a native of the town of
Dover, followed general farming and stock
raising. For his first wife he married Miss
Delia Whitley, and to them were born five
chHdren: Almira, who married Isaac Geroe;
Deborah, wifeof our subject; WilHam, who first
married Betsy Baldwin, and after her death
wedded Phoebe Bowman; Elizabeth, who
never married; and Mary J., who wedded
Hiram Whitley. After the death of the
mother of these children, Mr. Hoag was united
in marriage with Phoebe Preston.

W RTEMAS SACKETT BARTON, a valued
^L citizen and popular business man of Pine
Plains, Dutchess county, is a native of Colum
bia county, N. Y., born at Ancram October
30, 1838, and is descended from an old English
famHy that long made their home in Dutchess
county. His great-grandfather was Josiah
Barton, of the town of Stanford, and his grand
father. Dr. Leonard Barton, who was born in
that town, was one of the early practitioners
of the county.
Dr. Leonard Barton married Rachel Gale,
granddaughter of William Gale, and daughter
of Josiah and Rachel (Mead) Gale, who lived
in Stanford, and had eight daughters and two
sons, as follows: Sarah Gale, born October
17, 1767, married Henry Kinney; Rebecca,
born March 23, 1769, married Enoch Good-
ridge; Rachel, born February 2, 1771, mar
ried Leonard Barton; Phebe, born April 6,
1773, married Andrew Finch; Roba, born July
26, 1775, married Lewis Austin; Nancy, born
AprH 19, 1777, married Henry Griffin; Betsey,
born AprH 19, 1779, married Nathan Beck
with; Clorinda, born November 12, 1783,
married Ebe Lete; Josiah, born August 11,
1786, died in 1809; and George 'W., born
December 3, 178-, married Harriet Sheldon.
Dr. Leonard Barton and his wife had eleven
chHdren, as foHows: Hiram; James married
Caroline Canfield; Nelson, not married; George
'¦W. married Elizabeth Hoffman; losiah mar
rried Eliza Brig^p-,^;^ Edward married Malissa
J. Worthy, of Northeast town; Eliakim mar
ried Tammy Germond; JuHa married Morgan

Hunting; Sally married Anthony Hoffman;
Rachel married Stephen Sackett; Nancy mar
ried John Davis.
George W. Barton, the father of our sub
ject, was also born in the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county. May 14, 1795, and was a
farmer by occupation. He became quite
wealthy, owning two farms, each of 250 acres,
in Columbia county, one in the town of An
cram and the other on Pugsley's Hill, the old
homestead. He was a man of great natural
ability, and was essentially self-made. He
was identified with the Democratic party in
politics, and attended the Presbyterian Church.
He died September 17, 1872, and his wife died
August 26, 1879. He had married Elizabeth
Hoffman, daughter of Henry Hoffman, who
lived near Bethel, N. Y. , and to them were
born nine children: Mariette, born March i,
1824, married Warden Hiserodt, of New York
City, and died September 12, 1873; William
H., born August 25, 1825, married Cornelia
Decker, and died January 24, 1879; George,
born May 19, 1827, married, first, Sarah Col
lins, and, second, Mary French, and resides
in the town of Northeast, Dutchess county;
Catherine, born December 15, 1829, wife of
William McArthur, of Wisconsin; Rachel,
born December 16, 183 1, married James Col
lins, of the town of Northeast; Leonard, born
December 14, 1834, married Henrietta Pulver,
and is now living in the same town; Anthony
H., born July 4, 1836, married, first, Emily
Sackett, and, second, Isaphene Wilkinson, and
resides in Pine Plains town; Artemas S., sub
ject of this review; and Frederick, born May
24, 1841, married, first, Libbie Hoysrodt, and,
second, Zada Tripp, and resides at the old
homestead in the town of Ancram, Columbia
county, which be owns, and also a half inter
est in the old Dr. Barton homestead in the town
of Stanford. The children were lovers of mu
sic, especially our subject, who organized a
string band, called "Barton's Band," com
posed of his brother, uncle and others, and
playing for nearly all the public and private
parties in northern Dutchess and southern Co
lumbia counties, from 1865 to 1880, the music
not so artistic, but the prompting excellent.
The education of our subject was such as
the district school of the neighborhood afford
ed, and he early became familiar with the du
ties of the agriculturist. Being a great read
er, he has become a well-informed man, and
is posted on the current events of the day.

540

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

On leaving home at the age of twenty-four, he
opened a general store at Ancram Lead Mines,
which he conducted three years, and the fol
lowing year he spent in Wisconsin and Iowa.
He was then with the Van Ambergh show for
a year, and on returning to Pine Plains, he
worked on the railroad for the same length of
time, buHding fences. He was next engaged
in the commission business, dealing in coal
and hay from 1882 until 1893, when he re
moved to his present site, buying a part of the
Clark estate, where he now carries on the
lumber trade. . He has been quite successful,
and is one of the steady-going, reliable busi
ness men of Pine Plains.
Mr. Barton has been twice married, his
first wife being Anna Rockafeller, of Columbia
county, who died in 1866. For his second
wife he chose Jane Tripp, daughter of DeWitt
Tripp, who has lived in both Pine Plains and
Northeast town, Dutchess county. Two chil
dren grace this union, Carrie and Artie. So
cially, Mr. Barton is prominently identified
with the Masonic order, being one of the old
est members of Stissing Lodge No. 615, F.
& A. M., in which he has filled nearly all the
chairs. He is a stanch adherent of the Dem
ocratic party. For three ^terms he served as
justice of the peace, was pathmaster two
years, and inspector of elections for a number
of years at Pine Plains; while in Ancram he
served for about three years as town clerk.
He takes an active interest in public affairs,
and earnestly supports measures for the bene
fit of the community. He attends the Method
ist Church. Henry Hoffman, father of our subject's
mother, married Catherine Betesle, and lived
in Ancram, Columbia county. They had the
following children: Margaret, born Septem
ber 25, 1786, married Rowland Sweet; Cath
erine, born October 12, 1788, died young;
Eleaner, born December 28, 1790, married
Walter Dorchester; Henry J., born May 17,
1793, married Almyra Culver; Polly, born Au
gust 27, 1795, married Jeremiah Conklin;
Catherine (2), born January 28, 1798, died
young; an infant, born in 1799; Betsey, born
May 28, 1800, married G. W. Barton; Laura,
born June 23, 1803, married Artemas Sackett;
Anthony, born September 15, 1805, married
Sally Barton. The father of this family was
born January 6, 1 761, -and died in 1840; the
mother was born January 6, 1762, and died in
1850.

Anthony Hoffman resided in the town of
Pine Plains, and he and his wife had four
daughters and three sons, as follows: Henry,
born December 26, 1829, married Mary A.
Strever; Sarah, born December 6, 1831, mar
ried Herman Snyder; Leonard, born Novem
ber 24, 1833, died January 8, 1865; Catherine,
born February 22, 1835, married J. C. Hoag;
Julia, born October 30, 1837, married Elias
Halsted; Laura, born January 20, 1840, mar
ried Edgar Eggleston ; and Anthony, born Sep
tember 8, 1844, not married, died November

21,

i2.

E

*\DWIN SUTTON (deceased) was a popu-

 lar citizen of the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, where, a leader among men,
his memory is held in reverence and honor.
Almost his entire life was passed in Dutchess
county, and by his strong force of character
and undoubted integrity he gained the confi
dence of the people. His death, which oc
curred September 16, 1887, left a vacancy
difficult to fill, and it was considered a severe
blow to the material and moral interests of the
township. Mr. Sutton was a native of Brooklyn, N.
Y. , born in 1836, and was a son of Abram and
Jane (Mabbett) Sutton, the former born in
Westchester county, N. Y. , and the latter on
Chestnut Ridge, in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county. Shortly after their marriage
his parents removed to the farm where Hal
cyon Hall is now located. The paternal house
hold included six children, three of whom,
however, died in infancy. The two brothers
of our subject who reached adult age were:
William H. (now deceased), who was a farmer
and merchant; and Franklin, who is engaged
in the insurance business in Poughkeepsie, New
York. When but two years old Edwin Sutton was
brought by his parents to the town of Wash
ington, where his childhood was passed, and
after finishing his education he went to New
York City, where he engaged in the retail feed
business for several years. On the death of
his father, however, he returned to the town
of Washington and took up farming, which he
continued untH his death. In 1878 Mr. Sut-^
ton married Miss Mary L. Donington, who was
born in Elizabeth, N. J., and is the daughter
of Henry and Mary (Badgley) Donington, also
natives of Elizabeth, where the father Hved

O/^MTH/i KJy^^{yi^t7T<:^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

541

retired. Mrs. Sutton is one of their family of
nine chHdren. The father's death occurred
in 1861, while his wife passed away in 1887.
He was a son of Jacob Donington, also a na
tive of Elizabeth, N. J., and of English de
scent. On both sides of the family Mrs. Sut
ton is descended from Revolutionary heroes,
Cornelius Badgley, her maternal great-grand
father, having been an officer in that war, and
WHliam Shute, her great -uncle on the father's
side, was a major in the same struggle.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Sutton
located at South MHIbrook, where Mrs. Sut
ton stiH makes her home. They became the
parents of a daughter, Carrie Donington, born
in 1879. Our subject was an earnest Chris
tian man, taking an active interest in religious
affairs, as an adherent of the Hicksite faith,
whHe his wife holds membership with the Pres
byterian denomination. His political views
were in accordance with those of the Repub
lican party, and for a number of years he
served as postmaster of South Millbrook, pre
vious to which time he had been assistant
postmaster, when the office was known as
"Washington."

[IRAM H. BRIGGS, a general merchant
of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, has done
much to promote the commercial activity, ad
vance the general welfare and secure the ma
terial development of the place. As a business
man, he is enterprising, energetic and always
abreast with the times, and has been rewarded
by success in his undertakings. He was born
in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county,
December 27, 1834, a son of Stephen D. and
Phoebe T. (Hewlett) Briggs.
His father was born in 1806, and was the
son of Stephen Briggs, Sr. In early life he
followed the occupation of a farmer in the
northeast part of the town of Hyde Park, and
then, after living for a time in Pleasant Val
ley, located in the northwest portion of the
town, where he carried on the same occupa
tion. In 1853, however, he came to Hyde
Park, where for twenty-five years he engaged
in contracting and building, which business he
followed until the day of his death, dying while
at his work. He was a man of great energy,
became a successful contractor and builder,
and was widely known throughout the county,
where he had been employed in the capacity
of mover. He was essentially a self-made

man, whose success was well deserved. In
politics he was prominently identified with the
Republican party, and served his fellow-citi
zens as collector of Hyde Park and school
trustee. He was reared amid the Society of
Friends, and ever held to that faith. He was
married to Miss Phcebe T. Hewlett, daughter
of Samuel Hewlett, of Hyde Park, and to them
were born five children, who grew to adult
age: Hiram H., subject of this sketch; Mary
J., wife of Coster De Groff; Charlotte H.,
who married Ulrick Eshelman, of Poughkeep
sie, but is now deceased; Sarah B., twin sister
of Charlotte, who inarried Samuel Gunn, and
is also deceased, and Martha C, deceased
wife of De Witt C. Degolier, of Poughkeepsie.
The father's death occurred in 1878, but the
mother is still living.
After pursuing his studies in the district
schools of the town of Hyde Park for some
time, Hiram H. Briggs entered a boarding
school at Oswego Village, and, on completing
his education at the age of twenty years, he
was well fitted for the practical duties of life.
He had previously, however, clerked in the
store of John K. Hewlett, his maternal uncle,
for a year and a half, and later was with that
gentleman for about a year. Going to New
York City, he took a clerkship in the whole
sale dry-goods establishment of Lewis Havi
land & Co. , where he remained for two years
and a half, and, in the spring of 1863, began
clerking for H. N. Vedder, in the store which
he now owns at Hyde Park. For seven years
he filled that position, and then for about four
months was in a grocery store in New York
City; but the following winter he was with Uhl
& Husted, of Poughkeepsie. The next year
he was again with Mr. Vedder, after which he
returned to New York, and was in a retail gro
cery for three months. Later going to Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, he there remained
for two years and a half, when he entered the
employ of Mark H. ^Hitchcock of Poughkeepsie,
serving in that position for four months. It
was January i, 1886, that he started in busi
ness at Hyde Park as a general merchant, the
firm being H. H. Briggs & Co., but May 4,
1895, the partnership was dissolved, and hehas
since been alone in business. He now has
the largest store in the place, and his stock is
well selected.
The record of Mr. Briggs is that of a man
who has by his own unaided efforts worked his
way upward to a position of affluence. His

542

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

life has been one of industry and perseverance,
and the systematic and honorable business
methods which he has followed have won
him the support and confidence of many.
Without aid of infiuence or wealth, he has risen
to a position among the most prominent busi
ness men of the county, and his native genius
and acquired ability are the stepping-stones
on which he mounted. He is an attendant of
the Episcopal Church; is an honored member
of Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 266, F. & A. M.;
and in political affairs takes an active interest
in the success of the Republican party, which
he always supports by his ballot.

'^^J'lLSONB, STORM, an enterprising and
l[/jL reHable business man of StormvHle,
was born in the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county, June 28, 1868, and is the son of Joseph
H. Storm, a prominent citizen of the county.
His boyhood and youth were passed upon a
farm, and his education received in the district
schools. Later he was a student in the Mount
Beacon Academy, at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson,
and subsequently took a business course at the
Eastman Business College, at Poughkeepsie,
graduating with the class of 1888. On laying
aside his text books he worked on the farm of
his grandfather in the town of Beekman for six
years. On August I, 1895, Mr. Storm began mer
chandising at Stormville, in connection with
W. J. Storm, one of the leading business men
of the town of East FishkHl, and the owner of
the farm on which is located Storm Lake,
which is a beautiful sheet of water covering
twenty-five acres, fed by springs, and in which
many different varieties of fish abound. Upon
the east bank of the lake a creamery was erect
ed and put in operation in April, 1896, and to
which the New England railroad has built a
side track. The business carried on by these
gentlemen has grown to extensive proportions,
and they deal in flour, feed, hardware and
agricultural implements. Since April i, 1896,
Wilson B, Storm has laid aside agricultural
pursuits, and now devotes his whole time and
attention to merchandising.
On October 24, 1895, Mr- Storm was
married to Miss Mary T. Berry, a native of the
town of East Fishkill, where her father, Edward
W. Berry, engages in farming, and to this union
has been born one child — Georgia Sheldon —

January 26, 1897. Our subject is a stanch
supporter of the Republican party, was elected
supervisor of the town of Beekman in 1894, in
which position he served for two years or until
his removal to East Fishkill, and was the youngs
est member of that board. In social as well
as business circles he holds a high position,
and is a young man of mote than ordinary
ability. Religiously, Mrs. Storm holds mem^
bership in the Reformed Church at Hopewell.

DAVID EDWIN COLWELL, a highly es
teemed resident of Matteawan, Dutchess
county, is one of the favored few, who, on
reaching the ordinary limit of three-score years
and ten finds life still enjoyable, old age being
but the harvest time for their previous years
of toil. He was born in Pleasant Valley,
Dutchess county, April i, 1825, and is a de
scendant of an old Scotch family.
His direct ancestors lived in the North of
Ireland for some generations, and his great
grandfather was the first of the line to come to
America. He was a Protestant, and the ma
jority of the family have been members of the
Methodist Church. Samuel Colwell, our sub
ject's grandfather, married Mary Smith, whose
brother was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war. Their son Archibald, our subject's fath
er, married Abigail Hall, and had eight chil
dren: Calvin Hubbard (deceased); Louisa,
now Mrs. Reed, of Moores Mill; Archibald
L. , of Verbank; Samuel Augustus, of Peoria,
III.; David E. , our subject; Julia Ann, now
Mrs. Burnett, of Connecticut; Mary L. Ack
erman; and Sarah A. Seaman.
When David E. Colwell was six years old
his parents moved to Verbank, and at an early
age he began to work in a cotton factory there,
which was the first of its kind to be operated
in this State. In 1845 he went into the shoe
business with his brother Archibald, but in
1855 entered the service of the FishkiH Land
ing Machine Co., and in due time became a
skHled machinist. For a short time he was
employed by the late H. N. Swift, in the man
ufacture of lawn mowers, and then he moved
to Passaic, N. J,, to take a lucrative position
with the New York Steam Engine Co. After
a few years he went to Yonkers, N. Y. , and
was engaged in Waring's hat factory until his
retirement from active business. He has re
sided at Matteawan for many years, and is a

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

543

leading member of the M. E. Church there.
On January 14, 1847, he was married to Miss
Jane A. Beach, and on January 14, 1897, they
celebrated their golden wedding anniversary,
a most joyous occasion. They have two sons,
Winfield S. and Frank W., both residents of
Matteawan. Frank W. Colwell was born in Mattea
wan, AprH 9, 1859, and after receiving an ed
ucation in the public schools of that place,
went to Yonkers to learn the jewelry and
watchmaking business with H. F. Von Storch,
with whom he remained for more than four
years. He then worked at this trade in various
places, spending some time with the Independ
ent Watch Co., at Fredonia, N. Y. , four years
with the Waterbury Co.. at Waterbury, Conn.,
and two years with the Cheshire Watch Co. ,
of Cheshire, Conn. In 1888 he returned to
his old home and engaged in business for him
self in a small way, beginning with one window
in a millinery store on Main street. He pros
pered, and after seven or eight months he
moved into a more convenient store in a new
building, and has since carried on his business
there with a constantly growing patronage.
His store is fully equipped with ail the modern
appliances, and a complete stock of watches,
clocks, and jewelry of all kinds. He has a
pleasant home at No. 21 Vine street, but in
January, 1895, it was darkened by the death
of his beloved wife, Carrie E. Tiel, to whom
he was married November 10, 1880. Four
children survive her: Minnie A. , Jennie R.,
Frances B. and Edmund T.
Mrs. Colwell was a member of one of the
leading families of Matteawan, a granddaugh
ter of the late William H. Tiel, and a daughter
of J. WHliam Tiel, a well-known hat manu
facturer. He married a lady of EngHsh de
scent. Miss Julia Rogers, a native of Palen-
viHe, Greene Co., N. Y., and both are stHl
Hving. Of their eight chHdren the first two
and the last died in infancy. The others were
Dr. Arthur R. Tiel, Edson L., J. WHliam, Jr.,
Carrie E. and Minnie A. In politics Mr. Col
well is a Republican, and he is an active
worker in the M. E. Church, holding at pres
ent the office of superintendent of the Sunday-
school. He is much interested in fraternal
society work, belonging to the I. O. O. F.,
Evergreen Lodge, in which he has been a trus
tee for six years, and to the F. & A. M., Bea
con Lodge, having joined the Masonic order
while residing in Cheshire,

'IT'^xDWARD ANTHONY UNDERHILL, the
JSL'/ genial and able station agent at Glenham,
Dutchess county, is also well known in busi
ness circles in that locality, being an extensive
wholesale and retail dealer in coal. He is a
native of New Hackensack, Dutchess county,
and was born August 7, 1865. the son of Dr.
Anthony Underbill, who practiced medicine
successfully at New Hackensack for more than
forty years. Dr. Anthony UnderhHI first saw
the light November 12, 18 18. His death oc
curred September 4, 1889, and his wife, Char
lotte Augusta Marvin, who was born Decem
ber 22, 1823, survives with their six children:
Charles, George, William, Frank, Lottie, and
Edward A.
Our subject avaHed himself of the usual
district school advantages, and then entered
the employ of his brother William in the coal
business at Fishkill. After one year he went
to Hopewell as assistant agent at the Union
Depot for the N. Y. & N. E. R. R. and the
N. D. & C. R. R, , and remained seven years,
when he was appointed agent at Glenham for
the N. D. &C, R. R. In the same year, 1890,
he purchased the coal business there from his
brother William, and has combined the two
enterprises satisfactorily. In politics he is a
Republican. On July 31, 1895, Mr. UnderhiH was united
in marriage with Miss Jane Edith Schubert,
daughter of Charles E. F. and Amelia W.
Schubert, and made a wedding trip to Europe.
Mr. UnderhHI was one of the lucky ten in a
voting contest for a tour offered by the New
York Press, standing second on the list with
23,525 votes. The Press gave its guests first
class steamer and railway tickets and hotel ac
commodations, three meals a day being pro
vided according' to the custom of the hotel,
and every other necessary expense was liber
ally met, including omnibuses between stations,
piers, and hotels, carriage drives to points of
interest, fees to hotel servants, railroad por
ters, and local guides and care-takers, while
there was free transportation of the usual al
lowance of baggage on the steamer, and fifty-
six pounds on the railways. An experienced
conductor accompanied the party, superintend
ing the arrangements throughout, and it would
have been impossible to secure simHar privi
leges for less than $800 each. The tourists
left New York August 3, 1895, on the Cunarder
" Aurania " and on August 12 arrived at Liv
erpool, where they stopped at the "Adelphia

544

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Hotel." On the same day they went to Lon
don and spent five days there, three being
given up to carriage drives about the city; here
they were quartered at the ' ' Midland Grand
Hotel." They left via Harwich for Antwerp
on the evening of August 17, and arriving on
the following day, remained until the afternoon
of the 19th, when they made the trip to Brus
sels, which occupied one hour. A carriage drive
there on the 20th gave them a view of the main
points of interest, in the city, and on the 21st
they went to Rotterdam, where they remained
until the evening of the 2 2d. The next two
days were passed at the Hague, the first in an
extended carriage drive, and on the evening of
the 24th they went to Amsterdam, where the
following day, Sunday, August 25, was made a
day of rest to the travelers, fatigued by their
continuous sight seeing. An early train took
them to Cologne onthe 26th, and that day was
spent in visiting the wonderful cathedral and
other places of note. On the 27th they took an
express steamer on the Rhine for Mayence,
and on the next day continued the trip by rail
to Heidelberg, and after a short stay there
they went to Strasburg by an early afternoon
train, and saw the great wonder of that city,
the Cathedral, with its world-renowned clock.
August 29, found them e7i route for. Paris, and
the next five days were spent there at the
"Grand Hotel," three days being devoted to
carriage drives, and on the evening of Sep
tember 3 they started via Dieppe for London,
where they spent one day, leaving in the even
ing for Liverpool to embark on September 5
on the Cunarder " Gallia, "for Boston. They
landed there September 15, and left in the
evening by the Fall River line for New York
City, arriving at 7:30 A. m. September 16.
Mr. UnderhHI had purchased a home at
Glenham before his marriage, and on their re
turn he and his wife immediately began house
keeping. They take a prominent part in the
social Hfe of the viHage, and attend the Re
formed Dutch Church.

8\ILAS E. CARD (deceased), in his life-
) time a prominent citizen of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, and a member of a well-
known firm of Satterlee & Card, merchant
taHors, was a native of Ancram, Columbia
Co., N. Y., born July 18, 1845, and died
March 27, 1896.
He came of old pioneer stock, the ances

tors of the American line being two brothers
who came from Ireland in 1600 and settled in
Rhode Island. Of their numerous descendants
many came west from time to time, following
the advancing line of civilization, and Edson
Card, our subject's grandfather, who was born
in Connecticut, became one of the early set
tlers of Ancram, Columbia Co. ,. N. Y. , where
he was engaged in farming. He married Char
lotte Witheral, and had nine children: Edson
(i) (deceased), Catherine, Mary (deceased),
Eton H., Emma (deceased), Sarah, Edson (2),
Charlotte, and William (deceased).
Edson Card, bur subject's father, was born
November 29, 1817, in Ancram, and was there
married to Miss Mary MiHer, who was born in
1 8 14, a daughter of Silas Miller, of Copake,
Columbia county, who was of Dutch ancestry,
and followed the occupation of ajarmer all his
life. They had five chHdren :/lW^bert M.. an

.attorney of New York City, wh"b
.S]jarnn. Conn. :

resides at
Lottie

Silas E., our subject
H. , born in 1848, now a resident of Pleasant
Valley; Charles M., born in 1850, also of
Pleasant Valley; George, born in 1854, an at
torney at Poughkeepsie; and Edson, born in
1856, who was graduated from the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, New York, in 1882,
and is now a prominent physician at Lake
Mahopac, Putnam county (he married Miss
Cora Badeau, and has one son, Badeau Card).
For eight years after their marriage our sub
ject's parents lived at Ancram, but in 1847
they removed to a farm in the town of Stan
ford, Dutchess county. In 1869 they went to
Pleasant Valley, there to pass their declining
years. The father was a man of influence in
his neighborhood, possessing the esteem of all
classes of people, and for many years he was
a justice of the peace in the town of Pleasant
Valley, and held the office of assessor for many
years. He died May 12, 1888; his widow is
still living at Pleasant Valley.
Silas E. Card was only two years old when
he came to Dutchess county, and he was edu
cated in the public schools of his vicinity and
and in the seminary at Amenia. In 1865 he
came to Poughkeepsie to engage in business,
and after spending fifteen years in the store of
Seward & Hayt he bought an interest in George
P.Satterlee's merchant-tailoring establishment,
at No. 280 Main street. He was admirably
qualified for success in his chosen line, and
held a high rank among the enterprising mer
chants of his vicinity. On November 4, 1874,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

545

in the town of Stanford, he married Miss E.
Belle AHing, a daughter of John T. and Frances
(Mabbett) AHing, and five children were born
of this union: John A., born May 20, 1877,
graduated from the Poughkeepsie high school
at the age of sixteen, and is now completing
his course in medicine at the College of Physi
cians and Surgeons, New York; Frank M.,
who died when one year old; MaryE. , born
December 5, 1882; George H., born July 17,
1886; and Albert N., born May 14, 1890.
In politics Mr. Card was a Democrat, and
he took an influential part in the work of the
organization in- his locaHty. He was the can
didate of his party for mayor in 1894; but that
was a year of tribulation for Democrats, and
he with all the others on the ticket suffered
defeat. He was one of the City Alms House
commissioners for ten years, and was an Ex
empt Fireman of Phoenix Hose Company No.
I, of which he was treasurer. In the Masonic
order he was a member of Triune Lodge No.
782, Poughkeepsie Chapter and Commandery,
and of the Royal Arcanum, and was District
Deputy of Dutchess county. He was a promi
nent member of Washington street M. E.
Church, at the time of his death holding the
office of steward.

JAMES HENRY HIGNELL, the junior
member of the firm of McFarlane & Hig-
nell, the well-known boHer manufacturers,
of Fishkill Landing, Dutchess county, is among
the most prominent of the younger business
men of that place.
The family name is English in its origin,
and our subject's paternal grandfather, Joseph
Hignell, came from England in early man
hood, and was married in this country to Mrs.
Rachel Lawson, a widow. Their son, Daniel
L. Hignell, our subject's father, was born at
Barnegat, N. Y., April 28, 1833, learned the
blacksmith's trade in youth, and is now the
Fishkill Landing Machine Company's foreman.
He married Miss Mary Odell, who was born
November 23, 1832, near Cold Spring, Put
nam county, the daughter of Elijah and Sa
brina (Perry) Odell. The Odell family is an
ancient one, and this branch was established
in this country in Colonial times. Our sub
ject was the eldest of three children, the others
being Millard Fillmore Hignell; and Mamie,
who married James E. Tomlins, and resides at
Tuxedo Park.
35

James H. Hignell was born at Fishkil|
Landing, October 22, 1856. He has been
identified with the village all his life, receiving:
his education in the public schools, and at
thirteen entering upon his practical business
career. Until the age of eighteen he worked
at different employments, and then followed
the harness maker's trade about sixyears ; but his
health becoming impaired he left this occupa
tion in 1880, to take a position as bookkeeper
with the late John J. Herley, the boiler manu
facturer. On the death of Mr. Herley in the
springof 1892, Mr. Hignell formed his present
partnership, and purchased the business from
the estate. Their work embraces not only
boiler-making, but the manufacture of tanks
and everything in that line, and their trade is
extensive, reaching throughout New York State
and to various portions ofthe South and West.
On February 2, 1881, Mr. Hignell married
Miss Kate Chase, a native of Glenham, N. Y.
Her father, Henry Chase, came from Switzer
land; her mother, Ann Roe, from Ireland, and
their marriage took place at Fishkill Landing.
Mr. and Mrs. Hignell are prominent members
of the Reformed Dutch Church at Fishkill
Landing, and are interested in all that pertains
to social and religious progress. They have
one daughter, Lelia Ella, born August 17,
1887. Politically Mr. Hignell is a Republican.
He is a charter member of River View Lodge
No. 560, I. O. O. F., has passed through the
chairs, and is now trustee and treasurer. On
June i8^ 1896, he helped to organize a lodge of
the Improved Order of Redmen at FishkHl
Landing, and was elected to the order of
Sachem. On March 18, 1897, he was elected
treasurer of the general hospital of the town of
Fishkill, N. Y. ; was also elected treasurer of
the executive committee.

WILLIAM E. HAVENS, the efficient su-
 perintendent of the Fishkill Electric
railway and the Citizens Electric railway of
Fishkill-on-Hudson, is one of the rising young
practical electricians of his locality. His al
ready wide and varied experience in the
mechanical arts has especiaHy fitted him for
the understanding of the difficulties which at
tend the application of electricity to business
uses, whHe he possesses also rare gifts as an
organizer and manager of men.
He is a son of William H. and Anna

546

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

^Dixon) Havens, and grandson of Edward
Havens. His father, who is a native of
Oswego, N. Y., born July 4, 1840, is now a
well-known engineer. He had three sons —
Frederic Dare Havens, Charles P. and WHliam
E. — and one daughter — Jennie Lee. Our
subject was born in Oswego, N. Y., August
24, 1863. His early education was obtained
in the public schools of his native city, also in
Rome, N. Y. , and at the age of thirteen he
began to learn photography, at which he
worked for about three years. He then spent
a number of years in different pursuits, learn
ing in each one some lessons which were to
prove of benefit in after life, possibly in unex
pected ways. He spent one year in a machine
shop, three years in the business of steam en
gineering at Rome, two years as special col
lector of the Howe Sewing Machine Co., two
years in the National Express Co., and one
year with the Edison Electrical Illuminating
Co. , at Rochester, N. Y. He then went to
Syracuse, N. Y. , and passed two years in the
employ of the Third Ward Electric Street
Railway Co. , and their successors, the Consol
idated Street Railway Co., and later held the
position of night engineer of the New York
Central & Hudson River railroad depot at
Syracuse for six months. On July 6, 1892,
he came to Matteawan as electrician for the
Citizens and the Fishkill Electric Railway
Companies, and in September, of the same
year, he was appointed superintendent of
those lines.
Mr. Havens has a pleasant residence on
Main street, Fishkill-on-Hudson. His wife,
whom he married June 10, 1885, formerly
Miss Minnie E. Moore, is a daughter of An
drew W. and Ovanda (Craig) Moore, of Cohoc-
ton, Steuben Co., N. Y. , and they have three
chHdren: Catherine E., Jennie Lee and WHl
iam Henry. Mr. and Mrs. Havens are prom
inent members of the Episcopal Church at
Fishkill, and are ever ready to sustain any pro
gressive movement. In politics he is a Repub
lican, and he also takes an active interest in
fraternal society work as a member of Melzin
gah Lodge No. 304, K. of P., and Court Bea
con No. 296, F. of A.

B gENJAMIN HAMMOND, one of the resi-
 ^) dents of the viHage of FishkiH-on-Hudson,
Dutchess county, is the proprietor of the exten
sive establishment known as Hammond's Slug

Shot and Paint Works, and a manufacturer and
wholesale dealer in paints, oils, chemicals and
similar commodities, his trade extending in his
specialties to all parts of the United States.
Mr. Hammond was born in Kidderminster,
Worcestershire, England, July 12, 1849. His
father, Benjamin Hammond, the son of Levi
Hammond, was born in that^ locality in 1817,
and in 1 848 married Miss Mary Twemlow, for
his second wife. Our subject is the oldest of
the five children of this union, the names of
the others being Mary, Levi, Sophia and
Sophronia Warren. In 1855 the father came
to America, bringing his family, and after
locating for a time in New York City, he re
moved to Carlinville, Macoupin Co. , 111., where
he remained untH 1858. Returning east, he
made his permanent home in Brooklyn, where
he died in November, 1876. The son began
his business life with Lazell, Marsh & Gardi
ner, at No. 10 Gold street, New York City, as
office boy, and after nine years with them he
went, in 1873, to Mt. Kisco, in company with
Charles S. Ware, who had purchased the drug
business of Mrs. Dr. Fenton, a sister-in-law of
the late Gov. Fenton, of New York. The
business was continued and developed until
the fall of 1884, when Mr. Hammond removed
to Fishkill Landing and founded his present
establishment. Mr. Hammond is one of the
pioneers in the United States in the manufac
ture of economic insecticides, and this particu
lar branch of his business is known all over the
world, as 'he ships his product to London
(England), Auckland (New Zealand), Nova
Scotia, and all other parts of Canada. His
works are located on the N. E. corner of Long
Dock Landing, opposite the N. Y. & N. E.
depot, and near the H. R. R. depot and New
burg Ferry, and the business under his judi
cious and vigorous management has been on
the increase ever since its establishment. In
politics Mr. Hammond is a Republican. In
Mount Kisco, Westchester county, in connec
tion with Stephen and Samuel Carpenter, he
established a local newspaper, known as the
Mount Kisco IVeekly, of which he was the ed
itor for several years. He was chairman of
the Republican town committee, was elected
justice of the peace of the town of New Castle,
and a member of the board of education of the
Mount Kisco Union Free School District. In
the incorporation of the vHlage of Mount Kisco
he took an active part, and obtained the so
briquet of " Prime Mover."

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

547

In Mount Kisco Mr. Hammond met Miss
Isabel Monilaws (who subsequently became
his wife), a woman of refinement -and culture,
the daughter of the Rev. George Monilaws, of
Somers, Westchester county, in which village
she was born. They were married by Rev.
Dr. C. W. Baird, of Rye, July 25, 1875, and
three daughters, all born in Mount Kisco,
were the issue of this marriage: Marion Isa
bel, Grace Twemlow, and Elsie. Mrs. Ham
mond died at her home, " Spy Hill," FishkiH
Landing, N. Y., May 28, 1892, and was buried
inthe FishkiH Rural Cemetery, FishkHl, N. Y.
On AprH 6, 1897, Mr. Hammond was again
married, his second wife being Miss Laura An
thony, daughter of the late Richard Kip Anthony
and Ann Bowie Dash, of New York, the cere
mony having been performed by the Rev.
Charies W. Fritts, D. D. , of Fishkill-on-Hud
son, New York.
Mr. Anthony took up the ordinary duties
of a good citizen, arid interested himself in the
development of his locality. In October,
1889, at the formation of the Union Free
School District of Fishkill Landing, he was
elected a member of the board of education, and
as clerk to the board took a leading part in the
planning and building of the splendid school
building which was erected in 1890-91. In
1894 Mr. Hammond was elected president of
the board. For three successive terms he was
elected president of the village of Fishkill
Landing, and close attention to all the detaHs
of the position was the marked peculiarities of
his term of service. He has served as town
auditor, and .while a pronounced temperance
man was elected, after a hard contest, a mem
ber of the Town Board of Excise, with a
handsome majority. The village of Fishkill,
because of its situation between great brick
yards, is proverbial for its many saloons and
liquor shops. Mr. Hammond is a member of
the Reformed Dutch Church, and an officer of
the same, being for years a Sunday-school
teacher, a deacon and an elder. His residence
is finely located on Park avenue, overlooking
Newburg Bay, surrounded with ample grounds,
well-kept and planted with beautiful flowers,
shrubs and hedges.

iPV\ILMAN D. HOLMES, a prominent citi-
V^ zen of Matteawan, Dutchess county, has
been for many years the master mechanic of
the N. D. & C' R. R. , in charge of the build

ing and repair shops at Dutchess Junctioij,
and has proved himself an able executive of
ficer in that department, uniting in a rare de
gree practical knowledge of the detaHs of the
work with the faculty of managing effectively
a large force of men.
He is a "Yankee" by birth, his parents,
Lewis and Mittie (Osgood) Holmes, being resi
dents of Francestown, N. H., where his fa
ther was a well-known farmer and mHler.
There were three children: Sarah A., Mason,
and GHman D.
Gilman D. Holmes was born November
29, 1842. The public schools of his native
place furnished educational advantages, of
which he made good use until he was twenty
years old, when he began to learn the trade of
machinist in the railroad shops of the N. N.
H. R. R., now the Boston & Maine R. R.
Eight years there gave him a thorough mas
tery of the business in all its branches, and he
then came to Dutchess Junction, and was em
ployed by the N. D. & C. R. R. for about
fifteen years before his appointment, in 1885,
to his present responsible position in the car
shops. His ten years of faithful work in that
place completes a term of a quarter of a cen
tury in the service of the same road. He is
loyal to the interests of his fellow workers as
well as to his employers, and is a member of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
Mr. Holmes married Miss Emma S. An
son, daughter of Nathan Anson, a native
of StanfordvHle, and his wife, Catherine
(Cashner), a descendant of a well-known
family of Rhinebeck. The pleasant home of
our subject on Ackerman street, Matteawan,
is gladdened by one son, Lewis A., born in
1884. In politics Mr. Holmes isan independ
ent voter, supporting either party under vary
ing circumstances as his conscience dictates.
He and his wife are Methodists in faith, and
take a generous interest in the work of the
Church at Matteawan.

S\AMUEL BRYANT, a well-known citizen
) of Matteawan, Dutchess county, was born
February 10, 1833, in Gloucestershire, Eng
land, where his family has resided for many
generations. , His grandfather, Richard Bry
ant, was a prosperous hat manufacturer there,
and his four sons — George, Jonathan, Samuel,
and Henry — all lived and died in England,

548

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

and were highly esteemed members of the
Established Church.
Jonathan Bryant, our subject's father, was
born at the old home, and learned the hatter's
trade in his father's factory. He followed this
business successfully untH his death, in 1875;
his wife, Esther (Gardner), a native of the
same place, died in 1883. Her father, George
Gardner, was also engaged in hat manufactur
ing. Of the thirteen children of this union,
nine are living: (i) George (deceased) was a
hatter in Matteawan, where his son, Albert R.
Bryant, stiH resides; (2) Mary A., a twin of (3)
Samuel, our subject, married John Skidmore,
of England, and lives in that country; (4)
Esther married John ConneHs, of Australia;
(5) Henry is a resident of Sydney, AustraHa;
(6) Richard lives at Yonkers, N. Y. ; (7) West-
ley resides in Sydney, AustraHa; (8) Albert
died in England; (9) Clara married (name not
given), of London; (10) Eving and (11) Jona
than live in England; (12) Luke and (13)
Richard died in infancy.
The subject of our sketch was reared in
Gloucestershire, England, learning the ances
tral occupation, in which he engaged in early
manhood. In 1855 he came to the United
States, his first designation being Yonkers,
N. Y. He remained there only a few days,
and then went to Riverstreet, N. J., and
worked at his trade for a short time. In 1856
he made his permanent home at Matteawan,
engaging first in the hatter's business, but since
1885 he has conducted a saloon. He was
married, in 1857, to Miss Charlotte Gifford,
a native of England and a daughter of Thomas
Gifford. They have had six children: Mar
tha M., nowthewifeof FredMoore, of Mattea
wan; Clara (Mrs. Richard Van Voorhis), of
the same place; Jane (Mrs. George Van Ors-
dale), also of Matteawan; Evan and Edward,
who are in the saloon business at Fishkill
Landing; and' Lizzie, at home. The famHy
attend the Episcopal Church. Mr. Byrant has
many friends, and takes a loyal interest in
public questions, voting independently both on
local and national issues.

E\ LAKIN TOMPKINS, one of the most
 'I prominent residents of FishkHl-on-Hud
son, Dutchess county, and the able manager
of the Dutchess Hat Works, was born in Ash
land, Greene Co., N. Y., July 9, 1842.
His family is of English origin, and he is of

the fifth generation in direct descent from
Stephen Tompkins, who came to America in
Colonial times, and, after a short residence in
Connecticut, settled in Winchester county,
N. Y. , where he and two of his sons did good
service on the side of the colonies all through
the Revolutionary war. He had sixteen chil
dren, and his remote descendants are very
numerous. One of his grandsons, Daniel D.
Tompkins, was vice-President of the United
States from 18 16 to 1820, and many other
members of the family have held positions of
honor and usefulness. The great-grandfather
of our subject, James Tompkins, supposed to
be a son of Stephen, rendered important serv
ice in the Revolutionary war. He served in
the Seventh Dutchess County Regiment under
Col. Henry Luddington, and in the company
commanded by Capt. George Lane. His son,
Solomon, our subject's grandfather, was one
of the earliest settlers at Ashland, being ac
companied by his son, Solomon (2), father of
our subject, who became a prominent farmer
there and married Elizabeth Randall, who sur
vives him and now resides at Matteawan.
E. Lakin Tompkins was educated in the
public schools of Ashland, and in September,
1862, at the age of twenty, went to Matteawan
to work for the Seamless Clothing Manufactur
ing Co. , with whom he remained eight years.
He then clerked for a year or two in a clothing
store belonging to his brother Lewis, and in
1872 he and John F. Gerow purchased his
brother's interest. He disposed of this, how
ever, and in July, 1874, became superintendent
of the Dutchess Hat Works, which Lewis
Tompkins established at that time. Our sub
ject has managed this extensive plant ever
since, and much of the time it has been under
his sole charge, owing to the ill health of his
brother and his absence abroad. At the death
of the latter Mr. Tompkins was appointed exec
utor of his estate. An able business man,
displaying in every enterprise, energy and good
judgment, Mr. Tompkins has conducted or
assisted in various successful ventures. In
1889 he purchased a tract of land in the north
ern part of the village, and laid it out in fifty
building lots, many of which have been sold
and are now occupied by dwelling houses. He
is a director of the First National Bank, and a
trustee of the Mechanics Savings Bank. .In
politics he is a Republican. In 1878 he was
elected trustee of the village of FishkHl-on-
Hudson, was re-elected to the position for sev-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

549

eral years in succession, and served one year as
president of the village. In August, 1892,
President Harrison appointed him postmaster
of his viHage, and this position he held four
years, three and one-half years under President
Cleveland's administration. For ten years he
was a member of the board of education, being
elected term after term successively; but early
in 1896 he resigned on account of the demands
of other important interests upon his time.
Mr. Tompkins has a beautiful residence,
buih in 1893, situated on High street and com-.
manding a charming view of the river. His
wife was formerly Miss Cordelia E. Knapp, of
Greenwich, Conn., a daughter of the late John
E. and Joanna Knapp. Her father spent his
last days at their home, and passed from earth
Thursday, March 12, 1896, in his eighty-fifth
year. "Two children were born of this mar
riage, Reta I. and Harry K. Mr. and Mrs.
Tompkins are leading members of the M. E.
Church, and he is especially active in its in
terest, being a trustee and class leader at pres
ent, and for many years he served as Sunday-
school superintendent. He has been a Free
mason for about thirty years, and has held the
office of master in Beacon Lodge No. 283, F.
& A. M., for two successive terms.

1

EDMUND H. SHEAFF, the superintend-

 ent of the Fishkill and Matteawan water
works, and widely known as an able and
efficient manager of large enterprises, was born
in Radnor, Delaware county, Penn. , June 29,
1850. His famHy is of English origin, and he is a
direct descendant of Gen. Sheaff, of the Eng
lish army. His grandfather, William Sheaff,
was a wealthy tanner in Pennsylvania, and his
father, William Sheaff, Jr., born in 1797, was
a prosperous farmer, and also a prominent
business man of Delaware county for many
years before he retired from active business.
His death occurred in PhHadelphia August 25,
1861, On May '28, 1828, he married Miss
Margaretta Fry Sinquette (a descendant of an
old French Huguenot family), who died in
1883. They had eleven chHdren: John, Will
iam, George, Sarah, Noah, Susannah, Mary,
Gertrude, Edmund H. , Margaret and Adele.
Edmund H. Sheaff received his education
in part in the Philadelphia public schools, in
part inCrittendens Business College, same city.

When a mere boy, he enlisted, November 17,
1864, in Company K, 196th P. V. I., under
Capt. Edward Lyster, for a term of three
months, and served until he was mustered out
at the close of the war. He then went to Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, and spent three years on a
coffee plantation, and on returning to the Uni
ted States engaged in the transportation busi
ness in New York City. In 1870 he went to
Cuba, and took charge of sugar plantations at
Sagua de la Grande and Cardinas; but after
two years went to New Orleans and then to
San Francisco, and in the following year en
gaged in mining at Virginia City, Nov., where
he remained several years. On returning to
the East, he took up his residence at Hoboken,
N. J., and for three years was employed by
John H. Starin Transportation Co. In 1881
he was engaged by Decker & Rapp, as wharf
inger, having charge of their docks at New
York City. In 1884 he went to Mt. Vernon,
N. Y. , as superintendent and general manager
of the Mt. Vernon water works, remaining
seven years, and in 1891, representing the in
terest of Taintor & Holt, bankers. No. 1 1 Wall
street. New York, he came to Fishkill to take
the management of the FishkHl & Matteawan
system. This duty he discharged most ably,
winning the respect and esteem of the entire
community. He is a Democrat in politics, and
a member of the First Baptist Church, of Mt.
Vernon, New York.

)ENJAMIN M. TALBOT, a prominent res
ident of FishkHl-on-Hudson, is a well-
known dealer in real estate, and the owner of
valuable property in that vicinity.
He is a native of England, and a descend
ant of an old Yorkshire family. His paternal
grandparents were Charles and Jane Talbot,
whose son Thomas, the father of our subject,
was a prosperous cloth merchant at Holmfirth,
Yorkshire, England. He married Judith
Winter, daughter of Matthias Winter, and
reared a family of eight chHdren: Elizabeth,
Benjamin M. (our subject ), Charles, Jane,
Richard, Thomas, Matthew and Emily.
Benjamin M. Talbot was educated in the
schools of his native town, and in early man
hood came to America, where he located first
in Newburgh, N. Y. After one year there he
moved to FishkHl Landing, and in 1866 en
gaged in the wholesale and retail liquor traffic.

550

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

continuing untH 1886 — twenty years to a day.
He then sold his business and partially retired
from active life, his attention being given to
some extent to dealing in real estate. He is
the owner of several stores and other property,
and in his investments has always shown fine
business judgment.
Mr. Talbot has a beautiful home at Fish
kiH-on-Hudson, on the corner of Dutchess
terrace and Verplanck avenue. His wife,
formerly Miss Elizabeth Bates, whom he mar
ried November 9, 1868, is a daughter of Will
iam and Mary Ann ( Rethwell ) Bates, of
Yorkshire, England. Five sons have blessed
their union, one of whom died in infancy, and
another, Frederick, at the age of twenty years.
The surviving three are: James G., a book
keeper in New York City; William R. , a law
student in the law office of J. Hervey Cook,
attorney at law; and Henry Talbot, attending
school. Mrs. Talbot is a prominent member
of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church at
Matteawan, and interested in the various lines
of parish work. In politics Mr. Talbot is a
Republican, but he keeps aloof from partisan
strife, and does not seek official honors. He
belongs to the order of the Knights of Pythias
Lodge at Matteawan.

SMLAS TERWILLIGER, a merchant of
) Matteawan, Dutchess county, is well
known throughout the State as an able and
energetic business man, many years of success
ful work as a contractor and builder of impor
tant structures having established his reputa
tion. Among other enterprises successfully
carried out by him was the building of large
flour-mills and a cotton factory in Columbia
county, and for some time was engaged upon
the Delaware & Hudson canal, rebuHding the
"weighlock" at EddyvHle, a very particular
piece of work involving the construction of the
" cradle " or frame, in which the boats rest
while being weighed. He also worked in the
State armory at Syracuse, N. Y. , and had a
contract from a Mr. Austin, the builder, to lay
the floors.
His family is one of the oldest and most
prominent in the town of Marbletown, Ulster
county, and his great-grandfather, Solomon
Terwilliger, was the first patriot in that town to
sign the following paper. [Copied from the
Calendarof New York Historical MSS, Revolu
tionary papers] :

Vol. 1, Page 5. O1.D Senate House, Kingston.
Goshen, Orange County, April 29, 1775.
General Association-.
Persuaded that the salvation of the Rights and Liber- '
ties of America depends under God on the firm union of
its inhabitants, in a vigorous prosecution of the measures
necessary for its safety, and convinced of the necessity of
preventing the anarchy and confusion which attend a dis
solution of the powers of Government. We, the Freemen,
Freeholders and Inhabitants of the county of Orange,
being greatly alarmed at the avowed design of the Min
istry to raise a revenue in America, and shocked by the
bloody scene now acting in the Massachusetts Bay, do in
the most solemn manner resolve never to become slaves,
and do associate under all the ties of Religion, Honor and
Love to our country, to adopt and endeavor to carry into
execution whatever measures may be recommended by
the Continental Congress or resolved upon by this Pro
vincial Congress for the purpose of preserving our Con
stitution, and opposing the execution of the several arbi
trary and oppressive acts of the British Parliament, until
a reconciliation between Great Britain and America, on
Constitutional principles (which we most ardently desire)
can be obtained; and that we will in all things follow the
advice of our respective Committees, respecting the pur
pose aforesaid, the preservation of peace and good order,
and the safety of individuals and private property.
From Calendar of New York Historical MSS, Revol
utionary papers, Vol. 1, Page 33, among the Associators
in Marbletown appear the names of 292, that of Solomon
Terwilliger being the very first.
Solomon TerwHliger and his wife, Helen,
(Bodly) had a son Derrick, who was a farmer
in the town of Marbletown, Ulster county, and
a soldier of the war of 18 12. He married
Margaret Krom, and had a son WiHiam, our
subject's father, who became a prominent car
penter and builder of the same locality, fol
lowing that occupation until a few years pre
vious to his death. He and his wife, whose
maiden name was Nellie A. Hill, and whom
he married August 12, 1829, reared a family
of four sons: Alfred, SHas, Edgar and Jacob H.
SHas Terwilliger, our subject, was born
June 23, 1834, at Stone Ridge, Ulster county,
and after passing through the common schools
of his native town attended a select school for
two terms. At sixteen he began his business
career, learning the trade of mill-wright with
Fred Paine, of Connecticut, who took con
tracts in all parts of the country. An appren
ticeship of three years familiarized Mr. Ter
williger with all the details of the trade, which
he then followed continuously untH i860, fill
ing many extensive contracts with entire satis
faction to all concerned. In 1862 he took a
contract from C. B. Morse to do the wood
work on all cotton and woolen machinery made
at the Union Iron Works at Rhinebeck, N. Y.,
and after six years there he moved (in 1868)
to Matteawan to take charge of the pattern
shop of J. B. Schenk & Sons, with whom he

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

551

remained one year, and then entered the em
ploy of the Matteawan Manufacturing Co. , to
superintend their buHding and repairs. He
spent eighteen years in this position, and was
then compeHed by ill health to resign and
spend some months in recuperating. In 1888
he purchased the property in Spring street,
opposite the Union Free School, where he has
since conducted a store, enjoying a fine cus
tom. He also owns three houses and lots in
the vHlage, and a farm of eighty acres in the
vicinity. On June 26, 1852, he was married to
Rachel Hasbrouck, daughter of Garrett and
Martha Hasbrouck. Her death occurred Jan
uary 3, 1873, and Mr. Terwilliger has since
wedded Sarah E. Sufherlin, daughter of David
and Maria (Schoonmaker) Van Wagenen, who
were natives of Ulster county, N. Y. Of the
two chHdren of this union one died at the age
of seven years, and the other, Nellie A., is at
home. She and her mother are members of
the M. E. Church, but Mr. Terwilliger, who
was reared in the faith of the Reformed Dutch
Church, still inclines to that belief. Politic
ally, he is a Democrat, and he was trustee of
the viHage of Matteawan for two years.

T\HOMAS S. JUDSON, one of the leading
_ business men of Matteawan, Dutchess
county, is the head of the Beacon Ice Com
pany, the superintendent of the mechanical
goods department of the New York Rubber
Company, and a shareholder in many other
prosperous enterprises.
Mr. Judson was born in Newtown, Conn.,
September i, 1833, a son of Zenas and Fannie
(Torrence) Judson, and grandson of John Jud
son. He is of English descent on his father's
side, of Irish origin on his mother's. His
father was for many years the proprietor of a
merchant-tailoring establishment in New York
City. Our subject is one of a family of thir
teen chHdren, six of whom are still living.
The public schools of Newtown afforded him
his only educational opportunities, and as he
grew old enough to help upon the farm his at
tendance was limited to the winter terms. At
the age of sixteen he began to work in the
village of Sandy Hook for the New York Belting
& Packing Company, located in the town of
Newtown, and remained in their employ until
1858, when he came to Matteawan as foreman
for the New York Rubber Company. This po

sition he held some twenty-four years, and
since 1883 he has superintended the mechan
ical department of those works. He is now a
stockholder in the concern, and he has be
come interested in various other business ven
tures. For over twenty years he was the pro
prietor of the Beacon Ice Company, now
managed by his two sons, George G. and Will
iam H,, and he is a trustee and vice-president
of the Matteawan Savings Bank, director of
the Matteawan National Bank, stockholder in
the "Holland Hotel," and trustee of the Hotel
Association. In politics he is a Republican,
and in 1879-80 he was collector of the town
of FishkHl; in 1881-82 was township super
visor, and in 1887-88 he was president of the
village of Matteawan. He is a member of
Beacon Lodge No. 283, F. & A. M., and has
held the office of trustee for some years. His
sound, conservative views, so rarely found in
combination with such enterprise as he has
always displayed, make him as valued an ad
viser and helper in public affairs as in business
concerns. On July 30, 1854, Mr. Judson married
Eliza Glover, daughter of the late Capt. D. J.
and Pollie (Briscoe) Glover, of Newtown, Conn.
They have three children: Two sons, George
G. and William H., and one daughter, Lillian
F., married to C. E. Jaynes. The family at
tend the M. E. Church of Matteawan, and
take an interest in its varied lines of effort.
Mr. Judson has a charming home at the cor
ner of Sargent avenue and Wincopee street.

E\MIL PARMENTER, proprietor of the
 'I "Mechanics Hotel" at Glenham, Dutch
ess county, was born August 2, 185 1, at Strass
burg, Germany. He traces his descent from
a family which has long been engaged in agri
cultural pursuits, and his grandfather, Nicolas
Parmenter, was a farmer in the Province of
Lorraine, where he reared a family of chil
dren, all of whom lived and died in their na
tive land.
Nicholas Parmenter, our subject's father,
was born in Lorraine, in 1823, and followed
agriculture all his life, his death occurring in
1895. His wife, Caroline Weber, who is still
living, was a native of Strassburg and a daugh
ter of Anthony Weber. Her grandfather Weber
lost his property during the Napoleonic wars,
and nearly lost his Hfe. After their marriage
Nicholas and Caroline Parmenter settled in

552

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Strassburg, and eleven children were born
there, of whom our subject was the eldest:
(2) Caroline, widow of John Swing, lives in
Strassburg; (3) Lewis resides at the old home,
and is now in the employ of the government;
(4) Charles, a resident of Nancy, France, is a
master carpenter, and was sent to the World's
Fair in Chicago to superintend the installation
of certain machinery; (5) Magdalene remained
in Germany; (6) Edward is engaged in the
cooper's trade in Strassburg; (7) Mary mar
ried Xavier Vix, a restaurant-keeper at Nancy,
France, and has become thoroughly French in
speech and customs; (8) Eugene is a cooper
at Strassburg; (9) Albert is a carpenter at
Holyoke, N. Y. ; (10) August died when about
nine years old, and the eleventh chHd died in
infancy. EmH Parmenter remained in his native place
until he reached the age of twenty-one, and
there acquired a knowledge of the mason's
trade. In 1872 he crossed the ocean, and has
since made his home at Glenham, Dutchess
county. For some time he followed his trade,
and for a few years he was engaged in the
grocery business. Six years were spent in
the wholesale ale business, and then he began
dealing in beer; but in 1884 he opened the
hotel and saloon which he has ever since con
ducted. In 1876 he married Miss Ella Boyce,
a native of Dutchess county, and a daughter
of Robert and Sarah Boyce. Three children
have blessed their union: Emily and Ella, who
are both at home, and Louis, who died at the
age of four and one-half years.
Mr. Parmenter is a public-spirited citizen,
taking great interest in aH improvements. He
has been a Democrat, but is now a Republican
in political faith. Fraternally he is a member
of the I. O. O. F. , with which order he united
in 1883.

HON. EDWARD M. GORING was born
 in Manchester, England, April 20, 1828.
No citizen of the pleasant and prosperous vil
lage of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county, is
more deserving of notice in this Commemora
tive Biographical Record, and none is better
known and esteemed than the gentleman
whose name introduces this sketch, and who
has spent almost his entire life in the locality
where he still makes his home.
Robert Goring, the paternal grandfather of
our subject, was born in England in 1770, and

married Jane Morris on February 4, 1802.
They had four chHdren: John M., the father
of our subject; James, born in 1807; Thomas,
born in 1813, came to the United States and
located in Wisconsin, where he died; and Jane,
who died unmarried.
John M. Goring was the eldest of the fam
ily, and was born in Manchester in 1804. He
learned the business of engraving to calico
printing, and followed it all his life. He mar
ried Miss Martha Heald, who was born in
Lancashire, England, where her father was a
cotton broker. One member of the family,
James Heald, was member of Parliament from
Stockport, in that county. Nine children were
born of this union, of whom the following rec
ord is given : Edward Morris is the subject of
this sketch; Walter H. lives in Wappingers
Falls; Mrs. Jane E. Myatt, in Bridgeport,
Conn. ; Mrs. Lucy A. Babcock, in Haverstraw,
N. Y. ; Thomas W., in Chicago; Victoria A.;
Martha M. and John M., Jr., of Wappingers
Falls; Anna, died in 1852. The father of this
family came to the United States in 1832, first
locating at Fall River, and later at Boston. He
was a close friend of Alvan Clark, the maker of
the lenses for the great Lick telescope, and for
the large Yerkes telescope, of Chicago. In
1836 Mr. Goring removed to Wappingers Falls,
where he died January 22, 1879. His wife
died AprH 15, 1886. He was originally a
Whig, later a Republican, and although an
active politician, he never held an office. He
was a strong advocate of temperance, and was
interested in all matters pertaining to the pub
lic welfare. Edward M. Goring, our subject, was only
eight years of age when his parents left Eng
land, but had already attended school for a
time. His education was completed in the
district school at Wappingers Falls, and in
1845 he was apprenticed to the trade of en
graving to calico printing, which he followed
from 1845 to i860. For the succeeding nine
years he was engaged in the coal business, and
in 1869 he was a member of the firm of Dis
brow & Goring, iron founders; was in the real-
estate business untH 1872, when he buHt Gor
ing Hall and opened a drug store. In this
business he was engaged untH 1890, since
which time he has retired from active business
pursuits. *
In 1850 Mr. Goring married Miss Jane E.,
youngest daughter of Alexander Thomson, of
Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county. Of this

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

553

union four chHdren were born: Thomson E.,
who is superintendent of the large overall
factory of Sweet, Orr & Co. , and whose sketch
immediately foHows; Maria J., who mar
ried Ashley S. Worsley, chief engineer in the
Providence Electric Light Company's works;
Prescott C, a printer; and Ada M. , who died
in chHdhood. Mr. Goring was an Old-line
Whig, coming into the Republican ranks on
the formation of the latter party. He has
always taken a lively interest in public affairs,
and has held a number of important offices,
being collector of Fishkill town in 1862;
Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue from
1865 to 1867; Assistant U. S. Assessor Inter
nal Revenue from 1867 to 1871. He was
the first Republican supervisor elected in that
township in ten years, and was re-elected by a
large majority. In 1871 he was a member of
the New York Assembly, and sergeant-at-
arms of the Assembly in 1872. He was presi
dent of the village in 1 879, and is its present po
lice justice. In 1883 he was appointed, by Presi
dent Arthur, postmaster at Wappingers Falls,
which office he held four years. Mr. Goring
has been a trustee of the Grinnell Library for
thirty years. In local enterprises, notably the
creating of'the town of Wappinger from the
town of Fishkill; in the incorporation of Wap
pingers Savings Bank, and Bank of Wappin
gers; the incorporation of Wappingers Falls as
a vHlage; in the laying out of the new road to
New Hamburg as a public, instead of a toll,
road, as chartered by the Legislature; in the
law authorizing the erection of the $15,000
public-school buHding in the village, and in
other kindred enterprises, Mr. Goring was the
initiator and earnest promoter. In all these
responsible and honorable positions, he has
acquitted himself with credit to himself, and
for the best interests of the public.

T THOMSON E. GORING, eldest son of
__ Hon. E. M. Goring, was born at Wap
pingers Falls, Dutchess county, September 27,
1852, and after graduating from the public
schools was for some time associated with his
father in the drug and stationery business at
Goring HaH. In 1878 he entered the employ
of Sweet, Orr & Co., who recognized his abil
ities in 1884 in appointing him to his present
position. Mr. Goring's abilities and kindly disposition
have won him a firm place in the regard of the

community at large, and, although his views
on the Temperance question are somewhat in
advance of the sentiment in that locality, he
received a hearty support as candidate for the
office of president of the village.
He is one of the three honorary members
of the K. of T. No. 22, St. Andrews GuHd,
and is a vestryman of Zion Episcopal Church.
He is also a thirty-second degree Freemason;
a life member of the Lodge of Perfection;
Council Princes of Jerusalem; Chapter of Rose
Croix; the Consistory of New York City — the
first three named orders being also of New
York. He is also an illustrious noble of Mecca
Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., and wears a past
master's jewel presented by the brethren of
Wappingers Lodge No. 671, F. & A. M. , on
his retirement from his second term of office.
Mr. Goring is also a member of Poughkeepsie
Chapter No. 172, R. A. M. ; King Solomon's
Council No. 31, R. & S. M. ; and a past senior
warden of Poughkeepsie Commandery No. 43,
K. T. At the Masonic fair held in Pough
keepsie in 1896 he was awarded a past master's
apron, which had been offered to the past mas
ter of any lodge in Dutchess county receiving
the largest vote. Mr. Goring is also a mem
ber of Lafayette Lodge No. 18, I. O. O. F.,
Lafayette Encampment No. 95, and Evening
Star Lodge No. 98, K. of P., aH of Wap
pingers Falls, and also belongs to the Amrita
Club of Poughkeepsie. In politics he is a
Republican. While fully recognizing his social
obligations, Mr. Goring, with all his business
cares, is not without an interest in the world of
sport and recreation, as is shown by his mem
bership in the Dutchess County Golf Club, the
Carthage Ice Yacht Club, and the organization
known as the Long Island Wheelmen of the
City of Brooklyn. He is also a member of
L. A. W.
Mr. Goring's first wife was Miss Mary J.
Myatt, a daughter of James Myatt, of Bridge
port, Conn. Three chHdren were born of this
union: Myatt E., Maud A. (who died Sep
tember 27, 1888), and Ethel M. The mother
of these passed away March 11, 1886, and
May 21, 1894, Mr. Goring formed a second
matrimonial alliance, his bride being Miss
Martha Nelson, of Wappingers Falls. Her
father. Justice Reuben W. Nelson, was born in
New Jersey, of EngHsh stock, and her mother,
Mary A. PhiHips, was a daughter of James A.
Phillips, of French ancestry.
Mr. Goring, as the able and popular sup-

554

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

erintendent of Sweet, Orr & Co. 's overall fac
tory at Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county,
seems to have settled in a satisfactory manner
the difficult problem of maintaining the inter
ests of his employers efficiently while establish
ing with the workers of the establishment a
feeling of respect and esteem which eliminates
friction. His genial and generous temperament
enables him to find a way to secure discipline
without sacrificing harmony, and the affection
of the employes has been evidenced by the valu
able testimonials of their regard. A genuine
lover of the beauties of nature, he has thought
fully striven to make the factory an inviting
place to the eye; and from spring to fall the
vine-covered buildings, with their windows and
roofs brightened by a profusion of flowering
plants, make a refreshing picture. In the
center of the factory is a court which is made
a veritable bower in the warm season, while
scattered about in the various departments
are potted plants, palms and ferns. There is
also a greenhouse containing a large collection
of plants valued for their beauty and rarity.
In this connection it is appropriate to mention
that Mr. Goring is also a member of the
Dutchess County Horticultural Society.

JOHN HENRY TIEMEYER. Among our
thrifty, energetic citizens of German birth
the subject of this biography, the well-
known proprietor of the "Union Hotel" and
stables at Fishkill village, is a notable figure.
His untiring and well-directed energy, and wise
management, qualities so thoroughly character
istic of his race, have won for him an enviable
success in life from a start which could scarcely
have been more discouraging.
He was born January 9, 1838, in Osna-
bruck, Hanover, Germany, where his father,
John Gerhard Henry Tiemeyer, owned a good-
sized farm. The mother, whose maiden name
was Drietchen Zurmellen, died when our sub
ject was only six years old, leaving a family of
two sons and two daughters. Until the age
of fifteen, Mr. Tiemeyer enjoyed excellent edu
cational advantages in the public school near
his home, but after that time he was employed
upon his father's farm. At twenty -two he
came to America, and on landing in New York
City he immediately secured a situation in a
grocery at $3.00 per month and board. Five
months later he was offered $5.00 per month
at another store, and he spent four months in

hard work there; but this employer failed, and
he received nothing for his efforts but his
board. At his next place he worked one year,
his wages being raised during that time from
$8.00 a month to $12.00, and he then found
a place where he began at $13,00 a month,
and stayed three years, receiving in the latter
part of the term $15.00 a month. His last
employer, Henry Klute, furnished him money
to engage in the grocery business for himself,
and he accordingly opened a store on Twenty-
eighth street, between Seventh and Eighth
avenues, where he continued successfully for
a year and a half. As his landlord wished to
raise his rent, Mr. Tiemeyer moved to another
store near by, having by this time saved
enough money to be independent as to his lo
cation. About a year later, his former land
lord having come to terms, Mr. Tiemeyer took
the building again, and carried on the two
stores. Later he opened another, and con
ducted the three for a time until a brother-in-
law purchased one, and after a time he sold
one of the others to a cler|k who had been with
him for three years. He then took a trip to
the " Fatherland," and on his return disposed
of his last store. Having accumulated about
$5,000 he purchased the store building belong
ing to his first landlord, and carried on busi
ness there for some time; but as real-estate in
that locality was depreciating in value, he took
advantage of an opportunity to exchange it for
property in Kingston, N. Y. Then he en
gaged in soap-making, and later carried on a
milk business; but after a time he moved to
College Point, and while there lost all he had
previously gained.
He had to begin Hfe anew, and for several
years he worked at different kinds of employ
ment; in 1880, with the help of a friend, he
bought out a saloon, where for a year and a
half he managed to make a living. In 1882
he purchased, in partnership with two others,
the fixtures and stock of a saloon on the cor
ner of Seventy-second street and Second ave
nue. New York City, for $8,000, with a lease
of five years at a yearly rental of $1,200.
Mr. Tiemeyer was a silent partner, and man
aged the business, succeeding so well that two
years later he purchased the interest of one of
the active partners. As the time drew near
for a renewal of the lease, in 1887, the land
lord raised the rent to $2,500, so Mr. Tie
meyer bought the interest of his other partner,
and removed the business to the corner of

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

555

Eighty-ninth street and Second avenue, where
he remained four years. In 1891 he pur
chased his present hotel property at Fishkill,
where he now lives.
On February i, 1868, Mr. Tiemeyer was
married to Miss Rebecca Meyer, daughter of
Franz and Elizabeth Meyer. ' Of eight chil
dren born to them five are now living: Louise,
Frank Henry, John M., Rudolph and Eddie.
The other three died in chHdhood. Although
Mr. and Mrs. Tiemeyer are members of the
German Lutheran Church, they attend the Re
formed Dutch Church at present, as the Lu
therans have no organization at Fishkill. On
poHtical questions Mr. Tiemeyer generally
gives his vote to the Democratic party, but he
is not a politician in the strict sense. He is a
member of the Knights of Honor, Empire
City Lodge No. 228.

LEWIS W. GENUNG, a prominent citizen
 .' and leading business man of the town of
East Fishkill, Dutchess county, conducting a
general store at JohnsvHle, was born February
20, 1843, at Swartout, in the town of Wap
pinger, Dutchess county, and comes from one
of the good old families of the community,
which is probably of French origin. His pa
ternal grandfather, after his marriage, located
,upon a farm in the town of Fishkill, where he
reared his three sons: Adrian, the father of
our subject; Joseph, a farmer of the town of
East FishkHl; and Benjamin, a farmer of
Wayne county. New York.
In the town of FishkHl Adrian Genung was
born, and on attaining to man's estate was
united in marriage with Miss Susan Boice,
whose birth occurred in the town of Wappin
ger, Dutchess county. Her father, Isaac Boice,
was also a native of Dutchess county, and a
carpenter by occupation. After their marriage
the young couple located at Swartoutville,
where the father engaged in merchandising for
many years, but later in life turned his atten
tion to agricultural pursuits, dying upon his
farm in East Fishkill town in 1 880. He was
a man of the strictest integrity, and a Demo
crat in political sentiment. His wife passed
away in 1885. Of the seven chHdren born to
them, four died in infancy, and Ella is also
now deceased; Adriana married WHlet Pierce,
a butcher; Lewis W. completes the family.
Our subject's early life was spent at Swart-
outvHle, and after finishing his education he

engaged in teaching for about ten years, prin
cipally in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess
county. In February, 1866, he married Miss
Mary E. Pierce, who was born at JohnsviHe,
and is a daughter of Caleb Pierce, a native of
East Fishkill, and a farmer and butcher by
occupation. For three years after their mar
riage they continued to live at JohnsvHle, but
at the end of that time removed to Lagrange
town, where Mr. Genung followed the pro
fession of school teaching. Returning to Johns
viHe in 1878, he opened his present store,
which he has since successfully conducted, and
as a business man is straightforward and hon
orable in all his dealings. Two chHdren have
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Genung: Fred L. ,
who assists his father in the store; and Grace
E. Politically, our subject is identified with
the Republican party, and was appointed post
master at JohnsviHe shortly after the close of
the Civil war, which position he has held al
most continuously since; he is also notary pub
lic. He is a most highly esteemed citizen.

lENJAMIN F. TREEN, a prominent citi
zen of the town of Fishkill, Dutchess
county, and superintendent of the extensive
straw works, was born in Wallace, Nova
Scotia, March 27, 1848.
His ancestors came from England at an
early period, and his great-grandfather, Jo
seph Treen, and his grandparents, Joseph and
Mary Treen, were residents of Nova Scotia.
His father, William Treen, married Mary
a daughter of Benjamin Cook, and had six
chHdren: Joseph, Benjamin F. , Edward,
Ellen, Elizabeth and Mary Jane. William
Treen was a prominent ship builder, and often
sailed as captain of one of his vessels. He
was lost at sea in 1855, his brig, the "Mary
Jane, " being wrecked off the coast of Nova
Scotia. Benjamin F. Treen received his early edu
cation in the public schools of his native place,
and at the age of fifteen entered the employ of
Thomas Flynn to learn to make fine custom
boots and shoes. After working at this trade
for five years, he came to the United States
and found employment at Holliston, Mass.,
with Peter R. Johnson, a boot and shoe manu
facturer, for whom he worked one year. For
the next ten years he was engaged in clerking
for Timothy Daniels in the retail grocery and
dry-goods business, and he then became inter-

556

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

ested in the manufacture of straw goods, and
worked three years with D. C. Mowrey & Co.,
learning the details of hat making. This done,
he became superintendent of B. H. Spaulding's
straw hat factory at Milford, Mass., and two
years later he came to Matteawan to take
charge of the plant of the Matteawan Manu
facturing Co. He resigned this position after
seven years to accept a simHar one with W.
H. Mase, but in two years he returned to the
former company, with which he has since been
connected as superintendent. He is now a
stockholder and the secretary of the company,
of which Leonard M. Hills and Frank E.
Whitman, of Amherst, Mass., are the princi
pal members.
On December 20, 1876, Mr. Treen married
Miss Ida Frances Blake, daughter of Johnson
R. and Abbie S. (Gunn) Blake, of Greenwich,
N. Y. , and has two daughters, Marion Louise
and Emma Gertrude. The family attend the
Presbyterian Church, and take a generous in
terest in various philanthropic movements. In
politics Mr. Treen is a Republican, and he is
at present a member qf the board of educa
tion. He is a member of the Matteawan Club,
andiof the Masonic order. Beacon Lodge No.
283, F. & A. M., Matteawan; Highland Chap
ter No, 52, R. A. M., Newburg; Hudson River
Commandery No. 35, K. T., Newburg, and
Mecca Temple, A. A, O. N. M. S., New York
City.

B)ENJAMIN W. VAN WYCK, a prominent
 ) citizen of Poughkeepsie, and senior part
ner of the firm of Van Wyck & Collins, which
owns the extensive marble and granite works
at Nos. 175 and 177 Main street, was born Oc
tober 27, 1835, in the town of Pleasant VaHey,
Dutchess county.
Theodorus Van Wyck, great-grandfather
of our subject, was one of three brothers who
emigrated from Holland, and, coming to the
United States, settled on a farm at Jamaica,
Queens county. Long Island. There they
were all married, and two of the brothers,
John and Abram, remained and reared their
families ; Theodorus Van Wyck settled at Hemp
stead, Queens county. Long Island, and there
Samuel, grandfather of Benjamin, was born.
He married Katura Sammis, who was born in
that locality, and in 1792 came to Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, settling on a farm.
A family of six children were born to this couple.

of which the following names are given:
Charles, Walter, Cornelia and Betsey. Sam
uel Van Wyck followed farming during his life,
and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
He and his wife were members of the Presby
terian Church.
Charles Van Wyck, father of our subject,
was born in 1806, in Pleasant Valley. He
was married in 1822 to Miss Eliza Rugar, who
was of Dutch descent, and was born in Pleas
ant Valley. Five children were born of this
union: Mary E. is the wife of Henry M.
Owen, a farmer in Pleasant Valley; Lewis C.
is a machinist at Newburg; Amelia died in
1858; Benjamin W. is our subject; Martha
died in infancy. The father was a machinist,
and worked in the mill at Pleasant Valley.
He was a Whig in politics, and both parents
were members of the Presbyterian Church.
He was very domestic in his tastes, fond of
his home and family, and highly respected by
all who knew him. He died May 15, 1838;
his wife died July 9, 1896, at the advanced age
of about eighty-seven years.
Benjamin W. Van Wyck, our subject, ob
tained his §arly education in the schools of his
native village, and when old enough began
learning the trade of a marble-cutter at Fish
kill. Later he went to Glens Falls, where he
perfected himself in the business, and in r86o
finished his schooling at the Oswego Institute.
He then went into the marble business at
Pleasant Valley; but had hardly more than
made a beginning when the Civil war broke
out, and he felt it his duty to rally to the de
fense of the Union. On September 4, 1862,
he enHsted in Company D, 128th N. Y. I.,
and served throughout the war, being dis
charged July 12, 1865. He was with Banks
on the Red River (La.) campaign, and with
Sheridan during the Shenandoah Valley cam
paign, also in the battle at Cedar Creek, where
he had a narrow escape from death, and was
in other important engagements. On his re
turn from the war he took up his residence in
Poughkeepsie, where he worked for a time in
the marble works of Haxby & MiHer. In April,
1867, he bought the interest of Mr. Haxby,
the firm then becoming Miller & Van Wyck.
This partnership lasted until the death of Mr.
MHler in 1878, and for the succeeding three
years Mr. Van Wyck had sole control of the
business. In 1881 he sold a half interest to
Mr. Collins, and the present firm of Van Wyck
& Collins was organized.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

557

In the extensive works owned by this firm
all kinds of marble work is done, such as in
terior work in buildings, vault linings, wains
coting and flooring, table and buffet tops, as
well as monuments. Mr. Van Wyck was the
first dealer in this part of the State to intro
duce- granite work to supersede that of marble,
in this line, and they are well equipped with
steam machinery, etc. , to turn out very fine
specimens, both in design and workmanship.
They also keep on hand all kinds of encaustic
tUes,- grates, fireplaces and brass goods for the
same. They buy stock in the rough, and cut
and polish to suit their trade. Their steam
plant and other accessories have been twice
enlarged so that they have now one of the
best manufactories in the State, and turn out
superior work in every line of their business.
The integrity and fair dealing of the firm is
well known, and it has a high reputation in
business circles.
Mr. Van Wyck was married October 1 1 ,
1865, to Miss Mary L. , daughter of Alfred C.
Van Vlack, of the town of Unionvale. Her
father, generally known as Major Van Vlack,
is of Dutch descent and a miller by occupa
tion. No children have been born to this
union. Mr. and Mrs. Van Wyck are members
of the First Reformed Dutch Church, and are
highly esteemed by all who know them. Our
subject is a Republican, but has never con
sented to hold office. He is public-spirited, a
loyal citizen, and always ready to assist in
worthy enterprises. He is a member of the
F. & A. M. and the G. A. R.

E

EDWARD EVERETT HAVENS, a well-

known dealer in groceries and provisions
on Main street, Fishkill-on-Hudson, Dutchess
county, is one of the leading business men of
that town, and is noted not only for prudence
and sagacity in that enterprise, but for tbe
energy which carries his plans to successful
completion. He was a native of the beautiful village in
which he now resides. His father, Joseph
F. Havens, was born in New London, Conn.,
and he and his wife, Katherine O'Shaugh-
nessy, are still living. Of their twelve chil
dren, eleven survive, the eldest being now
about forty years of age, and the youngest
seventeen. Their names are: Rhodolphus
Augustave; Joseph Francis; Edward Everett,
our subject; Catherine, who died in infancy;

Adelia, William, James Henry, Maryette,
Sandford WHson, Lewis H., Herman and
Walter. The paternal grandparents of Edward Ev
erett were Silas and Maryette ( Griffin ) Ha
vens. The former was born February 4, 1794,
and died January 20, 1857; the latter was
born December 6, 1809, and died AprH 18,
1884. They had twelve chHdren, whose fam
ily history is as follows: (i) Silas Nathaniel
Havens, born March 2, 1827, married Arabella
Smith February 24, 1858; no children. (2)
Sabroh Angeline, born AprH 7, 1829, married
Samuel Beckwith March 15, 1853; nine chil
dren — Fannie Maryette, who was born Octo
ber 3, 1855 (married Jerome Munger January
I, 1882, and has two children, Mina EsteHa,
born July 23, 1883, and Emma May, born
May 21, 1885, died May 4, 1886); Wilbur
Wilson, born AprH i, 1857; Albert, born AprH
28, 1858, died AprH 4, 1886; Flora Elvira,
born September 4, 1862; Emery Melvin, born
January 7, 1864; Angle Alida, born April 27,
1865; Effie May, born June 4, 1867; Emma
Estelle, born AprH 12, 1869, died June 12,
1884; Edna LueHa, born November 12, 1870.
(3) Cynthia Margett, born February i, 1831,
married March 2, 1849, Nathaniel B. Crocker,
who died July 3, 1864; five chHdren — Nelson
Steadman, born May 27, 1851, died Septem
ber 24, 185 1 ; Allen Wilson, born February 11,
1853, died September 6, 1853; Alfred Walter,
born February 11, 1853, died August 12, 1853;
EHa Maryette, born August 27, 1855, married
Edmund Smith May 7, 1873, and has one
chHd, MiHie Smith, born October i, 1874 (EHa
Maryette was again married, this time February
8, 1885, to Arthur Baker); and Perry WiHis,
born March 2, i860, died January 26, 1861.
(4) Sanford WHson, born March 5, 1833, mar
ried October 8, 1857, Laura Ellen Gallup;
one child — Walter Louis, born December 29,
1 86 1. (5) Joseph Francis, born AprH 26,
1835, married Katherine O'Shaughnessy, Au
gust 5, 1855; twelve chHdren — Rhodolphus
Augustave, born June 24, 1856 (married Ella
Corcan, November 25, 1877, and has three
children, Katie A., born December i, 1878;
EHa, born October 15, 1879, died September
5, 1 881; and Mary G., born November 25.
1882); Joseph Francis, Jr., born March i,
1858, married Jennie Benedict, May 9, 1883;
Edward Everett, whose sketch appears below;
Katie, born June 5, 1862, died July 6, 1864;
Adelia, born June 25, 1864, married to PhHip

558

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Knapp, May 12, 1883; WiHiam S., born May
21, 1866; fames Henry, born March 7, 1868;
Sandford W., born December 12, 1869; Mar-
getta, born August 26, 1870; Lewis H., born
January 12, 1873; Herman, born August 5,
1875; Walter Lee, born May 21, 1876. (6)
Nelson Monroe, born November 12, 1837,
married Mary A. Luce, December 14, 1862;
two children — Jennie Marian, born June 5,
1868, died AprH 21, 1869; and James Luce,
born August 25, 187 1. (7) Melissa Jane, born
October 22, 1840, married WHHam F. Beck
with, March 17, 1858; two children — Elmer
Leslie, born April 16, 1866; and Elsie Melissa,
born November 12, 1874. (8) Alfred Word
ing, born October 29, 1842, married Mary B.
Chapman, May i, 1872; one chHd — Willis
Monroe, born May 17, 1875. (9) Sophia
Amelia, born December 4, 1844, married
James Valentine Luce, December 30, i860.
(10) Terrie Florella, born May 18, 1847, mar
ried James Valentine Luce, December 2, 1883;
one child — Laura Sophia, born May 12, 1885.
(11) WHbur Edson, born October 29, 1849,
married Lottie Rosella Jordan, November 25,
1875 ; three children — Arthur Edson, born
September 26, 1876; Florence Rosella, born
March 13, 1878; and Edith Gertrude, born
November 16, 1879. (12) Herman Edgar,
born February 8, 1854, married Jessie Fre
mont Beebe, February 7, 1882; one child —
Myrtle Sophia, born December 23, 1882.
Edward Everett Havens, the subject of our
sketch, was born February 9, 1861, and was
educated in the public schools of Fishkill. On
leaving school at about the age of fourteen, he
secured a situation as clerk in the grocery store
of R. H. Delaney, in the town of Beekman.
He remained there three years, and then went
to work in the A. T. Stewart mill at Glenham,
and during the three or four years spent there
learned several different trades connected with
the manufacture of woolen cloth. After leav
ing this place he entered the employ of Rev.
Father McSweegan, in Matteawan, and for
about a year worked on church improvements,
and the next four years were spent with James
A. Murray, a carpenter and buHder. In Oc
tober, 1886, the business in which he is now
engaged was founded, beginning in the build
ing next door to his present establishment,
which he erected in 1892.
Mr. Havens' partner in life's joys and sor
rows was Miss Mary C. McCarroll, a daughter
of Robert and Mary McCarroll. They have

four children: John E,, Mary A., Robert
Francis, and James Herman. They are mem
bers of the Roman Catholic Church at Fish
kiH. In politics Mr. Havens is a Democrat, and
he has been the candidate of his party for
commissioner of the poor, and also for trustee
of the village. As the town is generally Re
publican, and as the years in which he led the
forlorn hope exceptionally unfavorable for the
Democratic party, he was defeated. He is a
member of Dutchess Council C. B. L. , and is
at present its treasurer. He is also a member
of the Catholic Knights of America, member
No. 49120, of the Catholic Benevolent Society,
and of Court Queen of the Hudson No. 81 19,
A. O. F. of A.

F

*RANK M. EDMOND is one of the most

JT' able and enterprising young business men
of Matteawan, Dutchess county, the inventor
of a wire-spring support for upholstered chairs
and car seats, which promises well, his patent
having been obtained and a company formed
for the manufacture and sale of the appliance,
with Ross Judson, president, Samuel K. PhH
lips, secretary and treasurer, and Mr. Edmond,
as superintendent. No one who knows Mr.
Edmond will fail to wish him well in this new
undertaking, as his courageous and energetic
efforts during past business reverses have won
universal admiration and good will.
He is a son of the late William Remain
Edmond, who for over twenty years was a
stockholder in the Matteawan Hat Manufac
turing Co., and the foreman of its extensive
works. He was a native of Windham, Greene
Co., N. Y., and went to Matteawan at the
time the late Lewis Tompkins and the Mase
brothers began their investments in the hat
business at that place. He died of paralysis
July 10, 1889, his wife, formerly Mary E.
Bump, and six sons surviving him. Our sub
ject is one of eight children: George; Addie,
who died in chHdhood; Nelson; William; Frank
M. ; James; Horace; and Lucius, who died in
early youth.
Frank M. Edmond was born February 18,
1863, and resided at Matteawan throughout
his early life, attending the public schools untH
the age of twenty, and later working in a
straw-hat factory. After six or seven years in
that employment he engaged in the furniture
business at Fishkill Landing in partnership

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

559

with Mr. Otto Deicke, one of the best uphol
sterers and carriage trimmers to be found on
the Hudson. This partnership was terminated
four years later by the death of Mr. Deicke;
but his interest was taken by his son Herman
and the firm continued for another year under
the same style of Deicke & Edmond. The
business had prospered, and the firm was
carrying at this time a full line of household
goods, including stoves and ranges, but their
trade was largely "on time", and when the
business depression came and their customers
were unable to meet their obligations, the firm
was forced to discontinue. Mr. Edmond was
thus compelled to make a new start in life, but
he had his tools and an abundant supply of
"pure grit", which in combination with his
trained abilities were a sufficient capital. In
1 891 he began work in repairing bicycles and
upholstering furniture, and his success enabled
him to open a shop of his own in Matteawan
on Main street, under the "Dibble House",
in the spring of 1896. He also holds the
agency for a fine line of bicycles, and is at pres
ent the manager of Scharbauer & Sargent's
Bicycle Manufacturing and Repair Shops.
On June 4, 1890, Mr. Edmond married
Miss Emma Deicke, a daughter of his former
partner. Otto Deicke, and his wife, Marie
Deicke. They have two children, Romain and
Bertha, and reside in a pleasant home on
Washington avenue, Matteawan. Both attend
the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Edmond is
a member of the I. O. O. F., Evergreen Lodge,
Matteawan. He has always voted the Demo
cratic ticket.

w

SPANIEL H. MONKS, a well-known resi
dent of Fishkill, Dutchess county, was
born August 19, 1858, in Dublin, Ireland. His
family has been prominent in that city for
many years, and his father, the late William
Monks, a native of the place and a man of in
dependent means, passed the greater part of
his life there. With his wife, Anna (Murphy),
and their famHy, he came to America to spend
his last years, and his death occurred in the
town of New Windsor, Orange Co., N. Y. He
took a keen interest in all the questions of the
day, and especially in political problems, his
sympathies being with the Democratic party.
In religious faith he was a Roman Catholic, as
is his estimable wife, who survives him.
Of their seven chHdren, the eldest, James,

gave his life for his adopted country, dying in
Andersonville prison in the latter part of 1864.
He enlisted first in the i68th N. Y. V. I., and,
after receiving an honorable discharge at the
end of two years' service, he re-enlisted, this
time in the 15th N. Y. Cav. He was captured
three times, and the cruel hardships of the
historic stockade at Andersonville finally proved
too much for his gallant spirit and once strong
and healthy frame. The other members of
the family were: Margaret (deceased), for
merly the wife of James A. Dunn, an under
taker at Newburgh, N. Y.; Mary, wife of Nich
olas Lee, of Newburgh; John, a liquor dealer
in the same city; Daniel H., our subject;
Fannie, wife of Robert Greening, of New
Windsor, N. Y. ; and Anna (deceased).
D. H. Monks was but a child when his
parents came to this country, and his youth
was spent mainly in Newburgh. He learned
the business of molding iron and brass, which
he followed for some time; but in 1889 he en
gaged in the retail liquor business at Fishkill
Landing. Since 1890 he has carried on a
wholesale trade, making a specialty of How
ard & Child's beer.
Mr. Monks was married, in 1886, to Miss
Elizabeth Smith, of Fishkill Landing, adaugh
ter of James Smith, whose ancestors came
originally from the Emerald Isle. No chil
dren were born of this union. In politics Mr.
Monks is a Democrat, and he is a prominent
member of St. John's Roman Catholic Church
at Fishkill.

|C LEXANDER HAMILTON DUDLEY.
-^^ The Dudley family is of English origin,
and the branch to which the subject of this
sketch belongs traces its lineage to Lord Guil
ford Dudley and his wife. Lady Jane Grey.
The first of the line to come to America left
Leicestershire, England, at a very early period,
and located in New England, where his de
scendants have been prominent in various
walks of life, some having been Governors of
States. Asael Dudley, our subject's grandfather,
married Hannah Woodhouse. He died May
31, 1830, in the eighty-second year of his age,
and his wife on December 16, 183 1, at the
age of eighty-three. Their son, Joseph S.
Dudley, our subject's father, was born in WH-
ton. Conn., in 1786, and died September 16,
1865. He was a tanner and currier by trade.

560

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and owned a tannery at Hughsonville. His
wife, Betsey (Cole), was adaughter of WiHiam
Cole, of WHton, Conn. She was born in
1790, and died January 10, 1855. Of their
nine children only two survive. John died in
infancy; William S. in 1867; Harriet in 1891;
John G. on April 24, 1867; Charles H.,born
October 24, 1823, and died September 17,
1850; Joseph H. is StiH Hving; George W., born
May 21, 1828, died January 23, 1848; Alex
ander H. is the subject of this sketch; Hannah
M. died October 14,- 1869.
Alexander Hamilton Dudley was born April
24, 1830, in the town of Peekskill, Westches
ter Co., N. Y. , and was educated in the
district schools of that locality, and at Wilton
Academy, Wilton, Conn., where he remained
one year. On leaving school he went to New
York City and engaged in the business of buy
ing and tearing down old buildings, and sell
ing the materials. His office was located on
23rd street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues.
In 1864, after eighteen years in this business,
he moved to Brinckerhoff, Dutchess county,
and purchased the Starr gristmill, which he,
has conducted ever since. The water privi
leges on this property are excellent as he has
never been obliged to shut down during the
driest season. There is an interesting history
connected with the mill also, as it stands upon
the site of one which was burned by the Hes
sians during the Revolutionary war, and was
built, by order of Gen. Washington, by a de
tail of soldiers belonging to the Colonial forces.
There is not a sawed stick in it, all have been
hewed from solid hardwood and mortised to
gether, and it bids fair to stand as solidly as
ever through many years to come. On De
cember 23, 1859, Mr. Dudley was married to
Miss Frances S. Hamilton, who was born No
vember 27, 1827, the daughter of WilHam
HamHton. Her death occurred November 14,
1885, and Mr. Dudley afterward wedded Mrs.
Mary (Brett) Fountain, daughter of James and
Helen (White) Brett, and widow of Hosea
Fountain, by whom she had one child. Po
litically, Mr. Dudley is a Republican, and a
member of the Reformed Church at Fishkill.

WALTER LIVINGSTON TEN-
 BROECK, anagriculturist whose pro
gressive and scientific management has made
him one of the successful men ot the town
of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was born

July 8, 1830, at Livingston, Columbia Co.,
N. Y. The district schools of that day af
forded but limited educational opportunities;
but such as they were he made the most
of them, and by intelligent observation and
constant reading he has since acquired thor
ough information upon many subjects, and
especially upon branches of science relating to
his occupation.Mr. Ten Broeck remained at the home
stead until he was twenty-five years of age,
and April i, 1854, he purchased a farm near
Rhinebeck; but two years later sold this prop
erty and moved to the estate upon which he
has now resided for forty-one years. He pos
sesses fine executive abihty, and the 160 acres
of land to which he devotes his attention are
kept in a high state of cultivation. In 1866 he
became a life member of the New York State
Agricultural Society, and he has always taken
a prominent part in local affairs; but although
he is a firm supporter of the principles of the
Democratic party, he has never held public
office, having refused to serve when elected.
He was married in 1855 to Helen U. Schultz,
daughter of Peter I. Schultz, of Rhinebeck, and
has had eight children: Derrick Wessel; Peter
S., who died at the age of eight years; Helen
R. (Mrs. Wallace Traver); Albertina S. , who
is at home; Jane L., who died at the age of
twenty-one years; and Mary E. , Lucys and
Walter T. L. , who are all at home. Mrs.
Ten Broeck is a leading member of the Re
formed Church at Rhinebeck, and a generous
worker in its varied lines of effort.
The Ten Broeck famHy is one of the oldest
and most distinguished in America, and our
subject is one of the seventh generation from
Wessel W. Ten Broeck, of Munster (a city of
Westphalia, Prussia, situated near the border
line of Holland), who landed at New Amster
dam in 1626 in. company with the Hon. Peter
Minnit, third director of the HoHand West In
dia Company. (Cornelius May, of Hoorn,
having been its first director, in 1624, and
WiHiam Van Hulst its second director, in 1625).
And when we reflect that the first known out
line map of New Belgium (now New York), in
accurate as it was, was made in 161 8; that
Boston was only settled in 1630, and Maryland
in 1632; that when this ancestor of the Ten-
Broecks came to this country in 1626, New
Amsterdam (now the mighty city of New
York) contained only 270 souls, including
men, women and chHdren; that Albany, the

-1 Crt

J^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

561

capital of our great Empire State, contained
only twenty-six inhabitants, including one white
woman; it may be truly said that Director
Minnit and his protege. Ten Broeck, came to
New Belgium when it was a very feeble col
ony, and, dating from that origin, this family
is one of the most ancient in the New World.
Nor were the early ancestors unknown or
undistinguished. The first settler became the
most extensive merchant of his day at Albany;
and the historical records of New York show
that in 1689 Dirck Wessel Ten Broeck, his
son, was employed by Gov. Dougan as em
bassador to Canada to settle matters of Pro
vincial difficulty; and that in the same year he
was his majesty's recorder of the city of Al
bany; and in 1690 the same recorder is certi
fied to with high commendation for energy and
phHanthropy in relieving the people of Schen
ectady from suffering, after the destruction of
their town by the French and Indians; and
subsequently for his great zeal in furthering
the Governor's designs against the French in
vasion then in progress. Guided by such
lights, we can safely assume that the father
and son, for that primitive day, were no ordi
nary men; but it is foreign to this notice to
attempt the history of the whole family.
Other descendants, too, have shared much
public honor and confidence, and it may not
be inopportune to say: That the able and
patriotic correspondence of Abraham Ten
Broeck, president of the committee of safety
of New York, with Hon. John Hancock, Presi
dent of Congress; the polish and eloquent
power of Derick Ten Broeck, his son, for
three sessions speaker of the House of Assem
bly of the State of New York; and the gal
lantry of Maj. Leonai'dTen Broeck (the grand
father of our subject) at the taking of Bur
goyne, are matters of history so clear that no
historical scholar will question the general tal
ent, influence or gallantry of the descendants
of the original emigrant.
Mr. Ten Broeck's father, the late Gen.
Leonard W. Ten Broeck, served as a member
of the State Assembly, and one term as sheriff
of Columbia county, and was one of the most
influential and popular men of his day. On
the maternal side our subject is a grandson of
Walter T. Livingston, of Clermont, a repre
sentative of another family distinguished from
the earliest periods of our country's history.
Capt. Samuel Ten Broeck, an elder brother
of our subject, born in Livingston June 5,

1826, just 200 years after the landing of his
ancestor in this country, was a soldier in our
Civil war, and a hero worthy of the patriotic
blood of these Hlustrious famHies, identified
with the Declaration of Independence and the
stern trials of our Revolutionary struggle. He
devoted some years of his life to mercantile
pursuits, but at the outbreak of the Rebellion
he was one of the first to respond to the call to
arms, joining Company M, 5th N. Y. V. C,
and from that time his every energy was given
to. his country. He died July 4, 1863, leaving
a wife, son and daughter, the parting from
them being his severest trial. Columbia county
mourned the death of this generous and chiv
alric officer; on the day of his burial the flags
of the shipping and public buildings at Hudson,
a point twelve mHes distant from his residence
and place of burial, were lowered to half-mast;
and a concourse, unequalled by numbers in
that section of country upon any previous occa
sion, escorted his earthly remains to their last
spot of rest — and affection deposited in his
grave many a sprig of evergreen dedicated to
his virtues and his memory. But the finale is
so graphically told by one who knew and loved
him well, in an obituary notice published the
day succeeding his death, that we will close
this notice by its insertion as follows:
Capt. Ten Broeck was one of nature's noblemen —
one of the very few so happily constituted that he had no
enemies, but many ardent, ardent friends; his nature was
so genial, his benevolence so expansive, his affections so
enthusiastic, that, as husband, parent, brother, friend, his
loss is irreparable, and, therefore, deeply and widely
mourned. As Masonic brother, his heart and hand were in
many charitable offices, and the tear of sorrow has often
been hushed from the orphan's eye. As a companion, the
light of many a social circle has been dimmed; as hus
band, father, and friend, his voice of cheerful kindness
has been hushed forever, to leave a sad and aching void.
Capt. Ten Broeck was widely known and valued in
Columbia county as a judicious and public-spirited citi
zen, having served as a member in its board of super
visors with marked ability, and as a member of the
Assembly from its Second District in 1856.
But his brightest phase of character was unswerving
patriotism which shone forth brilliantly in the first boom
ing of rebellious cannon upon the stars and stripes at
Fort Sumter. Descended from a stock who were among
the first settlers of this country, and whose swords leaped
gallantly from the scabbards in the trials of 1776, his soul
burned with native fire to resent the impious insult to our
flag, and he early volunteered in a New York cavalry
corps, where, amidst other active services, he endured
such exposure and fatigue while following his admirable
leader three weeks in the saddle, almost without inter
mission, that he was sent on a furlough to his home, a
victim of severe typhoid fever; and, after partial recov
ery, urged on by over anxiety to be with his regiment and
in the service of his country, he returned too soon to the
scene of conflict, and still too weak to follow in the train
of his intrepid commander, was intrusted with command

562

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

of the camp, until, borne down by insiduous disease, he
came home on a thirty-days' furlough to recover, if possi
ble, yet so spent that in three days after his arrival, sur
rounded by his loved ones and in his own house, that
manly spirit took flight. Farewell, dear Captain; our
national day of jubilee was a fitting one for the death of
so devoted a patriot.

J ^ICHARD COURTLAND HORTON is
_i the owner of a property in the town of
East FishkHl, Dutchess county, his handsome
residence being set off by a back ground of
dense fohage, while the grounds are intersected
by winding paths, the whole presenting a most
attractive appearance. The farm, which com
prises 1 30 acres, has been brought to a high
state of cultivation through the untiring efforts
of our subject, and yields bountiful harvests.
Mr. Horton was born at Gayhead, town of
East FishkHl, August 2, 1832, and is a lineal
descendant of Barnabas Horton, who came
from England to this country, in 1640, locat
ing in Southhold, Long Island. A wing of the
old house. which he erected in that year is yet
standing and the property is still in the posses
sion of the Horton family. He was a minister
of the Gospel, and a most excellent man.
Capt. Joseph Horton, the great-grandfa
ther of our subject, was born at Southhold,
Long Island, and there grew to manhood. He
removed to New York City, and from there to
Moodna, Ulster (afterward Orange) county,
where his death occurred. During the Revo
lutionary war he had the pleasure of entertain
ing Gen. La Fayette and Gen. Washington at
the old home. He married Miss Jane Van-
Voorhis, and to them were born two sons and
several daughters. Of the former, Jacob
never married and lived but a short time after
they located at Gayhead; Courtland was the
grandfather of our subject. After the death
of her- husband, Mrs. Horton purchased the
property at Gayhead, in the town of East
Fishkill, Dutchess county (now owned and
occupied by our subject), and at her death was
buried at Hopewell, while her husband was in
terred on Murdners creek, or Moodna.
Courtland Horton was born at Murdners
Creek, in Orange county, N, Y., and was quite
a young man when he came to Dutchess coun
ty. He wedded Hannah Van Wyck Brincker
hoff, who was born at Hopewell, in the town
of East Fishkill, where Mr. L, C, Rapalje now
lives. After their marriage they located at the
old homestead, where they reared their four
chHdren: Richard Van Wyck, who died when

a young man; John G., who was also quite
young at the time of his death; Jane, who
died unmarried; and Jacob, the father of our
subject. The three former were never mar
ried. The grandfather was a prominent man
of his time, was a merchant at Gayhead, and
was also a large landholder in the locaHty.
Religiously he was a member of the Reformed
Dutch Church, and his political support was
given the Whig party.
At the old homestead at Gayhead the birth
of Jacob Horton occurred, and on reaching
manhood he also followed farming and mer
chandising at that place. He took an active
part in religious affairs, assisting in the erec
tion of the Reformed Dutch church, of which
he was a member, and was first a Whig in pol
itics, later a Republican. He married Diana
Storm, a native of Hopewell, and a daughter
of Col. John Storm. Her death occurred Au
gust 16, 1840, that of her husband on March
9, 1865. In the family were six children, in
all: Jane, who married Edward H. Seely, of
Brooklyn; Richard Courtland, subject of this
sketch; John Storm; Jacob, who was a minis
ter of the Gospel, and died in Bethel, Maine;
Diana, who married Henry W. Brower, of
New York City; and Elizabeth Van Wyck.
The last three are brother and half-sisters of
our subject.
Upon the farm where he still resides, Rich
ard Courtland Horton passed his early life, at
tending the local schools, and later pursuing
his studies at Danbury, Conn., at the Amenia
Seminary, and at Newburg, N. Y. After fin
ishing his education he returned to the home
place, where he has since resided. He was
married to Miss Mary Brown, a native of New
burg, and a daughter of Judge John W. Brown,
who was born in Dundee, Scotland, and held
many public offices in the State, amongthem
that of Supreme Court Judge for sixteen years,
and latterly justice of the court of appeals.
Two chHdren graced this union : Mary Brown,
wife of William A. Adriance, of Poughkeepsie;
and Ralph Courtland, of New York City.
Since 1852 Mr. Horton has given his at
tention exclusively to agricultural pursuits.
Politically, he is a Republican, and in 1844
was appointed postmaster at Gayhead, which
position he faithfully filled for thirty years.
Both himself and wife are members of the
Reformed Church, and they certainly well de
serve the high regard in which they are held
by all who know them. Their beautiful home

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

563

indicates the refined and cultured taste of the
inmates, and its hospitable doors are ever
open to the reception of their many friends.

LEONARD V. PIERCE, a substantial and
 ' progressive horticulturist of the town of
East FishkHl, Dutchess county, is one of the
most extensive grape growers in this section of
the State, having upon his place several vari
eties of fancy grapes. He has been visited by
many of the leading men engaged in that par
ticular industry from all over the country, and
his fruit farm has often been referred to in ar
ticles on the grape subject in horticultural
magazines. A native of Dutchess county, Mr. Pierce
was born in the town of Beekman, March i8,
1842, and the family have mostly made their
homes in that county for the last century,
his grandfather, Daniel Pierce, having come
from Westchester county about 100 years ago.
He followed the vocations of carpenter and
farmer. Isaac Pierce, the father of our subject, was
one of the fourteen children born to Daniel
Pierce, his birth occurring in the town of East
Fishkill, where he grew to manhood upon a
farm. In early life he learned the tailor's
trade, was later an agriculturist, and still later
in life conducted a general store at JohnsviHe,
Dutchess county. His political support was
given to the Whig party until its dissolution,
when he became a Republican.
Isaac Pierce married Jane E. Wilcox, who
was also born in the town of East Fishkill,
and was a daughter of Abner WHcox, a
native of Dutchess county, and a farmer by
occupation. Six children blessed this union:
Elizabeth, who married Abraham Stout, a
farmer of the town of East Fishkill ; Leonard
v., our subject; Louisa, widow of Abraham
Way, a wagonmaker; Cora, wife of William
H. Griffin, an agriculturist of East Fishkill;
Antoinette, who married DeWitt Conover
(both are now deceased); Mary J., wife of
Dearborn Wixon, a farmer of East Fishkill.
The mother died in 1888, the father in 1893,
respected by all who knew them.
The childhood of our subject was passed in
the town of Beekman, but the greater part of
his life was spent in East Fishkill. For eight
years he clerked in ,the store of his father at
JohnsviHe, since which time he has been engaged
in the culture of fruit with most satisfactory re

sults, upon his present farm of seventy acres.
He also raises vegetables, but gives his spe
cial attention to his vineyards, in which he
may well take a just pride.
On December 31, 1868, Mr. Pierce was
united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Way,
who was born at JohnsvHle, and is a daughter
of Abraham Way, a farmer of the town of
East Fishkill, and a wagonmaker by trade.
At their present comfortable home, which was
erected by Mr. Pierce, he and his wife began
their domestic life, and two sons came to
brighten the household: Walter S. and Henry
B. Like his father, our subject is a Republic
an in politics, has served as collector and
supervisor of the town of East Fishkill, and
and was postmaster of the viHage of JohnsviHe
for many years, which position he held to the
satisfaction of all concerned. For about ten
years he was vice-president of the Dutchess
County Agricultural Society, and was also su
perintendent of the fruit and flower depart
ment.

WINTHROP SARGENT, of " Wodene-
 the," a charming country estate in the
town of Fishkill, Dutchess county, finds in this
highly-favored region an environment most
congenial to a man of fine culture and artistic
tastes. He was born in the city of New York,
April 3, 1840, the eldest in a family of four
children, of whom he is now the only survivor,
Henry Winthrop Sargent (his father), of
Boston, Mass., for some years was a member
of the firm of Gracie & Sargent, agents in that
city of Welles & Company, of Paris, France,
the earliest American bankers in Europe.
Samuel Welles, the head of the house, was
his uncle. The mother of Winthrop Sargent
was Caroline, only child of Francis Olmsted,
a member of the old New York firm of Peter
Remsen & Company.
When Winthrop Sargent was but a few
months old, H. W. Sargent, having retired
from business, purchased a country estate
in the town of FishkiH, Dutchess county,
where he resided until his death in 1882, He
soon became one of the leading horticulturists
of the country, and exhibited in the gardens
and grounds of " Wodenethe " the highest
skHl in cultivation, and in the art of landscape
gardening. At the death of his mother in
1887, Mr. Winthrop Sargent inherited
"Wodenethe," where he had lived since in-

564

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

fancy, and where he continues to spend his
summers, passing the winter months in
Boston. Winthrop Sargent was graduated from
Harvard College in the class of 1862, and from
the Harvard Law School in 1864. Since the
year 1766, in this college, all of the men of
his family have received their education.
After leaving Harvard, Mr. Sargent made an
extended tour in Europe. He was married in
1873 to Miss Aimee Rotch, daughter of the late
B. S. Rotch, Esq., of Boston, and grand
daughter of the Hon, Abbott Lawrence, who,
through two administrations, was United States
minister to the Court of St. James. The
Rotch family were old and honored residents
of New Bedford, Mass. ; one of their early
ancestors was Francis Rotch, the owner of the
" Dartmouth," the ship from which 114 chests
of tea were thrown overboard in 1773, by the
indignant Colonists of Boston, disguised as
Indians. Mr. Sargent's first American ancestor was
William Sargent, who came to this country
from Exeter, England, in 1650, and settled on
Cape Ann, Massachusetts, where he had a
grant of land. His eldest son married a grand
daughter of John Winthrop, first Colonial
Governor of Massachusetts, since which time
there has been a Winthrop Sargent in each
generation of the family. A grandson of Will
iam Sargent was severely wounded in the bat
tle of Bunker Hill; another grandson, Win
throp Sargent, commanded a sloop of war in
1745; his son, Winthrop Sargent, was a dis
tinguished officer in the war of the Revolution,
and fought at the battles of Trenton, Brandy
wine and Germantown, and endured the priva
tions at Valley Forge. He was at one time
adjutant-general to Gen, Wayne, and at an
other time was aid-de-camp to Gen. Howe,
and was greatly distinguished by Gen. Wash
ington. Later he became Governor of the
Mississippi Territory under the administration
of President John Adams.
Three members of the Sargent famHy ren
dered distinguished service in the war of the
RebeHion, one of whom was killed in battle.
A curiously romantic story has been handed
down through the generations of the Sargent
family since 1738. In the reign of James I,
of England, there lived in London one Mas
ter George Heriot, goldsmith to the King, and,
if report has spoken truly, a lender of large
sums of money to that monarch. Sir Walter

Scott made him a prominent character in his
novel called the "Fortunes of Nigel, " in which
the King famiHarly calls him "Jingling
Geordie. " Some exquisite specimens of gold
and silver work are still shown in England as
the work of Heriot. It is related that one
day, through the carelessness of the attendant,
the only daughter of Master Heriot, a child of
tender age, fell from the window of his house
on London Bridge into the Thames below.
One of her father's apprentices, Francis Os
borne, seeing this, jumped from a window into
the water, and saved the child from death.
After some years had passed, Francis Osborne
married his master's daughter, whose life he had
saved; succeeded to his business, became a
great merchant, and, like Whittington, was
thrice Lord Mayor of London, and was knighted
by King Charles I. One of his direct descend
ants was afterward ennobled, and that branch
has held in succession to the present day
the title and estates of the Duke of Leeds.
While this was going on in England, a male
descendant of Sir Francis Osborne found his
way to this country in the early Colonial days,
and settled in Rhode Island. One of his de
scendants, Hon. John Osborne, became a res
ident of Boston, and his daughter married, in
1738, a great-great-grandfather of the subject
of this sketch.

A

DOLPH G. HUPFEL. One of the most
beautiful and well-appointed estates in
this region of elegant country homes is the 200-
acre farm, near JohnsviHe, belonging to the
subject of this sketch. Nature did much for
it, but no expense has been spared to add to
those attractions all the improvements which
artistic taste and utility could desire.
Mr. Hupfel was born August 13, 1845, in
Orange county, N. Y. , the son of Adolph and
Catherine Glaser (nee Bross), the former a
native of Neviges, Prussia, the latter being of
Holland. The family of Adolph Glaser was of
some note in Prussia, he enjoying the distinc
tion of Burgomaster of Neviges, and holding
other important local offices; took part in the
revolution of 1848, was banished, and after
a general amnesty was declared he returned to
his native place where he taught languages;
he lost all through his participation in the
1 848 trouble. They passed the first years of
their residence in this country in New York
City, where the father worked as a cabinet

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

565

maker, in 1843 removing to Orange county,
N. Y., where he engaged in the manufacture
of fishing rods, which he continued untH his
death in 1 849, His widow conducted the busi
ness about three years, and then married Anton
Hupfel, who took it in charge, continuing
same untH 1854, when he associated himself
with Roemelt & Assheimer, in the brewery
business, at Nos. 223-229 38th street. New
York. In 1858 he bought out his partners,
and carried on the business alone untH his re
tirement in 1873, his two stepsons, Adolph G.
and John C. G. Hupfel, taking the place in
partnership, under the firm name of A. Hup-
fel's Sons.
Adolph G. Hupfel attended the district
schools of Orange county for some years and
at the age of nine accompanied his parents to
New York City, where he took a course in the
public schools, graduating in 1861. He then
spent a short time in a private school, and on
leaving this entered business life at the foot of
the ladder, being employed as driver of a beer
wagon for two years. For the five years fol
lowing he collected the debts and kept the
books of the establishment, and then worked
in the brewery, learning the business in all its
details. His health faiHng at this time, he
was sent to Europe to recuperate, and on his
return he took charge of all the out-door in
terests of the brewery. After succeeding to
the business in 1873, Mr- Hupfel and brother
conducted it for ten years, together with
another establishment, at the corner of i6ist
street and Third avenue, which their step
father had purchased in 1863. In 1883 John
C. G. Hupfel retired fro mi the i6ist street and
Third avenue plant, and our subject continued
alone for about six years, when he sold a part
of his interest, but continued the management.
In the following year he bqught his farm near
JohnsviHe, then known as the Du Bois prop
erty, now called "Echodale." There were no
improvements of any kind upon it, and he has
spent many thousands of doHars in bringing it
to its present state of perfection. His resi
dence is one of- the finest inthe county, and his
barns are models of construction and arrange
ment; he still owns property in New York City,
including a residence, but he makes his home
constantly at the farm.
On AprH 11, 1870, Mr. Hupfel married
Miss Catherine Kentz, of New York City, who
died in February, 1871, with her only child.
On May 11, 1873, Mr. Hupfel wedded her sis

ter, Miss Magdalen Kentz, by whom he has
had four children: Catherine G. , who mar
ried H. W. McMann, of New York City; and
Adolph G. , Jr. , Antoinette G. , and Otto G. , all
three at home. In politics Mr. Hupfel is an
independent Democrat.

ILLIAM BAKER, To the traveler of
to-day the voyage across the Atlantic
is only a short pleasure trip, and it is difficult
to realize the discomforts and, perhaps, hard
ships endured by the emigrants to this country,
before the advent of steam as a motive force.
The father of our subject, John D.
Baker, a native of Germany, came to America
in the early part of this century in a sailing
vessel, spending six months upon the way.
Among the other passengers was Miss Eliza
beth Rickerts, in whom he found a sympa
thizer in his aspirations for the freer life in the
New World. For some tinje after landing
Mr. Baker worked on Staten Island as a com
mon laborer, but later he became a farmer,
and after marrying Miss Rickerts, settled in
the town of New Paltz, Ulster county, where
the subject of our sketch was born, July 16,
1820, the sixth in a family of eight chHdren.
The others were: Catherine, who married
Hiram Donaldson, a farmer in Dutchess
county, both deceased; Mary, the widow of
the late Alanson Vail; Nancy, who married
George Pray, a farmer in Dutchess county,
both deceased; Jacob, deceased, a farmer and
blacksmith at Freedom Plains, N. Y. ; John
deceased, a carpenter and farmer at Freedom
Plains and New Hackensack; Henry, a mHler
in the town of Unionvale, and Isaac, a resident
of Lagrange township. In 1823 the father
moved to a farm in Freedom Plains, where he
passed his remaining years. In politics he
was a Republican, and he and his wife were
both members of the Presbyterian Church. He
died in 1854 and his wife in 1852.
WHliam Baker was only three years old
when the family moved to Freedom Plains,
where he spent his early years. At the age of
twenty-one he began to learn the blacksmith's
trade, and followed it at that place for about
six years. In 185 1 he went to Sprout Creek,
and later to New Hackensack, carrying on his
business successfully in both localities. He
purchased his present farm in 1864, and built
the house in which he now resides. His eighty
acres of land have been highly improved under

566

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his judicious management, and make one of
the best farms of the size in that section.
On January 25, 1849, Mr. Baker married
his first wife, Miss Catherine E, Meddaugh,
daughter of James Meddaugh, a well-known
farmer of the town of Lagrange. Two chil
dren were born to them: Annie E,, who died
at an early age, and Mary, the wife of Court
A. Van Voorhis, a farmer in the town of Wap
pinger. Mrs. Catherine Baker died December
24, 1875, and January 17, 1877, Mr. Baker
was united in marriage with Harriet A. Croft,
daughter of Henry D. Needham, a farmer in
the tovvn of Wappinger.
In politics, Mr. Baker is a Republican, but
he does not take an active part in public af
fairs, preferring a quiet home life and the
peaceful enjoyment of the fruits of his past
labors.

WILLIS DEAN, a prominent agricult-
 urist, residing near Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess county, is one of the most highly
respected citizens of that county. He is de
scended from an old English family, and his
ancestors in the American line crossed the
Atlantic at a very early period. John Dean,
his grandfather, was a leading farmer in the
town ot Kent, Putnam Co., N. Y., and Niles
Dean, our subject's father, succeeded to the
homestead, and followed the same occupation.
He married Nancy Northrup, also a native of
Putnam county, and reared a family of nine
children: Milton, a farmer in Putnam county;
Rensselaer, a carpenter in Patterson, N. Y. ;
Anner, who married Philip Smith, a farmer in
Steuben county, N. Y., both now deceased;
Willis, our subject; Ursula (deceased), who
married the late Benjamin Stone, a farmer in
Steuben county; Lafayette, an agriculturist in
the same county; Jackson, a carpenter in Lee
county, Iowa; Erastus, a machinist in Bing
hampton, N. Y. ; and OHver, a comb manu
facturer in Binghampton. Our subject's father
was a man of prominence in his locality, and
in politics was a Whig. He died in 1837,
and his wife survived him many years, de
parting this life in 1858.
The subject of our sketch was born at the
old homestead, September 10, 1821, and re
mained there untH he attained his majority,
when he learned the butcher's trade. He fol
lowed this for two years in the same vicinity,
and in 1845 moved to Glenham, Dutchess

county, and about three years afterward settled
in Hughsonville. He continued his business
successfully untH 1875, when he retired, and
purchased the farm of 100 acres upon which
he has since resided. A good manager, his
industry and thrift have enabled him to accumu
late a competency, and in addition to his farm,
he owns four houses in Hughsonville.
On December 22, 1846, he married his
first wife. Miss Catherine Squires, a daughter
of Jonathan Squires, a well-known farmer in
Putnam county. She died in 1880, leaving no
children. In 1889 Mr. Dean married his pres
ent wife, a lady of Holland-Dutch descent.
Miss Jeannie Westervelt. She is a grand
daughter of George Westervelt, and a daughter
of John C. Westervelt, a native of New Jersey,
who has been for years a prominent manufac
turer and coal dealer in New York City. Her
mother, Cornelia Westervelt, a native of New
York, is no longer living.
Mr. Dean has always endorsed the princi
ples of the Democratic party, and has held
several minor offices. The Dean famHy is
noted for advanced views on the temperance
question and other reforms, and has always
been connected with the Baptist Church, which
both Mr. and Mrs. Dean attend.
Seven brothers are living. The eldest,
Milton, is now eighty-three, and the youngest,
Oliver, is sixty-six. They have their annual
reunion in the month of June. All have
Christian principles, using no intoxicating
liquors, speaking no profane language, and are
straightforward in every respect.

MENRY B. KNICKERBOCKER, a repre-
 sentative and successful farmer of the
town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, was
born on February 28, 1832, upon the farm
which is still his home. There his grandfather,
Benjamin Knickerbocker, located over a cen
tury ago, and it has been in the family ever
since. The grandfather was a man of excel
lent judgment, and was very successful in the
operation of his land. He married Alatika
Smith, by whom he had four children — two
sons and two daughters — namely: Peter,
Alatika, Henry, and Hannah (who became the
wife of Lewis A, Pulver).
The birth of Henry Knickerbocker, the
father of our subject, occurred upon the home
stead in 1798, and he inherited half of the
place from his father. He followed agricult-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

567

ural pursuits throughout Hfe, and in his earlier
days also conducted a gristmill upon the farm.
He was united in marriage with Miss Lydia
Pulver, daughter of Peter Pulver, and four
children were born to them: Cornelius and
Emeline (now deceased); Henry B., subject of
this review; and Jane, widow of William
Smith. The father died in 1861, the mother
in 1886. Our subject received a somewhat limited
education in the district schools, but this has
been greatly supplemented by extensive read
ing and observation in later years, so that he
may be termed a self-educated man. At the
age of eighteen he took charge of his father's
farm, assuming the entire responsibility, and
since that time has successfully managed the
place. On reaching his majority he came into
possession of 109 acres belonging to his father,
and in 1865 purchased of Hiram Wilson the
remainder of his grandfather's farm, so that
he now has a valuable place of 21 5 acres. He
is careful and methodical in business, and has
converted his land into one of the most highly
cultivated and attractive places in his locality.
Besides general farming he is successfully en
gaged in sheep raising.
On September 26, i860, Mr. Knickbocker
married Miss Phoebe Stickle, daughter of
Jacob and Hulda (Card) Stickle, and they have
become the parents of two children: George
H., ofthe town of Northeast, married to Julia
Collin; and Fred, at home. Until President
Lincoln ran for his second term, Mr, Knicker
bocker had always supported the Democracy,
but at that time he voted for the martyred
President, and was a Republican for several
years, but now his allegiance is given to the
Prohibition party. He and his wife and sons
are members of the Presbyterian Church of
Pine Plains, of which he is an officer, and takes
an active interest in Church work. In the
prosperity of his town and county he has been
an important factor, assisting in everything
for their improvement, and throughout the
community he has many warm friends.

E\DGAR CLARK (deceased). The subject
 'I of this sketch, formerly one of the leading
agriculturists of the town of Northeast, Dutch
ess county, was a descendant of one of the
oldest families in the country, the head of the
American Hne, Thomas Clark, having been a
passenger on the " Mayflower. ">

Several generations of the family have
made their home at Plainfield, Conn., and
there our subject's grandfather, Ezra Clark,
was born in 1748. He came to Dutchess
county in 1795, and became very prominent,
owning large tracts of land, and taking an in
fluential part in local affairs. He married
Mary Douglas, and had ten children, among
whom was Moses Clark, our subject's father,
who was born May 20, 1785, at the old home
in Connecticut. He was ten years of age at
the time of his father's removal to Dutchess
county, and the remainder of his life was here
passed. On November 3, 1808, he married
Mary Wiggins, daughter of Arthur Wiggins,
of New Milford. This famHy was of Scotch
origin, but had lived in the North of Ireland
for some time previous to emigration to Amer
ica, Soon after his marriage Moses Clark
purchased the farm of 600 acres near Miller
ton, now owned by Ambrose^Culver, and made
his permanent home there. Later he bought
another farm of 176 acres, now owned by his
granddaughters, Elizabeth and Carrie D.
Clark, and at one time he had about 1000
acres of land at different points. He was a
man of great energy and excellent judgment,
and possessed much influence in the commun
ity. He died August 12, 1854, and his wife
April 25, 1874. They had eight children, a
brief record of whom is as follows: Ambrose,
born September 11, 1809, married Julia A.
Collin, of Northeast; Mary E., born January
13, 181 1, married Ambrose Mygatt, of Amenia,
N. Y. ; Edgar, born February 22, 1813, was
married (first) to Mary Ann. Holbrook, of
Northeast, and (second) to Emeline Dakin,
also of Northeast; Julia L. , born October 26,
1 8 14, was married (first) to Peter Righter, of
Pine Plains, N. Y., and (second) to Solomon
Weaver, of Branchport, Yates Co., N. Y. ;
Emily A., born June 25, 18 16, married George
E. Crane, of New Milford, Conn. ; George,
born May 3,1818, was married (first) to Emily
Rogers, of FishkHl, N. Y. , and (second) to
Ada Stevens; Harriet J,, born April 19, 1827,
married Willard Weed, of Torrington, Conn. ;
and Moses C. , Jr., born AprH 29, 1833. None
of this family are now living except Mrs. Emily
A. Crane and Mrs. Harriet J. Weed.
The late Edgar Clark was a man of wide
and accurate information, always interested in
the topics of the day. He received a good
English education in boyhood, attending the
common schools near his home, and, later.

568

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the academy at Hudson. In 1837 he bought
the farm where Leonard L. Barton now lives,
and resided there untH 1853, when he pur
chased from his father the farm of 176
acres above mentioned, and moved there.
On October 18, 1838, he was married to
Mary Ann Holbrook, daughter of Nicholas Hol-
V brook, a prominent merchant of Northeast
' Center. She died March 3, 1849, leaving
three children: Mary Elizabeth, born July
23, 1839, now living at the old farm; Emily
Leora, born October 8, 1840, the wife of Mar
vin Reed, of LakeviHe, Conn. ; and Rachel
H., born June 23, 1844, who married Arthur
J, Mead, of Fayetteville, N. Y. On October
15, 1849, Mr. Clark, for his second wife, mar
ried Emeline Dakin, daughter of Jacob Da
kin, in his day one of the most prominent
men of the town of Northeast, and the
owner of about 1,000 acres of land. One
child came of this marriage, Carrie D., born
December 2, 1850, who now resides on the
old homestead. Her mother died December
25, 1882, a little more than five years after
the death of Mr. Clark, which occurred Sep
tember 12, 1877. He was an excellent busi
ness man, and was often asked to assist in the
settlement of estates, his integrity as well as
his ability being unquestioned. Although he
was not a member of any Church, his life dis
played in every phase the loftiest morality.
He took a hearty and generous interest in all
worthy public movements, and in local affairs
was a leading worker, being elected on the
Republican ticket to various offices, including
that of township supervisor, which he held
for several terms. , During the Civil war he
was active in securing the quota of men re
quired from his township, and he greatly re
gretted the fact that his advanced age pre
vented him from going to the front himself.
He was a member of Webatuck Lodge No .
480, F. &A. M.

E

DWIN BARNES, M. D., the weH-known
physician of Pleasant Plains, Dutchess
county, is a representative of one of our most
prominent families, his own achievements in
the line of his profession adding lustre to the
record. His great-great-grandfather Barnes was
born on Tower Hill, London, England, and
came to America before the Revolutionary

war, but returned to England early in the
struggle, his sympathies being with the British
government. His family, however, were pa
triots, and remained in this country. His son,
Joseph, our subject's great-grandfather, was
born November i, 1744, in the town of CHn
ton, Dutchess county, and became a farmer
there. He was married, November 7, 1771,
to Sarah Butts, who was born January 4, 1745.
They were Quakers in faith, and both died in
1813 — he on March 15, she on April 5. Thir
teen children were born to them, their names
with dates of birth being as follows: Benja
min, August 25, 1772; Thomas, AprH 10
1774; Joseph, Jr. (i), July 22, 1775; Moses,
November 7, 1776; Elizabeth, June 14, 1778
Joseph, Jr. (2), December 10, 1779; John
April 30, 1782; WiHiam, October 15, 1783
Stephen and Samuel (twins), AprH 19, 1785
Jacob, AprH 19, 1787; Sarah, July 15, 1790
and Mary, March 12, 1793. Samuel, our sub
ject's grandfather, lived for many years at the
old homestead in the town of Clinton, and
afterward in Livingston county, N.Y., but in
bis old age he moved to Canada, where he
died. He married Fanny Armstrong, who was
born October 26, 1787, and died in Pough
keepsie, January 11, 1854. They had three
chHdren: Stephen S., born July 18, 181 1;
Edwin, born September 6, 18 17, died April 3,
1842; and Hannah (now Mrs. Moses Camack),
born December 2, 18 19.
Stephen S. Barnes, our subject's father,
learned the cooper's trade in early manhood,
and later became the junior partner of the
firm of A. B. Nash & Co., brewers, of Troy,
N. Y. He married Huldah Britton Hall,
daughter of CamHlus Hall, of East Westmore
land, Cheshire Co., N. H., and children as
follows were born to their union: Elizabeth
(now Mrs. Caleb C. Hewlett), March 2, 1837;
Charles Nash, February 8, 1840, a resident of
Denver, Colo. ; George Waters, March 27,
1842, died in infancy; Edwin, July 28, 1844,
our subject; and Clark Phillips, November 11,
1846, who resides near Denver, Colo. The
family always made their home in Hyde Park
township, although the father's business often
required his absence. He died in Anderson
county, Kans. , March 29, 1886, his wife sur
viving until August 6, 1892.
Dr. Barnes was born in Troy, N. Y. , but
he passed his boyhood at the old home, at
tending first the district schools of Hyde Park
and then a private school at Pleasant Plains,

bciW^<^<^ fioj^^UcJ-^th

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

569

taught by Rev. Sherman Hoyt. He began his
medical studies with an uncle, Camillus Hall,
M. D., at Burlington, Ohio, where he remained
a year and a half. He then entered the Al
bany Medical College, but, in 1864, before his
course was completed, he joined the army as
a cadet on the medical staff. He served in
the Department. of the Cumberland, of West
Virginia, and of the East, until mustered out,
February 3, 1866. In the meantime, his de
gree of M. D. had been conferred upon him by
Albany Medical College, December 28, 1865,
whHe he was on duty at the Ira Harris General
Hospital. Ten days after his return home he
began the practice of his profession at Pleas
ant Plains, where he has since resided.
On November 13, 1866, Dr. Barnes was
married in Macedon, N. Y. , to Matilda Arms-
strong, whose grandfather, Jacob Armstrong,
was a resident of Clinton. Her father, Tru
man Armstrong, was born August 15, 1804,
and for the greater part of his life was a
farmer in the towns of Clinton, Unionvale and
Hyde Park; but in 1863 he moved to Palmyra,
Wayne county, where he lived a retired life.
He was married September 19, 1833, to Eliza
beth Powell, who was born February 15,
1804, and they had four children: (i) Daniel,
born December 27, 1833, was a machinist in
New York and Chicago, and died January 25,
1891; (2) Jacob, born August 30, 1837; (3)
Theodore, born  , 1845, who died in
infancy; (4) Matilda, born August 11, 1841,
and (5) Anna, November 22, 1842, Jacob en
listed in Company D, 128th N. Y. V. I., and
served until mustered out with the rank of first
lieutenant, July 28, 1865. He took part in a
number of important battles, among them be
ing Port Hudson, Pleasant HHl, Sabine Cross
Roads, Winchester, Cedar Creek, being taken
prisoner at the latter place, and not again
joining his regiment untH February, 1865.
After the war closed he engaged in the real-
estate and lumber businesses in Chicago, where
he died June 15, 1893. Mrs. Barnes' father
died at Palmyra, January 13, 1878, her mother
surviving untH September 9, 1883. Our sub
ject's pleasant hom.e has been brightened by
three chHdren, oi whom the first, Marion, born
February i, 1868, died October 25, 1871; the
others are Myrta Elizabeth, born August 17,
1877; and Percy Raymond, August 9, 1880.
In politics the Doctor is a Republican, and
he took profound interest in the abolition of
slavery. Professionally, he stands high, and

he has been president of tbe Dutchess County
Medical Society, and vice-president of the
New York Medical Association. .

E\DMOND A. MOREY (deceased) was one
 ;' of the popular and highly respected citi
zens of Dover Plains, Dutchess county, and
at the time of his death was connected with
the Harlem raHroad. The Morey family was
founded in Dutchess county by his grandfather,
Abraham Morey, who was born in Connecticut,
September 15, 1778, and from his native State
he removed to Dutchess county, locating in
the town of Washington. He was a promi
nent farmer. He was the ninth son of Stephen
and Sarah Morey, who were born in the town
of Washington, Dutchess county. When he
had attained to man's estate he was married
on Christmas Day, of 1806, to Miss Phebe
Boyce, who was born in the town of Wash
ington, June 9, 1780, and was the daughter of
Isaac and Remembrance Boyce. Six children
were born to them: Alonzo, born November
5, 1807, died AprH 5, i860 (he served two
terms as sheriff of Dutchess county); Barak,
the father of our subject, was next in order of
birth; Alanson was born January 5, 18 10;
Harriet, born February 25, 18 12, was married
October 22, 1856, to Isaiah Reynolds, by Rev.«
Abram Davis, at her father's home, in the
town of Washington, and she died March 4,
1888, at the age of seventy-six years; Julia,
born November 27, 1816, died November 26,
1887, at the age of seventy-one years; and
PriscHla, born May 13, 1821, died September
7, 1872. The father of this family died July
15, 1859, at the age of eighty years and ten
months, and his wife passed away on Septem
ber 18, 1866.
Barak Morey, the father of our subject, was
born in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, December 16, 1808, and there received
his education in the common schools. He
later, for some time, engaged in merchandising
at Hulls Mills, Dutchess county, and on dis
posing of that business purchased a farm in
the town of Amenia, which he cultivated for
thirty years. He always took a great interest
in politics, and held a number of town offices
to the satisfaction of all concerned. His
earthly career was ended on AprH 12, 1886, at
the age of seventy-eight years,
Barak Morey, was twice married, his first
union being with Miss Mary L, Toby, daughter

570

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of Albert Toby, of the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county; she died September i8, 1847,
leaving one chHd, Albert B., who was born
August 29, 1847, and died, unmarried, No
vember 7, 1892, aged forty-five years. Mr,
Morey was again married December 9, 1849,
the lady of his choice being Miss Sarah Eliza
beth Howes, a daughter of Edmond Howes, a
farmer of Sullivan county, N, Y. Of the five
children that graced this union Edmond A.
was the oldest. Alonzo H., born December
20, 1853, never married, and died February
23, 1893, at the age of thirty-nine years. Ira
A,, born September 28, 1856, died November
10, 1880, at the age of twenty-four years.
Cinda E., born February 28, i860, married
Reuben A. Brown, of Westfield, Mass., who
is now engaged in the manufacture of cigars at
Buffalo, N. Y, Samuel, born June 14, 1862,
makes his home at Amenia where he is en
gaged in business. 3-C.-X Cu^^v^^ Ifl^f
Mr. Morey, of this review, was a native of
Dutchess county, born in the town of Stanford,
on September 15, 1851, and his education was
such as the common schools afforded. Most of
his life was devoted to agricultural pursuits,
but after his removal to Dover Plains he was
in the employ of the Harlem railroad. A
stanch Democrat in politics, he kept well
posted in regard to current events, and held
a number of minor town offices. Socially,
he held membership with the Odd Fellows
lodge of Poughkeepsie, No. 297, and also be
longed to the Odd Fellows Mutual Benefit Asso
ciation of Dutchess county. He was classed
among the best people of the community, well
worthy of any distinction that might have been
conferred upon him, Mr. Morey was united
in marriage with MissThedorah Odell, a daugh
ter of Samuel and Elmira Odell, of Pleasant
Valley, and to this union was born one child,
Jennie E., born September 21, 1874, and on
September 2, 1896, at half-past two o'clock,
was married by the Rev. S, J. McCutcheon
to Emanuel C. Benson. Edmond A, Morey
passed to the unseen world December 19, 1896,
at the early age of forty-five years.
Samuel D. Odell, father of Mrs. Morey,
was born in the town of Washington, Dutch
ess county, July 3, 1793, and was the son of
Samuel D. and Sarah Ann (Doty) OdeH, the
former a native of the town of Washington,
and the latter of Salt Point, Dutchess county.
In early life he learned the hatter's trade,
which he followed for a number of years, but

afterward engaged in farming and carpenter
ing. By his marriage with Miss Permelia Mar
shall, he had ten children: Edwin, Sallie A.,
George, Bartlet, Marshall, Lewis, WiHiam,
Seneca, Elizabeth and Joseph; of these, Sen
eca was made colonel of the 28th Regiment,
September 5, 1862, which regiment went out
1,600 strong, and when mustered out, July
13, 1865, numbered but 400. After the death
of his first wife he married Miss Almira Baker,
who was born in 1822, and was the daughter
of John Baker, of the town of Pleasant Valley,
Dutchess county. Six children blessed this
union: Leander, born December 21, 1844,
married Miss Frances Hustead (no chHdren
were born to them); Charles A., born Novem
ber 29, 1846, was in the Union army during
the Civil war, and is now married and has
two children; Jacob J,, born May 16, 1849,
married Mrs. Elmira Finkle, and they have
one child, Mary; Theodora, born May i, 1851,
is the wife of our subject; Mary F. , born Oc
tober 29, 1853, wedded Andrew Lake, a sol
dier of the Civil war, who now receives a pen
sion, and they have nine children — Oran, Alex,
James, Fred, Arthur J., Mary, Alvereta, Alice
and Ida; and Cornelia, born April 27, 1858,
died August 18, 1866, at the age of eight years.

POLHEMUS W. MYER, leading agricult-
 urist of the town of Wappinger, Dutchess
county, is a member of one of its old and
highly respected famiHes. His ancestors came
from Holland at an early period, and his grand
father, Reuben Myer, was born in that county
and spent his life there. He married Catherine
Van Voorhis, and had seven chHdren, none of
whom are now living: (i) John R. was a
farmer upon the estate now owned by our sub
ject; (2) Abraham R. resided in HughsonvHle;
fs) Zachariah was a hotel-keeper in Arlington,
Dutchess county; (4) Egbert was a resident of
HughsonvHle; (5) Ellen married William Van-
Voorhis, a carriage painter; (6) Nancy married
William Monfort; and (7) Warren D.
Warren D. Myer, the youngest of the fam
ily, was born and reared in New Hackensack,
and in early manhood began his successful
mercantile career by clerking for his brother
in Hughsonville, where he afterward conducted
a general store for twenty-six years. His wife
was Miss Susan Lyster, daughter of John P.
Lyster, a well-known farmer of East Fishkill,
and a descendant of another old Holland-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

571

Dutch family. They attended the Presby
terian Church, and were prominent in its work.
In later years Mr. Myer purchased the present
homestead, near HughsonvHle, where he re
sided until his death, in 1872. His wife sur
vived him twenty years. Of their four chil
dren, the eldest, DelanceyL, , died in 1891,
and Margaret and Olevia died in infancy.
The subject of this biography, the young
est child, was born in HughsonviHe, July 31,
1846, and after availing himself of the educa
tional facHities of his native town settled at
the homestead, and the management of its 133
acres has since occupied his attention. On
September 6, 1883, he married his first wife.
Miss Kitty H. Denny, a native of the town of
Hyde Park, Dutchess county. They had two
chHdren — Maud K. and Emma H., who are
both at home. Their mother died October
22, 1888, and on October 25, 1893, Mr. Myer
was again married, this time to Miss Jennie E.
Cutler, who was born in Westchester county,
the daughter of Cyrus Cutler, a prominent
farmer. Mr. Myer is a Democrat, as was his father
before him, but his influence is exerted in a
quiet, though forceful, way.

wi

fENRY HOFFMAN, who was born on
M^ January 26, 1829, in the town of Pine
Plains, Dutchess county, was there success
fully engaged in farming for many years. He
was a worthy representative of an old and
honored family of the locality. The founder
of the family in the New World was Hendrick
Hoffman, his great-grandfather, who was born
in Germany about 17 19, and on crossing the
water located in Ancram, Columbia Co. , N. Y.,
where he secured the farm now occupied by
his great-grandson, Frederick Barton. By his
marriage with Sybil Magdalene Yunghans he
became the father of three children: Henry,
who was the grandfather of our subject, was
born in Ancram January 6, 1761; Matthias,
who married Anna Maria Strever, and Marga
ret, who wedded a Mr. Talmadge, of Rensse
laer county, N. Y,, a distant relative of T.
DeWitt Talmadge.
The grandfather came to the town of Pine
Plains, Dutchess county, in 18 12, locating on
the hHl where the Hoffman Mills now stand,
and in this town he spent the remainder of his
Hfe, dying in 1840. He was one of the most
prosperous farmers of the vicinity, owning 500

acres of valuable land. His wife, who was
born January 6, 1762, survived him about ten
years. On January 15, 1786, he had married
Catherine Veterle, of Red Hook, N. Y., and
they became the parents of ten children,
namely: Margaret, born September 25, 1786,
married Rowland Sweet, of Copake, Colum
bia Co., N. Y, ; Catherine, born October 12,
1788, died unmarried; Eleanor, born Decem
ber 28, 1790, married Walter Dorchester;
Henry, born May 17, 1793, married Almira
Culver, of Pine Plains; Polly, born August 27,
1795, married Jeremiah Conklin, of Pine Plains;
Catherine, born January 28, 1798, died in
childhood; one child, born June 15, 1799, died
in infancy; Betsey, born May 28, 1800, mar
ried George Barton; Laura, born June 23,
1803, married Artemas Sackett, of the town
of Washington, Dutchess county; and Anthony
was born in Ancram, Columbia county, Sep
tember 15, 1805,
Anthony Hoffman, the father of our sub
ject, spent his entire life upon the farm which
his father had located in the town of Pine
Plains, where the famHy had long been a lead
ing and prominent one in the community. He
was a progressive and enterprising man, and
kept the old homestead property intact. He
was married tb Sally Barton, of the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county, and to them were
born the following children: Henry, of this
review, was the eldest; Sarah, born December
6, 183 1, wedded Herman Snyder, of Gallatin,
Columbia county; Leonard, born November
24, 1833, died unmarried; Catherine, born
February 22, 1835, married J. Culver Hoag;
Julia, born October 30, 1837, became the wife
of Elias Halstead, of Ancram; Laura, born
January 20, 1840, married Edgar Eggleston, of
the town of Northeast, Dutchess county, and
Anthony, born September 8, 1844, died un
married. All of the children are now deceased
with the exception of Catherine and Laura.
The father's death occurred September 10,
1876; his wife passed away November 23, 1884.
Our subject was educated in the district
schools of the neighborhood, and in a select
school" at Millerton, Dutchess county, con
ducted by E. W. Simmons, and by reading in
subsequent years became a well-informed man.
He succeeded to the eastern end of the old
homestead, consisting of 153 acres, and on
that farm spent his entire Hfe. He was natu
rally a man of good business ability, and was
numbered among the substantial and industri-

572

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

OUS farmers of Pine Plains. The farm is now
occupied by his only child, Leonard, making
the fourth generation that has resided there.
In 1866 Mr. Hoffman married Miss Mary A.
Strever, who was born July 31, 1836, and is a
daughter of Adam and Eliza (Eno) Strever.
Their son Leonard married Ella J. Miller,
daughter of Adam MHler, of Pine Plains, and
they have two children, Ira and Harry. Mr.
Hoffman used his right of franchise in support
of the men and measures of the Democratic
party, and took an active interest in public
affairs. He was straightforward and honora
ble in his dealings, and gained the high regard
of all with whom he came in contact.
The Strever family, of which Mrs. Hoffman
is a member, is of German origin, and the
name was formerly spelled Streibel, later cor
rupted to Strevel and afterward to Strever.
About 1720 Johannes Strever came to America
from the Fatherland, and on his arrival in New
York City was sold to pay his passage, A man
by the name of Couse brought him to the toWn
of Milan, Dutchess county, where he worked
his time out. He was born December 24,
1 73 1, and married Maria Dings, who was born
in 1742, the daughter of Adam Dings. His
dfeath occurred February 24, 1804, and his
wife survived him about four years. In their
family were six children, namely: John Adam,
born June i, 1760, married Lizzie Strever;
Jacob, born June 18, 1762, married Anna
Maria Hoysradt; Anna Maria, born April 5,
1764, married Matthias Hoffman; Eva, born
March 27, 1766, became the wife of Hendrick
Hoysradt; John, born July 4, 1768, wedded
Mary Hoysradt; and Benjamin, born Novem
ber 8, 1 77 1, married Maria Righter.
The next in direct line to Mrs. Hoffman is
John Strever, who was born on a farm near
Ancram Lead Mines, now owned by Jacob
MiHer, and by his marriage with Mary Hoys
radt had ten children: Polly, born October
23, 1790, became the wife of Cornelius Hoys
radt; Henry, born March 18, 1793, married
Betsey Snyder; John, born January 13, 1796,
never married; Adam, born March 13, 1798,
was the father of Mrs. Hoffman; Elizabeth,
born April 28, 1800, died while young; Ben
jamin, born June 20, 1802, married Cornelia
Snyder; J. Hoysradt, born November 24,
1805, wedded Abbie Marsh; Tammy, born in
November, 1807, became the wife of John
SilvernaH; Eliza, born February 9, 18 10, died
unmarried; and Fanny, born January 18, 1812,

also died unmarried. On June 7, 1790, the
father of this family purchased of Mr. Gra
ham, one of the Little Nine Partners, 700
acres of land, for which he gave 900 pounds
in English money, and that property has been
in the family ever since.
On the family homestead Adam Strever,
the father of Mrs. Hoffman, was born and
reared his family. He was an able financier,
being very successful in business matters, up
right and reliable, and could be depended upon
under any circumstances. He was naturally a
quiet man, and one of the most highly esteemed
men of the community. He married Miss
Eliza Eno, daughter of Julius and Amanda
Eno, of Schoharie county, N. Y. , and to them
were born three daughters: Mary Amanda,
now Mrs. Hoffman; Jane W., born November
23, 1837; and JuHa, born August 30, 1840.
On August 27, 1872, the last named married
Daniel Poole, by whom she had one son, Stre
ver, and her death occurred August 6, 1895.
The father passed away February 18, 1872,
and the mother on July 25, 1845.
Among many heirlooms, Mrs. Hoffman has
a German Bible, sent to Johannes Strever some
time after his arrival in this country, and it is
now about 140 years old. This family, it is
quite evident, was one of considerable stand
ing in the Old World,

^\/rr ARTIN W. COLLINS, a prominent busi-
¦IL ness man of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born October 14, 1847, in the
town of Pleasant VaHey, Dutchess Co. , N. Y. ,
and is a member of one of the old families of
that locality.
The following record is given of Mr. Col
lins' immediate paternal ancestors: Isaac F.
Collins, his father, wasborn May 22, 1818, in
Pleasant Valley, Dutchess Co., N. Y. ; Martin
W. Collins, his grandfather, was born in the
town of Rhinebeck, in 1790; and Joshua Col
lins, the great-grandfather, was born near
Providence, R. I. He was the son of Joseph
Collins, who was a native of England, and
came to America, settling near Providence,
where he reared a large family of children, of
whom the sons were : Joshua, Hezekiah,
Joseph, William and Charles. Of these, Heze
kiah came to Dutchess county, N. Y. , and set
tled on a farm in Unionvale; he married, and
reared a large family. Joseph Hved in Rhode
Island, where his family became prominent.

^TKaJ^ilc )p^ CuUlt^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

573

WiHiam also made his home in Rhode Island,
and there reared a family. Charles removed
to Columbia county, N. Y., where he married
and settled on a farm; he had two children,
one of whom, Charles, became a lawyer and
Hved in Brooklyn.
Joshua, the eldest of the family above re
corded, and great-grandfather of our subject,
was reared in Rhode Island, where he married
Mary White, and shortly after (about 1774)
came to New York, settling in Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, and taking charge of prop
erty belonging to Gen. Montgomery. In 1800
he bought a farm in eastern Pleasant Valley,
where he remained untH his death in 1829.
He had a family of seven children, namely:
(i) Henry, married Miss Cox, of Rhinebeck,
and followed farming. (2) Gideon married
Miss Sweet, of Lithgow, Dutchess county,
moved to Chautauqua, N. Y., and there reared
a family. (3) Joshua married Miss Rowe,
and located at Coeymans, N. Y., from there
moving to Illinois. (4) Susan married Caleb
Angevine, a stock dealer in New York City.
(5) Oliver married Miss Ward, and lived in
Pleasant Valley (he was a school teacher, and
also a merchant). (6) Patty married Minard
Velie, who was a farmer and stockraiser, of
Lagrange. (7) Martin W. was the grand
father of our subject.
Martin W. ColHns lived in Rhinebeck until
ten years of age, but was reared to manhood
in Pleasant Valley. He married Miss Nancy
Forman, a native of the latter place, and for
some time after his marriage lived on his
father's farm. He afterward bought a large
farm in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, where he died October i, 1876, his
wife surviving him until November 20, 1886.
He served as lieutenant in the war of 18 12,
and was very prominent with the Democratic
party of his locality, and held the office of su
pervisor for many terms, and also superintend
ent of the County Poor. To the union of this
worthy couple were born four children: (i)
Joshua, the eldest, is living at Wappingers
Falls at the age of eighty-two years; he has
for many years been a minister of the Gospel,
Presbyterian Church, but is now retired from
active work. (2) Mary A. married WHliam
H. Gurney, who lived in Dutchess county,
and was a stockdealer in New York City. (3)
Isaac is our subject's father. (4) Rhoda,
who never married, is now seventy-four years
old. In religion the family were Quakers.

Isaac Collins, father of our subject, grew
up on his father's farm, and early in life stud
ied surveying and engineering, which profes
sion he followed during the greater part of his
life. He married Miss Phoebe J. Holmes, who
was born at Pleasant Valley August 10, 1822.
She was the daughter of Isaac Holmes, a
farmer, and granddaughter of Joseph Holmes,
who came from Westchester county, N. Y.
The family was of German descent. Four
chHdren were born to Isaac Collins and his
wife, as follows: (i) Isaac H. died when eight
years old. (2) Mary Ann married James Ho
gan, of Rhinebeck, and died December 12,
1 87 1. (3) Martin W. is our subject. (4)
Peters H. died at five years of age. The
mother passed away March 16, 1895; the fa
ther is now living in Poughkeepsie, at the age
of seventy-seven years. He is a Democrat,
and was county superintendent of schools from
1868 to 1872, taking an active part in aH
matters pertaining to education. He and his
wife contributed liberally to the support of the
Second Reformed Church at Poughkeepsie,
and have always commanded the respect and
esteem of the community.
Martin W. Collins, the subject of this
sketch, lived in the town of Washington, where
he attended the district school until he was
fifteen years old, when his parents removed to
Rhinebeck. He then entered the Dutchess
County Academy, Poughkeepsie, where he re
mained two years, and for one y^ar was a stu
dent in the Seminary at Amenia. In 1870 he
began teaching at Rhinebeck, continuing in
this occupation some five years. In the fall
of 1875 he was elected school commissioner,
and was re-elected in 1877, serving untH Jan
uary I, 1882. At this time he formed a part
nership with Benjamin W, Van Wyck in the
marble and granite business, under the firm
name of Van Wyck & Collins, in which busi
ness he is still engaged.
Mr. CoHins was married September 19,
1870, to Miss Mary, daughter of Isaac F. Kir
by, of New York, who died in August, 1873.
One chHd was born to them, Jennie, who mar
ried WiHiam R. Brown, of Poughkeepsie. Mr.
CoHins, on December 20, 1877, married, for
his second wife. Miss Emily M., daughter of
William I. Foster, a farmer of Pleasant Val
ley. (The Fosters are of English descent, and
came to Dutchess county from New Hamp
shire). Of this union two children have been
born: Mattie F. and Ruth M.

574

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Mr. Collins is a Democrat, and a public-
spirited man, one who takes an active interest
in all public matters. He is broad and pro
gressive in his ideas, and as a loyal citizen is
held in the highest esteem. Socially he be
longs to the I. O. O. F. and K. of P., and he
and his wife attend the Reformed Church.

€>HARLES EMERY BAKER. As pioneer
__' farmers of the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county, the Baker famHy held a prominent
place in the development of that town in early
days, and the numerous desceodants of this gen
eration ably sustain the reputation won by their
forefathers for industry, business acumen and
public spirit.
Henry Baker, the grandfather of our subject,
was born at the old homestead, and became
the owner of a farm of about loo acres, ad
mirably adapted to the dairy business, which
land is still in the possession of the family. He
was a successful man, and was regarded as a
representative citizen of his town. He was
married, and reared a family of eight children.
The five sons, James, Warren, John, Henry and
Joshua, all followed agricultural pursuits. The
three daughters were Ann, who married Harry
Peck; Betsey, the wife of Luman White; and
Hulda. All lived to the age of nearly sixty
years or more, but have now joined the silent
majority. Harry Baker, our subject's father, wasborn
on the old homestead in 1818, and succeeded
to it after the death of his father, buying out
the claims of the other heirs. His entire life was
passed there, and he added to the acreage from
time to time. Possessing the usual native abil
ity, he was even more influential in public life
than his father, for many years taking active
part in the support of Republican principles.
He served as assessor from eight to ten years,
also held other important offices of the town at
different times, and was a prominent member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Reynolds-
ville. His death occurred in February, 1883,
and his wife, Rebecca Jane Denton, followed
him May, 1 893 . She was a native of Reynolds-
ville, a daughter of Josiah Denton. Our sub
ject was one of the family of seven chHdren,
as follows: Josiah was a soldier in the Civil
war, having enlisted in 1862, but only lived four
weeks thereafter, dying of smaHpox. George
H. , the eldest living, and a farmer in Putnam
county, married Ann Kent, but has no children.

James H., a resident of Pawling, was twice
married, first to Anna Gage, and after her death
he wedded her sister, Sarah; by his first wife
he had two children: William and Anna.
Charles Emery, our subject, comes next.
Amos D, is deceased. John Wesley, who resides
at the homestead, married Ida Ballard, and
'they have two children, the elder, Harry,
being now deceased, the younger, Stanley, yet
living. David L. , the youngest brother of our
subject, a resident of Matteawan, married
Emma Ladue, and has two children: Edith
M. and Ralph.
Charles E. Baker, our subject, was born
at Reynoldsville, April 27, 1849, and his edu
cational opportunities were restricted to an at
tendance at the district schools of that vHlage
'until the age of twenty, the last four years
being limited to the winter term. Study was
a pleasure to him, and he became especially
proficient in mathematics, while a wide course
of reading in later years has kept him well
abreast with the topics of the time. At twenty-
one he left home to engage in farming, and
after his marriage, in 1872, to Miss Juliette
Mead, daughter of Robert Mead, of Farmers
Mills, Putnam county, he spent one year on the
Mead homestead. On AprH i, 1873, he settled
on his present farm in the town of PawHng,
The place was known as the Hiller home
stead, and was owned by Alfred HHler; but,
after nine years, Mr. Baker purchased the prop
erty, which contains 255 acres, and is consid
ered one of the best farms in the town. As Mr.
Baker had only $300 when he moved to this
farm, he may well be proud of the success which
his industry and good management have brought
him. He is interested largely in dairying, keep
ing about sixty cows. In politics he has always
been a Republican and an active one, having
attended many conventions. In 1891 and 1892
he held the office of commissioner of highways.
He and his wife attend the MethodiEt Episco
pal Church of Pawling. Socially, he is, a mem
ber of Dover Lodge No. 666, F. & A. M., of
Dover Plains.
Of their three chHdren, Charles H. is a
graduate of the military school at Claverack,
in Columbia county, while Edith V. is attend
ing school at Chappaqua, Westchester county,
and F~rances L. , the youngest, is at home,
Mrs. Baker, wife of our subject, was born
January 14, 1850, near Farmers MHls, in Put
nam county, a daughter of Robert and Abbie
M, (Smith) Mead, who were the parents of three

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

575

children: Naomi J., who married James W.
Tompkins, a farmer of East Fishkill, and has
two children: Nellie and WHliam D. ; Juliette
(Mrs. Baker) comes next; and Robert R,, who
married Addie O. Thomas, and resides at Mat
teawan, where he is engaged at horse dealing.
The father of these was born in Putnam county
in 1822, and died in 1858. .By occupation he-
was a farmer and drover, and also conducted
a store. He was a Democrat. The mother
was born in Putnam county in 18 19, and died
in January, 1894.

CLEMENT HAIGHT, who has ever been
_' closely identified with the agricultural in
terests ot the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, was born August 27, 18 14, on the
farm where he still makes his home. His an
cestors came from England to America, the
founder of the family in this country, Simon
Haight, landing in 1628. He had a son, Nich
olas (i), who married Susanna Joyce, and had
a son, Samuel; Samuel married, and became
the father of Nicholas (2), who married Pa
tience Titus, and had a son, Jacob (i); Jacob
(i) by his marriage with Sarah Hicks became
the father of Jacob (2), the grandfather of our
subject. Jacob (2) married Phoebe Haviland,
and to them were born seven chHdren, as fol
lows: Jacob (3), who in early life engaged in
farming in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, but later removed to Virginia, where
he owned a tract of land; John, who operated
a farm and engaged in cider-making at Mill
brook, N. Y. ; Isaac, father of our subject;
Elizabeth, who wedded Philip Allen, a farm
er, tanner and currier; Patience, who died un
married; Sarah, who became the wife of Abner
Wing, a resident of Washington town, but
whose death occurred in Ohio; and Charity,
who married Obediah Thorne, an agriculturist
of Washington town. The grandfather always
followed the pursuit to which he was reared,
and died in the faith of the Society of Friends.
On the old family homestead Isaac Haight,
the father of our subject, was born November
25, 1784. He married Johanna Clement, a
native of Long Island, whose father was a
shoemaker by trade. To them were born five
children: Clement; Phcebe is the widow of
Daniel B. Haight, who carried on farming in
Washington town; Jacob C. , who was also an
agriculturist, is now deceased; Mary T. ; and
one deceased in infancy. The father's entire

life was devoted to farm labor, and on the old
home farm both he and his wife passed away,
the former in 1856 and the latter in 1855.
They belonged to the Society of Friends, and
in politics Mr. Haight was an Old-line Whig.
Clement Haight grew to manhood under
the parental roof, receiving the usual educa
tional advantages afforded by the schools of
that day, and was active, industrious and ca
pable in the discharge of the farm duties fall
ing upon him. He was united in marriage
with Maria C. Almy, a native of Otsego coun
ty, N. Y., and a daughter of Clark Almy, an
agriculturist of that county. Their entire mar
ried life was spent upon the Haight home
stead, which he operated, with the exception
of three years he was engaged in merchandis
ing at Little Rest, Dutchess county. Three
children came to brighten their home: Clark
A., a farmer of the town of Washington; Mar
ian and Isaac. Mrs. Haight wa^ caHed from
this earth in 1893, leaving many friends to
mourn her departure from their midst.
Our subject is numbered among the sub
stantial and thrifty farmers of his township,
where he owns a valuable farm of 1 50 acres,
which for the care and labor bestowed upon it
yields a golden tribute in rich and bountiful
harvests. His ballot is generally cast with the
Republican party, but he is also a strong Pro
hibitionist. He believes that precept should
be accompanied by practice, and his exemplary
life has won the confidence and respect of all.

QEORGE BROWN, a wealthy agriculturist
_ residing near Fishkill Plains, Dutchess
county, is one of the most progressive and sci
entific workers in that ancient calling to be
found in this region, his extensive estate being
managed in a model manner.
He is the son of the late David H. Brown,
who was born in London, England, April 20,
1806, and crossed the Atlantic at the early age
of twelve years, in the care of a friend of the
family. After a short stay in Quebec, Canada,
he ran away and joined a party of Indian
traders, with whom he remained about five
years at the head of the Mississippi. On leav
ing them he went to Nantucket and learned
the ship-carpenter's trade, which he followed
throughout his active business life, principally
in New York City, but to some extent in Geor
gia and New Orleans, La. In politics he was
in his later years a Republican. He married

576

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

Miss Maria Van Slyck, a lady of Holland-Dutch
descent, whose ancestors were among the earli
est settlers in Columbia county, where her
father, Barant Van Slyck, was a prominent
farmer. For some years after his marriage
Mr. Brown made his home in New York City;
but in 1867 he bought the farm now owned by
our subject, and resided there a few years.
His wife died December 12, 1869, and in 1872
he purchased another farm on the banks of the
Hudson river, where he passed his declining
years in retirement. He departed this life
September 19, 1889.
George Brown, whose name opens this
sketch, was born in New York City, February
13, i84i,and was the eldest of three children.
Henry, the second son, is now a patient in the
Hudson River State Hospital; he succeeded to
the farm lying onthe Hudson. Catherine, the
youngest child, died in infancy. After ac
quiring an education in the schools of the
metropolis, our subject engaged in the retail
grocery business; but since 1867 he has lived
upon his farm, which contains 235 acres, and
lies upon the line between Wappinger and East
Fishkill. He raises a variety of crops, and
devotes much of his time to the care of his
estate. So far, he has not donned the matri
monial yoke. Intelligent and progressive in
his ideas, he stands high in his locality. He
votes the Republican ticket, and is a member
of the F. & A. M., Hopewell Lodge No. 596.

r>\EORGE HUGHES. Among the leading
S^ merchants of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, is found this gentleman, who is pro
prietor of the largest furniture establishment
on the Hudson river.
Mr. Hughes was born in County Armagh,
Ireland, February 8, 1843, and is a son of
Francis and Rose (Ward) Hughes, the former
of whom was born in County Armagh, in 1808.
The family is of Welsh-Briton ancestry, but
most of its members have been residents of
Ireland for centuries past, and the old home
stead in the county mentioned is still in the
hands of relatives of our subject. For many
years the men of this family have been build
ers and contractors, and were the leaders in
this line of business in their locality; also had
contracts in England, Scotland and on the
continent. Charles Hughes, an uncle of our
subject, buHt the cathedral in the city of
Armagh, the church and school in Middle-

town, and the church and parochial school in
Keady; he was also a great railroad bridge
builder in the British Isles. His son Charles
succeeded him in business, and owns the old
homestead yet. Bernard Hughes, a cousin of
Francis, is the largest baker in the world, his
bread finding its way to the continent, and to
England and Scotland; he grinds his own
flour, and ships car-loads of bread every
morning, employment being given to four hun
dred men in his establishments. His popular
ity is great, and he has served as mayor of
Belfast, the chief city in the North of Ireland.
The Right-Rev. John Hughes, formerly Arch
bishop of New York, was of this family, and
many other Catholic prelates originated from
same. Owen Hughes, the grandfather of our sub
ject, and who was a farmer and builder, mar
ried Miss Phoebe Thornton, a native, like him
self, of County Armagh, and a member of one
of the oldest, families of that section, of an
cient Briton ancestors who settled in Ireland
after the Conquest of Britain by the Romans.
This famHy also had many extensive contract
ors and builders in New York City, William,
Bernard, John, Peter and Hugh Thornton be
ing of the number. Seven children were born
to Owen Hughes and his wife, as follows:
Bernard, who was a large lan€ owner. George
(whom our subject is named after), who died
when a young man; he was noted for his great
strength and athletic powers. Charles, who
remained in Ireland. Francis, who came to
America. Mathew, who lived in Ireland.
Phoebe, who married a Mr. Hagan, of Middle-
town, County Armagh. Bridget, who never
married, and remained in Ireland.
Francis Hughes, the father of our subject,
received a liberal education, for his time, in
the schools of Middletown and city of Armagh,
and learned the cooper's trade. Prior to
coming to America he also followed farming
and cooperage, dealing in cattle in conjunction
with his trade. In 1840 he buHt a fine stone
house on his farm at Carriclane. On first ar
riving in this country he lived for a time in
Rochester, N. Y., where Francis L. Hughes
and Edward Denney (a relative) lived. He
afterward went to New York City, and was
engaged with the Thornton Brothers in buHd
ing and contracting in that city and in Brook
lyn for a number of years. In partnership
with George Clark, he erected several blocks
of buildings in those cities, and about 1854

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

577

took a contract from Matthew Vassar to build
Vassar Row on Main street, and for the large
carriage factory of J. W. Fredericks, in Pough
keepsie. In all of these contracts they did all
the work, masonry, carpentering, etc., com
pleting each job in full, and turning the keys
over to the owners.
On May i, 1854, George Clark and Mr.
Hughes brought a boatload of building tools
and material, twenty-five workmen and their
families, their own families and house-furnish
ing goods, and Mr. Hughes took up his resi
dence in Poughkeepsie, where he carried on
business the remainder of his life. During his
later years he became a great friend of Mat
thew Vassar, acting as a sort of manager and
confidential adviser. Mr. Hughes was a man
of strong will and great energy, and was success
ful in his enterprises, becoming quite wealthy
before his death. In 1842 he was married
to Miss Rose Ward, daughter of Bryan Ward,
of County Monaghan, Ireland, the same county
from which Gen. Jobn A. Logan came. The
Wards were an influential family in Ireland,
and of old Irish stock going back before the
time of St. Patrick, and were largely engaged
in farming and stock-raising, while Bryan
Ward was a great horse-breeder, jobber and
dealer. Col. James Kelly, who succeeded Col.
Corcoran, 69th Regiment, after the battle of
Bull Run, was of this family. Two children
were born to Francis Hughes and his wife:
George, the subject of this sketch, and Sarah
Ann, who became the wife of Patrick Camp
bell of Brooklyn, but is now deceased. Mr.
Campbell has just retired from the Brooklyn
police force, in which he made a fine record
of over twenty years' service. Francis Hughes
died February 5, 1882, and his wife on April
29, 1873.
George Hughes obtained his early education
in the schools of Middletown, County Armagh,
Ireland, where he was under the instruction of
Prof. Afinew, a member of the family of which
the celebrated Dr. Agnew, of New York, is
one. After coming to America he attended St.
Paul's school, in Brooklyn, of which Prof.
Bridges was in charge, and finished his school
ing in Poughkeepsie. He has been a great
reader all his life, has a most retentive mem
ory and is especially well-versed in history.
He is a man of broad and progressive ideas,
well-informed on a variety of subjects, and
keeps abreast of the times.
After leaving school Mr. Hughes learned
37

the trade of a carriage painter and finisher with.
David Olmstead, with whom he was employed
until i860. He then took charge of a carriage
shop at Libertyville, Ulster county, for two
years, and the following year worked for the
Brewsters, in New York City, at his trade. In
1864 he moved to PeekskHI, and took charge
of a carriage shop for Golding & Lent. On
October i, following same, he came back to
Poughkeepsie and went into business for him
self on Grand street, where he worked at car
riage manufacturing, painting and trimming un
til 1867. He then went into the Red Mill
building, his business having largely increased,
he doing the painting and trimming work for
the small wagon and carriage makers for from
thirty to forty miles around Poughkeepsie,
and making a financial success of a then new
business enterprise.
In February, 1870, Mr. Hughes bought
out Charles H. Wygant, a carriage manufac
turer in Newburgh, Orange Co., N. Y. , and
who had just been elected sheriff, and carried
onthe business very successfully untH 1873.
The lease being broken, however, by the sale
of the property by John P. Embler's creditors,
Mr. Hughes was obliged to give up the prop
erty, so in 1873 he returned to Poughkeepsie,
and on AprH 29, of the same year, purchased
the large buHding comprising Nos. 406, 408
and 410 Main street. Of this he retained No.
406 for his own establishment, as carriage re
pository, same year building a three-story brick
structure in the rear of Nos. 406, 408 and 410,
for his carriage and sleigh manufactory, and fit
ted up the remainder for the furniture store and
warerooms of Coe & Deyo. In 1875 he sold
out the carriage manufacturing business and
leased the buHding to Schoonmaker & Bailey for
a term of ten years, for a time retiring from
active business; but his energetic nature would
not allow him to long remain idle, and in the
fall of the same year he took up the auction
and commission business, which he carried on
untH 1880. In 1887 Mr. Hughes purchased
the old George Carson property, known as Nos.
398, 400, 402 and 404 Main street, and Nos.
4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 South Hamilton street, in
cluding the corner of those two streets. The
buHdings on South Hamilton street had been
old frame landmarks, which Mr. Hughes
caused to be torn down, in their place erecting
the present substantial and commodious stores.
The South Hamilton street property consisted
of a solid rock, towering some twenty-five or

¦578

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

thirty feet above the level of the street, a prop
erty that real-estate dealers were afraid to spec
ulate in. Undoubtedly the site was valuable,
and at one time the former owner had refused
as much as $40,000 for it! Four years were
spent by Mr. Hughes in blasting and hauling
away this massive rock before it was brought to
a proper level, and the cellar floor for the block
of buHdings about to be erected there is solid
rock. The foundation and inside masonry of
the new Christ Church building in Poughkeep
sie is of rock hauled from this ' ' quarry, "
while the foundations for hundreds of houses
were made of it, and thousands of loads of
"chips " and broken stone were sold and de
livered to the city at ten cents a load, for
street improvement purposes, which was about
one-tenth of their value. On the corner of
Main and South Hamilton streets there now
stands a fine brick buHding, which Mr. Hughes
concluded to put up after doing some blasting
in the blue-stone rock foundation, hewing a fine
cellar out of the solid rock. He owns the
large stores fronting on Main street, three
stories in height, equipped with the largest
plate-glass front in the city, and occupying a
very prominent location. In the meantime
Mr. Hughes had been gradually working into the
furniture trade, and in 1880 he opened up a
furniture establishment which has constantly
increased in size, and volume of business, and
to which he has added the manufacture of
some of the best of his goods, the carriage
factory having been converted into a furniture
factory and store house. Twice each year
Mr. Hughes takes a business trip to the prin
cipal furniture markets in the country — Grand
Rapids, New York City, Chicago, Detroit,
Cincinnati, etc., buying from manufacturers
in car-load lots, securing, also, exclusive
agency, and choice of manufactured goods,
something unusual for places outside of large
cities. In 1885 Mr. Hughes admitted his son,
Charles F., into partnership, and the concern
has since so continued, the volume of business
steadily increasing each year.
Mr. Hughes' traveling has not always been
on matters of business, for he has made some
most pleasant and interesting journeys "on
pleasure bent, " On July 8, 1 891, he set out for
a six-months' tour across the Atlantic, the voy
age being made in the " City of New York,"
on which were Prince George of Greece (with
whom Mr. Hughes became personally ac
quainted) and retinue. In Ireland, our sub

ject visited his old home and birth-place, saw
conversed and visited with hundreds of friends
and relatives, and made a tour of the island
from Cape Clear to the Giant's Causeway; in
Scotland he saw, among many other interest
ing sights, the celebrated bridge over the Firth
of Forth; then toured through England (where
he saw all the principal points of interest in
London and vicinity), Wales, France and part
of Germany. In the summer of 1896 he took
an ocean tour along the Eastern seaboard, in
cluding that of the Canadian Maritime prov
inces, visiting St. John (New Brunswick), and
sailing up the St. John river to Fredericton,
thence proceeding to Halifax (Nova Scotia),
and from there homeward, via Boston and New
York. On September 20, 1863, Mr. Hughes was
married to Miss Bridget Carroll, of OhioviHe,
Ulster Co., N. Y. , and member of the family
of "Charles Carroll of Carrollton," one of
the signers of the Declaration of Independ
ence, and John Carroll, first Catholic Bishop
of Baltimore and all America, and a native of
Waterford, Ireland. Six children were born
of this union: Charles Francis, who wHl be
spoken of more fully presently; Mary Bridget,
at home; George Dennis, employed in the De
partment of Public Printing at Washington,
D. C. ; William Carroll, employed in his fa
ther's business; Rose Agnes (deceased), and
Loretta Anna, at home. Charles F. was born
June 29, 1864, in Peekskill, N. Y. , received a
liberal education, and graduated from Pough
keepsie High School, of the Alumni Associa
tion, of which institution he was first secre
tary. On November 19, 1890, he was mar
ried, in Poughkeepsie, to Miss Mary Skelly,
daughter of John Skelly, and two children are
living, viz. : George Francis and Charles WHl
iam. In 1885 Charles F. Hughes became as
sociated in his father's business, as above re
lated. For the past five or six years he has
been inspector of elections.
In 1892, George Hughes, our subject, pur
chased his residence property. No. 51 N. Clin
ton street, fronting on the Mansion Square
Park, and in the following year he remodeled
and enlarged the building, making it into a
large suitable family residence, where his mar
ried son also resides. In addition to his many
real-estate investments, he owns eight cleared
building lots on "The Heights" at Newburgh,
and it may be here mentionad, as another il
lustration of his shrewdness and business sa-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

579

gacity, that in 1866 he buHt the residence No.
185 Union street, a very substantial structure,
and in 1873 sold it and an adjoining buHding
lot for $10,000. He has been remarkably suc
cessful in his various enterprises, a fact due to
his untiring perseverance, good judgment and
reHable business methods, which have given
him a deservedly high standing with the pub
lic; his word is as good as his note; he has
always paid one hundred cents to the dollar.
He is progressive in his ideas, liberal in his aid
of all worthy objects, and has done much to
ward the growth and prosperity of his city. In
politics he is a Republican, and is a strong Pro
tectionist from principle ; has made a study of the
question, and has taken an active part in calling
the attention of the people to its beneficial
results. He served as chairman of the first
Republican convention held during the Harri
son campaign, of 1880. Although giving
much time and attention to political matters,
he has never been an office seeker. He and
his family attend the services of St. Peter's
Church, Poughkeepsie, and take an interest in
all Church work. He is broad and open in
his religious views, claiming that any religion
is better than none. During the war of the
Rebellion Mr. Hughes was captain of Com
pany C, 2 ist N. Y. V. I., which regiment was
organized in Dutchess county. In 1870 he
took an active part inthe Fenian raid on Can
ada, being District Center, at the time, of
Dutchess, Columbia, Orange, Putnam and
Rockland counties. He was captain of an
Irish volunteer military company, and for
warded over a hundred men to Ogdensburg
and northern New York, transportation and
equipage being largely paid out of his own
pocket. To the above Mr. Hughes adds: "He
was a firm believer at the time that the men
of Ireland had a perfect right to strike the
British fiag wherever it floated, and counte-
nanped the scheme of the Fenian Brotherhood
to capture Canada and make it a base of oper
ations to work from for the liberation of Ire
land. After the capture of Fort Erie and de
feat of the ' Queen's Own ' crack Canadian
regiment by about 500 of the Fenian volun
teers, who succeeded in crossing Lake Erie on
floats. President Johnson issued his neutrality
proclamation, and Gen. Mead, who was in
command of the lakes, was only too eager to
enforce it. The 50,000 Fenian volunteers
who had then assembled on the Canadian bor

ders came to the conclusion that rather than
precipitate the United States Government into
a war with England, they gave up the project
and returned to their homes, notwithstanding
the fact that reinforcements were continuously
arriving from all parts of the United States,
the majority of whom were men who had just
been discharged from the United States army,
after the Southern Rebellion was suppressed,
and for love of old Ireland volunteered their
services without fee or reward. There was no
power on earth that could have stopped them
from capturing Canada; but the United States
had just passed through four years of the great
Rebellion, and Irishmen thought too much of
America to plunge her into a war with England
so soon thereafter."

W MBROSE M. CULVER, one of the most
J^^ prominent agriculturists of the town of
Northeast, Dutchess county, is a native of that
county, born in the town of Amenia, Septem
ber 2, 1869. His grandfather, Bachus Culver,
who was born in the town of Pine Plains, was
a noted farmer of his day, owning and culti- /
vating, in early life, a large tract of land in
the town of Pine Plains. He was also en
gaged in cattle dealing, and, his ventures being
uniformly successful, be accumulated a fine
property. By his marriage he became the
father of three children: Dudley, a member
of the firm of Sherman & Culver, of New York
City; Lavinia, who married William Bartlett,
a brick manufacturer of the town of Amenia;
and Walter B, , our subject's father. Bachus
Culver was a member of the Presbyterian
Church, to which the later generations have
also adhered. His last years were spent in
Amenia town, where he and his wife both died.
Walter B. Culver was born at the old
homestead in the town of Pine Plains, and re
mained there until 1864, when he married Miss
Harriet Mygatt, daughter of Ambrose My
gatt, a leading resident of the town of Amenia,
and a descendant of one of the oldest families
of the town. For some years prior to his mar
riage, Mr. Culver located upon the Bartram
farm, near Sharon Station, where he remained
several years, and then removed to the My
gatt farm, in Amenia, where he now resides.
He has been very successful, and is now the
largest landholder in the township, owning
four farms besides the one upon which he re
sides, comprising in aH over 1,000 acres. He

5S0

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

is a Democrat, and has been active in local
politics, holding office as assessor, road com
missioner, excise commissioner and school
trustee. In educational matters he has taken
great interest, and has been ready to befriend
every movement for the benefit of the commu
nity. He and his wife are leading members of
the Presbyterian Church at Amenia, of which
he is a trustee. They have had eleven chil
dren, of whom eight are now living: May
Emily, Laura B., Ambrose M., Dudley D.,
Harry W., Arthur B., GQorgg.,R. and Bessie,
all of whom are at home except our subject
and Dudley, who is a farmer of the town of
Amenia. Ambrose M. Culver was educated in the
public schools of his native town, and later at
tended Amenia Seminary for about six years,
receiving a good English education. After
leaving school, at the age of seventeen, he
stayed with his father four years, and then
took the Wheeler farm, just east of his father's,
and conducted it on his own account two
years. In 1893 he purchased the George
Clark farm, in Northeast town, George Clark
being a brother of Mrs. Culver's mother. Ac
cording to the original survey of this farm it
contained 600 acres, but it is probably larger
than that. It is on the State line, and a por
tion of it is in Connecticut. Mr. Culver has
made many improvements upon the estate, and
has made it one of the best farms in the town.
On February 15, 1894, Mr. Culver mar
ried Miss Ida Estelle Chapman, daughter of
David S. Chapman, of Millerton, a well-known
traveling salesman. They are members of the
Baptist Church at MHIerton, and are promi
nent in the best social circles of the locality.
Being an intelligent and public-spirited young
man, Mr. Culver has taken an active interest
in local improvement, and is an active worker
in the Democratic ranks, always giving his in
fluence toward the selection of able and relia
ble officials.

FREDERICK HENRY STREVER. There
 are numerous fine farms in Dutchess
county which will compare favorably with any
others in the State, as regards production, and
also to the improvements that have been made
upon them, many of which places are owned
by men comparatively young in years. As a
representative of this class of agriculturists,
great pleasure is taken in presenting the name

of the subject of this notice, who has always
Hved in the town of Pine Plains. He was
born on the old Strever homestead December
II, 1861.
His paternal grandfather, Adam A. Strever,
was a native of Ancram, Columbia Co., N. Y.
born November 24, 1793. He made farming
his life occupation anfl continued to reside in
Ancram until AprH, 1835, when he removed to
the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county,
and purchased a farm consisting of 188 acres,
on which he spent the remainder of his life,
there dying July 14, 1866. He was a Jackson
Democrat, and a loyal, patriotic man. Enlist
ing in the war of 18 12, he immediately started
for Plattsburg, but the battle was fought be
fore he reached his destination, and he was
discharged. He stood firmly by the Union
during the late Rebellion. A faithful member
of tbe Presbyterian Church, he gave his sup
port to everything that would advance the
moral and material welfare of the com.munity,
and was a public-spirited and enterprising
man. In the family to which he belonged
were four sons and four daughters. His
brothers and sisters are as follows: Margaret,
who became the first wife of William Tanner;
Betsey, wife of Joseph Gillis, who located at
Argyle, Washington Co., N. Y. ; Maria, wife
of Abram Reynolds, also of Argyle; Sally;
John; Uldrick, who married Amanda Kinney
and lived in Argyle; and Benjamin A., who
died unmarried at the home of his cousin, John
B. Strever. Adam A. Strever was married to Clarissa
Tanner, who was born January 16, 1797, to
Samuel and Rachel (Mcintosh) Tanner, and
died December 4, 1877. They became the
parents of three children: Rachel, who was
born October i, 1820, and died unmarried
August 2, 1882; Sylvester, born March 29,
1822; and Benjamin A., the father of our sub
ject. The father of Mrs. Strever, Samuel
Tanner, was born AprH 4, 1758, in Dover,
Dutchess county, where he lived some years.
He first wedded a Miss Mcintosh by whom he
had five children: William, born February 4,
1783, first married Margaret Strever, after her
death Mrs. Finch, and his third wife was Bet
sey Davis; John, born March 6, 1788, for his-
second wife chose Mrs. Christine Mosher;.
Rachel was born March 20, 1784; Alexander,
born February 20, 1785, was married and had
two children, one daughter marrying Dr. Plat-
ner; and Margaret, twin sister of Alexander,.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

581

was also married. For his second wife Sam
uel Tanner chose Rachel Mcintosh, who was
born August 4, 1767, and was a daughter of
Alexander and Rachel (Yonkhonce) Mcintosh,
and to them were born ten chHdren, namely:
(i) Mary Magdalene, born November 2, 1790,
married William T. Woolridge. (2) James,
born January 12, 1793, was married three
times. (3) Reuben S. was born January 12,
1795. (4) Clarissa was the wife of Adam A.
Strever, the grandfather of our subject, (5)
Anthony, born August 13, 1799, was twice
married, and died January 14, 1877. (6)
Henry was born November 9, 1801. (7)
Samuel was born August 6, 1804, (8) Morris
was born AprH 26, 1807, (9) Almyra, born
May 24, 1810, was married to Jeremiah Lown.
(10) Eliza, who completed the family, was
the twin sister of Almyra, and married Andrew
Case. Alexander Mcintosh, the father of
Mrs. Rachel Tanner, was undoubtedly a native
of Scotland, and his parents died while on the
voyage to the New World, and he worked for
three y^ars to pay his passage. The sister
pf our subject now has in her possession a
small straw-covered trunk which he brought
over about 1 740. It is supposed that he sailed
from England, and took the oath of allegiance
to the King of England. Rather than break
that oath he went as a baker in the Colonial
army during the Revolutionary war, and was
called a Tory as he would not take up arms
against the mother country. He remained in
New York City for some time, where he mar
ried Clara Yonkhonce, but November i, 1786,
he bought land of George Clinton, and removed
to the farm now owned by his great-grandson,
Samuel Tanner. It is said that while looking
for a place to build he accidently stepped into
a spring, and said ' ' here is where I wHl put
my house." His wife's parents located about
the same time on the land now owned by the
Duxberry family.
Benjamin A. Strever, the father of our
subject, was born on the old homestead in the
town of Ancram, Columbia county, June 19,
1830, and in the district schools of the town
of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, received a
good common-school education. He was
reared to agricultural pursuits, and in connec
tion with that occupation also engaged to some
extent as blacksmith, carpenter, mason, artist,
etc. In 1884 he removed to the farm stiH oc
cupied by the family.
On December 26, 1855, Benjamin A.

Strever married Amelia Jane Collier, who was
born November 11, 1831, the daughter of
Simeon Mace and Maria (Jones) Collier, and
to them were born three children: (i) Frank
lin Adam (who still owns and occupies the old
Strever homestead in Pine Plains), born Oc
tober 18, 1857, was married December 5, 1883,
to Mary Elida Vosburg, who was born June 26,
1858, and is the daughter of John and Rhoda
Ann (Scutt) Vosburg, and three chHdren blessed
their union — Rhoda Anna, born April 16,
1885; Raymond^ V., born June 24, 1886;
and Senella Blanche, born December 17,
1887. (2) Frederick Henry, whose name
introduces this sketch, is next in order of birth.
(3) Rachel Tanner, born November 17, 1865.
Simeon Mace Collier, the maternal grand
father of our subject, was born July 30, 1807,
and was married December 16, 1830, to Maria
Jones, by whom he had two children: Amelia
Jane and Gilbert Henry. She was born
August 22, 1805, to Isaac and Sally (Ross)
Jones, and died July 18, 1834. Her paternal
grandparents were Isaac and Anna Jones, and
her mother, who bore the maiden name of
Sally Ross, was the niece of Captain Ross,
who is buried at Mt. Ross. On December 10,
1839, Simeon Mace Collier was again married,
his second union being with Eliza Thomas,
who was born May 2, 1806, and was the
daughter of John and Elsie (Hollow) Thomas,
and to them were born five children: Frances
C. , Thomas, George M., Gertrude Arnold and
Amy Thomas. The father of this family was
the fifth and youngest child of Noah and Leah
(Mace) Collier. His mother was born Octo
ber 16, 1775, and after the death of Noah
Collier, she became the wife of John Benson,
and died in 1857. She was the second daugh
ter of Simeon and Deborah (FHlow) Mace.
Her mother was born September 13. 1757,
and in 1772 became the wife of Simeon Mace,
who was born January 2, 1752, and died De
cember 24, 1822. Her death occurred Jan
uary 17, 1839. She was the daughter of John
and Phebe (Olmsted) FHlow. John FHlow
was born probably about 1704 and married
before 1726. He was the son of John and
Sarah FHlow. It is thought that John FHlow,
Sr. , was born in France about 1667, and was
about thirty-three years of age when he came
to America, bringing his wife and three sons,
who came here Huguenot refugees to escape
religious persecution. On coming to the New
World he located at* Norwalk, Conn. He

582

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

died about 1765, at the extreme old age of
ninety-eight years.
In the usual manner of farmer lads Fred
erick H. Strever was reared to manhood, as
sisting his father in the labors of the farm,
and attendingthe schools of the neighborhood.
He has been quite successful in his agricultural
pursuits, which he has continued to follow, and
now has a farm of 140 acres of rich and arable
land. He takes quite an active interest in
local political matters, voting with the Repub
lican party, and is interested in school work.
He is one of the representative young farmers
of the locality.

ISRAEL R, WILLSON, a prominent agri-
 culturist and dairyman of the town of North
east, Dutchess county, residing near Coleman
Station, is a descendant of a hardy, long-lived
Scotch-Irish ancestry, whose shrewd judgment
and upright character won for them a leading
place in this community. His great-grandfa
ther, Robert Willson, was one of three broth
ers who came from the North of Ireland at an
early day, his ancestors having moved from
Scotland to Ireland a number of years before.
He settled upon a tract of 100 acres west of
the present residence of Mr. Slee, where he
followed farming successfully. He was an en
terprising, public-spirited man, and did much
to develop the neighborhood, being one of the
founders of the Congregational Church north
of Amenia. He died in the latter part of the
eighteenth century, and his wife, Betsey Hind
man, to whom he was married after coming to
this country, lived to be over 100 years old.
They had seven children, whose names and
dates of birth are as follows: Reuben, Octo
ber 16, 1755; Amos, March 10, 1758, both of
whom moved to Saratoga county, N. Y. ; Han
nah, May 15, 1760; Mary, AprH i, 1763;
Thomas, September 11, 1767, who moved to
Ohio in early manhood; Margaret, September
9, 1769, the wife of Reuben Gaston, of Chan
tilly, N. Y. ; and Robert, May 14, 1772, our
subject's grandfather. He inherited his fa-
ther's_farm, but sold it and purchased the
Murdoch property, containing about 400 acres,
where he passed the greater part of his life.
He was a captain in the State Militia, and a
man of prominence in this region, active in
politics as a member of the Whig party, and
in business circles as a successful manager of
his fine estate. He belonged to the Presbyte

rian Church of Amenia City (now Smithfield),
and was a deacon for many years. He was
married November 11, 1795, to Sarah Thomp
son, of Amenia City, born February 7, 1777,
and had eight chHdren, whose names and
dates of birth are here given: John, June 3,
1797; Hiram, August 12, 1799; Rebecca, May
17, 1801, who was married January 6, 1820,
to PhHip Flint; Samuel T., October 3, 1803,
who was married February 21, 1833, to Eme
line Shornberger; Theron, June 10, 1805, who
was married January 8, 1829, to Lydia Collin;
Robert E., March 28, 1807, a well-known
minister of the Presbyterian Church, who was
married February 20, 1838, to Mary Strong,
sister of Justice Strong of the United States
Supreme Court; Sarah, August 12, 181 1, who
died at an early age; Henry, July 12, 18 14,
who was married to Sarah E. Cady, October
25, 1838; and Barak, January 24, 1817, who
married Cordelia Collins, September 24, 1840.
Capt. Willson died October 21, 1854, and his
wife survived him until July 6, 1872, when she
died at the age of ninety-five years.
Hiram Willson, our subject's father, also
followed farming as an occupation, and spent
many years on the homestead at Amenia City.
He moved to the town of Pine Plains in 1844,
and bought a place known as the Knicker
bocker farm, where he passed his remaining
years, his unusual executive ability enabling
him to accumulate a fine property. He
was married February 18, 1824, to Eliza
Reynolds, a lady of English descent, and a
granddaughter of Stephen Reynolds, who
came from Rye, Long Island, and located at
Pine Plains. Her father. Dr. Israel Reynolds,
was one of the prominent citizens cf that local
ity. He married Deborah Dorr, of Lym.e,
Conn. , and had three children — Walter, who
was an able lawyer of Pine Plains; Julia and
Eliza. Hiram WHIson died June 22, 1873,
and his wife September 30, 1892. Their six
children were born as follows: Ellen, October
8, 1825; Israel, November 2, 1827; Julia (Mrs.
Isaac Carpenter), February 11, 1830; Edward
P., December 26, 1832, who married Olive
Sinks, of Leavenworth, Kans.; Sarah R., May
2, 1836, who was the second wife of Isaac
Carpenter; Elizabeth D., July 20, 1838, who
married Theodore Strong, of Pittston, Penn. ;
a brother of Justice Strong, of the United
States Supreme Court.
Israel WHIson first saw the light of day at
the farm now occupied by John N. Conklin in

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

583

the town of Northeast. He received a good
academic education, attending the district
schools near his home, and later the schools
of Warren, Conn., and Pittsfield, Mass.
He is a very intelligent man, a great reader,
and has taken the New York Tribune for
forty years. On leaving school in 1852,
he bought a farm of 160 acres of Barak Will-
son, to which, four years later, he added 120
acres purchased of Stoughton Moore, and sub
sequent additions have enlarged it to a tract of
320 acres, making one of the best farms of the
town. The Harlem railroad was built through
it in 185 1, and, in the following spring, Mr.
Willson engaged in the milk business, being
one of the pioneers in that line, and has met
with gratifying success.
On September 16, 1852, he married Eliza
beth Conklin, a daughter of John Conklin, and
granddaughter of Major Nathan Conklin, an
officer in the Revolutionary war, who came to
Dutchess county from East Hampton, Long
Island, about 1781. They have had three.
chHdren: Elizabeth Hunting, who was born
August 16, 1856, and died June 7, 1878; and
JuHa, born November 11, 1858; and Helen F. ,
born August 14, 1864, who married D. Dewey
Merwin. Mr. Willson and his family are lead
ing members of the Presbyterian Church at
Amenia, and he is one of the active workers in
all matters of local improvement. Although
he never aspired to office he was town as
sessor for six years, and he takes great interest
in national affairs, being in early years a Whig,
and later a Republican.

T^HOMAS O'BRIEN, one of the most en-
_ terprising and prosperous agriculturists
of the town of Dover, Dutchess county, resides
near Dover Plains on a fine farm of 225 acres,
which he devotes to dairy work and stock rais
ing. He is a native of Parish Vancha, County
Tipperary, Ireland, where his ancestors have
made their home for many years. His father,
Daniel O'Brien, conducted a large dairy farm
there, supplying the neighboring cities with
milk. He married Margaret Dempsy, and had
six children: Daniel, who died at an early age,
Jeremiahf John, Thomas, Margaret and Mary.
Mr. O'Brien came to the United States in
1854, and located for a time upon a farm in
the town of Beekman, Dutchess county. Later
he purchased his present property, known as
the Hall farm. In politics he is a Democrat,

and he has always taken an intelligent interest
in all that concerns the welfare of his adopted
country. He was married at Wappingers
Falls to Miss Mary Cunningham, who was born
and educated in the Emerald Isle, and came
to America in 1850 at the age of twenty. They
have three children: (i) MaryT. , who was
born in the, " Clove " in 1862, married Thomas
Mclncram, a farmer in Amenia, and has four
sons — Thomas, Joseph, John and Leo. (2)
John who was born in 1863, received his edu
cation in the schools of Dover, and is now en
gaged in farming with his father. (3) Julia A.
is at home.
Mrs. O'Brien's grandfather, Thomas Cun
ningham, was born in the Parish of Golden,
County Tipperary, Ireland, where he was a
farmer during his mature years. He and his
wife, Bridget, reared a family of children,
among whom was a son, Patrick, Mrs. O'Brien's
father, who moved in early manhood to Tulli-
mane Parish, Lethard, County Tipperary, Ire
land, and engaged in agriculture. He married
Bridget Markley, daughter of Dennis Markley,
a farmer of the same locality, and his wife,
Johanna. Thirteen chHdren were born to
them, of whom four died in infancy. Of the
others, Thomas married, first, Catherine Hayes,
and, second. Miss Penneferth; Patrick married
Kate O'Brien; Dennis, Miss Hayes; Michael,
Mary O'Brien; John; Johanna, Charles Wat
son; Margaret, Mr. Kennedy; Mary, Thomas
O'Brien; and Bridget died at an early age.

^\UGENE HAM, a progressive agriculturist
 of the town of Washington, is now de
voting his time and attention exclusively to his
farming interests, operating the old homestead
where his life has, for the most part, been
passed. Conrad Ham, grandfather of our' subject,
was a native of Dutchess county, born in the
town of Washington, in 1757, and was there
educated in the cominon schools. By his mar
riage with Elizabeth Haight he had six chil
dren: Henry, George, Milton, Lewis, Jonathan
(father of our subject) and Hannah. Of these,
Henry was born, reared and educated in the
town of Washington, and married Miss Eliza
beth Thorn, by whom he had four chHdren:
C. Conrad, Joseph, Sarah and Elizabeth (wife
of Peter Mesick). George, a farmer by occu
pation, married Miss Catherine MarshaH, and
they had two chHdren: Stephen (who married

584

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Sarah Sleight) and Hannah (who married Ste
phen Angeli). Milton, also an agriculturist,
wedded Miss Phebe F. Ferris, and they had
three children: John (who married Rhoda
Sleight), Sarah, and George (who married
Miss Grace Seymoure); Lewis never married.
Jonathan Ham, the father of our subject,
was a native of the town of Washipgton, and
after attending the common schools near his
home took a course in the Jacob Willets school.
Quite early in life he began tilling the soil, and
became a very successful farmer, acquiring a
large tract of land in both Washington and
Unionvale towns, on which he carried on gen
eral farming. He married Miss Mary Vincent,
daughter of James and Mary (Sisson) Vincent,
prosperous farming people of the town of
Unionvale, and three children were born to
them: Eugene, Helen and Elizabeth B.
In the town of Washington, Eugene Ham,
the subject proper of this sketch, was born in
1850, received his primary education in the
local schools, and later was a student at Col
lege Hill, in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. After his
return he turned his attention to agricultural
pursuits, purchasing the old homestead in the
town of Washington, where he has since re
sided. He is a wide-awake, progressive citi
zen, taking a deep interest in the welfare of
the community, and is widely and favorably
known. On June 15, 1881, he was married
to Miss Mary K, Sleight, who was born in the
town of Lagrange, Dutchess county, and re
ceived her education at Poughkeepsie. They
have become the parents of six children: Mary,
Francis, Irene, Edwin S,, Lewis E. (who died
in infancy) and Eugene.
James Sleight, the great-grandfather of
Mrs. Ham, was a native of Ulster county, N.
Y. , and was a gallant Revolutionary soldier.
By his marriage with Miss Elsie de Reimer he
had five children: Peter R., Henry A., Har
riet, Elsie and James Edwin. The first named,
Peter R. Sleight, was born in the town of
Poughkeepsie, July 20, 1804, and there secured
a common-school education. He engaged in
farming, and was also president of the Dutch
ess County Mutual Insurance Company at
Poughkeepsie. He took a great interest in all
public improvements, and was a highly re
spected citizen. He was twice married, his
first union being with Sallie A. Barnes, by
whom he had one son, James Edwin, the fa
ther of Mrs. Ham. After her death he wedded
her sister. Miss Catherine Barnes, and they

had three children: Sarah A., David B. (who
died in the army during the CivH war), and
Alexander W.
James E. Sleight, father of Mrs. Ham, was'
a native of Lagrange, and after completing his
education engaged in farming. Later he con
ducted a mill and also carried on farming.
He married Miss Frances E. Titus, daughter
of Elias and Annette (Hoag) Titus, the former
of whom was a woolen manufacturer of Pough
keepsie. Mrs. Ham, who was born in 1854,
is the eldest of four daughters, the others be
ing Rhoda, the wife of John M. Ham, of Wash
ington Hollow, N. Y. ; Sallie, the wife of Dr.
Augustus Angeli, now of Hartford, Conn.; and
Fannie, the wife of Henry Winchester, a mer
chant of South Amenia, Dutchess county.

OBERT J. STUART, proprietor of the
extensive foundry and machinery works
at New Hamburg, Dutchess county, is well
known throughout that county as a prosperous
and thorough-going business man. He was
born May 15, 1847, at Darkley, County Ar
magh, Ireland, as was also his father, William
Stuart, and comes of Scottish ancestry on his
father's side.
William Stuart married Sarah Harvey, who
was also born in County Armagh, and they
settled on a farm in Ireland, where seven chil
dren were born to them, namely: Eliza, Rob
ert J., William, John, Nathaniel, Jane and
Sarah. In 1858 the father came to America,
first locating in New York City, the rest of the
family following in 1862, and Emily J. and
Thomas H. were born in that city. In 1865
they moved to Saugatuck, Conn. , where they
lived until 1884; then removed to Middletown,
N. Y, , thence after two years moving to their
new home in New Hamburg. The parents are
members of the Presbyterian Church; in poli
tics the father is a Republican.
Robert J. Stuart attended school in his na
tive country, and was fifteen years old when
he came to America. In New York City he
began to learn the trade of a machinist with
the Dalton Knitting Machine Co. , and when
this firm removed to Connecticut our subject
went with them and finished his apprentice
ship. He then returned to New York City,
and worked at his trade for about four years.
For the following twelve years he lived at
Yonkers, N. Y., and while there became in
terested in an automatic paper-feeding ma-

.^^^^/^^S^.^.s^S^.f^^-'

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

585

chine, which, after ten years of hard and per
sistent struggle and experimenting, he suc
ceeded in perfecting. This was the first ma
chine of the kind to be put in successful opera
tion in this or any other country, and was the
most successful one seen at the World's Fair
in 1893. Mr. Stuart is entitled to the credit
of bringing into practical use this important
and wonderful invention, which has worked a
revolution in the old methods of handling sin
gle sheets of paper. In 1882 Mr. Stuart went
to Poughkeepsie and formed the Sedgwick &
Stuart Manufacturing Co., for the purpose of
putting the machines on the market, which
company lasted two years, when he sold his
interest to Whitman & Burrel, and for the first
time started in business for himself, renting a
foundry and machine shop at Middletown, N.
Y. In two years business had so increased
that he was compelled to find larger quarters,
and purchased, of McArdle & Hart, his pres
ent property in New Hamburg, Dutchess
county. Since the date mentioned Mr. Stuart has
been carrying on a large and prosperous busi
ness, in his patent shaft couplings and dryer
outfits for brick, terra cotta, and various clay
products, salt, starch, etc. He also builds
various kinds of machinery, does all kinds of
repairing, makes castings of every description,
as well as patterns, and, in fact, does all kinds
of work to be done in first-class foundries and
machine works. His trade is extensive, and
he fills orders from all over the country, his
well-kno^n skill and ingenuity guaranteeing
satisfaction to his patrons. As a citizen here
he is held in high esteem, and is always ready
to assist in all enterprises tending to the growth
and prosperity of the community.
In 1 88 1 Mr. Stuart was married to Miss
Esther, daughter of Joseph and Ann (Platt)
Toburn, of Yonkers. No children have blessed
this union. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart are members
of the Presbyterian Church, and are liberal
contributors to all its needs, as well as active
workers in Church affairs. In politics our sub
ject is a Republican, and in everything is a
loyal citizen to his adopted country.

JOHN A. MARSHALL. Among the relia
ble, substantial and prosperous farmers of
the town of Hyde Park there is probably
none who stands higher in the public estima
tion than the gentleman whose name is here

recorded. He was born in the northwest cor
ner of the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, November 21, 1835, the night of the
great fire in New York City, and is a son of
Isaac P, Marshall, whose birth occurred in
1806, on the same farm, which is known as
the old Marshall homestead.
The paternal grandfather, Zacheus Mar
shall, on coming from England to the New
World, first located at Horse Neck, Conn.,
whence he removed to the town of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, receiving the title to
the home farm there from King George, and
he was the original ancestor of the Marshalls
in that section. By trade he was a carpenter,
which occupation he carried on to some extent
in connection with his agricultural pursuits.
He belonged to the Society of Friends, and
helped to erect their church in his locality.
He was three times married, his second union
being with a Miss Dean, while his third wife
bore the maiden name of Jane Quimby, She
was a nativeof Westchester county, N. Y. , and
was a witness of the battle of White Plains
during the Revolutionary war.
The only son of the third union was Isaac
Powell Marshall, the father of our subject, who
was a farmer by occupation. He was a suc
cessful business man, of sound judgment, quite
popular in his neighborhood, having the confi
dence and esteem of all who knew him, and
did much in the settlement of estates. He
was united in marriage with Maria Van Wag
ner, a woman of strong character, and to her
was due much of the success of her husband.
Three children were born to them: Culver, a
civil engineer of California, is a man of great
natural ability and versatility, and was one of
the brave and valiant Union soldiers during
the Civil war; John Allen, of this sketch, is
next in order of birth; and Albion, who died
in 1893. The father affiliated with the Demo
cratic party, and was one of the leading citi
zens of the town of Pleasant Valley, where he
served for many years as supervisor and jus
tice of the peace. He took a commendable
interest in the free schools of the county, as
well as in other worthy objects for the benefit
of the community. He was a faithful member
of the. Society of Friends, and spent his entire
life upon the old Marshall homestead, his
death occurring February 24, 1872. His wife
passed away February 9, 1892.
The primary education of John Allen Mar
shall was obtained in the district schools, after

586

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

which he attended the Friends school at Me-
chanicstown, N. Y. , and for two years was
a student at Claverack, N. Y, , taking the full
course in the academy there. He thus ac
quired an excellent education, becoming well
fitted for the practical duties of life, and at the
age of twenty-one began teaching in the dis
trict schools of the towns of Pleasant Valley
and Hyde Park during the winter season,
while in the summer months he assisted in the
operation of the home farm untH his marriage,
at the age of twenty-six years. Going to
Brooklyn, he there engaged in the mHk busi
ness, which he also foHowed in Jersey City for
two years. Since 1866, however, he has been
principally engaged in the cultivation and im
provement of his present farm in Hyde Park
town, though the year 1888 was spent by him
in the West, and for another year he was
in the South.
Mr, Marshall wedded Miss Elmira D. Cul
ver, daughter of John A. Culver, and to them
have been born five children: Nellie, wife of
Benjamin Haviland; Edwin Vincent, who is
still upon the home farm; Culver, who is em
ployed in the New York Central depot, at New
York City; Jennie Maria, at home; and John
Allen, who is engaged in teaching in East
Park, Dutchess county. The religious views
of Mr. Marshall incline toward the Society of
Friends, in which he was reared. In politics
he is an ardent Democrat, taking a warm in
terest in the success of his party, and during
the years 1875 and 1876 he served as super
visor of his township. He is a progressive,
enterprising man, broad and liberal in his
views, and is very popular in his neighborhood,
where he numbers many friends.
The Culver family, of which Mrs. Marshall
is a member, is of Scotch origin, and was
founded in America by three brothers, Jacob,
John and James, who located first on Long
Island, but later bought farms in Hyde Park,
Dutchess county, the titles to which came
from King George at an early date, John had
two sons, James and Allen, while the other
brother became the father of four sons, Sam
uel, Cornelius, Peter and John. Of the latter
family, John settled near Battle Creek, Mich. ,
and the others became prominent men of west
ern New York, having located near Rochester.
Until his marriage James Culver, Jr., remained
upon thefamily homestead in Hyde Park town,
and then for many years lived in Orange
county. New York.

Allen Culver spent his entire life upon the
old home farm, in the cultivation of which he
was very successful, and became the owner
of over 300 acres. He married Abigail
Marshall, daughter of Henry Marshall, and
they became the parents of eleven children:
Marshall, Hester, John A., WHlet, Deborah,
Mariam, Emeline, Maria, Catherine, Hiram
and Jacob, all now deceased except John A.,
Maria and Hiram. In religious belief the
family were Friends, and though not an active
politician, the father was a strong Federalist.
John A. Culver, the father of Mrs. Mar
shall, was born January 10, 1809, on the farm
adjoining the one where our subject now lives,
and there continued to reside untH after reach
ing his majority. He later purchased the
farm once owned by his grandfather Marshall,
which he operated for seven years, and then
engaged in the mercantile and lumber business
in the village of Hyde Park for about four
years. On the expiration of that time he pur
chased a farm in the northwest corner of the
town of Pleasant Valley, where he continued
to make his home some twenty-three years,
and as an agriculturist was very successful.
Going to Poughkeepsie in 1865, he there lived
retired for many years. On October 31, 1834,
Mr. Culver married Miss Catherine Skidmore;
daughter of Walter Skidmore, and on the
maternal side a granddaughter of Jesse Bell,
who served as captain in the Continental army
during the Revolution, and was one of the
honored citizens of Dutchess county. Three
children blessed this union, Mrs. J^.Iarshall
being the only one now living; Jane Ann died
at the age of seventeen; and Henry M. at the
age of seven years. The mother passed away
February 29, 1840. For his second wife, Mr.
Culver wedded Elizabeth Brown, on February
2, 1842, and they had two children: Charles
Wheaton, who died at the age of two years;
and Amanda, who died when twenty-one years.
The mother was called from this Hfe May 4,
1 890. By birthright Mr. Culver is a member
of the Friends Church, and has ever been one
of the leading and influential citizens of the
county, serving as alms-house commissioner
while a resident of Poughkeepsie.

LEONARD LYON. Few sections of this
 ! country can boast of more charming and
quietly picturesque scenery than that to be
found within the limits of Dutchess county.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

587

and nowhere wiH there be found people more
progressive and companionable. The house
of Mr. and Mrs. Lyon on Quaker HiH, town
of Pawling, is one of the pleasant spots of that
favored region, and its occupants hold a high
place in the esteem of the community. Mr.
Lyon was formerly engaged in agriculture in
Cayuga county, N. Y. , but has become fully
. identified with the interests of his adopted
county. Mr. Lyon was born March ii, 1843, in
Sherwood, Cayuga Co., N. Y., a son of Alfred
and Harriet (Valentine) Lyon, the former of
whom, a native of Bedford, Westchester Co.,
N. Y. , was a merchant there in early life,
later moving to Cayuga county, where he fol
lowed farming. He was twice married, first
time to Lavina White, and by her had seven
children, of whom five died when young, the
two yet living being George and Lavina. By
his second wife, Harriet (Valentine), Alfred
Lyon had seven children, as follows: (i) Hi
ram, a farmer of Cayuga county, married to
Abbie Gifford, and had six children — Sanford,
Genevieve, Edith, Gertrude, Lyman and Her
bert. (2) Elizabeth married Henry Grimshaw,
and had three children — Samuel, Howard and
Della. (3) Samuel married Della Nye, and
had three children — Howard, Alfred and
Page (the entire family live in Chicago). (4)
Leonard, our subject, comes next in the order
of birth. (5) James, a farmer of Sherwood,
Cayuga county, married Sarah Hopkins, and
had three children — Warren, Hettie and
Rossa. (6) Hattie married Frank Fowler, and
five chHdren were born to them — Mary, Hom
er, Della, Stanley and Ada. (7) Mary mar
ried WHHam Avery, and they moved to Fort
Collins, Colo., where he died; they had one
chHd — Pearle. (8) Charles, a dealer in horses
at Atalissa, Iowa, married Lucy Avery, and
had one son — Alfred. The father of this fam
Hy died in 1880, the mother in June, 1893.
He was known as Col. Lyon, having served
as a colonel in the State MHitia; was a mem
ber of the State Assembly several times, and
a justice of the peace many years, besides hold
ing minor offices. Politically, he was origi
nally a Whig, later a Republican. Col. Alfred
Lyon was of English and Scotch descent, the
present Lord Lyon and Lord Howe being
relatives. The silver dram-cup and cane,
bearing the name of John Lyon (one of three
brothers who came to America, and the one
from whom Col. Lyon was descended) are

now in possession of John Lyon, of Bingham
ton, N. Y. Col. Lyon's aunt (his father's
sister) inarried John Jay, the first chief justice
of the United States. The family coat of
arms is stHl in the possession of the family.
Leonard Lyon, whose name introduces this
sketch, received a liberal education, and grad
uated from Cayuga Lake Academy, after which
he took up farming, which vocation he has
ever since followed, having, in 1864, settled on
his present well-improved farm of 220 acres,
whereon he has erected some fine buildings.
In 1863 he was married to Mary Haines, a na
tive of Pawling, Dutchess county, and they
have one daughter, Jessie H., born in Pawling
in 1878, who is now being carefully educated
by private tutors at home. Mr. Lyon, our
subject, is a Republican in politics, but no
office-seeker. The ancestors of the Haines family were
among the early settlers in Dutchess county.
Caleb Haines, Mrs. Lyon's great-great-grand
father, was born and educated in Rhode Island,
whence he came to Dutchess county in his
manhood, to engage in farming. At one time
he owned most of the land upon which Pawl
ing now stands. He married Deborah Lewis,
and had two sons: Sylvester and Caleb. The
elder of these married, and reared a family of
ten children: Chauncey; Andrew, who married
Phcebe Howard; Charles, the grandfather of
Mrs. Lyon; Peleg, of whose marriage no par
ticulars are known; James, who is mentioned
below; William, who married (first) Eliza
Smith, and (second) Alma Betts; Lewis, who
wedded Maria Tabor; Caleb, who remained
single; Sarah, wife of Benjamin Sheldon, and
Sylvester, who never married.
James Haines was born on the old farm in
the town of Pawling, in 1790, and after ac
quiring a common-school education engaged in
farming. He was a strong Republican, and
held some minor township offices. He mar
ried Miss Hannah Sheldon, daughter of Jede
diah and Jerusha (Hotchkiss) Sheldon. Her
father was a leading farmer of the town of
Dover. They had seven children: John, who
married Abbie J. Allen; Sheldon, who married
Emeline Corbin; Jane, who died in infancy;
Maria, wife of Archibald Dodge; Susan, wife
of Aaron Baker; Lydia, wife of Cyrus Baker;
and Jackson, who married Lydia M. Cook.
Maria Haines was born in the town of
Pawling, in 18 19, and was educated there.
She married Archibald Dodge, who was born

588

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in 1810, and educated in the common schools
of that town, afterward engaging in farming.
He is now very bright and active at the age of
eighty-eight years, and he sowed an acre of
wheat at that age. They have one daughter:
Cornelia, who married T, J. Arnold, a farmer,
and has three children: Helen M., Archie
and Carrie H. Labon Dodge married Miss
Libbie Birch, but they have no children,
Charles Haines, Mrs. Lyon's grandfather,
was born in the town of Pawling, and moved
West to engage in farming. He married Miss
Mary Spaulding, and had three children: Albro
A., the father of Mrs. Lyon; Harriet, wife of
Simeon Walters; and Eliza, wife of Leonard
Cole. Albro A, Haines was born in the town of
Pawling, in March, 181 3, and educated there,
but later engaged in farming in the town of
Pawling. On July 7, 1833, he married Miss
Sarah Orton, daughter of William and Sarah
Orton, and Mrs. Lyon is the only child. Albro
A. Haines died July 31, 1891, a stanch Repub
lican in his political preferences.

E\LIAS SPROSS, a retired contractor and
 'I builder, with residence in Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, was born in Rhein Pfaltz,
Germany, August 5, 1826.
Michael Spross, father of our subject, was
a farmer in the Fatherland, and took part in
the war of 18 13, when Germany was invaded
by the French under Napoleon, He married
Miss Margaret Handschuh, and they settled
on a farm whereon they reared chHdren as fol
lows: Thomas was a mason contractor, and
died in 1895; Philip died in Switzerland at
the age of twenty-five years; Margaret married
Conrad Rissberger, who was a boiler maker in
Albany, N. Y. , and both are now deceased;
Elias, our subject, comes next; Joseph is a
farmer in Monroe county, N. Y. ; and Michael
is a shoemaker in Poughkeepsie, The father
of this family died in 1872, the mother in
1842; both were members of the German
Catholic Church.
The early life of our subject was spent in
his native land; in 1851 coming to America,
and locating in Poughkeepsie, he followed the
mason's trade, which be learned in Germany,
and at which he continued to work in this
country until his retirement from business in
1884. From 1853 to 1858 he worked wHh
his brother Thomas in the Poughkeepsie Iron

Works or Furnace, also in Cold Spring, Man
hattan, Peekskill, and other places until 1858,
doing the mason work. In the latter year he
took work in Poughkeepsie, and began con
tracting on his own account, in which he con
tinued until his retirement as above related.
In 1875 he did the mason work on the fourth
section of the Hudson River State Hospital,
and in 1876 took another big contract to do
the mason work on another section of the
hospital — the center building from basement
to second story. He has filled many other
contracts in Poughkeepsie, the last being for
the building of the post office in 1884, if we
except his contract in 1888, for putting in the
foundation of St. Mary's Catholic church,
Mr. Spross was married July 25, 1851, to
Miss Barbara Bollman, who was born in Ger
many, and who came to America on the same
vessel as did our subject. They have no chil
dren. In 1875 they took a trip to the Father
land, and in 1889 Mr. Spross again visited the
old country, rambling among the scenes of his
boyhood. He also visited England, particu
larly to see an old friend, Frank Brown, of
Castle Villa, Keighley, Yorkshire, England,
from there going to Germany, The latter
country he left August 12, for the Exposition
held in Paris that year, to meet Mr. F. Brown,
and after a stay of two weeks they went back
to England, where he stayed untH Septem
ber 2, when he left on his homeward trip to
the United States, after a three-months' tour,
Mr. and Mrs, Spross have a beautiful brick
residence at No. 8 Garfield place, Poughkeep
sie, which he built in 1877. Their home has
always been in that city since June, 1851. He
is a Democrat in politics, and has served on
the water board, and was an alderman from
the Fourth ward of Poughkeepsie. Socially,
he has been a member of the Germania So
ciety for forty years, and has devoted much
time and attention to its welfare. He and his
wife are members of the German Catholic
Church,

Gk EORGE A. TROWBRIDGE. The Trow-
Ji bridge family has been so long and favor
ably known in this section that its history wiH
be of unusual interest to many. The great-
great-grandfather of our subject, BHly Trow
bridge, was born November 4, 1748, the son
of Deacon Samuel and Sarah (Seeley) Trow
bridge. He received a common-school educa-

(^^/c^, JfiA^^p^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

589

tion, and then engaged in agriculture. In
June, 1777, he married Miss Rhoda Beards
ley, who was born February 14, 1758, and
died February 8, 1844. A year or two after
their marriage they settled in Carmel, Putnam
county, N. Y., and in 1798 moved to Truxton,
Cortland county; but Mr. Trowbridge died two
days before the little party reached its desti
nation. They had nine children , whose names,
with dates of birth and death, are as follows
Ephraim, March 22, 1778, died May 5, 1791
Alvah, September 4, 1779, died June 10, 1856
Billy, March 26, 1781, died May 8, 1854
Levi, February 16, 1783, died 1846; Polly,
AprH 3, 1786; died 1818; Samuel, December
I, 1788, died 1817; Sally, February 23, 1792,
died 1810 ; Ephraim, June 15, 1795, died
1798; John C, October 18, 1797, died 1831.
Alvah Trowbridge, our subject's great
grandfather, received the education obtainable
in the common schools of his day, and later
became a farmer. He was married November
30, 1797, to Miss Sally Crane, daughter of
Judge John Crane, of Carmel, N. Y. She
was born June 27, 1780, and died of measles
AprH 6, 1833. Eight children were born to
them, whose names, with dates of birth and
the names of their respective partners in
matrimony, are here given: Phineas B., De
cember 4, 1798 — Sally B. Raymond; AdaZ. ,
October 18, 1800 — Levi Knox; Allerton M.,
February 24, 1803 — Letitia Coe ; Aralinda,
February 26, 1805 — Orrin Richards; WHliam
C, AprH 15, 1807 — Mary E. A. HoHey; Cor
nelia A., November 8, 1809 — Reynolds Platt;
Sarah B., March 21, 1821 — David B. Rogers.
Phineas Beardsley Trowbridge, the grand
father of our subject, was born and educated
in the town of Southeast, Putnam county, and
at an early age engaged in farming near
Wings Station, later following the blacksmith's
trade. He was married October 28, 1823, to
Miss Raymond, who was born October 22,
1803. They have six children, whose names
with dates of birth are as follows; Edwin M. ,
November i, 1824 (died August 29, 1854);
Amanda, December 5, 1826 (died August 8,
1^85); John C, September 24, 1828; Cor
neHa A., AprH I, 1 83 1 (died August 26,
1848); William R., May 6, 1833; and George
Platt, July 19, 1840 (died April 15, 1845).
Only two of that family entered the matri
monial state; Edwin, who married Miss Sarah
D. Marsh, and WHHam R., our subject's
father. He was born and reared in the town

of Southeast, Putnam county, and has been for
many years a prominent farmer near Wings
Station. He purchased his present farm of
300 acres about twenty-seven years ago, and
makes a specialty of dairywork. He married
Miss Maria W. Sheldon, daughter of Albro
and Elizabeth (Edmond) Sheldon. Four chil
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Trowbridge:
(i) Cora B., born September 20, 1858, mar
ried June II, 1878, Arthur Dorn, a merchant
in Springfield, Mass., and son of Albert Dorn,
of Beekman, N. Y, They have one child,
Mabel, born September 30, 1880. (2) George
A., born September 20, 1861, is a farmer and
merchant at South Dover; he married, March
19, 1889, Miss Eva Dutcher, daughter of
George W. and Nettie (Hill) Dutcher, well-
known residents of Dover. He has two chil
dren: William D., born June 6, 1891, and
Nettie A., born March 4, 1894. (3) Ada, born
December 27, 1863; and (4) Eliza, born April
17, 1866, are at home.
Mrs. Trowbridge is a member of one of the
old famHies of the town of Dover, and her
great-grandfather, Caleb Sheldon, was born
and educated there, also passed his mature
years in farming. His death occurred there
November 22, 1841, at the age of ninety-three.
His son Luther, Mrs. Trowbridge's grand
father, was a blacksmith for a number of years,
and later engaged in farming. He died Au
gust 28, 1 861, at the age of eighty-six years,
and his wife, formerly Miss Mary Butts, of
Delaware county, died October 13, 1863, aged
eighty-seven years. They had eleven children,
ell of whom married except one. Their names,
with those of their respective husbands and
wives, are as follows: Phoebe — Abraham Sher
man; Theodorus — Mary Wing; the twins,
Electa (died at the age of seventeen) and De
lilah (married Duncan McDonald); Albro —
Eliza Edmonds; Ophelia — Henry P. Amey;
Anner — Wilson Johnson; Jeremiah — Sophia
Doughty; WHson B. — Hannah M. Doughty;
Harrison — Hannah Ward; and Almeah — An
drew Ward.
Albro Sheldon, the father of Mrs. Trow
bridge, was born in 1808, and became a prom
inent farmer. He was active in local affairs,
and held a number of town offices. He mar
ried Miss Eliza Edmonds, daughter of Kenedy
Edmonds (a well-known farmer of the town of
Dover) and his wife, Leah C. Edmonds. Mrs.
Trowbridge was born in 1840, the eldest of
four children. Sarah A. Sheldon, born No-

590

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

vember ii, 1844, married (first) George Root,
by whom she had one son — George S. Root,
born AprH 23, 1871; Mr. Root died July
29, and she married Myron Edmonds; one
child came of this union — Carrie L. , born
March 12, 1882. Wilson B, Sheldon, born
October 22, 1846, is a prominent farmer in
Dover; he married Nellie J. Root, and has two
chHdren — Albro, and Grace (Mrs. Frank Den
ton). Almira Sheldon, bornAugust 16, 1848,
married William Wheeler, a farmer of the
town of Dover, and has five children: Carrie,
born in 1877; Maude, 1879; Phoebe, 1881;
Howard, 1883; and Allie, 1886.

WALTER B. CULVER, a worthy repre-
 sentative of the agricultural interests
of the town of Amenia, and one of the large
land owners of Dutchess county, is descended
from good old Revolutionary stock, Joshua
Culver, his great-grandfather, having assisted
the colonies in gaining their independence.
His grandfather, who also bore the name of
Joshua, was a native of the town of Amenia,
and in early life learned the tanner's trade with
Capt. WiHiam Young, at Amenia Union. Sub
sequently he established himself at Pine Plains
in the tanning business, conducting it with re
markable success and becoming a wealthy man
for his day. He married Lavinia Backus,
whose birth also occurred in Amenia, and to
them were born five children, all now deceased,
namely: Elmira, Eliza, Backus, Roxanna
and Phebe.
Backus Culver, the father of our subject?,
was born at Pine Plains, Dutchess county, in
1806, was there reared and educated, and later
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits.
From farming he drifted into stock raising,
becoming an extensive dealer in live stock be
fore a raHroad had been constructed through
this section of the country. He married Miss
Abbie Drew, and they had nine children:
Joshua, Mary, Laura and Sanford (all four
deceased); Walter B, ; Dudley G. ; Lavina,
wife of William H. Bartlett; and Phebe and
Henry, both deceased. The father, who was
an earnest Democrat in politics, was called
upon to serve in several official positions, in
cluding those of supervisor and assessor of
Pine Plains. In the spring of 1 864 he removed
to Amenia, where he lived until life's labors
were ended, in 1870, in which year his faithful
wife also died.

Walter B. Culver was born in Pine Plains
May 7, 1837, and in the viHage schools he
began his education, supplementing the knowl
edge there acquired by a course at Dominie
Benedict's private school at Patterson, N. Y.,
and also at the Dutchess County Academy, of
Poughkeepsie, and the Amenia Seminary.
He remained on the home farm untH after
attaining his majority, and in 1859 located
upon the old Culver place, south of the depot
at Amenia, where he continued to live until
the spring of 1864. On December 17, 1863,
he married Harriet J. , a daughter of Ambrose
Mygatt. Their children are: Mary E,, Laura
B., Ambrose M., Dudley D., Harry W.,
Arthur B., George R. and Bessie H. Like
his father, Mr. Culver has always been an un
swerving Democrat in his political views, and
has acceptably served as commissioner and
assessor of his town. He is one of the most
progressive farmers of the community, and is
a straightforward and reliable citizen, one
whose word is considered as good as his bond.

w

y^ILLIAM VAN DE WATER is num-

mIjL bered among the native sons of the
town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county, and
for more than a century the famHy of which he
is a representative has been connected with the
history of that county. It furnished its repre
sentatives to the Revolutionary war, to the war
of 1812, and to the CivH war, and its mem
bers have ever been loyal and patriotic citizens,
giving a hearty support to all interests or
measures calculated to benefit the communities
in which they have resided.
As the name indicates, the family is of Hol
land origin, and was founded in America by
Harman Van De Water, who with several
brothers came from Holland to America. One
of the number located in Canada, another in
Fishkill, and Harman on Manhattan Island.
He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary
war. After the British had captured New
York, he removed to Pleasant Valley, Dutch
ess county, now the town of Poughkeepsie,
locating on a farm. His death occurred at
Pleasant Valley in July, 18 16. He married
Maria fearnes, a sister of David and Joshua
Barnes, and they became the parents of six sons
and one daughter, namely: Benjamin, who
was born November 25, 1782, and died in
Buffalo, N. Y. ; WHliam, who was born De
cember 2, 1784, and died in Hyde Park, No-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

591

vember 30, 1834; Richard, born May 8, 1790;
Samuel, born in 1793; George, born January
27, 179s; Joshua, born January 21, 1799, his
death occurring in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1877;
and a daughter who died in early life.
WiHiam Van De Water, grandfather of our
subject, was drafted for service in the war of
1 8 12, was with the command of Capt. Valen
tine, and by him was honorably discharged.
After his death the grandmother received a
pension. Farming was his life work, and both
he and his wife were members of the Presby
terian Church. In their family were ten chil
dren: Sarah, who became the wifeof WHliam
Holmes, a farmer of the town of Lagrange;
Maria, deceased; George, father of our sub
ject; Alexander, formerly a farmer, now living
in Hyde Park; William A., who was a farmer
and mHk dealer, but is now deceased; Henry,
an agriculturist in the town of Hyde Park;
Hiram, a deceased farmer; John, a farmer in
the town of Hyde Park; Alfred, an agricultur
ist of Kansas; and one who died in infancy.
George Van De Water was born April
29, 1 82 1, in the town of Hyde Park,
where, on his father's farm, he spent his
boyhood days. He married Elizabeth Phillips,
a native of Poughkeepsie, and a daughter of
M. D. L. F. Phillips, who was named for Gen.
La Fayette, a friend of the famHy. The an
cestry of the Phillips family is English. Upon
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Van De Water
located upon a farm in Pleasant Valley, where
he has now made his home for fifty-one years,
devoting his energies exclusively to agricultural
pursuits. He gives his political support to the
Republican party, and has served as assessor.
Both he and his wife are consistent Presbyte
rians. Of their family of seven chHdren,
Lavina died in infancy, William is the next
younger; Marquis P. is a farmer of Pleasant
Valley; Wilson A. was married, and both he
and his wife were killed by a train in 1890;
Jennie M. died at the age of nineteen years;
Carrie is the wife of Israel D. Marshall, a
farmer of Hyde Park; and Elizabeth is the
wife of Charles Ambler, a merchant of Stissing,
Dutchess county.
WiHiam Van De Water, whose name in
troduces this review, was born on his father's
farm, in the town of Pleasant Valley, June 4,
1846, and to farm work devoted his energies
in the summer months, while in the winter he
attended the district school of the neighbor
hood, completing his education in the Colum

bia County Academy, at Claverack. Subse
quently he went to New York City, and en
tered upon his business career as a salesman
for the firm of Lord & Taylor. He was mar
ried September 4, 1867, to Caroline E. Ganse,
who was born at Wappingers Falls, a daugh
ter of Henry Ganse, a farmer who was of Hol
land lineage. After his marriage, Mr. Van-
De Water located upon a farm in the town of
Pleasant Valley, where he lived until 1881,
and then embarked in the milling business at
Salt Point, which he continued for five years.
On the expiration of that period he purchased
his present farm of 122 acres, and is now en
gaged in the cultivation of his land. He has
placed many improvements upon his farm, and
his progressive methods and well-directed ef
forts class him amongthe leading agriculturists
of the county.
Mr. Van De Water gives his political sup
port to the Republican party, and both he and
his wife are members of the Presbyterian
Church. They are parents of five children:
Rosilla M. , wife of Harry A. Russell, a farmer
of the town of Pleasant Valley; Cora A., wife
of William H. Allen, a farmer, and the presi
dent of the Salt Point Creamery Co. ; George
H., who was killed by the kick of a horse, in
North Dakota, in 1891; and Casper G. and
Ethel M., at home.

RS. MARY J. WOODIN. The Woodin
Jffill, family, which has been identified with
the town of Pawling, Dutchess county, from
early times, traces its origin to three brothers,
Amos, John and Daniel Woodin, who came
from England during the Revolutionary war
as soldiers in the service of the British gov
ernment. When the struggle for freedom was
ended they settled here — -Amos locating in the
town of Pawling, Dutchess county; John on
Huckleberry Mountain; and Daniel in Ansonia,
Connecticut. Amos Woodin married Lucretia Miller,
and had six children: Solomon; Joel; DanieP
(who married Mary Pierce); Henry (who re
mained single); Hyal (who married Betsy
Turner), and Esther (who married John
Brownell). Solomon Woodin was born inthe
town of Pawling, in 1780, and his education
was obtained therein the schools of that time.
He married Miss Annie Prosser, daughter- of
Dr. Prosser's sister. Thirteen children were
born to them, of whom all married but one,

592

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

their names, together with those of their re
spective partners in matrimony, being as fol
lows: Ransom — Charlotte Brairtain; Esther —
Jarvis T. Sweet; Sallie — Duncan Mead; Ira —
Caroline Woodin; Chauncey, who never mar
ried; Milton- — Malonie Lawrence; Federal —
Maria Brazee; Benjamin — Esther Brownell;
Amos — Naomi Griffin; Egbert- — Mary Miller;
Henry L. — Laura Armstrong; Ruth — ^John
Willard; and Lucretia — Peter Brazee.
Henry L. Woodin was born in the town of
Pawling, in 1816, and on finishing his course
in the schools there he became a collier, which
occupation he followed some forty years; he
is now engaged in farming. He and his wife
have had four children: Ransom married Ma
rinda Beers; Amelia is the wife of George
Squires; Solomon married Alice Wilcox; and
Coleman married (first) Elizabeth Sprague,
and (second) Ida Ett.
Daniel T. Woodin, the son of Daniel
Woodin^, was born in the town of Pawling,
in 1812, and was reared at the old farm, at
tending school in the neighborhood. He learned
the cooper's trade, and followed it for some
years, and later engaging in farming. Having
an active mind with a legal bent, he also prac
ticed law for some time. His wife, Mrs. Mary
J. (Clump) Woodin, is a lady of unusual men
tal force and ability, and the descendant of one
of the old families of the town of Poughkeepsie.
They have had four chHdren: (i) IsabeHe was
born and educated in the town of Pawling,
and is now the wifeof Prof. Edward T. Pierce,
principal of the State Normal School at Los
Angeles, Cal. ; they have had three children —
Ethel Elbora; Harold, who died in infancy;
and Hilda Bell, who died when two years old.
(2) Daniel W. Woodin, Jr., was born in the
town of Pawling, and, since he completed his
studies in the schools there, has been engaged
in farming. (3) Arvine was born at the old
homestead, in 1855, and like the others ob
tained her education in the local schools.
(4) Gertrude B. died at an early age.
Mrs. Woodin's maternal grandfather, Sam
uel Lucky, was born and reared in Poughkeep
sie, and in manhood became a successful
farmer. By his first wife. Miss Rebecca WH-
sey, he had six children: Samuel, Thomas,
James, Robert, John, and Jane, Mrs. Woodin's
mother, who was a native of the town of
Poughkeepsie, and was reared at the old home
there. She married Cornelius Clump, and
had eight chHdren, of whom Mrs. Woodin is

the youngest. Rebecca married James Mar
tin; Gertrude married (first) Charles Hoffman,
and (second) James Benson; John L. married
Celia A. Tompkins; Sam rnarried Eliza Phil
lips; Peter died in infancy; Almira is the wife
of Walter Shader; and Joanna married George
De La Vergne.

F

*RANK B. LOWN was born at the village
of Red Hook, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , on
the first day of January, 1849. He is the son
of David and Jane M. Lown, and with his par
ents removed to the city of Poughkeepsie in
1857, where he has since resided.
Mr. Lown was educated in the public
schools of the city of Poughkeepsie, and in
1 87 1 entered the law office of Nelson & Baker
as a law student. After being admitted to the
bar, he became a clerk in the office of Thomp
son & Weeks, then the oldest firm of practi
tioners in the county. In 1878, the firm of
Thompson, Weeks & Lown was formed, and
upon the death of James H. Weeks in 1887,
and of John Thompson in 1891, Mr. Lown be
came the sole survivor. He is still engaged in
the practice of his profession in the city of
Poughkeepsie.

LEWIS B. BARTON, proprietor of the
 ; " Amenia House, " at Amenia, Dutchess
county, comes of a well-known and honora
ble family that has long been connected with
the professional and business interests of the
county. Dr. Lewis Barton, his great-grand
father, was one of the early residents and suc
cessful practitioners of the town of Stanford,
where he served as assessor in 1793, that being
the first town meeting held in the town of Stan
ford in the house of Ephraim Paine. The
farm owned by him in that township is still in
the possession of the famHy. He died in
18 1 3, at the age of eighty-nine years.
Dr. Leonard Barton, the grandfather, was
born there in 1769, and he also devoted his
life to the practice of medicine in the town of
Stanford, where he owned a large farm, and
was a prominent and influential citizen, hold
ing several important offices. As early as 1797
he served as town clerk, and was supervisor
of his township in 1 8 18, 18 19, 1820, 1829 and
1830. His political support was given the De
mocracy, and socially he affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity. He was twice married.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

593

his first wife being Miss Thompson, and to
them was born a son, John. After her death
he wedded Rachel Gale, and they had ten
chHdren: George; James; Eliachim; Edward
P., of New Milford, Conn.; Josiah L. ; Julia,
who married Morgan Hunting; Rachel, who
married Stephen Sackett; Nancy, who mar
ried John Davis; Nelson, who died in 1852;
and Sarah, who married Anthony Hoffman.
All are now deceased with the exception of
Edward P.; Dr. Leonard Barton deceased in
1 841, at the age of seventy-two years.
Josiah L. Barton, the father of our sub
ject, was born August i, 18 16, in the town of
Stanford, and acquired an excellent education
at the Nine Partners Boarding School, in Wash
ington township, Dutchess county, after which
he began the study of medicine, but later
gave, it up. In 1844 he married Miss Annor
Eliza Briggs, who was born in the town of
Clinton, Dutchess county, March 29, 1822, a
daughter of Enoch Briggs. They became the
parents of three children, of whom our sub
ject is the eldest; (2) Arzelia is the wife of
Bryant Strever, of Ancram, N. Y. , by whom
she has one son, Henry; (3) Julius L. , of Mil
lerton, Dutchess county, married Annie Pul
ver, and they had two chHdren, Ethel (de
ceased) and Harry. After his marriage the
father removed to Ancram Lead Mines, Co
lumbia Co., N, Y., where he engaged in farm
ing from 1844 until 1849, and then removed to
the village of Ancram Lead Mines. There he
conducted a hotel until the spring of 1 8 54, when
he came to Pulvers Corners in the town of
Pine Plains, Dutchess county, and carried on
the same business for a year. In the spring
of 1855 he removed to Dover Plains, where
he ran the "Stone Church Hotel " for the
same length of time. Going to Ancram he
lived there until 1863, when he returned to
Ancram Lead Mines, where his death occurred
in 1866, and as he was a member of Warren
Lodge, F. & A. M. , he was buried with Ma
sonic honors. He was also connected with
the I. 0. O. F. at Pine Plains. He died Feb
ruary 20, 1866, at the age of forty-nine years,
six months and twenty days, and at the time
he was serving as collector at Ancram.
Lewis Briggs Barton, whose name intro
duces this sketch, was born in the town of
Ancram, Columbia Co., N. Y., August 5, 1846,
and during his early years accompanied his
parents on their various removals, attending
school at Ancram Lead Mines, Pulvers Cor-
38

ners and Dover Plains. On leaving the par
ental roof he went to Lithgow, in the town of
Washington, where he carried on farming un
tH 1 87 1. On November 15 of that year he
was there married to Miss Mary Anna Tomp
kins, daughter of Enoch Tompkins. He then
engaged at Lithgow in the butchering business
with Cyrus Hammond for two years, after
which he followed the same line of trade at
Wassaic, N. Y. From 1873 until 1876 he
conducted the "Wassaic House." In the
spring of 1 880 he removed to Amenia, where
he has since had charge of the "Amenia
House," which was opened for guests in 1852.
It is conveniently arranged and well furnished,
and in all its appointments, under its present
excellent management, a first-class hotel, and
is well patronized. Mr. Barton holds mem
bership with the Hotel Men's Mutual Benefit
Association, also the New York State Hotel
Association, and since 1868 has been connect
ed with the Masonic order, joining Sheko
meko Lodge No. 458, F. & A. M., at Mab
bettsvHle, now located at Washington Hollow,
Dutchess county. He makes a genial, popu
lar host, and as a private citizen stands de
servedly high in the estimation of his fellow

men.

C\ORNELIUS WINNE GRIFFEN, the
_^ well-known member of the firm of Griffen
Brothers, proprietors of the Union Mills at
LeedsviHe, Dutchess county, was born in New
York City, March 11, 1856. He belongs to
an old and prominent famHy of Dutchess
county, his grandfather, Bartholomew Griffen,
who was a blacksmith by trade, having been a
resident of Unionvale. He married Sarah
Filkins, by whom he had eight chHdren,
namely: Bartholomew (deceased); George;
Cornelius (deceased); Alonzo; Mary; CaroHne
(deceased); Jane Ann; and Timothy S. , the
father of our subject.
The birth of the last named occurred in the
town of Unionvale, Dutchess county, July 19,
181 1, and until thirteen years of age he there
spent his boyhood. He then entered the old
Red Mill, near Pawling, where he learned the
milling business, which he subsequently fol
lowed at Verbank, Dutchess county. At that
place he wedded Mary LeRoy, daughter of
John LeRoy, and to them were born three
children: Charles E., of Wassaic, Dutchess
county; Catherine M., of New York City; and

594

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

Frances, of Colorado. About 1837 Timothy
S. Griffen removed to South Amenia, where
he conducted a mill for about three years,
after which he returned to Verbank for. a short
time, and in 1842 moved to LeedsviHe, here
running a mHl on shares for nine years. In
185 1 he went to New York City, where he was
engaged in the grocery and meat-market busi
ness untH March, 1857, when he removed to
Salisbury, Conn., there operating the Long
Pond mills untH 1861, in the spring of which
year he returned to South Amenia. He then
conducted the Weebotuck mHls untH the
spring of 1877, when he again brought his
family to LeedsviHe, where his death occurred
June 10, 1885. He was strictly a self-made
man, honest and industrious, and in politics a
supporter of the Republican party, whHe so
cially he belonged to the I, O. O. F. at Sharon,
Conn., and religiously was a member of the
Episcopal Church at Amenia Union.
For his second wife, Timothy S. Griffen
married Miss Helen Beach, by whom he had
two chHdren: John and Helen. At Schodack,
State of New York, he was subsequently united
in marriage with Lydia Ann Winne, and they
became the parents of eight chHdren: William
A. (deceased); George A., of LeedsviHe; Frank
P., of Chicago, III.; Cornehus Winne, of this
sketch; Mary A,, wife of Charles E. StHl, of
Wassaic, Dutchess county; Alonzo D. (de
ceased); Peter A., of LeedsviHe; and Ida S.
In 1877 our subject began the milling busi
ness at LeedsviHe, and two years later took
his brother, George A., as a partner. In
March, 1886, they purchased the mill property
which they still own, and in the fall of 1887
admitted their younger brother, Peter A., as a
member of the firm, which then assumed the
firm style of Griffen Brothers. They are man
ufacturers of and dealers in flour, feed, grain,
etc. , and also buy and sell hams, shoulders,
pork, lard and butter. In connection with
their other business they in 1893 established a
grocery store, which they have since success
fully conducted. They are wide-awake, ener
getic business men, and success has come to
them as a just reward for their labor.
At Amenia, December 23, 1886, Cornelius
W. Griffen was married to Miss Georgiana
Palmer, daughter of Hiram Palmer, and four
chHdren have blessed their union: Clarence
P., Harry Stephen, Elsie Alide and Joel C.
The cause of education has ever found in Mr,
Griffen an earnest advocate and supporter; for

four successive terms he has been the efficient
trustee of his school district, and isnow (1897)
serving his fifth term. His life is a living H-
lustration of what ability, energy and force of
character can accomplish, and whHe promot
ing his own interests he has materially ad
vanced the welfare of the community.

DANIEL VAN DE BOGART, a prominent
resident of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
and one of the leading contractors and builders
of that region, is a descendant of one of our
most distinguished pioneer famiHes.
The great-great-grandfather of our subject
was Myndert Van De Bogart, who in 1702,
with his brother. Jacobus, emigrated from
Amsterdam, Holland, and settled on the site of
Poughkeepsie. They acquired a large trapt of
land and buHt one of the first eleven houses in
that city. Jacobus Van De Bogart was one of
the first sheriffs of Dutchess county, in 1726.
The two brothers. Jacobus and Myndert, gave
the land and contributed liberally to the first
church in the village, which was to be a Re
formed Dutch meeting-house. In 171 5 Jaco
bus Van De Bogart leased land to the county
for a court house and jail, and in 1734 it was
made a county seat. Myndert was in 1744
married to Gretchert Kipp, daughter of Jacob
and Engellge Pells. Myndert Van De Bogart,
Jr., was married in 1765 to Miss Hanna Vehe.
Peter, son of Myndert Van De Bogart, was
married in 1 807 to Mary Maria Wilcox.
James Van De Bogart, our subject's father,
was a lifelong resident of Poughkeepsie, re
ceiving his education there, and afterward fol
lowing the trade of mason. He married Miss
Mary Ann Windover, of the same city, and had
seven children: James K. , who died in in
fancy, Ellen, Lydia Ann, Daniel, Eugene,
James and Harriet.
Daniel Van De Bogart was born De
cember 25, 1849, and, after availing himself
of the excellent educational advantages offered
in the schools of Poughkeepsie, he learned the
mason's trade with William Sague, a promi
nent mason of that city. For a few years he
worked as a journeyman and then went into
business for himself at Verbank, and met with
such success that he looked about for a wider
field for operations. In 1873 he moved to
Red Hook, and since that time he has erected
many of the finest structures in that and other
towns. Among the most notable are the two

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

595

elegant residences at Summit, N. J., built for
Miss Donaldson and Mrs. Bronson; St. Paul's
Lutheran Church of Red Hook; the Methodist
Church at Red Hook, erected in 1893; the
beautiful mansion of Johnston Livingston on
the banks of the Hudson at Tivoli; several
charitable institutions built by Gen. John
Watts De Peyster; the De Peyster Memorial
Church at Tivoli, erected in 1892; the St.
Paul's Training School; the Hospital for Con
sumptives at Verbank, in 1894-95; and the
annex to the Leak & Watts Orphan House at
Yonkers, N. Y., 1896. These and other sub
stantial and artistic buildings will stand for
ages to come as a monument to his skill and
ability. • On September 3, 1873, Mr. Van De Bo
gart was married to Miss Estella Pulver, a
daughter of Louis Pulver, a prosperous farmer
of Red Hook. Of this union eight chil
dren were born: AHard A. March i, 1875;
Mary, April 28, 1877; Edna, October 30,
1879; Daniel, March 19, 1882; Ernest,
July 17, 1884; Lucinda, May 9, 1887;
Ralph, November 7, 1889; and Maynard J.,
AprH 17, 1892. In all local movements our
subject takes an influential part on the side of
progress, and he h'as found time to fill credit
ably several official positions, having been col
lector of the town of Red Hook, and one of
the trustees of the village, when it was incor
porated in 1894. In 1893 he received the
nomination for supervisor of the town of Red
Hook. He has.been a member of the I. O. O.
F. , for many years but is not at present active
in the order.

#r»\EORGE C. SMITH, superintendent of
%^ one of the most important departments
in the extensive works of the New York Rub
ber Company, and a prominent resident of
FishkHl-on-Hudson, was born January 8, 1840,
at Shrub Oak, Westchester Co., N. Y., of
EngHsh descent.
Leonard Smith, his father, son of Jacob
Smith, and a well-to-do farmer of Westchester
county, was born in 1806, and married Mary
A, Carpenter, who was born April 13, 1814, a
daughter of Walter and Nancy (Somerbell)
Carpenter, Ten chHdren were born of this
union, of whom eight lived to adult age:
George C. , Ferdinand, Leonard, Lewis, Theo
dore, WiHiam, Lauretta, and Mary I. (who
married Charles E. Martin, a grocer of Fish-

The father of these died
the mother on March 16,

kill-on-Hudson).
January 21, i
1869. George C. Smith attended the district
schools at Shrub Oak in early boyhood, and
then pursued a wider course of study in the
public schools of Peekskill, asnd the well-known
academy of the same town. When he at
tained the age of seventeen he left home to
make his own way in the world, and, going to
Brooklyn, he secured employment in a gro
cery and feed store, owned by George & Alfred
WaHace. With them he remained two years,
and then came to FishkiH Landing, where he was
employed by WilHam Teller & Co. untH 1861,
in which year he entered the service of the
New York Rubber Company. He began as a
day hand, but so efficient and capable did he
prove that he was promoted, from time to
time, until he was appointed to the responsi
ble position of superintendent of the hollow-
goods department, which employs 130 men,
boys and girls, the entire plant containing in
all about 250 employes. This honorable rec
ord of continuous service speaks more elo
quently of his essential trustworthiness than
could any words, and Mr. Smith, who is a
stockholder of the company, is, as may well
be imagined, a valued worker in other business
enterprises, being a stockholder and director
in the Holland Hotel Company, and for twenty
years past a trustee of the Mechanics Savings
Bank, of Fishkill-on-Hudson. He takes a
prominent part in local politics, also being an
ardent supporter of the Republican party. In
1875 he was elected trustee of the vHlage, and
has since held that office almost continuously.
In 1895 he was elected president of the vH
lage; in March, 1896, was again chosen to
that office, and also in 1897. For a number
of years he was a member of the 21st Regi
ment New York State Militia, which was called
out during the Civil war, and served thirty
days at Baltimore. Socially he is affiliated
with Beacon Lodge No. 283, F. & A. M.
Mr. Smith has a pleasant home overlook
ing the Hudson river and the city of Newburg,
where he owns two large lots opposite his resi
dence. His wife, whom he married in August,
1 86 1, was formerly Miss Elsie M. Bishop,
daughter of MHes and Cynthia (Ives) Bishop,
of Woodbury, Conn. Her ancestors were
early settlers in New England, and one was a
soldier in the Revolutionary war; her father
served in the war of 18 12. Mr. and Mrs.

596

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

Smith are members of the Reformed Church.
They have one son, Walter A. Smith, who is
at home.

WARREN S. DIBBLE, one ofthe substan-
 tial business men of Matteawan, Dutch
ess county, is the proprietor of the popular
hotel known as the "Dibble House," and also
of the Dibble Opera House, a, favorite place
of amusement for the best people of that town.
His great-grandfather, Jonathan Dibble,
was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. His
grandparents were Seth and Diana (Sherwood)
Dibble, and bis father was the late Augustus
N. Dibble, a well-known farmer of Litchfield
county. Conn., who was born February 20,
1 8 1 1 . He married Henrietta Morgan, and they
reared a family of three children, of whom our
subject is the eldest; Mary E. is the wife of
Robert Cooley, of Albany, N. Y. ; and Belle
married WilHam Daly, Waterbury, Connecti
cut. Warren S. Dibble was born July 11, 1 842 , at
CornwaH, where the schools afforded excellent
educational advantages, of which Mr. Dibble
availed himself, attending the pubhc schools
for some years, and later the Adelphi Institute.
After his graduating, in 1858, he taught for
several years in different places, and then went
"on the road" as an auctioneer. A few years
later he engaged in the hotel business, first at
Cornwall, Conn., and then at Pine Plains, N.
Y. , and in 1877 he purchased his present hotel
at Matteawan, then known as the Jaycox
property. This he has greatly improved,
making additions from time to time until it now
contains seventy-five rooms; and he has also
built a commodious stable. In 1 886 he erected
the Dibble Opera House, which he is at present
managing, and is furnishing a high class of
entertainment to an appreciative public. He
has also built several tenement houses which
he rents. Genial in manner, but possessing
keen discrimination in financial matters, Mr.
Dibble holds the confidence of the people in an
unusual degree. He is a Republican, politically,
but is not an active worker in the party.
On AprH 11, 1870, Mr. Dibble married
Miss Jane Stoddard, daughter of Jasper and
Sophia (Hubbard) Stoddard. She is a member
ofthe Baptist Church. They have one daughter,
Daisy M., a young lady of fine social gifts,
who attends the Episcopal Church, and takes
an active part in various Charitable enterprises.

JOHN FL4NNERY. The "Flannery
House" at FishkiH Landing is one of the
finest and best managed hostelries in that
locality, and its genial proprietor, the subject
of this sketch, has demonstrated his business
sagacity in his liberal yet judicious expendi
tures, in its building and equipment. When
he purchased the property, in 1878, it was
simply a marshy lot with an old shanty upon
it, but as its location near the dock made it
especially suitable for his purposes, he secured
it at a cost of $10,000, and he has since spent
$25,000 in the improvements which he has
made from time to time.
Mr. Flannery was born March 25, 1849, in
Dublin, Ireland, but his father, Patrick Flan
nery, a native of the same place, was for some
years a farmer in County Tipperary before
coming to America. Our subject's mother,
whose maiden name was Katie Moore, was
also a native of Dublin, and her death occurred
there in 1854. Of their four children, our
subject was the youngest, (i) James died at
the age of four years; (2) Patrick E., who
served as a soldier throughout the CivH war,
is now a successful hotel-keeper at St. Paul,
Minn. ; and (3) Mary is the wife of Michael
Ormand, a wealthy resident of Hastings, Minn.
The father, Patrick Flannery, married a sec
ond wife, and for some time after his arriva.1
in America lived upon a farm at Goshen, N.
Y. He is now living in retirement, having
sold the place to our subject. In religion he
is a devout Catholic, and he has been an ad
herent of the Democratic party ever since he
came to this country.
As John Flannery was but a chHd when he
made the trip across the Atlantic, his boyhood
was mainly spent at Goshen, where he re
ceived his elementary education. He also at
tended school at Campbell Hall, Orange coun
ty, and in Poughkeepsie. His first venture in
the business world was at Goshen, where, when
a mere boy, he conducted a hotel, and in seven
months made $12,000, a remarkable beginning.
He continued in the hotel business for two
years, and then spent one year in rest. and
recreation, after which he went to Poughkeep
sie, as mentioned, and studied for a year.
Resuming business, he conducted a hotel at
Newburg for three years, and then bought one
in the country, in Orange county, which he
sold after two years, returning to Newburg
and continuing in business there for three
years. In 1876 he moved to Fishkill Land-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

597

ing, leasing the old " Myer's Hotel," near the
depot, where he remained until he established
his present place. Since taking up that enter
prise he has purchased a wholesale liquor busi
ness in Newburg, and he is also interested in
thoroughbred horses, having owned many val
uable trotters. He is highly respected, and
has always been noted for his liberality in po
litical, educational or philanthropical move
ments which appeal to his judgment, and es
pecially to the Catholic Church, of which he
is a member. In politics he is a Democrat,
and his influence in the organization is widely
recognized. In 1867 Mr. Flannery married his first
wife. Miss Mary Groody, of Binghamton, N.
Y., a daughter of John Groody, a well-known
brewer of ale. Three children were born of
this union: John, Jr. , who died at the age of
eighteen; William, who died at twenty-four;
and Katie, the wife of Daniel Glinn, of New
burg. Mrs. Mary Flannery died at Fishkill
Landing, in 1892, and on October 17, 1894,
our subject was married to Miss Margaret J.
Faulkner, an Episcopalian, the ceremony being
performed in the Catholic Church, by Father
T. F. Kelly. One son, John G., brightens
their home.
Mrs. Flannery is a native of Newburg, where
she was born May i, 1870. Her family orig
inated in England, but her great-grandfather,
who was a major in the EngHsh army, settled
in the North of Ireland, in County Antrim,
where her grandfather, Richard Faulkner, was
born, and is still living at an advanced age,
having passed his life there as an extensive
agriculturist. He is a strict Episcopalian, and
a generous contributor to various charities.
He married Margaret Ewing, who was of
Irish descent, and had the following chHdren:
John and Jane, twins, who died in infancy;
Richard (i) deceased; John H. ; James (i);
Mary, wife of James Weir, of Ireland; George,
a well-to-do farmer there; Robert H., a police
captain at Derry, Ireland; Elizabeth, wife of
James Walters, of Ireland; WHHam, a success
ful farmer at the old homestead; Margaret,
deceased, formerly the wife of John Nesbitt,
principal of a school at Randallstown; Richard
(2), and James (2).
John H. Faulkner was reared in the old
country, attending school at Seymour Bridge,
and in early manhood engaged in the grocery
business at Belfast. On June 25, 1867, he
wedded Miss Agnes Colville, who was born

August 5, 1844, at Ballymena, County Antrim,
Ireland, daughter of Hugh ColvHle, and grand
daughter of Alexander Colville. Her mother,
Jane (Gordon), was also born there, and both
families were among the old residents of the
town. Mr. Faulkner continued in business in
Belfast about three years after his marriage,
and in 1870 he and his wife came to Newburg,
where he became a salesman in a wholesale
liquor store. It was not long before he had
acquired a sufficient acquaintance with his
new surroundings to warrant him in opening a
similar establishment on his own account, and
he has ever since been engaged in the business.
In 1880 he^removed to Matteawan, but later he
transferred his interests to Fishkill Landing,
where he has remained. Eleven children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner, as follows:
Agnes and Jennie, who died in infancy; Robert
C. , who graduated from the School of Phar
macy in New York City, and is now a druggist
at CornwaH, N. Y. ; Margaret J. (Mrs. Flan
nery); Martha, a graduate of De Garmo Insti
tute, who is at home; Richard, a publisher in
New York City, and a member of the Seventy-
first regiment, N. Y. N. G. ; Esther, who died
in infancy; John G. and Esther (2), who are
at home; Agnes, deceased, and another child
who died in infancy.

F

<\RANCIS TIMONEY, a wealthy brick man

ufacturer of Dutchess Junction, Dutchess
county, is one of those business men whose in
dustry and enterprise seem limitless, their ac
tivity in varied lines of work appearing to be
an easy and natural exercise of their inborn
capacity for organization.
Mr. Timoney was born August 4, 1829, in
County Fermanagh, Ireland, and is the third
of his name. His grandfather, Francis Tim
oney (i), married Winifred Gallagher, and
their son, Francis Timoney (2) (our subject's
father), married Abbie Duffy, by whom he had
eight children: Dennis, Patrick, James,
Francis, John, Winifred, Mary and Bridget.
The common schools of his native land did
not afford Mr. Timoney the advantages that
he needed, and he was partly educated by pri
vate tutors. At the age of twenty-three he
came to America, and located at Verplanck's
Point, Westchester county, where he found
employment in the brick yard of S. M. Dyke
man. After three years he was put in charge
of the yard as foreman, and held that position

598

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

for two years, when he began to work on
shares, Mr. Dykeman furnishing the plant,
horses, carts, and implements, and Mr. Tim
oney supplying the labor and feeding the
horses. This arrangement lasted two* years,
and then Mr. Timoney purchased a half inter
est in the business, and four years later he
bought the other half and continued the busi
ness alone untH 1886, when he purchased his
present property at Dutchess Junction at a
cost of $42,000. There was at the time one
yard in working order, and he has since fitted
up two others, expending from $50,000 to
$75,000 upon his improvements. He, now has
three yards which he would not hesitate to
compare with any on the Hudson. He can
turn out a quarter of a million brick per day,
and his daHy expenditure for labor alone is
from $300 to $500. He owns two barges
which he uses to convey his brick to market,
most of which is disposed of in New York City.
For twenty years past he has been a promi
nent member of the Brick Exchange in that
city, and his thirty-seven years of continuous
work in brick manufacture has made him au
thority on all points relating to the business.
But his success in this line of effort has not
prevented him from engaging in others, and
while at Verplanck's Point he carried on a gro
cery and dry-goods store for over eighteen
years, the butcher business for two years, and
the coal business for four years. Since com
ing to Dutchess Junction he has devoted- his
attention to his main line of business, but he
takes an active interest in the Matteawan Na
tional Bank, in which he is a stockholder and
director. In politics Mr. Timoney is a Democrat, and
whHe living at Verplanck's Point he was for
two years a member of the board of auditors
of Cortland township; but his business interests
have prevented him from taking a very active
part in political affairs.
On July 6, 1855, he married Miss Margaret
Reed, daughter of John and Margaret (McKH-
lup) Reed, and they have had eleven children,
four of whom died in infancy. Their eldest
chHd, Mary Ann, is the wife of John C. Mc-
Namara, a commission merchant of New York
City, formerly a resident of Fulton, N. Y. , but
now living at FishkHl Landing. Francis A. ,
one of the leading young business men of
Dutchess Junction, is a brick manufacturer,
merchant, and at present the postmaster there,
having been appointed in January, 1894. He

married Miss Margaret Grady, of Fishkill
Landing. Five younger chHdren — Theresa,
Susie, John, James and Clara — are still at
home. The family are members of the Roman
Catholic Church.

OBERT P. LAWSON, a wealthy fisher
man and real-estate holder of New Ham
burg, Dutchess county, was born in that vHlage
about seventy years ago. His ancestors came
originally from Holland, and the family is one
of the oldest in the county.
Cornelius Lawson, our subject's grand
father, was born in Dutchess county, and fol
lowed the occupation of farming all his life.
He reared a large family of children, among
whom was Cornelius Lawson (2), our subject's
father, who passed the greater part of his life
in the village of New Hamburg, where he en
gaged in the occupation of lime burning. He
married Miss Amy Lawson^ a native of that
village, and reared a family of five chHdren, of
whom our subject (the third son) is now the
only survivor. Jeremiah and Cornelius were
boatmen on the Hudson; John was a farmer of
Dutchess county; and Ann, the youngest child,
married Moses Sensabal, now deceased. The
parents passed away many years ago.
Robert P. Lawson has spent his entire life
at New Hamburg, and has secured a fine com
petence, being the owner of a valuable property
in the village, and his industry and thrift have
won for him the high esteem of his associates.
In 1855 he married Miss Ann Orbson, a native
of Ulster county, who died in 1893, leaving no
children. In politics Mr. Lawson is a Demo
crat, as was his father before him, and he has
never wavered in his devotion to the principles
of his party.

A'

LONZO S. WILTSE, a well-known citi-
-^^ zen of Fishkill-on-Hudson, Dutchess
county, proprietor of a grocery located on the
corner of Main and Ferry streets and South
avenue, is descended on both sides of the
family from old Holland-Dutch ancestry.
His father, the late Benjamin WHtse, was
born May 4, 1799, and became a farmer in
the town of Fishkill. He married Margaret
Ann Tidd, who was born December 22, 1801,
and had eight chHdren: Jane, Annis, Cath
erine, Margaret, Peter, Charles, Cyrus and
Alonzo S. Of this famHy, our subject and

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

599

three daughters are the only survivors. The
father died January i, 1881, and the mother
on January 9, 1868.
Alonzo . S. Wiltse was born at the old
homestead in the town of FishkHl, April 24,
1840, and was educated in the district schools
of the neighborhood, his attendance, after he
reached the age of twelve, being limited to the
winter terms as his help was needed in sum
mer in the work on the farm. At nineteen he
began his business career at Fishkill-on-
Hudson as a clerk for S. G. & J. T. Smith,
dealers in dry goods and groceries, with whom
he spent six years. He then entered the em
ploy of the Newburg, Dutchess and Connecti
cut R. R. Co. , taking charge of the buildings
and bridges along the entire line. This po
sition he held until 1880, when he received
the appointment to the post of engineer at
Sing Sing Prison, which he held eight years.
In 1888 he resigned and returned to Fishkill-
on-Hudson, where he established his pres
ent business, in which he has met with well-
deserved success.
Mr. WHtse married Miss Mary E. Benson,
a descendant of one of the prominent families
of Highland, Ulster county, and the daughter
of Capt. John Benson and bis wife, Priscilla H.
Benson. Two children were born of this union:
Charles B. , who has been for some time a
train dispatcher on the N. D. & C. R. R. ,
and Carrie L., a successful teacher in the pub
Hc schools of. Fishkill. The family attend the
Methodist Episcopal Church of Fishkill Land
ing. In politics Mr. Wiltse has always been
a steadfast Republican; socially, he is a mem
ber of Beacon Lodge No. 283, F. & A. M.

m BRAHAM BRETT was a descendant of
.^^ one of our oldest families. His pater
nal great-grandfather, George Brett, married
Hannah Cooper; their son, Francis G. Brett,
married Margaret Camel, and their son, Har
vey Brett, married Susan Coleman, and had
three sons: Wesley, Abraham and Charles
Fletcher, and one daughter — Emma — who
died in her seventh year. Abraham Brett was
born in Matteawan February i, 1843, and
died AprH 13, 1893. He attended the schools
of the village and the Tarrytown Institute for
some years, and then entered Claverack Col
lege, Claverack, Columbia county. After
graduation he at once began a mercantile ca
reer,' spending two years as a clerk for Mr.

Wells in a general store at Highland Falls,
N. Y. , and then went to Newburgh, to enter
the employ of Isaac Wood, at that time a
prominent dry-goods merchant there. After
one year he returned to Matteawan, and
clerked for David Davis in his general store,
which was long known as the "old Matteawan
store." The building has since been torn
down and replaced by the Music Hall build
ing, now occupied by S. G. and J. T. Smith
as a dry-goods store. After learning the de
tails of mercantile business, Mr. Brett opened
an establishment of his own August i, 1865,
the first exclusive dry-goods store in the town,
and about a year later his brother, Charles F.
Brett, was taken into partnership, under the
firm name of A. & C. F. Brett. The first lo
cation was in what was known as the Mechan
ics Hall building, and from there they moved
to the Phillips building, and remained until
1876, when they went to a store which they
had just completed, next to the Howland Li
brary building. Here the business is still car
ried on, C. F. Brett conducting it since his
brother's death, and retaining the same firm
name. In politics the late Abraham Brett
was a Republican, and in religion a Methodist,
being an active member of the Church. In
1863 he married Jane, a daughter of Solomon
and Elizabeth Randall Tompkins. They had
three children: Albert V., Emma S. and
Harvey, Jr.

/r>\EORGE SILVERS, a retired clothing
\^ merchant and hotel proprietor, of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, was born October
3, 1824, in Hanover, Germany, where he grew
to manhood and learned the tailoring business.
Mr. Sievers was united in marriage with
Miss Louisa Frese, who was also born in Han
over, and was a daughter of Henry Frese.
They were married in Hanover September 19,
1847, and directly thereafter came to America,
locating in Albany, where our subject followed
his trade for three years. He and his wife
then came to Poughkeepsie, and have since
remained here. Mr. Sievers worked at his
trade for a year, and then went into the cloth
ing business, his store being located at No. 282
Main street, where he remained until 1861,
and then started a hotel on the corner of
Bridge and Main streets, carrying on at the
same time a liquor business, untH 1870, since
which time he has been retired. The follow-

600

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ing children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Sievers: Susie, who became the wife of Charles
Achuster, a butcher, and died in 1884; Charles
died at the age of twelve years; Louisa mar
ried Dr. Harper, of Cambridge, who is de
ceased; Anna married Bonocio B. Llensa, and
they own a plantation in Porto Rico; Jeraldine
is the wife of Dr. John P. Wilson.
When President Lincoln called for volun
teers in 1863, Mr. Sievers answered the call,
and was appointed lieutenant of Company G,
N. Y. S. M. He is a member of the Masonic
order, and, with his wife, attends the German
Lutheran Church. He is a fine German citi
zen, one who has helped to promote mat
ters of public interest in Poughkeepsie. He
possesses considerable real estate, and is one
of the leading men of the city.
Our subject's father. Christian Sievers, was
born in England, learned the tailoring business
and followed it all his life. He married Miss
Dora Tilke, a native of Hanover, and the fol
lowing children were born to them: Christian,
Henry and Carl, taHors by trade, who died in
Germany; Dora, who died unmarried; and
George, our subject. The father died in 1838
and the mother in 1831. The grandfather
was a French Huguenot, born in France.

T\HOMAS G. NICHOLS (deceased), the
 founder of The Sunday Courier, of
Poughkeepsie, now owned and edited by
Arthur G. Tobey, was born in Boston, Mass. ,
January 8, 1827. While he was quite young
his parents removed to Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ,
where he attended the common schools, and
then commenced an apprenticeship to the
printer's trade. Soon after his apprenticeship
ended he opened a job-printing office, the first
one in Poughkeepsie. In May, 1852, in part
nership with John H. Bush (now also de
ceased), under the name of Nichols & Bush,
he started the first daily paper published in
the city, which was called The City Press;
but in 1858 it was sold to Albert S. Pease, who
changed its name to The Daily Press. Mr.
Nichols then gave his attention to job print
ing, and continued exclusively in that line un
til 1868, when with the assistance of George
Innis and others he established another daily
paper called The Morning News, which soon
became quite popular. Receiving a favorable
offer, however, from Hegeman & WHbur, Mr.
Nichols sold the paper to them, and they

changed its name to The Poughkeepsie News.
Subsequently J. O; Whitehouse purchased the
paper, and for a year or two Mr. Nichols re
mained looking out for a good opportunity to
enter anew the field of journalism. The fav
orable time came, and December 15, 1872, he
commenced the publication of The Sunday
Courier, the first Sunday paper issued between
New York and Albany. Many of his friends
doubted the wisdom of his enterprise; but it
prospered, thanks to his own indomitable
perseverance and energy, as well as the influ
ence and patronage of his many friends; and
when in 1888, owing to failing health, he con
cluded to sell his newspaper, he realized a
competence which enabled him to retire from
business, and take his ease for the remainder
of his days. He died August 26, 1895, at the
residence of Mr. Ackerman, at Carthage Land
ing, N. Y. , where for some time previous he
had been making his home, having never mar
ried. He was peculiarly fitted for the profes
sion which he chose to adopt, was careful,
painstaking and discreet, his editorials, withal,
showing marked ability and thought.

m RTHUR G. TOBEY, the well-known
^^ editor and sole proprietor of The Sunday
Courier, was born May 5, 1850, in the city of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, where he lived
until eight years of age, and then went with
his parents to Utica, N. Y., where he attended
the public schools. Later he was employed
in a drug store at Rome, N. Y., remaining
there for about two years, and subsequently
returning to Poughkeepsie, where he learned
the printing business, with T. G. Nichols, who
was then conducting the Moi-ning News with
singular ability.
In 1 87 1 Mr. Nichols sold the Neivs to Hege
man & Wilbur, and Mr. Tobey was made fore
man and, subsequently, local editor. Later
our subject went to New York City and en
gaged in the restaurant business. Disposing
of his restaurant in December, 1872, he in the
following month returned to Poughkeepsie and
assumed the position of manager and local
editor of The Sunday Courier, which was
established December 15, 1872. He held
that position until December, 1888, when he
purchased the paper, which at that time had a
circulation of 5,000. This he has increased to
8,500. Mr. Tobey has never aspired to polit
ical or party honors, but has devoted his entire

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

601

time and attention to his business, and has
always conducted his paper on a non-partisan
basis and with eminent personal popularity
and pecuniary success. Beside the sole owner
ship of The Courier and a full modern plant,
he has constructed and resides in an attractive
residence on one of the most pleasant avenues
in the city.
In 1875 Mr. Tobey was married at High
land, Ulster county, to Miss Florence Deyo, a
daughter of the late Monroe Deyo, and they
have two children: Earle D. and Florence E.
Our subject is a member of Triune Lodge,
F. & A. M., of Poughkeepsie Council No. 391,
R. A., and of Hudson River Lodge, A. O. U. W.
Henry L. Tobey, our subject's father, was
born in Poughkeepsie, and was one of tbe
editors of the Utica Herald at the time of his
death. He learned the printer's trade in the
office of The Eagle, in Poughkeepsie, going
from there to Kingston, where he was em
ployed as a writer on The Journal. He sub
sequently went to Utica, where he died at the
age of thirty-five. He was married in Pough
keepsie to Miss Eliza A. Seabury, and they had
the following children: Heman A. (deceased);
Clara (deceased); Arthur G., our subject; and
Kate E. , wife of George R. Mooney, of New
York.
;r Heman Tobey, the grandfather of Arthur
1 G., was born in Sharon, Conn., and was at
f maturity a merchant in Poughkeepsie, where
' he married Miss Hannah Bolan.

ipi\EORGE WARHURST, the present effi-
\^ cient superintendent of the engraving de
partment of the Dutchess Print Works, at
Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county, has now
held that position for sixteen years, and the
long period of fifty-three years connected
with that business plainly indicates his fidelity
to duty. He has been longer in the employ
of the company than any other man, and his
trustworthiness and capability have been fully
appreciated by those over him.
Mr. Warhurst was born at Newtonmore,
England, April 19, 1824, and is a son of
George and Mary (Wood) Warhurst, both
also natives of England, the former born in
1799, and the latter in 1798. Their marriage
was celebrated in England, and some of their
chHdren were born there, while the births of
the others occurred after their removal to
America; they were as follows: WHliam, de

ceased, was a gold-leaf manufacturer of New
York City; Ann married William D. Snow,
who in early life was a block printer, and later
became a shoe merchant of Wappingers Falls,
but both are now deceased; Thomas (i) died
in infancy; George, of this review, is next in
order of birth; Thomas (2), for several years
served as agent on the road for " Blind Tom,"
the musician, and others, but is now living re
tired in New York City; Betsy, deceased, was
the wife of Mr. McGinn, of Newburgh, N. Y. ;
James was a carpenter and shipyard superin
tendent in Chicago, but has now laid aside
business cares; and Mary died in infancy. On
his emigration to the United States, the father
located first at BellevHle, N. J. , in 1831, where
he worked at his trade of blacksmithing for a
short time, and then came to Wappingers
Falls, where he followed the same occupation.
His death occurred in New York City, and his
wife, who survived him, has also departed this
life. The family were earnest and faithful
members of the Episcopal Church.
When seven years of age George Warhurst
was brought by his parents to the New World,
and at Wappingers Falls grew to manhood.
During his youth he learned machine-engraving
— to calico printing — and has followed that
business continuously since, being connected
with the Dutchess Print Works for over half a
century, as previously stated.
In 1845 Mr. Warhurst was joined in wed
lock with Mary Turner, who was born near
Leeds, England, and is a daughter of William
and Mary (Wood) Turner. After coming to
America her father followed the leather busi
ness for a time, both in New York City and
Wappingers Falls, but his last days were spent
upon a farm in Wisconsin. To our subject
and his estimable wife have been born the fol
lowing children: William, who died in Wis
consin; Mary, wife of Dan Ives, of Brooklyn,
N. Y. ; Rowena, wife of Dr. WiHiam Baxter,
of Wappingers Falls; Esther, wife of William
J. Brown; Lizzie, wife of Dr. L. C. Wood,
also of Wappingers Falls; George and Joseph,
both machine-engravers of the same place;
Martha, who died in infancy; Violetta, wife of
James Hunter, of Wappingers Falls; Edith,
wife of M. J. Van Aden, a merchant of New
Hamburg, Dutchess county; Martha; Frank, a
die maker, who is Hving at home; and Louisa,
wife of Richard A. Pott, a publisher of New
York City.
As neighbors, friends and citizens, Mr.

602

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Warhurst and his wife are held in the high
est regard. Both are members of the Episco
pal Church, in which he is at present a vestry
man. They are passing quietly down the
sunset hill of life, enjoying the esteem and
confidence of their neighbors, aud the affection
of their children and friends. In politics Mr.
Warhurst has been a life-long Republican, has
served as trustee of the schools of Wappingers
Falls, and for two terms was trustee of the
village. He is a trustee of the Grinnell Li
brary Association, and is at present trustee of
the Wappinger Savings Bank. For forty years
he has been a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and with the Masonic
lodge, No. 671, F. & A. M,, in which be has
served as master, he has been connected for
many years.

.M^

SAHEL DENMAN LYON was born
August 12, 1838, in the town of Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, a son of Clinton and
Jane (Denman) Lyon. His father was the
son of Aaron Lyon, a surveyor by profession,
who married a Miss Nelson, an ancestor of the
Nelsons of Poughkeepsie. The Lyon family
came from England.
Clinton Lyon, our subject's father, was a
machinist and a fine workman. He Was a man
of great natural ability, and when Henry Clay
ran for President he " stumped " Orange coun
ty in his behalf, and became well-known as a
fluent and forcible speaker. He was well
qualified to hold a high position in society, and
was a warm friend of the historian Benson J.
Lossing, and of Egbert Kelley. They were all
members of the same reading class, and were
in accord in many things. Clinton Lyon
worked on the construction of the first steam
boat which ran on the Hudson river, and on
many other important structures. He was a
liberal Democrat, afterward becoming a Whig
and a strong Protectionist. He died in 1840,
esteemed and respected throughout the county.
The wife of Clinton Lyon was a daughter of
John Denman, and a granddaughter of Asahel
Armstrong, who was a brother of Gen. Arm
strong. They had seven children, namely:
John Robert, Adeline, Horatio, Sheridan and
Julia (both died when sixteen years old), Asa
hel, and William Henry (born August 27, 1840,
lives in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania),
Asahel D. Lyon received only a limited
education, but has been a great reader, and is

a man of keen perception, one of close obser
vation, in which way he learns much. He is
well-informed on all current topics, and is a
man of sterling good sense. When Asahel
was only two years old his father died, and as
soon as he was able to work the lad was put
out on a farm, the wages of even so small a
boy of eleven years being a help to his widowed
mother. He worked by the month until eight
een or nineteen years old, when he started
out for himself, running a threshing machine
for three years. He was married when twenty-
two, and after working for awhile on a farm
went into the butchering business, which has
grown to be quite extensive, and in which he
is still engaged. He has also for a number of
years done some auctioneering.
In 1 87 1 Mr. Lyon bought his present farm
of 120 acres, which he is carrying on, as weH
as his other business, and has become a very
successful agriculturist. He is active and en
ergetic, and puts through whatever he under
takes, qualities which are essential in a farmer
as much as in any other man, and which sel
dom fail to bring prosperity. In politics he is
a Republican, and believes strongly in Protec
tion. In public matters he has always been
ready to assist in the development and growth
of the community, and has taken a special in
terest in the schools of the county, doing all
in his power to make them equal to any in the
State. On February 22, i860, Mr. Lyon was
married to Sarah A. Lawless, daughter of
Jacob and Anna Lawless, of Clinton. Two
sons have been born to them: Asahel Anson
and George Morgan. The family are highly
esteemed by all who know them.

JOEL S. WINANS, one of the prominent
and influential citizens of the town of Stan-
' ford, Dutchess county, comes of an old es
tablished family in the county.
James Winans, born in 1715, first of the
name in Dutchess county, was descended from
ancestry who came from Brabant, Belgium, in
1630, He and his wife Sarah migrated from
Horse Neck, Long Island, to Dutchess county,
about 1770, settling in the town of Stanford,
on the late Dr. Isaac M. Hunting farm. Their
children were as follows: James, Ira, Girau-
dus, David and Sarah. Of these, James mar
ried Hannah D. Groff, of Poughkeepsie, and
had eleven chHdren; Ira married Mary  -,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

603

and had chHdren; Giraudus (" Grand ") mar
ried (first)^ Hannah Merritt, and (second) Vi-
letta Knickerbocker ; Sarah married Peter Smith.
David Winans (mentioned above), grand
father of our subject, came from Horse Neck
to Dutchess county with his father, and was a
lifelong agriculturist. He served as a soldier
in the war of the Revolution, gallantly fighting
for the freedom of the colonies. He was an
earnest Christian gentleman, and politically
was a supporter of the Whig party. By his
marriage with Miss Tammy Smith he had the
following children: David, Leonard, Morris,
Smith, Seymour, Egbert, Ambrose, Amanda,
Gertrude, Tammy, Maria, Harriet and Eliza
beth. Upon the old homestead in the town of
Pine Plains, Leonard Winans, the father of
our subject, was reared to manhood. He was
married in the town of Stanford to Miss Sally
Ann Sutherland, daughter of Joel Sutherland,
an early settler of that township, and to them
were born six children, namely: Brush and
John (deceased); Joel S., subject of this re
view; Walter H., of near Amenia, Dutchess
county, a sketch of whom follows; William, a
superanuated minister of the Methodist Epis
copal Church, now located at Catskill, Greene
Co. , N. Y. ; and Mary. The mother of these
children died in 1828, and Mr. Winans after
ward married Miss Elizabeth Thompson, of
the town of Stanford. Four chHdren graced
their union: Sally Ann and Margaret (both de
ceased); Elizabeth, wife of Nathaniel Robin
son, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; and Isaac (de
ceased). For many years Leonard Winans
operated the farm in the town of Pine Plains,
and in 1830 returned to the old homestead in
that township, which is now owned by Frank
Eno. At the end of six years, however, he re
moved to Stanford town, locating near Bangall,
where he farmed for many years, but finally
laid aside all business cares, and spent his last
days in that vHlage, dying there in 1868, at
the age of eighty-five years. He was always
interested in the success and welfare of his
country, and took part in the war of 181 2.
Politically, he was first a Whig and later a Re
publican, whHe in religious faith he was
one of the most active and prominent workers
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, being the
founder of the Church of that denomination at
Bangall. Joel S. Winans, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born November 5, 1820, in the

town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, where
he attended the district schools, and aided his
father in the cultivation and improvement of
the home farm until he had attained the age
of thirty years. On October 2, 1850, in the
town of Stanford, Mr. Winans married Miss
Lucy Ann Wright, who was born July 29,
1822, in the town of Fishkill, daughter of Isaac
and Jeanette (Howe) Wright, natives of Dutch
ess county. Three children were born of this
union: (i) Tamar Ella, who married Charles
H. Carpenter, of Stanfordville, N. Y. , and
has three sons — George Irving, Joel S. Wi
nans, and Henry Sesson; (2) Sophie D. H.,
married to George E. Rogers, by whom she
had one daughter, Sophie, and two sons,
George E. , Jr., and Clayton, who died in in
fancy; and (3) W. Irving (only son), who died
while attending school at Fort Edward Insti
tute, N. Y. in 1877.
Mr. Winans first located upon a farm at
Attlebury, in the town of Stanford, where he
continued operations until 1866, when he re
moved to his present farm near Stanfordville,
and in connection with the cultivation of his
land he also for a year ran a freight boat on
the Hudson from Poughkeepsie to New York
City. As an agriculturist he has been quite
successful, having secured for himself a com
fortable competence. He has always been
one of the most progressive, reliable and popu
lar citizens of the town of Stanford, where he
has held a number of prominent positions of
honor and trust, having been justice of the
peace for the long period of forty-three years;
revenue collector for seven years, which office
he filled during the trying years of the Civil
war; and from 1869 to AprH, 1887, was bond
ing commissioner for the town for the New
burgh, Dutchess & Connecticut railroad. Po
litically, he early became a stalwart Abolition
ist, and on the organization of the Republican
party joined its ranks, becoming one of the
leaders of that party in his locality. In re
Hgious belief he and his wife are Baptists.
Isaac Wright, father of Mrs. Winans, was
born in Fishkill, Dutchess county, as was also
her mother, he in 1787, and she in 1791.
They had nine children, eight of whom grew
to manhood and womanhood, one dying at
the age of eleven years, and five yet living.
The father, who was a carpenter and joiner
by trade, died in 1871; the mother died in
1873. Lebbens Howe, maternal grandfather
of Mrs Winans, served in the war of the Rev-

604

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

olution. John Wright, her paternal grand
father, came from England, and settled in
Fishkill, Dutchess county, in a very early day.

WALTER H. WINANS, a prosperous
 agriculturist, residing near Amenia,
Dutchess county, is one of our most highly re
spected citizens, the sturdy virtues of his Scotch-
Irish ancestry being well exemplified in his
character and his successful, though quiet,
career. [A sketch of his immediate ancestry
will be found in that of his brother, Joel S.
Winans.] Walter H. Winans was born in the town
of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, April 21,
1823, and the district schools of the locality
afforded him the usual opportunities for instruc
tion. Until the age of twenty-three he re
mained at home, and then he began farming
in the town of Stanford, where he made his
home for many years, and took a leading jjart
in local affairs, and at one time held the office
of collector. In 1870 he purchased a farm in
the town of Washington, Dutchess county.
April I, 1892, he removed from that farm to
his present estate. December 24, 1846, he
was married in the town of Stanford to Miss
Emily Robinson, with whom nearly a half-
century of wedded life was passed, before she
was called to the unseen world, her death oc
curring February 27, 1893. Six children were
born to their union: Franklin; Mary Eliza
beth; Seth K., who married Miss Nettie Robin
son; Brush; Amy and Ellsworth. Amy mar
ried Christian Lang, and has had three chil
dren: Walter, Miriam and Emily. Ellsworth
married Miss Ida Wheeler, and resides in the
town of Washington. He is possessed of the
same self-reliance and industry for which his
family is noted, and has never had any finan
cial aid from his father.
Mrs. W. H. Winans was a descendant of
a well-known Putnam county family, her
grandfather, Chappell Robinson, a farmer,
having located there, with two brothers, in the
early days. He married Miss Mary Sprague,
and had five chHdren: Stephen, Sabins, Squire,
Mary and Eli. Stephen Robinson. Mrs.
Winan's father, was born in the town of Kent,
Putnam county, and was married there to
Miss Martha Kelley, daughter of Seth Kelley.
Thirteen children were born to them as follows:
Chappell, Kelley, Osborn, Enos, Emily, ZHlah,
Jarvis, Ada, Nathaniel, Priscilla, Robert,

Catherine and William. In 1836, Mr. Robin
son moved to the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, continuing there his chosen calling of
agriculture. Later he spent twelve years in
Lithgow, Dutchess courity, but returned to the
town of Stanford, where he breathed his last
in February, 1876, at the age of eighty years.
His patriotism and gallantry were proved in
the war of 18 12, and the various issues in na
tional politics never ceased to interest him, his
influence in his later years being given to the
Republican party.

C\ORNELIUS SMITH VAN ETTEN, M.D,,
,^i who is distinguished as one of the most
successful practitioners of Dutchess county, is
a descendant of one of the oldest families in
the State, being the seventh generation in
direct line from Jacob Jansen Van Etten, who,
when a young man, came to America from
Etten, North Brabant, Holland. He settled in
Ulster county, N. Y. , and on January 4, 1665
(according to the record inthe First Reformed
Church of the city of Kingston, N. Y.), he mar
ried Anna Ariense Von Amsterdam. This
union was blessed with three sons: Jan, Peter
and James, who lived and died in Ulster coun
ty. Jan was baptized January 3, 1666, and
about 1690 was united in marriage with Jen
nette Roosa, daughter of Arien Roosa. They
had two sons — Arien and Jacob — besides a
large family of daughters. Jacob was baptized
at Kingston December 25, 1696, and at the
same place on April 22, 1719, was married to
Autje Westbrook, of Rochester, Ulster coun
ty. About the year 1 720 he settled in the
Delaware Valley, and reared a large family of
children, among whom was Johannes, the fifth
son, who was born at Namanock, N. J., in
1 73 1. When near the age of twenty years,
Johannes settled upon a tract containing 1,500
acres near Milford, Penn., which is still owned
by his descendants. He died February 15,
181 5, in his eighty-third year, and was buried
on his own farm. He had been twice married,
and by his second wife, Rachel Williams, had
a son, Cornelius, our subject's grandfather,
born near Milford, December 8, 1782.
Cornelius Van Etten married Anna Smith,
and became the father of eight children:
Rachel, Solomon (our subject's father), Mary,
Amos, Catherine, Robert, Margaret, and
Amanda. This family all settled near Milford,
and Catherine, Robert and Amanda are stHl

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

605

living. Amos Van Etten was the father of
Edgar Van Etten, who is now general super
intendent of the New York Central & Hud
son River railroad. The Pennsylvania Van-
Ettens have usually followed farming, and
have been prominent in non-political local af
fairs, but have never sought public office.
Solomon Van Etten was born near Milford,
May 1 8, 1806. He married Hannah Mettler,
daughter of Mathias Mettler, and a descendant
of one of the oldest families of Hunterdon Co.,
N. Y. They had seven children: William
and Amos, who died in infancy; John H., a
lawyer in Milford; Cornelius Smith, our sub
ject; Mathias M., a farmer at Dover, N. J.;
and Frank and Anna, both deceased. The
father died in 1873 in his sixty-eighth year,
mother in 1894, at the age of eighty-two years.
Dr. Cornelius Smith Van Etten was born
at the old homestead September 13, 1846.
He completed the regular course of study at
the seminary at Schooley's Mountain, N. J.,
and in 1870 entered the medical department
of the University of Pennsylvania for a three-
years' course. On graduating in 1873 he lo
cated in the lower part of the Wyoming Val
ley; but after a few months was called home
by the death of his father. He then remained
at home until 1876, when he came to Rhine
beck, and has here engaged in general practice.
He has been very successful — his fine abilities,
his thorough training, and his firm but kindly
manner, have won for him the entire confidence
of the community.
On June 7, 1882, the Doctor was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah Hill, who was
born June 16, 1849, a daughter of Edwin and
Catherine (Cramer) Hill, the former a leading
citizen of Rhinebeck, and, until recently, pres
ident of the First National Bank. To Dr. and
Mrs. Van Etten have been born two sons,
Edwin and Royal, and the home is one of the
most charming in the town, a fine library be
ing an especial feature. The Doctor and his
wife are active workers in the Reformed
Church. In politics he is a Republican, but
his professional duties have never allowed him
time to be very active in political affairs. He
is a director in the First National Bank, a
trustee of the Savings Bank, and in municipal
matters has taken a great interest, being health
officer of the town, member of the fire depart
ment, and, for ten years past, the president of
the school board. He is a trustee of Starr In
stitute, and treasurer of the Rhinebeck Gas

Company. In professional circles he is equally
prominent, and is a member of the New York
State Medical Association, and of the United
States Medical Association.

LEWIS F. EATON is one of the most en-
 ,' terprising business men of Dutchess coun
ty, and is a resident of Amenia. His opera
tions as a wholesale grain dealer are extensive
in their scope, and he belongs to that class of
representative American citizens who promote
the general welfare while advancing their indi
vidual prosperity. For over a quarter of a
century he has been identified with the inter
ests of Amenia, and the connection has been
as honorable as it is long.
Mr. Eaton was born at Syracuse, N. Y. ,
May 7, 1850, and is a son of Lewis Eaton, a
native of FayettevHle, Onondaga Co., N. Y.
After completing his common-school education
the father clerked in a store for a time, and
subsequently was connected with the Syracuse
& Oswego line of transportation in New York
City and vicinity for about fifteen years. Re
turning to Fayetteville, he became general
freight agent for the New York, Syracuse &
Chenango railroad, which position he retained
up to the time of his death, in 1878. At Fay
etteville he had married Miss Sarah Willson,
daughter of John H. Willson, and to them
were born four sons: Robert W., of Fayette
ville; Frank H., of Terre Haute, Indiana;
Charles B., deceased; and Lewis F. , of this
sketch. The mother's death occurred in 1875.
The primary education of our subject was
received in the village schools of Amenia, and
he later attended the public schools at Astoria,
Long Island. At the age of fourteen years he
entered the Peoples Line Transportation Com
pany in New York City, where he remained
for one year, after which he was in the canal
collector's office, where he was second clerk
the first year, and first clerk the three succeed
ing years.
At the age of eighteen Mr. Eaton came to
Amenia, becoming bookkeeper for B. Willson
& Co., dealers in flour, feed, lumber and coal.
In March, 1878, he became manager for George
T. WiHson, who had assumed control, and in
the following May was made a partner in the
business, under the firm name of Willson &
Eaton. About 1881 the firm started a whole
sale trade, which now extends through several
counties of New York, Vermont, Connecticut,

606

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and they also
have three retail stores, one at Amenia, an
other at Wassaic, and the third at Shekomeko.
Their sales have increased from $40,000, in
1 88 1, to three-quarters of a million in 1895.
Their specialty in the wholesale trade is that
of feed and grain, and they were the first to
sell cotton-seed meal in this vicinity. They
have a wood-working factory in connection
with their other business, manufacturing house
trimmings, doors, sash, blinds, etc., and Mr.
Eaton also handles life and fire insurance. He
is a man of remarkable business qualities, re
sourceful and energetic, and the scope of his
operations and his varied interests show that
a master hand and mind is in control of his
affairs. On October 24, 1877, Mr. Eaton was united
in marriage with Miss Julia Per Lee, daughter
of Walter P. Per Lee. He is an earnest ad
vocate of Republican principles, is connected
with the fire company at Amenia, and in re
ligious belief is a Presbyterian. His hobby is
that of stamp collecting.

PETER PRATT, the popular proprietor of
 the "Pratt House" in Amenia, Dutchess
county, traces his ancestry back to Peter
Pratt, a college-bred man, who was a resident
of Walling^ford, Conn. He married a Mrs.
Ingraham, widow of a sea captain, with whom
he boarded whHe attending Yale College, and
to them were born two children: Peter, and
Sophia, who married Oliver D. Cook, of
Hartford, Conn. When his son was three
years old he removed to Kent, Conn., where
for twenty years he served as collector, and
his old home there is still in the possession of
the family. He became one of the leading
men of that place and an earnest worker in the
Presbyterian Church.
Peter Pratt, the son, was the grandfather
of our subject. He was born at WalHngsford,
Conn,, in 1762, and died at Kent in 1845. At
the latter place he attended the district schools,
and always lived on the old homestead farm,
engaging in its operation, and in running a
sawmill and forge. He was appointed captain
in the -mHitia, was a Whig in poHtics, and a
Presbyterian in religious belief. He was
u«ited in marriage with Miss Sally D. Bard-
well, a daughter of Rev. Joel Bardwell, who
was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Kent
for over half a century. She was born in

1768, and her death occurred in 1849. Inthe
family were nine children, ' all now d,eceased
with the exception of John M., the father of
our subject, who was next to the youngest
the others being; PhHo B., Sherman, Joel'
Ralph, Peter, Sophia, Sarah and Cook.
John M. Pratt was born at Kent, Conn.,
May 22, 1809, attended the public schools
and completed his literary course in an acad
emy. He remained at home until February
7, 1838, when he married Miss Charlotte
Mills, who died in 1846. She was the daugh
ter of Deacon Lewis Mills, a merchant and
farmer, and was a most estimable lady. They
had five children, as follows: Charlotte M.
is the wife of John D. Platt, of Farmington,
Conn., by whom she has three chHdren —
Frank, WHHam and John; Jane, a resident of
New Milford, Conn. , is the widow of Sheldon
Wheaton, by whom she had one daughter —
Nellie; Mary (deceased) was the wife of Seth
Hobson, and the mother of one child — Eliza
beth; Peter is next in order of birth; and
Sophia is the wife of Walter B. Camp, of
Ansonia, Connecticut.
The father carried on farming in the town
of Kent, Litchfield Co., Conn., untH 1867,
when he purchased the "Putnam House, "the
name of which he changed to the "Pratt House."
This hotel has been greatly improved since
that time, and is now one of the best equipped
in the county, everything being provided
for the convenience and comfort of the
guests. Since coming to Dutchess county, Mr.
Pratt has also engaged in buying and selling
sheep, cattle and horses, and in this line of
business has been quite successful. Previous
to 1857, he was a Whig, but since that time
has been a firm supporter of Republican prin
ciples. A strictly moral, upright and temper
ate man, he has never gambled, bet on a horse
race, or been drunk in his life. He makes his
home with our subject.
Peter Pratt, whose name begins this sketch,
spent his boyhood days in the town of Kent,
Litchfield Co., Conn., attending the district
schools and assisting his father in the operation
of the farm. In 1865 he married JuliaJL^
Stone, of New Milford, Conn., and they
have o'he daughter, Minnie S.
Since 1867 Mr. Pratt has successfully en
gaged in the hotel business at Amenia. The
greater part of his present hotel has been
erected since locating there, so that the place
is now a comfortable, modern structure, neatly

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

607

furnished, and the cuisine is all that could be
desired. Like his father, he is also an ardent
Republican, and socially is a member of
Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M.

JOHN C. DUBOIS, one of the leading mer
chants of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess coun
ty, combines energy and pluck with excel
lent judgment, an embodiment that has brought
great success to his efforts and labors. His
entire life has been passed at that village,
where his birth occurred on June 20, 1857,
and those who have known him longest are
numbered among his most faithful friends.
The paternal ancestors of Mr. DuBois were
French. In his native land Jacques DuBois
married Pierrone Bentyn, and April 15, 1675,
saHed from France to America, locating at
Kingston, Ulster Co., N. Y., thus becoming
the founders of the famHy in the New World.
Their son Pierre wedded Jeannetje Burhans,
and to them was born a son, Jonathan, who
was united in marriage with Ariantje Ooster-
hout. The son of the latter, Cornelius (i)
DuBois, married Charity Griffin, and their
son, Cornehus (2), a farmer by occupation,
was the grandfather of our subject. He was
born at Saratoga, N. Y., and by his marriage
with Deborah Payne became the father of
twelve children, namely: Parmelia, Jane, Har
riet, Elizabeth, Chester, John, Charity, Cor
nelius G., Smith, Richard, Harvey and James.
The family were mostly members of the Pres
byterian Church.
John DuBois, the father of our subject,
was born January i, 1825, at Saratoga, N. Y.,
and upon the home farm he remained until
nineteen years of age, when he began teaching,
which profession he continued to follow up to
the time of and several years after his mar
riage. His wife bore the maiden name of
Mary S. Scofield, and was a native of FishkHl,
Dutchess county, where her father, Cornelius
Scofield, was also born. He was of English
extraction. Her mother's maiden name was
Elizabeth Warren, and she was a relative of
Gen. Warren, of mHitary fame. After their
marriage the parents of pur subject made their
home at Wappingers Falls, N. Y., where the
father taught in the old Wappinger Seminary
for several years. In 1857 he began merchan
dising on Market street, having a general store,
and continued at his first location untH 1863,
when he removed to another building on the

same street. Later, he conducted the busi
ness across the creek in the Egan building, in
partnership with Adam Bently, which connec
tion was continued untH 1868, when he sold
out. He then opened a wholesale dry-goods
business, conducting same until called from
this life. May 18, 1876. He had just erected
his beautiful residence, where his widow now
makes her home. He was a conscientious and
faithful member of the Presbyterian Church,
in the work of which he took an active part,
and his political support was unwaveringly
given the Republican party.
During his early life our subject aided his
father in the store, under whose able direc
tions he became a thorough business man.
After the death of the latter, his uncle, James
B. Scofield, had charge of the store untH he,
too, was called from this Hfe. Our subject
then purchased the stock, and since 1879 has
successfully conducted a general store. He
carries a large and well-selected stock, and is
abundantly able to meet the demands of his
customers. In November, 1881, he married
Miss Ada M. McKeel, a native of Cold Springs,
N. Y., and a daughter of Caleb McKeel, who
was of English origin. One chHd graces this
union: Chester M., born in August, 1882.
Mr. Du Bois is an influential member of
the Republican party, and takes a conspicuous
part in public life. In 1895 he was elected a
member ofthe village board, in which position
he is still serving. He is prominently identi
fied with the Knights of Pythias, the American
Mechanics, and the American Legion of Honor.
He and his wife contribute to the support of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and they en
joy the esteem and respect of all in the com
munity.

m LEXANDER W. SLEIGHT, supervisor
^^^ of the town of Lagrange, Dutchess coun
ty, vvas born in that town July 4, 1841, and is
the son of Peter R. and Catherine S. (Barnes)
Sleight. The ancestors of our subject were original
ly Holland-Dutch, who came to this country
in 1652, and the known record extends back
five generations, to Cornelius Barentsen Sleght,
who came from Worden. Holland, on the
Rhine, and who married Miss Tryntje Tysen
Bos, from Bue Stee, Holland. The name
was spelled Sleght until the time of James,
grandfather of our subject. Matthew Sleght,

608

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

son of Cornelius, married Maria Magdalena
Crespel. Jan, son of Matthew, married Miss
Elizabeth Smeedes. Abram, great-grandfather
of our subject, was born in the city of Kings
ton, where he spent his boyhood and received
his early education. He married Miss Ariantje
Elmerndorf, and moved to what is now the
town of Lagrange, cleared the farm land,
built a stone house, and reared his children
there. He died October 21, 1800. She died
in 1796. James, or Jacobus, Sleight, our subject's
grandfather, was born in the old stone house
above mentioned April 19, 1753, and died
September 2, 1833. He married Miss Elsie
Deriemer, and the following children were
born to them: James Edwin, Peter R., Elsie
D., Harriet E., Henry A., all of whom are de
ceased. In 1776 Mr. Sleight served seven
months in the Revolutionary war at Fort Mont
gomery, under Capt. Dorland, as orderly ser
geant, and in 1777 he served seven months at
Fort Constitution, and then went with the
army as first lieutenant under Capt. Henry
Wynkoop, and was with it when Kingston was
burned. In 1778 our subject's grandfather
served one month under Gen. Scott at White
Plains, and at Fort Independence, near King's
Bridge, as quartermaster under Zephaniah
Platt, colonel. He was afterward made a
colonel. [The foregoing is from the Archives
of the State of New York, Vol. i, page 473,
and is taken from records left by Mr. Sleight
in his own handwriting and signed by him.]
He took a prominent part in the affairs of La
grange, where he held the office of justice of
the peace.
Peter R. Sleight, father of our subject,
spent his boyhood days upon the farm, and in
attending the district schools, also the Jacob
WiHets school, in the town of Washington. He
was married in the town of Poughkeepsie
(first) October 3, 1827, to Sarah K. Barnes,
who was the daughter of David Barnes, of
Poughkeepsie, and one child, James Edwin,
was born to them, August 31, 1829, who died
September 16, 1868. Mrs. Sleight was caHed
from earth October 20, 1829, and Mr. Sleight
married (second) Catherine S. Barnes (sister of
his first wife) December 18, 1832, and the fol
lowing children came of this union: Sarah A. ,
born September 5, 1835, was married Novem
ber 14, i860, to Stephen M. Ham; David B.,
born AprH 30, 1838, was killed in the battle of
Averysboro, N. C, March 16, 1865 (he held

the rank of first lieutenant); James Edwin
married Frances E. Titus, March 9, 1853, and
they had four children — Mary Kate, Rhoda,
Sallie, and Frances. Peter R. , the father, was
captain of a company of militia, and was as
sessor, commissioner of highways, and railroad
commissioner when the town was bonded. At
the time of his death he was president of the
Dutchess County Mutual Insurance Co., to
which office he was elected in 1881, and for
several years was a director of the First Na
tional Bank. In politics he was a Republican.
On December 18, 1882, he and his wife cele
brated their golden wedding. Mr. Sleight
died in Lagrange, March 15, 1888, Mrs.
Sleight on February 11, 1894.
Alexander Wheeler Sleight, our subject,
spent his youth on the paternal farm in the
town of Lagrange, where he attended the
district school, also the Dutchess County
Academy, and the Cornwall Collegiate School.
He was married in Lagrange October 7, 1868,
to Miss Mary C. Pells, a daughter of John G.
Pells, and the following children were born to
them: Josephine W., March 14, 1875; Peter
R., April 19, 1877; and Davjd B., November
27, 1880. Mr. Sleight was elected supervisor
of Lagrange on the Republican ticket for ten
terms. He is a member of the B. P. O. E.,
or Elks, and is a popular and public-spirited
citizen.

JACOB GRIFFEN, a cHizen who has been
useful in his community, and ever taken a
prominent place in the enterprises tending
to the enlightment of the people; the friend of
education, and active in all good works, has
all his life been a tiller 01 the soil, and stHl
finds therein his great pleasure.
Elihu Griffen, grandfather of our subject,
was an early resident of Westchester county,
N. Y., where his entire life was spent in agri
cultural pursuits. By his marriage with Cath
erine Underbill he became the father of three
sons (all now deceased), named, respectively,
Daniel, Jacob and Abraham. He belonged to
the Society of Friendr, and always attended
the monthly meetings in New York City, mak
ing the trip thither on horseback.
Daniel Griffen, the father of our subject,
was born near the city of Sing Sing, in West
chester Co., N. Y., June 11, 1790, and there
attended the district schools of the neighbor
hood. He remained under the parental roof

/

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

609

untH his marriage, in 1810, with Phoebe
Davenport, who was born August 17, 1793.
They became the parents of nine children,
their names and dates of birth being as follows:
Mary D., August 11, 181 1 : Judith M., January
II, 1814; AbigaH S., April 6, 1817; Esther H.,
April 19, 1819; Elihu, September 6, 1821;
William D., February 12, 1824; Jacob, Octo
ber 10, 1825; Catherine E. , December 27,
1830; and Lydia Sigourney, April 29, 1834.
All are now deceased with the exception of our
subject and his sister, Judith M., who is now
the widow of the late Alexander HavHand.
The father engaged in farming in North Castle
township, Westchester county, untH 1826,
when he removed to the present farm of our
subject in the town of CHnton, Dutchess coun
ty, and there continued to make his "home un
tH his death, August 26, 1858; his wife died
June II, 1874. They were faithful members
of the Society of Friends, and in a church of
that denomination were married. As was the
custom at that time, they rode to the house of
worship on horseback, and our subject still
has in his possession the saddle used by his
mother. Although the father started out in
life a poor boy, he worked his way steadily
upward by persistent and untiring efforts until
he secured a comfortable competence, and
was numbered among the well-to-do citizens
of the town.
Jacob Griffen, our subject, was born in
North Castle township, Westchester county,
whence when an infant he was brought to the
farm which is now his home, and in the town
of Clinton he began his education under the
instruction of private tutors, and in private
schools. Later he entered a boarding school
at Westtown, Penn., and completed his literary
studies at the Nine Partners Boarding School,
in the town of Washington, Dutchess county.
In that town, October 10, 1878, Mr. Griffin
was married to Miss Alice Wilson, by whom
he had three children: Catherine, Anna and
Frances Elsie.
With the exception of the twelve years
during which he farmed an adjoining place, our
subject since his infancy has lived on the old
home farm, which he successfully operates.
He has served as commissioner of highways in
the town of Clinton, to which position he was
elected on the Republican ticket, that being
the party with which he always affiliates. The
entire family, are members of the Friends
Church, to the support of which they contrib-
39

ute liberally, and heartily co-operate in its
good works. Mr. Griffen is public-spirited
and enterprising, giving his support to all
measures which he considers beneficial to the
community. Mrs. Griffen was born in the town of La
grange, Dutchess county, a daughter of John
V. and Mary Ann (Barnes) Wilson, and re
ceived her education in the town of Washing
ton, where she had her home up to the time
of her marriage. Her father was born in Un-.
ionvale town in 1832, and died in 1864, inthe
army, while serving as a member of Company
I, 158th N. Y. V. I. By his marriage with
Miss Mary Ann Barnes he had five children:
Henry G., Alice, Thurston J., Clarence and
Belle, the last two being now deceased. Mrs.
Griffon's grandfather, John Barnes, born in
1792, died when about seventy years of age.
Her grandmother, Mary WHson, died July 5,
1879, at the advanced age of eighty years.

t\YRUS F. HAWLEY, the proprietor of a>^_
^'1 large dry-goods store at Millerton, ranks y,
among the leading merchants of northern .
Dutchess county, and the adjacent portion of ^
Litchfield county. Conn. His family is of 7^
English origin, and his ancestors were early
settlers of the village of Hawleyville, Fairfield
Co., Conn., where Harmon Hawley, his father,
was born about 1809. His grandfather, Haw
ley, was born probably at the same place.
Harmon Hawley was a hatter by trade, and
followed this occupation for a few years at his
native town. He married Emma Freeman, a
prominent resident of the town of Amenia, and
shortly afterward moved to Wawarsing, Ulster
Co., N. Y. , where he established a sawmill
and charcoal furnace. He was a man of fine
business ability and great energy. He bought
and cleared large tracts of land, which he
afterward disposed of, and carried on the two
enterprises with great success until his death,
which occurred in his forty-eighth year. His
wife survived him with seven children: Will
iam, Martha, Cyrus, Fannie, Josephine, Charles
and John.
The subject of our sketch was born at
Amenia Union, March 24, 1846, and was edu
cated mainly in the district schools of that
vicinity, attending the Amenia Seminary only
one year. These somewhat limited advantages
have been improved upon in later years by
reading, and his information covers a wide

€10

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

range. At the age of thirteen he began work
on a farm in the town of Amenia, and at six
teen he became a clerk in Sharon, Conn,, for
G, A. Kelsey and G. B. Reed. Here he re
mained ten years, acquainting himself with all
the details of mercantHe Hfe, and in 1876 he
and two others formed a partnership under the
firm name of Beach, Hawley &Co., and estab
lished a store at Millerton. After the death of
Mr. Beach in 1886, the firm name remained
.C F. Hawley & Co. for three years, when Mr.
Reed withdrew, and since that time Mr. Haw
ley has conducted the business alone. In
1894 he built one of the finest stores to be
found in any town of the size in the county.
His trade is very large, extending throughout
a wide territory, where his enterprise and
sound judgment have won him the confidence
of the people.
Mr. Hawley takes an active interest in all
that concerns the advancement of the commu
nity, and has been ready to promote any move
ment for the public good, but although he has
always been aDemocrat,henever joins in politic
al work. He married a member of one of the
oldest families. Miss Martha Brown, daughter
of Douglass Brown,< of Northeast, and has one
son, Cyrus.

1

^\DWIN G.VAIL, of the town of Unionvale,

one of the younger members of the board
of supervisors of Dutchess county, was born
in that town October 15, 1861, the younger
of the two sons of Elias and Lavina (Cornell)
VaH. Isaac Vail, our subject's great-grandfather,
was for many years a resident of Unionvale,
and died August i, 1801, at the age of sixty-one
years. His wife, Lavinia (Ketcham), passed away
March i, 1803, aged fifty-eight years. Their
son, Elias, our subject's grandfather, was born
in Unionvale in 1775, and followed farming as
his life work. He died August 3, 185 1, his
wife on July 20, 1851. She wasborn in 178 1,
and was a daughter of David Duncan, a na
tive of the town of Dover, where he was a
merchant farmer.
Elias Vail, father of our subject, was born
September 15, 1823, and was the youngest of
the thirteen chHdren born to Elias Vail, Sr.,
and his wife, Hannah (Duncan) Vail. He was
twice married, first time, in 1853, to Lavina
Cornell, by which union were born two chil
dren: W. C. , of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and

Edwin G. It is believed that thtir mother
descended from Perry Green White, who came
over in the " Mayflower," and whose son, or
daughter, was the first white child born in the
New World. Mrs. VaH died October 22,
1 86 1, aged thirty-six years, and for his second
wife EHas Vail married, January 10, 1867,
Miss Jane W. Haight, of the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county, a daughter of John
J. Haight. Mrs. VaH died January 21, 1891,
aged fifty-eight years.

JOHN FRANCIS MYERS. To the thrift,
industry and economy of the German immi-
- grants this country owes much, and finds
among their descendants many of our most
substantial and respected citizens, and to this
class belongs John Francis Myers, of New
Hamburg, the subject of this sketch.
The family to which Mr.. Myers belongs is
one of the oldest in Dutchess county, the first
of the American line having come from Ger
many at an early date, locating at what is now
known as Myers' Corners, in the town of Wap
pinger, where the homestead has ever since
been maintained. John Myers, the grand
father of our subject, was a farmer and hotel-
keeper, a Democrat in politics and a prominent
man in the locality. He married Susanna
Bussing, and reared a family of seven children:
Joseph, who went to California and died there;
Peter, a resident of Hughsonville; John, who
was an extensive land holder; Francis, our
subject's father; Deborah; Elizabeth (de
ceased), formerly the wife of Henry Patterson;
and Amelia, the wife of Edward Bayard.
Francis Myers, the father of our subject,
was reared on the old home farm, and married
Ann Roy, a native of London, England, and
an aunt of William K. Roy, of Wappingers
Falls. For some time after his marriage
Francis Myers followed farming in his native
town, but in 1855 he became employed in a
grocery at Wappingers Falls, and moved his
famHy there. In i860 he went to New Ham
burg, and engaged in the manufacture of black
ing; but later was in the grocery business,
which he carried on successfully until 1895,
when he retired. He has always been a Dem
ocrat, and served as supervisor of the town of
Poughkeepsie for several years; he and his wife
now live in Florida. To this worthy couple
have been born five children: Anna, who (first)
married J, E. Willard, of New Hamburg, and

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

611

after his death wedded (second) Walter Jame
son, of Walden, N. Y. ; Charles is the super
intendent of the Southern Express Co. ; at
JacksonvHle, Fla. ; Mary married Dr. Russell
Dean, of the same city; James R. is a farmer
at the homestead; and John Francis, the
youngest of the family, is the subject of this
review. John Francis Myers was born December 7,
1856, at New Hamburg, and has spent his
entire life in his native place, with the excep
tion of two years at Wappingers Falls during
his childhood. Under the careful tuition of his
father, he so mastered the details of the grocery
business at an early age that, although one of the
younger business men of the place, he became
one of the most successful and enterprising,
conducting a retail grocery, which commanded
an extensive trade, and which is now conducted
by Mrs. H. A. Myers. In 1882 he married
Miss Harriet Sc6field, daughter of William
Scofield, a well-known farmer of near Low
Point (formerly known as Carthage Land
ing). Three children were born of this
union: James L. , Eeleelah and Francis S.
Mr. Myers is a public-spirited citizen, and,
like his ancestors, is a Democrat in political
faith. He and his wife are prominent members
of the Reformed Dutch Church, of which his
famHy have always been influential adherents.

MORTIMER B. COLE is prominently
 identified with the business interests of
the town of Pleasant Valley, being actively en
gaged in the retaH feed, grist and saw mHl
businesses in Salt Point, where he also con
ducts a general store and sells farming imple
ments, etc. His success has all been achieved
by his own unaided exertions, and as the years
have passed he has gained experience and busi
ness abHity, which have secured him prosperity
whHe yet in the prime of life.
Mr. Cole was born in the town of Pleasant
VaHey, December 13, 1854, and is a son of
Charles N. Cole, whose birth occurred in Put
nam county, N. Y., January i, 1820. His
paternal grandfather, Elisha J. Cole, also a
native of Putnam county, was the son of Jesse
Cole, who was born in New England, and at
an early day located in Putnam county, where
he married a Miss Ogden. He there engaged
in the grist, saw and carding mHl business.
In his family of seven children, four sons and

three daughters, were Hiram and Jesse (both
farmers,) and Elisha J., the grandfather of our
subject. In his native county the last named
grew to manhood, and in 1800 married Lydia
Frost, after which they located upon a farm,
where they reared four children: Charles N.,
George, and two daughters who died while
young. He died in the town of Pleasant Val
ley, Dutchess county, in 1879, his wife having
preceded him to the world beyond. In relig
ious belief he was a Baptist; politically, he first
supported the Whig party, and later the Re
publican. His youngest son, George Cole, was
a wholesale liquor dealer, but is now living re
tired in Chicago, Illinois.
After completing his own education, Charles
N. Cole taught school for a time. He was
united in marriage with Miss Jane Ann Budd,
who was born in the town of Pleasant Valley
in 1827, and is a sister of Joel and Albert J.
Budd, prominent citizens of Dutchess county.
To them were born two chHdren: Edward, who
was kHled in infancy; and Mortimer B. , of this
review. The parents located upon , a farm
which the father operated until his death, which
occurred September 4, 1891, but he also in
vented many different articles, being of an in
genious turn of mind. He was a strong Re
publican, and held many local offices of honor
and trust. His estimable wife is stHl living on
the same farm, which is managed by Mortimer
B. Cole. In the usual manner of farmer boys, our
subject spent his childhood, receiving his ele
mentary education in the district schools, after
which he pursued his studies for two winters
at Pleasant Plains, and finished his education
in the Amenia Seminary. Returning to the
farm, he later married Antoinette Sands, a na
tive of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county,
and a daughter of Isaac G. Sands, who was
also born in Stanford town, and was of En
glish descent. For one year the young couple
lived upon a farm, but the following year Mr.
Cole worked his father-in-law's farm.. The
next two years, however, were spent in agri
cultural pursuits, after which he ran a skating
rink in New Jersey for a short time, and on
returning to this county again worked his fa
ther-in-law's farm for a couple of years. In
1887 he came to Salt Point, where he pur
chased a half interest in a gristmill and flour-
miH, but the following year bought out his
partner, and has since conducted the business
alone. He is also engaged in sawing lumber,

612

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

and deals in all kinds of general merchandise
and farm implements.
Three chHdren grace the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Cole, namely: Stanley S., born Novem
ber II, 1881; Jennie B. , born May 27, 1884;
and Pinnia, born December 29, 1886. Mr.
and Mrs. Cole are active in the community.
He is a strong believer in the principles of the
Republican party, which he always supports
with his ballot.

C\HARLES H. DUNCAN. This gentleman
^1 bears the family name that figures promi
nently in the annals of Dutchess county, his
ancestors having been long and prominently
connected with the history of Pleasant Valley.
The Duncans, of whom we write, are origi-
ally of Scotch extraction. The grandfather
of our subject, Joshua Duncan, was for many
years assistant superintendent of the cotton
factory at Pleasant Valley, and was widely
known as a straightforward ^ honorable busi
ness man. His poHtical support was given
the Republican party. Both he and his wife
spent their last days in the locality where they
had so long made their home, and where they
had reared their family of six children, namely:
Mary, wife of George Cramer; Margaret, wife
of Richard Cronkrite, a farmer of the town of
Pleasant Valley; Rachel, wife of John McCord,
a native of Dutchess county, now living in
Denver, Colo. ; Jane, widow of Samuel Bullock,
and a resident of Pleasant Valley; John B.,
the father of our subject; and Henry, a farmer
of the town of Lagrange. ¦
John B. Duncan was born and reared in
Duchess county, and in his early life learned
the machinist's trade, which he followed for
some years. After his marriage he located in
Pleasant Valley, where for many years he en
gaged in general merchandising, for a short
time as a part of the firm of Duncan & Has
tings, and then as sole proprietor of his well-
conducted store. His last years were spent in
retirement from business cares. He gave his
political support to the Republican party; for
several years served as postmaster of Pleasant
Valley, and was also town clerk for a number
of terms, and he also acceptably served as
president of the board of village trustees.
Mrs. Duncan, who bore the maiden name of
Jane E. Cronkrite, was a daughter of John
Cronkrite, a farmer of Lagrange town, de
scended from Holland ancestry. The family

of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan included five children
namely: Addison G., a resident of Streator,
111.; Charles H. and Marsden F. , prominent
merchants of Pleasant Valley; Grace; and
Jennie, wife of I. D. Le Roy, M. D. , of Pleas
ant Valley; two children died in infancy. The
father died May 30, 1880; the mother is stiH
living. Charles H. Duncan spent his boyhood days
under the parental roof, and began his educa
tion in the district schools, which, later, he
continued in Pelham Institute, Poughkeepsie.:
Returning to Pleasant Valley in 1875, he soon
after entered upon his business career by
securing a clerkship with Heath & Co., of
Poughkeepsie, in whose service he remained
some four years. He then entered the employ
of Solomon Strauss, a dry-goods merchant,
with whom he remained five years, and then
began business on his own account, in Pleas
ant Valley, in partnership ^ith his brother,
Marsden F. Under the firm style of Duncan
Brothers they carry on business, and have a
large trade, which their honorable dealing and
courteous treatment of their customers justly
entitles them.
Charles H. Duncan was married June 12,
1889, to L. Ida Pray, who was born in La
grange town, Dutchess county, a daughter of
George Pray, who followed farming in that lo
cality. The family has long been identified
with the history of this community. An inter
esting family of five children — Ethel Pray,
Martha Lavinia, Hazel May, Virginia Ida, and
John Howard — grace the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Duncan. The parents are esteemed
members of the Presbyterian Church, of which
he is trustee and treasurer. His political
support connects him with the Republican
party, and socially he affiliates with the
Masonic fraternity.

^ LFRED HAVILAND MOORE. In
,^^ 1 8 12 a mHl was erected in the town of
Lagrange, Dutchess county, around which the
thriving vHlage of Moores Mill has since
grown up, its development and prosperity be
ing largely due to the energy and business sa- ¦
gacity of the subject of this sketch, and other
members of his is^mily.g^i^p.^ '/tj^
His grandfather, Stephen Tkloore,^ a native
of Plattsburg, N. Y. , owned and operated the
mHl in his day. He married Ruth Clark, and.
reared a family, among whom was Alfred

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

613

Moore, 6ur subject's father, who was born at
Verbank, Dutchess county. He was educated
in the district schools of that town and of
Moores Mill. On attaining manhood he en
gaged in farming in the western part of the
town of Lagrange, but after ten years he re
moved to Moores Mill, where he conducted a
farm and ran the old mill. He was a high-
minded, progressive man, a Quaker in faith,
and a devoted friend to Liberty, his house
having been a station on the "Underground
railroad, " by which so many slaves made their
way to freedom. Although he never sought
political honors, he was an earnest supporter
of the Republican party. Deeply conscious
of the necessity for broad and thorough educa
tion for the masses, if our form of government
is to endure, he never failed to champion the
cause of education, as a worker in the Society
of Friends, attending meetings regularly from
boyhood, and often preaching to the congre
gation. He probably officiated at more funer
als than any other minister of his day in
Dutchess coynty. His wife, Charlotte Havi
land, was a daughter of Isaac Haviland, a
well-known resident of Quaker Hill, and both
lived to a ripe old age, Mr. Moore departing
this life in his seventy-eighth year, and his
wife at the age of eighty-nine. They had
seven children: (i) Lydia, the wife of Daniel
WHIets, of Jericho, L. I. ; (2) Ruth ( Mrs. P.
A. Skidmore); (3) Susan, who resides at
Moores MHl; (4) Albert H., our subject; and
three, Charlotte, Andrew and Annie, who are
now deceased.
Alfred H. Moore, our subject, was born at
the viHage of Moores MiH November 27, 1843,
and his early education was acquired in the
district schools there and in a boarding school
in Unionvale, N. Y. He has thoroughly iden-
tifi'ed himself with the interests of his native
place, and in addition to the work of conduct
ing the mill and farm, he started the first store
in the vHlage, opened the first telegraph office,
and the first post office, serving as postmaster
for several years. After some time, he disposed
of the store, and now gives his attention to the
ancestral occupation, and since 1876 has been
the sole manager of the mHl. He has been
extensively engaged in breeding fine Holstein
cattle on his farm.
In politics he is a Republican, and he is ac
tive in the Friends Meetings. He is a man of
excellent ability and upright character, and is
held in high esteem. His courtesy is unfail

ing, and in conversation he gives pleasure not
less by the wisdom of his remarks than by
their form, the soft "thee," "thou," and
"thy " lending their grace to his well-turned
sentences. He was married at Jericho, L. I.,
to Phoebe Willets, daughter of Jacob ^yillets,
and they have three children : Herman Wheeler,
Jacob WHIets, and Daniel W.
Miss Susan Moore, our subject's sister, is >
the proprietor of the "Floral Home" at
Moores Mill, a delightful summer boarding
place. She is a model hostess, untiring in her
efforts for the comfort of her guests, of whom y
there are usually about seventy -five throughout
the season. The house takes its name from
the abundance of beautiful roses and other
flowers which bloom there, making the place a
charming retreat.

V

EvLMORE FERRIS, a well-known dealer
 '/ in lumber, feed and coal at Pawling,
Dutchess county, is one of the most enterpris
ing and successful business men of that locali
ty. He was born October 19, 1837, in Mid-
dlefield, Otsego Co., N. Y. , and was educated
in the district schools there, his attendance
after the age of twelve years being limited to
the winter terms. At fifteen he left school
and began working by the month for farmers,
and at eighteen he came to Pawling town,
Dutchess county, where his ancestors have
had their homes for several generations. In
1859 he began to learn the carpenter's trade
with Mr. Mclntyre, and followed this for nine
years; but in 1867 he purchased a one-half in
terest in J. C. Merritt's lumber, feed and coal
business. Two years later he bought Mr.
Merritt's share, and has since continued the
business alone, building up a large and profit
able trade. Energetic and self-reliant in bus
iness, he is also interested in local affairs, and
is regarded as one of the leaders in the com
munity. He has always been a stanch Re
publican, and although he has never been an
office seeker, he is at present trustee of the
village. He married Miss Mary Jane Holmes,
daughter of James Holmes, and has four chH
dren: Carrie M., Harriet E. , Jam.es H., and
Claude, all at home.
The Ferris family is one of the oldest and
most prominent in this section. The genea
logical record dates back to John Ferris, a na
tive of Leicestershire, England, who emigrated
with his family to Fairfield, Conn. , and after-

614

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

ward, about 1654, removed to New York
State, dying in 171 5. He is said to have been
one of five brothers who came to this country
with their families, one of whom, Jeffrey, set
tled first in Massachusetts in 1635, and then
in Fairfield, Conn., in 1660. Another brother,
Benjamin, settled in Salem, Mass., in 1640.
Samuel Ferris, a son of John, was born in
Reading, England, and was among the first
settlers of Groton, Mass., whence he removed
to Charlestown, Mass. His only son, Zach
ariah Ferris, married Sarah Reed, of Stratford,
Conn., and had eight children, of whom there
is the following record: (i) Deborah, born
June 17, 1700; (2) Joseph, born September
27, 1703, married a Hannah Noble; (3) David,
born March 10, 1707, in Stratford, died in
WHmington, Del., December 5, 1779; (4) Ben
jamin, born in 1708; (5) Sarah Ann, born No
vember 10, 1710, married a Mr. Noble; (6)
Hannah, born August 6, 171 2, married (first)
Gains Talbot, and (second) Dobson Wheeler;
(7) John, born February 7, 17 14, married
Abigail Tyron, of New Fairfield, Conn.; (8)
Zachariah, Jr., born September 30, 1714, was
a Quaker preacher of Wilmington, Del. ; and
Daniel comes next in order of birth. Zachr
ariah Ferris, Sr., was in Charlestown in 1675,
and afterward settled at Stratford, Conn. , and
then about the year 17 10 removed to New Mil
ford, Conn. From him are descended per
sons of that name in different parts of the
United States. Five of the childre,n-,^David,
Benjamin, Hannah, John and Zachariah, Jr.
— together with the mother, joined the Society
of Friends. David was educated for a Presby
terian minister, but afterward became a cele
brated preacher among the Friends. He went
to Philadelphia in 1733, and was there mar
ried to Miss Mary Massey, and often attended
the Oblong meetings, visiting his brother Benj a -
min. He traveled about with William Rus
sell and Paul Osborne, preaching, being a
minister among the Friends for twenty-four
years. The Oblong meeting house was on
land owned half by a Russell and half by a
Ferris. Benjamin Ferris was a Quaker preacher,
and was among the very first settlers of the
Oblong (now Quaker Hill), Dutchess county,
between the years 1734 and 1736. The
name "Oblong" is derived from the shape of
that portion of equivalent land that was set
off from Connecticut about 1730. He was
very prominent in the meetings there through

out life. In his old age, his son Zebulan's
store (now occupied by WHliam Clark) was
robbed by the cowboys during the Revolution,
and he was so far non-resident in his ideas,
that he desired those present to "seize the
rascals." Benjamin Ferris married Elizabeth
Beecher, and had the following children: (i)
Zebulon, born in New MHford, Conn., March
19, 1729, married Ruth  ; (2) Reed, our
subject's great-grandfather, born August 15,
1730, in New Milford, married Anne Tripp; (3)
Susannah, born in New Milford, in 1732, mar
ried Elijah Doty; (4) Phoebe, born in 1734, in
New Milford; (5) Lillius, born in 1736, in Obr
long, married Jonathan Akin; (6) Benjamin,
born September 25, 1738, in Oblong, married
Mary Howland; (7) Gilbert, born in 1740, in
Oblong; and (8) Edmund, born in 1748, in
Oblong. Reed Ferris, tradition and history informs
us, freely offered his fine mansion (known
as the "old Kirby House ") to Gen. Washing
ton for his use as headquarters, at Pawling,
N. Y. In James H. Smith's history of Dutch
ess county we find the following: " The old
¦ Kirby House ' was built by Reed Ferris in
1 77 J, and at the time Washington was in
Pawling was a new house. Mr. Ferris was a
substantial farmer, and his house, like his
means, was large. Mrs. Akin, mother of the
late Judge Albro Akin, and another lady used
to tell of its occupancy. One day two aides-r
de^camp rode up and informed Mr. Ferris that
Gen. VVashington would like to make his home
there for a while. Mr. Ferris consented, and
to notify all intruders that this was the house
of the commander-in-chief, they fastened a
paper to the front door, reading: ' Headquar
ters of Gen. Washington.' The Ferris house
has been torn down, and all that remains is
the front door step with ' R. F.'and ' 177 1 'tut
in it." The farm is now owned by Archibald
Dodge. Reed Ferris and Anne Tripp had
the following children: Edmund, born March
30, 1752; Benjamin, July 29, 1754; Lydia,
July 5, 1756, married a Mr. Wanzer; Molly,
April 20, 1759, married John Akin; James,
July 2, 1 761; Warren, February 19, 1764;
Pitt, July 4, 1766; Morris,_ October 16, 1768;
Anne, January 5, 1771, married a Mr. Havi
land; and Seneca, February 15, 1773.
Edmund Ferris, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was married four times, and had nineteen
children. On October 30, 1771, he married
his first wife, Mary Akin, who was born No-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

615

vember i, 1747, and had one son — John Akin
Ferris, born October 17, 1772, at Pawling, N.
Y. The second wife, Hannah Taber, became
the mother of two children: Thomas Taber,
October 8, 1776, and Hannah, born Novem
ber 22, 1777. The third wife of Edmund
Ferris was Martha Birch, born in 1760, whom
he married in 1 781; she died January 22, 1794.
Their chHdren were: WiHett F. , who was
born May 19, 1782, and died AprH 12, 1853;
Betsey, born November 14, 1783; Amy, born
January 17, 1785; Ira, born October 23, 1788;
Sophia, born May 17, 1789; and Oliver, born
December 5, 1793. For his fourth wife, he
married Sally BirdsaH, who was born in 1777,
and to them were born ten children, whose
names and dates of birth are as follows:. Ann,
February 25, 1796; Philelus, November 5,
1797; Minerva, March 18, 1799; Horace, Feb
ruary 9, 1 801; Ransom, February 24, 1803;
Matilda, December 30, 1804; Garrett, May
28, 1806; Sally, AprH 26, 1809; Alfred, Sep
tember 29, 18 lo; and Massilla, September 26,
1812. The third and fourth wives of Edmund
Ferris are the ancestors of nearly all of the name
inPawling. The grandfather of our subject was
a farmer, and succeeded to a part of the estate
of his father. He lived on Quaker Hill dur
ing a portion of his life, and later on the Daniel
Dodge farm. He was quite a large land holder
at one time, and was prominent in his locaHty.
He served in the war of 18 12, and was known
as Major Ferris.
Horace Ferris, our subject's father, was a
farmer who went to Otsego county, N. Y. ,
about 1830, purchased a farm and spent the
remainder of his Hfe there. He had only a
small estate, but was a man of push and en
ergy. He was a Whig, although he never took
an active part in politics, and he attended the
Methodist Episcopal Church. He died in 1873,
and his wife, Emeline Bentley, a daughter of
Thomas Bentley, of the town of Beekman,
passed away in 1891. She was the third in a
family of five children, the others being: El
mer; Luman; Harriet (who married Philo Fer
ris, and lived in Chenango county, N. Y.); and
Clarinda (who married Mr. Garrett, and lived
and died in Pawling). The Bentleys were also
of English origin. To Horace Ferris and his
wife were born children as follows: Clarissa,
who married (first) Cyrus Groves, and (second)
Adam Dye; Matilda, wife of John Corbin;
Walter H., who married Caroline Terwilliger;
Ellen, wife of John Pratt; Mary, who married

(first) Albert Cole, and (second) Emery Ja-
quins; Phoebe, wife of Farren Pratt; Edmond',
whomarried Amanda Sun; Elizabeth, who died
in girlhood; Elmore, whose name opens this
sketch; Alfred, who married Amanda Chase,
and was a soldier in the Civil war; Levisa, wife
of Isaac Techout; Richard, who died from
wounds received in the army; Leroy (who also
served in the Union army) married M. J. Do-
len; and twins who died young. Most of the
family live in Otsego county.

» ICHARD A. SCHOUTEN, proprietor of
rii a meat market at Staatsburg, Dutchess

county, is a man of strong and intelligent con
victions and of good business tact. He is a
native of Dutchess county, born November
22, 1835, in the town of East FishkiH, then
known as Fishkill, and is descended from J.
Schouten, a Holland emigrant, who came to
Dutchess county and located in the town of
Fishkill, where his son, John S. Schouten, was
born. The latter was the grandfather of our
subject, who lived upon one farm during his
entire life and was very successful in his agri
cultural pursuits. He wedded Phcebe Perry,
who was born in Fishkill, in 1777, and to
them was born a son, Stockholm, the father
of our subject. In Hyde Park, Dutchess coun
ty, the grandfather died, March 22, 1861, and
his wife, in 1835.
Stockholm Schouten was born December
20, 1803, on the old home farm in the town
of Fishkill, which he conducted until the
spring of 1850, when he removed to a farm in
Hyde Park town, about a mile north of East
Park (then called Union Corners), procuring
260 acres of land now owned by De Witt
Mulford. That farm he operated for about
seven years, when he traded for a smaller
place. He spent his last days, however, with
his son, a prominent lawyer of Poughkeepsie.
He was an intelligent, well-read man, having
received good educational advantages, and
being possessed of much natural talent. He
took quite a prominent part in local political
affairs in both Fishkill and Hyde Park town,
always voting with the Democratic party, and
served for many years as overseer of the poor
in the former town. In later life he was an
earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church,' dying in that faith March 13, 1876,
at the age of seventy-two years.
Stockholm Schouten married Miss Ann

616

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

Maria Underbill, who was born December i6,
1810, and died AprH 7, 1883; she was the
daughter of Absalom Underbill. Children as
foHows were born to this union: Ann Eliza,
born August 19, 1830, became the wife of
William S. Ladin, and died in August, 1849,
the year she was married. John S., born Oc
tober 8, 1832, is a farmer of the town of
Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county; he served
in the Civil war, enlisting as private, and was
promoted to sergeant. Richard A. is next in
order of birth. William Kipp, born January
27, 1839, became a promising young lawyer of
Poughkeepsie, but was called from this life
February 18, 1870, at the age of thirty-one
years, one month and four days. Charles An
drew, born November 23, 1843, was a soldier
during the Civil war, and was promoted to ser
geant; most of his life has been spent in the
dry-goods business in New York City, but he
is now assistant superintendent in a post-grad
uate hospital, 2ist street and 2d avenue. New
York. Phoebe Helen, born October 2, 1847,
died in 1866, the year of her marriage. Julia,
born March 14, 1850, married to WHliam Nel
son, and had two children — Guy Lockwood
and Grace Deere; Julia died about the year
1885. Stockholm, born March 27, 1853, was
a printer of Poughkeepsie, where he died Oc
tober 6, 1879.
The education of our subject was such as
the common schools of Fishkill and Hyde Park
towns afforded, and he is well posted on the cur
rent events of the day. For one year after
attaining his majority he still remained upon
the home farm, and then began the butcher
ing business on a small scale, for a few months
running a wagon. The following year he
bought a small place east of Hyde Park, where
he resided for about four years, but in 1863
succeeded to the business of M. E. Lattin, in
Staatsburg, starting a small market on the
west side of the track. For nine months he
conducted a shop at Red Hook, Dutchess
county, and for about a year one at Newburg,
N. Y., but in 1872 he purchased his present
buHding of WHliam B. Densmore, and has
since successfully carried on a market there,
handling the best meats and controlling the
trade of the town. He is careful and method
ical in his business dealings, and his success is
the just reward of his own diligence, enter
prise and good management.
In 1857 Mr, Schouten was united in mar
riage with Laura J. Velie, daughter of Henry

Velie, and they have become the parents of
the following children: Charles Henry, who
was born August 3, 1858, and is now in the
shop with his father; Alice L. , who was born
January 5, 1863, and is the wife of C. W. H.
Arnold; Francis M., who died May 3, 1879, at
the age of thirteen years; Richard U., born
January 15, 1875, and died in 1894, at the age
of nineteen years; Laura Velie, who was born
February 10, 1870, and is at home; Sterling
Bird, born May 17, 1879; and Emma Deere,
born May 23, 1882. PoHtically, Mr. Schouten
votes the straight Democratic ticket, and has
served his fellow-citizens as school trustee and
collector of his town. He is. a devoted mem
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church of
Staatsburg, in which he has officiated as trus
tee, and superintendent of the Sunday-school,

ORLANDO JAMES COWL, a retired mer
chant tailor of Pawling, Dutchess county,
has been for many years a leading resident of
that town, and he and his estimable wife, who
recently passed from earth, have been helpful
factors in the important social, philanthropical
and religious movements which have contrib
uted to the development and progress of the
community. Mr. Cowl is a native of New York City,
born November 14, 1825. His family is of
English origin, and the home of the American
branch may be said to be at Cowl's Oorners,
east of Patterson, in Putnam Co. , N. Y. , where
many of the name now live. Capt. WHliam
Cowl, our subject's grandfather, was a promi
nent citizen of that locality, and was greatly
respected for his sound judgment and upright
and temperate life. Possessing great energy,
he engaged successfully in various business en
terprises, being a merchant, a shoemaker, and
the owner of a large tannery, and he also took
an active share in local politics as a supporter
of the Whig party. His title was a well-earned
distinction gained in the war of 1812. He
died in i860, and his wife, Elizabeth Gorham,
in 18 — . They had seven chHdren: Eliza;
Harry; Orrin; James; one who. went to the
West; Mrs. Flora Anderson; and Anna (also
married). James Cowl, our subject's father, was born
in 1799, and about 1826 engaged in the gro
cery business at Pawling, at what was then
known as Goosetown, on the spot now occu
pied by the residence of James Ferris. He

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

617

afterward moved to New York, and followed
the same business at the corner of Church and
FrankHn streets, but at the age of thirty-five
he was compelled to abandon mercantile pur
suits on account of ill health, and from that
time he was engaged in the real-estate busi
ness. The family has always been distin
guished for excellent business judgment, and
his career would serve to confirm that reputa
tion, his energy and foresight enabling him to
accumulate a fortune. He did not care for
public honors, and refused to become a
candidate for office when urged; but he was
interested in political questions of national im
portance, and was at first a Whig, later, as a
strong opponent of slavery, becoming a Re
publican. He was a cheerful giver to any
worthy cause, and a steadfast adherent of the
Presbyterian Church for many years before his
death, which occurred April 15, 1892. His
first wife, our subject's mother, was Miss
Phcebe Martin, a daughter of John Martin, a
well-known resident of Quaker Hill. She died
a few years after their marriage, and his sec
ond wife, Mary (Ludlum), was a victim of the
cholera epidemic of 1848. He then married
Mrs. Stanton, by whom he had one son. In
no place did the strong character of James
Cowl show to a better advantage than in his
home life. The best of fathers, he gave his
chHdren good advantages, and started them
well in life. Of the three chHdren of his first
family, Harriet, the wife of Alexander Allen,
was the youngest. Martin H., who died at
the age of forty-five years, was a carriage-
maker by trade, and was noted for his fine
natural abilities. George Cowl, the son of the
third marriage, is a successful drug broker in
New York City.
The subject of our sketch received a good
academic education in New York during his
boyhood, completing his studies in the school
conducted by Profs. King and Feaks, on Broad
way, near Bleecker street. At eighteen years
of age he began to learn the tailor's trade in
that city, and when he was twenty-two years
old he opened a shop of his own while living
with his brother-in-law, Mr. Allen. In 1865
he started a merchant-taHoring establishment
at Pawling, near the depot, which became the
principal house in that line in the town. He
was obliged to give this up in 1871 on account
of faHing health, and in the following year he
built his present residence, and has since given
his attention to the care of his extensive gar

dens. As a business man he has been very
successful, displaying force of character com
bined with clear and sound judgment. In poli
tics he was first a Whig, later a Republican,
and he is a strong upholder of the temperance
cause. In 1866, Mr. Cowl married Miss Phoebe A.
Beardsley, daughter of Bennett Beardsley, a
prominent citizen of Poughkeepsie. She pos
sessed rare qualities of mind and heart, and
her death, which occurred July 19, 1894, was
deeply mourned. The memory of her efforts
as a devoted and self-sacrificing worker for the
good of others will always be cherished in that
community. She and her husband were both
active members of the Methodist Church, and
Mr. Cowl has held the office of steward for
many years.

w

ILLIAM H. PARKER has, since
1872, been a successful merchant of
Hughsonville, Dutchess county, dealing in
stoves, house furnishing goods and groceries.
His fair dealing and systematic methods of
doing business have won for him the confi
dence and respect of all with whom he comes
in contact, and his property has been acquired
by the exercise of sound judgment, good busi
ness talents and industry.
Thomas Parker, father of our subject, was
a native of Connecticut, born at Chester, in
1800. The family is of Welsh origin, three
brothers having come from that country and
settled in America' about 1650. When ten
years of age the father became a resident of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Co., N. Y. , where he
learned the tin, sheet-iron and copper trade,
and later followed his chosen occupation at
Rochester, Troy and Elmira, N. Y. In 1841
he removed to Milwaukee, Wis. , but his last
days were passed at Dubuque, Iowa, where he
died in December, 1856. In early life he was
a Whig in politics, but later supported the
Democratic party. He was a very religious
man, a faithful member of the Episcopal
Church, to which his wife also belonged.
Thomas Parker was united in marriage with
Miss Sarah De Groff, who was born in 1804,
at Poughkeepsie, where their marriage was
celebrated, and was the daughter of Cornelius
De Groff, a native of the same place. The
De Groffs were originally from France, but, on
going to Holland, they intermarried with that
nation, and representatives of the family came

618

COMMEMOBA TIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

to America at a very early period in the his
tory of this country. Shortly after their mar
riage the parents of our subject removed to
Troy, N. Y. , where part of the chHdren were
born, the remainder being born at Rochester.
They are as follows: Jeffrey A., a resident of
Dubuque, Iowa; Adaline, deceased wife of
William R. Anderson, a captain on the Mis
sissippi river; Thomas, who died in Milwau
kee at the age of eighteen years; Maria and
Julia, who died in infancy; WHHam H., of
this review; and Elizabeth, wife of Thomas
Prest, of Whitinsville, Mass. The mother's
death occurred at HughsonvHle, N. Y. , in
1893, when in her ninetieth year.
At Troy, N. Y., on July 4, 1837, William
H. Parker first opened his eyes to the light,
and was only a year old when taken by
his parents to Elmira, where they remained a
short time. As early as 1841 he became a
resident of Milwaukee, Wis., where his boy
hood days were passed, and there he learned
the tinner's and plumber's trade with Henry
J. Nazro & Co. In May, 1856, he started
overland to Kansas by cattle train, and was
three months en route. He traveled exten
sively through the West and South for some
time, but finally, in 1858, came to Poughkeep
sie, Dutchess county, where he remained for
a short time. He then worked at his trade in
many large cities, including Cincinnati, Pitts
burg, PhHadelphia, New York and Boston.
On the outbreak of the Civil war, he went to
Monticello, N. Y. , where he enlisted in the
First New York Mounted Rifles, but because
of a rupture did not enter into active service.
In June, 1864, Mr. Parker was married to
Miss Mary Kelly, a native of Orange county,
N. Y. , and a daughter of Thomas Kelly, who
was of Irish extraction. Nine children were
born to them, but four died in infancy. Those
StHl living are WHlard, Fred, Jennie, Charles
and Addie, all at home. Shortly after his
marriage, Mr. Parker located at Wappingers
Falls, where he worked at his trade for A. W.
Armstrong for three years, and the following
year was in business for himself at that place.
Going to Troy, N. Y., he engaged in the
wholesale spice-box business, manufacturing
tinware there for four years. Since 1872,
however, he has been a resident of Hughson
ville, where he has engaged in his present line
of business. Politically, Mr. Parker affiliates with the
Repubhcan party, being one of its most ear

nest supporters, and he takes quite a prominent
part in public affairs. In 1889 he was elected
justice of the peace, in which office he served
for four years, for the same length of time vvas
the efficient postmaster of HughsonvHle; in
1893 was elected supervisor of Wappinger
township, and at the end of a year was re
elected, serving in that position until the pres
ent time, when superseded by Mr. Barlow.
He is a very intelligent man, being well-read
on literary and scientific subjects, and is one
of the prominent men in the community, stand
ing high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens.

1,/ffILES HUGHES. In past ages the his
tory of the country was the record of
wars and conquests; to-day it is the record of
commercial activity, and those whose names
are foremost in its annals are the leaders in
business circles. The conquests now made
are those of mind over matter, not man over
man, and the victor is he who can successfully
establish, control and operate extensive com
mercial interests. Mr. Hughes is unquestion
ably one of the most successful men of Dutch
ess county. Tireless energy, keen perception,
honesty of purpose, genius for devising and
executing the right thing at the right time,
joined to every-day common sense, guided by
resistless will power, are the chief character
istics of the man. He is at the head of a large
mercantile establishment at Staatsburg, where
he is also engaged in handling grain, feed and
flour, having one of the finest elevators in the
county; is president of the Fallkill Knitting
Co., of Poughkeepsie; president of the Dutch
ess Land Co., vice-president of the Gilbert
Arnold Land Co., and is also largely inter
ested in property at Superior, Wisconsin.
The family is of English ancestry, being
founded in America by those of the name who
took up their residence in New England dur
ing Colonial days. The great-grandfather of
our subject, Christopher Hughes, was a native
of New Haven, Conn., and in early life was a
sea captain. He was the first of the family to
come to Dutchess county, where he purchased
about 600 acres of land in the town of Hyde
Park, southeast of Staatsburg, also the prop
erty on which A. J. Briggs is now living. His
son, Christopher, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was one of the first officers in the town of
Hyde Park after it was set off from CHnton.
He was born in New Haven, Conn., and by

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

619

occupation was a farmer, operating the land
which his father had here purchased. He
was one of the leading members of the locality,
took an active part in Church work, and was
one of the founders of St. James Episcopal
Church at Hyde Park. He married Rachel
Paulding, belonging to the famHy of which
John Paulding, one of the captors of Major
Andre, was a member, and also James Kirk
Paulding, the author and statesman. Of this
union eight chHdren were born: Samuel;
Miles; Christopher, the father of our subject,
who is the only one of the sons now living;
Brooks; Elizabeth, who married Mr. Wade, of
Albany county, N. Y. ; Harriet, who became
the wife of John Uhl; Maria, who wedded Mr.
Skidmore; and Lucinda, wife of Hercules
Reed, of Hulburton, New York.
Upon the famHy homestead in the town of
Hyde Park, the father of our subject was born,
in July, 1805, and has always followed agri
cultural pursuits, in which he has been suc
cessful, being a man of good judgment in busi
ness m.atters. He married Miss Sarah Lamo
ree, daughter of John Lamoree, who belonged
to one of the oldest families of Dutchess coun
ty, of French origin, and was one of the most
successful farmers and prominent men of the
community. Mrs. Hughes is one of a family
of seven children, the others being Daniel;
Isaac; George V.; Nathaniel; Millie, who
married Harris Marshall; and Mary, who
wedded Jeremiah Shultz, of the town of Clin
ton, Dutchess county. To the parents of our
subject were born four children: Sarah, now
the widow of Jacob Cookingham; Miles, of this
review; Edgar, who died at the age of fifteen
years; and Lucinda.- In his early years the
father took a great interest in mHitary matters,
being captain of a cavalry company in the
State Militia, and was always known by his
associates as Capt. Hughes. He is still living
at the advanced age of ninety-one years, while
his devoted wife is in her eighty-ninth year.
He early became connected with the Episco
pal Church of Hyde Park, but now holds mem
bership with the Church at Staatsburg, in the
work of which he takes an active part, and
has always served as one of its officers. Pub
lic interests also receive his attention, espe
cially educational affairs, and for many years
he served as school trustee. His poHtical
support has always been unswervingly given
the Democratic party.
Miles Hughes was born April 8, 1836, on

the old family homestead at Staatsburg,
Dutchess county, and received a good aca
demic education, finishing his literary studies at
Hinsdale, Mass., where he went with the in
tention of preparing for Williams College. At
the age of eighteen, however, he left school
and began teaching in the home school, hold
ing that position for about six months. He
was very successful in that undertaking, and
now looks back upon his work there with as
much satisfaction as anything he has accom
plished in life. For about seven years after
ward he assisted in the cultivation of the home
farm; but in February, 1864, he began the gen
eral merchandising in connection with a Mr.
Wood, of Clinton town, and the firm contin
ued to do business for some seven years, when
our subject bought out his partner's interest,
and has since conducted the concern alone.
He has one of the largest trades in the county,
won by the high grade of goods which he car
ries, fair and honorable dealing, and his court
eous treatment of customers. He has been
successful in all his business ventures, the re
sult of his own untiring efforts.
In October, 1865, Mr. Hughes was mar
ried to Miss Pier, of Upper Red Hook, Dutch
ess county, daughter of Benjamin S. Pier, for
merly of New York City, but later a resident
of Upper Red Hook, N. Y. As a coppersmith
he made the first pans for the Borden Con
densed Milk Company. Five children grace
the union of our subject and his wife: Edwin
B., in the store at Staatsburg, and Marian,
both living; and Pier, Mary and Emily, all
three deceased. Mr, Hughes is a fine repre
sentative of the Republican party, always a
firm supporter of its principles, and has served
as justice of the peace. He takes great inter
est in St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, of
which he is a member, and is now senior war
den. Public-spirited in a high degree, he has
ever been loyal to his home interests, and the
town owes as much to Mr. Hughes as to any
other man for its growth and stability, while
throughout the community no one is more
widely or favorably known.

LOUIS YOUNG was born August 24, 1837,
 : at a place called Oberingelheim, in Ger
many, and came to America when he was thir
teen years old. The following eight years were
spent mostly in traveling through the country
on pleasure trips, and when he had reached the

620

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

age of twenty-four years, he had settled down
in Wappingers Fa'lls, where he was employed
for ten years by John Barlow in the bakery
business. In 1858, Mr. Young purchased the
business from Mr. Barlow, and carried it on
untH the time of his death, which event took
place November 12, 1889, He was very suc
cessful in his undertakings, being a man of strict
honesty, careful management, and reliable in all
his methods of dealing. He started in life in
the vHlage with a capital of fifty cents, and at
his death left property valued at $10,000.00.
He built the brick store which he occupied, and
the one now occupied by Matthew J. Cashin,
and also two brick houses on Mesier avenue.
On November 21, 1871, Mr. Young was
married to Miss Eliza Smith, who was born in
Orange county, N. Y. , a daughter of Thomas
Smith, a native of England. Of this union four
daughters were born : Josephine, Mary, Sarah
and Wilhelmina. They are all young ladies of
culture and refinement, and with their mother
are popular members of society.
Mr. Young was a Republican, but never as
pired to become an office holder. He was
quiet and unostentatious, and used his infiuence
in making improvements in the village, and
doing good in an unobstrusive manner, rather
than in seeking prominence for himself. He
will long be remembered for his many kindly
deeds. Socially he belonged to Wappinger
Lodge, F. &A. M.; Lafayette Lodge, I. O. O.
F.; and the Legion of Honor. The family are
all members of the Episcopal Church, to which
their father was a liberal contributor.

1

^\DWARD ELSWORTH PERKINS, law

yer, born in the town of Poughkeepsie,
February 4, 1863, is one of the prominent
young members of the Dutchess county Bar,
and a son of Alexander W. Perkins and his
wife, Elsie A. Kay.
The old homestead, known as the " Spack-
enkiH Farm" (now owned by Edward), stands
on the post road between the city of Pough
keepsie and Wappingers Falls. There Mr. Per
kins had the usual experience of a country boy,
attending thedistrict school in the neighborhood
until the age of fifteen, when he entered Pel-
ham's Institute, on Montgomery street, in the
city of Poughkeepsie, for a three-years' course.
At the expiration of that he returned to the
farm for two years, and then at the age of
twenty commenced to prepare for his profes

sion in the law office of O. D. M. Baker. At
the age of twenty-one he was elected justice
of the peace of his town, which office he held
for three years. In 1886 he was admitted to
the bar at the December term of the Supreme
Court held in Brooklyn, having the highest
standing in a class of seventy. He immedi
ately engaged in practice at the city of Pough
keepsie, in the office of his preceptor, and met
with a degree of success.
Mr. Perkins in 1887 was one of the organ
izers of the Poughkeepsie & Southeastern
Railroad Company (now the Dutchess County
R. R.), extending from Poughkeepsie Bridge
to Hopewell junction, and was elected its first
secretary and treasurer.
In 1890 Mr. Perkins went to Texas for
New York and Philadelphia capitalists, and
engaged in organizing and buHding the exten
sion of the Fort Worth & Rio Grande railroad
form Comanche to Brownwood. Completing
this work, he went to Fort Worth, Tex., and
associated with T. L. Marsalis, of Dallas,
Tex., in the completion and extension of the
Dallas & Oak Cliff raHroad, and later in the
building of the West Dallas railroad, of which
Mr. Perkins became president.
Mr. Perkins while in Fort Worth was
elected president of the American Savings
Bank and Trust Company, and was chosen by
the Travelers Insurance Company, of Hart
ford, Conn., as their financial and loan repre
sentative for the State of Texas. In 1893 he
organized the American National Bank; was
elected a director and its first vice-president.
In 1893 he removed to his native town, and
resumed the practice of his profession.
Mr. Perkins is one of the governors of the
Dutchess Club, member of the Gentlemen's
Driving Club of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
County Golf Club, Poughkeepsie Tennis Club,
and is a Democrat in political faith.
On June 23, 1891, Mr. Perkins married
Miss Mary D. Beard, daughter of Col. 0. T,
Beard, a prominent resident of Poughkeepsie,
Their chHdren are three in number: Olive
Elizabeth, Jeannie Marie and Argenta.

BOUGLAS MERRITT, one of our most es
teemed citizens, residing upon a beautiful
farm called " Leacote," is of the sixth genera
tion in descent from Thomas Merritt, who set
tled at Rye, Westchester county, in 1670, and
was a prominent citizen, and a deputy to the

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

621

General Court of Connecticut in 1699. He
had four sons: Thomas, Joseph, Ephraim and
Samuel, of whom, Joseph, who died in 1754,
left three sons: Joseph, Thomas and Nehemiah.
Nehemiah was born in 1715, married
Dinah Hopkins, of Oyster Bay, and in 1758
moved to Quaker Hill, Dutchess county, where
he owned a large farm. He died there in 1 794,
leaving four chHdren: Daniel, Nehemiah, Icha
bod and Anna.
Nehemiah, Jr., born in 1740, married
Phoebe Wing, in 1 760, and was a merchant of
the town of Washington, where he died in
1793, leaving eleven children. His youngest
son, Benjamin, was born in 1777, married
Thankful, daughter of Col. Matthew Scott,
and was a merchant in New York and Troy.
He died in 1854, leaving ten children, of whom
the eldest son, George, was born in Washing
ton county in 1807, and married Julia, daugh
ter of Alanson Douglas and Ann Sutherland.
He became an eminent dry-goods merchant in
New York, and was noted for his beneficence.
His death occurred at his country seat,
" Lyndehurst," Irvington-on-Hudson, in 1873.
Of his six chHdren the eldest; Douglas, was
born at No. 42 Barclay street. New York, De
cember 4, 1847, was educated at the school of
John MacMullen and the Columbia Grammar
School, passed two years in Europe, and was
graduated from the Columbia Law School in
1874. He purchased his farm called "Lea
cote" in 1875, and was married August 3,
1876, to Elizabeth Cleveland, daughter of Rt.
Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe, Bishop of West
ern New York. They have two children:
Ethel Douglas and Alan Douglas.
Mr. Merritt has always taken an interest
in public affairs and the progress of the neigh
borhood. He is a trustee of St. Stephens
College, Annandale; St. Johns Church, Barry
town; the Starr Institute, Rhinebeck, and the
Public School No. 3, and was a member of the
last Board of Excise. He is also senior war
den of the Church of the Messiah, Rhinebeck,
and has for many years been a delegate from
that Church to the Diocesan Convention.

J

IJOHN H. SMITH, Jr., was born at the
Steel Works inthe town of Amenia, Dutch
ess county, March 18, 1863, and is a lineal
descendant of Nehemiah Smith, whose birth
occurred in England about 1605, and who
came to America and made application to be

admitted as a freeman at Plymouth, Mass.,
March 6, 1637. For two years he lived on
Long Island, but in 1644 removed to Stratford,
Conn. , where he kept a flock of sheep on the
west bank of Oyster river, and was conse
quently known as Shepherd Smith. Later he
removed to New Haven, Conn. ; in the spring
of 165 1, to Norwich, L. I.; and two years
afterward to London, Conn. Owing to trou
ble with the Indians he continued to reside at
New London until after 1665, when he re
moved to his farm at Smith Lake, Poquonock,
where he doubtless had been making improve
ments for several years. He was one of the
original proprietors of Norwich, buying the
land from the Indian chief, Uncas, in 1659,
and was among the earliest settlers of several
new towns in Connecticut. He always took
an active interest in Church affairs, and, doubt
less, officiated in the absence of the regular
pastor. He died about 1686. On January
21, 1639, he married Annie Bourne, of Marsh-
field, Mass., who died in 1684, and to them
were born the following children : Sarah, born
in 1642; Mary; Hannah, born in 1644; Mercy
and Elizabeth (twins), born in 1645; Nehe
miah, born in 1646; Lydia, born in 1647; Ann
and Mehitable.
Nehemiah Smith, the only son, was born
at New Haven, Conn., in 1646, and was bap
tized October 24, of that year, by Rev. John
Davenport, first pastorof the first Church at that
place. When ten years of age he accompanied
his father to the farm at Poquonock, Conn., and
was seventeen when the latter moved to Nor
wich, leaving him on the farm. On October 24,
1669, he married Lydia Winchester, daughter
of Alexander Winchester, of Roxbury, Mass.
In that year he was a member of the General
Assembly at Hartford, and also in several sub
sequent years. He and his wife became mem
bers of the first Church at New London, Conn.
About 1 69 1 or 1692 he purchased a large tract
of land at Niantic, Conn., of Joseph and John
Bull, of Hartford.
Nehemiah Smith, a son of Nehemiah and
Lydia (Winchester) Smith, was born Novem
ber 14, 1663, and April 22, 1696, was united
in marriage with Dorothy Wheeler, who was
born December 6, 1679 (a daughter of Isaac
Wheeler), and died May 25, 1736. Soon
after their marriage they both joined the first
Church at New London, and he was always
known as an honest and highly respected farm
er; in 17 1 2 and 1 7 14 he served as townsman.

622

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

His entire life was spent upon the old home
stead farm near Smith Lake, Poquonock, Gro
ton, Conn., where his death occurred Novem
ber 21, 1724. In his famHy were twelve chil
dren, namely: Dorothy, Hannah, Elizabeth,
Nathan, John, WiHiam, Isaac, Mary, Lydia,
Jabez, Anna and Sarah.
Isaac, the seventh chHd of Nehemiah and
Dorothy (Wheeler) Smith, was born Decem
ber 29, 1797, at Groton, Conn., and November
4, 1729, wedded Esther, daughter oi Deacon
Daniel Denison. Both became members of
the First Congregational Church at New Lon
don, Conn., He departed this life March 14,
1783, and his wife died on August 17, 1798.
In their family were eleven children, whose
names and dates of birth are as follows:
Daniel, December i, 1730; Amos, December
13, 1732; Esther, August 9, 1734; Hannah,
August 9, 1734; Simeon, June 9, 1738; AbigaH,
February 15, 1740; Mary, November 15, 1743;
Lucy, November 11, 1746; WiHiam, October
26, 1749; and Silas and Phebe, twins, April
18, 1752.
WiHiam Smith, the ninth of the family,
engaged in farming at Mt. Archer and North
Lyme, New London Co., Conn., and served
as deacon in the Baptist Church, of which he
was a consistent member. In 1772 he mar
ried Sarah Smith, daughter of Nathan and
Elizabeth Smith, who died July 14, 1831, and
his death occurred September i, 1841. They
also had twelve children, whose names and
dates of birth are as follows: William, Janu
ary 22, 1775; Sarah, February i, 1777; Eliza
beth, December i, 1779; Gurdon, December
4, 1 781; John D., August 12, 1782; Edward,
August 24, 1784; Phebe, August 20, 1786;
Nathan, November 12, 1788; Charlotte, Jan
uary I, 1 791; Lucy, February 14, 1793; Al
mira, March i, 1797; Ansyl, AprH 2, 1799;
and Edward.
Nathan Smith, the seventh in order of
birth, was born at North Lyme, Conn., and
was the grandfather of our subject. In 18 10
he was married to Nancy Waterman, of Salem,
Conn., who died July 2, 1824, and they be
came the parents of five children: Sarah M,,
born August 6, 1814, married Columbus Reed;
GHbert 13. was born April 10, 1816; Nathan
W., born January 12, 1818, is now living at
South Amenia, Dutchess Co., N. Y. ; Nancy
L., born August 12, 1819, died January 11,
1874; and John H., born June i, 1821, died
October 13, 1892, For his second wife Na

than Smith married Hannah Stark, and 'they
had two children: Fitch C. , born January 19,
1826; and Henry S., born May 20, 1828. His
third wife was Nancy Baker, widow of Mathias
Baker, and daughter of Deacon Eliphalet Hill-
yard, and his last wife was Mary GaHup. For
a time he was captain of a sloop, but most of
his life was devoted to farming at Salem, Conn.
At the time of his death, which occurred March
26, 1876, he was serving as deacon of the
Baptist Church at North Lyme, Conn., of
which he was a faithful member.
John H. Smith, the father of our subject,
was born at Lyme, Conn. , was there educated
in the public schools, and at the age of four
teen years walked from his home to Wassaic,
Dutchess Co., N. Y. , where he resided with a
sister for a time. At Williamstown, Mass.,
he learned the trade of wagon making, after
which he worked in the mill at Amenia, where
he continued to reside for one year after his
marriage. Removing to the Steel Works, he
began wagon making, which business he con
tinued to follow up to the time of his death.
He was entirely a self-made man, having
started out in "life for himself empty-handed,
at the early age of fourteen years, and suc
ceeded in accumulating a good property by
persistent labor and well-directed efforts. In
religious belief he was a Baptist, belonging to
the Church at Amenia, and in politics he was a
stalwart Republican. He was called upon to
serve his fellow citizens in the offices of assessor
and justice of the peace.
At Amenia, June i, 1847, was celebrated
the marriage of John H. Smith, Sr. , and Miss
Maria, daughter of Myron Reed, and to them
were born seven children: Nathan, who was
born April 21, 1848, and is now a merchant
of Amenia Union; Sarah M., who was born
September 11, 1849, and was married June
26, 1879, to Charles, son of Philo S. Hoyt, of
Danbury, Conn.; Myron, born May 12, 185 1,
who is serving his third term as superintendent
of the poor of Dutchess county; Belinda, born
AprH II, 1855; Esther M., born September
22, 1856; Edwin D., of Poughkeepsie, born
January 18, 1859; and John H., whose name
introduces this sketch.
John H. Smith, Jr., spent his boyhood days
in Amenia, attending the district schools and
the Amenia Seminary, and learned the trade
of wagon making with his father, who then
gave him an interest in the business. Since
the death of his father he has successfuHy con-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

623

ducted the trade alone, handling all kinds of
goods in the wagon line, and is now at the
head of a large and constantly increasing busi
ness. Socially he affiHates with the Royal Ar
canum at Wassaic, Dutchess county, and polit
ically is identified with the Republican party.
At Plainsville, Conn., December 22, 1887, he
was united in marriage with Miss Carrie Grid-
ley Parrish, a native of Hillsdale, Columbia
Co. , N. Y. , and they have two children : Celia
M. and William Parrish.

HENRY M. BARKER, who for the past
 five years has been the efficient superin
tendent on the place of Mr. Mills, of the town
of Hyde Park, is a native of New Hampshire,
born at Antrim, August 24, 1838, and is of
Scotch-Irish lineage, but for several genera
tions representatives of the family have made
their home in New England.
His paternal grandfather, Capt. Peter
Barker, was born in Atkinson, N. H., and
was the son of Zebediah Barker. He was a
soldier in the Revolutionary war, being captain
of the alarm list, and served for seven years in
that terrible struggle. By occupation he was
a farmer, and was one of the most successful
and prominent men of the community in
which he lived. He wedded Sallie Wood, of
Atkinson, N. H., and to them were born the
following chHdren: Samuel, Hannah, Peter,
Isaac, Thomas, Moody M. and Sallie. The
famHy were all faithful members of the Pres
byterian Church, and the male representatives
Were ardent Democrats, very firm in their polit
ical convictions. The death of Capt. Peter
Barker occurred on the 23d of May, 1829.
Moody M. Barker, the father of our sub
ject, first opened his eyes to the light in New
Hampshire, May 24, 1795, became a promi
nent farmer of that State, and would have
been an honor to any community. He became
captain of the State Militia, and served for
about four months in the war of 18 12. He
was married to Mis's Nancy Bixby, of Hills
boro, N. H., a daughter of John Bixby, and
they became the parents of five children:
John B., a paper maker, who became the
foreman of a factory in Mexico, where he died
in 1863; Emily, who became the wife of Sam
uel Brown; Adeline, who married Charles
Woods; Miles, who is living at Nashua, N. H.;
and Henry M., of this review. On March 24,
1873, the father departed this life, and his

loving wife only survived him two days. They
were earnest Christian people, who had the
respect of all who knew them.
Mr. Barker, whose name introduces this
record, attended both public and select schools
during his youth, and as he is quite a reader, the
knowledge thus acquired has been greatly sup
plemented, and he is now a well-informed man.
On starting out in life for himself, for five years
he was clerk in a dry-goods store at Manches
ter, N. H. ; but in 1864 he returned to the old
home farm, to which he devoted his time and
attention until 1878. In that year he came to
Staatsburg, Dutchess county, as manager for
Mrs. Major Lowndis on her farm, just above
the one on which he is now located. At the
end of a year, however, he became superin
tendent on the farm of Maturin Livingston, with
whom he remained until the latter's death, and
for the past five years has been on the same
farm with Mr. Mills. It is needless to say that
he gives general satisfaction, as his long-con
tinued service well indicates that fact.
For the last two years Mr. Barker has taken
quite an active part in local political affairs,
adhering closely to the principles of the Repub
lican party, and at the election in the spring
of 1894 was chosen supervisor of the town of
Hyde Park. Since coming to the county he
has always held a prominent and influential
position, and stands remarkably high in the
estimation of the community, as an honorable,
upright and trustworthy man, In religious
belief he is a Presbyterian, and socially is a
member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity of
Staatsburg. In November, 1 864, was celebrated the mar
riage of Mr. Barker and Miss Mary J. Colbourn,
of New Boston, N. H., a daughter of Luther
Colbourn, and three sons grace their union:
Herbert L. , a practicing physician of Wood-
side, Long Island; Harry C, an attorney at
law, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; and Fred M.,
at home.

WILLIAM J. CAREY, a well-known mer-
 chant at Pawling, Dutchess county, is
one of the most enterprising and successful
young business men of the town, having buHt
up his trade from the start to its present hand
some proportions.
His ancestors have had their home for
many generations in Kings county, Ireland,
and his grandfather, Andrew Carey, a farmer,

624

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

left there in 1858 to come to America, where
he followed his occupation first in the town of
Pawling, Dutchess county, and later at Clare
mont, N. H. His last years were spent in re
tirement at that place. He married, and had
eight children: John, a resident of Manches
ter, England, who died in 1896; Mary, the wife
of James Rating, of Claremont, N. H. ; Christo
pher, formerly a farmer, but now a resident of
Danbury, Conn. ; Joseph, deceased, who lived
at Claremont, and has a son practicing law in
Washington, D. C. ; Edward and Thomas, both
residents of Claremont; Margaret, the wife of
M. Fitzgerald; and Andrew, our subject's
father. Andrew Carey was born in the Emerald
Isle in 1844, and was about fourteen years old
at the time of the emigration to this country.
He is now one of the substantial citizens of the
town of Dover, Dutchess county, owning a
farm of 160 acres, gained by his industry and
thrifty management. He is a member of the
Catholic Church at Pawling, and in poHtics is
a Democrat, and his sound common sense and
public spirit have made him influential in local
movements. Thoroughly patriotic in his de
votion to the best interests of his adopted
country, he enlisted in 1863 in the 28th Con
necticut V. I., under Capt. Hoag, and served
for one year, taking part in several important
engagements. He now belongs to Campbell
Post No. 66 1 , G. A. R. , of Pawling. He married
Miss Mary Ellen Donahue, daughter of WHliam
Donahue, of Pawling, N. Y. , and they have
ten children, of whom our subject is the eldest.
Mary Ellen married Daniel J. Driscoll, an en
gineer, of Boston, Mass. ; John Edward is head
clerk in the store of his brother, William. J.;
Margaret is in Boston; and Elizabeth, Sarah,
Andrew, Alice, Emma and Frank are at home.
The subject of this sketch was born No
vember 20, 1865, in the town of Pawling, and
was educated in the common schools near his
home, attending only the winter terms after
he reached the age of eleven. At sixteen he
left school and began business life, but he has
always taken aikeen interest in reading, and is
well informed upon the topics of the day. His
first employment was in a pleating shop in
Boston, in 1883, and after some time there he
went to Brooklyn and secured work as a porter
in a chop house for the winter season. In
March, 1884, he took a position as driver for
Dr. E. H. Hasbrook, and remained with him
untH November, 1886. The next two years

were spent at home, working part of the time
by the day upon the farm, and meanwhile
farming some rented land. On December 5,
1888, he opened a candy and cigar store at
Pawling, at the corner now occupied by Olm-
stead's store, and continued there in a small
way until AprH 25, 1889, when he moved to
his present place and added groceries to his
stock, his business having so increased as to
justify the investment. Since that time his
trade has extended until it is regarded as
amongthe largest in the town.
Mr. Carey's matrimonial partner is Cath
erine Lehan, daughter of Daniel Lehan, a
prominent resident of Pawling, and they have
one daughter, Madeleine. Like his ancestors,
he is a Catholic in religion, and he is an active
worker in local affairs, supporting the Demo
cratic ticket, and serving the community as a
member of the board of education and of the
fire department.

JAMES RUSSELL PAINE, the senior mem
ber of the weH-known firm of J. R. Paine
& Son, leading hardware merchants of MH
Ierton, was born June 20, 1831, in the town
of Northeast, upon the old Paine homestead,
which has been in the possession of the family
since the first settlement of the town of North
east. He is of English descent, the founder
of the American line being Thomas Paine, who
landed at Plymouth in 1621.
Mr. Paine's descendants have held a distin
guished place in the early history of the coun
try, Robert Treat Paine, one of the signers of
the Declaration of Independence, being among
them. Thomas Paine had a son, Elisha, who
settled at Canterbury, Conn., and his son
Abram located in Amenia about 1741, and
was the first to take steps toward organizing a
Church there. Joshua Paine, also of Canter
bury, probably a son of Thomas, came to
Dutchess county in 1749, and purchased land
in the eastern part of the township, and Sec
tion 59 of the "Oblong,*" where he foHowed
farming and blacksmithing. He was the father
of Barnabus Paine, Sr. , and of Judge Ephraim
Paine, who was county judge in 1778, being
the first tobe appointed to that office in Dutch
ess county after the organization of the gov
ernment of the State of New York. Elihu
Paine, our subject's great-grandfather, owned
and cultivated the old farm in Northeast, as
did his son, Jeremiah, who, as one of, tbe

J>/t^-^^l<>^^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

625

most influential and prosperous men in the
community, sustained the well-deserved repu
tation of the family. He was a justice of the
peace for many years. He married Betsey
Woodard, and had six children: Lorinda (Mrs.
Eggleston); Platt A., our subject's father;
Sarah Ann (Mrs. Bailey Bowditch); Rachel
(Mrs. Mortimer Worthey); Jeremiah W. ; and
Mary (Mrs. Darius Penny). His death oc
curred about 1855, and that of his wife about
1848. Platt A. Paine was born June 19, 1806.
He conducted the old homestead for a time in
early manhood, but later bought the Roe farm
of 244 acres, and lived there for nearly twenty
years. He became interested in Western lands
also, and made a number of successful deals.
In politics he was a Republican, and an active
one, holding various offices in that town, in
cluding those of supervisor and justice of the
peace. He was highly esteemed in the neigh
borhood, and was a deacon in the Baptist
Church, with which his family has been closely
identified from very early times. He married
Julietta Russell, daughter of Eli Russell, in
his day a leading citizen of Northeast. Both
lived to a good old age, and retired in 1859 to
the vHlage of Millerton to spend their declin
ing years. Mrs. Paine died there in 1876, her
husband survivingher only three years. They
had five chHdren: James R. ; Judson P., now
of Annawan, III.; Theron J., of New York
City; Martin W., living in MHIerton; and Julia,
who married George Houston, now of Penn
sylvania, but at that time the superintendent
of Maltby's furnace in the town of Northeast.
James R. Paine was educated mainly at a
select school in his native town, of which E.
W. Simmons was principal. He attended
there until he was nineteen years old, and at
tained a good academic education. His vaca
tions were spent in farm work, and until his
marriage, at the age of twenty-two, he re
mained at the old farm , assisting his father.
In 1853 he bought a life lease of a farm in
Northeast, where he lived for ten years, buy
ing in the meantime another farm. In 1863
he sold both properties, and for three years
was engaged with William Dayton in the hotel
business at Millerton. Later he made several
changes, moving to Canaan, Conn, (where he
owned a farm for a time), to Great Bar
rington and to Sheffield, Mass., where he en
gaged in speculating in real estate and stock.
After a successful year there he returned, in
40 ^

1869, to his native county, and established
himself in business in Millerton, buying out
Mr. Merrifield's interest in the hardware store
which he had been conducting in partnership
with Darius Penny. The new firm continued
the business for three years, when Mr. Paine
purchased Mr. Penny's interest, continuing
alone until January, 1878, when his son became
a partner. This is the oldest mercantile house
in the town, and commands a large and profit
able trade. Mr. Paine's well-proved ability
and judgment have made him a valued ad
viser in many business enterprises; he has
been a director of the Amenia National Bank,
and was one of the original directors of the
Millerton National Bank, of which he has for a
number of years past been the vice-president.
Mr. Paine has been married four times,
first to Miss Julia Eggleston, who died leaving
one son — Platt N. ; and second to Miss Julia
Dayton, by whom he had two sons — William
H. , a resident of Roanoke, Va. ; and Lester,
who conducts the homestead. His third wife,
who was Miss Ann Friss, had one daughter,
Florence, a successful music teacher at Keene,
N. H. ; his present wife, formerly Miss Cynthia
Tripp, has one son, James Russell Paine, Jr.
The family are active and influential supporters
of the Baptist Church, of which Mr. Paine has
been a communicant since the age of twelve
years, and for many years has been a deacon.
In local affairs he has always been a leader,
but, although he is an influential Republican,
he has never cared to hold office. He served
a term as town assessor, but has since declined
to be a candidate for any position.

PLATT N. PAINE was born December 25,
 1854, and received a good academic edu
cation in the schools of MHIerton, Canaan,
Great Barrington, and Amenia. On leaving
Amenia Seminary at the age of nineteen, he
engaged in clerking for his father; but in 1876
he went to Port Royal, S. C, and became
interested in gardening and draying, with the
view of supplying the government fleets at
Port Royal harbor. He sold out after eight
months, however, and returned to Millerton to
niake his permanent home. On January i,
1878, he formed a partnership with his father
in the hardware business, and he has also been
engaged in the building of houses for sale.
Some of the finest cottages in the town have
been erected by him, five being located in

626

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Park Lot. He has already disposed of nine
houses, and has made this branch of his work
very profitable. Some years ago he under
took the work of surveying with W. E. Sim
mons, and is now engaged in that also. He
takes an active part in public affairs
and is among the leaders in the Re
publican organization in his town, serving
as trustee for several terms, and as treasurer
of the village to fill a vacancy; he has now
also held for some time the offices of justice
of the peace, sealer of weights and measures,
and superintendent of the water works. He
introduced the original motion for the con
struction of these works, and has been one of
the chief promoters of various other measures
for local improvement. He is a prominent
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
of which he is a trustee.

11^ LLEN H. DUTCHER, a most genial
^k^ and companionable gentleman, has
through a long and useful career been promi
nently identified with the interests of the town
of Dover, Dutchess county. He is one of
the representative and public-spirited citizens,
always aiding in everything that will in any
way benefit his town or county, and has the
respect and esteem of all with whom he comes
in contact. The Dutcher family is of Holland origin,
and the first of its members to locate in the
town of Dover, Dutchess county, was Christo
pher Dutcher, the great-grandfather of our
subject. He erected the first flourmill in this
part of the county, and a portion of it is stHl
standing. He conducted the same during his
entire life, grinding much of the flour that was
sold at Poughkeepsie and other places in the
locality. As Dover Plains was then the ter
minus of the Harlem road, which was built
before the New York Central, all the Pough
keepsie freight and passengers were brought
to that vHlage by stage, and it became quite
a center of trade. The grandfather of our
subject, Lawrence Dutcher, was born in the
town of Washington, Dutchess county, where
his education was later acquired, and he be
came a farmer by occupation. He was twice,
married, by the first union having three chil
dren, and by his second wife, who bore the
maiden name of Waldo, had eleven children.
Belden Dutcher, the father of Allen H.,
was also born in the town of Washington,

Dutchess county, in the year 1790, and after
completing his education there engaged in ag
ricultural pursuits. . During the old training
days, he served as major of a troop of militia.
An earnest and sincere Christian, he took a
prominent part in religious work, giving the
ground at Dover Plains, on which the Baptist
Church was built and still stands. He also
took a prominent part in the upbuilding of the
village, erecting two good hotels, and he suc
ceeded in getting the first mechanics to locate
there. He was united in marriage with Miss
Maria Hurd, a daughter of Capt. Allen Hurd,
and six children were born to them: Egbert,
Allen H., Elizabeth, WilHam, Thomas, and
one that died in infancy. The mother was
called from this life in July, 1862, and for his
second wife, Mr. Dutcher wedded Mrs. Abbie
Burrows. The birth of our subject occurred at Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, in 18 19, and he ac
quired a practical education in the academy
of that place. During early life he learned
the trade of a wagon maker, at which he
worked for about eight years, when he entered
upon a mercantile career. He has held every
office in his town with the exception of two,
and it is needless to say that he ever discharged
his duties with promptness and fidelity. For
seventeen years he served as postmaster of
Dover Plains, and for eight years was revenue
collector. He is at present justice of the
peace, and his decisions are marked by fairness
and impartiality, being well calculated to
serve the ends of justice. He is also engaged
in the fire-insurance business.
Mr. Dutcher married Miss Maria Preston,
daughter of Clark Preston, of Dover Plains,
Dutchess county, and to them was born a son:
Ernest P., who married Isabella Gridley, of
New York, by whom he has one child, Isa
bella E. In 1856 Mr. Dutcher lost his wife,
and about four years later he wedded Miss
Mary A. Bricker, daughter of WiHiam Bricker,
of England. To them was born one child,
that died in infancy.
James Bricker, the grandfather of Mrs.
Dutcher, was a native of Wotton-under-Edge,
Gloucestershire, England — a most beautiful
place, surrounded by mountains. In his fam
ily was William Bricker, who was born and
educated at the same place. He there mar
ried Miss Hannah White, and in England were
born to them three daughters: Mary A., wife
of our subject; Caroline, who became the wife

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

627

of WHliam Beldin, son of Dr. Beldin, of Dover
Plains; and Emily. In January, 1842, the
father came to the United States, locating at
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county. When he had
been here a year and nine months, he sent for
his family, which arrived in 1844, and ever
afterward made their home in this county.
After the death of his first wife in 1850, he was
again married, and his death occurred in Fond
du Lac, Wis., in 1882. Although an Enghsh
man by birth, he became a thorough American
citizen, and always stood by his adopted home.
In his native land he had engaged in the manu
facture of broadcloth, but in this country gave
his entire attention to agricultural pursuits.

C\HARLES A. SIMMONS, who occupies an
'I influential and prominent position among
the citizens of Stanford town, Dutchess coun
ty, resides near Bangall, where he is engaged
in the breeding of Jersey cattle and raising
fancy poultry. When a young man he learned
the profession of an architect, contractor and
buHder, which he followed at Pine Plains,
Dutchess county, for four years, and then re
moved to his present home, where he still en
gages in that business to some extent.
Mr. Simmons was born at Pine Plains, De
cember 24, i860, and is the only chHd of
Norman and Emeline (Eldridge) Simmons.
His father was a native of Copake, Columbia
Co., N, Y,, and the youngest of a family of
three sons and two daughters born to John B.
and Catherine (Hover) Simmons, who for
many years resided in Pine Plains town, Dutch
ess county. After his marriage, the father of
our subject made his home in the village of
Pine Plains, where he was one of the leading
contractors and builders, and his wife, who
is a milliner and dressmaker, has there carried
on that business ever since. He learned his
trade at PhHmont, Columbia county, where he
served a seven-years' apprenticeship, and was
entirely a self-made man. In poHtics he was
an ardent Republican, and held the office of
overseer of the poor. He died in 1881, at the
age of forty-nine years, in the faith of the
Baptist Church, of which he was a consistent
member. Charles A. Simmons spent his early days
in the village of Pine Plains, where he attended
the pubHc schools, and completed his literary
education in the Seymour Smith Institute, of
that place, after which he began his business

career. In the city of Albany, N. Y., he was
married, August 12, 1892, to Miss Eva Wilber,
daughter of Zachariah Wilber, of the town of
Milan, Dutchess county. Both are highly re
spected in their community and foremost in all
good work. Mr. Simmons uses his right of
franchise in support of the men and measures
of the Republican party, and is a member of
the Baptist Church at Bangall.

JAMES R. BARLOW, one of the leading
citizens of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess
county, was born in that village, June 4,
1836, and is a son of John and Elizabeth Bar
low, the former of whom was born near Burn
ley, Lancashire, England, and for many years
followed the sea. In 1827 he came to Amer
ica, and located in New York City, where, for
some time, he followed the trade of a dyer.
He married Miss Elizabeth Holt, of Rockland
county, N. Y., a daughter of Thomas Holt, an
Englishman, who was one of the first to intro
duce calico machine printing into this country.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. John
Barlow settled at Wappingers Falls, where
three children were born to them: Patience,
who died aged twelve years; James R. , the sub
ject of this sketch; and Sarah J. , who married
George Stevenson, a merchant of Wappingers
Falls. About 1854 John Barlow became in
terested in the manufacture of combs, an in
dustry he carried on until 1858, when he em
barked in the bakery business, which he fol
lowed during the succeeding ten years. He
then went into partnership with George Stev
enson, in the hardware business, in which he
was engaged until his death in September,
1892. His wife passed away in February, 1885.
Mr. Barlow was a Republican in politics, and
both he and his wife were members of the
Episcopal Church.
James R. Barlow, our subject, spent his
boyhood days at Wappingers Falls, and in
1852, then a lad of sixteen, was apprenticed
to learn calico engraving to calico printing, at
which he worked for nine years. In 1861 he
went to New York City, and engaged in the
commission business some eighteen months,
then proceeding to Chicago, was there em
ployed as clerk in the Stock Yards for a short
time. His next occupation was that of fore
man in a cracker factory at Sparta, Wis.
After a short tour through the Western States,
Mr. Barlow returned to Wappingers Falls,

628

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

where, on July 5, 1864, he opened a grocery
store; which he carried on until 1869, at that
time going into partnership with Mr. Sweet,
the firm becoming Sweet & Barlow. In 1880
Mr. Barlow went to Newburg, N. Y., and
started the Sweet, Orr & Co.'s overall factory,
of which he took charge until 1882, when he
returned to Wappingers Falls, and settled up
the business of his own firm, which was then
discontinued. In the year last mentioned he
became one of the partners in the Eagan over
all factory, remaining with the firm until 1884,
when he withdrew, and the following year he
sold goods for Sweet, Orr & Co., on the road.
In ,1889 he became proprietor of the dry-goods
store which he is at present carrying on. He
is a good business man and commands a large
trade, his acquaintance throughout the sur
rounding country being extensive, and his many
sterling qualities making him numerous warm
friends. Mr. Barlow was married, in September,
1862, to Miss Mary A. Hayes, a native of
Wappingers Falls, and a daughter of John and
Elizabeth Hayes, who were of English de
scent. Two children came to this union:
Fred, born in 1867, died in 1872; and May,
born in 1875. The wife and mother died De
cember 29, 1886. Our subject cast his first
Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, in
i860, and he has ever since been a stanch
Republican. He served two terms as trustee
of Wappingers Falls, and March 3, 1896, was
elected supervisor, an office not sought by
him, but for which he received a majority of
240 votes, the largest ever given a candidate
in that town, and which testifies to his popu
larity with his fellow-citizens.
Mr, Barlow is a member of the Episcopal
Church, and is clerk of the vestry; for three
years he was secretary of the Cemetery Asso
ciation, He belongs to the Masonic Order,
being a member of the Royal Arch at Pough
keepsie. In all the relations of life he bears
the reputation of an honorable, upright man,
and is highly esteemed wherever known.

JACOB H. FEROE. The records of the
lives of our forefathers are of interest to
the modern citizen, not alone for their his
toric value but also for the inspiration and ex
ample they afford; yet we need not look to
the past. Although surroundings may differ,
the essential conditions of human life are ever

the same, and a man can learn from the suc
cess of those around him, if he wiH heed the
obvious lessons contained in their history.
Turn to the life record of Mr. Feroe, study
carefully the plans and methods he has fol
lowed in bringing about his wonderful success
in business affairs. He is a man of keen per
ception, of great sagacity and unbounded en
terprises, who is now at the head of exten
sive business interests at Tivoli.
He was born October 15, 1841, at TivoH,
then known as Myersville. His father, John
K. Feroe, was born in the northern part of
Red Hook town, and is the son of Henry Fe
roe, who was of French descent. John K.
Feroe was married to Miss Anna Coon, who
was born in Clearmont town, Columbia Co.,
N. Y. , in 1820. She is the daughter of Jacob
Coon, also a native of Columbia county, and
of Holland extraction. Upon their marriage
the couple located at Tivoli, where the father
has followed his trade of carpentering since
that time; they are faithful and devout mem
bers of the Methodist Church. Four chHdren
were born to them: Sarah, wife of David
Affleck, station agent at Tivoli; Jacob H.,
subject of this review; Frances, who married
Rensselaer Potts, a bookkeeper; and Libbie,
wife of James Greene, station agent at Sau
gerties. Mr. Feroe, whose name introduces this
sketch, spent his boyhood days at Tivoli, at
tending the district schools and also a private
school, but when only fifteen years of age he
began teaching near the village. He later
taught school for two years and a half at
UnionvHIe, in the town of Saugerties, Ulster
Co., N. Y., after which he clerked and kept
books for Gilbert A. Melham for nearly a year
and a half, and then conducted a school at
Nevis, Columbia county, for two years. For
the same length of time he had a select school
at Tivoli, and m.et with great success as a
teacher. For a time Mr. Feroe carried on
fruit farming, his principal product being straw
berries, of which he raised as high as 500
bushels per season, at the same time teaching
at Tivoli. After having charge of a school at
Glasco, Ulster county, for four years and a half,
he taught the public school at Tivoli for five
years, during the last two years of which he
also engaged in the coal and lumber business
on the Tivoli dock, and has since carried on
the latter occupation. He has built up an ex
tensive trade along that line, does a general

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

629

freighting business, conducts a grist and cider
miH, and has large real-estate interests, renting
about forty houses.
In September, 1871, Mr. Feroe was mar
ried to Miss Evelin Cooper. Her father,
Ozias Cooper, was a native of Dutchess
county, a mHler by occupation, and the uncle
of Charles Davis, of Saugerties, Ulster county.
A family of four children have been born to
our subject and his wife: Harry Cooper, who
married Harriet Laflin, and is now a book
keeper for his father; Thomas J., also a book
keeper for his father; Millie and Florence.
In manner Mr. Feroe is social and genial.
He is the center of a circle of friends, who
honor and esteem him for many manly virtues
and genuine worth. His prosperity cannot be
attributed to a combination of lucky circum
stances, but has risen from energy, enterprise,
integrity and intellectual effort, well directed.
He is a worthy representative of that type of
American character, that progressive spirit,
which promotes public good in advancing in
dividual prosperity.

C\HARLES E. SMITH, a skiHful black-
_' smith of Amenia, Dutchess county, was
born in that village, June 20, 1854, and comes
of a family that have long been residents of
the county. Stephen Smith, his grandfather,
was born in Pawling, and throughout most of
his life was engaged in blacksmithing at South
Dover. He married Hannah Skelton, by
whom he had the following children: William
and Edward (deceased); George W. ; Sarah
(deceased); Emeline; Abbie J. (deceased);
Amanda; Asa; and Mary (deceased).
George W. Smith, the father of our sub
ject, wasborn in Dover, January 14, 1824,
and in the town of Dover he passed his boy
hood and youth, acquiring his education in
the schools near his home. With his father
he learned the blacksmith's trade, and about
1847 came to Amenia, where he worked in the
shop of Clark Fish. Subsequently he began
business for himself down by the mHl pond at
Amenia, later removing to a shop nearly op
posite the B. H. Fry foundry, afterward con
ducting business near the present residence of
Dr. Rockwell, and on leaving that location he
engaged in farming and blacksmithing at
Sharon, Conn. On his return to Amenia, he
opened the shop now carried on by our sub
ject. He was initiated into the mysteries of

the Masonic Order in Montgomery Lodge
No. 14, F. & A. M., at Lyme Rock, Conn.,
and later became a charter member of HamH
ton Lodge No. 54, at Sharon, Conn. In re
ligious belief he is a Methodist, and was serv
ing as trustee of the Church at Amenia when
it was disbanded. He cast his first vote in
support of the Whig party, is now an earnest
Republican, and in 1893 was collector of taxes
in Amenia. He is an upright, honorable man,
devoted to the best interests of his native
county, and has a host of warm personal
friends throughout the community, where he
has so long made his home.
On November 25, 1850, in the town of
Dover, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Mary
Ann Van Tassell, daughter of John P. Van-
Tassell, and by their union were born eight
children: William H., who was born Novem
ber 26, 1852, and is now a painter and decor
ator of Torrington, Conn.; Charles E., sub
ject of this sketch; Hattie, wife of Walter S.
Harrison, of Patterson, N. Y. ; George W. , a
painter and decorator, of Amenia; Myra E. ;
Frederick J., a tinsmith, of Brewster, N. Y. ;
Frank (deceased); and Helen A., wife of
Frederick Adams, of Torrington, Conn. The
wife and mother departed this life in Septem
ber, 1890.
The boyhood days of Charles E. Smith
were passed in Amenia, N. Y. , and Sharon,
Conn., and in the latter place he secured his
education. Learning the blacksmith trade
with his father, he has since foHowed that
business, having entire charge since May 24,
1886. He is now at the head of a large and
constantly increasing business, doing all kinds
of blacksmithing and wagon repairing. In
politics he is a straight Republican, and so
cially, is connected with the Masonic Order,
being a member of Amenia Lodge No. 672,
F. & A. M., and the Eastern Star at Sharon,
Connecticut. At Oxford, Conn., October 10, 1878, Mr.
Smith was married to Miss Rosella Russell,
daughter of Theodore D. Russell, and they
have two sons: Clarence Russell and Howard
Alfred.

m RTHUR S. PEACOCK is one of the
.^^ prominent citizens and enterprising young
business men of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess
county, where he is successfully engaged in
the drug business. He is a native of New

680

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

York, born at Haverstraw, Rockland county,
March 24, i860, a son of William M. Peacock,
whose birth occurred in Birmingham, England.
His paternal grandfather, who also bore the
name of William, was a native of England,
where he was married, and reared a family of
four children, of whom the father of our sub
ject was the eldest. The others are: Thomas,
a carpenter and millwright of FishkHl Landing,
Dutchess county; George, a fish and oyster
dealer of New York City; and Elizabeth, wife
of Robert Wainright, of PhHadelphia, Pennsyl-
sylvania. When a young man William M. Peacock,
father of our subject, emigrated to America,
and at Bloomfield, N. J., learned the machine-
printing business. His marriage with Miss
Minerva Young was celebrated at Columbia-
ville, Columbia Co., N. Y. ; she was born in
Columbia county, N. Y. , where her father was
engaged in agricultural pursuits. In their fam
ily are two children, who grew to adult age,
namely: Elmira, wifeof John L. Shrader, who
conducted the drug store in Wappingers Falls,
which our subject now owns; and Arthur S.
The father still works at his trade in Wap
pingers Falls, wheire he was employed by the
Dutchess Company Print Works for nearly
half a century. In his political views he coin
cides with the platforms formulated by the
Republican party, and religiously he and his
family are Episcopalians.
Our subject was only four years old when
brought by his parents to Wappingers Falls,
where he grew to manhood, receiving his early
education in the HughsonvHle district school,
and later attended the public schools of Wap
pingers Falls, where his literary education was
completed. For some time he was a clerk in
the law office of Mr. J. W. Bartram, and for
a year and a half was employed in the Dutch
ess Company Print Works, after which he was
a clerk in his brother-in-law's drug store for
about three years. Going to New York City,
he held a similar position in the drug store of
WHHam Mettenheimer, at the corner of Forty-
fifth street and Sixth avenue, being there em
ployed during the day, until ten and eleven
o'clock at night, except on college nights,
when he would attend lectures, and after go
ing to his room at night would study phar
macy. He then attended the New York Col
lege of Pharmacy, and during his vacations
clerked for F. C. Corner, of Poughkeepsie, N.
Y. Returning to New York City, he clerked

in a drug store while attending coHege during
the senior year, but at the end of three months
gave up his position in order to devote his en
tire time to his studies, and graduated wHh
the class of 1885. In January, 1885, previous
to his graduation, Mr. Peacock had purchased
his present drug business, and since leaving
college has built up an excellent trade, which
is certainly well deserved. His store is one of
the best of the kind in the county, carrying
only first-class goods, and he attends strictly
to the wants of his customers.
On October 14, 1886, Mr. Peacock mar
ried Miss Eliza Clinton, of Catskill, N. Y., a
daughter of Joseph Clinton. Politically, he is
a Republican, a stanch adherent of the princi
ples of the party, and for the last two years
has served as collector of the town of Wap
pinger. He was also nominated as president
of the village in the spring of 1 896, but with
drew his name. He is very popular with his
fellow citizens, and always lends his support
to promote the best interests of the commu
nity where he makes his home. Socially, he is
identified with the Masonic Order and the In
dependent Order of Odd Fellows. He is also
an enthusiastic yachtsman, owning the yacht
' ' Orient, " which is a very fast one, and, taking
part in almost all the regattas held in this
section, he spends the most of his time on the
water, as a benefit to his health, as well as a
means of pleasure.

OBERT JACKSON HUNGERFORD is
a prominent young business man of Was
saic, Dutchess county. Having a large amount
of industry, perseverance and energ^, he has
made a noble record as a successful merchant,
and is one of the reliable citizens of the
county. His birth occurred at New Milford,
Conn., November 7, 1866.
Edwin Hungerford, his grandfather, was a
native of Sherman, Conn., and there devoted
bis entire life to agricultural pursuits. He
was an earnest Christian gentleman, and
served as deacon in the Congregational Church.
By his marriage with Susan Giddings he had
five chHdren: George, of Sherman, Conn.;
Martin Luther, father of our subject; Phebe
(deceased); Anni-e; and Linus, of Mabbetts-
viHe, Dutchess Co,, N. Y. Martin Luther
Hungerford was born at Sherman, Conn.,
January 16, 1841, there spent his boyhood and
acquired his education in the district schools.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

631

On starting out in life he began freighting
from South Dover, Dutchess county, and Pat
terson, Putnam county, to New York City, in
which business he was engaged for five years.
He then turned his attention to the tobacco
trade, raising and selling at wholesale at Gay
lordsvHIe, in the town of New Milford, Litch
field Co., Conn., but is now living retired,
looking after his real-estate interests. He is
an earnest member of the Congregational
Church, and a stalwart Republican in politics.
At Sharon, Conn. , he was joined in wedlock
with Miss JuHa, daughter of Edwin Jackson,
and to them were born four children: Robert
Jackson; John Edwin and Arthur, of New MH
ford, Conn., and Genevieve.
In the place of his nativity our subject was
reared, obtaining his education in the district
schools and in a select school at Cornwall
Plains, Conn. On laying aside his text-books
he began the cigar business, buying and sell
ing at retail, later selling cigars , on the road
for two years, and for one year was on the
road selling fruits and vegetables. In March,
1 89 1, he began general merchandising at Was
saic, which business he has since successfully
followed, and in the spring of 1894 he erected
his present store building. At Brookfield,
Conn., June 8, 1887, Mr. Hungerford was mar
ried to Miss Jennie Simmons Peck, daughter
of Clark S. Peck, and they have three inter
esting children: Martin Luther, Jessie Irene
and Robert Jerrold. Socially, Mr. Hunger
ford is connected with Amenia Lodge No. 672,
F. & A. M. , and of the Royal Arcanum at W^as-
saic; politically, he supports the men and
measures of the Republican party.

^¦lEj^vBENEZER J. PRESTON, who is success-
El^l fully engaged in the tobacco business at
Amenia, Dutchess county, was born March 24..
^1855, in the town of Dover, that county, where
his branch of the famHy was founded at a very
early day by Ebenezer Preston, who was
probably from Rhode Island, and came to the
county with his brother Martin. The next in
direct line also bore the name of Ebenezer,
and was born in the town of Dover. His son,
Abijah Preston, was the grandfather of our
subject. The latter took quite an active in
terest in political affairs, served as captain of
the militia, and as a life work followed farm
ing in the town of Dover. He married Eliza
beth Ross, and to them were born four chH
¬

dren: John R. , who became a butcher of
New York City; Mary; Phoebe E. ; and Ebene
zer A.
Ebenezer A. Preston was born in the town
of Dover, September 20, 1818, there acquired
his primary education in the district schools,
and later attended the Amenia Seminary.
When a young man he was for a time in the
cattle business with his brother in Texas, and
engaged in driving cattle from the West to
the East. Returning to Dutchess county, he
carried on the marble business at South Dover,
and also followed farming, being a large land
owner in this county. Socially, he was a mem
ber of Dover Lodge, F. & A. M., while his
political support was ever given the Democ
racy, and in 1848 he served as supervisor of
the town of Dover. He wedded Miss Marie
Elizabeth Jewett, daughter of John Jewett, a
prominent surveyor of the town of Dover, and
they became the parents of five children,
namely: Mary EHen, wife of A. F. Bates, of
Ontario, Cal. ; Cornelia Alice, wife of George
B. Upham, an attorney-at-law, of Boston,
Mass. ; Ida, wife of E. L. Nichols, professor of
physics in Cornell University, of Ithaca, N.
Y. ; Ebenezer Jewett, of this sketch; and Au
gusta, wife of Stephen C. BedeH, of New York
City. The mother departed this life May i,
1887, and the father's death occurred Decem
ber 20, 1 89 1.
At the old homestead in the town of Dover
our subject spent his early days, and was pre
pared for college by private teachers. He
then entered Cornell University, taking a
scientific course, and was graduated in 1875.
He is a member of the Delta UpsHon fraterni
ty. Returning to Dover, he remained with his
father untH 1882, when he took a trip to
Europe, visiting many points of interest. Sub
sequently, in connection with J. A. Thompson,
he represented P. L. Van Wagonen's interest
in the tobacco business at Poughkeepsie.
Since that time he has engaged in the tobacco
trade at Amenia, buying from the farmers and
packing the leaf. He is one of the most wide
awake and energetic business men of Dutchess
county, and his success was assured from the
start. At his present residence in Amenia, Sep
tember 19, 1885, Mr. Preston was married to
Miss Carrie A. Kirby, who died January 1 7,
1892, and to them were born three children:
Mary Reynolds; Elizabeth Jewett, and Eben
ezer Kirby. Mrs. Preston also belonged to a

632

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

family that has been long identified with the
interests of Dutchess county. George Kirby,
her great-grandfather, was a native of Rhode
Island, but became an early settler of Pawling,
where he followed blacksmithing, and was a
large land owner in that section of the county.
His son, Uriah Kirby, was born in the town
of Pawling, and throughout most of his life
carried on agricultural pursuits in the western
part of the town of Amenia, where he died in
1855, at the age of sixty-one years. By his
marriage with Phebe Gerow, he had five chil
dren: William, deceased; George, the father
of Mrs. Preston; Solomon; John; and AmeHa,
deceased. George Kirby is also a native of the town
of Pawling, born in January, 1830, but was
reared in the town of Amenia. He wedded
Miss Mary E. Reynolds, who died October 15,
1874, and they became the parents of two
children: Carrie A., who was born July 31,
1857, and became the wife of our subject; and
Frank R., who was born November 9, 1858,
and died August 20, 1861. After his marriage,
Mr. Kirby purchased a farm at South Ameni ,
where he resided for about three years, and
then removed to the present residence of Mr.
Preston. By occupation he is a farmer, po
litically is an ardent Republican, and is one of
the prominent, representative citizens of the
community. In connection with his local business, Mr.
Preston has also traveled through the West,
selling tobacco to jobbers and wholesale deal
ers. At Altoona, Penn. , he was again married.
Miss Minnie Helen McKean becoming his wife.
Both as a business man and true citizen he is
held in high esteem, and in 1885, on the Union
ticket, was elected supervisor of the town of
Dover. Socially, he is prominently identified
with Triune Lodge, F. & A. M., of Pough
keepsie. He was elected first master of the
Pomona Grange of Dutchess county, organized
in March, 1897.

E\DWARD S. HICKS, of Pleasant Valley,
 'I Dutchess county, has accomplished satis
factory work as a farmer, and acquired a com
fortable competence so as to enable him to live
retired from active business life, and he is now
making his home at the "Pleasant Valley
Hotel " in that viHage.
The Hicks family, cf which our subject is
a member, was founded in Dutchess county.

by Joseph Hicks, who was born on Long
Island, and after his marriage with Miss Fil
kins became a resident of the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county. From there he and his wife
removed to Bloomingdale, Pleasant VaHey
town, and located upon a farm in the eastern
part of the town, where his death occurred.
He obtained a grant of title from Queen Anne.
Twice married, he became the father of a large
family of chHdren, among whom was Samuel
Hicks (the grandfather of our subject), who
was born in the town of Pleasant Valley. He
was reared to agriculture, which was mainly
his life work; in early life he also followed
shoemaking to some extent. He wedded
Margaret Doty, a native of Dutchess county,
and they became the parents of three chHdren:
Benjamin, who carried on farming in the town
of Washington, Dutchess county, where his
death occurred; Mary, who became the wife
of Samuel Halstead, a farmer of Clinton town;
and Samuels., the father of our subject. The
parents of both these died in Pleasant Valley
town, the father in 1845, the mother in 1827.
They were Hicksite Quakers.
Upon a farm in the town of Pleasant Val
ley, Samuel S. Hicks was born and reared.
As he was a cripple and thereby unable to per
form much labor on the farm, he was given
good educational privileges, and later became a
teacher in Poughkeepsie Academy. On Sep
tember 4, 1 8 16, he was united in marriage with
Mary Peters, a native of the town of Pleasant
Valley, where her father, Hewlett Peters, was
also born, and spent his entire life in agricult
ural pursuits. The Peters family was of
French origin, and on crossing the Atlantic its
members first located on Long Island. After
their marriage the parents of our subject set
tled upon the old farm, where they reared
their family of eleven children, as follows:
Margaret, born June 23, 18 17, married Thomas
Smith, a farmer of the town of Washington,
Dutchess county; Hewlett P., born AprH 5,
1 8 19, wedded Sarah Smith, and is now living
retired in the town of CHnton. Edward S. is
the subject of this sketch; Elias, born Febru
ary 20, 182^, is a merchant in Rochester,
N. Y., married to Miss Elizabeth Howland;
Burtis, born April 3, 1827, married Mary J.
Wiley, and is engaged in agricultural pursuits
in Clinton town; Hannah, born May 8, 1829,
became the wife of Asa U. Smith, who at one
time was a farmer of Dutchess county, but
died in the West; and Mary, bornJune9, 1831,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

633

was the wife of Solomon Merritt, a carpenter
of Rochester, N. Y. , and died in 1862. The
mother of these was called to her final rest
June 28, 1 831; the father died March 31,
1869. In religious belief they were Hicksite
Quakers, and in politics he was an earnest
Whig. Upon the old homestead farm in Pleasant
VaHey town, Edward S. Hicks, our subject,
was born March 26, 1823, and was reared to
rural life, receiving the usual education of the
district school, after which he taught in the
neighborhood for one term. On September
25, 1844, he married EmHy Wilber, a native
of the town of Hyde Park, and a daughter of
Sylvanus Wilber, who was born in Rhode
Island, and devoted his entire life to farming.
Two children blessed their union: Sylvanus
W. , a farmer of Pleasant Valley, born De
cember 7, 1845, married Dorcas M. Wood, of
Hyde Park, September 5, 1866; and Barnard
B., a traveling salesman, born October 4, 1847,
married Hannah A. Doty, of Pleasant Valley,
June 13, 1 866. Dr. Edward E. Hicks, of
Brooklyn, son of Barnard B. , born November
18, 1870, married Lizzie Porteous, of Pough
keepsie City, June i, 1893. The mother of
these died February 4, 1862, and November
19, 1862, Mr. Hicks married his present wife,
Jennie M. Lattin, who was born in Pleasant
Valley town, where the birth of her father,
John W. Lattin, also occurred (in October,
1810). Her mother bore the maiden name of
Hannah E. Wilber, and was the sister cf our
subject's first wife. Four daughters were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Lattin, namely: Sarah C,
who died unmarried; EHen W., wife of John
L. Marshall, a farmer of Pleasant Valley town;
Emily C. (the twin sister of Mrs. Hicks), who
first wedded George B. Dale, a farmer, and
after his death became the wife of George Van-
Vliet, a miller at Salt Point, Dutchess county,
who is now also deceased; and Jennie M., the
wife of our subject. The Lattin family was
founded in this country on Long Island, but
Nathaniel Lattin, the grandfather of Mrs.
Hicks, early became a leading farmer of the
town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county.
After his first marriage Mr. Hicks located
upon a farm in the town of Clinton, where he
spent two years, the following year being
passed on the old home in Pleasant Valley; he
then removed to a farm in the same town,
vvhich he occupied some four years. For
eighteen vears he next cultivated a farm in

the western part of the town, and the follow
ing year he was a resident of Poughkeepsie.
At the end of that time he returned to the
town of Pleasant Valley, where he purchased
a farm, on which he made his home until
1889, when he sold out, and has since Hved at
the " Pleasant VaHey Hotel."
Politically, Mr. Hicks affiliates with the
Democratic party, in whose principles he
claims he finds the best guarantees for the
preservation of the government. Both him
self and wife are members of the Presbyterian
Church, of which for the past sixteen years he
has been deacon, and for twenty-five years as
sistant superintendent of the Sunday-school.
After long lives of toil, surrounded by the love,
respect and esteem of a large circle of friends
and acquaintances, Mr. and Mrs. Hicks are
resting from their labors, and quietly and
pleasantly passing their time.

'ELDON F. WESTON, one of the
leading citizens of FishkiH-on-Hudson,
Dutchess county, and the proprietor of Wes
ton's Express and Transportation line running
between FishkHl, Newburg, and neighboring
points, is a native of Litchfield, N. H., and a
member of a family which has long held a
prominent place in political, business and
social life. Jonathan Weston, his great-grand
father, served with honor in the Revolutionary
war, enlisting from Reading, Mass., three
different times.
Amos Weston, grandfather of our subject,
was born in Reading, Mass., April 21, 1767,
and was married June i, 1790, to Polly Flint,
who wasborn November 8, 1767. Amos died
at Manchester, N. H., AprH 4, 1843, his wife
on December 4, 1858. They had nine chil
dren, whose names with dates of birth and
death are as foHows: Amos (2), March 18,
1781, died June i, 1859; Betsey, October 17,
1793, died August 27, 1878; Mary, December
29, 1795, died August 13, 1838; Nathaniel F. ,
September 5, 1798, died December 29, 1799;
Sally, October 26, 1800, died May 12, 1881;
Harriet, January 23, 1803, died April 2, 1892;
Elbridge, July 23, 1805, died March 7, 1863;
Achsah, August 26, 1807, died March 17, 1849;
and Harrison, December 17, 181 1, died June
19, 1883. Amos (2) was the father of Hon,
James A. Weston, who was elected Governor
of New Hampshire in 1871 and 1874. The
esteem in which he was held throughout the

634

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

State is attested by his election on the Dem
ocratic ticket, he being the only member of
his party chosen to that office in New Hamp
shire in nearly half a century. He was mayor
of Manchester, N. H., serving four terms, and
when he died. May i8, 1895, was president of
the New Hampshire Fire Insurance Company,
the Manchester National Bank, and was con
nected with several other institutions in that
city. Elbridge J. Weston was the father of
Sarah, who married Hon. George S. MerrHl,
of Boston, for many years past the Insurance
Commissioner of the State of Massachusetts.
He is prominent in Grand Army circles, hav
ing been commander in chief of the National
body. Harrison Weston, our subject's father, was
born in Manchester, N. H., and lived there
forty-two years, removing thence to Litchfield,
N. H., December 19, 1853. He was a farmer
during the greater part of his life, but in early
years was lock-tender and collector of tolls on
the Merrimac river at Crummell's Fall and
Moores Fall. In those days transportation
was done mainly by waterways, railroads being
unknown. He was a man of modest preten
sion, possessed of sterling integrity, and was
respected and honored by all who knew him.
During a brief stay in Fishkill in his later
years he made many friends, who hold him in
affectionate remembrance. In politics he was
a Democrat, always taking a lively interest in
public affairs, and his townsmen honored him
with nearly every office in their gift. He died
in Laconia, N. H., and was buried beside his
wife, Betsey J. (Richardson), at the old home in
Litchfield, in the cemetery which owed its
existence mainly to his enterprise and fore
sight, and which had been improved under his
sole supervision. Of the five children of this
estimable couple all are living. Their names,
with dates of birth, are as follows: Mary J.,
September 3, 1848; Wilbur Harrison, Febru
ary II, 1 851; Warren J., June 28, 1853; Wel
don F. , AprH 14, 1856; and Ellura H., June
12, 1859.
Wilbur H. Weston (popularly known as
" Maj. Weston " ) resides in Newburg, and has
been engaged in the railroad industries in
Dutchess and Orange counties throughout his
business life. In recent years he has given
special attention to the construction of electric
street railways in Fishkill and Newburg, and
is also connected more or less intimately with
many other important business ventures of his

city. He is prominent in fraternal and social
circles, and has been active in political matters
for several years, having many friends through
out the State. WHliam H. Moore, for twenty
years general passenger agent and auditor of
the N. D. & C. R. R., is a half-brother. At
the early age of eighteen years he enlisted as
a private in Company K, ist Massachusetts
Heavy Artillery; was made quartermaster's
clerk, and served three years; then re-enlisted
for other three years, but was discharged Janu
ary 7, 1865, by reason of wounds received in
an engagement near Strawberry Plains, Va. ,
August 15, 1864.
Weldon F. Weston received instruction at
the public schools of his native place during
boyhood, and later attended Pinkerton Acad
emy, at Derry, N. H., finishing his education
at the New Hampshire Conference Seminary
and Female CoHege, at Tilton, N. H. After
a brief experience as a teacher, he, at the age
of twenty, came to Newburg, as shipping clerk
for the Erie raHroad, at the Homer RamsdeH
Transportation Company's line of barges.
After two years there, he returned to New
Hampshire and engaged in mercantile business
for three years; but in 1879 he came back to
his former position at Newburg, for another
season. ¦ The next six years he spent at Mat
teawan as station agent for the N. D. & C. R.
R., and in 1888 he and his brother, W. H.
Weston, purchased the Matteawan & FishkiH
Landing Stage Line, and were engaged in the
express and trucking business in connection
with the stage line, untH 1892, when the
electric raHroad superseded the stage route; he
then purchased his brother's interest in the
business. He is still extensively interested in
transportation business with adjoining towns,
and is a director of the Citizens Street railroad
and the Fishkill Street railroad. He has a
pleasant home at No. 42 High street, Fishkill-
on-Hudson. His wife (formerly Miss Anna
Jeanette Elkins), to whom he was married
September 26, 1878, is a daughter of Charles
M. and Elizabeth A. (Davis) Elkins, of Wake
field, Massachusetts.
Politically, Mr. Weston is a Republican.
In 1 89 1 he was elected president of the viHage
of Matteawan, and was re-elected in 1892
without opposition, being the first incumbent
of the office to be chosen without an opposing
candidate since the incorporation of the vHlage.
At the present time he is president of the
Board of Trade of Matteawan and Fishkill-on-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

635

Hudson; president of the board of health of
Fishkill Landing; and president of the Fairview
Cemetery Association. He has taken an in
terest in fraternal society work, also, and has
been warden of Beacon Lodge, F. &. A. M. ;
also chancellor of Hudson River Lodge, K. of
P. , has twice represented the latter society in
the Grand Lodge of the State, and has been
deputy for this district.

J

TOHN V. O'FARRELL, who is engaged in
the ice business in Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess county, although a resident of
Hughsonville, was born in County Tipperary,
Ireland, March 2, 1845.
The father of our subject, James O'Far-
rell, was a native of the same county, and a
baker and shopkeeper by occupation. He
married Margaret Lamphier, and they reared
four children, namely: P. W., who is a gen
eral merchant in Blackville, S. C. ; Margaret,
who married John SuHivan, of Goshen, Orange
Co., N. Y., who is now deceased; John V.;
and Elizabeth, who died unmarried. Thefam
ily came to America in 1850, and Mr. O'Far-
rell, who was then an officer in the English
army, left his family at Wappingers Falls
while he went to Canada, to which country he
had been ordered. He died in Montreal in
1851. His wife survived him until 1882. They
were members of the Catholic Church, and
their children were brought up in that faith.
John V. O'Farrell was only five years old
when his parents settled at Wappingers Falls,
and in the common schools of that village he
obtained his education. When old enough he
found employment in the Dutchess Print
Works, and worked there until 1864, when he
enlisted in Company I, 3d New York Cavalry,
and served until the close of the Civil war.
He was discharged, June 17, 1865, at Suffolk,
Va., and returned to his home, where he
learned the carpenter's trade, and for the past
thirty years has been one of the most success
ful builders at the Falls. In 1880 he formed
a partnership with John M. Goring in the fur
niture and undertaking business, which con
nection lasted for four years. He then sold
out to E. W. Flynn, and engaged in the ice
business, which he has since carried on, also
being interested in buying and selling real es
tate. He has been very successful, and is
among the prosperous and substantial citizens
of Wappingers Falls.

On January 7, 1877, Mr. O'Farrell was
married to Miss Mary A. Downey, who was
born in Wappingers Falls, and is a daughter
of Peter Downey, Sr. , a native of Ireland. Of
this marriage six children have been born, all
of whom are living: Vincent, Leo, Joseph,
Raymond, Marie, and Emmett.
Mr. O'Farrell was a Democrat until 1886,
since which time he has been in sympathy with
the Republican party. He was for two terms
assessor of the town of Poughkeepsie, for three
years chief of the Wappingers Falls fire de
partment, and for nine years one of the village
trustees. He is a member of the Foresters,
and also of the G. A. R. Post, in which he has
held all the offices and was commander for
three terms. He and his family are devoted
members of the Catholic Church. Mr. O'Far
rell is a man of progressive ideas, always ready
to assist in matters for the public good, and is
one of the most loyal and enterprising of the
business men of the village. He has many
warm friends, and is popular with all who
know him.

JrOHN M. GORING, a leading and represent-
1 ative business man of Wappingers Falls,
where he has a furniture and undertaking
establishment, is a member of the well-known
firm of Goring & Flynn. He was born in that
viHage, December 21, 185 1, and is a son of J.
M. Goring. There he grew to manhood, being
educated in the public schools, and learned the
trade of a tinsmith and plumber with A. W.
Armstrong, by whom he was employed for
eleven years. In 1882 he started his present
business, being at that time connected with
John O'Farrell, under the firm name of O'Far
rell & Goring, which partnership continued for
two years, when the senior member withdrew,
and Edward W. Flynn became a member of
the firm, which then assumed its present style.
They have one of the leading, establishments of
the kind in the town, and the liberal patronage
they receive is well deserved.
On November 20, 1876, Mr. Goring was
married to Miss Mary C. Downing, of Clinton
Point, Dutchess county, a daughter of Edward
and Jane Downing, who were both born in the
North of Ireland, and were of Scotch lineage.
Our subject and his wife have become the par
ents of four chHdren (two pair of twins) : How
ard D. and Harold V., born September 23,

636

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1884; and J. Morris and Mary C. , born Janu
ary 6, 1897.
In politics, Mr. Goring is identified with the
Republican party, and is at present serving as
treasurer of his school district. He is a highly
respected and esteemed citizen of the place,
and as a merchant bears the reputation of an
honest, upright and trustworthy man. His
gentlemanly deportment and genial manners
are gaining him hosts of friends, and rapidly in
creasing his business. He takes quite an active
part in civic societies, belonging to Wappinger
Lodge No. 671, F. & A. M., of which he is
past master; Poughkeepsie Chapter, R. A. M. ;
La Fayette Lodge No. 18, I. O. O. F. ; and
Evening Star Lodge No. 98, K. P.

JAMES M. De GARMO, proprietor of De-
Garmo Institute, Fishkill Landing, Dutch
ess county, was born in the town of Hyde
Park, near Crum Elbow, N. Y. , December 22,
1838, a son of Peter and Sarah Gilchrist (Mar
shall) De Garmo. The father was born March
4, 1798, also in the town of Hyde Park, the
mother on July 24, 1800, in Westchester
county, N. Y. Peter De Garmo, the paternal
grandfather of our subject, was born Septem
ber 2, 1 75 1, in New Jersey, and the paternal
grandmother, Mary D. Robinson, on Novem
ber 12, 1763. James I. Marshall, the mater
nal grandfather, was born January 6, 1773, the
maternal grandmother, Elizabeth (Gilchrist),
on December 2, 1772.
On his father's side James M. De Garmo
is a lineal descendant of French Huguenots,
while his mother's family were Rhode Island
Yankees. During the Huguenot persecution
in France, the De Garmos of Normandy fled
to Holland, where some of them married Dutch
women, and, later, three brothers — Elias,
Jacob (or James) and John — with their fami
lies, came to America and settled at Pompton
Plains, N. J., and from them the whole De-
Garmo clan in America is descended.
Peter De Garmo and his father before him
were tanners and farmers, retaining many of
the physical and mental characteristics of their
French ancestry, for they were mostly men of
small stature, of nervous temperament, but
cheerful and happy disposition, active and vig
orous in mind and body. James was one of a
family of nine children, and was never a very
hardy, tough boy, like most of his age. His

primary education was obtained from the old-
fashioned district school of the time. But at
eleven years of age he was needed on the farm,
left school and worked till he was seventeen;
then he went three months to the Dutchess
County Academy at Poughkeepsie, under the
Scotch Prof. William McGeorge. After these
three months he returned to the farm, and
worked till he was nineteen, when he began,
in April, to teach in the academy where he
had studied, and at the same time began his
studies for college. In two years and a quar
ter, as he was about to enter college, his health
failed, and he took charge of a boarding-school
at Oswego Meeting House, near what is now
Moores MiH, under Quaker auspices. In the
following spring he was in such ill-health that
he went home to recruit, spending some of the
time in the wild Adirondacks, and in Vermont.
in November he again took charge of the Os
wego school, teaching till spring, when he went
to Poughkeepsie, and, under private instruct
ors, studied French, German, Latin and Greek,
continuing till the next February, when he
entered a co-partnership with Prof. McGeorge
and Mr. Stewart Pelham, to conduct the Old
Academy. At that time he was married to
Emily L. Drake, of Pleasant Valley, and soon
began his life-work at teaching. The co-part
nership, not proving congenial, was dissolved,
and in April, 1864, he went to Rhinebeck,
N. Y., and took charge of the Rhinebeck Acad
emy, which he soon after purchased, changed
to De Garmo Institute, entirely rebuilt and im
proved, and continued to manage it until 1890,
when he moved to Fishkill Landing, where he
hired Mt. Beacon Academy, and has taught
till the present time. His school has been
one of the best known in the county or State,
Soon after going to Rhinebeck, Princeton
College conferred upon Dr. De Garmo the hon
orary degree of Master of Arts, and later, in
1878, Hamilton College, at Clinton, N. Y,,
gave him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Both degrees were conferred in recognition of
his success in preparing boys for college, and
for his scientific studies. In October, 1867,
he was initiated, passed and raised a Free
and Accepted Mason, and is now past master
of Rhinebeck Lodge No. 432; past master of
Beacon Lodge No. 283; grand representative
of the Symbolic Grand Lodge of the United
States of Mexico, near the Grand Lodge of the
State of New York; anda thirty-second-degree
Mason of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

637

in the Valley of New York, for the Northern
Jurisdiction of America.
Dr. De Garmo has never held any political
office, but since his eighteenth year has spoken
on the Republican side in every Presidential
campaign but one. In the famous Greeley
campaign he was silent. He has lectured fre
quently and acceptably on scientific topics,
was an active member of the Poughkeepsie
Society of Natural Science, and later of Vassar
Brothers' Institute. He is an after-dinner
speaker of some reputation, and writes occa
sional poems, which have been well received.
But whatever he may have of enduring reputa
tion will come from his long and faithful work
as a teacher. Although a linguist by profes
sion, he has devoted much time to scientific
studies, is a fair microscopist and astronomer,
and familiar with lepidoptera and with orni
thology and geology, in all which departments
he has coHected fine cabinets and museums.
He has delivered many lectures, especially on
science, is a skHled manipulator of apparatus
either before a class or a public audience, and
is a man, on the whole, of rather versatHe
talents.

^AYID AND HENRY RUNDALL are
prominent and representative citizens of
the town of Amenia, Dutchess county, the
former residing in the village of Amenia, and
the latter on the old family homestead on the
road between Amenia and Wassaic. About
the middle of the eighteenth century the fam
Hy was founded in Dutchess county, and their
great-grandfather was buried in the old aban
doned cemetery between Bangall and Mclntyre,
in the town of Stanford.
David Rundall, the grandfather, was born
January 4, 1757, in the town of Horse Neck,
Fairfield Co., Conn., but came to the town of
Amenia, Dutchess county at the age of four
teen years, in company with his brother, to
whom he was bound out as an apprentice to
learn the tailor's trade. They moved their
entire worldly effects on horseback, and located
in that part of the town which was then called
Separate. The apprenticeship was ended at
about the time of the inauguration of the Rev
olutionary war, in which the grandfather served
through two campaigns, one in the North and
the other in the South, in the years 1775 and
1776. After obtaining his discharge he re
turned to Amenia, where he followed his trade.

which was then called "whipping the cat,"
being employed on both sides of the mountains,
wherever he could secure work for a few days.
After his marriage the grandfather lived for
six years at Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, at
the end of which time he returned to Amenia,
taking up his residence in the old house near
the H. "W. Peters homestead, and a few re
maining apple trees standing on the opposite
side of the road mark the stop of the orchard
which he set out. There he resided until
1795, when he removed to the place now oc
cupied by Henry Rundall, where his death oc
curred January 21, 1848. During his resi
dence on the old Peters farm, the first Meth
odist Church was organized in Amenia, of
which he was for several years the only male
member. Tbe grandfather was thrice married. On
January 7, 1777, he wedded Catherine Pow
ers, who died May 14, 1799, and they had six
children: Betsey, born February 8, 1780,
died February 26, 1829; Mary, born January
5, 1783, died August 15, 1831 ; Jacob M., born
May 26, 1785, died October 8, 1833; AbigaH,
born August 26, 1787, died in December,
1 871; WHHam, born October i, 1794, died
October 2, 179S; and Henry, born March 4,
1799, died November 3, 1871. In March,
1 80 1, he married Elizabeth Cole, who died
July 6, 1 82 1, and to them was born a daugh
ter — Catherine, born January 5, 1803, and
married Henry Ingraham. His third wife was
Alice Allerton.
Henry Rundall, the father of our subjects,
during his boyhood attended the "Johnny
Cake " school between Amenia and Wassaic,
and throughout life operated the old home
stead farm. On December 12, 1821, he was
united in marriage with Nancy T. Sutherland,
who was born April 18, 1803, a daughter of
Roger B. Sutherland, and died January 31,
1869. Six children graced this union, namely:
Sarah S., born August 7, 1825, married Dr.
Isaac M. Hunting, and diedi November 29,
1895; Elizabeth M., born August 24, 1827,
married George W. Center, of Amenia, N. Y. ;
David and Henry are next in order of birth;
Mary B., born January 10, 1833, wedded John
J. Harrison, and died in November, 1882; and
Catherine P., born October 2, 1835, married
Henry C. Dauchy, and died November 25,
1895. For hissecond wife the father chose
Susan Hebard, who stHl survives him, residing
at Sharon, Connecticut.

638

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Henry Rundall, Sr., was a faithful member
of the Presbyterian Church, and was the first
man in the towm of Amenia to abolish the use
of liquor upon his farm. In early life he had
belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He was an active Democrat in politics previous
to 1857, but at that time became an earnest
supporter of the Republican party, as in ante
bellum days he was very much opposed to
slavery. The following is a copy of the commissions
of the father as captain, major and colonel
in the New York State MHitia:
The People of the State of New York, To all to
whom these presents may come: Know ye, that pursuant
to the constitution and laws of our said State, we have ap
pointed and constituted and by these presents do appoint
and constitute Henry Rundall, captain in the Twenty-
ninth Regiment of Infantry of our said State (with rank
from May 13, 1826), to hold said office in the manner
specified in and by our said constitution and laws.
In testimony whereof we have caused our seal
for military commissions to be hereunto affixed. Witness
DeWitt Clinton, Esquire, Governor of our said State,
general and commander-in-chief of all the militia and
admiral of the navy of the same, at our city of Albany,
the 22nd day of June, in the year of our Lord, one
thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.
DeWitt Clinton.
Passed the adjutant-general's office,
N. F. Beck, Adjutant-General.
The commission of major reads exactly
like that of captain, but dated July 30, 1827.
The commission of colonel of the Twenty-
ninth Regiment reads like the other two, dated
July 23, 1830, and signed by Enos T. Troop,
Esquire, Lteutenant-Governor of the State,
and by M. H. Webster, Adjutant-General.
These papers are still in the possession of
David Rundall, of Amenia.
'^^^David Rundall, whose name intro
duces this review, was born on the old
homestead in the town of Amenia, Dutchess
county, August 2, 1829, and he also began his
education in the " Johnny Cake " school, but
the knowledge there acquired was supple
mented by a course in the Amenia Seminary.
Until reaching his majority he remained upon
the home farm, and then for ten years oper
ated land near the village of Amenia, after
which he engaged in farming for twenty-one
years on the road to Wassaic. Since 1888,
however, he has made his home in the village
of Amenia, and is now capably serving as town
clerk. He has also been collector for several
terms, and his duties are always discharged
with credit to himself, and with satisfaction to
all concerned. By his ballot he supports the
Republican party, and religiously himself and

family are connected with the Presbyterian
Church. At Amenia, September 14, 1852, David
Rundall was married to Harriet P. Rey
nolds, a daughter of Jonathan P. Rey
nolds. She died February 5, 1863, leaving
one son, William P. , who was born in De
cember, 1862, and married Fanny McHugh,
by whom he has a daughter, Hattie; he is a
resident of the town of Amenia. On Feb
ruary 10, 1864, at Mechanicsville, Saratoga
Co., N. Y. , David Rundall married Sarah
Catherine Barrett, daughter of Henry E. Bar
rett. Harry Barrett Rundall, the only child
of the second union, was born November 24,
1864, and after finishing his education in the
Amenia Seminary, on March 17, 1881, he en
tered the First National Bank of Amenia as
bookkeeper, which position he has since filled to
the satisfaction of the bank officials. He is
at present serving as justice of the peace, and
socially is a member of Amenia Lodge No.
672, F. & A. M.
Henry Rundall, of this review, was born
July 6, 1 83 1 , on the farm where he still resides,
and like his brother was educated at the
"Johnny Cake " school and the Amenia Sem
inary. He has always engaged in the cultiva
tion of the home farm, and since 1853 has also
dealt in milk. At Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , July
6, 1853, he married Lucinda A. Ransom, a na
tive of Highland, Ulster Co., N. Y., and a de
scendant of the Deyo family, early settlers of
that county. Seven children were born to
them, as follows: (i) Herbert R. , pastor of
the Presbyterian Church at Hammonton, N. J.,
first wedded Mary Herrick, of Saratoga coun
ty, N. Y., by whom he had a daughter, MHlie
R. , and after her death married Elizabeth En
dicott; (2) Clarence A. married Julia Roberts,
by whom he has a son. Warring Deyo, and
they now live at Brewster, Putnam Co., N. Y. ;
(3) Arthur S, is with the Phoenix Insurance
Company, of Chicago, 111. ; (4) Frank D. , on
February 10, 1897, married Frances Thompson
Reed, daughter of Henry V. D. Reed, and
lives at Amenia Union, N. Y. ; (5) Bell H.,
born July 11, 1864, died February 24, 1876;
(6) Martin K. married Jennie Rutledge, and
has two chHdren, Olin Rutledge and Henry
T. ; (7) Laura J. is the wife of J. Henry Hal
stead, of Rye, Westchester Co., New York.
Henry Rundall is one of the prominent and
active members of the Presbyterian Church of
Amenia, in which, for thirty years, he has

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

639

served as elder, and will continue to hold the
office through life. He is connected with the
Amenia Grange, in politics is an ardent Re
publican, and has served as assessor of the
town of Amenia. In manner, the Rundall
brothers are quiet and unassuming, yet their
sterling qualities command the respect and
confidence of all, and have secured for them
the high regard of a large circle of friends.
They are numbered among the valued citizens
of the community, who have been devoted to
the public welfare, and are assuredly worthy
of representation in a volume of this nature.

'^ILLIAM H. BARTLETT, one of the
M^l^ prominent and leading business men of
Amenia, Dutchess county, traces his ancestral
line back to the Colonial epoch. His great
grandfather, Daniel C. Bartlett, was born at
Redding, Conn,, where his father. Rev.
Nathaniel Bartlett, a Congregational minister,
had located May 23, 1753. The latter was
called from this life January 10, 18 10. On
the breaking out of the Revolutionary war,
one Sabbath day, he presented his sword,
which he had newly ground, to his son Daniel
with the instruction to go and defend his coun
try. With Montgomery's forces he went to
Quebec, and was at the capture of Fort St.
John in November, 1775. He was also pres
ent at the burning of Danbury, Conn., in
1777. Later in life he became a resident of
Dutchess county, N. Y. , in 1803 purchasing
the Joel Gillett farm in the town of Amenia,
on which his great-grandson, Sanford J. Bart
lett, now resides. In his family were five
children: William, Collins, Mrs. John Barker,
Mrs. Ttiomas Paine and Mrs. WiHiam Paine.
William S. Bartlett, the father of our sub
ject, was born upon the family homestead in
the town of Amenia, attended the district
schools during his boyhood and youth, and in
later life carried on agricultural pursuits in his
native to.wnship. His birth occurred January
23, 1809, and October 13, 1830, be was mar
ried to Miss Jane Eliza Reynolds, daughter of
Jonathan P. Reynolds. They became the
parents of four chHdren: Jonathan R., born
July 15, 1831, was married October 5, 1863,
to Hannah L. Grant, and died September 8,
1872; Adelaide AmeHa, born January 10,
1836, died April 27, 1838; WHliam Henry,
subject of this sketch, is the next in order of
birth; and Sanford Jarvis, Sr. , born December

29, 1842, was married March 12, 1873, to
Mary Lizzie Hill, of Bridport, Vt., and they
are now living on the home farm; they have
two sons: William Edgar, born February 14,
1873, and Sanford Jarvis, Jr., born August 4,
1876. Politically the father of this family,
WHliam S. Bartlett, was a Whig in early life,
later uniting with the Republican party, and
at one time served as assessor in his township.
He was one of the leading members of the
Presbyterian Church at Amenia, in which he
served as deacon, and was a generous contrib
utor toward the erection of the house of wor
ship. A broad-minded man, he was liberal in
his religious views as well as in other things.
After a long and well-spent life he was called
to his final rest November 6, 1881. His wife,
who was born December 25, 1812, died June
I, 1881. In the town of Amenia our subject was
born, February 14, 1839, and acquired his
education in the Amenia Seminary. Later he
accepted a position in the store of WilHam
Burrell, of. Brooklyn, N. Y., where he re
mained for two years, and was then engaged
in clerking in Amenia for a short time. While
thus calmly employed, the storm of war which
had been gathering for so many years over the
country broke out, and, bidding adieu to home
and its influences, Mr. Bartlett enlisted, in the
fall of 1862, in Company A, 150th N. Y. V. I.,
and from private was promoted from time to
time until he became adjutant. He partici
pated in many important engagements, and at
Peach Tree Creek, in front of Atlanta, was
wounded. He now holds membership with
Hamilton Post, No. 20, G. A. R , of Pough
keepsie, New York.
When the war was over Mr. Bartlett re
turned to Amenia and purchased the store in
which he had formerly clerked, conducting the
same until 1888, since which time he has en
gaged in the manufacture of brick, under the
firm name of the Anienia Brick Company. In
the town of Amenia, October 30, 1867, he
was united in marriage with Miss Lavina Cul
ver, daughter of Backus Culver. Our subject
is devoted to all interests that are calculated
to advance the welfare of his County, State
and Nation, and has done much for the up
building of the community where he has al
ways made his home. With a strict regard
for business ethics, he has won the confidence
and esteem of all, and is to-day one of the
most honored citizens of his county. For

640

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

two terms he served as supervisor of Amenia,
and was unanimously nominated by the Re
publican party for sheriff. Being elected, he
took the office January i, 1892, and acceptably
served until January i, 1895. Socially, he is
connected with Amenia Lodge, F. & A. M.,
and is a charter member of the Benevolent
Protective Order of Elks at Poughkeepsie,
New York.

RAYMOND RIKERT, the editor and
proprietor of the Rhinebeck Gazette, is
one of the youngest journalists in Dutchess
county, and at the same time is one of the
most prominent in all the Hudson River
Valley. The Rikert family have long occupied an
honored place among the old famiHes of New
York, the great-great-grandfather of the sub
ject of this review being a patroon. George
I. Rikert, his son, was born in Clermont, Co
lumbia county, and by occupation was a farm
er, operating one farm for nearly half a cen
tury. He married Margaret Snyder, and to
them were born five children: Robert, Reu
ben, John, Mary (wife of Chancellor Wyllie),
and Eliza (wife of John Kilmer). Although
he enlisted in the war of 1812, he never took
part in any important engagement.
John Rikert, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born at Rhinebeck in 181 1, and for
many years was an employe at the State dock.
In 1857 he began the butchering business in
the village of Rhinebeck, which he continued
to follow up to the time of his death in i860,
and was quite successful in that undertaking.
His political support was given to the Whig
party, and religiously he was a Lutheran. As
a'companion and helpmeet on life's journey he
married Phebe Dedrick, daughter of Jacob
Dedrick, of Rhinebeck, who had come from
Claverack, N. Y. Five chHdren blessed this
union, but Nelson died at the age of three
years; the others are, Wellington, Franklin,
Calvin and Elmore. The mother is stHl
living. Franklin Rikert acquired his education in
the Rhinebeck Academy, and at the Flat Rock
school, laying aside his text books in 1859 to
enter upon the more active duties of life. He
served an apprenticeship as a butcher in Rhine
beck, but on the outbreak of the Civil war he
laid aside personal plans and interests, and on
President Lincoln's second call for troops be

came a member of the 128th N. Y. V. I. He
was attached to the department of the Gulf,
was in the Red River campaign, and in 1864
returned north with Gen. Sheridan, being with
him in the Shenandoah Valley and at the bat
tle of Winchester. At Cedar Creek he was
taken prisoner October 19, 1864, was incar
cerated in Libby prison. Castle Thunder, and
at Salisbury, N. C, and the following spring
was paroled at Goldsboro, that State. At
Annapolis, Md., he was discharged in July,
1865, under general order No. 77, and re
turned home with an honorable war record.
On October 19, 1869, FrankHn Rikert was
joined in marriage with Miss Ellen Cramer,
daughter of John P. Cramer, and to them was'
born a son, R. Raymond. On May 18, 1870,
he formed a partnership with J. H. Rikert in
the butchering business, which connection con
tinued until August, 1883, when the latter
died. Through his own unaided efforts he has
achieved success in the business world, and is
oneof the most popular and highlyrespectedciti-
zens of Rhinebeck. Hetakes quite an active
interest in local political matters, voting the
straight Republican ticket, and has been a ,
member of t'he board of health for many years.
He holds membership with Armstrong Post
No. 104, G. A. R. ; also with the Masonic
fraternity; and is an honorary member of Re
lief Hook & Ladder Co. In reHgious faith he
belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
R. Raymond Rikert, the subject proper
of this sketch, was born November 14, 1871,
in Rhinebeck village. He received his edu
cation in the De Garmo Institute, and was
graduated from that institution in 1891, a
member of the first class to graduate from that
time-honored school after its removal to
Fishkill-on-Hudson. After completing his
education, and until January i, 1893, heacted
in the capacity of bookkeeper for his father at
Rhinebeck. On the above date, in connection
with WHliam R. Tremper, he purchased the
Rhinebeck News of William N. Tyler, and at
the same time assumed the management ofthe
Gazette. On July i, 1894, the Gazette •via.s
purchased from the estate of Lewis H. Livings
ton, and our subject bought out the interest
of his partner, and is now the sole owner of
the business, which is rapidly increasing. The
office employs about six men the year round,
and has a weekly circulation of 1000.
Although young in years, Mr. Rikert has
made a grand success of his undertaking, both

CtAyyi4ytUf\^^2yW/

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

641

from a financial and from a literary point of view,
and is regarded as one of the strong men of
Dutchess county. Politically the paper is in
dependent, but the editor is a stanch Repub
lican. He is secretary of the Rhinebeck Gas
Company; and socially is a member of the F,
&A. M., the S. of v., and of the Hook and
Ladder Fire Company.

LEONARD I. TRIPP, an enterprising and
 ' prosperous blacksmith of Clinton Hollow,
Dutchess county, was born in the town of
Rhinebeck, May 20, 1851.
The famHy is of French descent, and our
subject's grandfather, Smiten Tripp, was one
of the early residents of Clinton. He married
a Miss Wicks, and had several children, among
whom was George C. Tripp, the father of our
subject. He grew to manhood in the town of
Clinton, and was married there to Mary A. P.
Haight, a native of the same locality, and a
lady of rare nobility of character. She was a
daughter of Isaac S. Haight, a Quaker, who
was born in Rhode Island, where his great
grandfather had settled on coming from Eng
land; but he spent the greater part of his life
farming in the town of Clinton. He married
Hannah Bedford, and had five children, as
follows: Hannah, Sarah, Susan, Leonard and
David; all are now deceased except Hannah.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. George
C. Tripp settled upon a farm in the town of
Hyde Park, and later moved to Rhinebeck.
They had nine children: Julia F. ; Helen Au
gusta (deceased) ; James S. , a contractor and
builder at Rochester, N. Y, ; Jacob W., aeon-
tractor and builder at Salt Lake; Martin F.,
who is in the same business in Cole county,
Mo.; Leonard I., our subject; Hiram M., a
contractor and buHder at Bergen-, N. Y. ; and
Elting B. , a policeman in New York City. To
Mrs. Tripp belongs the credit of bringing up
this family, and giving them those industrious
habits and sound principles which have marked
their successful careers. She was a faithful
member of the Christian Church for many
years previous to her death, which occurred
March 15, 1895, when she was aged seventy-
six years. The subject of this sketch attended the
schools of Clinton Hollow in his early boy
hood, and at the age of eleven he began work
ing out on neighboring farms. At nineteen he
entered H. S. Van Dyne's blacksmith shop at
41

Clinton Hollow, and served an apprenticeship
of three years, receiving $40 a year, with the
privilege of working twelve sunny days in har
vest time. After learning his trade he worked
one year at Washington Hollow for Charles
McCormick, also for three years at Millbrook
for Henry Shaw, and in March, 1877, he re
turned to Clinton Hollow and bought the shop
where he had learned the business, and has
conducted it since with growing popularity and
success. On April 19, 1877, he married Al
meda D. Briggs, a daughter of George C and
Margaret Briggs, well-known residents of Clin
ton Hollow. Mr. Tripp is a public-spirited
citizen, and takes an influential place in local
affairs. He is an active supporter of the Dem
ocratic party, has been inspector of elections,
and has held the office of town clerk for two
terms.

JOSEPH KLINE, a well-known resident of
Pawling, Dutchess county, engaged in the
livery business, has also been for some time
in the employ of the United States Government
as mail clerk on the Harlem railroad. He
learned the carriage maker's trade in early life,
but did not follow it long as a business. He
and his wife, formerly Miss Carrie Mabie, have
three children: Anna A,, Mary E. and Agnes
J., who are all at home.
Mrs. Kline was born and reared in tbe town
of Dover, Dutchess county, and is a descend
ant of early settlers in Patterson, Putnam coun
ty, where her grandfather, Samuel Mabie, first
saw the light. His education was acquired in
the common schools there, and he engaged in
farming in early manhood. He was united in
matrimony with Miss Polly Bolts, and had six
chHdren, of whom Hiram, Mrs. Kline's father,
was the eldest. William married Laura Dyke
man; Phcebe married Nathan Dykeman; Ruth
was the wife of James Dykeman; Adaline mar
ried J. B. Swan; and Sarah died at an early age.
Hiram Mabie wasborn in 1823, inTowners,
Putnam county, and after obtaining a common-
school education there followed agricultural
pursuits. He married Miss Julia Pagsley,
daughter of Benjamin Pagsley, a leading butcher
of Patterson, and his wife, Polly Crosby. Mrs.
Kline was the fourth in a family of five chHdren.
Of the others, (i) Mary E. has never married.
(2) Washington was educated in the town of
Dover, Dutchess county, and is now engaged
in farming. He married Miss Jennie Fowler

642

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

and had three children — Estelle, Gertrude and
Clarence. (3) Estelle was born and reared in
the town of Dover, and she is now the wife of
John Haynes, an agriculturist of the town of
Pawling. They have two children — Fred and
Ruth. (5) Florence, Mrs. Kline's youngest
sister, married John Merrick, a resident of
Towners, and has no children.

JOHN G. DOYLE, the junior member of
the well-known firm, Lewis & Doyle, of
Wassaic, was born at South Dover, Dutch
ess county, September 27, 1863.
The boyhood and youth of Mr. Doyle were
passed uneventfully at Wassaic, where he at
tended school, and at the age of fourteen
years he entered the store of M. K, Lewis, with
whom he has since remained. Until the 25th
of July, 1894, he served as clerk, but since
that time has been a partner, and the firm is
now enjoying a large and paying business.
He has always been a stanch Democrat, and
in 1893 was appointed postmaster of Wassaic,
by President Cleveland, which position he has
since capably filled to the satisfaction of all
concerned. He is a business man of more
than ordinary ability, and justly deserves the
success which has crowned his efforts. So
cially, he is identified with Amenia Lodge No.
672, F. & A. M., and is a past regent of
Council No. 1291, Royal Arcanum, at Was
saic. At Pawling, N. Y., January 20, 1886, Mr.
Doyle was united in marriage with Miss Mary
F. Barrett, of Charleston, S. C, daughter of
Pierce Barrett. They have had one son, Percy
Vincent, who died in infancy. The young
couple hold a high position in the social circles
of the community.

DEWITT C. HUSTED, the enterprising
proprietor of a combined bakery and con
fectionery store and restaurant at Millerton,
Dutchess county, and one of the most success
ful business men of that village, was born in
the town of Clinton, Dutchess county, Jan
uary 2, i860. His ancestors were early set
tlers in the town of Pleasant Valley, where his
grandfather, Nathaniel Husted, and his father,
Luther Husted, were born, the latter in the
year 1840.

The subject of our sketch was educated in
the district school at Clinton, which was ex
cellent for that day, and being fond of reading
hehas supplemented this course in later years
by keeping " well posted " on current events
and the advance of scientific thought. At
eighteen he left school and assisted his father
for three years, when he started out in Hfe for
himself, first as attendant for Dr. Knight at
LakeviHe, Conn. Three years later he and
his brother, Elmer, took charge of his father's
store at Wassaic, the partnership continuing
two years. The next two years, Mr. Husted
conducted a store of his own, and then after ons
year of retirement from business he came to
Millerton in the spring of 1892 and established
the bakery, confectionery and restaurant busi
ness, which he has since conducted. This is
one of the finest stores of its kind in the town,
and enjoys an extensive patronage. A self-
made man, Mr. Husted has always displayed
the energy and good management which win
success, and every enterprise in which he has
engaged has prospered.
On January 25, 1888, he was married to
Miss Etta Jenks, of LakevHle, Conn. ; they
have one son, Harry, born April 13, 1890.
Mr. Husted is among the leaders in local affairs,
and has been at times active in politics, and,
not being bound slavishly by party ties, he has
always worked for the nomination and election
of such men as he has considered best qualified
to carry out the will of the people.
Mrs. Husted is the only surviving daughter
of WHliam and Caroline (Edwards) Jenks.
She was born at Hillsdale, N. Y., August 11,
1858, and in her girlhood accompanied her
parents to Orehill, Conn., where they made
their home some six years, thence moving to
LakeviHe, Conn. Here she attended the pub
lic school, later taking a one-year's course at
New Preston, Conn. Then, for ten years,
and until her marriage, she Hved at Norfolk,
Conn. Her father was born October 10, 1824,
in New York. Her mother was a native of
Connecticut, born in New Milford, December
3, 1817. Theiy were married October i, 1840,
and became the parents of five chHdren, as
follows: Rachel and Mary Amanda (both de
ceased); George, a resident of Torrington,
Conn.; Fred E., of New Haven; and Etta
(Mrs. Husted). Her maternal grandfather Ed
wards was born September 12, 1784, and in
1803 married Sarah Bennett, who wasborn
May 2, 1783. They had five children: Ap-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

643

phia, Abel, Caroline, Sarah and Rachel. Of
these, the last two are yet living.
John Jenks, the paternal grandfather of
Mrs. Husted, was born AprH 9, 1782. Mary
(White), his wife, was born October 11, 1793.
They were married November 20, 1813. The
former died September 3, 1833, the latter,
December 17, 1874. Their seven chHdren
were: John Fredrick, born September 13,
1 8 14; Mariette, born February i, 18 16; Ann
Maria, born November 24, 1817; Harriet
Emily, born October 20, 18 19; Sarah Jane,
born June 3, 1821 ; Clarissa Amanda, born De
cember 16, 1822; and William Hunt, born Oc
tober 10, 1824. Of these only John Fredrick
and Clarissa Amanda survive. The paternal
great-grandfather of Mrs. Husted was Thomas
Jenks, who married Sarah Barton and died,
aged forty-one years.
Abel Edwards, the maternal great-grand
father of Mrs. Husted was a Revolutionary
soldier. He enlisted May 4, 1775, in the com
pany of Capt. Samuel Whitney, of Stratford,
5th regiment. Col. David Waterbury com
manding. He married, for his first wife, Lucy
Hawley, and, for his second, Sarah Mann.

iPVEORGE HAM ANGELL, a leading citi-
\^ zen and enterprising, progressive business
man of Wappingers Falls, is one of the prom
inent dry-goods merchants of the place. He
is a native of Dutchess county, born January
8, 1852, at Salt Point, in the town of Pleas
ant Valley. The family of which he belongs
is of English origin, and its members mostly
belonged to the Society of Friends. Ephraim
Angeli, his paternal grandfather, who was also
born in Pleasant Valley town, located upon a
farm near Spencertown, Columbia Co. , N. Y.,
after his marriage with Mary Thorne, where he
reared a family of eight children — Joseph,
Augustus, Stephen, Henry, Ephraim, Sarah,
Emma and Martha — and there he continued
agricultural pursuits until his death.
Upon that farm in Columbia county,
Stephen T. AngeH, the father of our subject,
was born, October 31, 18 17, and when he had
attained his seventeenth year, he began teach
ing school in that locality. He was united in
marriage with Miss Hannah E. Ham, a daugh
ter of George Ham, who was born in the town
of Washington, Dutchess county, and was a
farmer by occupation. After their marriage
the parents located at Salt Point, where the

father engaged in farming until called from this
life in 1889. His estimable wife still survives
him. Politically, he was in early manhood a
Whig, and, upon the abandonment of the old
party, cordially endorsed the Republican prin
ciples, which he ever afterward sustained. He
was prominent in the public affairs of the
county; having served one term as justice of
the peace of Pleasant Valley township, and
two terms as president of the Dutchess County
Agricultural Society. He was a man of ster
ling integrity, and possessed great force of
character, which won for him the confidence
and esteem of the community in whick he
lived. The parental household included five
children: Eva, George H., Augustus, a prom
inent oculist of Hartford, Conn. , who was
graduated from the Homeopathic Medical Col
lege, of New York City; Milton H., a well-
known physician of Salt Point; and J. Thorne,
who is station agent and telegraph operator for
the Poughkeepsie & Eastern R. R. Co. , at
Pine Plains, Dutchess county.
At Salt Point our subject spent his boy
hood days, where he attended the district
schools, and later was a student at a private
school in New Hampshire. Going to Chatham,
Columbia Co., N. Y. , he was there employed
as a salesman in a dry-goods store for about
five years. He was afterward with Luckey,
Platt & Co., and Donald, Converse & May
nard, of Poughkeepsie. On coming to Wap
pingers Falls in 1880, Mr. Angjell formed a
partnership with WHliam A. Clapp in the dry-
goods business, which connection lasted for
three years, since which time our subject has
been sole proprietor, and has ever been prom
inently connected with the business interests of
the place.
In 1882, Mr. Angeli married Miss Margaret
J. Stevenson, a daughter of Thomas Steven
son, a comb manufacturer, and a niece of
George Stevenson, a prominent resident of
Dutchess county. One son graces this union,
Winfield Thorne. In politics, Mr. Angeli is a
firm supporter of the Republica party, and has
taken a prominent part in public affairs, always
lending his influeece to promote the best in
terests of the community. His personal in
tegrity, both in private and public life, is of
the highest order. He is endowed with a
clear, well-balanced intellect, sharpened by a
sound education and keen powers of observa
tion. Both himself and wife ire consistent
members of the Presbyterian Church, in which

644

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

he is serving as deacon, and he is at present
one of the trustees of the Grinnell Library, at
Wappingers Falls.

E\DMUND NELSON LANDON, an enter-
 'I prising and successful merchant of Miller
ton, Dutchess county, was born November 23,
1852, at Town HiH, Salisbury, Conn. , which
has been the home of the family for more
than one hundred years. The family estate
there is at present in the possession of acousin,
having been continuously passed from heir to
heir since Colonial times without a single trans
fer by deed. Mr. Landon is the sixth generation
in direct descent from a Landon who came from
Wales to Connecticut sometime in the seven
teenth century, and after a short stay in Litch
field settled at Salisbury. A son, Capt. James
Landon, who was born there about 1700, and
lived until 1773, was a nieiriber of the Colonial
legislature in 1759, and justice of the peace
about tbe same time. His title was gained by
serving in the Colonial militia. He married
Mary Reed, and had twelve children, three of
whom were named: Ashbil, David, Joel.
Capt. Ashbil ' Landon, our subject's great
grandfather, who died in 1838, was also an
officer in the miHtia, and was a prominent
man of his time. He lived on Tory Hill, so
called from the loyalty of his family to the
British government during the Revolutionary
war. He married Lorain Chapman, by whom
he had six children: Betsey, Letty, WHliam,
Horace, Edmund and James.
Edmund Landon, our subject's grandfa
ther, was born in 1790, and died in 1845. He
was a farmer, as nearly all his family have
been, and was fairly successful in that occupa
tion. He was twice married, first to Sylvia
Fitch, who died leaving four children: Nel
son, Fitch, Abigail and Ann. His second wife
was Sarah Lord, who survived him several
years, dying in 1862. She had four children:
Ashbil, Thomas Newton, George and Asa.
Thomas Newton died at the age of eleven.
Nelson Landon, our subject's father, was
born in 1817, and died in 1887, his life having
been passed in agricultural pursuits. He
owned a farm of 200 acres, acquired by his own
efforts, and gave but little attention to public
affairs, preferring a quiet life. He was, how
ever, a well-informed man of broad ideas, a
Whig in political faith during his early years,
and later a Republican. His wife was Mary

Raymond, daughter of Gershom Raymond, of
South Norwalk. This family was of French
descent, the name being at one time Raiment.
The first ancestor of the American Hne was
one of the founders of South Norwalk, and one
of the original patentees of the land there.
Seven children were born of this marriage:
Fannie Reed, Mary Ella, Edmund Nelson,
Raymond Fitch, Jennie (deceased), Horace
and Angeline.
Edmund N. Landon received a good edu
cation in his youth, attending first the district
schools of the neighborhood, and later the
academies of LakeviHe and Lime Rock, Conn.
After leaving school, in 1874, he taught at
Orr Hill (one term), Sharon and SaHsbury,
and then began clerking for W. B. Hawley,
at Sherman, Conn., in a general store. There
he remained about six years, and then became
traveling salesman for J. L. Clark & Son,
manufacturers of carriages, Oshkosh, Wis.,
and for two years represented them in the east
ern and middle States. He then traveled for
the house of I. D. Ware, of PhHadelphia,
manufacturer of varnishes and japans, and
later for the Ware Brothers, publishers of the
Carriage Monthly, remaining with them
four years. In 1887, he left "the road" to
take a position in the store of C. B. Dakin &
Co. , of Sharon, Conn. , and early in the follow
ing year he came to MHIerton, where he opened
a general store on the ist of April, under the
firm name of E. N. Landon & Co. In 1893
he sold this business to Hoag & Keefer, and
bought a store buHding of Julius Benedict, in
which he established his present business as a
dealer in flour, feed, grain and coal. He has a
large trade, extending for a considerable dis
tance around Millerton, arid amounting to
about forty thousand annually. His keen
judgment and energetic methods have insured
his success in his undertakings, and he has a
high standing in business circles.
On March 30, 1887, Mr. Landon married
Miss Adelaide Cross Barker, daughter of Henry
Barker, a well-known resident of White Creek,
Washington Co., N. Y. , and they have one
daughter, Adelaide Barker Landon. On na
tional political questions Mr. Landon is a Re
publican, but on local issues he votes independ
ently, giving his support to the "best man."
He has repeatedly been urged to enter the po
litical field himself, but has declined to do so,
and on one occasion when elected justice of
the peace he did not quaHfy, as he did not

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

645

wish to take the office. He takes a hearty in
terest in local improvements, however, and is
always ready to promote them in a quiet way.

HENRY BODENSTEIN, a prominent and
 worthy citizen of Staatsburg, is exten
sively engaged in the manufacture of ice tools,
having a large plant in that vHlage. He was
born September 28, 1852, in Nesselreden,
Hessen, Germany, a son of John H. and
Dorothia (Boerner) Bodenstein, natives of
the same place, and of whom mention is made
elsewhere. '
In 1858 our subject came to America with
his parents, and in the common schools of
Staatsburg, Rockland Lake, N. Y., Jersey
City, N. J., and Athens, N. Y. , he received
his education. At the age of sixteen he left
the school-room in order to start out in life
for himself, and for two years he worked at
cigarmaking in Hudson and Athens, N. Y.
At this time his father was much in need of
help, so he decided to learn the trade, and ac
cordingly entered the establishment of his
father, who was then in the manufacture of
ice tools in Staatsburg. He gradually
worked his way upward until he became mas
ter of every department of the business, and
remained in his father's employ from 1 868 to
1875. After the latter's death he, with his
brother, continued the business for the estate
untH 1877, and then formed a partnership
under the firm name of J. G. Bodenstein &
Brother. In 1887, the name was changed to
J. G. & H. Bodenstein, and the firm con
tinued to do business until March 22, 1890,
when the co-partnership was dissolved. Our
subject has since conducted the business alone
at the same stand where his father carried on
operations, and has built up a large trade
which extends over the whole country.
While the name Bodenstein is a guarantee as
to workmanship and the quality of material
used in the manufacture of their tools by the
use of improved machinery, he has increased
the facHities for getting out ice tools.
In 1879 Mr. Bodenstein was united in
marriage with Antoinette Podrabski, and to
them have been born eight children: Clar
ence Henry, Charles Irving, Morgan, Harriet
Eliza, Sarah Margaret, Ernest Frederick
Adam, Laura Antoinette and Louise Amelia.
Formerly our subject cast his ballot with the
RepubHcans, but is now a strong Prohibition

ist, as that party embodies his views on the
temperance question. He and his wife are
faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, in which he has served as trustee and
steward. Socially he is identified with Rhine
beck Lodge No. 432, F. & A. M.

w

^ILLIAM C. ARMSTRONG is one of
H/M^ the popular and esteemed citizens of
Pleasant Valley. Though his connection with
the history of Dutchess county extends over a
period of thirty-three years, he was in his ear
lier life an extensive traveler, and thereby be
came a man of broad mind and liberal views.
He was born in New York City October 24,
1830, but for many generations his ancestors
had lived in Scotland. His father, Henry
Armstrong, an only child, was born in Glasgow,
Scotland. He wedded Mary Clifford, and
shortly afterward sailed for New York, where
both he and his wife died of cholera in 1837.
They were members of the Presbyterian
Church, and people of genuine worth. Their
family included five chHdren: John A., an en
gineer, residing in New York City; William C. ,
subject of this review; Thomas, who carried on
harness-making in Syracuse, N. Y. , but is now
deceased; Henry, also deceased, who was an
engineer of New York, and ran on several
river boats; and Elizabeth, deceased.
Mr. Armstrong, whose name introduces
this review, spent his boyhood days in his na
tive city, and is indebted to its public schools
for his educational privileges. There he re
ceived his training as an engineer, working in
the Novelty Iron Works for twelve years, and
in the Cold Springs foundry for three years.
He afterward became engineer on the steamer
"Golden Gate," running between Panama and
San Francisco, Cal., his service in that line
covering a period of one year. He was then
employed to construct the river passenger boat
"Talca," for the government of Chili, and
made his headquarters at Valparaiso in that
country. He next went to Cuba, where he
took charge of a sugar plantation, thus spend
ing the winter seasons for nine years. During
this period he purchased machinery to the
value of many thousand dollars in Newburg,
N. Y., and sent to the island of Cuba. His
extensive travels gave him a knowledge of the
regions which he visited, that any amount of
reading could not have done, and he can re
late many interesting incidents concerning the

646

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

places he has visited. He is a man of com
prehensive business powers, of ceaseless activ
ity and enterprise, and the success he has
achieved is the merited reward of his own
labors. Mr. Armstrong has been twice married.
He wedded Elizabeth Scott, a native of New
York, who lived only a few years. They had
two children, but one died in infancy, and
Emma is also now deceased. She was the
wife of Frederick J. Fay, of Brooklyn, pay-
teller for the Union Trust Company, of New
York. In 1862 Mr. Armstrong married Hes
ter I. Seaman, a native of Pleasant Valley,
and a daughter of Egbert C. and Eliza (Van-
Wagner) Seaman, the latter a native of Dutch
ess county. The father was a harnessmaker
of Pleasant Valley. In 1863 Mr. and Mrs.
Armstrong located in this place, and their home
has been blessed with two daughters, Clara
and Bessie, the former now the wife of Har
vey G. Ward, who is engaged in the practice
of law in New York City, but resides in Ridge-
wood, N. J. Bessie became tbe wife of
George Rutherford, a music teacher and dealer
in music, Poughkeepsie.
Since locating in Pleasant Valley, Mr. Arm
strong has conducted a hotel, and his pleasant,
genial and courteous manner, combined with
honorable dealing, makes him a popular land
lord and his house a favorite with the travel
ing public. He is also a dealer in coal, and
has an extensive trade among the citizens of
Pleasant Valley. Public-spirited and progress
ive, he manifests a commendable interest in
everything pertaining to the welfare of the
community, and is found a liberal supporter
of all enterprises calculated to prove of public
benefit. He would be a valued addition to any
community, and his fellow-townsmen hold him
in high regard.

C\HARLES A. STEPHENS, one of the
_' most enterprising business men of MHIer
ton, Dutchess county, wasborn December 14,
185 1, in Morrisania, then in Westchester
county, but now a part of New York City.
The family originated in Scotland, his grand
father, Thomas Stephens, having emigrated
from that country in 1821, accompanied by
his wife, Margaret Perkins, daughter of Thomas
Perkins. He located in New York City, where
he followed the trade of ship carpenter untH
his death, in 1835; his wife died in 1827.

They had three children — Thomas, who was
drowned; John, our subject's father, and Mar
garet, who married H. Higginson, a builder.
John Stephens was born in New York City
August 6, 1822, 'and at an early age found
employment in the Morrisania RaHroad Car
Shops. His unusual abHity soon attracted the
notice of the officials, and he was promoted to
a position of responsibiHty ; in 1859 was trans
ferred to Dover Plains and placed in charge of
the car repairing department, where he re
mained until he retired from active business,
in 1892. At that time the Harlem road ac
cepted his resignation with reluctance, not
withstanding his advanced age. He was a
well-read man, a close observer and original
thinker, and could have made a success of
almost any enterprise. Although he has al
ways been a stanch Republican in principle,
he has taken no part in political work. He is
an active worker in the Masonic Lodge of
Dover, and is a regular attendant of the Bap
tist Church. His first wife was Miss Anna
Reed, daughter of James Reed, of New York
City, who died at the. age of twenty-seven,
leaving three children : Thomas, born in 1 849,
died in 1869; Charles Anthony, our siibject;
and John George, born in June, 1856, is now
the agent of the Harlem railroad at Fordham,
and a dealer in electrical appliances for domes
tic use. In 1858 Mr. Stephens married, for
his second wife. Miss Jane Reed.
Charles A. Stephens attended the district
schools near his home for some time, and later
spent two or three years in the Dover Plains
Academy. When he was about sixteen years
old he became a clerk in B. F. Chapman's
coal and lumber yard at Dover Plains, and in
the foHowing year went to Poughkeepsie, as
clerk in the dry-goods store of W. H. Broas.
Here he worked for a year and a half, when,
his health failing, he returned to Dover.
WhHe recuperating, he studied medicine with
Dr. Berry, of Dover Plains, for two years, but
decided that he would not follow the profes
sion. He had also gained a knowledge of
telegraphy in the meantime, and in February,
1873, was appointed agent of the Newburg,
Dutchess & Connecticut railroad, at Fishkill,
and in the spring of 1 874 took a similar position
at Sylvan Lake. He lived at that place for
thirteen years, and was postmaster under Pres
ident Arthur and, later, under President Harri
son. He was also engaged in the coal business
there, and owned and operated a farm of fifty

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

647

acres for about ten years, while for some time
he was a conductor on the Clove Branch rail
road. In 1887 he moved to Fordham, and
bought an express business in New York City,
which he sold after seven months. He then
took a position as telegraph operator at White
Plains, but after four months there he returned
to his old situation at Sylvan Lake, where he
remained until August, 1894, when he was
transferred to Millerton. In addition to his
work as station agent there, he is the repre
sentative of the New York Life Insurance
Company, and since September, 1894, has
been a member of the well-known firm of
Landon & Stephens, the leading wholesale
and retail coal dealers.
Mr. Stephens is a firm believer in the prin
ciples of the Republican party, and in local
affairs is an active and progressive worker,
seeking always to secure the nomination and
election of good men. He has taken great in
terest in educational matters also. He belongs
to the Reformed Dutch Church at Hopewell,
and is a member of and officer in Webatuck
Lodge No. 480, F. & A. M.
Mr. Stephens married Miss Helen E. West-
cott, by whom he has had two children —
George Westcott and Helen Anthony. Mrs.
Stephens is a descendant of two of the oldest
famHies of the town of FishkHl — the Westcotts
and the Scofields. Her father, the late George
W. Westcott, a son of Abram W. Westcott,
a pioneer farmer, was a prominent man of that
locaHty, the owner of a fine farm, devoted
largely to fruit raising, and for some years a
leading merchant at Glenham. . His influence
in local affairs and in the Democratic organiza
tion was marked, and he held the offices of
supervisor and assessor for a number of years.
He died in December, 1891, in his seventy-
ninth year. He was twice married, first to
Miss Helen MHls, by whom he had five chH
dren — George, Elbert, Matilda, AdaHne, and
Abram; and, second, to Miss Jane E. Storm,
of StormvHle. Two children were born of
this union — John and .Helen — the latter of
whom and her half-sister, Matilda, are now
the only survivors of the family.

M OBERT MATTHEWS. This gentleman,
 who spent his early manhood in active
business, mainly in agricultural pursuits, is
now Hving retired at Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess county. A native of that county.

he was born in the town of Poughkeepsie,
November I, 1825. His paternal great-grand
father was born in either Ireland or Scotland,
and, on crossing the Atlantic to America, lo
cated in Dutchess county, where he carried on
farming as a life work. When the colonists
took up arms against the mother country, he
joined the ranks of the Continental army, and
was killed in battle.
Samuel Matthews, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in the town of Poughkeep
sie, September 25, 1756, there grew to man
hood, and followed the occupation of farming
and carpentering. He married Mary Comp
ton, of Canada, and they became the parents
of four children: John, who became a farmer
in the town of Poughkeepsie; Robert, the
father of our subject; Mary, who became the
wife of Isaac A. Willsey, a farmer of Albany
county, N. Y. ; and Jane, who died when
young. The family were members of the Re
formed Dutch Church.
Robert Matthews, Sr., was also born in
the town of Poughkeepsie, on December 22,
1788, and was there reared upon a farm. He
was married to Jane Jaycox, who was born
March 3, 1794, in the same town, and was a
daughter of Benjamin and Gertrude Jaycox,
the former a native of Dutchess county, and a
farmer by occupation. Shortly after their
marriage they located upon a farm in the town
of Poughkeepsie, where they reared their chil
dren, six in number, namely: Samuel, who
throughout life engaged in farming in that
town; Maria, who married Harvey Van Dyne,
a farmer of the same town; Jane Ann, the
widow of Henry WHlsey, of Albany county,
N. Y.; Robert, of this review; Harriett, who
married H. Ferdon, a farmer of Poughkeepsie;
and John, who stHl carries on agricultural pur
suits in that town. The father's death oc
curred May 4, 1872, and the mother departed
this life December 20, 1857. They were both
earnest members of the Reformed Dutch
Church, and in politics he was a Democrat.
At the schools near the home farm our sub
ject received his education, and on reaching
manhood was married December 20, 1865, to
Olive GoodseH, a native of the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, where the births of her par
ents, EHiott and Beulah (Thompson) GoodseH,
also occurred. Isaac Goodsell, her paternal
grandfather, came to this country from Man
chester, England, and on the maternal side
also she is of English descent. Upon his mar-

648

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

riage Mr. Matthews located upon a farm in
Poughkeepsie town, which he operated until
his removal to Wappingers Falls in 1874,
since which time he has lived retired from
active labor, enjoying the fruits of his former
toil. He votes the straight Democratic ticket.
Both himself and wife are prominent people
of the community, and receive the warmest
confidence and esteem of their fellow-citizens.

LeGRAND graham, of Clinton Hollow,
 ! a miller by trade, and one of the most
popular auctioneers in Dutchess county, was
born in the town of Ghent, Columbia county.
May 14, 1847.
The late VirgH B. Graham, our subject's
father, was a native of Connecticut, born
June 29, 1795. He was educated in Rhode
Island, and when a young man came to Ghent,
where he followed the trade of cradle and
wagon making. He possessed a fine inteHect,
and was a great reader, taking especial inter
est in political science. He was a soldier in
the war of 18 12. After his removal to Col
umbia county, he married Miss Elizabeth
MHler, who was born in 1803, and died in
1896, in the ninety-third year of her age, at
the home of our subject, who is the youngest
of her eleven chHdren. The names of the
others are: Charles H., Gertrude, Franklin,
Abner, WiHiam, Sarah, Sylvester, Eliza, Jane
and Almon. Of these only Gertrude, Frank
lin, and the two last named are now living.
The early education of LeGrand Graham
was acquired at Ghent, Columbia county, and
at Clinton, Dutchess county. For some time
he taught school, working on a farm during
vacations, and for a year and a half he con
ducted a store at Clinton Hollow. In 1864
he enlisted in the First New York Mounted
Rifles, and his first battle was on September
28, 1864, at Chapin's farm, Va. He was
mustered out of service at Richmond, Va., at
the close of the war, and returned to Ghent,
N. Y. In the spring of 1867 he came to
Dutchess county, engaging in farming and
merchandising, and in 1871 he began to oper
ate a gristmill and sawmHl at Clinton Hollow,
in a building which has stood for one hundred
and fifty years. He is energetic and far-
sighted, and has won a fine standing in busi
ness circles. He has been twice married, first,
on June 26, 1873, to Miss Jane M. Latten,
daughter of Adolphus D. Latten, of Clinton,

She died January 19, 1878, leaving one daugh
ter. Bertha, and December 24, 1879, Mr. Gra
ham married Miss Ella Smith, daughter of
Stephen H. Smith, of Clinton. Two children
were born to this union: Frank and Florence.
In politics Mr. Graham is a Republican,
and ne takes an active share in local affairs,
having been town clerk for five years in aH,
and at present is holding the office of excise
commissioner of the town of Clinton. He is
a member of the G. A. R. , Armstrong Lodge
No. 104, at Rhinebeck, and of the F. & A. M.,
Warren Lodge No. 32, at SchultzviHe.

^ RTHUR R. TIEL, M. D., a prominent
.^^ physician and surgeon, of Matteawan,
N. Y. , whose abilities have received recogni
tion far beyond the limits of his own locality,
was born October 14, 1854, in Ashland, Greene
county, where his family was located for some
time. His great-grandfather, Jacob Tiel, settled
in Rhinebeck with others from Holland. Later,
his grandfather, Henry Tiel, moved to Greene
county, and was there a resident for most of
his life. His son, J. W. Tiel, the father of
the subject of this sketch, was born in the
same county, in 1825, and remained there till
of middle Hfe, when he moved with his famHy
to Newark, N. J. After living there for some
time the family moved to Matteawan, where
they were impelled owing to the hatting in
dustry, which was the trade of Mr. Tiel. A
little later Mr. Tiel went into the grocery busi
ness in Newburgh, and at an early age, and for
some time, Arthur acted as bookkeeper for his
father. About this time he made up his mind
to study medicine, and began this study in the
office of Dr. William Jones, of Newburgh.
In 1878 he was graduated from the Eclectic
Medical CoHege, of the city of New York.
Since that date he has followed his profession
at Matteawan, and has built up a large and
lucrative practice. He located at first on
Main street, opposite the depot, and in 1885
he established his office in his newly-built
residence, called " Beaconview, " situated on
Tioronda avenue, in full sight of North Beacon.
In 1880 Dr. Tiel was married to his first
wife. Miss EHa F.' R. Brown, daughter of
William H. Brown, a respected citizen of
Matteawan. She lived her married life only
fourteen months, and in 1885 the Doctor mar
ried Miss Elizabeth H, Badeau, daughter of

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

649

Joseph N. Badeau. They have two children:
Arthur David, born in 1887; and Helen Jose
phine, born in 1895.
The Doctor and his wife are both greatly
interested in various movements, social, relig
ious, educational and philanthropical, and have
ably assisted many a worthy enterprise. We
may note especially the Matteawan Public Li
brary, of which the Doctor is treasurer and sec
retary of the executive committee. They are
active members of the M. E. Church, and the
Doctor is recording steward, member of the
official board and president of the Epwoith
League, while for eight years he was superin
tendent of the Sunday-school. He has always
been a worker in the temperance cause, and
for some years has been a leader in the Prohibi-
tionparty in his locality, having beennominated
for every important office in his town and dis
trict. Among his professional brethren he is
also held in high esteem, and he is at present
secretary of the Hudson River District Eclec
tic Medical Society; in 1894 was treasurer of
the New York State Eclectic Medical Society,
and last year was its president. He was re
cently elected by the State board of Regents as
a member of the medical examining board, of
which he is secretary.
C\HARLES A. CAREw^a Vell-kncJwn resi- '
' dent of Millerton, Dutchess county, was
born October 15, 1846, in Reffroy, France;
his family is one of the oldest in that part of
the country. Claude Care, his grandfather,
was a cooper by trade, and followed this occu
pation successfully during his entire life,
accumulating a fair competence. He married
Marie Ann Boulard, and they had five chil
dren: Marie, Jannette, Margarette, Marie Ann
and Laurent. He died in France in 1861,
and his wife in 1859.
Laurent Care, our subject's father, was
born May 19, 18 19, and came to America in
1854. He married Justine Monory, and they
had three children: Aderal, Charles A., and
Clarice, who married Charles Pierson. Laurent
Care was a sawyer by trade, but had been
employed in France as a common laborer, in
getting timber out and making charcoal, and
other work of simHar kind, and possessing
good natural abilities and a laudable ambition,
he determined, if possible, to better his con
dition. On coming to this country he located
in the town of Beckett, Berkshire Co., Mass.

His wife died August 28, 1862, and ten years
later he accompanied his son Charles to Mil
lerton, where he died December 16, 1895.
He had been somewhat active in politics in
France, but while heartHy in sympathy with
the progress of his adopted country, he took
no part in public life.
The subject of our sketch attended the
schools of his native land for a few years be
fore coming to America, but his education was
mainly acquired in Berkshire county, Mass.,
at Beckett and Muddy Brook, near' Stock-
bridge. He received a good academic educa
tion, and has always been an intelligent reader,
especially fond of history. After leaving
school he assisted his father in the lumber
business, until his enlistment, August 28, 1864,
in Company G, Second Massachusetts Heavy
ArtiHery. He served until the close of the
war, being transferred, however, to Company
A, 17th Mass. V. I. Among the engagements
in which this gallant compatriot of La Fay
ette took part were the battles of Wises
Forks, N. C., in March, 1865; Kingston and
Goldsboro. On his return home in July, 1865,
he engaged in the hotel business at Pittsfield,
Mass., for four years. In April, 1872, he
came to MHIerton and opened a hotel in the
brick block, but after four years there he went
into the wood and coal business, which he car
ried on for three years. He then became a
clerk in the " Amenia House," in Amenia, and
a year later established his present business,
in which he- has been very successful. He ^
married Phoebe Ann Loring, daughter of ^
Chester O. Loring, a prominent citizen of '
Sheffield, Mass., and has had seven children: j
Charles A., Jr., deceased; Clarice; Florence; ^
Mamie; Eugene, deceased; Frankie, deceased;
and Fannie. I!
In public affairs Mr. Care has taken an ^
active and influential part, and has always .
worked for the welfare of the community. He
was a Democrat until 1876, but since that
time has given his support to the Republican
party. He is now deputy sheriff under Jerry
S. Pierce, and has been constable for some
years; was elected collector for the town of
Northeast by the largest majority given any
candidate on the Republican ticket. He is a
member of Webatuck Lodge No. 480, F. &
A. M., of the Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 319,
and of the Grand Army of the Republic, in
which he now holds the rank of adjutant of
Henry Gedley Post No. 617,

650

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

C\HARLES HAMILTON DAVIS, Jr., a
^1 prominent and representative citizen of
Amenia. Dutchess county, was born in Wor
cester county, Mass., March 8, 1840, a son of
Charles H. and Lucinda (Mundell) Davis, who
are the parents of four children, of whom our
subject is the eldest. The others are: George
H., who died in 1863; Ginery T., of Auburn-
dale, Mass. ; and Frank, who died in infancy.
The father, also a native of Worcester county,
Mass., wasborn in 18 10, and has there fol
lowed farming most of his life. He is still
living, and enjoys the respect and esteem of
all who know him.
In the district schools of his native county
our subject acquired his elementary education,
and completed his literary course at the Barre
Academy, in Barre, Mass., after which he
taught school for several years in that State.
In the spring of 1864, he entered the East
man Business College, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y.,
and on leaving that institution secured the po
sition of bookkeeper in the City National
Bank of Poughkeepsie, where he remained for
eight years.
In 1872, Mr. Davis located in Amenia,
where he has since served as assistant cashier
and notary public in the First National Bank.
During President Cleveland's first administra
tion, he was appointed national bank examiner
• for a term of four years, and for many years
served as justice of the peace at Amenia, in
fact holding the office as long as he would ac
cept of it. He is pubHc-spirited and progress
ive, faithfully discharging every duty of citi
zenship, and has hosts of friends throughout
the county. Politically, he is a stanch Demo
crat, and has been the nominee on his party's
ticket for county treasurer of Dutchess county.
Religiously, he holds membership with the Bap
tist Church at Amenia.
While a resident of Poughkeepsie, Mr.
Davis was united in marriage with Lucy E.
Harrington, who died in that city. Later, in
Worcester county, Mass., he wedded Miss
linnie R, Harrington, and they have one son,
'Robert S., born June 4, 1883.

pAi

^/*V\EORGE SEDGWICK NORTON. The
\^ history of the American branch of the
Norton family begins in the days of the Pilgrim
Fathers with the emigration of three brothers
of that name from the home of their ancestors,
near the border line between England and Scot

land. They landed at Plymouth Rock, and
while one son went farther west to locate at
Whitehall, N. Y., two settled in Berkshire
county, Mass., where their descendants have
maintained a high reputation for abihty and
public spirit.
The subject of this sketch is descended
from this Berkshire-county line, and his great-
• grandfather, Jonathan Norton, was among the
distinguished citizens of that locaHty in his
day, owning between two and three thousand
acres of land, and holding various positions of
honor and usefulness. In 1790 he was com
missioned captain in the State mHitia by John
Hancock, the immortal signer of the Declara
tion of Independence, who was at that time
governor of Massachusetts. Jonathan Norton
was a Whig in politics, and, with the excep
tion of one man who voted for George B. Mc
Clellan, his posterity at all times have sup
ported the Whig and Republican parties. He
married, and had three sons — Jonathan L.,
Roderick J. and Lyman — and two or three
daughters, all of whom married.
Roderick J. Norton, our subject's grand
father, possessed great natural abHity, and,
like his father, was a man of prominence. His
holdings in real estate were very extensive, and
he followed farming all his life. In local poli
tics he was very active, holding at different
times all the offices in his town and several in
the county. He and the majority of his fam
ily were leading members of the Congrega
tional Church. His wife, Rhoda (Johnson),
was a member of an old Granville, Mass.,
family, daughter of Charles and granddaughter
of Timothy Johnson. They had seven chil
dren, of whom the first, Roderick J., died in
childhood. Isaac was treasurer and clerk of
the town of Otis, Berkshire county, for fifty-
two years without being required to furnish a
bond, and his term of service only ended at
his death, when he was ninety-four years old.
Elam was at one time sheriff of the county,
and was trial justice for twenty-five years, and
justice of the peace for seventy years, being
elected at the age of twenty-one, and holding
the office until bis death, which occurred when
he was ninety-one. Unlike the rest of the
family, he was an Episcopalian. Harriet mar
ried Robert Hunter, of Berkshire county. Rod
erick Hyde is mentioned more fully below.
Sedgwick died at twenty-one years of age.
George was a harness maker of the town ot
Otis, Berkshire county, and lived to the age

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

651

of seventy-seven years. Roderick J. Norton
died in 1848, and his wife in 1858.
Roderick Hyde Norton, our subject's fa
ther, was born at the old home March 19,
1809, and was intended for the ministry; but
on account of financial reverses his education
was interrupted, and at twenty-one he began
teaching, which occupation he followed suc
cessfully some forty years. His first school
was at Claverack, Columbia Co., N. Y., where
he met and married his first wife, Harriet
Bierce, who was born in 1808 in an old brick
house on the post road between Ghent and
Hudson. Her father, Bradford Bierce, was a
prominent resident of the town. After two
years in Claverack, Mr. Norton returned to
his native place, and for many years taught at
Otis, Mass., becoming known as one of the
ablest teachers of that region. For twenty-
five years he was chairman of the examining
committee, was a selectman of the town for
many years, and was a deacon in the Congre
gational Church. The last ten years of his
life were spent at Egremont, Mass, , in agricult
ural pursuits. His first wife died August 17,
1 86 1, and he formed a second matrimonial
alliance with Miss Dora Van Buren (a second
cousin of President Van Buren), of Stockport,
Columbia Co., N. Y. She departed this life
in 1882, and on October 12 of the foHowing
year he breathed his last. There was no off
spring by the last marriage, but his first wife
bore him four children, of whom three grew to
adult age. (i) Isaac F. was given good ad
vantages in his youth, and became wealthy.
For some years he was a merchant at Egre
mont, Mass., but later traveled as a salesman.
(2) Bradford B. followed mercantile pursuits
for some years at Blandford, Mass. , and East
Winsted, Conn., afterward removing to Gold
HHl, Nev., where he acquired great wealth,
owning a large ranch and holding an interest
in many valuable properties. He was treas
urer and secretary of eight different mining
companies. He possessed great influence in
political circles, and in 1880 was urged to ac
cept the nomination for governor. Against
his own wish he undertook the campaign, and
was defeated by but a very small majority.
In the following year his death occurred
through overwork.
(3) George S. Norton, the youngest son,
was born at Otis, Mass., August 19, 1841, and
his educational advantages were confined to
three years and four months attendance at the

district schools; but he has so thoroughly in-^t
formed himself upon important topics of the day
that these limitations would not be suspected.
At the age of eleven he was put to work upon
the farm, and practically placed in charge, and
when he was fifteen he raised 500 bushels of
potatoes and 100 of corn. In the fall of 1859
he apprenticed himself to J. L. Fatro, of Win
sted, Conn., for two years, at $50 for the
entire term, in order to learn the blacksmith's
trade. Before the expiration of his term in
had become proficient in the business, and he
AprH, 1 86 1, he opened a shop in Egremont,
Mass., where he spent one year. He then
went to CollinsvHle, Conn., and worked for
Mr. Shook six months, forging plow standards,
afterward returning home for a year. On re
suming his trade he went to Salisbury to work
for Mr. Pratt; but after four months, ill health
caused him to choose another occupation, and
he went "on the road" selling a "Life of
Lincoln." Six months later he widened his
field of operations, selling jewelry, sHverware
and cigars, in which he continyed successfully
untH 1875. During the previous year he had
bought the hotel at Pawling, known as "Trav
elers' Home," which he had been carrying on
in connection with his other business, and on
leaving the road he gave his attention to its
management. For two years he conducted a
jewelry store also. In 1880 he engaged in the
business of shipping ice to New York City, and
after the sale of the hotel to Frank Lee, in
1 88 1, he carried on the retail ice business un
til 1896, when he sold out and began contract
ing to do various kinds of work, chiefly the
transplanting of trees. In this he is remarka
bly successful, having moved shade trees which
were fifty feet high and fifteen iches in diameter.
On August 22, 1870, Mr. Norton was mar
ried to Miss Siche Doughty, daughter of Peter
D. and Emma Doughty, prominent residents
of Beekman, and he has a pleasant home in
Pawling, his present residence, built in 1881,
being one of the finest in the village. Aside
from his business activities, in which his
success has won for him a high reputation for
good judgment, Mr. Norton is interested in all
movements of public importance, and was
among the leading promoters of the plans for
the incorporation of the village and the con
struction of the water works. In politics he
is active and influential, giving his support to
the Republican party, and he has held all
offices except those of supervisor and deputy

652

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

sheriff, and for eleven years he has been justice
of the peace. Although often urged to become
a candidate for supervisor, he has declined.
For twenty-five years he has been chairman of
the town committee, and for three years chair
man of the Assembly committee of the First
District, and for a quarter of a century he has
attended every Assembly convention but one,
and most of the county conventions. He has
been a member of the I. O. O. F. for twenty-
one years, and is now an active worker in
Lodge No. 173, Patterson. At one time he
held the office of noble grand, and he has
passed the chair fifteen times.

DW. WILBUR, one of the able and ener
getic business men of Red Hook, Dutchess
county, who have made that charming village
a thriving commercial point, is descended from
one of the oldest families of Dutchess county.
His great-great-grandfather, Jeptha Wilbur,
was one of the earliest settlers of the Nine Part
ners Patent in tjiat county. He had a son Jep
tha (2), who had a son Samuel, born in March,
1782, who married Elizabeth Hicks, whose
birth occurred in 1786. Samuel Wilbur died
at the age of forty-five, but his wife attained the
ripe old age of ninety-five. They reared a fam
ily of five sons and three daughters, and three of
the number are still living. One of the sons,,
Jeptha S. Wilbur, our subject's father, was born
in the town of Pine Plains, October 29, 1818.
He married Miss Mary J. Story, and made his
home in his native township, where D. W.
Wilbur was born January 18, 1857. The
schools of that locality furnished our subject
an opportunity for securing the rudiments of
knowledge, and he afterward took a course of
study in the De Garmo Institute, Rhinebeck.
On his return home he assisted in the develop
ment and cultivation of the farm, until he
reached the age of twenty-five, when he removed
to Red Hook and entered into the coal and
lumber business with his father-in-law, H. H.
Conklin, under the firm name of H. H. Conk
lin & Co., which was continued until the death
of the senior partner, August i, 1883. Since
that time Mr. Wilbur has conducted the busi
ness as the sole owner. In addition to this, he
is also engaged in the coal trade in Poughkeep
sie under the firm name of Wilbur Bros; is
president of the Kaal Rock Chair Co. , of Pough
keepsie, and secretary and treasurer of the Red
Hook Telephone Company.

On November 17, 1881, our subject was
married to Miss Mary G. Conklin, a daughter of
Henry H. and Ann Eliza (Gifford) ConkHn. Her
birth occurred in Red Hook, April 7, 1857, and
she received her elementary schooling there,
afterward supplementing it with a course in the
De Garmo Institute, Rhinebeck, from which she
was graduated in 1875. For -several years
prior to her marriage Mrs. WHbur was a teacher
in the public school of Red Hook, and was very
successful in her professional work. Mr. and
Mrs. Wilbur have no children. Their home is
pleasantly located on South Broadway, Red
Hook, where their many friends enjoy their
hospitality. The Wilburs from the earliest in the line
down to the present time have been enter
prising and industrious citizens, leaving a re
cord of which the coming generation may justly
be proud.

C\LEMENT CARRINGTON GAINES, pres-
'I ident of Eastman Business College, at
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, and of the
New York Business College, New York City,
is one of the noted educators of the State, and
indeed, we may say of the country, the high
reputation of the institutions under his care
bringing students from all parts of the Union,
and also from foreign lands.
He is a native of Virginia, and enjoyed the
best educational opportunities afforded by the
schools of that State. After graduating from
Hampden Sidney College, Virginia, he began
his professional career at eighteen years of age
as a teacher in the Fincastle (Va.) High School,
and his time during the next seven years was
divided between teaching in Virginia and Ken
tucky, studying in a law office, and at the Uni
versity of Virginia, with finally a business
course in Eastman Business College. At both
these institutions he was duly graduated, and
in 1883 he went to Chicago, was admitted to
the bar, and entered upon the practice of law.
In the following year a position upon the Fac
ulty of Eastman Business College was offered
him, and as the profession of teaching had al
ways seemed to him to be of the highest value
and importance, he accepted. Since his mar
riage, in October, 1884, to the widow of H. G,
Eastman, he has been the head of the institu
tion. Under his management the interests of
the college have been ably cared for, the stan-

0

^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

658

co-operation and encouragement are always
given to any movement which in his opinion
will promote the public welfare.

JOHN WILLIAMS, a leading hardware
merchant of Dover Plains, Dutchess coun
ty, has been for many years prominently
identified with the best interests of that town,
and has encouraged by his active and efficient
aid many of the most important progressive
movements in his locality. He is of English
birth, and on his mother's side is descended from
an old Lancashire family.
Robert Samulshaw, his great-grandfather,
was born in that county in 1758, and after re
ceiving an education in the schools of his na
tive place learned the tailor's trade, which he
followed throughout his later years. He also
owned and cultivated a farm there. Among
his eleven children was a son, William, our
subject's grandfather, who learned the tailor's
trade with his father, and after working at it
in his native town for some time removed to
Liverpool, England, and established a custom-
tailoring business, which proved very success
ful. His wife's name is not known, but they
also had eleven children. A daughter, Mary,
our subject's mother, was born in Wigan,
Lancashire, and was educated there. She
married William Williams, a native of Llan
gollen, Wales, who at the time of their mar
riage owned a large bakery in Liverpool.
Nine children were born to them: Robert,
who died in his youth; William, who married
Addie Delaverne; John, our subject; Jane
(Mrs. John Lewis) ; JEllen (Mrs. Andrew John
ston); Mary, who married (first) George Rey
nolds, and (second) Mr. Scott; Elizabeth, the
wife of William Frost; Susanna, who died at
the age of nine years; and one that died in
infancy. The subject of our sketch was born in
Liverpool in 1836, received a good education
in the schools of that city, and learned the art
of brass finishing there. In 1858 he came to
America, locating for a time in Amenia, Dutch
ess county, where he learned the tinsmith's
trade. WhHe there he married Miss Martha
Harrocks, daughter of Robert and Ellen Frost
Harrocks. She was born and reared in Bury,
England, where her father was a well-known
merchant. In 1872 Mr. Williams established
his present hardware store and tinshop at
Dover Plains, of which he has made a success

dard of scholarship having been raised in all
departments, and the range of usefulness ex
tended. In 1895 there were students enrolled
from thirty-eight States and Territories and
eleven foreign countries, making a favorable
comparison in point of wide-spread popularity
in its special lines with that enjoyed by the
most famous of institutions of the higher edu
cation in the country. Such a marked degree
of success could not have been attained with
out an adequate cause, and this is found in
the original and practical features of the East
man system; faithful and well-directed work
in the class room; and the sincere and ener
getic efforts made to secure desirable employ
ment for every worthy pupil. In this feature
of his work the excellent character of instruc
tion offered is of great assistance, as business
men in search of competent assistants have
already proved beyond a doubt the worth of
the practical training given in this school.
In December, 1892, Mr. Gaines opened
the New York Business College, at No. 81
East 125th street. New York, N. Y. Less
than a dozen students were in attendance at
the start, but each succeeding year has more
than doubled the enrollment, and in October,
1895, there were so many applications that
more space and an enlarged corps of teachers
became necessary. Both day and night ses
sions are held, and students of either sex may
enter at any time, selecting whatever branches
they may prefer, both in the strictly business
courses and in the line of general culture.
Mr. Gaines is a descendant of several of
the earliest Virginia families. One of his an
cestors was one of the first governors of the
Colony; two others were members of the House
of Burgesses in Colonial times, representing
Charlotte county, Virginia, who were among
the supporters of Patrick Henry in his heroic
efforts in the cause of independence. The
family still own extensive plantations, and are
prominent in their locality; but like the ma
jority of the Southern people they suffered
financially from the Civil war.
Although Mr. Gaines belongs to several
clubs and organizations of a social and literary
nature, he finds but little time for society,
and his business cares have prevented him
likewise from entering the political arena. He
has, however, served as a member of the board
of education of Poughkeepsie, and has been a
member of the executive committee of the
Board of Trade of that city; while his hearty

654

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

from the first. His wife passed from earth in
1891, leaving two daughters: Hattie S., the
wife of Frank H. Brant, and Mary E. , who is
at home. The family is prominent, socially, and our
subject's fine bass voice is highly appreciated
among the best people of Dover Plains. He
is a member of the Baptist Church, and in its
choir makes worthy use of his musical gifts.
He belongs to the Masonic Lodge, No. 666,
of Dover Plains, and has always taken great
interest in public affairs, local and national.
Possessing the courage of his convictions, he
is an outspoken Democrat, and he has been
chosen by his fellow townsmen to several
official positions. He was inspector of elections
for a number of years, and on one occasion
his honesty, courage, and persistence saved
his party from being " counted out."

JOHN DUTCHER, one of the most trusted
employes of the Harlem railroad, upon
which he has run an engine for over twenty
years, is an honored veteran of the Civil war,
having been one of the first to join the forces
for the defense of the Union, and one of the
last to leave the service at the close of the
struggle. He was born in Dover Plains, Dutch
ess county, July 16, 1841, and his parents,
John and Catherine (Elliot) Dutcher, were
both natives of the town of Dover, Dutchess
county. On the maternal side he is of Eng
lish descent, his great-great-grandfather, Sam
uel Elliot, having been born in the city of Lon
don early in the eighteenth century. The Elli
ots of that day were engaged in commerce,
owning a fleet of sailing vessels, and this an
cestor came to America as a young man, be
came a merchant and settled in Dutchess coun
ty, marrying, and rearing a family, among whom
was a son, Samuel, our subject's great-grand
father. He was born in the town of Dover in
1740, and spent his Hfe there quietly in agri
cultural pursuits. He married Catherine Gil-
let, •{ Norwalk, Conn,, and had six chHdren:
Richard, who never married; Jonathan, who
died in infancy; Anna (Mrs. Morrey); Eliza
beth (Mrs, Neilson); Sarah (Mrs. Ward); and
Samuel, our subject's grandfather, who was
born and reared at the old homestead in the
town of Dover, and followed farming. His
wife was Miss Delia Dart, the daughter of a
prominent farmer of Dover, and they had five
children, all of whom lived to maturity and

married: Enos married Miss Mary Brown-
Charles, Miss Calista Chamberlain; Juda,
Sherman MaHory; Samuel, Miss Gibbs; and
Catherine (our subject's mother), who was born
in 1817. Our subject's father, John Dutcher,
was a son of Cornelius Dutcher, a leading agri
culturist of the town of Dover, and his wife
Ruth. Of the seven children, all but one lived
to adult age. (i) Ruth married John Proper,
of Hudson, and has had four children: Samuel,
who died when about twenty-four years of age;
Alfred, who married Nellie Blood; Jennie, the
wife of Walter Davis; and Frank, who married
Elizabeth McGarry. (2) AmeHa never mar
ried. (3) Mercy married John Cameron. (4)
Jennie married William J. White, and has tvvo
chHdren — Mary Ella and Catherine C. (5)
John is the subject of this sketch. (6) Enos
married (first) Estella Brewer, who died, leav
ing one daughter. Bertha, and he then formed
a second matrimonial union, this time with
Mrs. Sophia Sailor. (7) Vaness died at the
age of four years. John Dutcher, the father,
died in 1856.
The subject of this sketch has spent the
greater part of his life at his native place, re
ceiving his education there and later engaging
in farming. After three years at that occupa
tion he enlisted, in August, 1861, in Company
C, 72d N. Y. V. I., and took part in cam
paigns under McClellan, Halleck, Burnside,
Grant and others. He was in the engage
ments at Williamsburg, and Yorktown, the
second battle of Bull Run, the seven-days'
fight at Richmond, and the retreat to Harrison
Landing — in fact, his regiment was engaged in
fighting all of the time. . When Halleck took
command the regiment was sent to Mine
Run, then to Spottsylvania, then back to
Chancellorsville, and participated in the bat
tles at Fredericksburg, under Burnsides, and at
Spottsylvania C. H., under Grant. WhHe at
that place Mr. Dutcher was taken prisoner,
and remained a prisoner of war five months,
being confined the greater part of this time at
Andersonville, Ga., and on his release rejoined
the army. At the close of the war he was
sent west as member of the 5th Regiment
U. S. v., and was mustered out at Fort
Kearney, Kans., in 1865. Fortunately he
passed through all the dangers of those trying
years without serious injury, having been
wounded but once, and that slightly, by a
piece of shell. He was promoted to the rank
of sergeant.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

655

On his return from the army Mr. Dutcher
went to New York City to take a position on
the police force, which he held five years. He
then resigned and came back to his native
place, entering the employ of the Harlem
Railroad Company, with which he has now
been connected about a quarter of a century,
working first as brakeman and fireman, and
since 1875 as engineer. He is now in charge
of an engine on a passenger train, and stands
high in the confidence of his employers and
the public. He belongs to the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers, the Masonic Lodge
of Dover, No. 666, and to the Independent Or
der of Good Templars, Dover Lodge. Al
though his tastes are domestic, and he appre
ciates the repose of home life, he has never
married.

r^EORGE ROGER, the able and popular
^^ postmaster at MiHerton, Dutchess county,
and one of the most prominent of the younger
men of the town, was born August 29, 1855,
in Kirkmichael, Scotland, which has been the
home of his famHy for many generations. His
grandfather, WiHiam Roger, was a miller
there, and was killed in a mill in the year
1822, leaving his wife, Mary Hunter (who
survived until 1862), and three children —
Mary, Jane and David, our subject's father.
David Roger was born in 18 10, and for
about thirty years was a gardener in the em
ploy of the Ferguson family, being head gar
dener for some time previous to his coming to
America, in 1873. He married Janet Bone,
daughter of Quintin Bone, of Paisley, and had
eleven children: WiHiam and Quintin (both
deceased); Janet (Mrs. William Allen); Mary
(Mrs. Thomas Moore); Agnes (Mrs. John
Dempey); John, a gardener at Spencer's Cor
ners; James and David (twins), the former of
whom is the depot agent at Rosslyn Castle,
Scotland, the latter being now a clerk in the
Colonial Bank, at Dunedin, New Zealand;
Robert, a gardener at Millerton; Marian, the
wife of Freeman Traver; and George, the sub
ject of this sketch. After coming to this coun
try David Roger and his wife made their home
with their sons, John and Robert, and he was
was not regularly engaged in amy work. He
died in 1892, followed a year later by his wife.
Both were devout Presbyterians, and their
children all adhere to the same faith.

George Roger received a good education
in the schools of his native land, and taught
as a pupil teacher for one year, but finding
the occupation injurious to his health he en
gaged work in a railroad office for a short
time. He accompanied his parents to this
country, and his first employment here was as
bookkeeper for C. S. Maltby, he and Mr.
Manning entering his service in the same year,
1873. Mr. Roger resigned after two years,
but in 1880 returned to the firm, retaining his
position untH 1893. In 1894 he was appointed
postmaster by President Cleveland for the
term of four years, and his efficient management
of the office has won the praise of all classes.
He has also held the office of excise commis
sioner, and he is a prominent worker in the
Democratic organization of his locality. It is
not often that a stranger can so quickly gain
the confidence of an entire community, but
Mr. Roger's character and abilities are of a
sort to command esteem.
He was married, in 1882, to Miss Mary I.
E. Ward, daughter of Alfred Ward, of Dur
ham, England, and they have five chHdren :
Isabel, Janet, Marion, David and Margaret.
Mr. Roger attends the Presbyterian Church,
and is a member of Webatuck Lodge No. 480,
F. & A. M. (in which he has been master for
two years), and of Poughkeepsie Chapter; he
also belongs to MiHerton Lodge No. 383, I.
O. O. F., and is now noble grand in that
body.

C\AMPBELL N. HICKS, a well-known busi-
^1 ness man of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
and proprietor of a livery stable there, was
born September 10, 1855, in the town of Stan
ford. His father, Eli Hicks, was a native of
Clermont, Columbia county, married Miss
Margaret A, Waters, of Binghamton, Broome
county, and reared a family of nine children.
The subject of our sketch received his educa
tion in Brooklyn, N. Y. , and after completing
his course learned the butcher's trade. He
then engaged in business for himself at Red
Hook, in partnership with George Cramer, to
whom he sold his interest two and a half years
later. Sinqe that time he has conducted a
stage and livery business, and holds the con
tract for carrying the U. S. mail.
On October 28, 1874, he was married to
Miss Mary E. Hutton, a daughter of Jacob and

656

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Lydia Hutton, prominent residents of Red
Hook. Two children were born of this union:
Byron N., December 2, 1876, and Margaret
B., June 9, 1882. Mr. Hicks takes an active
part in local affairs, and has been overseer of
the poor for one term, and town clerk for two
terms, discharging his duties with the faithful
ness which has characterized him in every line
of effort. Hfi is a member of the I. O. O. F.,
Christian Lodge No. 379, of Red Hook, in
which he is past grand, and of Shiloh Encamp
ment No. 68, holding the office of chief pa
triarch.

S\AMUEL HOLMES BROWN, a promi-
) nent citizen of Poughkeepsie, and one of
the leading members of the Dutchess County
Bar, is a descendant of a well-known family
which has been identified with this section for
more than a century.
Noah Brown, his great-grandfather, who
was of Scotch ancestry, had his early home at
Johnstown, N. Y. He married Lois MHls,
Sfeptember 20, 1783, the two starting upon
their united career with but little capital ex
cept their health, their strong common sense
and industrious habits. , Not long after their
marriage they moved to Dutchess county and
settled upon a tract of land at or near the
Square, about two miles northwest of Amenia
City, and there Mr. Brown conducted a farm,
a hotel and a tannery. They prospered as
they deserved, and in 1817 they purchased a
fine farm two miles south of the site of the
present village of Millerton, a part of what is
known as the Edgar Clark farm. Mr. Brown's
well-proved abilities were devoted mainly to
his business affairs, and he never, in any sense,
took a position which would call him from his
family, yet he felt a keen interest in public
affairs, and filled several local offices with
credit to himself and satisfaction to the pub
lic. After the towns of Amenia and Northeast
were divided, he was elected, April i, 1823,
to act as one of the first assessors of the latter.
He served in the 6th Regular Dutchess County
MHitia, of Charlotte Precinct, under Col. Ros
well Hopkins and Capt. Waters. His death
occurred May 11, 1841, when he was seventy-
eight years old, and that of his wife October
3, 1849, when she was aged eighty-six; their
final resting place is in the family lot in Spen
cer's Corner burying yard, north of Millerton,
N. Y They had six children, whose names

with dates of birth and death are here given:
Noan M., June, 1784 — June 22, 1822; Sam
uel, AprH 20, 1785— January 5, 1870; Sally,
May 21, 1787— February 13, 1876; Betsey,
October 28, 1791 — May 19, 1888; George,
February 16, 1794 — October 18, 1878; Har
riet, March 29, 1800 — June 24, 1876.
Samuel Brown, our subject's grandfather,
was a man of far more than the average ability
and foresight, and while conducting several
farms carried on successfully a number of busi
ness enterprises, including a tannery. Among
some of the farms owned by him is what is
known as the ' ' Halstead farm ", near Mt. '
Riga Station, the "David Eggleston farm", /
situated between Millerton and Boston Cor- |
ners, the "Hopkins farm", situated between
Millerton and Salisbury, and the " Rudd farm",
at the head of Rudd pond. Although he was
judiciously economical in his management of
his private affairs, he was ready to respond
liberally to any public need, and showed in
many ways a hearty sympathy with the inter
est of his fellows. In 1828 he was one of a
building committee to erect the " New Baptist
church " at Spencer's Corner, which was dedi
cated the following year, and was used until
1 866, when the congregation decided to estab
lish a place of worship at MiHerton. Samuel
Brown's wife, Sally (Clark), whom he wedded
February 20, 181 3, was a daughter of Ezra
Clark, a prosperous farmer near Millerton, who
came from Lisbon, Conn., about the time of
the Revolution. She died July 18, 1859, aged
seventy-one years, five months, nine days.
Their children were as follows: Mary, born
February 20, .1815, died AprH 16, 1875; Milan,
born July 22, 18 16, now living; Milton, born
September 26, 1818, died April 9, 1881; and
Douglas Clark, born July 23, 1822, died
March 19, 1871.
Milton Brown, our subject's father, became
a successful agriculturist at the "Hopkins
farm ", already referred to. He, in appear
ance, favored the mother's side of the family.
In looks he reminded one much of Hon. Will
iam M. Evarts, and there is no question in the
mind of any one who knew him well that he
was a man of marked ability and business
courage and capacity. He was not only a
farmer, but branched out into other enter
prises. He had the full confidence of all who
knew him, and his advice was sought by many.
His careful methods brought him a competency
for himself and family. For his first wife he

I I I
I I I

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

657

I married Selina H. Wheeler, daughter of Milton
I Wheeler, a prosperous farmer. This marriage
was blessed with one chHd, Mary E. , who was
born July 14, 1845. Selina H. died March 30,
1848. In September 14, 1864, Mary E. mar
ried WilHam H. Hart, a dentist, who prac
ticed his profession at that time at Millerton,
but afterward moved to Hudson, N. Y. , where
she died March 30, 1868. She left her sur
viving one child, Clarence, who died July 29,
1877. On November 21, 1849, Miltjpn Brown
married Miss Phcebe Holmes, daughter of
Reuben Holmes, a prosperous farmer of Mt.
Pleasant, near MHIerton, N. Y. They had
: one son, Samuel Holmes.
I The subject of this sketch was born and
I reared on the "Hopkins farm", helped in the
'" farm work and attended the local schools dur
ing his early boyhood. As he grew older he
was given better educational advantages at
Amenia Seminary, Cazenovia Seminary, the
Troy Business College and the Albany State
Normal School; but before entering the latter
institution he clerked for a short period in a
store at MHIerton, and was employed as a
bookkeeper in a wholesale flourmill at Water
ford, N. Y. On leaving the Normal School,
in 1876, he went to Newark, N. J., and taught
for a year and a half in a business college,
meantime preparing himself for the position
of a court stenographer. That calling he fol
lowed successfully for some time; but in that
as in all his other enterprises he was actuated
by the hope of finally entering the legal pro
fession. His father had always discouraged
the idea, hoping that he would settle down on
the old homestead. In 1881 Mr. Brown be
gan the study of law with Hon. Milton A.
Fowler, of Poughkeepsie, and September 14,
1883, he was duly admitted to the bar. He
immediately established himself in practice at
Poughkeepsie, with a branch office at Miller
ton, and he soon attained prominence in his
chosen work, much important litigation — civH
and criminal — passing through his hands.
Mr. Brown is an able business man, and
has been engaged in several enterprises, nota
bly the Millerton National Bank, the stock of
which he was one of the first to subscribe for,
and of whose board of directors he was a mem
ber. Later he was made a director of the
Farmers' and Manufacturers' National Bank of
Poughkeepsie. He was also one of the organ
izers of the Hallock & Duryee FertHizer Co. ,
of Mattituck, L. I., and of several other cor

porations. At his father's death, in 188 1, he
succeeded to the homestead, and he afterward,
acquired the "George R. Winchell farm" and
the "John D. Kerley farm " adjoining. Until
1 890 he was extensively engaged in raising live
stock, and dairying; but he has since disposed
of all his farms, and now gives his entire time
to his profession.
On October 30, 1877, Mr. Brown married
Clara Lefferts Duryee, daughter of John
Wyckoff Duryee, and his wife, Elizabeth T.
(Verity), who resided near Mattituck, L. I.,
and were formerly of New Utrecht, N. Y. ;
both descended from old families of Long
Island, the Duryees being descendants of the
famous Huguenot family who arrived in this
country in 1675. For some time after their
marriage Mr. and Mrs. Brown lived at Newark,
N. J., and on the homestead near Millerton;
but in the fall of 1887, they, with Mr. Brown's
mother, moved to Poughkeepsie, where they
now reside. In politics, Mr. Brown is a Re
publican, and he has been a member of the
board of supervisors of Dutchess county for
several years. In 1893 he was the president
of the Lincoln Republican League Club of
Poughkeepsie. In 1 894 he was the first choice
of a large number of delegates to the Republi
can County Convention, for the office of Dis
trict Attorney of his county. In the fall of
1896, the Republican party of the city of
Poughkeepsie got into a bitter factional fight
over local matter, and a strife between lead
ers. It was not only carried into primaries
and conventions, but was also carried on up
to and including election day. Mr. Brown
devoted much time to this matter, and it is
generally conceded that it was owing much to
his efforts that the Republican city ticket was
saved from defeat. He is also regarded as an
able, instructive, interesting, and amusing
political speaker, and he has done much for
his party in that direction.
In the summer of 1896, in company with
his wife, he spent his vacation in traveling ex
tensively in Europe. His letters to the pub
lic press received much favorable comment,
and showed him to be a keen observer and
possessed of the rare faculty, as a writer, of
being able to give a graphic idea of what he
saw in a very few words — painting a picture
with a very few lines. His genial manner,
industry and strong common sense have sur
rounded him with many friends, clients and
well wishers.

-658

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

JAMES FINCH, an enterprising and success-
fulmerchant of Millerton, Dutchess county,
- has shown in his conquest of unfavorable
circumstances in early life all those admirable
qualities of courage and perseverance which
mark tbe self-made business man.
Caleb Finch, grandfather of our subject,
was descended from one of four brothers of
the name, who came to America from England
some time in the eighteenth century. He set
tled in the town of Ancram, Columbia Co.,
N. Y., and followed blacksmithing there dur
ing the rest of his life. He was the father of
six children, allof whom lived to adult age,
riamely: John, Ebenezer, James, Betsey (Nlrs.
Amos Bryan), Alma (Mrs. Ambrose Gray), and
Laura (Mrs. William Van Alstine).
James Finch, our subject's father, was
born in the town of Ancram, Columbia county,
on July 14, 1789, and after the death of their
father, he and his brother, John, owned and
farmed the old homestead together. Possessed
of good natural ability, h'e held a prominent
place in the community. He married Almira
Card, who was born in Ancram on October 23,
1.791, the daughter of Stephen Card, who was
of English origin. Six children were born of
this marriage, as follows: Betsey, Septem
ber 27, 181 2, married Eli Collins; Bryan,
April 23, 1814, married Mary Thorne, daugh
ter of Richard Thorne, and settled in Tomp
kins county, where he died, leaving three chil
dren; Caleb, November 13, 18 16, located in
Tompkins county, where lie died in 1852;
Sally, January 5, 1819, married' Smith Stew
art; Elisha, March 21, 1823, died at the age
of fourteen; and James, our subject. The fa
ther of this family died in the latter part of
1827, and his widow married William Tanner.
She died July 6, 1844.
The subject of our sketch was born at the
old Finch homestead April 8, 1827, and at
tended the district schools at Pulver's Corners,
receiving a good English education. He re
mained at home with his step-father until the
age of twenty-two, being employed for one
year, and then worked upon the farm of his
brother-in-law, Eli Collins, for two years. In
1853 he went to Dryden, N. Y. , and learned
the details of the manufacture of fanning mHls,
working at the trade for two years and a half.
Returning to Mr. Collins' farm, he worked there
for a time, and later found employment in the
Bryant Fanning Millshop. Inthe fall of 1857
he began clerking, first for Herman W. Pulver,

at Pulver's Corners, and then for IJarrison
Jones, at Millerton, but hjs brother-in-law dy
ing in 1 86 1, he was engaged for ope yjear ijj
looking after his sister's business Interest.s,
On March 28, i'863;'he entered the general
store o? E. W. Simmons & Co., as clerk,"the
firm consisting of Mr! Sinimons, J. M! Beije-
dict and S. N. Jenks.' He ' contmued uiitjj
1877, when the firm' failed,' and as he'had 'ijot
drawn his wages for'some time^'he took the
business in payment. In spite of this some
what inauspicious beginning, he made a suc
cess of the venture, and has given the busi
ness a much larger scope than it formerly had,
adding to the stock a large line of fupitujre".
It is now one of the largest houses in its line
in the northeastern part of the countyr On
Monday night, August 2, 1880, his store was
broken open by three burglars, .who bound anci
gagged Mr. Finch,' and compeHed him to go
thus to his office and open his safe, from which
they took about $1,300.00. This was an ex
perience which but few men could undergo
with the courage and " pluck " sjiown by Mr.
Finch. In politics he is a Republican, and has al
ways taken a great interest in the success of
his party. He has been town clerk for two
terms, and is one of the most earnest advo
cates of improvement in local affairs.

¥ALENTINE RICKES, one of the leading
 mechapics of Dutchess county, now en
gaged in blacksmithing at MiHbrook, town of
Washington, was born November 3, 1836, in
Hegenheim, Germany, a son of Valentine, Sr.,
and Anna Mary (Carch) Rickes, both natives
of Germany. Valentine Rickes, Sr., was born in 1800,
and spent his entire life in Germany, engaged
in the hotel business, and also as owner of a
bakery, when enjoying the privileges of a
civilian; in times of trouble, however, he was
a sharpshooter in the German army. He
married Anna Mary Carch, one of the three
children of Christian Carch, a native of Ger
many, born about 1766. To Mr and Mrs.
Rickes, Sr. , were born twelve children — ten
boys and two girls — who grew to maturity.
Four of the ten boys were college graduates,
and three of the ten came to America. The
father of this family died in 1867; the mother
is still living.
Valentine Rickes, the subject proper of

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

659

this sketch, spent his boyhood in Germany,
and upjH the age of fourteen attended the excel-
lept public schools of that country. For two
years hp served an apprenticeship at the black
smith trade, under Peter Schryver, learning all
the details and mastering the art of making
horse ,shpes in the finest style. Having com
pleted jiis trade at the age of sixteen, he came
to America, in company with his brother
Ffank, and settled in Connecticut, where for
two years he foHowed his trade. In 1854 or
'55, he removed to Mechanic, Dutchess coun
ty, and here for four years was heard the busy
sound of his hajnmer and anvH. On February
7, 1858, he was united in marriage with Miss
Ellen Butler (an account of whose ancestry
wiH be found in the sketch of her brother, Ed
mond Butler), a native of County Waterford,
Ir,eland, born May 25, 1841. At the age of
twelve years she was brought to this country
by her mother, who returned to Ireland aijd
there died, leaving her little daughter Ellen in
the care of her brother Edmond. After at
tending the public schools of the town of
Washington for a couple of years, she cared
for herself unfil her marriage with Mr. Rickes,
to whom she has been a devoted helpmeet.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Rickes re
mained at Mechanic for a year, then for two
years they resided at Rhinebeck, at the end of
which time our subject temporarily laid aside
the cares of business, and visited the old home
in the Fatherland, where still resided his fa
ther, and several of his brothers and sisters.
Truly a happy reunion after eleven years of
absence. On his return from Germany, he
and his wife again settled in Mechanic, re
maining three years, then coming to Millbrook,
where he followed his trade for four years.
At this time Mr. Rickes purchased 125
acres of fine land in the town of Unionvale,
and for seventeen years carried on farming;
wearying of this, he again returned to Mill
brook, and for one year followed his trade,
whHe his >yife carried on the farm. They
purchased a pleasant location in Millbrook,
and erected a neat, Gothic house, also
a commodious and well-arranged carriage
house, and are now enjoying life on the fruits
of their early toil. Mr. Rickes still carries on
his business with the assistance of two men.
To Mr. and Mrs. Rickes were born three chil
dren: (i) Edward, who for nine years has
been in the employ of Swift & Co. , at Kansas
City, and is now thtir hog buyer; he married

Miss Mamie Hopson, daughter of Dr. Hopson,
of Kansas City. (2) Charles, who is pow
farming the old homestead in the town of
Unionvale; he married Miss Mamie Cutler, of
that town, and has one chHd — Valentine. (3)
Anna Mary, the only daughter, who iparried
Cassius M. Couch, of Poughquag, and has
three children — Bessie, Edmond and Ellen
Stack. Mr. Rickes was the first man to open busi
ness in what is now Millbrook. He purchased
the ground on which the Catholic Church and
parsonage now stands, and also the gro.uncj
on which is located the present Catholic ceme
tery. The ground was bought for $600 per
acre. On this he erected a large blacksmith,
wagon and paint shop, and also the parsonage
which is now occupied by Rev. Father Burns.
The lumber used in these buildings was hauled
by team from Poughkeepsie, and there was
but one other building on the present site of
Millbrook. Mr. Rickes has ever been one of
the active, energetic men of the community,
and is highly respected for his many manly
qualities. In politics he is a Republican, and
he is a member of the Roman CathoHc
Church.

JOHN CAMPBELL. The family name of
the subject of this sketch was identified for
many years with some of the leading inter
ests of the town of Northeast, Dutchess coun
ty, and has become associated with the qualities
which win success. The first American ances
tor came from Scotland at an early date, and
enlisted and served in the Revolutionary war.
Robert Campbell, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in 1776, and settled in the town
of Mt. Washington, Berkshire Co., Mass. He
possessed excellent natural abilities and much
public spirit, and became quite prominent in
local affairs. He died in 1853; his wife, Hul
dah Noble, departed this life in 1841. They
had eight children: Harriet, Stanton A,, Anna
(wife of Simion Pollard), Robert, Almira (wife
of William Vosburgh), Huldah' (wife of GHbert
Race), John, and Susan (wife of Jason Lamson).
John Campbell, Sr. , our subject's father,
was born at the old home in Mt. Washington,
June 5, 181 1, and his educational opportunities
were limited to an irregular attendance at the
schools of that time, as he was obliged to go
to work at an early age. He was ambitious,
however, and possessed more than ordinary

660

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ability and energy, and after a hard day's toH
as a coHier, or at chopping wood, he would
spend his evenings in study. In this way he
prepared himself for teaching, and in early
manhood he followed this occupation success
fully for a number of winters. In 1849 he be
came superintendent of the works of the Salis-
'l bury Iron Co., at Mt. Riga, Dutchess county,
having acquired an interest in the business.
He continued this work for nearly ten years,
in the meantime securing the entire control of
the stock, and in 1864 he sold the property
for $42,500 to William H. Barnum, of Con
necticut, who was chairman of the National
Democratic Committee at the time of Cleve
land's first election. In his later years Mr.
Campbell engaged in manufacturing Salisbury
pig iron, and farming. He was a man of re
markably keen perceptions and sound business
judgment, and at his death, which occurred in
1866, his estate was inventoried at $250,000,
although only $180,000 was realized. In his
early years he was a Whig, later a Republican,
but he was never active in party work. He
was prominent, however, in many public move
ments which had no partisan bias, helping dur
ing the war to raise the quota of men from his
locality. In 1862 he was elected supervisor
of the town of Northeast, without opposition,
having been nominated by both parties. A
shrewd judge of human nature, he easily made
friends, whom his sterling qualities of character
retained. He was a member of the Methodist
Church, and was not a strict sectarian, being
broad and liberal in his views. He was mar
ried June 27, 1835, at Pine Plains, to Miss
Eliza Van Dusen, a descendant of an old Hol
land-Dutch family, and a daughter of James
N. Van Dusen, a farmer of Taghkanic, Colum
bia county. He had eight chHdren, whose
names, with dates of birth, are as follows:
Sarah J., born July i, 1836, died March 15,
1858; John, born February i, 1838; James
May I, 1840; Wesley, June 20, 1842, died
March 26, 1891; Eliza Ann, June 23, 1844,
died February 15, 1877; Christina, March 27,
1846; Mary Ellen, AprH 21, 1849; and Henry
D., March 18, 1851, died December 6, 1875.

CHARLES W. WRIGHT. Among the
' young and energetic business men of
Dutchess county, none stands higher than
the subject of this personal history, who is a
well-known general merchant of Clinton Cor

ners. His birth occurred in the town of Stan
ford, Dutchess county, on March i, 1866, and
he belongs to an old and honored family of
the county — his grandfather, Isaac Wright,
having been born in the same town.
The father, James Harvey Wright, was
born in that town in 18 19, where he attended
the district schools, and was also a student in
the Jacob WiHets school, in the town of Wash
ington. In his native town he wedded Mary
Ann Humphrey, a daughter of WHliam D.
Humphrey, and they became the parents of
six children: John H. ; Clara, wife of F. M.
Talmadge, of Yonkers, N. Y. ; Isaac, de
ceased; Charles W. ; Ira; and Nettie, who
died in infancy. The entire married life of
the father has been passed upon his farm at
Bangall, in the town of Stanford, for which
he went greatly in debt, as on starting in life
he had very little capital besides a pair of
willing hands and a determination to make a
success of his business undertakings. Since
quite young be has been an active member of
the Baptist Church, and is a sincere and
earnest Christian. He has never taken any
prominent part in political affairs, but does all
in his power to promote the welfare of his
town and county.
The elementary education of Charles W.
Wright was such as the common schools of
Bangall afforded, and he later became a stu
dent in Sackett's private school, in the town of
Stanford. When his school days were over
he entered upon a business career as clerk in
the general store of Mr. Knickerbocker, of
Bangall, with whom he remained four years,
after which he went to New York City, where
he was employed for about two years in the
butter and egg business. He then began
business for himself, which he continued for
four years. In the spring of 1892 he estab
lished his present store at Clinton Corners,
where he carries a full and complete assort
ment of general merchandise, and now secures
a liberal patronage. His stock is well select
ed, and he devotes his entire time to his busi
ness interests, and is meeting with a well-
deserved success.
On September 5, 1889, in the town of
Stanford, Mr. Wright was married to Miss
Della Stewart, daughter of WiHiam Stewart,
of that town, and to them have been born
three chHdren: Harold and Edith, twins,
born August 22, 1890; and Ethel, born Au
gust 19, 1894. In his political views, Mr.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

661

Wrieht is a stalwart Democrat, and is now
serving as postmaster in Clinton Corners, to
which position he was appointed in the winter
of 1892.

E\DWARD ODELL, a well-known mHler of
 Ij Smithfield, Dutchess county, where he
has engaged in business for over thirty years,
was born March 21, 1819, in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, and belongs to
a family that was long connected with the in
terests of that township. There his grand
father, John Odell, was also born, and worked
at his trade of a hatter. In his family were
six children, namely: William, John, Jacob,
Samuel, Caroline and Betsey.
Samuel Odell, father of our subject, was
also a native of the town of Washington, and
a hatter by trade. His political support was
given the Republican party. He married Per
melia Marshall, of Salt Point, Dutchess county,
and they became the parents of six children:
Edward; Lewis, who was killed while gallantly
serving in the Mexican war; William, of New
Haven, Conn.; Bartlett, of Illinois; Sally
Ann (deceased); and Elizabeth, who married
John Dodge.
The school days of our subject were passed
in the towns of Washington and Dover, and
at an early age he learned the carpenter's trade
with Samuel Tompkins in the latter township,
which occupation he then followed for a time.
For forty years he made his home at Perry's
Corners, town of Northeast, but since 1870
has resided in Smithfield, at which time he
purchased the grist and saw mHl that he has
since operated with good success. Although
now seventy-six years of age, he has never
worn glasses, and his eyesight seems better
than it was at sixty. Ever fond of sport, he
is still one of the best marksmen with the rifle
in Dutchess county. His career has not been
marked by startling incidents, but his Hfe has
been quietly and peacefully passed amidst the
scenes of his youth, and he has gained the con
fidence and esteem of all with whom he has
come in contact. Politically he is an adherent
of the Republican party. At Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, Mr. Odell was married to
Miss Mary Marquart, and they have two sons:
John, of Smithfield, who married Ella Cook
ingham; and Frank, of Verbank, who married
Lettie May Smith, and has one child, Ethel
M. Odell.

JAMES V. MEAD, a well-known brick manu
facturer of Low Point, Dutchess county,
is one of the prominent self-made men of
the locality, having begun his business career
without a cent, and gained by his own efforts
a fine fortune and limitless credit.
He is a native of the town of Cornwall,
Orange Co., N. Y. , where he first saw the light,
May 12, 1832, and on both the paternal and
maternal sides is of Dutch descent. Joseph
Mead, his grandfather, was born in Holland,
and Justice Mead, our subject's father, mar
ried Elizabeth Van Duser, whose father, Ben
jamin Van Duser, was of Holland stock.
Justice Mead settled in Cornwall after his mar
riage, and followed the carpenter's trade, until
his death at the age of forty, and he and his
wife, who also died many years ago, were lead
ing members of the Methodist Church there.
In politics, he was a Democrat. Our subject
was the youngest of six chHdren: Benjamin
is a gardener in Cayuga county, N. Y. ; Eliza
beth married Sylvenius Cury, of Orange coun
ty; Sarah married Frederick Burton, who was
a machinist at Newburg, N. Y. ; Justice is a
farmer and brick manufacturer in Amenia;
and Hiram died in childhood.
Mr. Mead made his entrance into business
life at the early age of thirteen years, when
he left his home in CornwaH to learn the de
tails of the brick business at Haverstraw, N.
Y. He proved himself so capable that, at
twenty, he was placed in charge of a gang of
men for the firm of Peck & Morris, and after
two years in that position he became superin
tendent for Michael Archer, with whom he
remained three years. He then went to Ver
planck's Point, N. Y., as foreman for Mr.
Reed, and later worked for a short time for
Francis Timony. Returning to Cornwall, he
engaged in boating for a year, and then be
came foreman for Mr. Chambers, at New
Windsor, Orange county. About 1865. Mr.
Mead leased a brick yard at Dutchess Junc
tion, and in four years there he made $24,000.
He sold his lease and purchased a farm near
Fishkill, which he improved, building a fine
residence and other structures. But farm life
was too quiet for one of his active tempera
ment, and he resumed the business of brick-
making, leasing from Thomas Aldrich the yards
at Low Point, which he bought ten years la
ter. The property includes eighty-two acres,
and the plant covers one acre. Mr. Mead
turns out about 5,000,000 second-class brick

662

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

per year, disposing of them mainly in New
York City. His fortune is now estimated at
$50,000, and his integrity and able manage
ment have won for him a high standing in
business circles.
On August 4, 1858, Mr. Mead was united
in marriage with his first wife. Miss Mary A.
Flood, a native of Orange county, who died
March 14, 1884, leaving six children: Hen
rietta married Mose Collier; Alvaretta is the
wife of Jerome Walsh, a brick manufacturer;
Harry C. is engaged in the same busiriess at
Low Point; James A. (the name given her at
baptism), the third daughter, married Frank
Collier; and Thomas A. and Sebastian are both
Engaged in brick rrianufaCturing. In Decem
ber, 1887, Mr. Mead, formed a second matri
monial union, his present wife being Mary
Knapp, a native of Putnam county. Three
children were born of this marriage: Ralph;
Mabel and James V. Mr. Mead has ifiade a
point of giving his children a strict busiriess
training. The family are members of the
Methodist Church, and Mr. Mead takes a
prominent part in all movements of public im
portance, giving his influence in political
affairs to the Republican party.

ICHARD P. KETCHAM, prominent
among the business men of Dutchess
county for a quarter of a centiiry; has been
closely identified with the history of Dover
Plains, vvhile his name is inseparably Connected
with its financial records. The bariking inter
ests are well represented in him, for since 1884
he has been cashier of the Dover Plains Na
tional Bank. A man of keen discrimination
and sound judgment, his excellent nianage-
ment has brought to the concern with which
he is connected a high degree of success. He
is a native of Dutchess county, born at Pough
keepsie in 1848.
Amos -Platt Ketcham, his paternal grand
father, was born at Huntington, Long Island,
where his early education and training wfere re
ceived, and in his younger years he was en
gaged in agricultural pursuits. On September
9, 181 1, he married Miss Anna R. Platt, who
was born in Huntington, November 26, 1793,
and they became the parents of five chHdren:
Esther, Alonzo, Zophar P., Andrew J. and
Rebecca. Andrew J. Ketcham, the father of our sub
ject, was born in Poughkeepsie in 18 19. After

his graduation he began his batnking career by
entering the Farmers and Ma;nufacturers Bank
of Poughkeepsie, and after serving thef-e for
some years as teller and bookkeeper he wis
called to Saugerties, Ulster Co. , N. Y. , where
he organized the first bank in that place, called
the Ulster Bank. After placing that institu
tion on a sound financial basis, he started ihe
Saiugerties Bank in the same village, which is
now a flourishing institution. In 1865 he left
Saugerties and came to Dover Plains, N. Y.,
as cashier of the Dover Plains National Bank,
where he served for twenty years. From this
position he resigned in 1885, and moved to
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , his native city. After
his retirement from active vvbrk for one yeslt
he was called to the presidency of the Pough
keepsie Bank, in which capacity he served for
two years, leaving the institution one of the
soundest in the State. He is now living iri Re
tirement in the city of his birth and business
successes. He was twice married, his first
uriion being with Miss Sarah Anderson, daugh
ter of Capt. N. L. Andersori, of Rondout, Ul
ster Co., N. Y. ; and to thfem were borri six
children: Andrew, Richard P., Annie, Gbld-
ifig; Jb'hn and Gaston. The mother of these
children died in 1 874, and sometime afterward
Mr. Ketcham married Miss Frances Cowles, of
Stamford, Delaware Co., N. Y. , and to them
has been born a son, Charles, who; after his
graduation frbm the River View Military
Academy, entered the First National Bank of
Poughkeepsie, where he is now one of its best
bookkeepers. Richard P. Ketcham, the subject proper of
this revie\)v, was educated in the Claverack
Military Academy, and after graduating from'
that institution became bookkeeper in the Iml-
portfers and Traders Bank of Nevv York City.
In their employ he continued for some time; re
signing in order to accept his present position
with the Dover Plains National Bank. Dur
ing his residence here he has attested his emi
nent and pronounced abHity as a finaricier, and
he is probably equally prominent in social life.
In 1873 Mr. Ketcham married Mrs. Mary E.
(Dutcher) Peters, widow of George H., Peters,
of PleaiSant Valley, N. Y., daughter of Egbert
and Maria Dutcher, of Dover Plains. Onh
child graces this union, Grace Dutcher, vvho
was born at Dover Plains, and was educated
at Linden Hall, Poughkeepsie.
The Dutcher family is of HoHand origin,
but for many generations its representatives

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

mt

hive resiided in Dutchess county, where
Christopher Dutcher, the great-great-grand-
f£rt:her of Mrl. Ketcham was born September
25, 1747. He acquired his education in the
codifaon schools of the county, and later de
voted his time to agricultural pursuits, his farm
c6'irt]prising what is now the vHlage of Dover
Plains. Me niarried Mary Beldirig, who was
bornin 1751, and they had seven chHdren,
whose narnes and dates of birth are as follows :
eflfistopher, 1768; Mary, 1769; Jane, 1770;
Lawrence, 1773; Silas, 1776; Elizabeth, 1779;
and Coriielius, 17851.
LiwI-ence Dutcher, the fourth child of that
fariiily, was the great-grandfather of Mrs.
Ketcham. He vvas born on the old homestead
at Dover Plains, and was educated in the
schools of the township. He succeeded to the
farm of his father, which he conducted until
his death. He was united in marriage with
Mi^s Elizabeth Nase, in the same place, and
tfifey had two children: Belding, born August
9. i.793; and fechel, born in 1791.. After the
d'eath of his wife he wedded Miss Mary Wkldo,
and they became the parents of eleven chil-
dreii, whose names and dates of birth were as
follows: Rensselaer, 1795; SHas, 1797; T.
Wdldo, 1798; Cornelius N., 1802; Jerome;
1804; Elizabeth, 180^; Hannah, 1869; Jari'e,
iSil; Armelia, 181 3; Maria, 1 8 1 5 ; and Charles,
1817. Belding Dutcher, the grandfather of Mrs.
Ketcham, obtained a good education in the
common schools, and remained upon the fam
ily homestead during his entire life. He took
(juite a prominent part in rnilitary affairs, and
becalrfie major in the State militia. He was
joined in wedlock with Miss Maria Hurd, and
td them were born five childrein: Egbert,
Allen H., Elizabeth J., William H. and
Thomas N:
Egbert Ditcher, the oldest of this famiily,
T^as born at Dover Plains, Dutchess county,
in 1814, and was educated in the public schools
of the neighborhood. After reaching manhood
he became quite prominent in the Masonic
Order. He was united in marriage with Miss
Maria Soule, daughter of Henry and AbigaH
Soule, farmirig people of the town of Dover.
MK Dtttcher continued to Hve upon a part of
the old homestead, where were born his two
children: Mary E., the wife of our subject;
and Walter E. , who was educated in the
Cazenovia Seminary, at Cazenovia,, Madison
Co., N. Y. He became connected with the

banking firm of Opdyke & Co., of New York,
where he held the position of bookkeeper for
three years, or until his death in 1874.

ICHGLAS ALLEN, a prominent and in
fluential citizen of the villageof Hiberniai,
town of Clinton, Dutchess county, was born
in the town of Washington, that county, June
14, 1840. His father, WiHiam N. Allen, was
a native of the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutch
ess county, born April 6, 1806, and died in
1885, and was the second in order of birth in
the family of four children born to Nicholas
and Mary (Carpenter) Allen. Grandfather
Allen was also born in Pleasant Valley town,
about 1750, and died in i860; his wife died
some three years before him. Many years of
his life were passed in the operation of his
farm, in his native town, and he also lived in
the town of Washington on a farm which he
owned there. He was one of the heroes of
the Revolutionary war, and a consistent Chris
tian, a member of the Presbyterian Church.
In the town of Pleasant Valley, William
N. Allen was united in marriage with Miss
Helen Ketcham, a daughter of Israel Ketcham,
who was born September 5, 1802, and they
became the parents of five children: Ann
Maria; Sarah, wife of Charles Smith; Nicholas;
James Henry and John W. After his mar
riage the father removed to a farm inthfetown
of Washington, near Hibernia, which he con^
tinued tb cultivate and improve during the
rest of his life; his death occurring iri 188$;
his wife had passed away in 1866.
Nicholas Allen, whose name introduces this
sketch,' acquired a substantial and practical
education iri the schools of the town of Wash
ington, one of his teachers being Judge Guern
sey, and was well fitted for his subsequent ca
reer. After completing his school Hfe, he
assisted his father in the management of the
farm, and while still living upon the old home
stead his marriage with Mrs. Sarah (Ketcham)
Justus took place, the ceremony being pet-
formed February 24, 1881, in the town of
CHnton. She was born September 12, 1839,
and is a daugliter of EH Ketcham, a mHler by
occupation, who first saw the light in the town
of Pleasant VaHey, March 14, 1809. He was
married July 12, 1835, and two chHdren were
born to them. He died March 2, 1890, his
wife on January 20, 1894. They were mem-

664

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

bers of the Presbyterian Church at Pleasant
Valley. Mrs. Allen's grandfather, Israel
Ketcham, born about 1770, came from Long
Island to Pleasant Valley, where his children
were born. He married a Miss De Long,
and died about 1844, his wife a few years
later. By her first husband, Howard Justus,
Mrs. Nicholas Allen had a daughter, Carrie,
now the wife of Francis H. Harris, of New
York. For one year after his marriage Mr. Allen
continued upon the old homestead, and then
removed to Clinton Corners, where a year
later he bought his present comfortable resi
dence. For the past thirteen years he has en
gaged in farming in the town of Clinton, where
he has served as pathmaster several terms, and
is prominently connected with the upbuHding
and development of the locality. The im
provements upon his property are of a substan
tial character, and everything manifests the
thrift and prosperity of an intelligent farmer.
He and his wife are devoted and efficient mem
bers of the Reformed Church of Bloomvale,and
his straight-forward, upright life has gained
him many friends.

C 'CLINTON W. CLAPP, a substantial citizen
M of Wappingers. Falls, Dutchess county, was
born in that thriving vHlage May 28, 1831.
Tracing back the genealogy of the Clapp
famHy, which name was at that time spelled
Clapa, we find that Thomas, our subject's
great-great-great-graildfather, was born in Wey
mouth, England, in 1 597. He was a Puritan,
and came to America July 24, 1633, settling
at Dorchester, Mass. His eldest son, Thomas,
was born March 15, 1639, at Weymouth. He
settled at Dedham, Mass., and was tbe ances
tor of all the Clapps of that locality. He mar
ried Abagail Clapp, and had three children:
Increase, Samuel and Eleazer.
Samuel, the great-grandfather of Clinton
W. , married Elizabeth Fisher, and reared a
family of six children: Samuel, David, Jona
than, Elizabeth, Abiel and Eleazer. The lat
ter, who was the grandfather of our subject,
married a widow, Mrs. Gushee, whose maiden
name was Sylvia Forbes. They settled at Ux-
bridge, Mass. , where their three chHdren were
born. These were Abiel, born in 1785, and
who became a merchant, living first in Rhode
Island and later in Maine; Forbes, born 1787,

and was a soap and candle manufacturer in
New York City; Benjamin, father of our sub
ject. Eleazer Clapp, with a number of his rela
tives, took an active part in the Revolutionary
war, and he was a member of the First Pro
vincial Congress, in 1774.
Benjamin Clapp was reared to manhood in
Massachusetts, and was the first person that
put up and operated cotton machinery in Low
ell, Mass. ; but at the close of the war of 1812
he went to New York City and learned the
trade of a cabinet maker. Later he went into
the manufacture of looking-glasses, and even
after his removal to Wappingers Falls, in 1827,
continued to carry on his business in New York.
At Wappingers Falls he built a sawmill, in
which he made mahogany veneerings, operat
ing this mill until 1844, although in the mean
time he had sold out his business in the city.
In the latter year he started the Frankendale
cotton factory, which was in operation for
many years. He owned the principal water
power and privileges at Wappingers Falls,
which in 1865 he sold, together with the fac
tory, to the Garner Company, who are now
conducting the extensive print works there, and
are reputed to be worth eighty million dollars.
After disposing of his property Mr. Clapp re
tired from active business. He was married
November i, 1821, to Ruth Houghton, who
was born at Milton, Mass., December 12, 1794.
Her father, Jason H. Houghton, was also a
native of Milton, and followed farming on a
place which belonged in the famHy for over
200 years. He had fourteen chHdren, of which
our subject's mother was the third in order of
birth. The family came from England about
1632. To Benjamin Clapp and his wife four chil
dren were born, of whom the following record
is given: George H., born September 9, 1822,
married Anna Beckwith, of Dutchess county,
a daughter of Col. Nathaniel Beckwith, of
Rhinebeck; George H. died October 11, 1877,
leaving two children, Edward and Emma,
Jason F., born September 16, 1825, married
Elizabeth Houghton, and died March 19, 1886.
Three children were born to them, Ruth E.,
Arthur and Jason H. Warren B., born Sep
tember 13, 1827, married Elizabeth Ayre, and
two children were born to them, George H.
and Warren A. He was a Baptist minister, ,
and died September 27, 1865.
Clinton W. Clapp, the subject of this
sketch, and the youngest of the family, lived,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

665

at home untH fourteen years of age, when he
went to New York City, entering the Univers
ity, and later the New York City Mechanical
Institute, finishing his studies there when
twenty-one years old. He then returned to
Wappingers Falls, and worked at the carpen
ter's trade for seven years. Subsequently he
turned his attention to fruit growing, but is
now retired. Mr. Clapp has a great talent for
mechanics, and is quite a genius in that line.
He has buik steamboats and various other
things requiring a knowledge of mechanics,
and in his delightful home was constructed a
large pipe organ, which is run by a gas engine.
On May 23, 1854, Mr. Clapp was married
to Miss Catherine Samons, who was born in
Orange county, of Dutch extraction. She bore
him six children, and died January 13, 1871.
These children were Benjamin F. , born Au
gust 27, 1855; George M., born June 13, 1858;
Warren H. , born December 27, 1859, and died
March 15, 1880; Charles L.,born October 28,
1 862; Walter C, AprH 30, 1865: Jason E., June
3, 1869. Mr. Clapp was again married October
25, 1 871, taking for his wife Miss Nettie
Ecroyd, a native of England and a daughter of
Henry and Margaret Ecroyd. No chHdren
were born of this marriage. Mrs. Clapp de
parted this life AprH 17, 1889. On July i,
1890, Mr. Clapp was married to Miss Charlotte
M. Crosier, who was born in Wappingers Falls,
March 21, 1862. Her parents were Isaac and
Mary (Cole) Crosier, the former of EngHsh
and the latter of Dutch descent. Two chil
dren have come to our subject and his present
wife: Irving, born May 14, 1891; and Rhoda
M., born May 13, 1894, died December 30,
1896. Mr. Clapp was originally a Whig, becom
ing a Republican on the formation of that
party. He has taken an active part in local
politics, and has held a number of offices. He
was twice elected assessor of the town of Wap
pinger; was for two years trustee of the village;
for two terms was supervisor of the township,
was justice of the peace for some time, and
has recently been appointed again to the latter
position. He has been president of the
cemetery association, and is a director of the
Grinnell Library Association. He is one of
the leadirig citizens of Wappingers Falls, and
is a public-spirited man who always has the
best interests of his community at heart. He
is popular with all classes, and no family is
more highly esteemed.

PEDRO SWEET, a leading merchant of
 Bull's Head, Dutchess county, and one qi
the well-known citizens of the town of Clinton,
was born December 25, 1840, in Columbia
county, where his ancestors on both sides had
been residents for several generations.
Maj: Rowland Sweet, his great-grandfather,
a farmer by occupation, was one of the early
settlers there, and his grandfather, Luke Sweet,
also a farmer, passed his life there. Jerome
Sweet, our subject's father, grew to manhood
under the care of his grandfather, and received
an excellent education in the schools of Co
lumbia county. He married Catherine Bath-
rick, whose grandfather, Jacob Bathrick, was
a pioneer settler of that locality, and Hved
there until the good old age of 100 years. He
married Hannah Kilmer, and their son, Peter,
born in the town of Galatin, Columbia coun
ty, married Maria Marks, and moved to Dutch
ess county, settling upon a farm in the town of
Milan. They had five children: Catherine, «
David (deceased), WHHam (deceased), Ehza
beth, now living in New York City, and Fran
ces, who resides at Catskill. A few years
after their marriage Jerome Sweet and his wife
came to the town of Milan, where he bought a
farm, which he cultivated until his death in
1884. He was unusually well-informed, a
Democrat in politics, and he was a self-made
man in the fullest sense of the term. Mrs.
Sweet still survives him, and is living at La-
fayetteville. They reared a family of eight
chHdren: Pedro, Clement, Franklin, Egbert,
Emily, WiHiam, Hattie and Mary, all still liv
ing but the youngest.
The subject of our sketch was only a boy
when his parents came to Dutchess county,
and his education was obtained in the district
schools of the town of Milan. His first em
ployment was on a farm at $3.00 a month.
After working Morgan L. Traver's farm, in the
town of CHnton, for three years, he engaged
in the butcher business at Clinton Hollow, and
two years later he opened a general store
there, which he conducted two years. He
then went to Lafayette, and after clerking for
Hiram Bentley for a year he bought him out,
and continued the business three years. The
year following he spent in Cokertown, in the
same business, and then, on March 21, 1883,
he opened his present store at Bull's Head,
where he carries a full line of general merchan
dise and runs a wagon to supply his extensive
country trade. He has been twice married,

666

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

first to Miss Alice G. Green, daughter of Am
brose Green, of the town of MHan. Three
children were born of this union: Annie (de
ceased), Melviri J; and Addie. Mr. Svveet'S
first wife died in 1879, and he has since mar
ried Miss EHa D. Denny, of the towri of Milan,
by whom he has a son named Grarit Sweet.
A stanch Republican in political faith, Mr.
Sweet has taken an active part in local rii af
ters wherever he has li\>ed, and has been town
clerk of Milatt for two years, also a school
trustee, and in the spring of 1894 he was
elfected supervisor of the towri of Clinton; and
is still serving as such, his term bfeing from
1894 to 1898. He is a member of the F. & A.
M., Warren Lodge No. 32, at Schultz\yHle,
having joined January 18, 1894.

WILLIAM HALL, a Well-known resident
 of Dover Plains, Dutchess courity, was
•"born iri 1823, in Unionvale, Dutchess county,
¦where his family has been proniinent for mafiy
years. Mr. Hall received His early education
there, and in the town of Washington, later
learning the carpenter's trade, which he fol
lowed for neariy forty-five years. He wis
also engaged at one time in mercantile busi
ness at Dover Furnace, and was postmaster
there. A stanch Republican, he has alwaj's
taken great interest iri politics, and has held
several town offices, includirig those of com
missioner arid coHector. Jn 1862 he erilisted
in Company I, 150th N; Y. V. I,, under Col.
J. H. Ketcham, and took part in many im
portant engagements. His experience at
Gettysburg was especially striking, as his
division was instrumental in saving the day.
Other battles were those of Dallas, Resaca,
Gulp's farm, and Peach Tree Creek, and he
also joined in Sherman's march to the sea.
He was taken HI, and spent some time in a
hospital; but he served untH the close of the
waf, and was mustered out at Washington, D.
C. In 1852 Mr. HaH married Miss Priscilla
Cutter, a lady of excellent mental gifts and
great force of character. Her parents, Calvin
and Keziah Cutter, were prominent residents
of the town of Dover. Four chHdren were born
of this union: Helen A., who died at the age
of thirty years; Harriet A, , who died at twenty-
five; Calvin, who resides in Dover Plains; and
David, who died in infancy,
Calvin Hall, the only survivor of this fam
ily of chHdren, Was born in Dover Plains,

Dutchess county, March i2, 1857, arid ^als'
educated iii the schools of that place. He
lost the use of his lower limbs through §ick^
ness, but albout two years ago he Established
himself irt business in his native place, ^n'd has
met with well-deserved success. He arid his
mother bought the home in which they riov^
reside. The Hall family vvas known in Rhode Is
land at sin early date, and William HaH,' otfr
subject's grandfather, came from that State 16
Dutchess cbunty to locate iri Unionvale, where
he purchased a farm and spent the greater
portion of his life. He married Miss Vale, of
that town, and reared a family of nine children:
John, Israel, WHHam and Isaac are mentioried
below; Geddi'rig and Benjamin never married;
Katie was the wife of Mr. Duncan; Ruth mar
ried Mr. De^o; and Abbie married Isaac
Titus. John Hall was a farmer by occupation.
and married Miss Maf-y Waite, by wnoiri he
had chHdreri, aS' follows: Lavine (lilrs. Smith
Titris), Kittie (Mrs, Havvs), Rebecca, Helen
(Mrs. Joe Benson), Ruth, Abbie, Phoebe (who
died a!t an early age), S. Emily, Pelina, Platt,
Johri J., and Fred D. Israel HaH was also a
farmer. He married Miss Katie Albrow, and
had children as follovvs: Leonard married
(first) Miss LawsOn, and (second) Miss Hurd;
Draper married Miss Strong; Rutser married a
lady of the same name; Richard married
Miss Vale; Amy remained single; Mary be
came the vfife of Mr. Townsetid; Helen mar
ried (first) Mr. Bowdish, and (second) Mr.
Northfup; Margaret never married, arid Ann
married Mr. Wheeler. A majority of the
above are now living, at advanced ages and in
different parts of the country. William Hall
was a well-known teacher. He married Re
becca Waite, and had four chHdren; Mary A.,
Joseph, George arid William H.
Isaac Hall, our subject's father, was borri
at the old homestead at Unionvale in 1791,'
and was educated in that town, later engagiti^
in farming. He married MisS Mary Rodgers, a
daughter of WHliam Rodgers, a leading farmer
of the same locality, and his wife Eleahof.
Eleven chHdren were born of this marriige, of
whom one died in infancy, (i) Abbie inarried
GHbert Rpzell, and had nine chHdreri: Theo,
Charies, DeWHt, SHas, Richard, Rhoda, Jane^
Mary and LilHe. (2) Daniel E., a carpentet
by trade, married Jarie Duncan, and has five
children: Mary, Samuel, Esac, Kate, and
Jane. (3) Cordelia, born in 18 18, never mSti'-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

667

ried. (4) WilHam is the subject of this sketch.
(5) Eleanor married Leonard Davis. (6) Ange
line married DaVid Tallman. (7) Lewis mar
ried Sarah Sotithwick. (8) Hannah married
Isaac Palmer. (9) Joseph married Mary J.
Ddncin. (10) Phoebe married Robert Butts.

E\BENEZER H. STURGES, a Wide-awake
 ^ arid thorough-going business man of
Dover, is a rfepreseritative of the hardware
trade of that place, arid is also a tinsmith. He;
married Miss Adaline S. Cook, whose birth
o'cciirred at Saugerties, Ulster Co., N. Y. ,
August I, 1845, and they have become the
parents of four chHdren: (i) Edward H.,
born in Danbury, Conri. , February 1 1 , 1 866,
secured his education in the schools of Dover,
and is noW eriiployed as ticket agferit on tbe
New York Central & Hudson RiVer railroad.
He married Miss Jennie Benson, daughter of
Joshua Bfenson, of Dover Plains; Dutchess
cdunty. (2) Theodore, born in Dover; No
vember 24, 1867, was there educated and
learned the tin and hardware business; is now
located at West Cornwall, Conn., in the tin
and hardware business. He married Miss
Helen L. Cartwright, of that place, and they
now have two children, Lawrence C. and
Gertrude C. (3) Ida S. , born at Dover, Oc
tober 31, 1869, was the wife of Frank Hosmer,
an employe of the Harlem Railroad Company
at White Plains, arid they had two children,
LHHe M., who difed in infancy; and Earl.
Mts. Hosmer departed this life July 14, 1894.
(4) LiHie E., borri at Dover, March 31, 1872,
is the wife of Benjariiiri Hoag, son of Cornwell
Hoai^, of South Dover, Dutchess county, and
flow an employe in the Condensed milk manu
factory at Brooklyn, N. Y. They have one
cHHd, Jeroirie E.
Edward Cook, the paternal grandfather of
Mts. Sturges, was a native of Somersetshire,
England, where he received a common-school
education, and there devoted his entire life to
agricultural pursuits. He married Miss Ann
Jonfes, and to them were born twelve childreri:
Jane, Emrria, WHliam, Sylvester, Ann, James,
Henry, Walter, Winter, Jessie, Solomon and
Benjamin. Berijamin Cook, the last named, was the
father of Mts. Sturges. He was born in Som
erset, Erigland, April 11, 1810, and his educa
tional privHeges were such as the schools of
his native country afforded. At the age of

twfenty years he crossed the Atlantic, locating
first in Canada, but afterward made his home
in Montgomery and Orange counties, N. Y. ,
where he engaged in the butcher business and
in farming. His political support was ever
given the Republican party, but he never as
pired to public office. After coming to this
country he was united in marriage with Miss
Susan O. Booth, who was born at Hampton-
burg, Orange Co., N. Y., September 9, 1813.
Her grandfather, William Booth, was a native
of the same county, where he foHowed farm
ing. He niarried Miss Lydia Booth, a cousin;
and to them were born five chHdren: George,
who married a Miss Tuttle; Charies, Who' mar
ried Philadelphia Haines; Anriie, who married
David Haines; Mary, who remained single;
and Sarah, who married William Conning.
Charies Booth, the father of Mi's. Cook, was
also born in Orange county, and was a farriief
by occupation. He wedded Philadelphia
Haines, a dairighter of David and Temperance
Haines, agriculturists of Orange county, and
they became the parents of eight children:
William, George and Temperance, Who all
died unmarried; Sarah, who first inarried a
Mr. Vanansdoll, and after his death Wedded a
Mr. Doxie; Charies, who wedded Mary E.
 ;. Jackson; Susalri; who died iri infancy ;
arid Susan, the mother of Mrs! Sturges.
Eight children blessed the union bf Ben-
jamiri Cook and Susan O. Booth: (i) George
E., born July 15, 1835, at Flatlands, Lon^
Island; Wherfe he secured his education; en
gaged in the drug busiriess at Port Jervis, N.
Y. He married Miss Catharine Bloomer, and
they had six children— Willie, Who died Whe'n
a babe; Ida; Jariies; NeHie, wife of John Lit
tle; George and E-va. (2) Susan, borri on
Long IsMnd, January 11, 1837, was three
times married, her first husband being Mr.
Elliott, who survived his marriage only six
months. By her second husbarid, a Mr.
White, she had two children — Annie and Lula.
After his deaith she married Mr. Connor, and
to themi was born a daughter — Catharine V.
(3) James A., born on Long Island, Septem
ber 20, 1838, was a batter by trade; he Wed
ded Miss Mary Morse, of Massachusetts, by
whom he had one child — Helen L. (4) Mary
Ellen, born at Hunter, Greene county, June 28,
1 841, never married. (5) Harvey H., born
at Hunter, Greene county, June 20, 1843, wats
never married; he engaged in the hat business
at Danbury, Conn. (6) AdaHne S., wife of

668

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

our subject, is the next in order of birth. (7)
William H., born May 23, 1848, at Saugerties,
wedded Mary A. Parmer. (8) Annie E,, born
October 26, 1850, at Saugerties, first married
Edward H. Abbott, and after his death wed
ded Seth Sturges.

WILLIAM J. DEDRICK, a weH-known
 and highly respected resident of Ame
nia Union, Dutchess county, was born at Cox
sackie, Greene Co., N. Y., February 20, 1814,
and is a son of John F. Dedrick, a native of
the same county, while the birth of his pa
ternal grandfather occurred in Holland. The
father prepared for the ministry of the Re
formed Dutch Church, of which he was a mem
ber, but, on account of an impediment in his
speech, never engaged in preaching. He con
ducted a book siore at Coxsackie throughout
the greater part of his life. In politics he was
a Federalist. He married Fannie Judson,
whose death occurred November 7, 183 1, at
the age of forty-six years, and he did not long
survive her, dying August 22, 1832, at the age
of fifty-two years. In their family were seven
children, whose names and dates of birth are
as follows: F. C, May 14, 1808; Jane A.,
October 25, 1809; Catherine, September 27,
1811; WiHiam J., February 20, 1814; T. S.,
March 6, 1818; Harriet, AprH i, 1820; and J.
F., November 28, 1827.
At the age of twenty years our subject left
Coxsackie, going to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where
he began the study of dentistry with his brother-
in-law. Dr. Buck, and continued to follow that
profession until 1865, since which time he has
engaged in handling pictures and frames. It
was in 1841 that he removed to Amenia Union,
where he has since resided.
At Cornwall, Conn., in February, 1848,
Mr. Dedrick was united in marriage with Miss
Mariette Bonney, daughter of Stephen and
Anna (Stone) Bonney. They have no chH
dren of their own, but adopted a daughter,
Rosa Loper, who died in 1867, at the age of
nineteen years.
Since the time that Horace Greeley ran for
the Presidency, Mr. Dedrick has been a corre
spondent of the Amenia Times. He was first
a Whig in politics, electioneering in the Will
iam H. Harrison campaign for three months,
and since the organization of the Republican
party has been one of its most earnest advo

cates, taking a prominent part in political
affairs. On September 6, 1856, he received a
license as local preacher in the Methodist Epis
copal Church, in which service he has since
engaged, and is the oldest living member of
the Church of that denomination at Amenia
Union. In all the walks of life he takes as
his guide the precepts of the scriptures, and is
foremost in any movement for the religious
advancement of the community. He was the
originator and a prominent helper of the Ame
nia Union Lyceum during the eleven years of
its existence, and for twenty-seven successive
years he has been elected superintendent of
the Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school.

JONATHAN DICKINSON was born in Lin
colnshire, England, and educated in York
shire, from which county he came at an
early age to the United States, and for a num
ber of years lived in Indiana, enduring all the
rigors of pioneer life.
Leaving Indiana, Mr. Dickinson removed
to New York City and became a commercial
traveler for English hardware, of which line of
business he made a success, and followed it
for twelve years. In 1863 he took up his
abode in Norfolk, Va., and was extensively
engaged in furnishing the government with
hardware, machinery, belting, building mate
rial, etc., by contract. At the close of the
war he moved to Newark, N. J., where he
carried on large manufacturing interests until
the latter part of 1875, when he embarked in
the real-estate business in Stanfordville, Dutch
ess Co., N. Y. In 1877 he came to Pough
keepsie, where he has continued to deal in real
estate to the present day.
Notwithstanding the fact that the city and
county have experienced some exceedingly de
pressing periods, Mr. Dickinson, by close ap
plication, continued to maintain such a steady
business that he felt himself called upon to lo
cate where he now is — in the central portion
of the city, and on the main street, where he
would be easily accessible to his numerous pa
trons. He has successfully negotiated some of
the largest transactions in real estate that
have taken place for a number of years in
Poughkeepsie. Mr. Dickinson believes that in
a city of that size a man cannot deal in real
estate, fire and life insurance, etc., and make
a decided success bf each; consequently he has

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

669

made the sale and exchange of real estate his
specialty, to which fact his success in that line
is probably due. [The foregoing is taken from
the Souvenir Edition of The ELagle, issued in
1889.] In 1 8 56, in Westbury, L. I., Mr. Dickinson
was united in marriage with Miss Anna Willis
Smith, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Willis)
Smith, one of the oldest families on Long
Island. Thomas Willis, her grandfather, was
a stanch Quaker, and at the division of the
Hicksite and Regular Church, he was disowned
by the body following Elias Hicks at Jericho,
the home of Elias Hicks, and T. Willis, a
minister, for over thirty years drove twice each
week past the Jericho meeting-house, three
miles farther to the Westbury meeting-house
of Orthodox Friends, to worship. Thomas
WHHs was born and died on the farm that was
deeded to his predecessors by the British
Government. The English soldiers occupied
the house during the Revolution, allowing the
the family a few rooms, when they occupied
Long Island.
The Dickinson family originated in York
shire, England, and were all Quakers from
the middle of the seventeenth century. At
the rise of Quakerism in the time of George
Fox, John Dickinson came to America, and
for a time preached, traveling from North
Carolina to New England, whence he started
to return to England, but the vessel he was on
was lost, and he was never heard from again.
The old Dickinson homestead in Yorkshire,
England (still standing) is built of stone, and
over the door is a plate bearing the family
name "John Dickinson, 1736." The house
is now occupied by Simeon Dickinson, a cousin
of Mr. Dickinson, The grandfather of our
subject lived and died in England, in the same
house wherein he was born; he was a weaver
by trade. Jonathan Dickinson, father of our subject,
and by occupation a merchant, in his native
land married Alice Hunt, a lady of means and
social standing in Lincolnshire, England. He
died in 1840, at the age of fifty-three years,
and after his death the widowed mother came
to America, where she died in Indiana, in 1863,
aged sixty-five years. She had thirteen chil
dren, of whom eight grew to maturity, and all
came to America, our subject being the only
one living in the East.
To Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson have been
born two children: Mary Alice, residing in

Poughkeepsie, and Jonathan, Jr., a graduate
of Haverford College, and is B. A. and M. A.,
now teaching in Oakwood Seminary, Union
Springs, New York.

ILO FOLLETT WINCHESTER, one
_ of the self-made men and influential
citizens of Amenia, Dutchess county, com
menced to " paddle his own canoe " at an
early age, and is now a well-to-do and success
ful merchant, whose property has been accu
mulated by his own perseverance and untiring
labors. Mr. Winchester was born in the town of
Amenia, October i, 1823, and is a grandson of
Amariah Winchester, whose birth occurred at
New London, Conn., February 13, 1753.
The father of the latter was a native of Brook
line, Mass. The boyhood and youth of the
grandfather were passed at New London,
where he learned the hatter's trade, and on
reaching man's estate he was married at Kent,
Conn., to Mary Follett, who was born Decem
ber 4, 1759, and died June 9, 1832. In their
family were seven children, all now deceased:
Henry, Milo, David, Mary, Lucy, Myra and
Betsy. During the Revolutionary war the
grandfather was a faithful soldier of the Con
tinental army. It was in 1781 that he came
to Dutchess county and purchased a farm at
Hitchcocks Corners, in the town of Amenia,
where his death occurred March 26, 1842.
He engaged in the hatter's business until 1827,
in connection with which he also carried on
farming, and was one of the prominent men of
the community.
Milo Winchester, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Amenia, November
30, 1788, and with his father learned the hat
ter's trade. On January 24, 18 10, he was
married to Betsey Pray, who was born Octo
ber 7, 1791, and died January 13, 1872. In
their family were five children, namely: Asa
H., born October 26, 1810, died May 29,
1819; Julia M., born August 19, 1813, mar
ried Charles Wattles; Joanna, born June 21,
1 816, married Seeley Brown, and died De
cember 28, 1866; Eliza, born December 23,
1 8 19, married Amariah Hitchcock on Decem
ber 26, 1840, and died AprH 27, 1892; Abby,
born December 22, 11821, first wedded L. P.
Lockwood, and after his death Sidney Thomp
son, and died January 19, 1858; and Milo F.,
of this sketch, is the youngest. In 1830 the

670

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

father removed to New York City, where he
engaged in the grocery business until 1834, at
which time he returned to Amenia Union, and
bought a hotel, where he passed the remainder
of his life, dying February 5, 1861. Frater
nally, he was connected with the Masonic
Order at Amenia Union, and in politics was
first a Whig and later a Republican.
The boyhood and youth of Milo Fpllett Win
chester were principally passed at Amenia
Union, where he attended the district schools,
and later pursued his studies jn a select schopl
on Seventh street, in New York City. He began
his business life as a clerk in a store at Great
Barrington, Mass. , was next with Bowne &
Trowbridge, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , after
which he clerked at Amenia Union, and sut)se-
quently filled similar positions at Dover Plains,
Dutchess county, and at Kent, Conn. In
April, 1847, he purchased the store of Judah
Swift, at South Amenia, which he has since
successfully conducted, and has also efficiently
served as postmaster since 1849. In the town
of Washington, Dutchess county, on October
13, 1847, Mr. Winchester was married to Miss
Mary T. Nase, daughter of Henry I. Nase, of
Amenia, and to them were born four children:
Martha, who died in infancy; Henry Nase,
who married Frances Sleight, a granddaughter
of Peter R. Sleight (a prominent man of the
town of Lagrange, Dutchess county), and they
have two children^MHo F. and Henry F.;
Frank, who died at the age of nine; and Syd
ney Thompson, who died at the age of twenty-
eight. In politics Mr. Winchester is identified
with the Republican party, giving his influence
and vote to secure the passage of its measures
and the election of its candidates, and socially
holds membership in Amenia Lodge No, 672,
F. & A. M. He has won^the respect and con
fidence of all with whom he has been associ
ated, either in business or m private life, and he
is justly entitled to a position among the fore
most men of Dutchess county. From 1854
untH 1892 he capably served as justice of the
peace, and for several terms has been super
visor of his town.

iPV.EORGE STEVENSON, a well-known
\^i citizen of Wappipgers Falls, Dutchess
county, was born in County Armagh, Ireland,
February 16, 1839.
John Stevenson, the father of our subject.

was born near Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1798,
He learned the business of ipaking linen cjotj),
which he foHo^yed in Ijis native land for tnany
years. He was married fo Elizabe|th EJuncap,
who was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in iSqo.
Soon after his marriage, Mr. Stevenson went
to Ireland, where he carried on his business,
and where his family of children were J)orp.
Those now living are: Jane, Thomas, John,
Mary, Sarah, Rachael, Margajret and George.
Jphn is employed in the print worljs in Wap
pingers Falls, and Thopias i? a clerk in ,a sitpre
in the saipe place. On May 12, 1848, the
father came to America, tlje family foHpwing
him one year later. He settle^ in Wappingers
Falls, and found employment in the cottop
mills there. His death tooji place in 1868,
and that of his wife in 1862. They were mem
bers of the Presbyterian Church, and in his po
litical views Mr. Steyenson wa§ in sympathy
with the Republican party.
The subject of this sketch was but sevep
years old when his parents came to this coun
try, and his entire life since that time has been
spent at Wappingers Falls. He learned the
trades of tinner and plumber when a young
man, and, with the exception of five years
when he was engaged in the grocery business,
has carried on business in that line. Of late
years he has added hardware of all kinds to
his other departments, and has an extensive
trade in the various implements and accessories
used by plumbers, tinners and buHders. He
is a man of fine business ability, and has been
successful in his enterprises. He is progre,ss-
ive in his ideas, and is a public-spirited citizen
who stands high in the estimation of all who
know him. He is a strong Republican.
In 1866 Mr. Stevenson was married to
Sarah J. Barlow, a sister of James R. Barlow,
whose sketch will be found elsewhere. They
have two children, John and Fred.

#p\EORGE VINCENT, a leading carpenter
\^ of the town of Dover, Dutctiess county,
was there born on October 3, 1859, and since
laying aside his school books has always worked
at his trade, in which he is quite proficient.
Socially, he is connected with the Knights of
Labor. He married Addie Vincent, a first
cousin, who was born in Dover, in 1862, and
they have become the parents of five chHdren:
Angie, born December 16, 1880; Joseph, born
December 6, 1882; William, born June 25,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL flECQBD.

671

1888; George, born November 2, 1891; and
J^aomi, born February 2, 1894.
Allen Vincent, tlie great-grandfather of both
our subject and bis wife, was born in the town
of Dover, Dutchess county, anil was there ed-
ijcated iri the common schools, and followed
farming on attaining man's estate. In his fam
ily were three children: Jonathan, the grand
father; Ann, who became the wife of Leonard
Carey; and Lieonarc}, who married Ann Carey.
Jonathan Vincent was also born, reared
and educated in the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, and followed the occupation of farm
ing. He was married to Miss Martha Duncan,
by whom he bad seyen chHdren.
(i) George, the eldest son in the Vincent
family, was borri" in Dover, and followed the
occ.u.patiori of shoemaking. He first married
Miss Amanda Cooley, by whom he had one
daughter— Mary. For his second wife he
chose Malissa Sterey, apd they had four chil
dreri, but all died in infancy. His third wife
bore the maiden name of Miss Caroline Slo
cum, and to them was born a daughter —
Georgiana. (2) William, the father of our subject,
was the next. His birth occurred on CJjest-
nut Ridge, and in the common schools of the
town ol Dover, Dutchess county, he acquired
his education. He learned the shoemaker's
trade, at which he worked for twenty years,
buf in later life he devoted his time to agri
cultural pursuits. He was a strong Republic
an in politics, but cared nothing for political
preferment. As a helpmeet on life's journey
he chose Miss Martha Eggleston, daughter of
David and Martha (Burhance) Eggleston,
farming people of Dover plains. They be
came the parents of six children, of whom
our subject is the eldest. David J. died at
the aige of ten yeafs. Jennie, born in the
to^yn of Dover, Dutchess county, August 29,
1868, is the wife of John Hawley, a farmer of
that town, and they have three children —
Maude, Edgar and Lewis. Leon L. died at
the age of twenty -six years. Hattie, born in
Dover, Dutchess county, April 14, 1874, mar
ried William Humeston, a carpenter of Do
ver, and they have had three children —
Jeffrey and two others, all of whom died in
infancy. Ruth G. , born in the town of Do
ver, Dutch.ess county, March i, 1877, is the
wife of Fred De Garmo, a carpenter of Dover,
by whom she has one child, Anna L. Pre
vious to her marriage with the father of our

subject, Mrs. Vincent was the wife of Charles
.Coates, a brakeman on the Harlem railroad,
and to them were born two chHdren: Will
iam, who died at the age of seventeen years;
and Emma, who married Edwin Carey, and
has four children — Charles, Eva, Ernest and
Millard. (3) Allen, the father of Mrs. George Vin
cent, is the tjiird of the family. Like his
brother, he also was born, educated, and fol
lowed farming in the town of Dover. On
reaching piapbood he was married to Miss
Mary Stage, daughter of David and Mary A.
(Colby) Stage, agriculturists of the town of
Dover. Six children were born to them, as
follows: Ida is the vvife of John H- Ensign, and
they have one child, John O. Addie, the wife
of our subject, is next in order of birth. Martha
married Williani Brown, a farmer in the town
of Dover, and they haye two children, Allen
and Frank. Augusta is the wife of Fred Wil
cox, a farmer of Dover. Daisy is at home.
Mary is the wife of Marfip Wilcox, a farmer
of Dover, and has three children, William,
Julia and John.
(4) Isaac, the fourth son of Jonathan and
Mprtha (Duncan) Vincent, was born in the
town of Dover, where, on reaching manhood,
he engaged in farming. Ije first married Miss
Jane A. Beers, by w.hpm he had six chHdren,
only two of whom — Stephen and Hattie^
lived, but Stephen also is now deceased. His
second wife bore the maiden name of Imogene
Butts. (5) Edgar, the fifth son, never married.
(6) Eliza was twice married, her first union
being with Harvey Wheeler, a farmer of Dover,
and to them were born four children: Mary,
who became the wife of Nicholas Edmonds;
Phoebe, who remained single; WHliam, who
married Mary Sheldon; and Elizabeth, who
married George Brown. After the death of
her first husband Mrs. Wheeler became the
wife of William Colby, and they Ijad four
chHdren: Loretta, who married Frank Talla
day; George A.; Katie, who married Peter
Chase; and Myron, who died at the age of
twenty-five years.
(7) Amanda was united in marriage with
Oscar Wilcox, a laborer of Dover, and they
had a family of eleven children: Lewis, who
married Lydia Clarkson; Justina, whomarried
Oscar Fiero; Mary, who wedded Arthur Som-
mers; Martin, who married Mary Vincent;
Nettie, who married George Tompkins; Lydia,

672

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

who married WHliam Forbes; Dora, who mar
ried Earl Yale; Fred, who married Augusta
Vincent; Oscar, who remained single; and
Nellie and Amanda, who died in infancy.

J\ EDGAR MOITH, M. D., of FishkiH,
Dutchess county, has a record as a prac
titioner which does him honor, and has
gained for him a reputation as one of the most
talented and successful members of the med
ical fraternity in his section. He is a native
of Fishkill, where he was born September 22,
1855, and is of an excellent German family.
His father, August T. Moith, was born in
the Fatherland, at Wiesbaden, Prussia, and
came to America when a young man, locating
at FishkiH without delay, and engaging in the
drug business in a small way, in partnership
with Cornelius Van Vliet, "Two years later
the firm was dissolved, Mr. Moith becoming
sole proprietor, and he continued the business
alone until his death, which occurred Novem
ber 15, 1885. For some time he and Mr.
Mapes were the only druggists between Fish
kill village and the river. Mr. Moith had ac
quired a knowledge of chemistry and surgery
in his native land, and being naturally of a
scientific turn of mind, he made many experi
ments, some of them producing valuable re
sults. He invented a process lor making
sponges elastic for beds, cushions, etc., and
secured a patent, but it was literally stolen
from him, and the fortune ($100,000) derived
from the idea went to others. Another illus
tration of his skill was given in his analysis of
a sample of oil obtained from a swamp near
Fishkill. He proved that the oil was not in a
crude state, but was doubtless a portion of the
contents of a barrel of refined oil which had
been emptied into the swamp in furtherance of
a scheme to sell the property at a high figure.
He married Miss Caroline Wade, a native of
Blooming Grove, now known as Washington-
vHle, Orange Co., N. Y. She was a daughter
of Colvin and Malinda (Moore) Wade, who
were probably of English origin. Ten chil
dren were born of this union, our subject be
ing the eldest. (2) Theodore is now deputy
sheriff at Fishkill; (3) Ferdinand is a dentist
at the same place; (4) Bertha married Charles
Schlagel, a druggist in New York City; (5)
Emma is a student in the College of Pharmacy
in New York; (6) Ivanhoe is a machinist at
St. Louis; (7) Lenna died at the age of nine

years; (8) Blanche married Jacob Schlagel, a
mechanical designer in New York, and a
brother of her sister Bertha's husband; the
two last children died in infancy.
Dr. Moith 's boyhood was spent in Fishkill,
and as a clerk for his father he began at an
early age to gather information concerning
drugs which has been of great practical value
to hini. Greek and Latin were learned under
the tuition of J. Hervey Cook, of FishkHl. In
1876 he began a course of professional study
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons,^
New York, and completed it in 1879, receiv
ing the degree of 'M. D. His class contained
a number of men who have achieved promi
nence in the profession, and Dr. Moith's stand
ing among them is shown by the fact that he
gained one of the few coveted positions open
to graduates for practical experience, being
appointed assistant physician of the out-door
department of Bellevue Hospital. The knowl
edge there gained could hardly be equalled in
many years of ordinary practice. In March,
1879, he returned to Fishkill and engaged in
professional work, and his success has been
most gratifying. He has had 913 accouche-
ments, twenty-eight cases of twins and two
of triplets. He is president of medical staff
of General Hospital, town of Fishkill. At
present he is medical examiner of a number of
life-insurance companies, including the North
western, the Mutual Reserve, National Life
Insurance Company, Vermont, the Union
Central, the Industrial Benefit, and the
Metropolitan. Since 1894 he has been health
officer of Fishkill Landing, and he is also physi
cian to the order of Foresters, all these duties,
in addition to the claims of his private practice,
making him one of the busiest of men. From
1883 to 1886, he held the office of coroner;
but although he is a stanch Republican and
influential, he is not a politician or an office
seeker. Financially, the Doctor ranks among
the substantial citizens of the town, and he
owns nine houses with other valuable property.
He is a stockholder of the First National
Bank, Matteawan, N. Y. He is a friend to
public improvements, and can always be de
pended upon to assist a worthy cause. On
September 22, 1880, the Doctor was married
to Miss Grace E. Collins, daughter of Gilbert
and Susan CoHins, of Carthage Landing, and
a descendant of an old Dutchess county fam
ily. No children blessed this union. Social
ly, Dr. Moith is a Freemason, and he is also

J-, (^. m^<^,^.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

673

an honorary member of the Tompkins Hose
Co., in which for five years he served as an
active member.

C\YRUS PERKINS, a resident of the town
^1 of Unionvale, is a well-known business
man of Dutchess county, where he follows
farming, and also the trade of a mason. He
is an honored and representative citizen of the
community, public-spirited and enterprising,
and has the high regard of his fellow-men.
He married Miss Sarah Barmore, who was
born in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county,
in 1847, and there obtained her education in
the public schools. They have a son, John
E., who was born in 1881.
Henry Barmore, the grandfather of Mrs.
Perkins, was a native of Westchester county,
N. Y. By his marriage with Bethany Car
penter, he had thirteen children: Clark C. ,
Abigail, Stephen, Anor, Lydia, Annie, Susan,
Henry, PhiHp, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth and
James. Clark Barmore was also born in Westches
ter county, and was united in marriage with
Miss Mary C. Alley, daughter of James Alley.
Their family consisted of nine children:
Phoebe, who married Cromoline Patterson;
Edward, who married Lucy Wanzer; Stephen,
who died unmarried; Caroline, who married
Andrew Wanzer; Eliza M., who died unmar
ried; Sarah, wife of Cyrus Perkins, whose
name introduces this sketch; John, who mar
ried Josephine Phillips; Charles, who died un
married; and Mary Adelia, who became the
wife of Gilbert Downing.

ip, ARRET DU BOIS, now living in the vH-
\y lage of FishkHl, Dutchess county, is a
worthy representative of a family who left
France and Holland during religious persecu
tion, and sought homes here in the midst of the
wilderness, where they would have to encoun
ter all dangers and privations incident to life
in a new country, inhabited only by the savage
red men and wHd animals. This they did in or
der that they might worship God as their con
science dictated. The founder of the family in
the New World was Jacques Du Bois, who was
born in Leyden, Holland, and married Miss
Pierronne Bentyn, of the same place. They
reared a famHy of eight children: Marie (i),
43

Jacques, Marie (2), Jean, Anne, Jehan, Pierre
and Christian.
Pierre Du Bois came with the famHy toi
America in 1675, and located in Wiltwyck„
Ulster Co., N, Y., but grew to manhood in
Kingston, that county, where he married
Jannetje Burhans, October 12, 1697. In 1707
they came to Dutchess county, locating in the
town of Fishkill, about three and a half mHes
east of the village of that name. Here he se
cured a tract of land, and lived with his family.
His eldest son was born at Kingston, but the
births of the others all occurred in Dutchess
county. They were as follows: Petronella
(i), Johannes (i). Jacobus, Christiaan, Jona
than, Peter, Abraham, Johannes (2), Helena,
Elizabeth and Petronella (2). The fourth
child, Christiaan Du Bois, married Nelltje
Van Vliet, and they became the parents of
three chHdren: Jannetje, Elizabeth and Chris
tiaan. The last named was born June 13,
1746, and was married in 1768 to Helena Van-
Voorhis, by whom he had these children:
Coert, Henry, Abraham, Garret, John, Eliza
beth, Catherine and Cornelius.
Garret Du Bois, the fourth son, was the,
grandfather of our subject. He married Han
nah Cooper, and located upon a farm near
JohnsviHe, now in the town of East Fishkill,
where they reared their family of three chil
dren: Maria, who married Peter T. Montfort,
father of Peter V. W. Montfort, of the town
of Wappinger, Dutchess county; Eliza, who
married Peter Fowler, a farmer of Orange
county, N. Y., and Charles L.
Charles L. Du Bois was born in 1799, on
the home farm in the town of East Fishkill,.
where he grew to manhood, and married Cath
erine Hasbrouck, whose birth occurred in the
same town in 1800. Her father, Tunis Has
brouck, belonged to the same family as those,
of the name in Ulster county, N. Y. Upon
their marriage they lived upon the farm near
JohnsviHe, where were born their four children:
Jane E. , who married Augustus Bartow, now
a resident of Hackensack, N. J.; Mary, de
ceased wife of Isaac Sherwood, a farmer of
the town of Fishkill; Garret, of this review,
and Hasbrouck, a minister of a Reformed
Dutch Church in New York City. Throughout
life the father carried on farming, and died in
January, 1878; the mother departed this life in
1880. 60th were sincere members of the Re
formed Dutch Church, and he was a Repub
lican in politics.

674

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Upon the home farm Garret Du Bois was
born, September 27, 1828, and during his boy
hood attended the district schools in the neigh
borhood. He was, later, a student at Andover,
Mass. , and completed his education at College
HHl, in Poughkeepsie. In September, i860,
he was united in marriage with Mary Ida Van-
Wyck, who was born in the vHlage of Fish
kiH, where the birth of her father, John C.
Van Wyck, also occurred. He was a son of
Cornelius Van Wyck, and a farmer and mer
chant by occupation. Upon their marriage
Mr. and Mrs, Du Bois located upon their
present farm, and there their three chHdren
were born: Charles, a farmer, who wedded
Ethel Moore, of New York City; John V. W.,
now engaged in business in New York City; and
Kate W. The wife and mother was called to
her final rest May 28, 1873.
Mr. Du Bois owns a valuable farm of 142
acres, a part of which is devoted to fruit rais
ing, and he continued its cultivation and im
provement until the fall of 1893, since which
time he has lived a quiet, retired life in the
vHlage of Fishkill. The famHy, which is one
of prominence in the community, are mem
bers of the Reformed Church, of which our
subject is serving as elder. His political sup
port is unswervingly given the Republican
party. He holds an enviable position in the
esteem of his fellow-citizens, to which he is
justly entitled, for his pure and honorable life
is above reproach.

ORLIN B, ABEL. Jacob Abel, grandfather
_' of our subject, was born in the town of
Unionvale, D#itchess county, where he passed
his days in agricultural pursuits. He married
Miss Margaret Uhl, by whom he had three
children: WHliam W., John M. and Mary.
William W. Abel, father of our subject,
was born March i, 18 14, in the town of
Unionvale, and during his boyhood attended
the Nine Partners School, after which he en
gaged in teaching for a time. Later he fol
lowed agricultural pursuits exclusively, be
coming one of the most extensive farmers in
his town. He took quite an active interest in
political matters, always voting with the Whig
or Republican party* and held a number of
township offices, including those of supervisor,
justice of the peace and revenue coHector, He
wedded Miss Mary Jane Austin, daughter of
Beriah and Sarah (WaHe) Austin, and four

children were born to them: Orlin B., Dwight,
H. Clay and one whose name is not given. Of
these, Dwight is fully. spoken of elsewhere; H.
Clay was born in the town of Unionvale, and
received a good common-school education,
after which he followed the profession of teach
ing. He is now engaged in mercantile busi
ness at Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county.
Socially, he affiHates with the F. & A. M. He
married Miss Maggie Traver, by whom he had
two children: William C. and Melburn T.,
and after her death he wedded Miss Mary
Manning. Orlin B. Abel was born in the town of
Unionvale, in 1845, was educated in the
schools of Fayette, Iowa, taught school several
terms, and is now carrying on farming in
Unionvale. In politics he is a Republican, and
has held some minor township offices. He
was united in marriage December 27, 1865,
with Miss Mary Alice Vincent, daughter of
Jonathan G. Vincent, of the town of Union
vale, and to them were born two children:
Ellanita L. , wife of Oscar Shaffer (they have
one son — Harold F.), and Orlin Claude Lewis.

JAMES HERRICK, a weH-known stock-
dealer and agriculturist, residing near La-
fayetteville, Dutchess county, was born
August 21, 1832, in the town of MHan, where
his family has long held a prominent place in
local affairs.
The first American ancestor came at an
early period from England, settling in New
England, and our subject's great-grandfather,
Ephraim Herrick, was born in Massachusetts,
but settled in Dutchess county on arriving at
manhood. His son, Ephraim Herrick (2), our
subject's grandfather, was born in Amenia,
and became a prominent farmer of the town of
Milan. He married Anna Dixon, and their
son, Ephraim Herrick (3), our subject's father,
was born September 28, 1788. He settled
upon a farm near his birthplace, and married
Phoebe Albertson, daughter of John Albertson,
a leading farmer of Hyde Park, and a descend
ant of an old Holland-Dutch family. They
had eight children: (i) John A., a farmer in
the town of Pine Plains, married Margaret
Sherwood. (2) WiHiam, a farmer of Pleasant
Valley, married (first) Elizabeth Brown, and
after her decease wedded Mary Harris. (3)
Walter, a prominent physician, married Helen
Sherwood, and died January 13, 1895, aged

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

675

seventy-four years. (4) Gurdon B. , who was
a farmer in the town of Milan, married (first)
Fannie Bentley, and after her death wedded
Hulda Cornelius, also now deceased; he died
AprH 28, 1894, aged seventy-one years. (5)
James, our subject, wiH be fully spoken of
farther on. (6) Elizabeth married Isaac Sher
wood, and she is now a widow. (7) Susan
died in infancy. (8) Caroline married Henry
Butts, and is now a widow. The mother of
this family died in 1835, and for his second
wife Ephraim Herrick (3) married, October
22, 1840, Mrs. Susan Ann Andrews, of Kin
derhook, Columbia county, and they had four
children: (i) George, now of Danbury, Conn. ,
married Kate Taylor. (2) Anna, wife of
Ferderand Taylor, of Danbury, Conn. (3)
Edward, farmer of Bull Head, N. Y. , married
Emma Bentley. (4) Ephraim, of Rhinecliff-on-
Hudson, married Henrietta Hermance. The
mother of this family died in 1895, aged nine
ty years. The father passed away in 1868;
during the war of 181 2 he was one of the sol
diers stationed at Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The subject of our sketch passed his boy
hood at the homestead, and was educated in
the district schools of that neighborhood and
at Rhinebeck Seminary. On March 6, 1859,
he married his first wife. Miss Jennette Cook
ingham, a descendant of one of the prominent
families of the town of Milan, who died June
2, i860, leaving one daughter, Mary Ida, who
was married December 31, 1896, to Gurdon
Ricket, a farmer of the towm of Rhinebeck;
our subject's second wife was Josephine Hape
man, a daughter of Andrew Hapeman, and
granddaughter of John Hapeman, both in their
day prominent farmers of the town of MHan.
Her mother was Catherine Alendorf, a native
of the same town, and a daughter of Henry
Alendorf, who was born in the town of Red
Hook. The Hapeman family is of German
extraction, while the Alendorfs are of Holland
stock. Mrs. Herrick's father died in the town
of Milan, October 9, i860, but her mother is
StiH living. They had nine daughters: Julia
A., who married Alfred Coon, of CatskiH Sta
tion, N. Y. ; Martha, the wife of Robert Leator,
a farmer in the town of Red Hook; Josephine
(Mrs. Herrickj ; Abby, the wife of John Phillips,
of Ravenna, N. Y., a conductor on the W. S.
R. R. ; Catherine E., who married P. Traver,
a farmer in Red Hook, and died June 24,
1879; Emily I., who died March 30, 1869;
LueHa, the wife of Sylvester Stall, a fruit

grower in Columbia county; Ada, who died
April 18, 1872; and Fannie, who is at home.
After his second marriage Mr, Herrick set
tled upon his present farm, where two sons
were added to the family: Thaddeus J., born
July I, 1869, was married September 7, 1893,
to Bertha Dederick, of MHan, and they have
one daughter, Ethel; and Charles S., born
September 4, 1875, stHl at home. From early
years Mr. Herrick has been engaged in buying
and selling live stock, and the care of his fine
farm of 114 acres does not prevent him from
carrying on this business largely, purchasing in
the West to sell in the East. His famHy are
prominent members of the Methodist Episco
pal Church, and take an active part in its
work. In local affairs Mr. Herrick is influen
tial, being a valued adviser in the Democratic
party, and he has been supervisor of his town
for several terms. His son Thaddeus J. was
appointed school commissioner of the Second
District of Dutchess county, in 1892, and
elected in 1893, served two years, and is now
a coal dealer in Hyde Park, New York.

WLADYSLAWA J, PRALATOWSKI, a
 well-known resident of Fishkill-on-
Hudson, Dutchess county, has displayed abil
ity and energy while gaining a foothold in this
new country for which he cannot be too highly
praised, and has, in spite of all difficulties,
made a place for himself in business life that
could not readHy be supplied. The facilities
which his office affords to the intending tour
ist — whether he desires information, letters of
credit, or tickets to any part of the known
world — are many, and his acquaintance with
European customs and legal formaHties has
smoothed the way for more than one perplexed
client. He is a native of Pakaslaw, Province of
Posen, Poland, and was born April 23, 1843,
the son of Jacob and Marguerite (Van Kaust)
Pralatowski, and grandson of Vincent and
Marguerite (Wulerd) Pralatowski. His family
was highly respected, and his father was a pro
fessor in a college at Posen. Our subject was
the youngest of three sons, the names of the
others being Ludwig and Leon. His mother
died when he was but three days old, and at
the age of twelve years he was left fatherless.
He was educated in the schools of Lissa, Po
land, and at nineteen he came to America,
landing in New York City November 6, 1862.

676

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Although he was fitted by nature and educa
tion for other work, he went to Newburg, N.
Y. , and engaged in the first employment to be
found, that of shoemaking. On December i,
1862, he went to Matteawan to work for Mr.
Budny, but after a few months he returned to
Newburg, where he remained for some time,
spending, however, a short period in Pough
keepsie. Later he moved from Newburg to
New York City, and in the fall of 1865 he re
turned to Matteawan, where in the following
year he opened a shop of his own. In 1868
'ne transferred his business to Fishkill-on-Hud
son, and has since resided there. His present
office was opened in October, 1890, and his
business (which includes real estate and fire
insurance, in addition to the other lines men
tioned above) has steadily developed as time
has passed.
On July 13, 1 87 1, he married Miss Mary
E. Rowland, daughter of Thomas and Mary
(Clark) Rowland, and has two daughters:
Mary Marguerite and Anna Helena. His fam
ily are all members of the Roman Catholic
Church, and he is an active worker in the
Catholic Benevolent League. In politics he
is a Democrat, and is interested in all progress
ive movements in his locaHty. From 1869
to 1 879 he was a member of Excelsior Engine
Co. No. I, Fishkill Fire Department, and for
ten years he has been a worker in the Inde
pendent Order of Good Templars. For ten
years he belonged to Company H, 21st Regi
ment, New York National Guards, and for
two and one-half years served as its captain.
At present he represents a combination of
business, such as is seldom handled by one in
dividual; his^ correspondence reaches more
than 1,600 banks all over the world; he rep
resents all the steamship lines, at home and
abroad; he prepares aH kinds of legal docu
ments for foreign nations, and in foreign lan
guages; he procures passports from the U. S.
Government — in fact, he does a combination
of home and foreign work which is seldom
found done by one man with the same success
which he achieves.

HENRY WORRALL, a well-known farmer
 of the town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born on the farm .where he now
lives, near Poughkeepsie, October 22, 1844.
Here he grew to manhood, attending the dis
trict schools, and, later, the Dutchess County

Academy. After finishing his schooling he re
turned to the farm, where he has continued to
reside. On AprH 27, 1885, Mr. Worrall was mar
ried to Miss Clementine Lawson, who was born
in New York City, a daughter of Casper Law-
son, a farmer of the town of Poughkeep
sie. One child, Donald L. , was born to our
subject and his wife December 16, 1893.
Mr. Worrall is a general farmer, and has 100
acres of land on the Hackinac road. He is a
Democrat, has been clerk of election, and was
elected assessor of tbe town of Poughkeepsie
in 1886, Holding the office for three years. He
is a prominent young farmer, and stands high
in the community. His wife is a member of
the Reformed Church.
George Worrall, father of our subject, was
born in England February 26, 18 17, a son of
WilHam H. Worrall, who came to Poughkeep
sie in 1825, and bought property there. On
this George was reared to the occupation of a
farmer. He married Miss Jane E. Van De-
Berg, who was born in the old town of Pough
keepsie, near her present home, a daughter of
Henry Van De Berg, a farmer, born in the
town of Poughkeepsie, whose ancestors were
of Holland stock. George Worrall's death oc
curred July 26, 1 889. For five years he rented
his farm and lived in Poughkeepsie, and in 1869
he built the residence which still remains in the
family. Our subject was the only chHd born
to Mr. and Mrs. Worrall. George Worrall
was a Democrat, and at one time was com
missioner of highways for several years. He
was a worker in politics, and to a certain ex
tent controlled the politics of his town. He
was a member of the Episcopal Church.

LOUIS E. KAMPF, of Matteawan, Dutch-
 ! ess county, was born at Lenox, Mass.,
December 29, 1859, of French parentage.
Stephen Kampf, his father, was born and
reared in the old French province of Alsace
(now a part of Germany), and his ancestors
were for many generations connected with the
hotel business there. Our subject's mother,
EmHy (Brielmann), was a native of the same
locality, and a daughter of Conrad Brielmann,
the famous soldier who accompanied Napoleon
throughout the Austrian campaign, and was
with him in the Russian campaign, at Moscow,
holding high rank in the service. Twenty-four
wounds attested his courage and devotion, and

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

677

as a reward for his gallantry he and his family
were advanced to a prominent position in
France, which his descendants still maintain.
Stephen Kampf was employed, as a young
man, in building the first railroad through
Metz, and in 1852 he came to America, locat
ing at Lenox, Mass. , as a skHled workman in
a glass factory, the first in this country to en
gage in the manufacture of heavy glass. He
was married to Miss Brielmann, at North Ad
ams, Mass., and about 1861 they settled in
Glenham, where they still reside. They are
Catholics in faith, and Mr. Kampf, who early
became a citizen of the United States, has al
ways taken a keen interest in everything per
taining to the welfare of his adopted country.
Their union has been blessed with four chil
dren, three of whom are living, Louis E. being
second in the order of birth.
Our subject's early life was spent in Glen
ham, where he received his education, and
later took his first lessons in the practical art
of making a livelihood, working for some time
in the Glenham woolen mills. After learning
the details of the business, he worked for
many years in the Groveville mills, becoming
¦foreman of the weaving department. In 1888
he purchased his present property at Mattea
wan, and in the following year erected the
brick buHding where, in 1892, he established
his saloon, one of the finest in the place.
On February 2, 1885, Mr. Kampf married
Miss Carrie Marchesseault, and their home is
brightened by a little daughter, named Grace.
Mrs. Kampf is a native of Montreal, Can
ada, where her grandfather, Simon Marches
seault, a Frenchman by birth, settled upon
coming to the New World, and her father,
Simon Marchesseault, still resides there. Mr.
Kampf is active in social life, and was one of
the founders of the Matteawan Mannerchor.
He is also a charter member of Court Beacon,
Foresters of America. In politics he is a Re
publican, and actively supports his party, al
though he has never held nor sought political
office.

FRANK BURROUGHS, a wide-awake and
_ skillful agriculturist of the town of East
FishkiH, Dutchess county, was born January
10, 1844, on the farm which is still his home,
and is descended from John Burroughs, who
landed at Salem, Mass., in 1637, and came to
Long Island in 1654. He, with others, were

the patentees of the township of Newtown,
Long Island. In the third generation from
him was Benjamin Burroughs, who settled in
Dutchess county in 1748, and from Madame
Brett obtained the deed for a tract of land, on
which he reared his family.
Joseph Burroughs, son of this Benjamin
Burroughs, and grandfather of our subject,
was born August 24, 1754, and in 1781 he
wedded Mary Nelson. In 1793 they removed
to the farm now owned and occupied by our
subject, having purchased the land the year
previous, and the house was erected by the
grandfather in 1799. There both he and his
wife died. In their family were nine children:
Elizabeth, who married Cornelius Haight, a
farmer of the town of East FishkHl; Reuben,
a mechanic, who died unmarried at the age of
twenty-eight years; George, a physician of Red
Hook, Dutchess county, who died at the age
of thirty-eight; Francis, a farmer of Columbia
county, N. Y. ; Susan, who married Nathan
Jones, a mechanic and farmer of the town of
Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county; William,
an agriculturist of Ohio, where his death oc
curred; Joseph, who died in Schenectady coun
ty, N. Y. , where he was engaged in farming;
Charles, the father of our subject; and Fairly,
who died when young near Lake George, New
York. Upon the homestead farm, where our sub
ject now lives, Charles Burroughs was born
March 18, 1799, and throughout life he de
voted his attention to its care and cultivation,
with good success, dying there December 8,
1873. He married Alida Blatchley, whose
death occurred May 8, 1887. She was a na
tive of Rensselaer county, N. Y., and a daugh
ter of Samuel Blatchley, who was of English
lineage, and carried on agricultural pursuits,
coming to Dutchess county from Connecticut.
A family of four children were born to Charles
Burroughs and his wife: Joseph, who was
killed by the Indians in Arizona; Abraham,
now a resident of San Francisco, Cal. ; George,
who also makes his home in the Golden State;
and Frank, of this review.
The entire life of our subject has been
passed at his present home, and he is success
fully engaged in general farming upon his 194-
acre tract of valuable and productive land.
He is progressive in his methods of carrying on
his work — in fact, is one of the model farmers
of the community, the neat and thrifty appear
ance of his place indicating the careful and

678

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

systematic manner in which it is cultivated.
He is an intelligent, public-spirited citizen, and
his neighbors have for him the highest regard.
Politically, his ballot is cast in support of the
men and measures of the Republican party.

OLIVER S. BARNES, a well-known agri
culturist and real-estate owner of Dutch
ess and Putnam counties, resides near Gay
head, Dutchess county, and is one of the
influential and progressive citizens of that
locality. The Barnes family is of Scotch origin, and
the ancestors of this branch were early settlers
in Westchester county, N. Y. , where our sub
ject's grandfather, Richard Barnes, and father,
William Barnes, were born, the latter at
White Plains, where he grew to manhood.
He married Deborah Tompkins, daughter of
James Tompkins, who was of Dutch descent,
and a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and
followed the occupation of a farmer. After
their marriage William Barnes and wife went
to the town of Kent, Putnam county, and set
tled upon a large tract of land, where they
reared a family of chHdren, as follows: Phoebe,
Eliza B-, and Mary A., deceased, who never
married; Margaret, the wife of Louis Holmes,
a farmer of the town of PawHng, Dutchess
county; Hannah J., who married Thomas
Townsend, a farmer in Putnam county; James,
a shoemaker in Poughkeepsie; Oliver S., the
subject of this biography; Caroline, who mar
ried William Holmes, a hay and feed mer
chant in New York City; and WiHiam H., a
farmer at the old home in Putnam county.
The father was a Republican in political faith
during his last years, and Hke most of his fam
ily was a Methodist in his religious views, ably
filling the office of class leader for sixty years,
and in all things exemplifying his belief by
honesty and upright dealing. His death oc
curred in 1 860, and his wife passed to her re
ward December 22, 1876.
OHver S. Barnes was born September 6,
1828, and passed his early years at the old
homestead. In 1851 he went to the town of
PawHng, Dutchess county, and December 24,
1855, he married Miss Mary E. Wilde, a lady
of unusual mental acumen and executive abili
ty. She was born in the town of East Fish
kHl, Dutchess county, the daughter of James
WHde, and granddaughter of James William
Wilde, an Englishman, who purchased 300

acres of land at Fishkill Plains at an early
period, and made his home there. Her mother,
Caroline Hutchens, a native of the town of
Fishkill, was a descendant of an old English
family named Hudson, the spelling and pro
nunciation having changed as time elapsed,
Henry Hudson, the discoverer of the Hudson
river, being a direct ancestor. Members of her
family took an active part in the Revolutionary
war. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Barnes
fettled upon a farm in East Fishkill, and, in
i860, they purchased their present farm of 135
acres, near Gayhead, where they made many
improvements. The property has been in the
hands of some member of the Wilde family
for 1 50 years, and Mrs, Barnes, in whose name
it stands, is active in its management, owing
to her husband's deafness. They are general
farmers, but give especial attention to the
dairy business. They have had eleven chil
dren, of whom William C, James Eugene,
Lewis, Francis Eugene and Florence E. died
in infancy. Of the others, Howard O., dis
appeared and his present address is unknown;
Richard is a farmer in the town of East Fish
kill, Dutchess county; Wilberforce is a farmer
in Putnam county; Jane married Ernest HHl,
a farmer in Putnam county; Cora is at home;
and Ida, deceased, was formerly the wife of
Daniel Jewell, a farmer in East Fishkill.
Mr. Barnes has always taken an intelligent
interest in the questions of the day, and in
politics is a Republican.

TCHAEL PELLS. The Pells family is
originally of Holland stock, but the im
mediate ancestors of our subject have been
residents of Dutchess county since an early
day. His great-grandfather located on the
old farm on the Hudson river, in the town of
Poughkeepsie, near where the Hudson River
State Hospital is now situated.
On this farm John PeHs was born May 12,
175 1. He married Rachel Leroy, who was
born September 25, 1761, and they reared
five of their chHdren. Of these, Deborah
died unmarried; Michael was a farmer in the
town of Poughkeepsie ; John followed the
same occupation; Peter was a farmer in Hyde
Park; and Simon J. The latter was born on
the home farm, March 17, 1798, and married
Phoebe Coe, a native of Ulster county, and
the daughter of Abram Coe, whose ancestors

COMMEMORA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

679

also came from Holland. Shortly after his
marriage, in 1826, Simon PeHs purchased a
farm near that of his father, and there his
famHy of six children was reared. These
were Rachel and Sarah, who both died unmar
ried; CeHa F., who is single; Minerva, who
died in childhood, as did also Sophia; and
Michael. The father was originally a Whig,
and later joined the ranks of the Republican
party. He and his family, as were his parents
before him, were members of the Reformed
Dutch Church. He died in 1881, his wife
having passed from earth in 1 840.
Michael Pells was the youngest of his fa
ther's chHdren, and was born in the town of
Poughkeepsie. near Arlington, AprH 11, 1834.
In i860 he purchased the farm, on which he
now resides, and which comprises 130 acres.
Here he carries on general farming, in which
he has been very successful. He is a Repub
lican, anda member of the Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Pells has never married. He is popular
with all his acquaintances, and is a good citi
zen and a man of upright life.

DAVID T. BARNES, one of the most pro
gressive and successful agriculturists of
the town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
resides upon a farm near Arlington, which has
been in the possession of his family for four
generations. The family name was originally
Van Ness, and our subject's great-grandfather
was one of three brothers of that name, who
came from, Holland at an early period, and
located first on Long Island. Later they sep
arated, and the ancestor of Mr. Barnes settled
upon the present farm, then a wHderness.
He had several children, among them a son,
WHliam, our subject's grandfather, who was
born on this estate March 5, 1738. He was
a farmer aH his life, and died November 13,
1807, his wife, Katharine, surviving him until
March 7, 18 12. They had eight chHdren, as
follows: Maria, born May 29, 1760, married
WHliam Van Derwater, a farmer in Hyde
Park; Richard, born May 23, 1762, a farmer
in Columbia county; Henry, born October 9,
1764, a farmer near the old homestead; Cath
erine, born September 30, 1766; Hannah,
born January 28, 1769, the wife of Joseph
Platt, a farmer of the town of Poughkeepsie;
Barnekah, born July 28, 1772, who died at
the age of seventeen; David, born October 29,

1774, our subject's father; and Joshua, born
July 13, 1777, a farmer near the old home.
David Barnes was married, December 20,
1806, to Ann Thorn, a lady of English de
scent, who was born in the town of Pough
keepsie, where her father, Joseph Thorn, born
February 11, 1745, was a prominent farmer.
Joseph Thorn married Sarah Kies, born No
vember 21, 1750, O. S., and reared a family
of nine children; Stephen, born Decem
ber 9, 1773; Martha, March 3, 1776; Jos
eph, June 3, 1778; John, February 28,
1780; Phoebe, AprH 13, 1782; Ann, May
3, 1784; Richard, September 30, 1785;
Mary, December 31, 1788; and Elizabeth,
April 19, 1 79 1. Our subject's parents settled
upon the old homestead, where they made ex
tensive improvements, and in 1822 they buHt
the house, which has ever since been the fam
ily residence. They were members of the
Presbyterian Church, to which William
Barnes and his wife had also belonged. David
Barnes was a Whig in politics, and an influ
ential worker in local affairs, holding various
minor officers. He died April 17, 1852, and
his wife passed away fourteen years later— ^
May 22, 1866. They had seven children:
William, born October 10, 1807, died in infan
cy; Sarah, born January i, 1810, married
Peter R. Sleight, a farmer in the town of La
grange, and died October 20, 1829; Catherine,
born AprH 3, 1812, was the second wife of
Mr. Sleight, and died in February, 1894; Ann
Elizabeth, born January 31, 1820, is the wid
ow of Alexander F. Wheeler, formerly a lead
ing attorney of Troy; Josephine, born April
15, 1823, married Edmund Van Wyck, a
farmer; David, who died in infancy; and Da
vid T., born June 29, 1828, the subject of this
sketch. David T. Barnes has always lived at the
homestead, a fine farm of about 180 acres, de
voted to general -crops. He is one of the best
managers in his locality, his estate being kept
under the highest cultivation. On October
12', 1857, he was married to Rhoda E. Titus,
a native of GalHa Co., Ohio, born January 15,
1837, the daughter of Lewis Titus (a farmer)
and his wife, Susan. Mrs. Barnes' ancestors
were residents of Dutchess county in the eariy
days, and her grandfather, John Titus, was
born there. Four children were born of this
marriage: Susie, who married William H,
AHen, a farmer in the town of Clinton, and
died December 20, 1883; Edwin S. , who

680

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

married Annie Mary Howard, a daughter of
Sherman Howard, and a descendant of one
of the old families; Anna K. , the wife of
Charles Howard, a son of Sherman Howard",
and Elizabeth, who died February 9, 1883.
Mr. Barnes is a Republican in politics, and he
and his family contribute to the support of
the Presbyterian Church, and take a gener
ous interest in various philanthropic move
ments.

t^ARWIN BEERS, senior member of the
firm of Beers & Trafford, the well-known
contractors and builders of Millerton, Dutchess
county, was born at Ancram Lead Mines, Co
lumbia Co., N. Y. , June 5, 1858.
Linas Beers, grandfather of our subject,
was a native of New Milford, Conn., and he
and his brother Nelson came together to Co-
pake, Columbia county, about the year 18 10.
Nelson was married to Eliza McArthur, and
Linas to Katherine McArthur, by whom he had
four children: Sarah, who married (first)
Samuel Hagadorn, and (second) Mr. Livock;
Ambrose; Martin, our subject's father; and
Almira, the wife of Backus Howland. Linas
Beers was a carpenter by trade. His death
occurred about the year 1841, when he was
aged fifty years, his wife surviving him until
1878, dying at the age of seventy-five years.
Martin Beers was born at Copake, N. Y. ,
in September, 1831, and he also died at an
early age, passing away July 2, 1861. He was
a very intelligent, energetic man, and at the
early age of seventeen had already established
himself in business, and by his genial nature had
gained a host of friends. Having learned the
taHor's trade in boyhood, he made that his
main occupation, and he was also engaged in
mercantHe business at the Ancram Lead Mines,
in partnership with WHliam H. Barton. He
was married, February 17, 1852, to Sarah
Decker, and had three sons: Alton, born De
cember 6, 1855, is chief telegraph operator
and train dispatcher on the Boston & Albany
railroad at Union depot, Worcester, Mass.,
and has been in their employ for twenty-four
years; Darwin, our subject, comes next; and
Kirke M., born February 10, 1861, is in the
express business at Worcester. The widowed
inother of this little family subsequently, Janu
ary 30, 1873, was married to Ambrose Beers
(her first husband's brother), who was for
many years the most prominent contractor and

builder of MHIerton. He died March 31, 1888,
leaving a widow, and a son (WHliam) by a
former marriage, born 1861. She was born
October 14, 1830, in Ancram township, Colum
bia Co., N. Y., a daughter of Stephen and
Rhoda (Williams) Decker, both born at Co-
pake — the father on June 6, 1795, the mother
on January i, 1799. They were married Au
gust 30, 1 818, and had chHdren as follows:
Louisa, born September 10, 1819; Clara A.,
born April 23, 1821; Orville, born August 17,
1825; Sarah, born October 14, 1830; Cor
nelia E., born August 8, 1834. The father
died October 2, 1856; the mother on AprH
17, 1881.
Darwin Beers received his early education
in the village of MHIerton, attending the select
schools taught by Rev. Mr. Ferguson, Charles
Walsh, now editor of the Amenia Times, and
Miss Carrie Knickerbocker. For four months
in 1873 he was employed as a clerk by Eggle
ston Birothers, of Millerton, but during the
following winter he again attended school. In
the spring of 1874 he began learning the car
penter trade with Ambrose Beers, and worked
for him about five years, then managed the
farm of his uncle, the late William H. Barton,
for three years, being appointed in the mean
time to succeed him as street commissioner of
the village of Millerton, for the term of three
years. At the time that he assumed the duties
of this office Mr. Beers was only twenty years
old. After leaving the farm he returned to his
trade and worked for his stepfather as a jour
neyman carpenter for three years, or untH
1885, in which year he formed a partnership
with William Trafford, and engaged in the
construction of buildings on contract. Their
work has included architectural designing, and
in this department the firm has won especial
praise. Among the buildings erected by them
are the $50,000 residence of Mrs. Frances
ScovHle, at Chapinville, Conn., and the ele
gant villa at Ravine Hurst in Massachusetts,
built for John Shepard, Jr., of Providence,
R. I. In Millerton the evidence of their artis
tic taste and skilled workmanship are numer
ous, including the " Barton House", the busi
ness blocks owned by C. F. Hawley and the
firm of Hotchkiss & Eggleston, besides many
fine residences. Their business compares
favorably in volume with that of any similar
firm in this region outside of New York City.
Since 1889 they have also dealt in lumber ex
tensively, having a commodious lumber yard.

FIRM OF BEERS & TRAFFORD, MILLERTON, NEW YORK,

0ij^^(^u;iyy.^^^7n-(p^^

RESIDENCE OF JOHN SHEPARD, JR„ OF PROVIDENCE, R. L, BUILT AT RAVINE HURST, MASS,,
BY BEERS & TRAFFORD, OF MILLERTON, NEW YORK,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

681

and they have employed from seventy-five to
150 hands throughout the year. Messrs. Beers
and Trafford devote their entire time to their
contracts, which include mason work, carpen
tering, grading, painting, plumbing and intro
ducing all systems of heaters — in fact, every
branch of the business. Mr. Beers has one of
the finest family residences in Millerton, de
lightfully situated on Barton street.
• In 1884 Mr. Beers was married to Miss
Addie Bond, who was born September 30,
i860, at Newburg, daughter of Joseph and
Sarah (Lozier) Bond, formerly prominent resi
dents of Newburg, N. Y. , the former born in
1838, the latter in 1835. They had two chH
dren, Mrs. Beers alone surviving. Harriet
-(Cromwell), Joseph Bond's mother, and a lin-
-eal descendant of Oliver Cromwell, died at the
advanced age of eighty-four years. Two chil
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Darwin
Beers — Alton Bond and Warren Martin.
In politics Mr. Beers is a Democrat, and
while he is not what is termed a politician, he
is deeply interested and active in and loyal to
his party, but always true to his convictions of
right. In matters of local importance he is
public-spirited and progressive, having given
his influence to many movements which tended
to promote the common good. He is one of
the members of the board of health, also a
member of the fire department. Socially, he
is a meniber of Webatuck Lodge No. 480,
F. & A. M. , of MHIerton. Religiously, he is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
of Millerton, of which he is a liberal supporter,
a member of the choir, also one of the official
board.

WILLIAM TRAFFORD, a prominent
 contractor and builder of Millerton,
member of the well-knowri firm of Beers &
Trafford, was born December 31, 1852, in
Copake, Columbia Co., N. Y. His family is
of English origin, and is one of the oldest and
most distinguished in Columbia county. His
great-grandfather, Thomas Trafford, who was
born in Copake in 1752, was one of the first
two justices of the peace in Taghanick, Co
lumbia Co., N. Y., holding office in 1803,
1804 and 1808. He married Elizabeth EHiot,
and died in 1817. WHliam T. Trafford, our
subject's grandfather, was born on the old
family estate in Copake in 1783, and died in
1866. He was a farmer and leading citizen

of his time, serving as supervisor in 1837, and
as justice of the peace in 1827, 1830, 1846,
1847 and 185 1. He married Helen Snyder,
and had seven children: Elizabeth, Milton,
Hannah, Thomas, Homer, Robert Emmet and
William. Milton Trafford, our subject's father, was
born June 13, 18 13, and spent his entire life
in Copake, where he followed the carpenter's
trade. He married Louise Decker, who was
born in Copake, September 10, 1819, and died
in 1878. He survived her fourteen years, dy
ing in 1893. Of their six children our subject
was the next to the youngest. The names of
the others, with the dates of birth, etc., are as
follows: Sarah, November 24, 1840, died
March 24, 1843; Wesley, March 4, 1844, now
living in New York City; Alice, February 5,
1847, died October 18, 1866; Stephen D.,
March 13, 1849, a resident of Torrington,
Conn.; and Marion, August 16, 1858, a resi
dent of Millerton.
Our subject attended the schools of his na
tive town until he was about seventeen years
old, obtaining a good academic education. In
1870 he began to learn the carpenter's trade
with his father, and worked with him eight
years. In 1881 he came to MHIerton and en
gaged in the work of contracting and building
with his uncle, Ambrose Beers, and in 1885
the present firm of Beers & Trafford was or
ganized. They are among the most successful
and enterprising workers to be found in their
line of business, and have built some of the
finest structures in that vicinity. On June 18,
1 89 1, Mr. Trafford niarried Miss Allie Eggles
ton, daughter of Stewart Eggleston, of Dutch
ess county. They have no children.
Mr. Trafford is a progressive and public-
spirited citizen, a leader in many of the most
important measures for local improvement.
He is a Repubhcan, but has never taken an
active part in political work. At present he is
a trustee of the vHlage of MiHerton, and is
chief of the E. H. Thompson Hose Company.

iANIEL S. BARIGHT, one of the pro
gressive farmers of the town of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, was born in Pleas
ant Valley, March 25, 1838. He stayed on
his father's farm during his boyhood and at
tended the district schools, the Quaker School
in the town of Union Vale, the Dutchess Coun
ty Academy, and was for a short time at the

682

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BEOOBD.

Nine Partners Boarding School. After going
through these schools he taught for three win
ters in the town of Poughkeepsie, and three
winters in the town of Pleasant Valley.
Mr. Baright was married, October 2, 1861,
to Miss Mary Wing, who was born in the town
of Clinton, Dutchess county, the daughter of
Alexander and Hannah Wing. Our subject
and his wife located on their present farm in
1862, and reared a family of four children,
namely: Ann G. married a Mr. Sheldon, of
Poughkeepsie; William is living in Minneap
olis, where he organized the "Order of the
World," of that State, and where he is suc
cessfully engaged in the insurance business;
Irving is in the insurance business in Nebraska;
and Frederick is at home. Mr, Baright has a
place of 1 16 acres, on which he carries on gen
eral farming. He is also engaged in the agri
cultural implement business, with headquarters
at Poughkeepsie, and has represented the New
York Life Insurance Company for over twenty
years. In politics he is a Republican, and
takes a lively interest in such matters, but,
although frequently urged to do so, has never
held office. He and his wife are members of
the Methodist Church, in which he has always
been greatly interested, and especially in the
Sunday-school. He has been connected with
the County Sunday-school organization for
several years, and both he and his wife are
devout Christians.
Elijah Baright, the father of our subject,
was born, March 30, 1802, in Pleasant VaHey,
where he grew to manhood and married Miss
Amy D. Carpenter, whose birth took place in
Stanford town, January 17, 1799. She was
the daughter of Samuel Carpenter, a farmer.
After their marriage our subject's parents set
tled on the old farm, and the following chH
dren were born to them: Samuel, born in
1826, is a farmer in the town of Poughkeepsie;
Ann Eliza died when twenty-one years old;
Daniel S. is our subject; and Edwin was an
insurance agent for many years in Pough
keepsie, but is now retired, and spends his
summers at Ocean Grove and his winters at
Poughkeepsie. Elijah Baright was a farmer
by occupation, but was also a successful busi
ness man, and dealt largely in stocks in New
York City. He was a Democrat up to 1856,
when he became a Republican. He and his
wife were Hicksite Quakers. His death oc
curred June 19, 1873; that of his wife on De
cember 31, 1880.

John Baright, the grandfather, was horn
in Poughkeepsie, of Holland ancestry. He
married, and then settled on a farm in Pleasant
Valley, where the following children were horn
to him and his wife: Augustus is a farmer in
Batavia, N. Y. ; Sarah became the wife of John
Stringham, a farmer in Michigan; and Susan
married Daniel Stringham, a farmer in the
town of Lagrange. John Baright remained
on the farm all his life. The Barights were
Quakers, and consequently did not take part
in either the Revolutionary war or the war
of 1812.

JOHN G. SENCERBAUGH, now residing
on a farm in the town of Fishkill, Dutch
ess county, was for over forty years con
nected with the Union Ferry Company, but is
now retired from active labor, and in the en
joyment of all the comforts and many of the
luxuries of life. He is a native of the town of
East Fishkill, born June 19, 18 18, and is a
son of Simeon D. Sencerbaugh, whose birth
occurred in the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county. His mother, who bore the maiden
name of Phcebe Washburn, was also born in
Dutchess county.
After their marriage, the parents of our
subject located upon a farm in the town of
East Fishkill, where they reared their family
of nine children: Jane, who married Laben
Rogers, a farmer of Beekman town; John G.,
subject of this review; Jarvis W. , a farmer
and business man of Minnesota, who repre
sented his district in the State Senate;
Charles, who was a steamboat captain on the
Mississippi; Mary, who wedded WHliam Phil
lips, of East Fishkill town, but both are now
deceased; Catherine, who married Joel Sea
man, and died at Candor, in the western part
of the State; Susan, who married A. A.
Brush, a warden in the prison at Sing Sing,
N. Y. ; Antoinette, who married WiHiam
Humphrey, of the town of Pleasant Valley,
Dutchess county; and Henry. The father
was a farmer by occupation, and both himself
and wife were consistent members of the Re
formed Dutch Church.
John G. Sencerbaugh grew to manhood on
the home farm, and was united in marriage
with Catherine Lounsbury, a native of the
town of East Fishkill, and a daughter of
Joshua Lounsbury, also born in that town
ship. The birth of her grandfather, Isaac

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

683

Lounsbury, occurred either in Dutchess coun
ty orin Putnam Co., N. Y. The family is of
English origin. In the spring of 1848, with
his wife, Mr. Sencerbaugh removed to Brook
lyn, where he became connected with the
Union Ferry Co., which connection continued
until he laid aside business cares in 1889, and
he has since Hved retired upon a farm in the
town of East Fishkill, where he is surrounded
by many warm friends.
In the family were four chHdren: (i)
Carrie, married John V. Van Arsdale, who is
a descendant of Baron Resolve Waldron, who
came from Harlem, Holland, in 1666, and
settled in New Harlem, N. Y. ; Mr. Van Ars
dale is a native of Bound Brook, N. J. , where
he was reared in his father's store. For thirty
years he has made his home in Brooklyn, but
now calls the Sencerbaugh farm, in the town
of East Fishkill, his home. He is connected
with the custom-house business, and every
Monday goes into the city, returning again on
Saturdays. (2) John died in infancy. (4)
Emma became the wife of William D. Bar
num, but died whHe yet young. (3) WHliam
P. ( the third in order of birth ) now manages
the home farm of 125 acres, devoting his at
tention to general farming, and has made
many valuable and useful improvements since
locating thereon in 1889. Previous to coming
to Dutchess county, he was a traveHng sales
man foria lace-importing house, for a period of
about ten years, but gave up that work on
account of ill health. He is a firm Republic
an in politics, and though his residence here
is of comparatively short duration, he has
figured quite actively in political affairs. By
all who know them, the family is held in the
highest regard, and justly ranks among the
best citizens of the community.

m BUTLER ANDERSON, a prosperous
^^ agriculturist, residing near Brinckerhoff,
Dutchess county, is one of the progressive citi
zens of that vicinity. His family has been
identified with Dutchess county for several
generations, and its various members have al
ways shown the qualities of character which
tend to good citizenship.
John Anderson, our subject's grandfather,
a native of Dutchess county, married Ann
Travis, and settled in the town of Fishkill
(now East Fishkill), where a family of six
children were born to them: ZiHa, who mar

ried Lewis Wright, a farmer in the town of
Lagrange; Susan, the wife of Abram Van-
Vlack, a farmer in East Fishkill town; Polly,
the wife of Moses Homan, a farmer iri the
same town; Ehzabeth, who married Harvey
Eighmy, as a farmer in the town of Beekman;
Peter, who foHowed agriculture all his life in
the town of East FishkiH; and John.
John Anderson (2), our subject's father,
was reared as a farmer boy, and married Miss
Eliza M. Butler, daughter of Allen Butler, a
well-known farmer, and lifelong resident of
Dutchess county. His wife was Sarah Crouse,
and they had two children: Egbert C, a re
tired business man of the city of Poughkeep
sie, and- Eliza M.( our subject's mother). The
young people settled upon the present home
stead, which they purchased over fifty years
ago. Mr. Anderson was an influential man in
local affairs, serving for nine years' as com
missioner of his town, and in early years was
a Democrat and afterward a Republican. He
and his wife were leading members of the Re
formed Church at Hopewell, and he held the
office of elder for many years previous to his
death in 1890. His wife survives him with
one son, our subject, and a daughter, Sarah
A., who married T. G. Matthews, a flour mer
chant of New York City, and a real-estate owner
and resident of Brooklyn.
A. Butler Anderson was born August 15,
1847, and spent his life mainly at the old farm.
He attended the neighboring district schools in
early boyhood, and then went to Poughkeep
sie, where he pursued his studies in a select
school and the College Hill School. On his
return home he assisted his father, and in
time assumed the management of the estate.
On October 30, 1875, he was united in matri
mony with Susan H. Van Wyck, daughter of
Henry Van Wyck, a farmer of the town of
Wappinger, Dutchess county. Six children
were born of this union: John, Eliza Maria,
Henry V. W., Annie L. , Sarah L., and Eg
bert B. , who are all at home.
Mr. Anderson makes no specialities in his
work as an agriculturist. The old homestead
comprised 196 acres, and to this an adjoining
tract of eighty-six acres has been added, making
one of the best farms in the neighborhood. In
politics he is a Republican, and he takes a gener
ous interest in aH public improvements; he and
his wife contribute to the support of the Re
formed Church at Hopewell, of which she
is a member.

684

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

C\HARLES DU BOIS ROGERS, a promi-
' nent young agriculturist of the town of
Fishkill, Dutchess county, is the owner of a
farm which has been in his family for four gen
erations. His ancestors of a still earlier period were
well known among the pioneers of this State,
the head of the American line being John
Rogers, who came from Scotland, formerly
from England (lineal descendant of John
Rogers, who was burned at the stake at Smith-
field in Queen Mary's reign), and located in
Putnam county, N. Y. , where he kept the first
road house, or hotel, opened between New
York and Albany. It was in the woods among
the Indians, near what is now called Garrison's
Station on the Hudson River railroad.
The great-great-grandparents of our subject
were Benjamin and Elizabeth (Fowler) Rogers.
His great-grandparents, Benjamin (2) and
Elizabeth F. Rogers reared a family of ten
children: John, William, Benjamin, Absalom,
Elijah, Pattie, Hester, Betsey, Mary, and
Sarah. Absalom Rogers, our subject's grand
father, married Maria Du Bois, and had
six chHdren: Emily Abraham D., Peter,
William, Lewis, and Charles C. (our subject's
father). Charles C. Rogers married Harriet L. Cook,
and our subject was their only son. He was
born March 17, 1867, at the old homestead
near Fishkill Village, and his education was ob
tained in the district schools of the neighborhood
and the Union Free School at Fishkill, with
two years in Leslie's Academy in Poughkeepsie.
He left school at the age of eighteen, and re
turned home, where he gradually assumed the
management of the farm, relieving his father
from the burden during his declining years, and
caring for him until his death, which occurred
May 30, .1892. The estate contains 100 acres,
fifty acres lying on each side of the road laid
out by Madame Brett from old Fishkill to
FishkHl-on-Hudson. The trolley cars now
pass the the door. Mr. Rogers makes a spe
cialty of dairying, keeping from twenty-five to
thirty cows the year round.
He has a pleasant home. His wife, whom
he married December 9, 1 891, was formerly
Grace A. Haight, a daughter of J. Cornelius
Haight, the historian. They have three chil
dren: Lewis D., Bertha May, and Grace A.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Rogers attend the Protestant
Episcopal Church, and are heartily in sympathy
with various lines of social, religious, and ed

ucational progress. Politically, Mr. Rogers is
a Democrat, and he is a member of Hudson
River Lodge No. 57, K. of P.

F

^\RANK A. HOTCHKISS, a prominent

merchant of Millerton, Dutchess county,
and a representative of a family which has be
come widely famous for its inventive genius,
was born August 27, 1857, at Sharon Valley,
Connecticut. The family is of English origin, the first of
the American branch being among the early
settlers of New Haven, and during the Revo
lutionary war there were three generations in
the service at the same time. Asahel Hotch
kiss, our subject's great-grandfather, resided
at Prospect, now a part of New Haven, and
there Asahel Hotchkiss, the grandfather of our
subject, was born. He was a man of superior
riatural talent, successful in financial manage
ment, and also in the invention of various de
vices which he manufactured in a factory at
Sharon Valley, which at that day was consid
ered a large establishment. At first he was
engaged in the manufacture of leather wallets,
and, later, in game traps, curry combs,
wrenches and other small articles of hardware.
This factory was afterward moved to Bridge
port, where it is now carried on by a grandson
of the founder. Asahel Hotchkiss was promi
nent in public affairs also, having great influ
ence in the Republican party. He served as a
member of the Connecticut Legislature for two
terms, and as State Senator for one term.
He was an active member of the Congrega
tional Church. He married Althea Guernsey,
and had ten chHdren, of whom Dotha and
Charles A. are yet living, (i) Andrew was a
cripple, died in early manhood, but not before
he invented the explosive shell called theby
Rebels "screamers" — a description of rifled
cannon. (2) Benjamin B. was the inventor of
the famous Hotchkiss gun, and of other imple
ments of warfare, including a torpedo boat,
and was well known in all parts of the world.
He spent a fortune in perfecting his gun and
placing it upon the market, and was in actual
want before its value was recognized; but later
he realized a large fortune from it, and honors
as well, being decorated with the cross of the
Legion of Honor, and other orders. He was
a man of remarkable executive ability, as well
as inventive faculty, and at one time he car
ried on the manufacture of his inventions in

^^^s^^^^^^^^^j^^^^^l^li^sZX

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

685

Vienna, removing afterward to Paris. He re
tained his residence in New York, however,
and his estate was settled here. (3) Frederick
A., the father of our subject, is mentioned be
low. (4) Franklin died at the age of sixteen
years. (5) William died in childhood. (6)
Sarah M. married George A. Kelsey. (7)
Dotha married (first) Henry Finch, and (sec
ond) Hugh A. McKelvey, and now resides
in Bridgeport, Conn. (8) Charles A. is a res
ident of Bridgeport, Conn. (9) Dwight was a
Hfelong invalid. (10) Abijah died in child
hood. Frederick A. Hotchkiss was born in Water-
town, Conn., in 1829, and became a member
of the firm of Hotchkiss Sons, being for some
time superintendent of the factory at Bridge
port. He retired from active business in 1870,
and passed his later years in more congenial
pursuits. He was a well-read man, of quiet
tastes, and not at all inclined to seek public
honors, though he was a strong supporter of
the Republican party, and took a generous in
terest in public affairs, local and national, but
never held official position. He married Car
oline Parson, daughter of John Parson, a prom
inent resident of Sharon, Conn. , and had four
chHdren, as follows: Mary married W. H.
Hill, of Reading, Conn. ; Carrie L. died in
early womanhood; Frank A. comes next; and
Hattie F. was the wife of Sidney McKelvey, of
Sparta, 111. Of these, Frank A., our subject,
is the sole survivor.
Frank A. Hotchkiss received his education
mainly in the schools of Sharon, and attended
the Eastman Business College, Poughkeepsie,
one winter. On^leaving school at the age of
nineteen, he taught in the vHlage of Sharon
for two years, since when he has been engaged
in mercantile pursuits. For about five years
he was bookkeeper and salesman for Beech,
Hawley & Co., but March 17, 1886, the firm
being reorganized on account of the death of
Mr. Beach, Mr. Hotchkiss and L. J. Eggles
ton bought an interest, the firm becoming
Hotchkiss & Eggleston. They have been very
successful, and in 1894 they removed from
the old locality, where the "MiHerton House"
now stands, to their new building, which is
one of the finest of the kind in the county.
His well-proven business ability places Mr.
Hotchkiss among the foremost of the younger
men of his locality. He has been president of
the Millerton National Bank for two years, a
fact which speaks volumes for the esteem in

which he is held in business circles. He is
greatly interested in local improvements, and
has been trustee and president of the village
four terms; but while he is a firm beHever in
the principles of the Republican party, he
does not take an active part in political work.
In 1885 Mr. Hotchkiss was married to
Miss Fannie H. GHlette, daughter of Edward
F. Gillette, a leading merchant of Sharon, and
they have six chHdren: Mary F. , Frederick,
Edward G. , Benjamin B., Reed H. and An
drew Dwight. Mr. and Mrs. Hotchkiss are
prominent members of the Presbyterian
Church, in which he is an elder.

JOSEPH SUNDERLAND, a prominent resi
dent of Glenham, Dutchess county, was
born May 25, 1839, at Darlington, England,
and is descended in both paternal and maternal
lines from ancestry who were engaged in agri
cultural pursuits.
His father, John Sunderland, a native of
Colne, Lancashire, England, was an excellent
workman, and in addition to his farm work
was often employed as a stone-mason and wall-
builder. He married Nancy Binns, who was
born at Hunsworth, Yorkshire, England, the
eldest daughter of Joseph Binns, a farmer.
The young couple made their home at Armley,
Leeds, England, where they spent the remain
der of their lives, rearing to maturity five sons
and one daughter. The father died October
2, 1864; the mother on December 14, 1885;
both passing away in full faith, havirig been
devout members of the Primitive Methodist
Church. Their children were: William, now
residing at Dewsbury, England, was formerly
a spinner by trade, but is now engaged in mer
cantile business; Joseph is mentioned more
fully below; Mary married Thomas Jowitt, a
brickmaker, at Wortley, Leeds, England;
Samuel is a butcher and milk dealer at Wort-
ley; Charles Henry, who was a press setter,
died in January, 1886, at the age of thirty-
eight; John is a general merchant at Armley,
England, and takes an influential part in re
ligious work, is a member of the Methodist
Church, and has been superintendent of a
large Sunday-school for the past eighteen
years. Joseph Sunderland lived at home untH he
was sixteen years old, and by that time had
gained a fair knowledge of the spinner's trade.
In 1855 he joined the British army, and served

686

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a year and a half, when he was honorably dis
charged on account of a reduction in the forces.
Returning home, he began to work at his
trade, which he followed until the age of twen
ty-four years, then crossed the ocean, in 1863,
and for about three years lived at Ballardvale,
Mass., where he learned the trade of file forg
ing. In 1866 he came to Matteawan, N. Y.,
and spent about two years at his trade before
engaging in the saloon business, in which he
continued from 1 868 until 1 876, when he moved
to Glenham, N. Y. , where he opened a saloon,
which he still conducts. He is one of the
leading dealers in his line, and for eight years
has been president of the Liquor Dealers'
Association of his Assembly District. In 1864
Mr. Sunderland married Miss Emma, only
surviving daughter of David Robertshaw, of
Wortley, Leeds, England. She is the only
member of ber family to come to America.
Mr, and Mrs. Sunderland have one daughter
living, Alice R., who is at home. Mr. Sunder
land is fond of reading and takes much inter
est in current events. In religion he inclines
to the Episcopal Church, and in politics he is
a Republican. His influence in local affairs is
marked, and he has served three terms as
deputy sheriff, under Sheriffs Vantassell, Bart
lett and Jerry S. Pearce, each term being for
three years.

ILLIAM W. MARSHALL, an enter-
j^/1^ prising fruit raiser and farmer, was
born in the town of Pleasant Valley, at Salt
Lake Point, September 10, 1839. He began
life on the farm, went to the district school,
and spent two winters at the Claverack school.
He then returned to his father's farm and worked
for four years.
In 1 86 1 Mr. Marshall married Miss Eliza
beth D. Wing, who was born in the town of
Clinton, the daughter of Alexander Wing, a
native of that town. After their marriage our
subject and his wife lived for four years on the
old farm, and then worked a farm at Clinton
Corners for five years. Subsequently our sub
ject came to the town of Poughkeepsie, and
engaged in the retail milk business for three
years; then rented the John L. Marshall farm,
on which he worked for ten years. In 1884
he bought a place, which consists of thirty-six
acres, three-fourths of a mile from Poughkeep
sie City, and has resided there ever since, mak
ing a specialty of raising small fruits of all

kinds. He is a Democrat, and he and his
wife attend the Orthodox Friends Church, to
which they are contributors. He has a fine
residence on his place, with all the necessary
outbuildings. Isaac Marshall, father of our subject, was
born in Pleasant Valley, grew up on the Mar
shall homestead, and married Miss Eliza Law
rence, who was also a native of Pleasant Val
ley. Robert Lawrence, her father, was a
farmer in the same place, and came of En
glish stock. The parents of our subject set
tled on a farm in their native place, and there
reared the following chHdren: Elnathan G., a
farmer in tbe town of Pleasant Valley; Eliza
beth, who became the wife of Theron R. Mar
shall, a farmer of Pleasant VaHey; Augusta,
who married Joseph Doty, a farmer of the
same place; Sarah, who married Parris Baker,
a carpenter in Saratoga county, N. Y. ; Pa-
melia, unmarried; Emily, who became the
wife of Clarence Van Wagner, a farmer in
Pleasant Valley; WHliam W. , our subject.
Mr. Marshall died in 1890, and his wife in
1888. He was a Democrat in politics, and
was assessor in the town of Pleasant Valley.
They were both members of the Baptist
Church. John Marshall, grandfather of our subject,
was also born in Pleasant Valley, where he
married and reared these children: Harris, a
farmer in Dutchess county; Lewis was a
farmer in the western part of the State; Oli
ver, who died young; Isaac, father of our sub
ject; John C, who was a farmer at Salt Point;
and two daughters not named.

ILLIAM BODDEN, one of the most
\liyL prominent agriculturists of the town of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, residing near
Camelot, was born October 30, 18 13, at
Kirkcudbright, Scotland, where his ancestors
had made their home for many generations.
His father, John Bodden, was born there
June 27, 1789. He married Elizabeth Din
widdle, a native of Scotland, and had two
children, of whom our subject was the eldest.
The other, Elizabeth, married GHbert Grieve,
a farmer near the old home, and remained in
Scotland. In 18 17 John Bodden came to
America, and for some years resided in New
York City (his business being that of a builder),
later, on account of ill health, removing to the
farm near Camelot, where he died May 2,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

687

1874. He took a keen interest in all that
concerned the community, was an active Re
publican, and whHe he was not a seeker after
official position he served at one time as road
commissioner. He and his wife were mem
bers of the Scotch Presbyterian Church.
William Bodden attended the schools of
his native place until he was sixteen years old,
and after coming to New York City he attended
there for some time. In 1830 he came to
Dutchess county and settled upon his present
farm of 130 acres, where he has since followed
general agricultural pursuits. He gives es
pecial attention to the raising of fruit. On
February 15, 1834, he was married to Miss
Elizabeth Wilson, who was a native of. his own
town in Scotland, and of this union eleven
chHdren were born, a brief record of whom is
as follows: John B., born August i, 1835,
resides in Poughkeepsie; David, born January
30, 1837, was a soldier in the Civil war, and,
later, was a farmer in Missouri, but now re
sides in Poughkeepsie; Mary H., born Decem
ber 4, 1838, married William H. Van Keuren,
a jeweler in the same city; Eliza, born March
28, 1841, and Washington, born August 6,
1842, died in childhood; WHliam B., born
April 24, 1846, is a tinner and stove dealer at
LagrangevHle; Thomas G. , born August 6,
1848, is a horticulturist in the town of Pough
keepsie; Robert, born March 16, 1850, is a
druggist in Syracuse; Elizabeth, born April 7,
1852, married John Grubb, a bookkeeper, re
siding in Poughkeepsie; James G. , born May
I, 1854, and Florence, born February 9, 1857,
live at home.
Mr. Bodden and his wife are leading mem
bers of the Methodist Church at Poughkeepsie..
In politics he is a Republican, and he has been
active in promoting various movements for the
common good, notably those for educational
advancement, and he has been school trustee
for many years. For more than half a cen
tury he has identified himself with the best
interests of the locality, and he holds the es
teem of the entire community.

LEWIS H. WRIGHT, one of the wide-
 ,' awake and progressive agriculturists of the
town of East FishkHl, Dutchess county, was
born there September 4, 1856, and on the pa
ternal side is of English origin. His great
grandfather, Thomas Wright, was a native of

the same town, while the birth of his grand
father, Lewis Wright, occurred in 1800, in
Lagrange town, Dutchess county. After the
latter's marriage with Jane Vermilyea, also a
native of Dutchess county, he located upon a
farm in Lagrange town, where their two chil
dren were born — John G., the father of our
subject; and Mary, who wedded John Wanzer,
a farmer of the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county. The wife and mother was a member
of the Society of Friends.
After the death of his first wife, the grand
father was again married, his second union be
ing with Zella Anderson, and they became the
parents of four chHdren: Thomas, who is a
farmer of Lagrange town; Anderson, who died
young; Susan, who married a Mr. Hall, of
Unionvale town, Dutchess county; and Ann,
who married Draper Hall, also of Unionvale.
The grandfather carried on agricultural pur
suits throughout life, and died AprH 14, 1887,
on the farm now owned by our subject in the
town of Fishkill. Politically, he was a Demo
crat. John G. Wright, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Lagrange, May 31,
1824, there grew to manhood, and February
16, 1853, married Miss Ruanah Haight, who
was born in Orange county, N. Y. , in 1833,
and is a daughter of Henry Haight, a native of
Putnam county, this State. After their mar
riage the young couple located upon the farm
in the town of East Fishkill, where Lewis H.,
their only chHd, was born, and remained there
until 1 87 1. The mother's death occurred Oc
tober 4, 1889.
Lewis H. Wright obtained his education in
the district schools near his home, and on at
taining to man's estate was married January
28, 1880, to Miss Henrietta Jackson, a native
of the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
where her father, Orry Jackson, was engaged
in farming. The Jacksons are of Scotch stock.
Two children grace this union: Runelia, born
February 11, 1884; and John L, , born April
19, 1889, Mr. Wright began his domestic life
upon his present farm at FishkHl Plains, which
comprises 300 acres of valuable land, and he
also owns another farm of 250 acres in the
town of East FishkHl. He devotes his time
and attention to general farming, raising every
thing adapted to the soil and cHmate of this
section, and is one of the most enterprising
and energetic agriculturists of the community.
Both himself and father cast their ballots in

688

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

support of the men and measures of the Demo
cratic party, and are most highly respected
citizens.

iP*V\EORGE LAMOREE, a thorough, skHlful
%^ farmer and business man, is a representa
tive of the agricultural interests of the town of
Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county, and has be
come one of the well-to-do citizens of the lo
cality, where he is recognized as an important
factor in preserving the reputation of the town
as one of the most highly cultivated and im
proved in Dutchess county.
Our subject was born on Friday, December
8, 1819, on the farm where he now resides.
Three brothers of the Lamoree famHy were
among those hardy pioneers who came to this
State prior to the Revolution — about the year
1772 — one locating in Orange county, one in
Albany county, and the other in Dutchess
county, N. Y. , the latter being Isaac Lamoree,
the grandfather of our subject. From King
George of England he obtained a grant for
fifty acres of land in the town of Pleasant Val
ley, and our subject has that grant in his pos
session. Isaac Lamoree had two sons: John,
who spent his entire life at farming in the town
of Hyde Park, Dutchess county; and Timothy,
the father of our subject.
Timothy Lamoree was born on the home
stead in Pleasant Valley, which later became
his property, and there he brought his bride,
formerly Hester Van Wagner, who was born
in the town of Clinton, Dutchess county, of
Holland descent. To their union were born
eight children: John, a mHler of Salt Point,
Pleasant Valley; Sarah, who became the wife
of Richard Tompkins, a farmer of Lagrange
town, Dutchess county; Phoebe, who married
Richard Allen, a farmer of Pleasant Valley
town; Catherine, who became the wife of John
H. Nelson, a farmer of CHnton town; Nancy,
who married Platt Van Vliet, a miller and
merchant of Salt Point; Eliza, who became
the wife of Jonathan AHie, an agriculturist;
Mary, who wedded Benjamin Howell, also a
farmer of Pleasant Valley town; and George,
subject of this review. Upon the old farm the
parents of this family both died. They were
consistent and faithful members of the Presby
terian Church, and in politics the father was
a stanch Whig.
On reaching a sufficient age George Lam
oree became a pupH in the district school near

his home, and later attended the New Paltz
Academy which he left in the spring of 1836,
crossing the Hudson river on the ice on the
second day of AprH. About this time young
Lamoree joined a temperance society, a
very unpopular and even despised thing
in those days, and for several years served
as its president. On starting out in life
for himself he chose the occupation to which
he had been reared, and his labors have
been amply rewarded, so that he is now the
possessor of 400 acres in the town of Union
vale, twenty acres in the city of Poughkeepsie,
and about 140 acres in the home farm. He
has made a specialty of hay-raising, and had
the first portable hay press in the town of
Pleasant Valley. Not only is his land well
cultivated, but the buildings are all of a sub
stantial character, and the neat and thrifty ap
pearance of the place gives evidence of an en
terprising and industrious owner. Although
now past the prime of life, he is still hale and
hearty, and gives his attention to the improve
ment of his land.
Mr. Lamoree was united in marriage with
Jane M. Pells, a native of the town of Rhine
beck, where her father, Simon H. Pells, was
also born, and followed farming. Her mother,
who bore the maiden name of Amelia Van-
Wagner, was born in Dutchess county, and
was of Holland lineage. Mrs. Lamoree had
one sister, Julia M., who became the wife of
John W. Moore, a farmer of Rhinebeck town.
Our subject and his wife were married in 1846,
and began their domestic life upon the farm
which they still occupy. Four children were
born to them: the eldest died in infancy;
Franklin married Martha K. Canover, and is
a farmer of Pleasant Valley town; Emily J.
married B. T. Alley, and after his death be
came the wife of Oscar J. Case, of Salt Point;
Flora A. , who is now the wife of Charles Bur-
bank, a native of Orleans county. New York.
Mr. Lamoree takes an active interest in
political affairs, uniformly voting the straight
Republican ticket. He has held a number of
public offices, appearing first in 1855 as justice
of the peace of his town; next as supervisor
for three years; and as sheriff of Dutchess
county from 1864 to 1867, inclusive; also
served as revenue collector of his district, the
appointment being made by President Lincoln
at the commencement of the Civil war, which
incumbency he filled until 1864. Mr. Lamo
ree was one of the founders of the Poughkeep-

OyWury<JL^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

689

sie City National Bank in i860, and has been a
director thereof during its existence. Previous
to the Civil war he served as brigade paymas
ter under Gen. Isaac I. Platt. He is a public-
spirited and progressive man, and is deserving
of rank among the highly honored and repre
sentative pioneer citizens of Dutchess county.
Age ^nd honored position do not protect
one from the criminal class, and this esteemed
citizen has been subjected to more than the
average man's share of experience with the
"ruffian burglar." On the night of November
12, 1896, two men entered his home through
a small window in the basement, and carried off
all the money, some $70.00, then in the house,
together with as much clothing as could con
veniently be taken away. This was all done
without awakening the household. One ofthe
men had called the previous day at noon, and
asked for something to eat. His suspicious
actions convinced the family of bis evil inten
tions, but robbery was not thought of. One
month later, December 12, the same men
called about midnight, and placing a ladder to
the portico, climbed in at an upstairs window,
and went through the house. They placed a
revolver at Mr. Lamoree's head, and demand
ing perfect quiet at the peril of his life, they
bound both him and his wife with cords, and
then searched for their booty. They secured
about $30.00, and a valuable gold watch, a
gift from Mr. Lamoree's father. Our subject
prevailed upon them to leave the watch, which
they did upon his promise to pay $5.00, which
promise he will keep. The two ruffians then
ate heartily and drank cider, and in their ef
fort to get away they stole a horse from a
neighbor, but were caught and arrested by
Officer McCabe, indicted, tried, and then
finally sentenced by Samuel K. PhHlips to ten
years in prison.

ISAAC S. GENUNG, a thorough and sys-
_ tematic farmer of the town of East Fishkill,
Dutchess county, was born January 30, 1831,
in what was then the town of Fishkill, but is
now East Fishkill, and- is a worthy represent
ative of one of the honored old families of the
county, and was of French origin.
Gabriel Genung, his grandfather, was born
at Morristown, N. J., May 22, 1775, and in
that State, July 10, 1799, was united in mar
riage with Nancy Brinckerhoff, whose birth
also there occurred. Shortly after their mar-
44

riage they came to Dutchess county, locating
in the town of FishkHl, where the grandfather
engaged in farming and in the tanning busi
ness. There they reared their three sons:
Adrian, who became a merchant of Swartout-
vHle and JohnsvHle, Dutchess county; Joseph,
the father of our subject; and Benjamin, who
followed farming in Wayne county, N. Y.
The mother of these children died September
10, 1844, and the father on November 20,
1857. He had a brother who faithfully served
in the war of 1812.
In the town of Fishkill, March 13, 1801,
was born Joseph Genung, the father of our
subject, and he soon became familiar with the
duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist
upon the home farm. He was united in mar
riage with Mrs. Charlotte Remsen, a native of
the town of Fishkill, and a daughter of Abra
ham Storm. They located upon the old home
stead farm, which the father continued to
cultivate and improve until his death, June 6,
1865; his wife passed away August 11, 1893.
They were both members of, the Reformed
Church, and in politics he was an ardent Dem
ocrat. Our subject is the eldest in the family of
ten children, the others being Sarah; Jane,
who became the wife of Edgar Baldwin, but
both are now deceased; John, a farmer of the
town of East Fishkill; Polhemus, a broker and
insurance man of New York City; Joseph, who
is living retired in Poughkeepsie; Albert, an
agriculturist of the town of East FishkHl; and
William, who died at the age of twenty years.
Upon the home farm of 155 acres of rich
and arable land, Isaac S. Genung remained
with his brother John and sister Sarah, and
has there since carried on general farming.
He is one of the substantial farmers of the
township, having met with a well-deserved
success in his chosen calling, and no man
takes a keener interest in the prosperity of his
native county, or is held in higher respect,
than Mr. Genung. Politically, he affiliates
with the Democratic party, which embodies
his views on public questions of the day.

JOSEPH W. PHILLIPS. Among the en
terprising and influential citizens of the
town of East FishkHl, Dutchess county,
whose names are scattered through the pages
of this volume none is more worthy of men
tion than the gentleman whose name intro-

690

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

duces this brief biographical notice. His
grandfather, John Phillips, was a native of
Holland, and on crossing the Atlantic to the
New World, located upon a farm in the town
of FishkHl (now Wappinger), Dutchess coun
ty, where he spent his remaining days. There
he was married and reared a family of several
children, among whom was EHas PhHlips, the
father of our subject.
The last named was born May 3, 1792, in
what was then the town of Fishkill, but is
now Wappinger. When he attained to man's
estate, he was married to Miss Maria WHde,
and they became the parents of seven chil
dren: Elizabeth, now the widow of John C.
Storm, a farmer of East FishkiH; Sarah, who
married Benjamin Strang, a farmer of the
same town, but both now deceased; John, a
resident of Tompkins county, N. Y. ; William
W. , deceased, who also followed farming;
Elias M., who carried on farming in Tompkins
county, but is now deceased; Lumen B., an
agriculturist of Tompkins county; and James
D., a hardware merchant of Terre Haute,
Ind. The mother of these children died in
1 83 1, and Elias PhHlips was again married,
his second union being with Elizabeth North
rup, a native of Putnam county, N. Y., where
her father, John Northrup, engaged in farm
ing. Our subject was the only chHd born of
this union. During his entire life the father
followed the occupation of farming exclusively,
and died upon his farm April 30, 1879, while
the mother departed this life October 14, 1890.
He was a Republican in politics, and the family
were Baptists in religious belief.
Joseph W. Phillips was born in tbe town
of East Fishkill May 8, 1835, and there his
early life was passed amidst rural scenes upon
the farm which his father had purchased in
1833. On November 6, 1856, he was mar
ried to Miss Caroline Rogers, a daughter of
Laban and Jane (Sincerbox) Rogers, and a
native of the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county, where her father was also born and
engaged in Jarming throughout life. He was
the son of John Rogers, also a native of that
town, and an agriculturist by occupation.
Hezekiah Rogers, the father of the last named,
was born in England, and with two brothers
crossed the ocean to America, he becoming a
resident of the town of Beekman, while they
settled on Long Island. Simeon D. Sincer
box, the maternalgrandfatherof Mrs. Phillips,
was also a native of Dutchess county.

Upon their marriage Mr. PhHlips took his
wife to a farm in the town of East FishkiH,
which he continued to operate until he pur
chased his present place near the viHage of
Gayhead. It contains about ten acres, and is
known as the Dr. Sutton place; but he stiH
owns his valuable farm of 200 acres, which he
now rents. At first he was engaged in general
farming, but later turned his attention more to
the milk business. He is at present living a
quiet, retired life in his beautiful home, where
hospitality abounds, and is surrounded by all
the comforts and many of the luxuries of life.
He and his excellent wife contribute to the
support of the Baptist Church at Beekman,
and are numbered among the prominent and
highly respected citizens of the community.
Politically Mr. Phillips is identified with the
Republican party.

JOHN N. LA DUE, a prominent and enter
prising citizen of the town of East Fish
kill, Dutchess county, was born on the farm
which is still his home, June 25, 1824. The
family came from France during the Huguenot
persecution, and in religious belief were Meth
odists in later years. William La Due, the
grandfather of our subject, was born at Rye,
Westchester Co., N. Y., March 30, 1759, and
on reaching manhood was married to Miss
Elizabeth Swartout, whose birth occurred No
vember 19, 1 76.1. They began their domestic
life upon the farm now owned by our subject,
and there reared their children, who were as
follows: WilHam; Samuel, who was a farmer
of the town of East Fishkill; Cornelius, an
agriculturist of the town of FishkiH; Judah,
who married WHliam Coe, a farmer of the
town of Unionvale; Jemima, who married Peter
La Due, a farmer of East Fishkill; Elizabeth,
who died in infancy; Sarah; PoHy and Elizabeth.
Upon a part of the original tract which his
father had purchased in East Fishkill, William
La Due, the father of our subject, was born
October 30, 1798, and was there reared. On
September 20, 1820, he wedded Mary Conk
lin, who was born in Westchester county,
N. Y., April II, 1797, and was a daughter
of Jeremiah Conklin, a native of the same
county, where in later life he followed farming.
Five children were born to the parents of our
subject: John N.; Elizabeth, who married
John C. Greene, a farmer of Westchester
county; Tamar, who resided in New York City,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

691

but is now deceased; James, a resident of Cali
fornia; and William L, , an agriculturist of East
Fishkill, Dutchess county. The father oper
ated the homestead farm until his death, which
occurred October 26, 1875; in poHtics he was
first a Whig, and later a Republican. His
faithful wife died September 18, 1866.
John N. La Due was reared upon the farm
which is stHl his home, and there has spent his
entire life, with the exception of fifteen years
passed in New York City, when he was in
spector of customs, and he proved a most
capable officer, being prompt and faithful in
the discharge of his duties. He has a fine
farm of 125 acres, and now makes a specialty
of fruit culture, raising apples, peaches, etc.
In 1850 Mr. La Due was married to Miss
Mary Greene, who belongs to an old famHy of
Westchester county, where her father, Israel
Greene, carried on agricultural pursuits. Two
children were born to them: Eugenie, who
married Rev. Charles Knapp, A. M., an Epis
copal minister of Delaware county, N. Y., now
deceased; and Israel, who died at the age of
four years. Mr. La Due is a stanch Repub
lican in politics, is an intelligent, energetic
man, highly spoken of by all his neighbors,
and his life record is above reproach.

Jl'

ARON A. STOCKHOLM, a valued and
.tfSL esteemed agriculturist, of the town of
East Fishkill, Dutchess county, was born
there in October, 1824, and is a representative
of one of the oldest and most highly respected
families of the county. Upon a farm in that
township his paternal grandfather reared his
family of five children, who in order of birth
were as follows: Abraham, who became a
farmer of East Fishkill; Derrick, an attorney
at law, who removed to Utica, N. Y. ; George,
who went to Michigan, where his family still
reside; Gertrude, who married Thomas E.
Flagler, a farmer of the town of East Fishkill;
and Andrew, the father of our subject.
The last named was also a native of the
town of East Fishkill, where he grew to man
hood upon a farm. He married Miss Maria
Weeks, who also belonged to an old family of
Dutchess county, and was born in the town of
East FishkiH, where her father, Chauncy
Weeks, conducted a hotel. After their mar
riage they located upon a farm near Hopewell,
where they reared their family of seven chil
dren, namely: Delia, who became the wife of

James C. Emans, a farmer of East Fishkill;
Mary G.; Aaron A.; Caroline, wife of Duryea
Van Wyck, of the town of Wappinger, Dutch
ess county; Harriet, wife of J. A. Young, of
Westchester county, N. Y. ; Charles, a restaur
ant keeper, of Poughkeepsie; Theodocia,
widow of James Place; and John, who died in
the Union service during the Civil war. The
father followed the vocations of farming and
miHing in the town of East FishkHl, and be
came an extensive land owner, having at one
time about 600 acres. His political support
was given the Democratic party.

WILLIAM EDGAR BRINCKERHOFF,
 a well-known horticulturist of East
Fishkill town, was there born July 24, 1820.
His grandfather. Derrick Brinckerhoff, a na
tive of Dutchess county, was descended from
one of four brothers who came to this coun
try from Holland about two hundred, and fifty
years ago, and the family have mostly been
members of the Reformed Dutch Church.
After his marriage the grandfather located
on a farm in the town of East FishkHl, where
he spent the remainder of his life engaged .in
agricultural pursuits. In his family were nine
chHdren: John D, , the eldest, was the father
of our subject ; Abraham was a farmer of East
Fishkill town; Isaac was a merchant of
Brinckerhoff, Dutchess county, but in later
life engaged in farming in the town of Fish
kill; WiHiam was a merchant of PeekskHI,
N. Y., where his death occurred; George was
a farmer of Fishkill; Catherine married James
B. Montrose, a farmer of East Fishkill town:
Margaret wedded Charles Scofield, a farmer
in the Highlands; Mary Ann married Darius
Hustis, an agriculturist of the same place; and
Helen married Absolam Serene, who was for
a time a merchant at Hughsonville, Dutchess
county, but later carried on farming in the
West. She is still living.
John D. Brinckerhoff, also a native of
Fishkill town, was there reared upon a farm.
He married Miss Caroline Hasbrook, who
was born in the town of Fishkill, and was a
daughter of Col. Benjamin Hasbrook, a prom
inent farmer, and a Mason, fraternally. Mr.
and Mrs. Brinckerhoff began housekeeping
upon a farm in East FishkHl town, where he
died in 1863, and she passed away in 1885.
His political support was given the Demo
cratic party. Five children were born to

692

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

them: Benjamin H., now a resident of
Ohio; WHliam E., subject of this sketch;
Theodoric, a merchant on Staten Island, who
died in 1896; Abraham, a resident of southern
California; and Susan, deceased wife of WHl
iam B. Hazelton, a farmer of Mahopac Falls,
New York.
The boyhood and youth of our subject
were quietly passed upon the home farm. His
marriage to Miss Sarah A. Anderson was cel
ebrated in 1854, She is also a native of East
FishkHl town, and a daughter of Peter Ander
son, who came to that town from New Eng
land and located upon a farm. Four children
graced this union: Charles E. , who died
aged about ten years; Carrie, wife of Henry
J. Matthews, of Mount Kisco, N. Y. ; Eliza
beth, wife of Arthur Storm, a farmer of East
Fishkill town; and Cornelia M., wife of
George A. Member, a merchant of Fishkill
Landing. Since his marriage Mr. Brinckerhoff has
lived upon his present farm of eighty acres,
and besides general farming he gives special
attention to fruit culture; being one of the
most successful horticulturists ot the com
munity. He and his estimable wife contrib
ute to the Reformed Church at Hopewell,
and being a strong temperance man he .always
casts his ballot in support of the Prohibition
party, which embodies his views on that ques
tion. He has always been identified with
works of public improvement and progress,
and is one of the representative and leading
citizens of the community, where he has al
ways made his home, and where he is so
widely and favorably known.

MORGAN L. VAIL, a weH-known dairy
__  farmer of the town of East Fishkill,
Dutchess county, is a native of Rensselaer Co.,
N. Y. , born March 29, 1848, but belongs to a
family that was early established in Dutchess
county, his great-grandfather having located
upon a large tract of land in the town of Union
vale, where he reared a family of several chil
dren. Elias Vail, the grandfather of our subject,
was one of the four sons, and was born on the
farm in Unionvale, December 23, 1774. He
married Hannah Duncan, who was born in
1 78 1, and they began housekeeping on a part
of the old homestead. In their family were
thirteen children, namely: David D., born in

1800, died in 1821; Isaac E. , born in 1802,
died in 18 19; Simeon L. , born in 1804, was a
farmer of Illinois, where his death occurred-
Egbert B., born in 1806, was a resident of
Poughkeepsie; Mary, born in 1808, wedded
John Snedecor, a farmer; Phenner P., born in
1810, engaged in farming in Dutchess Co., and
in Vermont; Alexander H. is the father of our
subject; Thomas S., born in 1813, died un
married, November 25, 1894; John D., born
in 1 81 5, is a retired farmer, living in Chicago;
Lavinia, born in 18 17, married EHas N. Haight,
a farmer of the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, and both are now deceased; Milan,
born in 1819, and Sarah, born in 1821, both
died unmarried; and Elias D., born in 1823,
is a farmer of the town of Unionvale. The
grandfather always devoted his attention to
agricultural pursuits, and both himself and wife
died on the home farm in the town of Union
vale, in 185 1.
Alexander H. Vail, the father of our sub
ject, was born on the old homestead, October
4, 181 1, and there spent his boyhood days.
He wedded Caroline Smith, who was born in
1812, in the town of Clinton, Dutchess county,
and was a daughter of Maurice Smith, a tanner
and currier by trade, whose birth occurred in
the town of Fishkill in 1765. Her mother,
who bore the maiden name of Margaret Streit,
was born in Dutchess county in 1767. In their
family were ten children, of whom Mrs. VaH
was the youngest, the names and dates of birth
of the others being as follows: Eliz'abeth,
1788; Hannah, 1790; Abel, 1792; Mary, 1794;
George, 1796; Jerusha, 1799; Morgan L.,
1801; Susan, 1804; and Margaret, 1806. Mau
rice Smith, the great-grandfather of our sub
ject, was an extensive landholder, owning a
great deal of property where Poughkeepsie now
stands, and served as sheriff of Dutchess county.
The Smith family is of EngHsh descent, and at
an early day took quite a prominent part in
the affairs of Dutchess county, where many of
its members still live.
Upon their marriage, the parents of our
subject lived for some time upon a farm in the
town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, later
spending eighteen years in Rensselaer county,
N. Y. , while the following fourteen years were
passed in the city of Poughkeepsie, after which
they located upon the farm now owned by our
subject, where the mother died in 1880, and the
father in 1 882. In politics he was a Democrat.
The parental household included four children:

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

693

CorneHa P., born in 1840, died in 1845; Albert
H., born in 1842, practiced medicine in the
West, and died in California in 1 893 ; Morgan
L. is next in order of birth; and Susan C,
born in 1850, died in 1856.
Until sixteen years of age our subject re
mained in the county of his nativity, and then
accompanied his parents to Poughkeepsie,
where he completed his education, after which
he clerked in the drug store of Wood & Titta
mer for three years. In 1 880 he married Caro
Hne V. Seaman, a native of Dutchess county,
and a daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Rynus)
Seaman, both born in the town of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county. Richard N. Seaman,
her paternal grandfather, was of English ex
traction, and a farmer by occupation, while
the Rynus famHy was of Dutch stock. Mr.
and Mrs. Vail at once located upon their
present farm in East Fishkill town, and there
their nine children were born, whose names
and dates of birth are as follows: Morgan L. ,
Jr., 1881; Alexander S., 1882; PhHip Seaman,
1883; Fanny, 1885; Caroline, 1886; Emily,
1888; Ruth, 1889; Elizabeth, 1891; and Har
old Huntington, 1895. Morgan and Alexan
der both died in infancy.
Upon his farm of 165 acres, Mr. VaH is
engaged in dairying, making a specialty of the
sale of milk, and has been quite successful in
this venture. He is an intelligent, public-
spirited citizen, identifying himself with all
matters which will promote the welfare of the
community, is a Democrat in politics, and both
himself and wife are faithful members of the
Baptist Church at Beekman.

I ICHARD T. SWIFT, a well-known resi-
JO. dent of the town of Washington, Dutch
ess county, was engaged during the earlier
years of his life in agricultural pursuits, but is
now retired from active labor. He is a native
of that town, where he was born September
26, 181 7, and is the representative of an old
American family, of English origin, that was
founded in this country about 1640. His
father, Zebulon Swift, was born at SpringhHl,
near Sandwich, Mass., July 29, 1776, and
there his grandfather, Abraham Swift, was also
born. The latter was married in the Bay
State, where he followed cabinet making, but
later came to Dutchess county, N. Y., locating
on a farm near MHIbrook, which he operated
in connection with work at his trade. In his

family were five chHdren: Zebulon and his
twin brother, Lemuel, who was a farmer of
Washington town; Bariah, a machinist and in
ventor; Robert, who had large business in
terests at MiHbrook, including a sawmill; and
Deborah, who died unmarried. The family
belonged to the Society of Friends.
Zebulon Swift was only a boy when brought
by his parents to this county, where he fol
lowed cabinet making and farming. He was
married March 3, 1803, to Sarah Titus, a na
tive of Washington town, and of English de
scent. Her father engaged in blacksmithing
and farming as a means of livelihood. By her
marriage with M'r. Swift she became the
mother of nine children, namely: Deborah,
who died unmarried; Elizabeth, who became
the wife of Joseph Bartlett, January i, 1828,
and with her husband is now deceased; Will
iam, who was a farmer of Washington town,
and has also passed away; Johanna and Phoebe,
who both died unmarried; Richard T., subject
of this sketch; Sarah, who also died unmarried;
and Isaac, who operates a farm in the town
of Washington. The father died August 16,
1823, and the mother passed away January 16,
1870. Richard T. Swift was reared to the life of
an agriculturist, which occupation he followed
until his retirement, and he early became fa
miliar with the labors on a farm. On Septem
ber 12, 1839, he married Miss Hannah S.
Deuel, who was born at Kinderhook, Columbia
Co., N. Y. , February 23, 181 7, and is de
scended from a French Huguenot family, who
sought religious freedom in this country at an
early day in its history. Her father, Silas
Deuel, was a native of the town of Washing
ton, Dutchess county, where he married a Miss
Davis, by whom he had only one child: Mrs.
Swift. The entire married life of our subject
and his wife was passed in the town of Wash
ington with the exception of three years spent
on a farm in Dover town, Dutchess county.
For the last fifteen years he has given up ac
tive labor, enjoying a well-earned rest.
Three children graced the union of Mr. and
Mrs. Swift, (i) Amelia M., born September
9, 1840, was married December 19, 1866, to
Albert Knapp, a farmer of the town of Stan
ford, Dutchess county. (2) James D., born
March 20, 1842, married Verna M. Case, Oc
tober 12, 1867, and they had one son, F"reder-
ick W.,nowa tinsmith of Poughkeepsie, N. Y.,
who was born February 6, 1869, and married

694

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Charlotte Covil. Mrs. Verna M. Swift died
February 3, 1873, and March 7, 1877, James
D. Swift married Miss Emma E. Carson, of
New York City, a daughter of John C. Carson,
a native of Grenock, Scotland. They are the
parents of four children: Jane Verna, who
wasborn October 30, 1878, and died July 9,
1879; James Richard, born November 11,
1 881; Richard Carson, born May 21, 1885;
and Minnie Grace, born March 3 1 , 1890. For
some time James D. Swift was a merchant of
Millbrook, but is now employed at the carpen
ter's trade. (3) Gurdon, born November 4,
1844, is the youngest child of the family, and
is engaged in farming in the town of Washing
ton. On March 24, 1884, Mrs. Swift departed
this life, leaving many friends, as well as a lov
ing family, to mourn her loss. The children
are members of various Churches, but our sub
ject is an Orthodox Friend in religious belief,
arid stands high in the regard of his fellow citi
zens. In politics he is a firm supporter of the
Republican party.

JAMES L. PINCKNEY. The fertile lands
of the town of Pawling, Dutchess county,
have always afforded a tempting field for
enterprise, and the subject of this sketch is
one of the active and progressive men who
have engaged successfully in agriculture and
dairying in that town. He is a native of Put
nam county, born at Lake Mahopac (or Ger
man Flats) March i, 1855. He obtained a
common-school education there, and at an
early age engaged in farming on his own ac
count. In 1889 he married Miss Marie L.
Hay, and their union, being childless, they
adopted a little girl October i, 1891, giving
her the name of Mary Antoinette Pinckney.
She was born on Washington's birthday,
1885. Perry Pinckney, our subject's father, was
born at Red Mills, Putnam county (now Ma
hopac Falls), and his early education was lim
ited to the district schools of that time and
locality. For a number of years he followed
the carpenter's trade, and later purchased a
tract of land in the town of East Fishkill,
Dutchess county, where he conducted a dairy
farm during his remaining days. He married
Miss Elizabeth Lockwood, daughter of David
Lockwood, a well-known hotel keeper at Car
mel, Putnam county, and had six chHdren, of

whom our subject was the youngest. All
were born at the old home in Putnam county,
and were educated in the public schools of the
vicinity, (i) Lewis became a farmer of the
town of Pawling, and has never married. (2)
Sarah married Robert J. Lee, a farmer of the
town of East Fishkill, and has had eleven chil
dren: Ella, who married Madison J. Horton,
and has two daughters, Millie and May; Flor
ence, who married Isaac Horton, and has
four children, Madison, Mary L, , and two
others; Annie; Alice; William; Edith; Burton;
Leona, who married, and has three chHdren,
Andrew, Hiram, and one whose name Is not
given; Edward L. , who died when about six
teen years of age; and Lula and Maude, the
last named Hving with her aunt, Mrs. Sophia
Tompkins, who is bringing her up. (3) Sophia
married Walter Tompkins, a farmer of Put
nam county, but they have no chHdren. (4)
Irene has never married. (5) Caroline mar
ried John E. Patterson, a farmer, and has
three children: Edith, May E., and one
whose name is not given.
Mrs. Pinckney was born January 10, 1853,
in New York City, and after attending the
public schools there, she became an expert
seamstress on shirts, vests and dresses, and
afterward followed the business of dress-mak
ing for twenty years. Her father, Anthony
Hay, was a native of Schwalbach, Germany,
where he received his education. He spent
some years in Paris, France, as a shoemaker,
and he married a French lady. Mile. Marie
Catherine Renaud, daughter of Daniel Renaud.
The latter had twelve children — six sons and
six daughters: Daniel, Jr., who died in
France; Peter, now living in France; Fred
erick (deceased), who had two children —
Frederick and Emma — and formerly Hved in
Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Henry, living in California;
Eugene (deceased); Louis, who died in France;
Marion, who died in France; Louise (de
ceased), formerly of Paterson, N. J. ; Cath
erine (deceased), who was Mrs. Lalin, of
Green Point, Long Island, N. Y., and had
thirteen children; Elizabeth, of France; Susan
(now Mrs. Hilbert, of Green Point, N. Y.) has
four children living — Fred, in California; Louis
M., in New York City; Alfred, Jr., in Green
Point; and Emily, in Tremont, N. Y.-— and
Marie Catherine, the mother of Mrs. Pinck
ney.' Anthony Hay and wife came to New York
City, where their two daughters were born:
Mrs. Pinckney, the younger, January 10, 1853,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

695

and Emma C, the elder, on January 15,
1 85 1. The latter attended the city schools
during girlhood, and afterward married Charles
Schaefer, a carpenter of the same city. They
had one son, Charles, who died when nearly
two years old. Anthony Hay died July 5,
1854. His widow is stHl living.

JOHN H. ORTON, residing near Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, is a leading dairy
man and agriculturist of that vicinity. He
is a native of the town of Dover, born March
5, 1844, and has passed his life there, attend
ing the public schools in boyhood and engag
ing in farming at an early age. In 1889 he
purchased from Alice Wheeler his present
farm, containing 125 acres of fine land, and
his excellent management has made it one of
the best of its kind in the township. Although
he is not a politician in the strict sense of the
term, he is a strong supporter of. Democratic
principles. In 1878 he married Miss Lucy J.
Thorp, daughter of Bradford Thorp, a well-
known resident of Lime Rock, Conn., and
they had four children: Willard B. and a
daughter (twins), born January 29, 1878, the
latter living only three days, while the former
who was a bright little boy, lacked but eleven
days of being three years old when he, too, died;
Oliver L., born February 28, 1883; and Claude
M., born AprH 11, 1888.
Our subject's ancestors were early settlers
in Connecticut, and his grandfather, William
Orton, was a native of that State, and became
a well-to-do farmer. He and his wife, Ruana,
reared a family of four children: Sally, the
wife of Harry Edmonds; James, who married
Lydia Finch, and had five children; Harry,
who never married; and Oliver L., our sub
ject's father, who was born in Connecticut,
August 15, 1809. After acquiring a common-
school education he learned the shoemaker's
trade, but did not follow it long. He was a
musician and a trooper in the days of the old
mHitia. In politics he was a stanch Demo
crat. He married Miss Ruth B. Burton, and
had six children, of whom our subject was the
fifth in order of birth. The eldest, Mary A.,
was born February 2, 1834, and married James
Orton (a relative), who was engaged in farm
ing near Patterson, Putnam Co., N; Y. ; they
had one son, Charles, who died in i888.» (2)
James W. Orton was born October 27, 1835,
in the town of Dover, Dutchess county, and

after leaving school followed farming for some
time, but is now engaged in mercantile busi
ness at New Milford, Conn. He is a member
of the Odd Fellows Lodge at Dover. His
first wife. Miss Sarah Lee, died August 16,
1865, and he is now married to Miss Maria
Sherman. He has no living offspring, the two
children of his first marriage, Charles and Ber
tha, having died in infancy. (3) Jetson Orton,
who was born in Dover Plains, August 16,
1839, is a farmer by occupation. He married
Susan Wheeler, daughter of Alfred and
Mary Wheeler, prominent farmers of Dover,
and has three chHdren: Lewis J., who mar
ried Sarah Brinck; Mary, the wife of Joseph
Titus; and Burton R., who is at home. (4)
Sallie R. Orton, was born in the town of
Dover, May 14, 1841, and like the other mem
bers of the family received an education in the
public schools near her' home. She married
MHes C. Bump, a carpenter of Amenia, and
has two chHdren — Thomas L. and Nettie M.,
(6) 'Martha J. Orton, the youngest of the fam-,
ily, born October 9, 1846, died of consump
tion at the age of twenty-one years.
Mrs. Orton's grandfather, Hercules Westely
Thorpe, was a native of Lime Rock, Conn.,
the old home of this family. He married Judith
Lampson, and had five chHdren: John, Brad
ford, Horace, Hiram, and Esther. Bradford
Thorpe, Mrs. Orton's father, has always beep
a farmer at Lime Rock. He married Frances
Winters, and had nineteen children, of whom
fifteen are living, as well as both the parents.
Edward married Ruth Jones; Mary, — Isaac
Dinger ; Minnie — WHliam Dinger ; Frank — Pollie
Bishop ; Andrew — Sarah Chase ; Esther — Homer
Brown; Fannie,. Julia, and Sabelia never
married; Lucy J. is the wife of our subject;
William and Charles are not married; Rose is
the wife of George Bishop; Estella married
WilHam Bishop; Hattie is not married; Birdie,
Caroline, and John and Amelia are deceased.

ERBERT J. CURTIS, a stalwart and
J3i sturdy representative of the noble yeo
manry who make up the agricultural popula
tion of Dutchess county, is a resident of the
town of Red Hook, where he was born AprH
II, 1858. His father, John Curtis, was the
son of Le Grand Curtis, a member of the firm
of Carroll & Curtis, furniture dealers and un
dertakers, of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county.
The father wedded Jane C. Beaumont, and to

696

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

them were born eight children: Le Grand B.,
born November 3, 1841, married Helen An
drews, and after her death wedded Mary Mas-
sonneau; Edwin S., born August 28, 1843, was
united in marriage with Miss Emma French,
daughter of John French, a professor at West
Point, N. Y. ; L. Irene, born September 2,
1845, is the wife of John A. Fraleigh, son of
George Fraleigh; Florence, bornin December,
1847, WHHs, born in November, 1849, and
Grace, born October 2, 1852, all died in in
fancy; Herbert J. is the next in order of birth;
and James C, born April 15, i860, also died
in infancy. The father of this family departed
this Hfe in August, 1875.
The maternal grandparents of our subject,
Abraham and Martha (Carter) Beaumont, came,
to the United States from Onley, near Hud
dersfield, England, and located at Chester
Creek, near Philadelphia, Penn. In their
native land two chHdren had come to bless
their union: Jane C, , mother of our subject,
born AprH 15, 18 16; and Martha A., born
February 18, 18 18; after their location at
Chester Creek the family circle was increased
by the birth of another daughter, Eliza T. ,
born June 30, 1831. Being an expert machin
ist, the father soon secured work at Chester
Creek, where he remained for four years, and
then removed to Trenton, N. Y. , where he
also found employment at his chosen trade.
His wife died in this country in February, 1832,
but his death occurred while on a visit to
England in 1843.
On reaching a sufficient age Herbert J.
Curtis entered the common schools of Red
Hook, completing his studies in the De Garmo
Institute, Rhinebeck, N. Y. , which has since
been transferred to Fishkill-on-Hudson. After
leaving school he began his business career as
a bookkeeper in his father's store, but now
turns his attention to agricultural pursuits,
conducting a fine farm just outside the vHlage
of Red Hook, which might well be termed a
model farm, as it is supplied with all modern
conveniences, good and substantial buildings,
and the fields are under a high state of cultiva
tion. He also gives considerable attention to
the raising of fine poultry, and has been quite
successful in all his undertakings.
On November 7, 1878, Mr. Curtis was
united in marriage with Miss Angie B. Lasher,
daughter of Nelson P. Lasher, who was a
teacher in the public schools of Red Hook.
Mrs. Curtis began her education in the public

schools of that place, completing same at* Clav
erack Institute, Claverack, N. Y. , and later
engaged in teaching for some time with her
father. By her marriage she has become the
mother of four children: C. Leland; Minnie
G. ; Carrol J., who died February 26, 1883;
and Raymond J. The parents are widely and
favorably known throughout the community,
and hold a high position in social circles.

JOHN A. TRAVER, one of the most pro
gressive and intelligent agriculturists of the
town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was
born January 27, 1834, on the farm upon
which he now resides.
It is not known exactly when the first of the
American branch of the family crossed the ocean,
but his ancestors were undoubtedly among the
pioneer farmers of Sullivan county, as three
brothers of the name came from there at a very
early date, and purchased a large tract of land
in the town of Clinton, Dutchess county, and
afterward separated.
David Traver, our subject's great-grand
father, had a son, Andrew D. Traver, born in
Clinton town, who also followed farming, and
about 1818 moved to a farm in the town of
Rhinebeck now occupied by Mr. Crandall.
He was thrifty and successful, highly esteemed
inthe neighborhood, and was an active mem
ber of the Lutheran Church at Wurtemburg.
He died at that place in his eighty-ninth year,
and was buried there, as was also his wife, in
her seventy-sixth year. They had three chH
dren: Maria (deceased), who married George
Snyder; Michael, our subject's father; and
Julia, the widow of H. D. Teal, deceased.
Michael Traver was born October 10,
1 809, in the town of Clinton, but passed most
of his life in Rhinebeck town. He had but
limited educational advantages, but he has
always kept himself well posted upon general
topics, and is a constant and intelligent reader.
In 1828 he married Eliza Teal, a descendant
of one of the oldest and most prominent fam
ilies of the township, a daughter of John I.
Teal. The young couple settled upon the
present homestead near Rhinebeck where Mrs.
Traver died July 6, 1895, i" her eighty-fourth
year. Michael Traver always displayed good
judgment in business matters, and his success
was teased upon thrift and industry. In early
times he was a Whig, and later a Republican,
but in local affairs he always voted independ-

^^^i^^S^ ^ ' d^?^2><?^7^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

697

ently. He was never an office seeker, but at
one time was assessor of his township. He
united with the Wurtemburg Lutheran Church
in his youth, and was one of the builders of
the Lutheran church of Rhinebeck vHlage,
where for many years he was a leading offi
cial. He led a life of quiet and usefulness,
which brought him the well-deserved regard of
all who knew him. He passed to his final
rest March i8, 1896, in his eighty-seventh
year, one of those few who leave
" no memorial,
But a world made better by their lives."
John A. Traver, the subject of our sketch,
the only son of his parents, received a good
English education in boyhood, attending first
the district schools of the neighborhood, and
later studying for three years in Rhinebeck
Academy under Prof. Harper. His reading
has been extended far beyond the ordinary
limits, his attention being especially devoted
to history. He has also read much in the
line of his own business, of which he takes a
scientific view. After leaving school he be
gan to relieve his father of his cares, and for
the last twenty years the entire responsibility
of the management of the farm of 130 acres
has devolved upon him. His good judgment,
integrity and public spirit have made him a
leader in local affairs, and he has great in
fluence in town and county politics. He has
always been a Republican, but has never
sought office, although he has been elected to
several positions — having been assessor of the
township for many years, and supervisor four
terms, 1892-93, in 1894 for two years, and in
1896 for two years; he has also been chair
man of the committee on equalization of the
county, and is a trustee of Rhinebeck Savings
Bank. In 1855 Mr. Traver was married to Miss
Elizabeth Ten Broeck, daughter of Samuel
and Maria (Parks) Ten Broeck, and a descend
ant of one of the old famHies. They have
four children: Eliza, (Mrs. WilHam Wey);
Charles, who assists his father upon the farm;
Maria (Mrs. Frank Wey); and Jennie, who
is at home. The children were educated in
Rhinebeck Academy, the same school in which
Mr. Traver completed his studies. Charles
and Eliza paid especial attention to music, the
former being a talented violinist, and the lat
ter a proficient on the piano. The family are
leading members of the Lutheran Stone

Church at Rhinebeck, and have always been
prominent in the social life of the locality.
The homestead of the family has been in their
possession for nearly one hundred years. The
family is also noted for its longevity; Andrew
D. Traver being at the time of his decease,
eighty-nine; Leah Traver, his wife, seventy-
six; Michael Traver, eighty-seven; and Eliza
Traver, eighty-four years.

JAMES E. VAN KLEECK is the owner
of a fine farm of sixty acres in the town of
~ Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county, where
with progressive and improved methods he
carries on agricultural pursuits, while the well-
tilled fields yield to him a golden tribute in re
turn for the care and labor he bestows upon
them. In the midst of these stand good
buHdings, substantial and well-kept, and the
air of neatness and thrift which pervades the
place indicates the careful supervision of the
owner, who is justly regarded as one of the
leading farmers of the neighborhood.
Mr. Van Kleeck is a native of the town of
Lagrange, Dutchess county, born November
19, 1820. His father, Minard Van Kleeck,
was born in the city of Poughkeepsie, as was
the grandfather, who also bore the name of
Minard. The founder of the family in Amer
ica was likewise a Minard Van Kleeck, and
was a native of Holland, whence he emigrated
to America, living for some years on Long
Island. He then took up his residence in
Poughkeepsie, where he spent his remaining
days. The grandfather of our subject was
here reared and married. Through the Rev
olutionary war he served as one of the de-
_fenders of the colonies, and when the struggle
was ended he returned to his home at Pough
keepsie. His family numbered three children:
James, who died of yeHow fever in New York
City, where he was engaged in business as a
candlemaker; Rachel, who became the wife
of James Talmadge, a farmer of the town of
Pleasant VaHey; and Minard the father of our
subject. The last named was reared in Poughkeep
sie, and when a young man worked for vari
ous farmers in the neighborhood. He mar
ried Helen Rugar, a native of Lagrange town,
and a daughter of John Rugar, a farmer and
carpenter, who belonged to an old Holland
family. Mr. Van Kleeck removed with his
bride to Lagrange town, and continued agri-

698

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

cultural pursuits throughout his life. In his
political affiliations he was a Democrat. His
death occurred in 1856; that of his wife in
1845. Their children were as follows: Cor
delia, married Peter Youngs, a farmer of
Dutchess county, and both are deceased;
James E. is the next younger; John removed
to the West, where his death occurred; Han
nah E. is the wife of Morris Demers, a coop
er, of Pennsylvania; Mary J. was married and
removed to the West, since which time no
news has been received of her; Helen became
the wife of William Potts, formerly a farmer
of Lagrange; Peter followed farming in La
grange town until his death; Minard and
Rachel both died in early life.
The subject proper of this review spent
his boyhood days in the usual manner of
farmer lads, his time being largely occupied
by work on the old homestead, and to the
pursuit to which he was reared he has always
devoted his energies. He is ever an advocate
of advancement, and ready to accept improved
methods which his judgment countenances
as practical. In his dealings he is strictly
honorable, and his well-spent life commends
him to the confidence and regard of all.
Mr. Van Kleeck was united in marriage
with a daughter of David Rigar, and they re
sided on the old farm in Lagrange until 1 869,
when he sold his property there and came to
his present farm. On July. 4, 1895, he was
called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who
was a most estimable lady.

JULIUS O. ROWE, one of the most promi
nent agriculturists of the town of Milan,
Dutchess county, was born September 7,,
1830, upon his present estate, which has been
in the possession of his family for over 135
years. Johannes Rowe, great-grandfather of our
subject, and a German by birth, came in 1760
with some of his brothers to Dutchess county,
where he purchased 911 acres of land from
ChanceHor Robt. R. Livingston, and much of
this land is still in the possession of the Rowe
family. For this land he paid ;^750, on
which, in 1766, he built a stone house (still
standing), and passed the remaining years of
his life in the quiet calhng of a farmer. Jo
hannes Rowe died in 1771, and was buried in
the family ground across the road from the
church which bears the family name. He

was twice married, and by his first wife had
six children, two daughters — Mary (Mrs..
James Stewart), Catherine (Mrs. William Stew
art); and four sons — John, Sebastian, PhHip
and Mark; and by his second wife he had one
daughter, Lydia — seven children in aH. To
each of these the father gave a farm in the
town of Milan, and the boys all settled there
and were prominent in the early history of the.
town; they built the Methodist church there,
and were generous supporters of many local
enterprises, from which that neighborhood
still derives benefit. PhHip had a son William
P. Rowe, who served as a soldier in the war
of 1812. Mark Rowe, our subject's grandfather, mar
ried Catherine Pitcher, and reared a family of
four sons: John, a farmer in the town of Mi
lan, left no children; Garrett, a soldier in the
war of 18 12, was a farmer in Columbia coun
ty, and had six children, whose descendants
still live there; William was a farmer in the
town of Milan, and left several children; and
Leonard Rowe, our subject's father, born at
the present farm in 1801, became a farmer by.
occupation. He was married, in 1827, to
Miss Eliza C. Reid, a native of the town of
Milan. The Reids are of English origin, and
the first American ancestors came at an early
date, settling in New England. Peter Reid,
Mrs. Rowe's grandfather, married Miss Thank
ful Beecher, of New Haven, Conn., and their
son Ely was born in Connecticut, in early Hfe
coming to Dutchess county, where he met and
married Miss Catherine Rowe, a native of
the town of Milan (then Northeast). They
settled in Rhinebeck-on-Hudson, where Ely
Reid was a merchant for a number of years.
After the marriage of our subject's parents,
they settled at the old homestead, where they
reared a family of four children: Julius O.,
Edward, Horatio, and Virginia A.
Leonard Rowe was very influential in local
affairs, a leader in the Democratic organiza
tion, and for many years a supervisor and jus
tice of the peace. Edward wentto Minnesota
in 1856, purchased a large tract of land onthe
Minnesota river where he improved a large
farm, and resided there twenty-one years. His
health failing, he rented his land and returned
to Milan in 1887, where he died in 1889.
Julius O. Rowe still resides with his brother
and sister at Home Nest, the ancestral home
of their parents, where in youth they received
an academic education, fitting them for any

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

699

vocation in life. They stand high in the es
teem of the people, among whom they live.
In politics Julius O. is a Democrat, but has
never sought nor could be induced to hold any
official position. Horatio has served satisfac
tory as supervisor for several terms.

SHERMAN HOWARD, a prominent agri
culturist and a dairyman of the town of
Poughkeepsie, and a descendant of one of the
oldest families of Dutchess county, was born
in the town of Pawling, January 27, 1821.
The family is of Irish origin, the first of the
American line settling in Rhode Island at an
early date.
Edward Howard, the great-great-grand
father, a Quaker, came from Rhode Island to
Dutchess county early in the seveijjeenth cen
tury, settling on Quaker Hill, in what is now
the town of Pawling, when that locality was a
primeval wilderness. He built a cabin near a
spring of water, and he and his wife endured
all the hardships and privations of pioneer life
before they transformed their land into a pro
ductive farm. They had three children, viz.:
Cynthia (who married James Akin), Benjamin
and Edward.
Edward, our subject's great-grandfather,
was born in the year 1730, married Phebe
Hart, and reared a family of eleven chHdren:
Stephen, Edward, John, WHHam, Thomas,
Richard, Matthew, Phebe, Mary, Patience and
Sarah. Phebe married Daniel Martin; Mary
married Samuel Tripp; Sarah married Thomas
Stephens; and Patience married John Howard,
an officer in the British army, whom she mar
ried during the Revolutionary war.
Stephen Howard, the grandfather of pur
subject, was born in 1760, was a tanner and
shoemaker by trade, and also followed farm
ing at the old homestead. Like his ancestors,
he adhered to the faith of the Quakers, as have
the majority of his descendants. He married
Theodocia Totten, of Westchester county, by
whom he had six children: Robert, Peter,
Thomas, James (who died in childhood), Phebe
and Edward (our subject's father.)
Edward Howard was born in 1785, and
was a farmer in the town of Pawling, and in
poHtics was a Democrat. He married Drusilla
Sherman, a daughter of Abial Sherman, of
Pawling, who was a soldier in the Revolution
ary war and a politician of note, serving as a
member of the State Legislature in 18 17.

Two children were born to this union: Matilda
A., who married Hiram HavHand, who resided
on Quaker HHl, in the town of Pawling; and
Sherman, our subject. The mother, Drusilla
Sherman Howard, died in 1857, and the father
survived her until the year 1871.
Sherman Howard grew to manhood at the
old homestead, attending the schools of the
neighborhood. His first venture into the world
of business was as a clerk in a general store,
where he remained two years. He then re
turned to the homestead. He was married in
1853 to Sarah Dorland, daughter of Samuel
and Sarah Dorland, of the town of Lagrange.
Of the five children of this union only two
lived to maturity, Anna M. , the wifeof Edwin
S. Barnes, a farmer of Poughkeepsie township,
and Charles, who is at home. Charles mar
ried Anna K. Barnes, and they have one son,
Roger S. Howard. In 1869 Mr. Howard
purchased his present farmi of 100 acres near
Arlington, where he is engaged in general
farming and the milk business, to which he
gives especial attention. He has made exten
sive improvements upon the estate, and it is
now a fine and productive property.
Mr. Howard was the first justice of the
peace of the town of Pawling, and held such
office from 1846 to 1850. In 1850 he was
appointed deputy sheriff by Alonzo H. Morey,
who was then sheriff of Dutchess county, and
held such office three years. In 1854 and
1856, Mr. Howard represented the town of
Pawling in the board of supervisors, and held
the office of postmaster of the town of Pough
keepsie, at Manchester Bridge, from the years
1880 to 1892. Mr. Howard takes great in
terest in local affairs, notwithstanding his
advanced age, and in politics is a Democrat.

2^ RVIS HAIGHT, agriculturist, of the town
,h^ of FishkHl, Dutchess county, residing
near JohnsvHle, is engaged in dairying and
horticulture. His estate lies upon both sides
of the highway between JohnsviHe and Brinck
erhoff, and is bounded on the west by
Charles D. Sherwood's farm, on the east by
tbe farm of John Smith, on the north by Fish
kill creek, and on the south by the property of
Henry Schluter.
Arvis Haight was born at the old home in
PhiHipstown, August 9, 1849, and acquired his
education in the district schools while working
upon the farm and in the miH. In 1870 he

700

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECORD.

left home and went to New York City, where
he became a salesman in a commission house
in Washington Market. There he remained
nine years, and then moved to Dutchess coun
ty, and after a short residence in Fishkill vil
lage, he purchased, in 1880, his present farm.
It contains eighty acres of cultivated land, and
twenty which are not cleared. From ten to
fifteen cows are kept, and the fruit and veget
able crops are of various kinds.
Mr. Haight married Miss Phoebe A. Hus
tis, by whom he has had three children: Bes
sie Beulah, Ralph, and Edna, who died at the
age of eight years. Mrs. Haight's father was
Caleb Hustis, son of William Hustis, tbe son
of Caleb Hustis, and her mother was Eliza
beth Ann Haight, the daughter of James and
Jemima (Budd) Haight, and granddaughter of
Marion (Swims) Haight.

E\DWIN TRAVER, one of the most promi-
 'I nent agriculturists of the town of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, is a descendant of one
of the earliest settlers of this region. Among
the emigrants from Holland who located in
Ulster county, in 17 10, was Anna Maria Tre-
ber, who had two sons between the ages of
nine and fifteen, and from them the numerous
Traver family in this vicinity have sprung.
The fir.st of the name to settle in the town of
Rhinebeck, came about 171 5.
Our subject's grandfather, Henry B. Tra
ver, was a native of Dutchess county, and
probably of the town of Rhinebeck, where he
was a prosperous farmer in later years. He
married Miss Cookingham, and had seven chil
dren: Lewis, a farmer in Rhinebeck, who
served as a soldier in the war of 1 8 1 2 ; WiHiam,
also a farmer in Rhinebeck; Eve, who mar
ried Gideon Traver, a farmer; Maria; Aaron,
our subject's father; Moses, a farmer; and
Gilbert, who is now a retired farmer in Rhine
beck. Aaron Traver was born at the old farm in
1809. He married Christma Traver, a native
of the town of Clinton, whose great-grandfa
ther, Bastian Traver, was born in Holland, and
came to Dutchess county when a young man,
locating in the town of Rhinebeck. His son
David had a son Samuel, born in CHnton town,
in 1783, who was the father of Christina Tra
ver. After their marriage our subject's parents
lived in Clinton town for some years, and
then moved to the farm in Rhinebeck, now

owned by our subject. They had eleven chH
dren: Darius, a farmer in Rhinebeck; Elbert,
Who died in 1863, in defense of the Union;
Nathaniel, now living in Arizona; Seth, who
died in 1887; Edwin, our subject; Sarah, who
died in 1886; Wesley B. , a farmer in Rhine
beck; Oscar and DeWitt, who died in youth;
Mary, who died in 1891; and Emma C. , now
living with our subject. The mother died in
1882, and the father six years later.
The subject of our sketch was born in the
town of Clinton, November 15, 1844, ^^'^ ^^
six years of age he moved with his parents to
his present home. His farm comprises 180
acres of land, well adapted to general farming.
For about six years in all, during his earHer
years, he taught school! and he takes great in
terest in educational progress and in all the
movements of the day, keeping well informed
on current measures. In politics he is a Dem
ocrat, and he contributes to the Lutheran
Church, of which his forefathers were ad
herents.

WILLIAM P. ROE, a weH-known dairy-
 man and agriculturist of the town of
Fishkill, Dutchess county, residing near Brinck
erhoff,. is one of the most enterprising workers
in his chosen lines.
John Roe, his father, was born June 28,
1792, and followed the occupation of a farmer,
settling upon a farm of about 100 acres in the
town of Wappinger, Dutchess county. On
April I, 1849, he married Mary Ann PhiHips,
who was born August 26, 1802, in Fishkill,
Dutchess county. To their union one son was
born — William P. Our subject's mother was
a daughter of WiHiam I. Phillips (who was
born March 14, 1767, and died July 9, 1839)
and his wife, Elizabeth (who was born Decem
ber 3, 1774, and died March 14, 1854). The
father of our subject died September 27, 1861;
the mother passing away January 24, 1875.
William P. Roe was born near Flushing,
Long Island, January 29, 1847. Although not
a native of Dutchess county, he come here at
the age of two years with his father, and re
ceived his education in tbe district schools of
the town of Fishkill, assisting in the meantime
with the work at home. After leaving school
he devoted his attention to the management of
the farm, to which he succeeded at his father's
death. On September 27, 1861, he married
Miss Elizabeth De Long, daughter of James R.

^^z^>

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD:

701

and Frances (Seaman) De Long, prominent
residents of the town of Beekman. James R.
De Long was the only brother of the Hon.
Charles E. De Long, the most prominent law
yer on the Pacific coast, and who was ap
pointed, by President U. S. Grant, United
States minister to Japan, which office he filled
with great honor, his wife being the first Amer
ican lady introduced to the Mikado of Japan.
In 1877 Mr. Roe sold his farm and moved to
Brooklyn, where he opened a feed, flour and
grain store, which he carried on for one year;
he then returned to Dutchess county, and
worked for a year on the farm of his father-in-
law. Since that time he has been continu
ously engaged in agriculture, spending four
years on the estate of George Tabor, of Beek
man (Mrs. Roe's uncle) ; three years at Green
haven on the Peters farm; three years in the
town of Unionvale, on the Peter H. Christie
property; and for the past seven years at his
present location — the farm of 300 acres owned
by W. F. Wilson, of New York City. He is
largely interested in dairying, keeping, on an
average, about fifty cows, with many young
cattle. In politics Mr. Roe is a Democrat, and in
religion incHnes to the Methodist Church,
which he and his wife attend. They ha^¦e had
ten chHdren: John Franklin, George Bert,
Mary Helena, James Clifford, Charles, Bertha,
Sarah Elizabeth, Edith May, Carrie Elizabeth
and WiHiam P. , all of whom are living, except
Charles and Sarah Ehzabeth, who die'd in
childhood. Mrs. Roe's paternal great-grandparents
were James and Sally (Losee) De Lo,pg, and
their son Egbert (her grandfather) married
Sarah Crandall, daughter of Reed and Eliza
beth Crandall. On the maternal side her
grandparents were David N. Seaman and his
wife, Melissa Howard, who was a daughter of
Edward Howard. This David N. Seaman was
sheriff of Dutchess county, serving three years
from 1847.

T\HEODORE ANTHONY, a representa-
_ tive agriculturist of the town of Fishfiill,
Dutchess county, resides one-half mile from
Fishkill village, upon a farm which has been
in the family for many years. He was born
September 25, 1830, in the house which he
now occupies, and has passed the greater por
tion of his life there. His education was be

gun in the public schools of Fishkill, and com
pleted in the old academy which has given so
many of the clever sons of Dutchess county
their intellectual training. On completing his
course there he began his career as a farmer.
Some years were spent at the homestead, and
then he went to De Kalb county. 111., to im
prove some prairie land belonging to his father;
but after four years he returned and resumed
his work at the old home. In 1884 he pur
chased the place, which now contains sixty-
three acres, mainly devoted to general crops.
He keeps from ten to twelve cows, and is very
successful in his dairy work, and also raises
some fine fruit of various kinds, his apple
orchard being extensive and productive. The
estate is bounded on the north and west by the
lands of Sylvanus Haight, on the east by the
old Albany and New York post road, and on
the south by the property of Sebring Smith
and Charles D. Rogers.
On November 20, 1862, Mr. Anthony mar
ried Miss Mary T. PhiHips, daughter of Isaac
and Cornelia (Tappan) Phillips, and grand
daughter of John Phillips and his wife Hester
(Van Voorhis). On the maternal side she was
a granddaughter of Major Peter Tappan and
his wife Annie (DeWitt), who was a daughter
of Col. Charles DeWitt of Revolutionary fame,
and Blandina (DuBois), his wife. Major
Peter Tappan was a son of Christopher, who
was a son of the Christopher Tappan, whose
daughter Cornelia married Gov. George CHn
ton. Mrs. Anthony died November 15, 1884,
leaving no chHdren, and Mr. Anthony was
married October 20, 1894, to her sister, Miss
Cornelia V. Phillips, who lived but a short
time, passing away December 18, 1894. Both
were members of the Reformed Dutch Church,
and were held in high esteem among their ac
quaintances. Mr. Anthony has also been a
member of that Church for years, and at differ
ent times has held the office of deacon. Mr.
Anthony is one of the leading workers in local
affairs, and in the Republican organization,
and has held the office of town auditor,
and received the nominations of his party on
various occasions as assessor, highway com
missioner and collector.
The Anthony family is among the early
comers to this State, and our subject's great-
grandparents, Nicholas and Catherine (Daly)
Anthony, were residents of New York City.
Their son John, our subject's grandfather, mar
ried Elizabeth Van Wyck, daughter of William

702

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and Martha Carman Van Wyck. WHliam An
thony, the father of our subject, was born Au
gust lO, 1798, and became a successful farmer
at the present homestead, owning about 210
acres of land. He was a prominent, member
of the Reformed Dutch Church for many years
previous to his death, which occurred November
16, 1879. His first wife. Miss Mary Wright,
was a daughter of Enos and Mary (Woolen)
Wright. She died June 20, 1836, leaving four
children: John W., Theodore, Elizabeth (Mrs.
Abraham G. Remsen, of Plainfield, N. J.), and
Mary, who died at the age of thirty. By a
second wife, Hannah Wright, a sister of the
first, there were also four children: Cornelia,
Sarah A, , Enos and Kate.

JAMES MADISON WOOD. It is a natural
and praise-worthy interest in our common
humanity that lends to biography its chief
charm to the reader, and there is no life his
tory from which there may not be some lesson
drawn to enlighten and direct the inexper
ienced, cheer the despondent, or renew the
energy of the weary. Years spent in quiet
usefulness may win honor for gray hairs as
well as those which have been passed under
the public eye, and while no one would de
tract from the merits of those who gain the
world's applause, faithful attention to the ev
ery-day duties of life may also show ability and
high purpose.
Our subject's paternal grandparents, Jo
seph and Elizabeth (Light) Wood, were early
settlers, and his father, Joseph I. Wood, was
born September 16, 1783, dying April 2, 1861,
after a life given mainly to agricultural pursuits.
His wife, Rachel Finch, was a native of Croton
Falls, Westchester county, born June 7, 1790,
and her death occurred March 19, 1879.
Our subject was the eldest of five children; the
others being: Martha E., Isaac F., John H.,
and Harvey.
James Madison Wood, who is one of the
oldest and most esteemed residents of Mattea
wan, Dutchess county, was born in JohnsvHle,
town of Fishkill, October i, 1816. His edu
cation was received at the district school at
Glenham for some years, and he then pursued
the higher branches, including trigonometry
and surveying, in a private school. On at
taining his majority he left the farm, and
learned the machinist's trade, which he fol
lowed until 1 860, when he engaged in mercantile

business, conducting a general store at Mattea
wan. In 1869 he disposed of this, and pur
chased a farm of 800 acres in Louisa county,
'Sia., where he remained five years, raising
corn, wheat, oats, and tobacco. Selling this
property in 1874, he returned to Matteawan
and rented a gristmill, and from that time un
til his retirement from business, in 1885, he
was engaged in milling and in dealing in flour
and feed. His sound judgment in business af
fairs gave him an influential place in local af
fairs; yet he has never sought public honors.
He voted the Democratic ticket until 1859,
but since that date he has been a Republican.
He married Louisa Rothery, daughter of
John and Mary (Ashforth) Rothery, who were
both natives of England. Her great-grand
father (on the father's side) was Joseph Roth
ery, and her grandfather, John Rothery, was
the originator of the Rothery files, known all
over the world. Her maternal grandparents
were William Ashforth and his wife, Ann Clay,
a native of Chesterfield, England, and a cousin
of the famous American statesman, Henry
Clay. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have had five
chHdren: Mary Ann, who married Moses
Cortland Sanford, of New Jersey; John A.;
Wilfred, who died in infancy; Ida, who died
at the age of eleven; and Lelia, the wife of Al
bert Townsend, of PeekskiH, N. Y. Mr.
Wood has been a member of the I. O. O. F. for
nearly fifty-two years, and is now one of the
two surviving charter members of Evergreen
Lodge.

WILLIAM H. HAIGHT. In his chosen
 'specialties of dairying and horticulture,
the subject of this sketch is regarded as one of
the leaders in his vicinity, and his fine farm,
within sight of the village of FishkHl, Dutchess
county, is one of the best-managed places of
its kind. For several generations the home of his
family has been at PhiHipstown, Putnam Co.,
N. Y., where his grandfather, Joshua Haight,
was a farmer. Henry W. Haight, our sub
ject's father, was born there in 1809, and be-
cartie a farmer and extensive dealer in ship
timber. ,0n November 7, 1829, he married
Jane Mekeel, who was born in 1808, the daugh
ter of Stephen and Elizabeth (BeH) Mekeel,
and of this union eight children were born:
Sylvanus W., Mary E., Charies B., Sarah
Jane, John, Phcebe W., William H. (our sub-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

703

ject), and Albert. The father died December
20, 1872, and the mother passed away May
15, 1886.
WHHam H. Haight was born September
27, 1844, and grew to manhood on the farm
near Phillipstown, attending the neighboring
district schools in winter and assisting in the
work at home at other seasons. At eighteen
he left school and engaged in business, follow
ing the occupations of his father. He con
tinued to conduct the homestead until he was
thirty years old, when he rented a farm for a
few years, and later purchased his present
property, which contains something over 100
acres. He keeps thirty-five head of cattle,
and sells an average of 200 quarts of milk per
day the year round, while a goodly portion of
his estate is devoted to the raising of fine
varieties of fruit. As a business man he holds
a high reputation, and he is a stockholder in
the National Bank at Matteawan.
Mr. Haight has a pleasant home. His wife,
whom he married February 12, 1881, and
whose maiden name was Mary Nelson, is a
daughter of Justus and Sarah (Nelson) Nelson.
They attend the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and are interested in all efforts for the advance
ment of morality. Their only son, Harry N.
Haight, is a student in the Union School at
FishkHl. Politically, Mr. Haight is a Repub
lican, but has not given much time to party
work, especially of late years. While living
at Phillipstown he held the office of commis
sioner of highways for three years.

C\ASPER LAWSON, one of the most enter-
_' prising and prosperous agriculturists of
the town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
wasborn at Barnegat, Dutchess Co., N. Y.,
November 22, 1823. His ancestors came from
Holland at an early period, and settled in
Dutchess county. The great grandfather of
our subject, WHliam C. Lawson (who spelled
his name " Lansink "), wedded the first white
girl born in Dutchess county. She was a Miss
Eighmie, her Christian name being now un
known. The wedding created wide notice,
and it is said that all the " whites " of Dutch
ess county attended — not very numerous in
those days, though "Redmen" were plentiful.
His grandfather, Matthew Lawson, was
born in the town of Fishkill, and became in
terested in several lines of business there,

aside from the management of his small farm.
He married Eleanor Hoffman, a native of
Dutchess county, and reared a family of seven
children. His five sons were all engaged in
boating and in the stone and lime business.
Simeon married Mary Miller; Daniel married
Rachel Weaver; Peter H. (our subject's father)
married Kathline Westervelt; Matthew married
Ann Budd; John M. never married; Elizabeth
was the wife of Thomas Lawson, who was en
gaged in boating and in the lime business; and
Maria was the wife of John Bower, a shoe
maker. Peter H. Lawson was born at Barnegat, in
1793, and died there in 1828, his wife surviv
ing him six years. She was the daughter of
Caspaurus Westervelt, a native of Dutchess
county, and a descendant of an old Holland-
Dutch family. He owned and conducted a
farm and gristmill, and was a prominent citizen
of the town of Poughkeepsie. Peter Lawson
was an honorable, upright man, whose repu
tation is a heritage of which his children may
well be proud. He and his wife were devout
members of the Reformed Dutch Church,
They had seven children, two of whom died in
infancy. Elizabeth married John Bishop (now
deceased), then a mason and builder in New
York City, and later a merchant and ferry
man at New Hamburg, where his widow re
sided until her death in February, 1896; Al
bert G., a boatman by occupation, is now liv
ing in Brooklyn; Kathline married Benjamin
Dearin, a native of Dutchess county, who en
gaged in mercantile business in New York
City; and Eleanor married Adam Graham, a
native of Poughkeepsie, and a well-known
merchant and hotel-keeper at New Hamburg;
and Casper (or Caspaurus).
The last named was a mere child when he
lost his parents by death. He attended the
schools of his native place until he was four
teen, when he began boating on the river, an
occupation which he followed for many years.
Op December 15, 1847, he married Miss Eliza
Nichols, who was born at the present site of
Passaic, N. J., December 12, 1820. Her
father, John Nichols, was a school teacher, and
was an active Worker in the Democratic party
in his locality. He and his wife, Ann Masters,
were both natives of England. After his mar
riage Mr. Lawson moved to New York City
and engaged in a mercantile enterprise with
his brother-in-law, Benjamin Dearin, but soon
resumed his former employment, which he

704

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

continued untH 1868. He did an extensive
business in the transportation of brick, having
twenty-two boats under his control. His suc
cess reflects great credit upon him, as it was the
result of his own exertions and thrifty manage
ment. Beginning at a salary of five dollars a
month, he worked a long time before he man
aged to save enough money to buy a boat; but
when this point was reached the purchase of
others from time to time was more easHy ac
complished. As an employer, he is noted for
fair dealing. On June 12, 1868, he bought
his present farm of 1 1 3 acres near Arlington,
where he has since been engaged in general
farming. The estate is among the finest of
that vicinity, and he has barns and other im
provements of a model kind, and an elegant
and commodious dwelHng house. Mrs. Law-
son died January 17, 1893, deeply mourned
by a large circle of friends. She and her hus
band were for many years prominent members
of tbe Second Reformed Dutch Church of
Poughkeepsie. Of their seven children six are
still living: Edward W. is the superintendent
of the Fort Lee Ferry, at New York; Casper
N. has been a stone dealer and contractor at
New York, and still resides there; Roberta (i)
died in infancy; Clementine married Henry
Warrall, a farmer near Vassar; Roberta (2) is
at home; Welcome H. married Catherine Wat
kins, of Fort Lee, N. J. ; Watkins, a lawyer,
is now studying at the farm on account of ill
health; and Mary E. married' Walter H.
Bedell, a dentist of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Law-
son has taken an active interest in local poli
tics, and is a leading Democrat; was appointed
assessor in 1 869, was elected to the same office
in 1870, and has served and is serving as
supervisor, being elected in 1881, 1883, 1896
and 1897.

FETER AKIN SKIDMORE, who is weH
 known throughout Dutchess county, of
which he is a native, is numbered among its
best citizens, both socially and financially, and
is especially valued as a large-hearted, public-
spirited citizen, whose enterprise and benevo
lence have contributed largely to the happiness
and comfort of the people around him. His
homestead is one of the most notable in the
town of Beekman, for the thrift and comfort
which surrounds it, and the evidence of enter
prise, taste and skill.
Mr. Skidmore was born April 15, 1831, in

the town of Beekman, receiving his education
chiefly at the district schools of the neighbor
hood. On December 26, 1856, he married
Miss Ruth Moore, daughter of Alfred and Char
lotte (Haverland) Moore, both born in 1806,
in Dutchess county, where they were respect
able farmers. They had four children who
lived to maturity: Lydia (now Mrs. WHletts),
residing on Long Island; Ruth (Mrs. Skidmore);
Susan, a maiden lady residing at the old home
at Moores Mill, proprietress of the "Floral
Home " boarding house; and Alfred H., mar
ried, and making his home at the old farm,
running the mills. Alfred Moore, the father
of these, was a son of Stephen Moore, who
was also a native of Dutchess county, and op
erated the old Moore Mills, formerly known as
the Oswego Mills. The family have been
members of the Society of Friends for several
generations back, and Mrs. Skidmore's father
was a preacher in that sect. He died in 1879,
the mother in 1892. Four children have
blessed the union of our subject and his wife,
viz. : Elizabeth (deceased) ; Alfred M. ; and
Jesse and Susie (both deceased). Of these,
Alfred M. , the only survivor, was born Octo
ber 10, i860, and assists his father in the con
ducting of the farm. He is a Republican in
politics, and has frequently been urged by his
friends to run for office, but prefers to devote
his time to agricultural pursuits. On the home
farm are buried the parents of Benson J. Los
sing, the historian.
An earnest Christian gentleman, our sub
ject is a member in good standing of the So
ciety of Friends, which organization is opposed
to warfare; yet during the Civil war he was
the first in his section to be drafted; he was
rejected, however, on account of physical dis
ability. In politics he is a Repubhcan, has
ever taken a commendable interest in the wel
fare of his native county, and has capably
filled several minor offices of his town, dis
charging his duties to the satisfaction of all.
Socially, he is a charter member and tre-asurer
of Sylvan Lodge, of the Grange, which was
organized in the town of Beekman, in Decem
ber, 1896.
Jesse Skidmore, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Unionvale, in 1796.
By his marriage with Sarah Akin, daughter of
Peter Akin, of the town of Pawling, in this
county, he had four children: Peter Akin,
Elizabeth, Abigail and Andrew. The daugh
ters died in early life; Andrew is now living

^^A^ ^^^/t^C^ic^Crt^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

705

on a farm in Beekman, near the homestead,
and has no children. The father engaged in
farming on the farm now owned by his son,
Peter Akin, until advanced in life, when he re
moved to Poughkeepsie, where he died in 1862.
He was a lifelong member of the Society of
Friends, as were his ancestors.
Andrew Skidmore, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born on the Skidmore homestead, in
the town of Unionvale, in 1797, and died in
1852. He was a man of great physique,
weighing over 280 pounds. He married Eliza
beth Clapp, and they had four children: Jesse,
the father of Peter Akin Skidmore; James,
who left no family; Andrew A., and Judith.
The descendants of Andrew A. are James W.
Skidmore, and Jane, who married Cromoling
Deari, all now living in the town of Lagrange.
Judith married Gideon Downing, and has one
daughter living, but no descendants known.
Andrew Skidmore, the great-grandfather of
our subject, whose ancestry came from Hol
land, wasborn at Great Neck, 1,-ong Island, in
1748, and died in 18 16. Of his family, of
which we have record: Had a bachelor brother
murdered by a servant; he kept a large stable
of running horses at Great Neck, Long Island.
Had two sisters: Mary, married to Benjamin
Everett, and Phoebe, married to John Golder.
Many of the Skidmore family now living on
Long Island are descendants of this family.
Andrew Skidmore, the great-grandfather,
moved to the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
Co., N. Y. , in the year 1715, purchased a
large tract of land, through which runs the
Clove creek. On this stream he buHt a grist-
mHl, sawmHl, and woolen-mHl, these being
the first mills in this section; the gristmill is
now standing, and known as the ' ' Skidmore
Mill. " The tract of land is now one of the
best in the Clove Valley. Mr. Skidmore mar
ried Judith Rogers, who was born in 1746,
and died in 1826, and by this marriage had
two sons and three daughters: Andrew, James,
Mary, Phoebe and Abby.
James Skidmore married Elizabeth Rogers,
and they had three sons and two daughters:
Andrew J., Zophar R. , Harvey, Elizabeth
and Phoebe. All but Zophar R. and Harvey
moved to- the State of Maryland. Harvey
moved to New Jersey; Zophar R. married
Maria Hughes, of Staatsburgh, and lived
(until his death in 1888) on the Skidmore
homestead in the Clove Valley; they had two
children: James H., and Mary, who married
45

Charles E. Rogers, who now owns the Skid
more homestead.
Mary Skidmore married John Rogers, and
resided near Sylvan Lake, town of Beekman;
they had four sons and five daughters: Laban,
Stephen, James, Gilbert, Hannah, Judith,
Phebe, Maria and Ruth. Judith, who married
Samuel A. Doughty, is the only one living.
Phoebe married Nichols Haight, lived and died
near Coffins Summit. The only descendant
living is Sherman Haight, of MabbettsvHle,
Dutchess Co., N. Y. Abby married Richard
Betts, of Saratoga county; no record of de
scendants.

WILLIAM H. JAYCOX, a leading and
 progressive farmer of the town of East
Fishkill, Dutchess county, is a native of Put
nam county, N. Y. , born in the town of Phil
lipstown, October 6, 1843, and is of Holland
lineage. His great-grandfather, Isaiah Jay
cox, was also a native of Putnam county,
while his grandfather, Thomas Jaycox, was
born in the town of Phillipstown. There the
latter was reared on a farm, and spent his en
tire life engaged in agricultural pursuits. In
his family were five children: David, who
was a liveryman at Matteawan, Dutchess
county; James E., a farmer of North High
lands, Putnam county; Caroline, who married
James Horton, a farmer of PhHIipstown; Jer
emiah, the father of our subject; and WiHiam,
also a farmer of Phillipstown, Putnam county.
In that town Jeremiah Jaycox was born in
1817, and on attaining to man's estate mar
ried Levina Tompkins, whose birth occurred
at Putnam Valley, Putnam county, — her fath
er, Ananias Tompkins, being also a native of
that county. On their marriage, Mr. and
Mrs. Jaycox located upon a farm there, but
after a residence of seven years they came to
Dutchess county, passing their remaining days
in the town of FishkHl, the father dying Oc
tober 15, 1888, and the mother on March 4,
1894. His vote was ever cast in support of
the Democratic party. In the family were
two chHdren: WHliam H., subject of this
review; and Frances, who married William
Dalrymple, a farmer of the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county.
At an early age WiHiam H, Jaycox accom
panied his parents to Dutchess county, where he
has since remained, and now devotes his time
and attention to the development and im-

706

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

provement of his excellent farms in the town
of East Fishkill, which comprise 400 acres of
rich and arable land, well adapted to mixed
farming. On October 4, 1871, he married
Miss Libbie Anderson, who was born upon the
farm which is stHl her home, and there her
father, Peter Anderson, was also born, in 1807.
He married Sarah Van Dewater. The An
derson family was early established in this
country, and was founded in Dutchess county
by John Anderson (the grandfather of Mrs.
Jaycox), who was a native of Putnam county,
N. Y., and in 1793 purchased of Peter H.
Schenck, the farm in the town of East Fish
kill, Dutchess county, upon which our subject
still resides, and which at that time contained
265 acres. To Mr. and Mrs. Peter Anderson
were born five children: Amanda, married to
WiHiam B. Roe, a farmer of East Fishkill;
Myers, a farmer, who died September i^,
1872; Sarah A., married to William E. Brinck
erhoff, of East Fishkill; John P., an agricult
urist of the town of Washington, Dutchess
county; and Libbie, wife of our subject.
Upon their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Jaycox
began housekeeping upon their present farm,
and they have become the parents of three
children, all at home, namely: George A.,
Charles W. and Howard. The entire family
contribute to the support of the JohnsviHe
Methodist Episcopal Church, and hold a
prominent place in the social world. They
are the center of a circle of friends who honor
and esteem them for their many virtues and
genuine worth. Mr. Jaj'cox is identified
with the Democratic party, is public- spirited
and enterprising, and aids in every possible
way in promoting the interests of his town
and county.

e;

MMER J. HAIGHT. Among the young
and energetic farmers of Dutchess county,
as well as among those who have been success
ful in their efforts thus far, is the subject of
this personal history. His entire life has been
passed in the town of Stanford, where he was
born October 20, 1873, and there devotes his
time and attention to farming.
His father, John Haight, was also a native
of the town of Stanford, and was a son of
Leonard Haight, who lived all his life in that
town, where he was engaged in agricultural
pursuits. The latter was a stalwart Democrat
in politics, and one of the prominent men of

the community. He married Miss Phoebe Grif
fin, of the town of Clinton, Dutchess county,
and to them were born five children: Margaret,
George, Hannah, John and James B. The
education of John Haight was such as the dis
trict schools of the times afforded, and he early
became inured to the arduous duties that
fall to the lot of an agriculturist. He never
left the old homestead, which he operated up
to the time of his death, which occurred Sep
tember 6, 1885. He was one ofthe highly re
spected citizens of the community, and one of
the earnest supporters of the Democratic party,
with which he always affiliated.
In the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, John Haight was married to Miss Syl
via A. Foster, daughter of John Foster, and
to them were born two sons: Walter,' who
married Lenora Husted, by whom he has two
daughters, Eva and Ruby; and Emmer J., sub
ject of this sketch, who wedded Anita Dorland,
and they have one child, Ruth Anna.

/T^VEORGE I. VAIL, a prominent dairyman
S^ and agriculturist of IJnionvale, Dutchess
county, has earned a place among the success
ful workers in bis lines of business. He was
born at Verbank, Dutchess county, May 23,
1843, and received his education in the schools
of his native town and at Mechanicsville, N. Y.
He learned the carpenter's trade, but, finding
that less to his taste than agriculture, he turned
to the latter pursuit, and has followed it profit
ably for many years, making a specialty of
dairying. Careful attention to business does
not prevent him, however, from taking an
active part in local affairs, and he has served
in a number of public offices, including that of
assessor. He married Miss Phoebe Noxon,
who was born November 24, 1848, in the town
of Unionvale. Her ancestors were pioneer
settlers in that town, and a record of the three
preceding generations is given below. Mrs.
Vail was educated in the common schools near
her home, and at Oswego village. The house
of our subject and his wife is brightened by
three children: Henry, born May 10, 1878;
Hettie, born March i, 1881; and John, born
May 20, 1883.
Mr. VaH's ancestors became identified with
Unionvale, Dutchess county, at an early peri
od, and his grandfather, Moses Vail, and
father, John Vail, were born there, the latter
in November, 1800, at Verbank. After avail-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

707

ing himself of such educational opportunities
as the locality afforded, he engaged in farming
at an early age. He was a man of enterprise,
an able manager, and he conducted a woolen
mHl at Verbank at one time, and also engaged
in mercantile business. His wife was Eliza
beth Vincent, daughter of Absalom Vincent,
and they had ten children, of whom our sub
ject was the youngest: (i) Sarah, born Feb
ruary 8, 1828, married Jacob Baker, a black
smith of Freedom Plains. (2) Matilda, born
September 14, 1829, married IDewitt C. Noxon,
a farmer and storekeeper, who served gallantly
in the Civil war; they had two children — Emma
(Mrs. John Duncan) and Ada. (3) Loretta,
born April 4, 1831, remained unmarried. (4)
Samuel, born July 4, 1832, is a carpenter by
trade; he married Miss Ann Northrop, and has
four children — Libbie (Mrs. Leonard Secord),
Charles (who married Carrie Cass), WilHam
and Abbie, (5) Mary, born October 13, 1834,
married Simon Losee, and has two children —
Lizzie and Wesley. (6) Martha, born January
14, 1836, was educated in Amenia Seminary,
and became a successful teacher. (7) Rebecca,
born October i, 1837, married Richard Hall,
a farmer of Beekman, and they have four chH
dren — Everett (who married Cora Cypher),
Libbie (deceased), Herbert (who married Jen
nie Chatterton), and Minnie ( Mrs. Arthur
Holmes). (8) Stephen, born February 23,
1839, is engaged in carpentering, and has re
mained unmarried. (9) James, born February
22, 1 841, is a blacksmith; he married Mary
Benjamin, and has one child — Sarah- — who
married Richard Case, and has one daughter —
Helen. Mrs. George Vail's great-grandfather, Gil
bert Noxon, was born in Dutchess county, N.
Y., was educated there and engaged in farm
ing. He married Miss Jane PhHlips, and had
eight children: Egbert, who married Claricy
Patterson; Elisha, Mrs. VaH's grandfather;
Abram, who married Jane Cornell; Daniel,
who married, first, Charlotte Snedeker, and,
second, Nancy Townsend; Catherine, Mrs.
John Dean; Ann, Mrs. Edward Dutcher; Gil
bert, who married Sallie Townsend; and
James. EHsha Noxon was born in the town of
Unionvale, and after attending the local schools
in boyhood became a- farmer. He married
Miss Phoebe Van Benschoten, daughter of
Henry Van Benschoten, and his wife Mary
Jackson, whose parents were Richard and

Mary (Ingraham) Jackson. Mr. and Mrs.
Noxon had two children: (i) Jane, who mar
ried John H. Robinson, and had three chil
dren — Phoebe, Mrs. John Dorian; Abram, who
married Mary Townsend, and Mavill, who
married Minnie Allen. (2) Henry Noxon,
father of Mrs. VaH, was born '\n the town of
Beekman, Dutchess county, December 15,
1825, and was educated in the common schools
of that town. He engaged in farming, and
married Miss Hettie Barlow, daughter of EHsha
and Charlotte (Palmer) Barlow. Of their
three chHdren Mrs. Vail was the eldest. Of
the others, (i) Mary married Eugene Storm,
and had one child, Winnefred, who is at
home. (2) Elisha Noxon died at an early age.
The "Van Benschoten famHy has an inter
esting history, and Dominie Elias Van Ben
schoten was the first Reformed Dutch minister
at'Schagticoke more than half a century be
fore Troy, N. Y., was founded. "Tunis, the
father of Dominie Van Benschooten, came
from Holland with the earliest settlers of the
country, and purchased land at Esopus on the
Hudson river. Subsequently, with his wife
and one chHd, he removed to what was then a
wilderness, purchased a large tract of land,
and made a settlement in the town of Fish
kill, between the vHlage of that name and the
city of Poughkeepsie, near what is known as
New Hackensack, in the county of Dutchess.
Here he had four sons — Tunis, Matthew, Jacob
and Elias — and, we believe, two or more
daughters. The eldest son sailed for Europe,
but as the vessel in which he saHed was never
heard from, it is supposed it was seized by the
pirates, and he and the other passengers,
together with the officers and crew, were put
to death. When the old gentleman died he
was buried in the family vault on the home
stead farm. His remains,- with those of other
members of the family, have since been disin
terred and buried in the graveyard of the old
Dutch church at Hackensack, beneath a costly
monument. ' ' Matthew and Jacob remained upon, and in
co-partnership cultivated, the farm. EHas
became a Reformed Dutch Church minister,
and the daughters married. The following
amusing story is told of the Dominie. On
one occasion, whHe at Schaghticoke, he was
waited on by a Dutch swain, who wished to
secure his services at a wedding. In the in
terval between the call and the time appointed
for the ceremomy, a severe storm arose, and

708

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

the stream became fearfully swollen, so that
when the weather cleared and the parties to be
married arrived, it was impossible for them to
get across the stream. Here was a dilemma.
The Dominie was on one side, the anxious
couple on the other; neither could cross.
'Stop!' cried the Dominie. 'Stand vere
you be, and I will make you man and wife.'
•The happy couple, thus united in the bonds of
matrimony, when the service was over turned
to leave. Here was another dilemma, which
cast a cloud of deep anxiety over the tranquil
features of the good old man. ' Stop, den,
my young friends, von moment, if you please.
You can leave der guilder at the first house
below. Tell them it is Dominie Van Ben-
schooten's marriage fee, and I vill call and
getH.'"

FRANKLIN GERMOND is the proprietor
 of a good farm in the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county, successful as a tiller of the
soil, and prominently identified with local
affairs. He was born in that town, April 3,
1846, and is now in the prime of life, and, as
the result of good habits, is amply fitted for
the duties that lie before him.
Silas Germond, his paternal grandfather,
engaged in farming in the towns of Stanford
and Pine Plains, and also at one time con
ducted a store at Attlebury. He was joined
in wedlock with Charlotte Knapp Green, by
whom he had three children: Hunting, the
father of our subject; Silas K. ; and Mary Ann,
now deceased.
In the town of Stanford, Hunting Ger
mond was born in 1 82 1. He there attended
the district schools, and was, later, a student in
a school at Red Hook, Dutchess county. In
his native town he married Miss Emily Ann
Adsit, a daughter of Warren Adsit, and to
them were born four children, namely: Ger
trude, widow of Elbert Munsell; Franklin, of
this sketch; Frederick, and Guy. The father
resided for some time upon a farm near Stiss
ing, and then purchased another farm in the
same locality, but the later years of his life
were passed near Willow Brook. Besides en
gaging in agricultural pursuits, he was also a
dealer in cattle. He used his right of fran
chise in support of the men and measures of
the Democratic party.
After pursuing his studies for some time in
the district schools of the town of Stanford,

Franklin Germond entered the village schools
of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, where he
completed his education. On reaching his
majority he started out in life for himself as a
clerk in the store of James Husted, of Pough
keepsie, and after leaving his employ worked
upon a farm at Mclntyre, Dutche.ss county,
for a year. After a year then passed at home,
he went to Toledo, Ohio, where he was em
ployed as shipping clerk in a wholesale house,
and also sold goods on the road for the same
firm for two years and a half. Returning to
Stanford in the spring of 1877, he remained
upon the old homestead for four years; but in
1 88 1 he purchased his present farm in the same
town, where he has since resided. He is quite
an extensive farmer and stock dealer, and well
deserves the success which has come to him.
In 1876, at Litchfield, Litchfield Co.,
Conn., Mr. Germond was married to Miss
Alice Bissell, daughter of Henry Bissell, and to
them have been born four children: Henry
Bissell, James Husted, Gertrude C. and Paul
Franklin. In poHtics Mr. Germond is identi
fied with the Democratic party, which he
always supports by his ballot, and is now serv
ing his third term as assessor of his town. He
is an honored and respected citizen who con
tributes his full quota toward the enterprises
having for their object the general welfare of
the community.

JAMES BARMORE, a leading and repre
sentative farmer of the town of Unionvale,
belongs to a well-known family of Dutchess
county. His grandfather, Nathaniel Barmore,
who also carried on agricultural pursuits, by
his marriage with Miss Abigail Wall had a
family of seven children, namely: Henry,
the father of our subject; John; James; Meade;
Abram; Betsy; and Eliza, who married Ward
Hunter. Henry Barmore was born in the town of
Port Chester, Westchester Co., N. Y., No
vember 17, 1783, was there educated in the
common schools, and learned the carpenter's
trade, at which he worked for some time.
Later he turned his attention to farming. In
religious belief, he was a Friend. He mar
ried Miss Bethany Carpenter, who was born
March 10, 1787, and was the daughter of Zeno
and Lydia (Clark) Carpenter. The thirteen
children born to them were as follows:
(i) Clark was born in Westchester county,.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

709

May 25, 1806, and after completing his edu
cation engaged in farming. He wedded Miss
Mary Alley, by whom he had nine chHdren:
Phcebe married C. Patterson; Edward married
Lucy Wanzer, and they had three children —
Clark (who married Gertie Tripp) ; Mary E. ;
and Emma (who married Charles Huestis);
Stephen died when young; Caroline married
Andrew Wanzer ; Eliza remained single ;
Sarah married Cyrus Perkins, and they had
one chHd — JohnE.; John married Josephine
PhiHips; Charles died when young; Delia mar
ried Gilbert Downing, and had one son —
Charles. (2) Anor Barmore was born in Westches
ter county, July II, 1807, and married Jasper
Burtch, a farmer, but had no children.
(3) Stephen, born August 25, 1808, mar
ried Miss Caroline Williams, and they became
the parents of two sons — William and James
S., both of whom died young.
(4) Lydia Barmore was born October i,
1809, and married David Stringham, an agri
culturist, by whom she had five children: (i)
Henry married Caturah Gardner, and they
had one daughter — Ida C. ; after the death of
his first wife he married Catherine Briggs. (2)
Thomas wedded Mary H. Adams. (3) Isaac
married Lucinda Lyon, and had two daugh
ters — Emma, who married Theron Briggs,
has two children — Clara and Arthur; and Mary
E. , who " married Edwin Lloyd. (4) John
married Ann E. Barnes, and has five children
— Henry D., who is married and has three
sons; Irene, who married William Mudge, and
had one child; Irving, who married Eleanor
Deyo; Eugene; and Norris. (5) James, twin
brother of John, married Gertrude Van Curen,
and has three children — Willis, Norman (who
married Gertrude Marshall), and Ernest.
(5) Annie Barmore was born January 14,
181 1, and was united in marriage with Abram
Quinby, a farmer.
(6) Sarah Barmore was born January 26,
1 8 14, and became the wife of Underbill Quin
by, an agriculturist, but they had no chHdren.
(7) AbigaH Barmore, born AprH 28, 1815,
died when young.
(8) Mary Barmore was born August 27,
1 8 16, and married Shadrach Ricketson, a
farmer, by whom shehad two chHdren: Annie
wedded WiHiam Barker, and they had two
children — Shadrach and Mary F. ; Susan first
married Theodore Tappen, and they had one
daughter — Mary, who wedded Ira GHmore.

After the death of- her first husband, Susan
married John Anderson.
(9) Susan Barmore was born in the town
of Unionvale, Dutchess county, December 11,
18 1 8, was there educated, and married Egbert
Vale, a farmer of that town; they had three
children: Sarah E. married Theodore Wy
gant, and had one daughter, Jennie, who be
came the wife of Thomas Drake, and has one
chHd — Wesley J. ; Charies P. 'married Allie
Dorland, and has three children — WHlard
(who married Lillie Pendley), Susan, and
Harold; Henry J. married Maggie Williamson,
and has two children — Henrietta and John E.
(10) Henry Barmore was born January i,
1820, and married Miss Ruth Spencer. Their
only child, Minnie, married Thomas Fox, and
has one child — Minnie.
(i i) Philip Barmore was born February 18,
1822, and married Miss Hannah Gardner;
they had two children: Maria married Victor
Cornwell, by whom she had two children —
Ruth and Frank — and after the death of her
first husband married Giles Burgess, by whom
she had a son — Philip. Henry married Rose-
lina Griffith, and had seven children — James,
Peari, EdHh, WiHis, Henry, Beulah, and WHla
Rose, two of whom are deceased.
(12) Elizabeth Barmore was born Septem
ber 23, 1823, and never married,
(13) James Barmore, whose name intro
duces this sketch, is the youngest of the family.
He was born February 27, 1829, in the town
of Unionvale, was educated in the common
schools of the locality, and has always followed
the occupation of farming. He is a member
of the Society of Friends, is a straightforward,
reliable citizen, and is held in the highest es
teem. On reaching manhood he was united
in marriage with Miss Abiah Gardner, a daugh
ter of Lewis Gardner, a farmer of the town of
Beekman, Dutchess county. She died March
26, 1865, and he afterward wedded her sister.
Miss Mary Gardner. He has had no children
by either marriage.
Resolved Gardner, the grandfather of Mrs.
Barmore, engaged in farming throughout life.
He married Miss Abiah Sweet, and to them
were born eight children: Joshua; Lewis, the
father of Mrs. Barmore; Isaac and Resolved,
who never married; Seneca; Delwin, who never
married; Ann G. ; and Herman.
The eldest son, Joshua Gardner, married
Jane Doughty, and had four chHdren: (i) Mary
A. wedded Samuel Adams, and had four chH-

710

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

dren — Mary H. (who married Thomas String
ham), Lottie (who married Edward Young, and
has four chHdren — Mrs. Emma Haight, David,
Charles and Mabel), Amelia (who died when
young), and George (who married Alice Gard
ner, and has five children — Lena, Blanche,
Samuel, Raymond and Mary H.). (2) Char
lotte married Edwin Cabry, and has two chil
dren — Frank, and Lavina (wife of Benjamin
Sutton). (3) Eliza married David Hoag, and
has three children — David, Eva and Angenett.
(4) Thomas wedded Mariette Thomas, and has
three children — Florence, Frances, and Etta.
Lewis Gardner, the father of Mrs. Bar-
more, was born in the town of Beekman,
Dutchess county, June 9, 1791; obtained his
education in the common schools, and learned
the taHor's trade, at which he worked most of
his life, but also carried on farming. He mar
ried Sarah Tifft, and to them were born thir
teen children, of whom the eldest four never
married, (i) Catherine S. was born April 20,
18 1 8. (2) Elizabeth C. was born October 14,
1819. (3) Rhoda C. was born July 22, 1821.
(4) Ruth S. was born September i, 1823,
(5) Hannah, born December 8, 1824, married
Philip Barmore, a farmer. (6) Seneca L., born
June 24, 1827, remained single. (7) Abiah,
born June 6, 1829, was the first wife of our
subject. (8) Nathaniel, bornAugust 17, 1831,
was three times married, his first wife being
Leah Lynch, by whom he had two chHdren —
Sarah E. and George L. ; after her death he
married Miss Kate Wood, and to them was
born a child that died in infancy; his third wife
bore the maiden name of Sarah E. Sutton.
(9) Elnathan, born March 16, 1833, married
Hannah Lynch, and had four chHdren — Hattie
(who married Robert Fisher, and had one son,
Robert), Sarah (who married WHliam Pierce,
and has one chHd, Harry), Benjamin (who
died in infancy), and Mary E. (who married
WiHiam Brooks, and has two chHdren, Arthur
and Mary M.). (10) Caturah, born Novem
ber 28, 1834, married Henry Stringham, a
nephew of our subject, by whom she had a
daughter, Ida C. (11) Mary, born September
24, 1836, is the wife of our subject. (12) Ma
tilda, born May 27, 1841, died in infancy.
(13) Henry, born August i, 1843, married
Cornelia Cornell, and has one son, Lewis, who
married Minnie Totersman, and they have one
son, Harry.
Seneca Gardner, the fifth child of Resolved
and Abiah (Sweet) Gardner, married Sarah J.

RockfeHer, and to them were born ten chHdren:
Julia never married; WHliam; Charles married
a Miss Dodge, and after her death he married
Sarah A. Brown, by whom he had five children:
Julia, Annie, Isaac, Charles and John; Emma
never married; Jane married Lewis Cooper;
Alice married George Adams; Delwin married
Frances Cooper, and had two children — Ida
and John; Isaac remained single; John married
Emma Ludington, and had one daughter —
Nina; and Ann married Fred Benjamin, and
they have three children — Fred, Gardner and
Isaac. Ann G, Gardner, the seventh child of Re
solved and Abiah (Sweet) Gardner, married
David Adams, and they had one son — James,
who married Samantha Newett,
Herman Gardner, the youngest of the
family, married Eliza Brown, and they had five
children — John, Resolved, Daniel, Lydia and
Deborah.

JOHN P. ANDERSON is a representative
citizen and substantial farmer of the town
~ of Washington, Dutchess county, where he
has now made his home since 1865, when he
located upon his present farm of 165 acres of
rich and fertile land. He is one of those men
who thoroughly understand the business he is
pursuing, and is meeting with a well-deserved
success. He is the architect of his own for
tune, having started in life with but little capi
tal beyond his own industry and a laudable am
bition to rise in the world.
Mr. Anderson was born at East FishkHl,
Dutchess county, November 23, 1835, and be
longs to a family whose ancestors came from
Holland at a very early period in the history
of this country. In religious belief they are
mostly Methodists. His grandfather, John An
derson, was also born at East Fishkill, where
after his marriage he located on a farm and
reared his six children: Susan, who married
Abram Van Vlack, a farmer of East FishkHl;
ZHlah, wife of Louis Wright, a farmer of the
town of Lagrange, Dutchess county; Elizabeth,
who wedded Harvey Eighmie, an agriculturist
of the town of Beekman, Dutchess county;
Polly, wife of John Homan, also a farmer of
Beekman; Peter, the father of our subject;
and John, a farmer of East Fishkill. In that
town the grandfather spent his remaining days.
There Peter Anderson, the father of our
subject, was born March 21, 1807, and on

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

711

reaching maturity married Sarah Van De-
Water, whose birth occurred in the town of
FishkHl, July 25, 1808. Her family was also
of Holland origin, and her father was a fruit
grower of the town of FishkHl. She was the
second in his family of four chHdren, the others
being Myers, a farmer of that locality; Phoebe,
wifeof Nelson Lounsbury, also an agriculturist;
and Susan, wife of Stephen Scofield, a resident
of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. On their farm in East
Fishkill five children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Peter Anderson, namely: Amanda, wife
of William B. Roe, a farmer; Myers, who en
gaged in agricultural pursuits in both the town
of Beekman and East Fishkill, and died Sep
tember 12, 1872; Sarah, wife of WHliam E.
Brinkerhoff, who is engaged in the nursery
business; John P., of this sketch; and Eliza
beth, wife of William H. Jaycox, a farmer of
East Fishkill. The father, who was an ear
nest Democrat in politics, died in 1890; his
wife had departed this life in 1882.
In the usual manner of farmer-lads, our sub
ject spent his childhood, and on reaching his
majority went to New York City, where he en
gaged in the wholesale liquor business on
Fifty-first street and Ninth avenue for about
six years. In 1865, however, we find him in
the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
where he purchased his present farm.
On November 15, 1859, Mr. Anderson was
married to Miss Hannah M. White, a native
of Dutchess county, N. Y. , and a daughter of
Alfred and Eliza (Brownell) White, farming
people of that county. The founders of the
family came from England, and her paternal
grandfather, Charles White, was a leading
farmer of Greene and Dutchess counties. Her
parents later came to the town of Fishkill,
Dutchess county, where they reared their fam
Hy of four children: Deborah, wife of Myers
Anderson, a brother of our subject; Hannah
M. ; and Charles L. and William, both de
ceased. The father's death occurred April 3,
1880, and his wife, who survived him some
years, died January 7, 1892.
Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Anderson: Alfred P., who died at the age of
four years; William R., who is married and
has been commissioner of schools for six years;
Alfred J., a resident of the town of Washing
ton; and Eliza W. , wife of Leonard Davis, a
farmer. The parents are both consistent and
faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and in politics Mr. Anderson affiliates

with the Democratic party. He is quite prom
inent in public affairs and has been elected
supervisor of his town, which office he held for
two terms, and has also been road commis
sioner.

S\ANFORD JARVIS BARTLETT is a
) worthy representative of the farming in
terests of the town of Amenia, Dutchess
county, and in all of life's relations has been
known as an honorable, straightforward man.
He was born December 29, 1842, on the old
family homestead, where he still resides, and
comes from a family that has taken an active
part in promoting the welfare and upbuilding
of the county.
The first of the family to locate within the
borders of Dutchess county was Daniel C.
Bartlett, the great-grandfather of our subject.
He was born at Redding, Conn., and was the
son of Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett, a Congrega
tional minister, who located at Redding, May
23, 1753, and died January 10, 1810, at the
age of eighty-three years. He had three
daughters, Anna, Eunice and Lucretia. When
the colonies took up arms against the mother
country, Rev. Bartlett gave Daniel his sword
on the Sabbath day with the instruction to
fight for the freedom of his native land. He
was with Montgomery at the battle of Quebec,
and was at the capture of Fort St. John in
November, 1775, and witnessed the burning
of Danbury, Conn., in 1777. In 1803 he
bought of Joel GHlett the farm in the town of
Amenia, which now belongs to our subject.
In his family were five children: William,
Collins, Mrs. John Barker, Mrs. Thomas
Paine and Mrs. WHliam Paine. Sanford J.
Bartlett has in his possession the gun bearing
the initials of his great-grandfather, Daniel C.
Bartlett, and which the latter probably carried
and used during the Revolutionary struggle.
He also has the original pictures of his great-
great-grandparents. Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett
and wife.
William Bartlett, the grandfather of our
subject, was born February 13, 1781, and
spent most of his life engaged in farming in
the town of Amenia. On November 12, 1804,
he married Miss Clarissa Sanford, who was
born February 23, 1786, and died August 12,
1838. His death occurred December 10,
1 82 1. In their family were three chHdren:
WHHam S., the father of our subject; Henry

712

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

E., who was born August ii, 1813, and died
December 27, 1832; and Clarissa Wade, who
died May 11, 1863, at the age of forty-two
years. WHliam S. Bartlett, the father, was born
in the town of Amenia, January 23, 1809, and
was united in marriage October 13, 1830, with
Miss Jane E. Reynolds, who was born on
Christmas Day, 1812, and was the daughter of
Jonathan P. Reynolds. Her death occurred
June I, 1 88 1, and on the 6th of the following
November the father also passed away. Their
four children were: Jonathan R. , born July
15, 1831, married October 5, 1863, to Hannah
L. Grant, and died September 8, 1872; Ade
laide Amelia, born. January 10, 1836, died
AprH 27, 1838; William H., born February 14,
1839, married October 5, 1863, to Lavina
Culver, and is now a prominent resident of
Amenia; and Sanford J.
Tbe early life of our subject was passed in
the usual manner of farmer boys, and, after
attending the district schools for some time, he
completed his literary training in the Amenia
Seminary. Since laying aside his text books,
he has devoted his time and attention to agri
cultural pursuits, operating the old family
homestead in the town of Amenia.
AtBridport, Vt., March 12, 1873, Sanford
J. Bartlett married Mary Lizzie Hill, daughter
of David Edgar Hill, and they are the parents
of two children: WHliam Edgar, born Febru
ary 14, 1874; and Sanford J., born August 14,
1876. In his political views, Mr. Bartlett isa
Republican, but takes no active part in public
affairs, aside from performing his duties of cit
izenship.

C CHARLES H. TRIPP, M. D., a well-known
'I physician and surgeon of Clinton Corners,
Dutchess county, has been engaged in the
practice of his profession there during the past
twelve years, meeting with remarkable success.
The Doctor was born in the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county, on Christmas Day,
1855. His paternal grandfather, John S.
Tripp, also a native of Washington town, by
his marriage with Sarah Deuel had two sons:
Seneca, the father of our subject; and Isaac.
His second union was with Sarah Haight, and
by her he had a son: Egbert. The grandfa
ther spent his entire life in farming in the town
of Washington, and was very successful in his
operations, so that at the time of his death the

value of the property to be divided among his
sons amounted to about $12,000. The family,
which was of English ancestry, made its first
settlement on Nantucket Island, whence the
descendants came to Dutchess county.
Seneca Tripp was born February 15, 1802,
in the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
where he received a fair education and was
given a good start in life. He was first mar
ried in that town, October 25, 1821, to Miss
Annie Pratt, who died November 15, 1838,
and to them were born four children: Milo,
deceased; John; and Stephen and Sarah Jane,
both deceased. For his second wife Mr. "Tripp
wedded, October 7, 1839, Mary Louisa Sweet,
who was born February i, 18 13, also in Wash
ington town. They became the parents of six
children, namely: Annie S. , who was born
October 4, 1 841, and died September 8, 1848;
SHas D., born November 11, 1843; Delia L. ,
who was born April 4, 1846, and died Septem
ber 19, 1 851; Lydia Anna, who was born Oc
tober 27, 1850, and also died September 19,
1 851; Samuel Mott, born October 22, 1852;
and Charles Henry, the subject of this review.
The father continued to carry on agricultural
pursuits in the town of Washington, until his
death, which occurred December 23, 1876; his
wife died in December, 1890. By birth he
was a Quaker, his parents having belonged to
that Society; he was an active politician, but
held no office, preferring to devote his time to
his business.The primary education of our subject was
begun in the district schools of the town of
Washington, and he later took up Greek and
Latin under private instruction, in order to pre
pare himself for the study of medicine, being
ably assisted in his Latin studies by his mother.
In iS78he entered Bellevue Hospital Medical
College, New York City, where he was gradu
ated March 15, 1881, and immediately began
practice at Millbrook, town of Washington,
Dutchess county. In February, 1884, he estab
lished an office at Clinton Corners, where he
has since prosecuted his profession, and has
secured a large and lucrative practice. Before
entering the college in New York, he had tak
en up the study of medicine with Dr. John S.
Thorne, of Millbrook. He holds a certificate
of instruction in operative surgery and surgical
dressing under Joseph D. Bryant, now surgeon-
general of the State.
On June 28, 1881, Dr. Tripp was married
to Miss Carrie E. Cunningham, a native of

y^<^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

713

Vermont, and four chHdren were the result
of this union: Louis C. , born March 22, 1884,
and died August 29 following; Clayton S.,
who was born AprH 15, and died March 2,
1888; Mabel A., born April 13, 1889; and
Charles S., born March 21, 1894.
Mrs. Tripp was born July 4, 1866, in
Plainfield, Vt. , a daughter of Lewis H. and
Clarinda D. (Kidder) Cunningham, the latter
of whom was born in 1825, in Marshfield, Vt. ,
and died July, 1883. The father was born
February 8, 1822, in Rockingham town, Wind
ham Co., Vt., and followed the business of
contracting and buHding. They bad a family
of eight children, six of whom are yet living:
Clara, Fred, Nettie, Samuel, Josephine, and
Carrie E.
Dr. Tripp holds membership with the
Alumni Association of Bellevue Hospital, and
belongs to the Dutchess County Medical So
ciety, the American Medical Association, and
to the Royal Arcanum, of Poughkeepsie, N.
Y. He has been very successful in his prac
tice, and for three years served as health officer
for the town of Clinton; is examining surgeon
for the New York Life and Mutual Benefit
Life Insurance Companies. He is a member
of the Episcopal Church at Millbrook, and he
and his estimable wife are popular in society,
being numbered among the intelligent and re
fined people of their community.

ip\EORGE B. KINNEY is one of the old-
^^ est and most highly respected agricultur
ists of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county.
Tracing the ancestral line of our subject, reach
ing two hundred and seventy years or more into
the past, we are able, in the light of reliable
records, to follow Henry Kinne, bornin 1624,
from Holland to Salem, Mass. , where he loca
ted on a farm in 165 1. It is believed that he
.. was born in Norfolk, England, where his fa
ther. Sir Thomas Kinne, lived, having been
knighted by the government for some signal
service rendered, and that following the tide
of emigration through Holland, where they
sought greater religious liberty, but found less
than the fullest freedom, Henry came to Sa
lem at about the age of thirty years. He was a
prosperous farmer, and was employed to some
extent in ecclesiastical work. His children
were eight in number — three sons and five
daughters. The second son, Thomas Kinne, from whom

our subject is descended, was born January i,
1656, and May 23, 1677, was united in mar
riage with Elizabeth Knight, by whom he had
four sons. He died in 1687.
Thomas Kinne, the eldest son of the above
couple, wasborn July 27, 1678, and in 1715,
at the age of thirty-seven years, removed to
Preston (now Griswold), Conn., where he
died in 1756. There his grave-stone now
stands on the banks of the Pachang river.
He married Martha Peabody, who died Octo
ber 25, 1747, and they became the parents of
sixteen children — ten sons and six daughters.
Stephen Kinne, the third of this family, was
born at Griswold, Conn., and January 29,
1730, married PriscHla Herrick, by whom he
has six children, namely: Stephen, born De
cember 18, 1732; Tesse, born May 25, 1735;
Roswell, born May 4, 1737; Nathaniel, born
AprH 26, 1739; Anna, born June 7, 1741; and
Didymus, born August 7, 1743. The father
of tliese children was the first of the Kinne
family to come to Dutchess county, N. Y. ,
where in 1740 he located in the northwestern
part of the town of Amenia.
The next in direct line to our subject is
Roswell Kinne, who was born at Griswold,
Conn., but at an early age accompanied his
father to the town of Amenia, where he re
sided up to the time of his death, August 22,
1 8 12. He was a prominent citizen of the
locality and served as captain of the militia.
He married Miss Annie Burton, who was born
August 7, 1739. They were tbe parents of
two children: Roswell and Henry.
Roswell Kinney, Jr., was the father of our
subject. He wasborn in the town of Amenia,
September 30, 1776, and was united in mar
riage v/ith Jerusha Rust, who was born in
1788; to them were born the follo\ying chil
dren: Albert, Eliza, Tryphenia, George B.,
Henry and Edwin. All are now deceased with
the exception of our subject. The father was
killed by runaway oxen, August 28, 1821. He
was a strict Presbyterian in religious belief, and
would not work after sundown on Saturday
nights. His entire life was devoted to farm
ing in his native town. After his death his
widow became the wife of Daniel Lorin, and
to them were born four children, all now de
ceased, namely: Harriet, Mary, William and
Charles. The birth of George B. Kinney, subject of
this review, occurred in the town of Amenia,
March 26, 1816, and there his school days

714

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

were passed. He remained upon the old
homestead until his marriage, which was cele
brated in the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, October 29, 1840, Miss Elma M.
Tripp becoming his wife. She was the daugh
ter of Howard and Phebe Tripp, and died in
1867, at the age of fifty years. By their
union were born three children: Elma T. ;
Howard T., and George H. The eldest son,
Howard T. , married Minnie Putnam, and has
two children, Laura and Roswell.
Since 1840 Mr. Kinney has resided upon
his present fine farm in the town of Stanford,
and in the community where he has so long
made his home he has gained many warm
friends. He is entitled to the esteem and con
fidence of his fellow-citizens, which he cer
tainly possesses in a high degree. His first
vote was cast for the Whig party, but since its
organization has been a stanch Republican.
Religiously, he is a member in good standing
of the Presbyterian Church.

FRANKLIN COLES TOMPKINS. The
 subject of this history is one of the prom
inent citizens of the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, and the owner and proprie
tor of a fruit farm. He is a native of New
York, born in the town of Scarsdale, West
chester county, October 5, 1827, and is a son
of Coles Tompkins, whose birth occurred in
Mamaroneck town, that county, in October,
1800. His paternal grandfather, Noah Tomp
kins, was also a native of Westchester county,
where his father, Elijah Tompkins, who was
from New England, had located at a very
early day. The family was founded in this
country by three brothers, who came from
Wales and made their homes either in Massa
chusetts or Connecticut,
By trade the grandfather of our subject
was a blacksmith, but his later life was de
voted to fruit raising in Westchester county,
where his death occurred. By his marriage
with Rachel Coles, a native of Long Island,
he became the father of six children, namely:
Samuel, who followed farming and died in Il
linois; Elijah, an agriculturist of Westchester
county; Joseph, also a farmer of Illinois; Han
nah C., who died unmarried; Coles, the fa
ther of our subject; and Noah, a carpenter of
New York City. In religious belief the family
were Friends.
In early life Coles Tompkins learned the

tanner's and currier's business, which he fol
lowed for many years in this State, but finally
removed to Illinois, where he passed away.
He married Phoebe UnderhiH, a native of the
town of Clinton, Dutchess county, and a
daughter of James Underbill, who engaged in
blacksmithing in the town of CHnton. They
began housekeeping in Westchester county.
Only one child was born to them: Franklin
Coles, subject of this review, who was only
two years old when his mother died. The
Underbill family was of English origin, and at
an early period became identified with the his
tory of the New World. One of the first of
its members, of which any record appears, is
Captain John Underbill, who took a leading
and prominent part in religious, political and
mHitary affairs. He had come to America
with Governor Winthrop, arriving at Boston
harbor May 18, 1630, in the vessel "John
and Mary," which he commanded, and which
was named in honor of his father and mother.
He espoused the cause of Roger Williams, and
participated in many engagements against the
hostHe Indians of that day. He estabhshed
the first military company at Boston. In
1667 he bought from the Indians a tract of
land at Matinecock, town of Oyster Bay,
Queens county, Long Island, where he died in
1667, and was buried on the tract.
The childhood of our subject was passed
in Westchester county, and most of his educa
tion was acquired in the Old. Nine Partners
School, in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county. At the age of seventeen, however,
he laid aside his text books and began learning
the carriage maker's trade at Washington Post
Office, which business he followed untH 1862,
and for nine years there engaged in mercantile
pursuits. For three years he owned and con
ducted a fruit farm of 166 acres in Unionvale,
then returned to that vHlage, now known as
South Millbrook, and there purchased the,
Wintingham property, that comprises twenty
acres of rich land.
On October 31, 1850, Mr. Tompkins was
united in marriage with Miss Ann Eliza Hues
tis, a native of the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, and a daughter of Moses S. and Ann
Eliza (Woolley) Huestis, both of English lin
eage. Her maternal great-grandfather, Jehu
Woolley, was one of the first settlers in Dutch
ess county, arriving there when only a foot
path led to Poughkeepsie. His son, Vaniah
Woolley, the grandfather of Mrs. Tompkins,

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

715

became a prominent merchant and farmer of
the town of Washington, and represented his
district in the Assembly.
Six chHdren were born to our subject and
his worthy wife, who in order of birth are as
follows: Mary J., wife of Alfred Seeley, now
of Brooklyn, N. Y. , but formerly of Washing
ton town; Hannah C, wife of Clark A,
Haight, a farmer of Washington town; Phcebe
K., who died at the age of seven years; F.
Walton, who married Mary Parker Dunsher,
of New Y'ork City, and lives near Newark, N.
J.; Clara M,, at home; and WHlard H., an
agriculturist of Unionvale, who married Ruth
Estelle Hawkins, of Oswego, New York.
Mr. Tompkins is considered a representa
tive man of the town of Washington; he has a
fine character; his motives are governed by
elevated tastes and aims, and he stands well
with his fellowmen. He is frank and open in
the expression of his opinions, and in politics
he is a sound Democrat. He has held numer
ous local offices of honor and trust, including
those of town clerk and justice of the peace.

JOHN D. TEAL is pleasantly located upon
a farm of io8 acres in the town of Red
Hook, Dutchess county, on what is known
as the "inside road", which runs from the
Stone church to Rock City. The improve
ments which we see to-day have been effected
by his industry and good management, and he
has brought the soH to a fine state of cultiva
tion. The farm buildings are neat and sub
stantial, and, with their surroundings, present
the picture of the complete country home,
where peace and plenty abound.
David Teal, the grandfather of our subject,
whose ancestors came to this country from
Palatinate, Germany, was a native of Ulster
county, N. Y. He received a common-school
education, and began life as a farmer, which
occupation he followed up to the time of his
death. Early in life he married Miss Rebecca
Sipperly, and soon after they became residents
of the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
where their only child, Jacob Teal, was born
in 1804. He was the father of our subject.
His education was such as the district schools
of the locality afforded and he early learned
the trades of blacksmithing and wagonmaking,
at which he worked more or less all through
his life. He also engaged in teaching school

for a few years. In the early training days he
commanded a company. For his second wife
he married Miss Anna Maria Teal, daughter of
John 1. Teal, of the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, who, though bearing the
same name, was no relative. Two children
were born to them: Mary C. , who became
the wife of William Moul, of the town of Red
Hook, where he is successfully engaged in
farming; and John D., subject of this sketch.
Our subject's birth occurred in the town of
Red Hook, where he entered the common
schools, and, on completing his education, he
succeeded his father, who was otherwise en
gaged, to tbe management of the farm, and
thus began life for himself as an agriculturist.
In 1867 Mr. Teal was married to Miss Mary
Rossman. They are the parents of three chil
dren, all born on the old homestead. Frank
L. , who was educated at the Hartwick Semi
nary, and, after his graduation from that insti
tution in 1890, served on the force of civil
engineers engaged in the construction of the
Broadway Cable road in New York City, at
the completion of which he engaged in teach
ing and land surveying, holding the position of
teacher in the public schools of Germantown
for two years. He then became principal of
the North Germantown Union School, which
position he resigned after two years to enter
upon a course of studies at St. Stephens Col
lege. Agnes received a thorough training in
music, and is now a teacher of that art. She
is also organist of the Stone Church in the
town of Rhinebeck located near the town line
of Red Hook. Eve Alice completes the family.
John G. Rossman, the grandfather of Mrs.
Teal, was born in Livingston, Columbia Co.,
N. Y. , was there educated, and followed the
vocation of a farmer throughout life. He
married Miss Catherine Best, daughter of Rev.
Lewis Best, a Christian minister of Livingston.
Their family consisted of ten children: Susan
married Reuben Lapham; George married
Johanna Weisman; Jacob was the father of
Mrs. Teal; Margaret married Henry Van-
Etten; Eve married Samuel Lape; Mary mar
ried Edward Stickle; Ann married Samuel
Shutts; William married Lucy Cunningham, of
Georgia; James remained single; and Edward
died in infancy.
Jacob Rossman was also a native of Liv
ingston, Columbia county, where he received
a good common-school education, and be
came an agriculturist. He wedded Miss Eve

716

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Patrie, by whom he had two children: Mer-
vin J., who married Mary Gardner; and Mary,
the estimable wife of our subject. Her ma
ternal grandfather. Christian Patrie, who was
also a farmer, married Mary Finder, daughter
of Edward Pinder, second son of Lord Pinder,
London, England, and to them were born ten
children: Pamilla married Dr. William Jones;
Rachel married Rensselaer Livingston; Alex
ander married Clarissa Bennaham; Rufus mar
ried Jane Stickle; Eve was the mother of Mrs.
Teal; Susan married Samuel Pender; Mary
died at the age of twenty-five years; Edward
married Margaret Potts; Seth married Mary
Patrie, a cousin; and Fannie married Jacob
MHler.

T\HOMAS WRIGHT, one of the well-to-do
 and influential citizens of the town of
Lagrange, is now occupying a valuable farm
that is conspicuous for the manner in which it
has been improved and cultivated, and gives
every evidence of being the homestead of one
of the most enterprising men of Dutchess
county. The Wright family is of English origin, and
was founded in this country first on Long
Island. Thomas Wright, the grandfather of
our subject, and one of the early residents of
the town of East Fishkill, Dutchess county,
had a family of eight children, all now de
ceased. As he was in somewhat limited cir
cumstances, his son, Lewis, the father of our
subject, was given but an ordinary education,
and he started out in life as a poor boy. He
was born in the town of East Fishkill, March
22, 1800, and in his twentieth year first be
came a resident of the town of Lagrange, lo
cating upon the farm now occupied by our
subject, which he operated for some time be
fore he was able to purchase it. Upon that
place he spent his remaining days.
On November 3, 1820, Lewis Wright was
married to Maria Vermilyea, who was born
September 26, 1801, and died December 31,
1827, and they became the parents of three
children: Mary, born July 24, 1821, died in
June, 1894; John G., born May 31, 1824; and
Abraham, born in December, 1826, and died
October 18, 1828. Mr. Wright was again
married, this time on November 13, 1828, to
Miss Zillah Anderson, who was born February
24, 1799, and was the daughter of John Ander
son. Four children came to this union: Ann

Elizabeth, born August 24, 1830, married
Draper Hall, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; Thomas,
subject of this sketch; Susan Jane, born De
cember 25, 1834, married Rutsen Hall, of the
town of Unionvale, Dutchess county; and An
derson, born May i, 1838, died May 10, 1867.
The mother of these children departed this
life in November, 1885.
Thomas Wright, whose name introduces
these lines, was born February 26, 1833, on
the farm which is now his home, in the town
of Lagrange. His education was acquired in
the district school, and at a private school of
the neighborhood. On April 20, 1859, he was
married to Miss Phoebe Rogers, who was born
October 18, 1840, adaughter of Laban Rog
ers, of the town of Beekman, Dutchess coun
ty. To this worthy couple were born fourteen
children, whose names and dates of birth are
as foHows: Charles L., January 21, i860;
Homer A., June 19, 1862; Carrie R., July 31,
1864; Susan A., August 21, 1866; Jennie,
October 3, 1868; Mary E., May 12, 1871;
Lewis T., March 12, 1873; Alice Z., October
27, 1874; John R., October II, 1876; Ruem-
ma, September 2, 1S78; Arthur, October 23,
1880; Augusta M., March 21, 1883; and Jo
sephine and Pauline (twins), August 10, 1885.
Of these, Josephine died July 22, 1886. Mrs.
Wright's father was born inthe town of Beek
man, in 1805, married Jane Sincerbox, of
East Fishkill, by whom he had five chHdren —
two sons and three daughters, of whom, one
son and daughter are now deceased. The
mother died in 1884, the father in 1886.
In 1859, Mr. Wright became a resident of
the town of Beekman, where he remained untH
1879, when he removed to the old Vermilyea
homestead in the town of Lagrange, which he
operated for ten years, when he returned to the
farm where his early life was passed, and has
there continued to make his home. He is now
the owner of three fine farms in the town of
Lagrange, and another in Beekman, aggrega
ting 750 acres of as good land as is to be
found anywhere in the county. While Hving
in Beekman, he was elected justice of the
peace, but declined to qualify. A stanch
Democrat in politics, he is recognized as an
honorable, upright man, the encourager of
educational institutions, and during his younger
years served as school commissioner in the
town of Lagrange. The career of Mr.
Wright has ever been such as to warrant the
trust and confidence of those with whom he

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

717

has come in contact, for he has ever con
ducted all transactions on the strictest princi
ples of honor and integrity.

/PV\EORGE W. HOWELL, a leading and in-
^^ fluential member of the agricultural com
munity of the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutch
ess county, resides upon his fine farm of 197
acres. Besides the regular duties pertaining
to the cultivation of the soil, he also deals quite
extensively in stock, which he buys and ships
to the city.
Mr. Howell is a native of Dutchess county,
having been born at Salt Point, November 12,
1849, and he is a son of Benjamin Howell, at
one time also a prominent farmer of the town
of Pleasant Valley. He received his education
in the common schools of the neighborhood,
and lent his assistance to his father in carrying
on the farm. On attaining his majority he
became postal clerk on the Poughkeepsie &
Eastern railroad, which position he filled some
fourteen years. In 1 878 he married Miss Adelia
Hicks, who was born in the town of Washing
ton, Dutchess county, where her father, Fred
erick Hicks, carried on farming. She died
June 20, 1886, leaving two chHdren: Mabel
and Grace.
In 1880 Mr. Howell purchased his present
farm, and has since resided there. In politics
he is a straight and stanch adherent of the
principles formulated in the platform of the
Republican party, and in the exercise of his
elective franchise invariably supports the can
didates offered by that organization. During
President Harrison's administration he served
for four years as postmaster of Washington
Hollow. He is a public-spirited man, aiding
in all kinds of improvements for the good of
the community, and is especially active in pro
moting educational interests. Socially, he be
longs to the Masonic fraternity, and he merits
and receives the warmest confidence of his
fellow-citizens.

E

'\LIAS W. BERRY, a prosperous farmer

of the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county,
was born in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess
county, August 6, 1854. His parents were
Lebbens Howe and WHhelmina (Westervelt)
Berry, the latter being a daughter of Elias and
Ruth Westervelt.
Nicholas N. Berry, the paternal grandfather

of our subject, was born in 1792, in East Fish
kill, N. Y. , ar..d settled in the town of Pough
keepsie when a young man. He was twice
married, his first wife being Miss Ida Vanalts,
a native of Fishkill, N. Y. . who bore him two
children: Lettie Ann and William, both of
whom are now deceased. By his second wife,
whose maiden name was Ida Howe, he had
four children, namely: Lebbens H. and John
P. (both deceased), the latter of whom was
superintendent of the Street raHroad in Eliza
beth City; Tunis, a resident of Elizabeth, N.
J., was supervisor of the town of Poughkeep
sie; and Sarah, who married Tunis Conklin,
and lives at Hyde Park. The family were all
Presbyterians in their religious belief.
Lebbens H. Berry, tbe father of our sub
ject, was a school teacher in his younger days,
but most of his life was spent in farming. He
lived for a year on the plank road, and for ten
years farmed on the land now occupied by the
State Asylum buildings. He sold this property,
and for a year resided in Hyde Park, subse
quently going to the town of Clinton, where
he remained four years. In 1865 he took up
his residence in the town of Lagrange, where
he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring
in 1887. His wife survived him until 1891.
He was a stanch Democrat in his political
views, and held several minor town offices,
being commissioner of highways in the town
of Poughkeepsie, and collector at various times.
He was a man of considerable business ability,
and during his life accumulated a comfortable
fortune. The children born to himself and
wife were: William, -residing in Danbury,
Conn. ; Henry, living at Roselle, N. J. ; Sarah
W. ; Lettie Ann, who married Shryver Tomp
kins, of Lagrange; Elias Westervelt, the sub
ject of this sketch; Lebbens H., living in La
grange; Mary Frances, wife ofthe Rev. Edwin
C. Bennett, of Buffalo, N. Y. ; Seymour, resid
ing in Roselle, N. J. ; and Ida Ruth.
Elias W. Berry obtained his education in the
district school at Freedom Plains, and lived on
the home farm in Lagrange with his parents,
until the death of his mother in 1891, On
March 9, 1892, he was married to Mrs. Louisa
Seaman Brill, a daughter of Jacob and Clara
Seaman. Mrs. Berry has three chHdren by
her first marriage: Richard, Clara and Fred
erick. After his marriage Mr. Berry purchased
the J. R. Flagler farm near Overlook, in the
town of Lagrange, which consists of ninety
acres of fine land. Here he carries on general

718

COMMEMORA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

farming, in which he has been quite successful.
He is a hard worker, thrifty and energetic, and
is highly respected by all his acquaintances.
He is a Democrat in politics, has been justice
of the peace two terms, and also one of the
inspectors of election.

JOSEPH B. ROZELL, a very prominent
and energetic farmer of the town of Union
vale, Dutchess county, was there born April
29, 1859, and secured his education in the
schools near his home. His paternal grand
father, Henry Rozell, was a native of Tarry
town, N. Y. , where he attended school, but
early in life removed to Chestnut Ridge,
Dutchess county, where he followed agricult
ural pursuits. He wedded Miss Eleanor
Cypher, and to them were born the following
children: Thomas, who married Jennie Strait;
Elizabeth married Caleb Oakley; John, who
married Miss Black; Samuel, who married
Rhoda Rozell; Gilbert, who married Eliza
Shear; Henry, who married Catharine Holmes;
William, who died in infancy; William, who
married Julia Burnett; Alexander, the father
of our subject; Jacob, who married Jane
Austin; Matilda, who married Dewitt Connor;
Annie, who married Harvey Simeon; Egbert,
who married Priscilla Cooper; and Maria,
who married Robert Hicks.
Alexander Rozell was born at Chestnut
Ridge in 1808, and in the common schools of
Dutchess county acquired his education. He
learned the shoemaker's trade, at which he
worked for fourteen years, and then devoted
his time and attention to farming, untH life's
labors were ended. He was a progressive and
public-spirited citizen, and enjoyed the respect
and confidence of all who knew him.
On January 31, 1854, was celebrated the
marriage of Alexander Rozell and Miss Sarah
Frances Potter, a daughter of George and
Hannah (Baker) Potter, farming people of
Nantucket, Four children blessed this union,
of whom our subject is third in order of birth:
George, born December 8, 1854, in the town
of Unionvale, received a common-school edu
cation, and learned the carpenter's trade, at
which he is now employed. He married Miss
Anna M, Syncerbaux, who was born January
30, i860. Annie was born July 25, 1856, in
Unionvale town, and married Jesse Oakley,
an agriculturist, by whom she has one child,

Alexander, born in 1890. Ella H., born No
vember 4, i860, is the wife of Williairi E,
Ferris, a shoemaker of Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
and they have one son, William H., who was
born October 2, 1895.
George Potter, the maternal grandfather
of our subject, was born October 20, 1786,
and in September, 18 12, married Miss Han
nah Baker, whose birth occurred August i,
1790. They became the parents of five chH
dren, whose names and dates of birth are as
follows: Joseph, August 7, 1813; Anthony,
AprH 6, 1815; WiHiam B., March 12, 1817;
Sarah F., December 27, 1819; and Milton,
AprH 23, 1 82 1.

MRS. MAY LOSEE DUTCHER, of Do-
  ver Plains, is descended from well-known
families of Dutchess county. Her paternal
grandfather, William Losee, a lifelong farmer,
was a native of Syracuse, N, Y. , and received
his education in the schools of that place.
He married Miss Mary Watterman, of the
same place, and they became the parents of
twelve children, namely: Harris married Ra
chel Butts; WHliam married Anna Carbardt;
John married Phoebe Veiley; Henry married
Mertha Lake; Joseph married Harriet Han-
neston; George was the father of Mrs. Dutch
er; Julia married J. Cooper; Delia remained
unmarried; Caroline married Hicks Hustes;
Adelaide married Seneca White ; Catherine
married Vincent Tripp; and Mary married
Egbert Butler.
George Losee, a member of the above fam
ily, was born at Dover Plains, February 14,
1 817, and in the schools of that village
acquired his education. Like his father, he
also followed agricultural pursuits. He mar
ried Miss Anna Sherman, daughter of Darius
and Myra (Tabor) Sherman, who were resi
dents of the town of Dover, where her father
died July 25, 1858. His father was born De
cember I, 1757, and died May 25, 1847, in
the town of Pawling, Dutchess county, 'where
for many years he had engaged in farming.
He was united in marriage with Abigail Pierce,
who was born in 1767 and died in 1818. They
became the parents of ten children, whose
names and dates of birth are as follows: Oli
ver, May 27, 1787; Chloe, November 27,
1788; Isaac, June 15, 1791; Henry, July 17,
1793; Daniel, October, 1795; Stephen, AprH,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

¦719

1798; Darius, November 7, 1800; Sylvia, De
cember 6, 1802; Lydia, April 16, 1805; and
Olive, May 11, 1807.
To the parents of Mrs. Dutcher were born
six children: Ella, who became the wife of
Frank Secor; May, of this review ; George,
who wedded Mary Hutchinson ; WHliam;
Daisy, who married Charles Wyman; and
Joseph. Of this family, May was born in the
town of Dover, Dutchess county, and during
her girlhood attended the common schools
of the neighborhood, where she acquired an
excellent education. She married George
Dutcher. She has many friends throughout
the county, and is loved and respected by all
who know her.

JARVIS C, ROBINSON. Dutchess county
has many well-to-do and successful farmers,
men who have accumulated what they have
of this world's goods through individual effort.
Among this class the name of the subject of
this notice is entitled to a place. He is resid
ing upon his fine farm in the town of Stanford,
where he is industriously engaged in the prose
cution of his noble calling, and is meeting with
far more than ordinary success.
Anative of Dutchess county, the birth of Mr.
Robinson took place in the town of Fishkill,
September 25, 1827, but since the early age of
seven years he has been a resident of the town
of Stanford, and there his education was ob
tained in the district schools. As a young
man he worked as a farm hand, and at the age
of nineteen began work for Mrs. Canfield upon
the farm which he now owns. At her death
he purchased the place, the improvement and
cultivation of which he has since continued
with remarkable success. On August 20, 1856,
he was married in the town of Stanford to Miss
Mary E. Mosher, daughter of Allen Mosher,
and to them were born the following children:
Fremont (now deceased); Homer E., of whom
special mention will presently be made; Leo-
netta, .who married Emerson Gregory, by
whom she has two children — Jennie and Ma
bel; Tamma, who married Newton J. Barlow,
of the town of Stanford, by whom she has a
daughter^May; Allen, who married Nellie
Northrup, by whom he has two children —
Clifton and Clara; and Edward and Amy Alida
(both deceased). The mother of these chil
dren, who was a faithful member of the Bap

tist Church, died May 6, 1877, mourned by
many warm friends.
Politically Mr. Robinson was first a Whig,
later a Republican, and has efficiently served
in the offices of inspector and town auditor.
He is a self-made man in the truest sense of
the term, and in the various relations of life
has maintained a character and standing that
have impressed all with bis sincere and manly
purpose to do by others as he would have oth
ers do by him.
Homer E. Robinson, the eldest living son
of our subject, spent his boyhood days upon
the home farm, aiding in its work and attend
ing the district schools of the neighborhood.
At the age of twenty-two years he removed to
the town of Milan, where for seven years he
operated the farm of John Wilson, but since
that time has resided upon the old homestead.
Like his father, he votes the straight Repub
lican ticket, and socially is a member of Pough
keepsie Lodge No. 43, K. of P. He married
Miss Emma Hicks, daughter of Gilbert Hicks,
and two children have been born to them:
Edward and I. Leslie.

T\HERON CUTLER, an extensive farmer
 of Dutchess county, was born in the town
of Washington, April 10, 1821, and is the son
of Stephen and Sally (Fitch) Cutler.
Stephen Cutler, the father of our subject,
was born in Dutchess county, in 1783, a son
of Stephen and Amy (Lester) Cutler. He
grew up on a farm, and on reaching man's es
tate married Miss Sally Fitch, a native of Nor
walk, Conn. They settled on the old home
farm, and reared a family of eight children,
namely: Amy, deceased; Philo F. was a
farmer in western New York; Rachel, deceased;
Stephen, deceased, married Miss Louisa Will
iams, and followed farming in the town of
Washington; Lorenzo, deceased, married Miss
Hannah Brown; Theron, our subject; Ben
jamin A., deceased; and Mordecai L. is a re
tired resident of Washington. Mr. Cutler re
mained on the farm all his life, and politically
supported the Whig party; he died in 1858;
his wife had preceded him, dying in 1853.
Stephen Cutler, the grandfather of our subject,
was raised in Dutchess county, where he mar
ried Amy Lester; he was a son of Jonathan
Cutler, a native of Rhode Island, who came to
Dutchess county at an early day.
Our subject spent his boyhood on the home

720

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

farm and on October 28, 1857, was married to
Miss Amelia Mitchell, a native of the town of
Washington, and a daughter of Josiah and Jane
Ann (Elsbree) Mitchell. After their marriage
Mr. and Mrs. Cutler came to their present
home, where he carries on general farming on
his 220 acres of excellent land. Three chHdren
were born to this couple: Dwight, who died in
1869; Olin, whose death occurred in 1891;
and Franz S., who is unmarried and lives at
home. In politics Mr. Cutler is a Republican, and
religiously he and his wife attend the Episcopal
Church. He is one of the progressive and sub
stantial farmers of his county.
Josiah Mitchell, father of Mrs. Cutler, was
born in Nantucket in 1807, the son of Ben
jamin and Eunice (Barney) Mitchell, and came
to Dutchess county in 1809, where he after
ward made his home and followed the occupa
tion of farming. Benjamin Mitchell was of
Scotch extraction, born on Nantucket; he was
a relative of the late Maria Mitchell, the famous
astronomer of Vassar College. Mrs. Cutler's
maternal grandparents were from Rhode Island.

F^RANK P. LASHER. In the busy com-
 munity located in the thriving little vil
lage of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county, we
find several energetic and thoroughgoing busi
ness men, who have attained success through
their own tact, good judgment and persever
ance. Among the number is the gentleman
whose name introduces this biographical no
tice, and who at the present time is a repre
sentative of the hardware trade of the place.
He deals in stoves, tinware, crockery, glass
ware and all kinds of house furnishing goods,
slate and metal roofing, hot-water and steam-
heating apparatus, and, as a member of the
Dutchess County Artesian Well & Wind Mill
Co., he deals in tanks, pumps and pipes, also
well supplies.
Mr. Lasher was born in the town of Stan
ford, Dutchess county, July 20, 1852. His
father, John Lasher, is a native 'of Columbia
county, N. Y. , and one of the four chHdren of
Hannah and Samuel Lasher, farming people of
that county, where their deaths occurred.
Their ancestors were originally from Holland.
The children were Edward, who was the pro
prietor of several hotels in Hudson, N, Y., and
MiHerton, Dutchess county; John; Sobrina,
widow of Caleb Woolcut, who was a farmer of

Columbia county; and Elmira, who married
and removed west.
In his native county, John Lasher was
united in marriage with Sarah Bates, who was
born in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, and they began housekeeping upon a
farm in Stanford town, where their ten chil
dren were born as follows: Alice, who died
young; Florence, wife of Lewis Earl, a farmer
of Stanford town; Frank P., of this sketch;
Samuel J., an agriculturist, who removed to
California about twenty years ago; George B.,
a liveryman of Bangall, Dutchess county;
Isaac C. , who was a tin and copper smith of
Pleasant Valley, and died in 1888; Dora, who
died while young; Ida; Allie, wife of Norman
Irish, of New York City, and one who died in
infancy. The mother of these is deceased; the
father has always engaged in farming and con
tracting, and in politics is an ardent Democrat.
Until eighteen years of age Frank P.
Lasher remained upon the home farm, assist
ing in its cultivation and improvement, and his
education was such as the district schools of
the neighborhood afforded. He bought his
time of his father, paying him $200 for the
same, and then started out to fight life's bat
tles unaided and empty-handed; and so well
did he succeed that by the time he was twenty-
one years old he had saved $500. Going first
to Bangall, he began learning the tinning and
plumbing trade with John June, with whom he
remained for about two and one-half years,
spending the following three months at Pough
keepsie. In 1 87 1 he came to Pleasant Valley
and engaged in the tin and plumbing business
with Henry Sacket, under the name of Lasher
& Sacket, the connection continuing for three
years, when our subject bought out his part
ner. He has since been alone, and has built
up an extensive business. He is known aH
over the county as one of its leading business
men, and the success he has achieved is well
merited. In 1873 Mr. Lasher married Miss Jennie
Rogers, who was born in the town of Pleasant
Valley, and they became the parents of three
children: WiHis C, Charles and Sadie. The
mother departed this life in 1883, and in 1884
Mr. Lasher wedded Miss Mary MHler, a native
of Columbia county, N. Y., and a daughter of
Allen Miller, a blacksmith by trade. In poli
tics Mr. Lasher strongly adheres to the doc
trines of the Republican party, but is no poH-
tician, and both he and his wife attend the

f?

OUi)

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

721

Presbyterian Church. By all he is held in the
highest respect, and in the estimation of his
fellow citizens he is one of the representative
men of Pleasant Valley.

JULIUS M. MOUL is a worthy representa
tive of the agricultural interests of the town
of Red Hook, Dutchess county, where his
ancestors located at an early day, and is en
gaged in the operation of the homestead farm,
comprising io8 acres of fine land situated just
off the post road and about one mile from the
viHage of Red Hook. The old house still
stands as it was in the earlier days, and is sur
rounded by good and substantial outbuHdings
for the accommodation of stock. Among his
possessions our subject has an old German
Bible printed in 1736, being now one hundred
and sixty years old.
On that farm, June 11, 1782, was born
John Moul, the grandfather of our subject, and
in the common schools of the village of Red
Hook he obtained his education. As soon as
old enough, however, he began to assist in the
labors of the farm and made the vocation of
farming his life work. On May 3, 18 12, he
married Miss Elizabeth Ryfenburgh, of Red
Hook, who was born March 15, 1790, and
they became the parents of three children:
Jacob M., who was born February 7, 18 13,
and died May 13, 1840; WHHam, born July 17,
1 821; and Frederick, born August i, 1829.
These children were all born in the town of
Red Hook, and received common-school educa
tions. On leaving school WHliam Moul, the father
of our subject, conducted his father's farm,
and on August 29, 1849, was married, the
lady of his choice being Miss Mary Teal,
daughter of Jacob Teal, a farmer of Red
Hook, and four children blessed their union:
John Jacob, born September 8, 1852; Julius
Martin, of this review; an infant son, who was
born December 25, 1856, and died unnamed;
and Elizabeth, born July 19, 1858. The
mother df these chHdren died December 8,
1865, at the age of thirty-six years. After
three years Mr. Moul was again married,
August 25, 1868, his second wife being Miss
Rosanna Waldorf, daughter of William Wal
dorf, a farmer of the town of Red Hook.
Our subject was born December 7, 1853,
at the old home in Red Hook, and, on com
pleting his education in the common schools of
46

the locality, like his ancestors chose the life
of a farmer, continuing the cultivation of the
home place. He is a conscientious, earnest,
Christian gentleman, a member of the Luth
eran Church of Red Hook, and stands to-day
one of the respected and highly-esteemed citi
zens of the community. His friends are
legion, and his genial courtesy is calculated to
win confidence, which his sterling integrity
and unquestioned candor serve to maintain.
On October 3, 1876, Mr. Moul was mar
ried to Miss Emma Saulpaugh, who was born
in Madalin, town of Red Hook, March 18,
1859, and two chHdren grace their union:
Franklin W., born January 18, 1878; and
Louis, born February 6, 1879. Mrs. Moul
was educated in the schools of Madalin. Her
father, Louis Saulpaugh, is one of the well-to-
do farmers of that locality, and for two terms
served as supervisor for the town of Red
Hook. In his family were eight children,
namely: Philip, born August 27, 185 1; Har
mon, born September 3, 1852; Anna, who was
born May 3, 1854, and died August 24, follow
ing; George, born November 30, 1855; Anna
and Emma, twins, born March 18, 1859;
FrankHn, born July 12, 1862; and Sarah,
born January 8, '1870. Anna, the twin sister
of Mrs. Moul, died in infancy.

1

«»DWARD LEE CLARK, one of the most

prominent agriculturists of the town of
Northeast, Dutchess county, is a native of that
county, born July 26, 1861, on the old Lee
farm, the homestead of his mother's family,
about one mile below Northeast Centre. His
great-grandfather, Amos Clark, was a resident
of Plainfield, Conn. ; his grandfather, Douglass
Clark, of Northeast; and his father, Douglass
Clark, Jr., born in 1832, is still living at
Northeast. He married Mary Lee, daughter
of Daniel Lee, a wealthy farmer, and lived at
the Lee homestead for thirty years, when he
sold it to his son Edward. He has always
been a stanch Republican, and he and his wife
are leading members of the Methodist Episco
pal Church. They have had three children:
Elizabeth, who married Rev. W. R. Moore, of
Poughkeepsie; Edward Lee, our subject, and
Douglass, who died in childhood.
Mr. Clark was educated in his native place,
attending the select school taught by Miss Car
rie Knickerbocker, and later the seminary at
Amenia, where he studied two years and a

722

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

half, acquiring a good English education. At
sixteen he returned home, and in 1883 bought
the old homestead, consisting of ninety acres.
Three years later he purchased the Harry
Clark farm, near Millerton, containing 258
acres, and moved upon it. This is one of the
best farms in the town of Northeast, and for
the last nine years Mr. Clark has devoted it
chiefly to the dairy business, of which he has
made a great success. In 1892 he sold the
Lee farm to Sylvester Schook. Mr. Clark mar
ried Miss Emma G. Case, daughter of George
Case, and a member of one of the oldest fam-
ilies-of Pine Plains. They have five children:
Edna, Harry D., Hazel, George C. and Ed
ward Lee, Jr.
In public affairs, Mr. Clark is active, en
dorsing and assisting every progressive move
ment, and although he is still a young man his
early success in business has given him a wider
influence than is often exercised by one of his
years. He has been a school trustee for seven
years. WhHe giving but little attention to
strictly political work, he is a stanch supporter
of the principles of the Republican party.

MENRY S. MOREHOUSE, a representa-
 tive farmer and leading citizen of Dutch
ess county, was born at his present resi
dence in the town of Amenia, October 27,
1 86 1. Upon this farm his grandfather, Will
iam Morehouse, a native of New Preston,
Conn. , located at an early day, and there en
gaged in farming. He married Julia Stone, by
whom he had four children: Julius S., Chaun
cey W. and Orinda, all deceased; and Jane,
wife of B. R. Tenney, of Poughkeepsie, New
York. Julius S. Morehouse, the father of our
subject, was also born on the old homestead,
in the eastern part of the town of Amenia, in
1814, and there his death occurred, June 26,
1885. Like most farmer boys, his early edu
cation was received in the district schools, and
he later attended a select school at Sharon,
Conn. In connection with his father, he
erected a brick mill at LeedsviHe, which he
operated for ten years, and still owned at the
time of his death. At Redding, Conn., he
married Miss Elizabeth Dennison, who was
the daughter of James Dennison, and died
February 14, 1895. To them were born
seven chHdren: Julia R., now the wife of C.
M. Prindle, of Sharon, Conn.; Albina, wifeof

G. William Van Rensselaer, of New York
City; James, of Sharon, Conn.; Joseph J., of
Chapinville, Conn. , who married Minnie Burch-
ard, of Danbury, Conn.; AnnaE. ; Henry Steb
bins, of this review; and LiHias J., wife of E,
B. St. John, of Sharon, Conn. The father
spent the later years of his life engaged in
farming in the town of Amenia, and also dealt
some in railroad bonds, etc. He was an ear
nest Christian gentleman, a member and found
er of the Episcopal Church at Sharon, Conn.,
while politically he was a lifelong Democrat.
The present residence of our subject was\
erected by Janies Bogardus in 1781, and was
rebuHt by Juhus S. Morehouse in 1871. There
Henry S. has spent his entire life. He at
tended the common schools of LeedsviHe, was
later a student in the Amenia Seminary, and
completed his education at Brown's Business
College at Jersey City, N. J. In 1881 he be
gan the management and cultivation of the
farm for his father, and continued to work it
on shares until his mother's death, when he
purchased the interests of the other heirs.
Mr. Morehouse was married January 17,
1893, at Northfield, Conn., the lady of his
choice being Miss Bertha L. Humphreville,
daughter of Garner and Martha A. (Tuttle)
Humphreville, and by their union they have
two children: Julius Stanley, born Novem
ber 19, 1894; and Ethel M., born March 2,
1896. Fraternally, Mr. Morehouse is iden
tified with Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A.
M., and the Grange at Amenia Union, of
which he has twice served as master. He is
also a member of the Episcopal Church of
Sharon, Conn. By the men of his county he
is ranked as a skilled farmer and a praise
worthy citizen, and is creditably filling his
niche in advancing the welfare and prosperity
of the town of Amenia.

PHCENIX N. DEUEL, well known through-
 out the town of Pine Plains and vicinity,
is one of the intelligent and capable business
men and representative farmers. He was born
April 23, 1830, in that township, upon the old
Deuel homestead, which he now owns. The
family is of French descent, and the first to
come to the New World located on Long
Island at an early date. Later some of its
members came to Dutchess county, making
their home in the neighborhood of where our
subject now resides.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

723

Jonathan Deuel, his grandfather, was a na
tive of Dutchess county, born in the town of
Stanford, and became one of the extensive
farmers, large land owners and leading men of
the community. By his marriage with Miss
Rachel Denton he had seven children, namely:
Samuel, SHas, Newton, -Jay, Catherine, Rachel
and Mary.
Samuel Deuel, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, where he was reared to agricultural
pursuits, and in starting out in life he began
farming upon the old Deuel homestead, one-
half mile from Bethel. He inherited a small
amount from his father, but he accumulated
most of his property through his own efforts,
being very successful in his business undertak
ings, and was the owner of 400 acres of val
uable land. As a business man he was keen
and shrewd, and was possessed of excellent
judgment. In early days he was personally
identified with public interests, prominent in
political circles, being an ardent Democrat,
and served as assessor and supervisor. He
was united in marriage with Catherine Bockee,
daughter of Jacob Bockee, of the town of Pine
Plains, and to them were born four children:
Jacob, who was a lawyer of Stockbridge, Wis.,
and died while serving in the Union army dur
ing the Civil war; Mary, who is now deceased;
Phoenix N., subject of this review; and Silas,
who lives upon the old homestead.
After attending the district schools for a
time our subject entered the Norwich Academy
and Boarding School at Warren, Litchfield
Co., Conn., where he completed his literary
training at the age of twenty-one. He has
always been a great reader, and keeps well in
formed on current events. After leaving the
school room he engaged in farming upon the
old homestead untH 1870, when he purchased
the Gray farm, consisting of 120 acres. It has
now been merged into the homestead farm, so
that Mr. Deuel has now one of the finest places
in the township, comprising 400 acres. Be
sides general farming, he also deals in hay and
straw, and in his undertakings has been re
markably successful. He was married to Miss
Margaret Amelia Covey, daughter of Lyman
Covey, of St. Lawrence county, N. Y. , and
they have become the parents of four children:
Sara S. ; Samuel, married March 25, 1891, to
NeHie Dusenberre; Kathryn E., who is attend
ing the Lyndon Hall; and Penelope, at home.
Politically Mr. Deuel is a Democrat, and

has taken quite an active part in local affairs.
He has served as supervisor and assessor of
his township, and as justice of the peace.
Educational matters always find in him an
earnest supporter, and since its beginning he
has served as one of the trustees of Seymour
Smith Academy. Conscientious, earnest Chris
tians, he and his wife are faithful members
of the Presbyterian Church of Pine Plains, in
which Mr. Deuel is serving as president of the
board of trustees.

M BRAM A. DENTON, a prominent dairy-
-^^ man and agriculturist residing near South
Dover, Dutchess county, was born in the town
of Dover, December 8, 1838.
Mr. Denton's ancestors settled in Dutchess
county in the latter part of the eighteenth cen
tury, and his father, Abraham H. Denton, was
born in the town of Beekman in 1798. He
received a good education for that day, and
taught schools successfully for some years pre
vious to his marriage. Politically, he was a
Democrat, but he never sought or held official
position. His wife was Miss Betsey Allen,
born in 1797, the daughter of Charles and
Martha Allen, well-to-do residents of the town
of Pawling, who assisted the young couple to
obtain a farm of their own in that locality. In
1830 this property was exchanged for one in
South Dover, belonging to an uncle, Sanford
Hoag. Here they made their home through
out the later years. Our subject was the
youngest of seven children: (i) Jeremiah was
born in 1826, at Pawling, and is now a resi
dent of that town. He married Louisa Ferris,
and has two sons — Charles, who married Car
rie Wooden, and Frank, who married Grace
Sheldon. (2) Martha, born in 1829, died in
infancy. (3) Charles, born 1831, first married
Emeline Aiken, and, second, Mrs. Elizabeth
McMahon. (4) Maria, 1833, married Theron
M. Green, and had three sons — Merrick, Sew
ard, and Abraham (who died in infancy). (5)
Mahala, 1835, married W. J. Buckingham.
(6) Martha (2), 1837, married Hiram S. Sher
man,' and has six children — -.Adelle, Eli,
Charles, Jerry, Bessie and Allen.
Mr. Denton was educated in the common
schools of his native town, and in early man
hood engaged in farming. He found a part
ner for life's joys and sorrows in Miss Anna A.
Preston, daughter of Myron and Sarah Pres
ton, wealthy landholders in the town of Dover.

724

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

They gave to their daughter a farm of 200
acres, upon which the young couple made their
home. They now have about 258 acres in
use as a dairy farm besides a large amount of
woodland. Their only child, Ida P. Denton,
born in 1864, married Elihu Hoag, of Dover,
and have had four children: Gertrude, born
February 23, 1887; Edith, February 24, 1889;
Ida, August 17, 1892, and Annie, June 13, 1895.

F\RANK DOUGLASS BROWN, a young,
 enterprising and successful agriculturist of
the town of Northeast, Dutchess county, was
born September 14, 1867, upon the old family
homestead near Millerton, where he now re
sides. His ancestors were early settlers of that
locality, his grandfather, Samuel Brown, hav
ing been the owner of the same farm. Noah
Brown, the great-grandfather, married Lois
Mills, September 20, 1783, but the history of
the family cannot be traced further back.
Douglass Brown, our subject's father, was
born near Millerton, July 3, 1822, and followed
farming during the greater part of his life, hav
ing bought of his father 248 acres of land. He
was also engaged in speculating in stock, and
by the time of his death had accumulated a fair
fortune. He had fine mental ability, and was
a well-read man, domestic in his tastes, and
highly esteemed in the community. In politics
he adhered to the Republican party, and he
was a prominent member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, of Millerton. His wife was
Sarah Holmes, daughter of Reuben Holmes, a
leading citizen of Winchell Mountain (now Mt.
Pleasant), and they had three children, of whom
our subject is the youngest. Martha, born
AprH 19, 1855, married C. F. Hawley, of Mil
lerton; Birdella H., born March 2, 1863, is
now the wife of OHn E. Gibbs, of Ore HHl,
Connecticut. Our subject received a good academic edu
cation, attending first the district schools of his
neighborhood, and later the MHIerton High
School, afterward spending two years at WH
braham, Mass., and one at LakeviHe, Conn.
At the age of seventeen he left school, and has
since been engaged in the management of the
estate, and conducting an ice business which
he established, and in which he has an exten
sive trade in Millerton and surrounding vil
lages. On March 5, 1890, he married Miss
Fannie A. Neville, daughter of William and
Julia (Vosburgh) Neville, well-known residents

of Boston Corners, and they have four chil
dren: Howard D., born December 21, 1890;
Mabel C, born May 7, 1892; Marguerite L.,
born March 19, 1894; and Lois MiHs, born
November 13, 1895. The mother of these
was born September 16, 1867, in Columbia
county, N. Y. , receiving her education at Bos
ton Corners, and for a time was a teacher in
Dutchess county. Her father and mother are
still living. Her grandfather, Chauncey Vos
burgh, who was also a native of Columbia
county, born about 1800, married Miss Fannie
Bissell, a native of Winchell Mountain, born
about 1790, and they had three children:
George E., JuHa F. and Carrie L. , aH yet
living. Politically our subject is a Republican, and
takes a keen interest in local politics; but he is
not an office seeker, and has withdrawn his
name several times when his nomination has
been urged. In all questions of local improve
ment he has shown much public spirit, being
always on the side of progress. Like all the
members of his famHy he attends the Method
ist Church, and is a generous supporter of its
varied activities.

ATHAN CASE SACKETT. WhHe "the
^ race is not always to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong," the invariable law of
destiny accords to tireless energy, industry and
ability a successful career. The truth of this
assertion is abundantly verified in the life of
our subject, who is one of the prosperous
farmers of the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county. His birth took place January 5, 1835, in
that town, where the family had long resided.
There his grandfather, Samuel Sackett, car
ried on farming, and reared to maturity a
family of nine children, namely: OrviHe,
Aaron, Clara, Ann, Jeannette, Samuel H.,
Harry, Lucinda and Polly. He was a Baptist
in religious views, and in politics was identi
fied with the Democratic party.
Samuel H. Sackett, the father of our sub
ject, was also a native of the town of Stanford,
where he was reared and educated, and on at
taining manhood married Amy Case, daughter
of Nathan Case, of the town of MHan, Dutch
ess county. Seven children blessed this union:
Nathan C. ; Jane, deceased wife of L. Fraden-
burg; Sarah, wife of Sanford Adams, of the
town of Stanford; Amy Ann; Phebe, who died

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

725

in infancy; Mary D., wife of Samuel Wheeler,
deceased ; and Johanna, wife of Cortland Rob
inson, of Hyde Park, Dutchess county. The
father continued to follow farming in the town
of Stanford until his death, in 1880, andhis
wife, who preceded him to the other world,
died in 1875. They were members of the
Baptist Church, and he was an earnest sup
porter of the Democratic party.
Like most farmer lads, Nathan C. Sackett
spent the days of his chHdhood and youth at
tending the district schools and assisting in the
labors of the farm, and remained under the pa
rental roof until twenty-six years of age. He
was then married to Miss Deborah Ann Morey,
daughter of Isaac Morey, and sister of L. L.
Morey. Mr. Sackett operated a farm in the eastern
part of the town for a year, and the year pre
vious he had resided in tbe western part of the
same town. He was then for twenty-one
years with Gilbert Cooper, and on leaving that
gentleman came to his present farm of 200
acres of rich and arable land, where he has
now made his home for fifteen years. Essen
tially he is a self-made man, his entire posses
sions being the result of his own unaided
efforts. Politically, he is a stanch Democrat;
reUgiously, he and his wife are consistent mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church; so
cially, he holds membership with the Grange.

IJ^ILLIAM E. TRAVER, a prominent
agriculturist in the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, was born September 7, 1842,
upon the farm which he now owns.
His ancestors have been farmers in that
town for several generations, his grandfather,
John P. Traver, being a native and lifelong
resident. John H. Traver, our subject's
father, was born there in 18 18, and grew to
manhood at the old homestead. In politics he
was a Republican, but took no active share in
party work. He married Mary Pultz, who was
also born at the old homestead, and was the
only child of the late Frederick I. Pultz, a
well-known citizen of Rhinebeck. After their
marriage, our subject's parents continued to
reside on the old farm, where they died, the
father on February 14, 1891, and tbe mother
on May 13, of the same year. Of their two
chHdren, the eldest, Jane E. , married John F.
Cookingham, a farmer of Rhinebeck, and died
in March, 1886,

William E. Traver, our subject, has always
lived at the homestead. He was married
January 6, 1875, to Isie Traver, born May 19,
1 85 1, in the town of Clinton, where her grand
father, Jacob D. Traver, was a leading farmer.
Her father, Morgan L, Traver, was born there
October 19, 1813, and still lives at the same
place; he was a farmer, merchant and school
teacher, and married Phoebe S. Schultz, who
was born in the same town in April, 18 12, a
daughter of Jacob Schultz. Mrs. WiHiam E.
Traver received her education in the well-
known De Garmo Institute of Rhinebeck. Our
subject and his wife contribute to the support
of the Lutheran Church, and are always ready
to promote any worthy cause. They have one
son — Clarence, born May 2, 1876, who was
graduated from the mHitary school at Clave
rack, Columbia Co., New York, in June, 1896;
he is an accomplished musician on both cornet
and drum.
Mr. Traver is one of the most intelligent
and progressive farmers in his vicinity, and his
116 acres, which he devotes to general farm
ing, give proof of the wisdom of his manage
ment. In politics he is a Republican, and his
influence in local affairs is always given on the
side of improvement.

WILLIAM E. DALRYMPLE, Among
 the young men of Dutchess county
who have selected agriculture as their vocation
in life, and judging from their present indica
tions are bound to succeed in their chosen call
ing, is the subject of this personal review, who
is a resident of the town of Stanford, his farm
being pleasantly located near Bangall.
Mr. Dalrymple first opened his eyes to the
light of day March 21, 1861, at the home of
his parents at Lake Mohonk, Ulster Co., N. Y.
For a number of years his father, John Dal
rymple, engaged in general farming near New
Paltz, Ulster county, and later located on a
fruit farm near Highland, N. Y. However, he
is now living at Wappingers Falls, Dutchess
county, where he is running the engine for the
Episcopal Church. In politics he casts his
votes for the candidates of the Democratic
party, and religiously is a faithful member of
the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was
united in marriage with Sarah M. Lee, a na
tive of East FishkiH, Dutchess county, and to
them were born six children: WHliam E, , of
this review; Frank, deceased; John; George,

726

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

deceased; Clarence; Myrtle, deceased; and
Reginald. The education of our subject was such as
the schools of New Paltz and Highland af
forded, but his privileges in this direction were
very meagre, as at the age of twelve years he
started out in life for himself, being first em
ployed on a farm in Orange county, N. Y. ,
and later at East Fishkill, Dutchess Co. For
several years he worked in this way, but a few
years after bis marriage removed to his pres
ent farm, and, although still young, he is one of
the representative men of the town of Stan
ford, occupying a high place in the estimation
of his fellow citizens.
In 1880 Mr. Dalrymple was married to
Miss Frances C. Jaycox, daughter of Jere
miah Jaycox, and to them was born a son,
George A., who died in infancy. Our subject
is strong in his faith in the principles of the
Republican party, and never falters in his al
legiance to that organization, but, although
interested in a great degree in all local cam
paigns, has no desires for the troubles, respon
sibilities and disquieting influences of political
life.

HIRAM T. BEECHER, one of the most
 genial and whole-souled men of Dutchess
county, is engaged in general farming in the
town of Pleasant Valley, and also devotes a
great deal of attention to the work of the min
istry. He belongs to a family that is of Eng
lish descent, was born at Northampton, then
a part of Montgomery (now Fulton) county,
N. Y., September 27, 1822, and is a son of
Leman Beecher, whose birth occurred in
Sharon, Conn., February 12, 1793; his grand
father, Abraham Beecher, was also a native of
Litchfield county, Connecticut.
After his marriage with Lydia Day Fuller,
Abraham Beecher located upon a farm in his
native State, where he reared his family of
nine chHdren, of whom Leman was the eldest.
He was followed by Abraham and Truman,
both agriculturists of Illinois; Chauncey, a
farmer of Northampton, N. Y, , where his death
occurred; Jesse, a farmer of Kansas; Lydia,
wife of John Sprague, who carries on a farm
in Northampton, N. Y. ; Desire, wifeof James
Robinson, afarmerof Northampton ; Laura, wife
of Dr, Marvin, of Northampton, who served as
a surgeon during the Civil war; and Elizabeth,
wife of Godfrey Shew, a farmer of Jefferson

county, N. Y. The parents of this family
were Presbyterians in religious belief, and the
father all his life followed agricultural pursuits.
The childhood and youth of Leman Bee
cher were passed under the parental roof, and
on reaching man's estate he married Katherine
Shew, who was born in Northampton, N. Y, ,
May 4, 1794, and was a daughter of Jacob
and Hannah Shew, the former a farmer, born
April 15, 1763, of Holland extraction. After
their marriage the parents removed to a farm
near Northampton, where three of their chH
dren were born, but the family circle was in
creased by the birth of six others after their
removal to a farm in Kent, Conn. They were
as follows: Catherine, born September 26,
1820, first became the wife of Jesse Fuller, a
farmer, of Kent, Conn,, later wedded S. Slade,
a farmer and real-estate and insurance agent,
and now makes her home in Albany, N. Y. ;
Hiram T. is next in order of birth; James F. ,
born August 30, 1824, is a farmer of North
ampton, Fulton Co., N. Y. ; Leman, born De
cember 23, 1826, was a merchant, and died
August 24, 1863; Hannah E., born AprH 5,
1829, is the wife of David B. Giddings, a
farmer of Connecticut; Lydia D., born March
9, 1832, married John G. Fenn, an agricult
urist of the town of Washington, Litchfield
Co., Conn.; Abraham P., born January 16,
1834, is a photographer, of Wilmington, Del.;
Emily D,, born July 23, 1836, is the wife of
Henry J. Ufford, a saddle maker of Newark,
N. J.; and Jacob S., born February 13, 1839,
is also a photographer, of Wilmington, Del.
The parents were both members of the Con
gregational Church, and in Kent, Conn., the
father followed farming and merchandising.
His political affiliations were with the Whig
party. His death occurred in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, October 17,
1848; his wife died August 14, 1879.
Hiram T, Beecher was reared to rural Hfe
on the farm in Kent, Conn., and after attend
ing the academies in that place and at Sharon,
Conn., entered a law office where he studied
for some time. For three years he was then
employed as clerk in a general store in Kent,
and the following year was engaged in farm
ing in the town of Northeast, Dutchess county.
In 1846, in connection with a brother, he
operated a farm in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, which he continued to culti
vate until April, 1867, when he purchased his
present farm of ninety-three acres.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

T21

On December 20, 1848, Mr. Beecher was
married to Miss Mary White, who was born
in the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
December 25, 1822, and is a sister of Mrs.
Hannah Briggs and of Mrs. Catherine Kinney.
Mr. and Mrs. Beecher are widely and favorably
known throughout the county, and their circle
of friends is only limited by their circle of ac
quaintances. For many years he has preached
nearly every Sunday at various places in the
county, and was the first to hold Sunday serv
ice at the county alms house, where he preached
for about eleven years. He has officiated at
many funerals and Church gatherings of all
kinds, and his influence for good is widely felt.
Abraham Beecher, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was a native of Connecticut. He
married Desire Tolls, and they had a family of
nine chHdren, two of whom are yet living, and
Abraham, the grandfather of Hiram T., was
one of the oldest in the family.

W ZARIAH CORNWELL is the proprietor
,^^ of a good farm located pleasantly in the
town of Beekman, Dutchess county, and to its
cultivation and improvement of which he has
devoted his time for a period of over forty-four
years, and now has one of the most highly
productive places in the locality. He pur
chased his land of the Vandeburgs, and since
it came into his possession has labored unceas
ingly to make it the valuable farm which we
to-day find it.
The early home of Mr. Cornwell was also
in the town of Beekman, his birth having there
occurred May 19, 181 5, and he is a son of
Thomas Cornwell, who \Vas there born in
1778, and died in 1856. James Cornwell,
the grandfather, was born on Long Island,
but was brought to the town of Beekman
by his father when only two years old.
The latter, who bore the name of Richard
Cornwell, obtained his farm from Henry Beek
man, the deed for which is stHl in the posses
sion of our subject, and is dated 1728. He
became one of the pioneer settlers of this re
gion, and cleared his land of aH those obstruc
tions usually encountered by the pioneer
farmer. Upon that farm almost the entire life
of James CornweH was passed. He married
Rachel Dennis, a native of the town of Beek
man, and they became the parents of five chil
dren: Richard, Thomas, James, Letitia and
Phebe.

Thomas Cornwell was reared on this farm,
attending the district schools of the neighbor
hood, and on reaching years of maturity re
ceived a portion of the old home farm, where
his death occurred. He married Miss Annie
Crandall, daughter of Azariah Crandall, and
by their marriage seven children were born,
namely: Amanda, who died in the winter of
1896, at the age of eighty-five years; Harvey,
deceased; Azariah, of this review; Rachel, de
ceased; Sarah, of Chicago; Olive, wife of
Elnathan Miller; and Richard, deceased. The
mother of these chHdren, who has also passed
away, was an earnest Christian woman, a
member of the Baptist Church.
The education of our subject was acquired
in the Gardner Hollow district school, and he
remained under the parental roof until his
marriage, which was celebrated in the town of
Beekman on May 22, 1844, Miss Delia N.
Peters, adopted daughter of James Peters, be
coming his wife. The first vote of Mr. Corn-
well was in support of the Whig party, and he
is now identified with the Republican party,
whose principles he most firmly advocates. In
religious belief he is a Baptist, with which
Church he has been connected for many years,
and he is one of the most reliable and consci
entious men of the community. For sixteen
years he served as commissioner of highways,
filling that office to tbe satisfaction of all con
cerned, and the bridges which he constructed
after the freshet of 1857 are still standing and
in general use.

r&IU. /9^C (^Jr.
e A  J. I. . V-i._._

JOHN HENRY FINK4^ Among the enter
prising and wide-awake citizens of Ame
nia, Dutchess county, whose place of
birth was the far-away German Fatherland,
and who are rapidly progressing toward that
financial condition so much coveted by all, is
the subject of this personal history. He was
born in Bavaria on the Rhine, November 25,
1843, and is a son of John H. Fink, a stone
mason by trade, who died when John Henry
was between two and three years old.
In his native land our subject received his
education, and learned the shoemaker's trade
at Edenkoeben, the place of his birth, com
pleting his three-years' apprenticeship at the
age of seventeen years. He then traveled for
a few years in France, Prussia, and other
parts of the German Empire, and in 1866
saHed for America. He first located in Ham-

728

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

ilton street, Brooklyn, N. Y. , remaining there
and in the vicinity for two years, and since
1868 has been a resident of Amenia. For five
years he worked at his trade where the bicy
cle repair shop now stands, and then re
moved to a building where he conducted busi
ness until 1880, at which time he came to his
present store. He is now the owner of the
buildings running from his corner store down
past and including the old Methodist Episco
pal Church, with the exception of one. He
manufactures and carries a full line of boots
and shoes, and also handles cigars, tobacco,
toys, etc.
Mr. Fink is a self-made man, having ac
quired all his property through his own enter
prise, perseverance and untiring labor, sec
onded by a strong determination to succeed.
He is a man of genuine worth, enjoying the
respect and confidence of his neighbors, and
since casting his first vote, after his arrival in
Amenia, he has used his right of franchise in
support of the men and measures of the Re
publican party.
In the fall of 1869, at Amepia, Mr. Fink
wedded Mary Leubsdorph, who died August
22, 1870. In that village he was again mar
ried, his second union being with Katherine
.'(fiPfabl, and they have two sons: — J. Henry and
George, who compose the firm of Fink Broth
ers, now engaged in the butcher business. On
January 28, 1895, they bought out the busi
ness formerly conducted by Joseph Field.
The elder son is now connected with Amenia
Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M. ^ m^«W<£. *>«*«.
JOSEPH D. COLEMAN, a prominent agri
culturist and produce dealer of Stanford
ville, Dutchess county, was born July 14,
1820, in the town of Stanford. His family
have long been firm adherents of the Quaker
faith, and in early times suffered the persecu
tion's common to its followers. His great
grandfather Coleman came from England,
and settled on Nantucket Island early in the
eighteenth century. His grandfather, Jethro
Coleman, was born there, but came to Dutch
ess county previous to the Revolutionary war,
and settled on a farm about two miles south
east of Stanfordville. He was twice married;
his first wife died leaving a daughter of the
same name, since deceased. His second wife
was Deborah Russell, by whom he had four

children: Benjamin, Joseph R. , Annie and
Lydia. Benjamin Coleman, our subject's father,
spent his life in the same locality, attending
the district schools in his youth, and succeed
ing to the old homestead in later years. He
married Sara Dean, daughter of Jonathan
Dean, a well-known resident of Pleasant Val
ley. Six children were born of this union:
WiHiam, Mary, Joseph D., Edward, George,
and Robert, of whom the only survivors are
our subject, and George, now a resident of
Kansas. Joseph D. Coleman received his early edu
cation in the district schools near his home
and in the Nine Partners Boarding School in
the town of Washington, He was married in
1847, to Miss Anna Carpenter, also a descend
ant of a highly-esteemed Quaker family. Her
grandfather, Samuel Carpenter, was born in
Dutchess county, April 22, 1763, and spent
the greater part of his Hfe farming in the town
of Stanford, where he died November 5, 1844.
He married Susanna Carpenter, with whom
he spent fifty years and nine months (lacking
two days) of happy wedded life. They had
eight children, whose names with dates of
birth are as follows: Israel, June 2, 1783; Anne,
September 24, 1788; Samuel, October 4, 1790;
George, March 6. 1792; Isaac, December 16,
1794; Elias, November 27, 1796; Amy, Janu
ary 17, 1799, and Daniel S., October 13,
1800. The last named, Mrs. Coleman's fa
ther, was born and educated in Westchester
county, and in early manhood came to the
town of Stanford, and engaged in agriculture,
first at the home farm, but later at the present
home of our subject, where he died October 24,
1873. He married Phoebe HuH, daughter of
Henry Hull, a well-known resident of that lo
cality. She was born November 24, 1803,
and died May 21, 1856. Four chHdren were
born of this marriage: Henry HuH, May 16,
1825; Sarah, June 22, 1827, who died in chHd
hood; Anna (Mrs. Coleman), January 3, 1829,
and CaroHne, bornAugust 10, 1836, died June
7- 1843- Mr. Coleman took his bride to the old
homestead on his marriage in 1847, but ten
years later he sold the place and moved to the
farm at StanfordvHle, where he built his pres
ent residence. His wife died November 24,
1890, leaving one daughter, Cora E., who
married Isaac S. Traviss, and has two chH
dren — Florence and J. Coleman Traviss. Our

: x^^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

729

subject's integrity, enterprise, and fine discre
tion in business matters give him a high stand
ing in the community. For many years he
has dealt extensively in hay and straw, in ad
dition to his management of his estate. He is,
Hke his forefathers, a Hicksite Quaker. Since
the organization of the Prohibition party he
has voted their ticket, being at first one of two
voters in the township. He has never sought
or held public office.

m LBERT AND FRANKLIN CLINE.
.^k^ Among the enterprising and prosperous
farmers of the township of Amenia, Dutch
ess county, who thoroughly understand the
vocation which they " follow, and are there
fore enabled to carry on their chosen occupa
tion with profit to themselves, are the brothers
whose names introduce this sketch. They are
now actively engaged in agricultural pursuits
and the milk business in the township which
has always been their home, and where they
are both widely and favorably known.
The founder of the family in this country
was Peter Klein, a native of Germany, who
left the Fatherland about 1752 or 1753, and on
reaching the shores of the New World first
located at Rhinebeck, Dutchess Co., N. Y.,
but in 1760 removed to the farm now known
as the E. E. Cline place, in the town of
Amenia, between South Amenia and Amenia
Union. He was a " redemptioner, " serving
his time for his passage to this country.
He left one son, John Cline, who was born
at Rhinebeck in 1756, and died in the town of
Amenia in 1845. There he acquired his educa
tion and on the home farm where he was
reared he spent his entire life, engaged in
farming. He married Lucy Phillips, and they
became the parents of nine children, whose
names and dates of birth are as follows:
Betsey, September 25, 1784; Peter, February
20, 1787; Allen, December 9, 1788; PhHo,
November 6, 1791; Asenath, October 26,
1793; Clarissa, January 12, 1796; Ebenezer
H., AprH I, 1798; Polly, AprH 26, 1801; and
Julia B. , March 30, 1803. Of this family,,
Asenath lived to an advanced age, dying April
I, 1891. Philo Cline, the fourth in order of birth,
is the father of our subjects. Upon the old
home farm in the town of Amenia he was
reared, attending the district schools of the
neighborhood, and completing his education

in a select school at Sharon, Conn. Owing to
an accident which injured his foot in his
younger days, he was unable to do active farm
work, and about 1824 erected the store buHd
ing at South Amenia now occupied by M. F.
Winchester, where he engaged in the mercan
tile business until 1838, when he sold out. In
1840 he purchased the farm which is still
occupied by his son Franklin, and there lived
up to the time of his death, which occurred
December 26, 1864. In his daily life and
action he was ever genial and affable, winning
maijy friends and the respect of all. In
politics he was first a Whig and later a Repub
lican, and efficiently served as supervisor of
his town. In the town of Amenia in February,
1827, he married Miss Harriet Swift, daugh
ter of Moses Swift, who died April 9, 1838, at
the age of seventy-three years. Mrs, Cline
was born September 24, 1796, and departed
this life April 11, 1861. The only children
born of this union were our subjects.
Albert Cline was born on the home farm
in the town of Amenia, Dutchess county, March
3, 1828, and after finishing his education in
the district schools and the Amenia Seminary,
for one year was employed as clerk in the store
of Judah Swift, at South Amenia. After his'
marriage, in connection with his brother, they
engaged in milling until the spring of 1866, at
which time he bought his present farm and
residence, where he has since turned his atten
tion to farming and the milk business.
On September 15, 1852, in Amenia, Albert
Cline was united in marriage with Eliza S.
Reed, who was the adopted daughter of Philo
Reed, and died January 18, 1872, at the age
of forty-one years. Four children graced this
union, namely: (i) Hattie A., born June 13,
1854, is the wife of Franklin Baylis, of Syra
cuse, N. Y. , and they had six children — Albert
C, Walter F., Eliza G., Clara R., Helen S.,
and Freddie, who died in infancy. (2) Philo
R. , born December 7, 1855, married Grace
Collins, by whom he has one son —-Albert C,
born September 12, 1892, and they make their
home at MHIerton, N. Y. (3) Charles A.,
born November 22, 1857, married Fay Sher
man, daughter of S. W. Sherman, by whom
he has a son — Charles S., born December 22,
1 89 1, and they also live at MHIerton. (4)
Maria E., born September i, i860, is the wife
of Walter A. Sherman, and they have five
children — Agnes, Walter, Helen, May and
Howland. Mr. Cline was again married at

730

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Amenia, October 30, 1873, his second union
being with S. Rebecca Willson, daughter of
Samuel T. and Emeline (Sornborger) Willson.
A native of Dutchess county, her father was
born at Smithfield, October 3, 1803, and died
December 3, 1889.
The first vote of Albert Cline was cast in
support of the Whig party, but since the organ
ization of the party he has been a stalwart
Republican, and in 1885 and 1886 served as
supervisor of the town of Amenia. Socially,
he is connected with Amenia Lodge, No. 672,
F. & A. M, His estimable wife is a member
of the Presbyterian Church at South Amenia.
FrankHn Cline was born July 17, 183 1, and
also spent his boyhood days in the town of
Amenia. His primary education was obtained
in the district schools, and in 1848 was a stu
dent in the Nine Partners Boarding School.
He has always turned his attention to agri
cultural pursuits, and, beside his general farm
work, is also successfully engaged in the milk
business. In the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, on October i, 1856, he married Lydia
A. Sackett, daughter of John Thompson Sack
ett, and they became the parents of two chH
¬dren: Guernsey Sackett. born April 30, 1858;
and Maria L., who was born December 16,
1 86 1, and is now the wife of Frank M. Buckjt(
an attorney at law of Mount Vernon, N. Y.,
by whom she has two children — Franklin Cline
and Heleri H, Like the other members of the
family, Mr, CHne has been a lifelong Repub
lican, and he has ably served as assessor of
his town. As representative farmers of the town of
Amenia, the entire lives of the Cline brothers
have been of unusual activity and industry,
and they well deserve the high regard in which
they are held by their fellow citizens.

) OBERT MORRIS THOMAS, a leading
 and influential farmer of the town of
Pine Plains, Dutchess county, was born Octo
ber 23, 1848, just across the creek from where
he now resides, on the old Thomas homestead,
and is a worthy representative of prominent
Colonial famHies. On that farm his father,
Hiram Thomas, was born in 1804. When but
an infant, the grandfather, Edward Thomas,
was brought to Pine Plains by his mother, and
he became one of the successful farmers and
leading men of the community. He married
Anna Landon, a daughter of Jonathan and

Isabella (Graham) Landon, and to them were
born seven children: Arabella (who married
Simeon Culver), Walter, Samuel, John, Rich
ard, Hiram and Mary.
The founder of the Landon family in
America was Nathan Landon, who was born
in Herefordshire, England, near Wales, and
sometime prior to November 20, 1668, lo
cated at Southold, Suffolk Co., N. Y.,
where he died March 9, 17 18, and his
wife, Mary, in 1701. They had three sons:
Nathan, James and Samuel. The last named
became quite prominent, serving as justice of
the peace from 1764 until 1775, was judge of
common pleas for his county, and wielded a
strong influence in courts and conventions.
He was born May 20, 1699, married May 26,
1 72 1, Bethia Tuthill, by whom he had six sons
and four daughters; he died January 21, 1782,
probably at Guilford, Conn., where many Long
Islanders had taken refuge during the Revolu
tion. His wife, Bethia^ TuthHl (Henry, ^John,^
Henry^), belonged to the Tuthill family of
Sandringham, county of Norfolk, England (she
was a descendant of Wm. Kinge, of Salem,
Mass., of William Wells, Gent., and of Bar
nabas Horton, of Southold). Their youngest
son was Jonathan, born at Southold October
30, 1743; he died at Northeast, Dutchess
county, in 181 5. He was a stanch patriot
during the Revolutionary war, dividing his
time between civil and military service. He
was a member of the Provincial Convention
of New York in 1775-76-77; member of the
Council of Safety, 1777-78; State Senator,
1777-1779; major of Dutchess County Militia
in 1775, and Heutenant-colonel in 1778 under
his brother-in-law. Col. Morris Graham. He
was, likely, Dutchess county clerk for some
years, ["Southold Town Records;" "New
York Civil List;" "Archives of the State of
New York;" Revolution: "Journal of the
Provincial Convention," and "J. H. Smith's
Dutchess Co. His."]
The Graham family trace their ancestry
back to James Graham, Marquis of Montrose,
who was born in 1612, and died in Edinburgh,
Scotland, in 1650. His son, John Graham,
was the father of James Graham, who came to
the New World about 1700, was Attorney
General of the Province of New York, and
died January 21, 1701. His chHdren were
Augustine, May, Sarah, Margaret, John and
Isabella, the latter of whom married Hon.
Le\yis Morris, the first Provincial Governor of

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

731

New Jersey, and they had a daughter, Ara
bella. The next in direct line is Augus
tine Graham, and his son, James, married
his cousin, Arabella Morris, by whom he had
the following children: James, Augustine,
Lewis, Charles, Morris, John, Arabella and
Isabella. James was kHled by a fall; John,
the youngest brother, served as a scout under
Gen. Washington in Westchester county. The
others were all active in the service of their
native land: Augustine was a lieutenant;
Charles was a captain and a member of the So
ciety of the Cincinnati; Lewis and Morris were
both colonels and both members of the Pro
vincial Convention — Lewis from Westchester
county, Morris from Dutchess, [Year Book
ofthe "Society of the Cincinnati;" "Dutchess
County History;" " Bolton's Westchester His
tory;" "Journal of the New York Provincial
Convention,"] The second son, Augustine, was the father
of James Graham, who married Elizabeth
Thompson, a daughter of Judge Jesse Thomp
son, and their daughter, Julia, married George
Coventry. Isabella, the ¦ daughter of James
and Arabella (Morris) Graham, married Jona
than Landon, their marriage license being
issued December ii, 1771, and to them were
born five children: (i) Richard, born in
1772. (2) ArabeHa, born in 1773, married,
about 1789, Amos^ Ketchum (Joseph, ^ Na
thaniel,^ Joseph^), by whom she had sev
en children; she died in 1803, in Saratoga
county. (3) Mary, born July 3, 1775, married
John Church, and died May 30, 1850. (4)
Anna, born in 1771, was the wife of Edward
Thomas, the grandfather of the subject of our
sketch; she died in 1838, aged sixty-seven
years. (5) Rebecca, born March 15, 1783, died
November 19, 1844. ["Partial Record of
the Landons of Southold," in N. Y. Gen. and
Biog. Record, Jan., 1897.]
The grandfather of Mrs. Isabella Landon,
Augustine Graham, was surveyor general, and
held a major's commission under the Crown in
1700 in Westchester county, and a colonel's
commission in Richmond county in 171 5 [See
" Bolton's Westchester Co. Hist."; "Colonial
MSS. of the State pf New York",] He was a
patentee in the Great Nine Partners Patent of
1697, and also a patentee in the Little Nine
Partners of 1 706. His death occurred Octo
ber 18, 1 7 19. Morris Graham built the first
house in the vHlage of Pine Plains, now owned
by Isaiah Dibble, and Jonathan Landon buHt

the house on the hill in the rear of the home
of our subject. The farm owned by Augustine
Graham has always been transmitted by will,
as it has never passed out of the family.
Hiram Thomas, the father of our subject,
was united in marriage with Catherine Coven
try, of Deerfield, Oneida Co., N. Y. , a daugh
ter of Dr. Alexander Coventry, and they be
came the parents of five chHdren: Julia, wife
of Dr. Lewis D. Hodgekins, of Ellsworth,
Maine; Jane, wife of John Veile, of Ancram,
N. Y. ; Charles, of Pine Plains; Robert M.,
whose name introduces this sketch; and Alice
L. The father followed farming, but was
principally engaged in iron manufacturing, be
ing part owner of the Ancram Iron Works,
and was also interested in the milling business.
He died in 1880, at the age of seventy-six
years. The entire life of Robert M. Thomas has
been passed in rural pursuits in the town of
Pine Plains, and from the neat and thrifty ap
pearance of his place the passerby knows the
owner and manager to be a man of enterprise
and progressive ideas. In politics be is a
strong advocate of the principles promulgated
by the Prohibition party, but formerly was a
Republican, and has served his fellow citizens
a£ assessor. He is actively identified with all
plans for the social and moral elevation of the
community, and has the respect and confidence
of all who know him.

E\DWIN KNICKERBOCKER, one of the
 'I most prominent agriculturists of the town
of Stanford, Dutchess county, and a leader in
local politics, is a descendant of some of the
early settlers of this region, the family having
come originally from Holland.
For several generations the homestead of
the family has been at Pine Plains, Dutchess
county, and here our subject's grandfather,
Hugh Knickerbocker, was born, and here he
followed farming for many years, moving later
to Northeast. He married a Miss Stickle, and
reared a family of six children: Peter, Valen
tine, John, Nancy, Hugh and WHliam, none of
whom are now living. Hugh Knickerbocker
(2), our subject's father, was born in 1801, and
passed his early life at Pine Plains, attending
the district schools of the neighborhood, later
engaging in farming there and at Northeast,
and in the town of Stanford, leading the quiet
life of a farmer. For many years he was a

732

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

member of the New York State MHitia. Dur
ing his residence in Northeast he united with
the Baptist Church, of which he remained a
consistent member until his death in 1882.
He married (first) Miss Mary Payne, of North
east, and had four children: WHliam, Theron,
and Henry, all three residents of the town of
Stanford, and NHes (deceased). The mother
of these died about 1850, and for hissecond
wife Mr. Knickerbocker married Miss Elizabeth
Smith, born in 1817, a daughter of John
Smith, a well-known citizen of New Jersey.
Four children were born of this union: Edwin,
Jennie, Fannie (who married Edward Loomis,
of Pittsfield, Mass.), and McClellan.
Edwin Knickerbocker, the subject of our
sketch, was born in Stanford, October 17,
1854, and received his early education in the
public schools of New York. When a young
man he taught successfully in the towns of
Stanford, Clinton, Milan and Washington,
and then engaged in farming upon land bought
of his father. His educational opportunities
were good, and he has improved upon them
by private reading until he has acquired a
wide range of information, and his sterling
qualities of character and sound judgment give
him great influence in the community. A. lead
ing worker in the Democratic party in his
locality, he in 1881 was elected justice of the
peace, and held the office eleven years, serv
ing in the meantime for four years as justice of
sessions in the county court. In the spring of
1893 he was elected supervisor of the town of
Stanford, in 1894 was re-elected for two years,
and again in 1896 for two years. On June 5,
1889, he was married to Miss Jennie Hooker,
daughter of WiHiam and Sarah (Cutler)
Hooker, well-known residents of the town of
Dover, and has had four chHdren: Jay, Asa,
Effie, and Sarah. A progressive farmer, he is
a member of the Grange, in which he holds the
office of master, and he is also affiliated with
the K. of P.

^MLBERT COOPER, one of the leading
%^ and representative citizens of the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county, was born in Fish
kHl (now Wappinger) town, Dutchess county,
March 23, 1820. His paternal grandfather,
Obediah Cooper, who was of English origin,
engaged in farming in Wappinger town, where
he also followed the trades of a wheelwright
and wagonmaker. He married Miss Maria

Van Benschoter, and by her had five children:
WiHiam M., Elias, Nancy, Sarah and Tunis.
Tunis Cooper, the father of our subject,
was also a native of the town of Wappinger,
his birth occurring there June 25, 1787, and
he wedded Mary Budd, a daughter of Under
bill Budd, of the same town. She was born
AprH 22, 1793, and died April 10, 1825. They
became the parents of the following chHdren:
Fletcher, born December 14, 1817, died May
12, 1884; Gilbert, whose name introduces this
sketch, is the next in order of birth; Maria,
born October 2, 1821, becanie the wife of John
W. Sleight, of Lagrange town, Dutchess coun
ty, and was killed by a cannon ball at Nicar
agua, Central America, AprH 15, 1857; John
was born July 12, 1823; WiHiam, born AprH
2, 1825, enlisted in an Illinois regiment during
the Civil war, served throughout that struggle
as hospital steward, and died July 7, 1868.
After the death of his first wife Tunis Cooper
married Maria Myers, who was born Decem
ber 17, 1804, and died February 9, 1874.
Five children graced this union: Matthew,
born November 5,. 1828, died September 29,
1850; Amanda, born May 13, 1831, married
Benjamin Pugsley, of Alamosa, Colo.; Susan,
born March 3, 1836, became the wife of Louis
Umlauf, and died August 15, 1873; Martin
Luther, born February 23, 1833, died January
25, 1873; and Mary, born June 18, 1841, is the
wife of William Pugsley, of Wappinger town.
After his marriage Tunis Cooper purchased
the farm next his father's, and continued to
live there until 1865, when he removed to the
village of Wappingers Falls, where he re
mained for a couple of j'ears. He next pur
chased a place between that city and Pough
keepsie, where he resided until his death, Octo
ber 31, 1868. He had been drafted for the
war of 1 8 12, but hostHities ceased before he
was called into action. On attaining his ma
jority he supported the Democratic party, but
after the nomination of President Lincoln, he
became a stanch Republican, though he never
cared for political preferment. He served as
trustee and president of Amenia Seminary; was
one of the leading members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church in the town of Wappinger,
with which he was officially connected, and
was always faithful in the performance of his
duties in both public and private life.
During his boyhood and youth Gilbert
Cooper attended the district schools of the
town of Wappinger, and in 1842 left the place

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

733

of his nativity, locating at that time upon his
present farm ; but he was often with his father
before the latter's death, caring for him and
assisting him in his business. For many years
he has rented his farm on shares. His polit
ical support is given the Democratic party, and
he has served as assessor of the town of Stan
ford, also as trustee of Amenia Seminary, and
was a member of the executive committee of
that institution. He has been prominently
identified with the upbuilding and welfare of
the community, and his circle of friends
throughout the county is very wide.
John Cooper, the brother of our subject,
received his primary education in the district
schools of the town of Wappinger, after which
he attended the Amenia Seminary. In 1844
he removed to Kendall county. 111., where for
forty years he engaged in farming, but is now
living with his brother Gilbert in Stanford
town, Dutchess county. He was first married
in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county, to
Rachel R. Sleight, who died at the end of a
year. In Kendall county. 111., he was again
married, this time to Eliza Van Kleeck, a
native of FishkHl town, Dutchess county, who
died in Iowa. They became the parents of
six children: Tunis, now in Minnesota; James
Fenimore, of South Dakota; Gilbert B. , of
Minnesota; NelHe, wife of Frank Jasinsky;
Walter, of Iowa; and Edna, of Stissing, town
of Stanford, Dutchess county.

flRAM A. PULTZ, one of the leading
agriculturists of the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, wasborn December 25, 1821,
upon the estate adjoining the one on which he
now resides.
His grandfather, David Pultz, purchased
the property in the early part of the eighteenth
century. He married Miss Tipple, and had
nine children: Michael, a farmer and carpen
ter; Adam, a farmer in Columbia county;
Henry, a farmer; Andrew, our subject's father;
David, a merchant and farmer; Leah, who
married Andrew D. Traver, a farmer; Margaret,
who married Fred Dedrick; Christina, who
married PhHip Traver; and Maria, who married
Jacob Pells, a farmer in Rhinebeck. David
Pultz and his wife lived at the old farm to an
advanced age, and for many years were mem
bers of the Lutheran Church at Wurtemburg.
Andrew Pultz, our subject's father, was
born May 18, 1792, and always engaged in

agriculture. He married Rebecca Cooking
ham, born January 9, 1798, a daughter of
Frederick Cookingham, who came from Hol
land in early manhood and located upon a farm
in Rhinebeck. They had two children, of whom
our subject was the younger. Ephraim W.,
now deceased, was a farmer in Rhinebeck.
Andrew Pultz died AprH 12, 1859, and his wife
September 18, 1883. In politics he was a
Whig. Hiram A. Pultz has always lived near the
old homestead. His present wife was Miss
Annette Pultz, a native of the town of Rhine
beck, where her father, Jacob I. Pultz, was
for some years a wagonmaker and farmer.
Two children were born of this union: Anna
and Minnie (deceased). Mr. Pultz raises gen
eral crops, and has done much to improve the
homestead, building a beautiful residence about
thirteen years ago. In poHtics he is a Re
publican, and has served as assessor of the
township. Jacob I. Pultz, father of Mrs. Hiram A.
Pultz, died recently at the patriarchal age of
ninety-two years, having been born in Rhine
beck in 1805, a son of John Pultz, a prominent
farmer, and a member of one of the oldest
families in the town. Jacob I. was a farmer
in Rhinebeck until 1856, when he removed to
a large farm on the Salt Point road, and in
1859 took up his residence in Arlington, where
he passed the rest of his days. He was a man
of fine literary tastes, and also an excellent
musician, and was a member of the band that
welcomed La Fayette to Poughkeepsie, on the
occasion of that general's visit there in the
early part of this century. In politics Mr.
Pultz was, in later life, a strong Republican,
and served in Rhinebeck as assessor and in
Arlington as justice of the peace. He is sur
vived by a widow and two daughters — An
nette (Mrs. H. A. Pultz) and Mary, the latter
residing at Arlington.

T\HOMAS BUTTS, an agriculturist of en-
 ergy and ability, owns the old family
homestead in the town of Amenia, where the
founder of the family, Thomas Butts, located
160 years ago. He was one of three broth
ers, who came to the New World from England,
and established the famHy in Dutchess county,
where most of his descendants have since made
their home.
Richard Butts, the grandfather of our sub-

734

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ject, was born in Washington town, and was
the son of Thomas Butts. By trade he was
a cooper, and lived to the advanced age of
ninety years. He married Susan Edmunds,
by whom he had nine children: James and
Jackson, deceased; Richard S. ; George; Rachel,
¦Charlotte and Lois, all three deceased; Han
nah, who became the wife of Casper Wester
velt, and is now deceased; and Mary Ann, wife
of Barlow Whit-e, of Tower HHl.
Richard S. Butts, the father of our subject,
is also a native of the town of Amenia, and
spent his boyhood days on Chestnut Ridge in
the town of Washington, Dutchess county,
where he attended the district school. He
was married in the town of Gallatin, Colum
bia Co., N. Y. , to Miss Eleanor Finkle,
daughter of George and Mary (KHmer) Finkle,
and they became theparents of seven children:
George and Robert, both of the town of Amenia ;
Thomas, subject of this sketch; Susan, wife of
John Hunter; Phebe, wife of Seneca MHler, of
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; Elizabeth; and Lottie,
wife of Millard Coons, of Claverack, New York.
After his marriage, Richard S. Butts pur--
chased a sawmill near Ancram, Columbia Co.,
N, Y, , which he conducted for many years, and
then moved into the viHage, where he engaged
in the butcher business. In 1863 he went to
Hudson, N. Y. , where he followed the same
line of trade for three years, and, returning to
Ancram, he there continued to reside until
1895. Now, at tbe ripe old age of eighty-four
years, he finds a pleasant home with our sub
ject. He has been a lifelong Democrat, and
has been called upon to fill the positions of
justice of the peace and poormaster in An
cram. Socially, he is connected with the In
dependent Order of Odd Fellows at Copake,
New York.
At Ancram, Columbia county, Thomas
Butts was born, May 15, 1847, and in the pub
lic schools of that locality was educated. Un
der the able instruction of his father, he early
became familiar with the mHHng and butcher
business, and in 1865 left home, going to
work for neighboring farmers. Later he fol
lowed the same occupation in the town of
Amenia, Dutchess county, for one year, being
employed by his uncle, Jackson Butts, and for
two years by Dr. William H. Tanner, but was
subsequently with the latter gentleman for ten
years. After the first two years passed upon
his farm, Mr. Butts was for a time engaged in
teaming in the vHlage of Rhinebeck, Dutchess

-county, on the Connecticut & Hartford rail
road, after which he returned to Dr. Tanner.
On leaving that gentleman, he rented a farm
for one year on Skiff Mountain, and for the
following two years lived upon the farm now
occupied by W. A. Sherman. He was next
employed by John R. Thompson, engaged in
drilling artesian wells. For the past fifteen
years he has been superintendent of the D. H.
Sherman farm, renting it for six years, the
last year of which he had under his manage
ment 1000 acres of land. He is a model
farmer, thoroughly understanding his business,
and has met with excellent success in his
chosen calling. He still owns the farm upon
which his grandfather lived.
In the town of Amenia, in 1867, was cele
brated the marriage of Mr. Butts and Miss
Sarah E. Wheeler, daughter of Seth Wheeler,
and to them were born three sons: Willis
R., Edward and Charles. Willis R. married
Florence Wheeler, and they now have three
children: Ethel, Thomas and George. Mr.
Butts is a stanch adherent to the principles of
the Republican party in his politics, and sup
ports the candidates offered by that organiza
tion on all occassions. He is a most pleasant,
agreeable gentleman, who easily wins friends,
and has the happy faculty of retaining them.
He is kind, unaffected and approachable, and
every one receives his courteous attention.

m NTHONY H. BARTON' is the owner of
J^^ a fine farm of 200 acres, pleasantly lo
cated in the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess
county, which he has been operating success
fully since 1864. Hehas been the architect of
his own fortune, and has never been afraid of
putting his shoulder to the wheel whenever
necessary. His land has been brought to a
high state of cultivation, largely by the labor
of his own hands, and he is the possessor of
good farm buildings, to which each year he
adds something to enhance the beauty and
value of his property. He takes great delight
in landscape gardening, and his place is, there
fore, one of the most beautiful to be found in
the town of Pine Plains.
Mr. Barton was born in Columbia county,
N. Y., July 4, 1836, and is a son of George
W. Barton. His educational privileges were
quite good, and on leaving school at the age
of seventeen years he aided his father in
the operation of the home farm untH his mar-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

735

riage. In 1858 he wedded Emily M. Sackett,
daughter of Allen Sackett, of the town of
Stanford, and to them were born five children:
Sarah E., born March 18, 1859, married Sep
tember 13, 1877, to Albert Keller, of Stanford,
N. Y. (they have one son, Herbert); one that
died in infancy; Frank (proprietor of the
" Stissing House " at Pine Plains), born March
23, 1864, married December 4, 1883, to Myra
Rosa, of Ulster county (no chHdren); Cora R. ,
born July 18, 1862, married AprH 25, 1889, to
Willis Wright, of Syracuse (they have two
children, Herbert and Howard); and Fred,
who was born on the present farm of our sub
ject November 13, 1865, married February 28,
1883, to Lizzie Moore, of the town of Milan
(has one child, Roy), and is engaged in car
pentering and painting in the village of Pine
Plains. The mother of these children died in
1876, and Mr. Barton was afterward married
to Isophime Wilkinson, daughter of Sidney T.
Wilkinson, of Hammerton, New York.
A year after his first marriage Mr. Barton
rented the farm now owned by Mrs. Eban
Husted, but at the end of a year he removed
to the Dr. Barton farm, in the town of Stan
ford, owned by his father, and besides its
cultivation he also gave considerable attention
to stock dealing. He next lived upon the farm
owned by his father at Boston Corners, from
which he removed to the Joshua Culver place,
near Carman's Mills. After residing there for
about a year, Mr. Barton purchased for $15,-
000 the farm of 200 acres which he now
occupies. About ten years after locating upon
his present farm he began speculating in stock,
grain, hay, straw and other farm produce, in
which he was quite successful. For a quarter
of a century he was also engaged in auction
eering, and does most of the business along
that line throughout his section of the county.
In his first venture in farming at Boston Cor
ners, Columbia county, he had no capital; but
buying cows on credit and selling them again,
secured his first start in life. In his early
experience with his father, who was exceed
ingly economical, he learned the value of a
dollar, which came to be worth thousands to
him later, and he has always been an able
financier. Mr. Barton has always taken an active
part in local politics, and is a strong supporter
of the Democratic party, has served as high
way commissioner twelve years, assessor two
years, and overseer of the poor for about one

year. Public-spirited and enterprising, he has
taken a foremost part in the upbuHding and
advancement of his locality. Socjally, he is
prominently identified with Stissing Lodge No.
615, F. & A. M., and in religious belief isa
Presbyterian, while Mrs. Barton is a Methodist.
George W. Barton, father of our subject,
born in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county.
May 14, 1795, died September 17, 1872. He
was a very peculiar man; was never known to
have but one suit of clothes at a time, which
he wore every day of the week, including Sun
days. He did his own hair-cutting (with a
jack-knife) and shaving (without any mirror),
and yet hardly a day passed but what he had
from three to five dollars in his pocket. His
wife, Elizabeth (Hoffman), born May 28, 1800,
died August 26, 1879. They had nine chil
dren, to wit: Mariette, born March i, 1824,
married Warden Hoysradt, and died Septem
ber 12, 1873 (no surviving children); William
H., born August 25, 1825, married Cornelia
Decker, and died January 24, 1879 (no chil
dren); George W., Jr., born May 19, 1827,
married (first) Julia Collins (two children), and
wedded (second) Mary French (no children);
Catherine, born December 15, 1829, married
William McArthur (no surviving children);
Rachel, born December 16, 1831, married
James Collins (one child); Leonard, born De
cember 14, 1834, married Henrietta Pulver
(three children); Anthony H., the subject
proper of this sketch; Artemus S., born Octo
ber 30, 1838, married (first) Mariette Rocka
feller (no children), and wedded (second) Jane
Tripp (two children); and Fred, born May 24,
1 84 1, married (first) Elizabeth Hoysradt (six
children), and wedded (second) Zadie Tripp
(no chHdren).

at) EUBEN J. ROBINSON. Among the ac
tive farmers of the town of Stanford,

Dutchess county, the gentleman whose name
stands at the beginning of this sketch holds a
prominent place. He is a native of the coun
ty, born in the town of Clinton, July 5, 1854.
His paternal grandfather, John Robinson, was
born in the town of Milan, same county, Jan
uary 31, 1794, and was the son of John Rob
inson, who emigrated from Ireland to the New
World, becoming a resident of Dutchess coun
ty. On June 15, 181 5, John Robinson, Jr.,
married Submity Horton, who died June i,
1 818, leaving a son, who was born February

736

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

22, 1817, and died June 25, 1867. Mr. Rob
inson again married on January 22, 1820, his
second union being with Esther Ellison, who
was born March 22, 1793, and died October
22, 1863. They became the parents of five
chHdren, namely: Simmons, born July 16,
1822, is the father of our subject; Eliza Ann,
born June 7, 1824, died October 17, 1866;
Nancy, born August 14, 1826, married John J.
Conklin, of Leonard, Tex.; John, born March
7, 1829, died April 6, 1885; and Smith, born
March 15, 1831, died December 18, 1833.
The father of this family was educated in his
native town and learned the trade of a tanner,
which he followed in Stanfordsville until his
death, October 26, 1846.
The birth of Simmons Robinson occurred
in the town of Stanford, and in the schools of
Stanfordville he acquired his education. He
began life for himself at an early age, working
for farmers in the neighborhood, and in 185 1
was able to purchase a farm in the town of
Clinton, where he lived for eleven years. In
1865, he purchased a farm in Stanford, Bear
Market-four-corners, and resided there until
in 1 88 1, when he deeded this farm to his son,
Reuben J. , and moved to a small farm adjoin
ing, that had been purchased by his wife.
On August 31, 1845, he was married to Jane
Husted, who was born February 13, 1824, the
daughter of Reuben Husted. Three children
were born of this union: Courtland, born
June 26, 1846, has been a teacher, but is now
engaged in farming in Hyde Park township,
Dutchess county, and in politics is a Prohibi
tionist; Lavina M., born July 29, 1848, died
January 18, 1852; and Reuben J. is the young
est. The mother was called to her final rest
on July 30, 1895. Since her death the father
returned to his old home, and now lives with
our subject. He has always been quite suc
cessful in his business ventures, was a faithful
member of the Christian Church, and politic
ally, was first a Whig, and is now a firm sup
porter of the Republican party.
During his boyhood and youth our subject
attended the district schools of the towns of
Clinton and Stanford, and spent his entire life
upon the old homestead, with the exception of
one year passed at Pleasant Plains in the town
of Hyde Park, Dutchess county. Besides gen
eral farming he was engaged in the milk busi
ness. On July 4, 1875, Mr. Robinson was
married to Miss Carrie L. Moon, daughter of
Franklin Moon, of Saratoga county, N. Y.

Our subject's career as a farmer has been char
acterized by keen judgment, shrewd common
sense and good business habits, and as a man
he stands deservedly high in the regard of his
fellow-citizens.

%TrORACE RENNIE POWELL, M. D., one
^^ of the most prominent physicians in the
city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was
born February 16, i860, at Coeymans, Albany
Co., New York.
His family is of Welsh origin, three broth
ers having come from Wales to this country
about 1 760, oneof whom located in Virginia, one
on Long Island and one in Westchester county,
N. Y. Many descendants of the latter moved
to Albany and Greene counties, and among
these were the direct ancestors of our subject.
His great-grandfather, John T. PoweH, was a
native of Coeymans, where he passed his life
engaged in farming. Like all of this family,
he was a Quaker in religious faith, and by his
quiet, consistent life he won the high esteem
of all who knew him. He married Anna Hal
sted, and had three children: James H. ;
Joshua, now living at the age of eighty years;
and Phoebe Ann, who died in 1892, aged forty.
John T. Powell died in 1857, aged sixty-five,
and his wife in 1861, at the age of sixty-four.
Jam^ H. Powell, grandfather of our sub
ject, wasborn in 1811, and died in 1891; he
was a captain on a line of freight boats on the
Hudson between Coxsackie and New York,
owned by Reed & Powell, produce dealers.
This occupation he followed until old age un
fitted him for labor, becoming well known
along the river, where his warm heart and con
stant effort to promote the happiness of others
won him universal friendship. He also owned
and conducted a farm at Coeymans, and took
an influential part there in local affairs, being
one of the leading Democratic managers in Al
bany county. He was not an office seeker,
and held few official positions, but was for
two years — 1875 and 1876 — supervisor of his
township. He married Sally Ann Kelley,
who was born in 1812, and died in 1884, a
daughter of Sylvanus and Mary (Dodge) Kel
ley, both of whom were natives of England.
Sylvanus Kelley died in 1862, his wife surviv
ing him six years. James H. Powell and his
wife had six children: John S. ; Jefferson, a
resident of Coeymans; Ambrose and Henry
(both now deceased); Mary (Mrs. Garret C.

<^(jLA5rU^ Xr>.h^U. ^-W)-.

^^"i^.ie-iiv^.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

737

Huyck, of Minneapolis, Minn.); and Alexan
der, a resident of Manchester, New Hampshire.
John S. Powell, father of our subject, was
born at Coeymans, N. Y., January ii, 1835,
and was educated at the Albany State Normal
School. For twenty-five years he followed
the occupation of teaching with great success,
achieving high reputation throughout the State
both as a disciplinarian and as an instructor.
After teaching a few years at his native place
and in Freehold, Greene county, he became
principal of the academy at Nassau, Rensselaer
county, and during the last eight years of his
professional work he was principal of the
Union Free School at " Bath-on-the-Hudson. "
He was a Democrat in early life, afterward a
Republican, and was at one time clerk of the
town of Coeymans. In his later years he en
gaged in the school, church and opera house
furniture business.
In 1857 John S. Powell was married to
Rachel A. Powell, a descendant of the Long
Island branch of the family. Her grandfather,
Thomas T. Powell, who died in 1862, at the
age of ninety-one years, kept an old-fashioned
inn at Westerlo, Albany county. His mother
was a Titus, and his wife was Mary Ann
Greene, who died in 1861 at the age of eighty-
six years; she was of Welsh blood, and a direct
descendant of Gen. Nathaniel Greene. Six
children were born to Thomas Powell and his
wife: Ezekiel died in 1882 at the age of
seventy-five; Joseph D. died at sixty; Orrin at
fifty-five; Jesse D. at thirty; Harriet at fifty-
five; and Mary Ann at fifty.
Ezekiel Powell, the maternal grandfather
of our subject, married Prudence Halsted, who
died in 1884, aged seventy-two years. She
was one of the ten children of Stephen and
Eve (Decker) Halsted, both of whom were
natives of Germantown, Dutchess county. He
died in 1835 aged fifty-five, his wife passing
away in 1867. Of their chHdren all but
three lived in Illinois. Thomas died there at
the age of eighty; Bartow at fifty; Stephen D.
at forty-five; Samuel at sixty; John now lives
there at eighty years of age; Betsey Ann died
there at forty-five; Mary Ann is living there at
seventy-five. Of those who remained in New
York, besides Prudence, there were Sally
Maria (Mrs. Blossom), who is living in W^es-
terlo, at the age of. sixty-two; and MariHa,
who died at South Westerlo when aged twenty-
four. From the foregoing it will be seen that at
47

the time of the birth of Dr. PoweH (in i860)
he was blessed with six living grandmothers
and four grandfathers. He- was the only child
of his parents, and they lived to rejoice in his
success, his father dying in 1895, his mother
now residing with him. Our subject attended
the public schools of his native place whHe
his father was teaching there, and at the age
of sixteen entered the Albany Normal School,
where he took the two-years' course, graduat
ing with the valedictory honors in 1878. For
a short time he conducted a drug store at
" Bath-on-the-Hudson", and disposing of it he
matriculated in the fall of 1878 at the Albany
Medical College under Dr. E. T. Rulison (now
of Buffalo, N. Y.), the late Dr. Norman L.
Snow, of Albany, curator of the college, and
Prof. Albert Van Der Veer, aS preceptors. He
was graduated in 1882, being again awarded
the honor of delivering the valedictory address.
In the spring of that year he located at Housa
tonic, Mass. ; but in the fall he moved to
Poughkeepsie and commenced practice at No.
4 Garden street. Fortune did not at first
smile upon him, but his fine abilities and train
ing gradually won recognition, so that at
the end of three years he had a fair practice,
and now has one of the best in the city. He
keeps well abreast of the advances of his pro
fession, his retentive memory being a great
advantage to him, and is very successful as a
general practitioner.
In 1883 Dr. PoweH married Idell H.
Champlin, daughter of Charles Champlin, and
has two children, Robert Carlisle and Vera
Terry. Possiessing a genial nature, the Doctor
is a leading spirit in local affairs. He takes an
ardent interest in the success of the Republic
an party; was health officer of the city under
Mayor Ellsworth, and is now a member of the
Board of Education. He belongs to Pough
keepsie Bicycle Club, the K. of P., Triumph
Lodge No. 165, and to the Masonic fraternity.
Triune Lodge No. 782, being the first man to
be admitted to that order at a regular com
munication of the lodge in the new Masonic
Temple. Among his professional brethren he
holds a high rank, and is a member of the
Dutchess County Medical Society, has been
president of the Clinical Society of Poughkeep
sie, and in 1892 was president of the Alumni
Association of the Albany Medical College,
He is U. S. Pension Examining Surgeon; is
surgeon of the Nineteenth Separate Company,
Third Brigade, New York; has been Police

738

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Surgeon, and is now County Physician. He
is also a member of the Board of Trade, and
of the Retail Merchants Association of the City
of Poughkeepsie; is a member of Davy Crock
ett Hook and Ladder Company No. i, being
ex-president thereof, and at the present time is
president of the board of trustees.

JAMES A. MARSHALL. One does not
have to pursue his investigations far into
the annals of Dutchess county before he
finds that the name of this gentleman is con
spicuous on the pages of its history. His life
is distinctive from the fact that he is one of
the oldest native sons of the county, and a rep
resentative of one of its most honored pioneer
faimHies. In Pleasant Valley, AprH 26, 18 19,
he first opened his eyes to the light of day,
and his father, Henry S. Marshall, was born
in the same town. May 5, 1793. The grand
father, James Marshall, was born in the same
locality, March 5, 1765. The great-grand
father, John Marshall, was one of the seven
sons of the founder of the famHy in America,
who came to this country from his native Eng
land. James Marshall, the grandfather of our
subject, married Catherine Van Vorehis, and
located on a farm in the town of Pleasant Val
ley, where they reared children as follows:
John, who was a merchant and school-teacher;
Henry S., father of our subject; Stephen, a
printer by trade, took charge of the State
prison in later life; George, who lived in vari
ous localities in Dutchess county; Elizabeth,
wife of William Welling, a farmer; Sally, wife
of William Allen, a farmer; Catherine, wife of
George Ham, an agriculturist; Elsie, wife of
Lansing Thorne, who followed the same pur
suit; and Julia, wife of Isaac Newcomb, who
died in a Rebel prison during the Civil war.
Henry S. Marshall in his early life learned
the trade of a bookbinder. He married Sarah
Allen, a native of the town of Pleasant Valley,
and a daughter of John I. and Esther Allen,
whose family numbered twelve chHdren. Her
father was an agriculturist, and was of English
lineage. Mr, and Mrs. Marshall began house
keeping on a farm in Pleasant Valley town,
where they spent their remaining days, their
friends and neighbors holding them in the
highest esteem for many excellencies of char
acter. Consistent members of the Presbyte
rian Church, Mr. Marshall served for many

years as deacon. In politics he was a Whig.
In the family were four children: Catherine
E., deceased; James A.; Eliza and Isaac, who
have also passed away.
The respected subject of this review, James
A. Marshall, lived with his parents through the
days of his boyhood and youth, and early be
came famHiar with the duties of farm life. On
leaving home he married Cordelia Conover, a
native of the town of Poughkeepsie, and a
daughter of Jacob Conover, an enterprising
farmer, born in Dutchess county, and descended
from an old Holland family. The marriage of
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, which was celebrated
October 27, 1843, was blessed with four chH
dren: Sarah E., wife of Bartlett Devine, a
farmer of Pleasant Valley town; Isaac, a farmer
of Olive town, Ulster county; Henry J., who
operates land near the old homestead; and
Nellie, wife of Harvey Halsted, a farmer of
the town of Pleasant Valley.
Mr. Marshall has made farming his life
work. Having resided at various places in the
county, he removed in 1886 to his present
home in the town of Pleasant Valley, where
he has since lived retired, enjoying the compe
tence that has come to him as the reward of
his earnest ' and able labors in former years.
In September, 1895, he was called upon to
mourn the loss of his loved wife, with whom
he had traveled life's journey for more than
half a century, but he lives in the hope of a
blessed reunion in the land where sorrow and
death are no more. His religious connection
is with the Presbyterian Church, and his po
litical association with the Republican party,
by which he was elected road commissioner
and assessor. His life is not marked by any
events of exciting or thrilling interest, but his
is the honorable career of a man who has al
ways faithfully performed his duties to the
best of his ability, and with promptness and
fidelity discharged every trust reposed in him.

E\LIPHAZ DELAMATER, a well-known
 'I farmer of the town of Lagrange, Dutch
ess county, was born in the town of Esopus,
Ulster Co., N. Y., March 21, 1842. The
great-great-grandfather on the paternal side
came to this State from Holland at an early
day, and settled in Esopus. His son John was
born there, and the latter's son John was born
at Esopus, August 4, 1779, and died Septem
ber 18, 1858.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

789

This John Delamater, the grandfather of
our subject, was married September 13, 1806,
to Fanny Decker, who was born August 24,
1780, and died March 6, 1858. Their children
were as follows: Catherine, born August 7,
1807; Jacob, September 25, 1810; John (father
of our subject), November 26, 1812; Peter,
May 24, 1817; Eliza, July 27, 1823. The
father of this family was a miller by trade, and
followed that occupation for a number of
years. He owned a mill which he subse
quently sold, and and in connection with his
father purchased a farm. He was a prominent
man in his community, and had the confidence
of the public. He was made the trustee of
many estates, and managed all his affairs with
discretion and good judgment. He was a
member of the Reformed Dutch Church, and
helped to build the edifice, and was one of its
most liberal supporters. For four years before
his death he was afflicted with blindness,
which he bore with fortitude and uncomplain
ing patience.
John Delamater, father of our subject, was
reared in the town of Esopus, Ulster county,
on. his father's farm, and attended the district
schools of that locality. He carried on farm
ing there until 1865, when he sold out and re
moved to Lagrange town, Dutchess county,
buying the farm on which our subject now re
sides. Here he made his home until the time
of his death, which took place April 27, 1891.
He was married in Esopus, June 8, 1833, to
Sarah Terpening, who was there born Decem
ber 5, 181 3. Their chHdren were Israel Van-
Keuren, born November i, 1835, and died May
6, 1868; and Eliphaz, the subject of this re
view. John Delamater was a member of the
Reformed Church, and was highway commis
sioner in the town of Esopus. He was a man
of fine character, and was universally re
spected. Our subject spent his boyhood days in
Esopus, where he attended the district schools.
When twenty-three years old he came with his
parents to Lagrange township, and has resided
there for the past thirty years, being engaged
in farming. He was married October 25,
1882, to AnnaM., daughter of Philip Schuyler
Andrews, and their family consists of the fol
lowing children: John and Emott (twins),
Harold, Mildred, Wilfred and Cornelia.
Mr. Delamater is a member of the Re
formed Church at New Hackensack, and in
politics is in sympathy with the Republican

party, although he takes no active part in
public affairs, and has never been an aspirant
for office. He is a quiet, unostentatious man,
and is highly respected by all who know him.

iPVMLBERT E. VAN WAGNER, one of the
^JF representative farmers of the town of
Pleasant Valley, is a native of Dutchess coun
ty, born in Hyde Park, January 3, 1838. The
kingdom of Holland, which has given to the
world one of the hardiest races of people,
sheltered the ancestors of our subject, but for
many generations they have made their home
in the county. The grandfather, Gilbert Van-
Wagner, was born in the town of Pleasant
Valley, and was a son of Evert Van Wagner,
who carried on farming there. The former
wedded Catherine Schriver, also a native of
Dutchess county, and located upon a farm in
Hyde Park, where their seven children were
born, namely: Hannah first married a cous
in by the name of Van Wagner, a farmer
by occupation, and after his death became
the wife of a Mr. Butts, a resident of the
western part of the State; Helen married
Charles J. Todd, a farmer of Hyde Park;
Mary was the wife of Jacob Tillottson, a
wagon maker and farmer of Hyde Park; John,
who wedded Lettie Humphrey, also engaged
in farming in Dutchess county; Isaac married
Jennett Beech, and carried on agricultural
pursuits in the town of Clinton, Dutchess
county; Evert G. is the father of our subject;
and James, a farmer, married Ann Beech.
In Hyde Park Evert G. Van Wagner .was
born, and on reaching man's estate he married
Sarah Humphrey, who was born in the town
of Beekman, Dutchess county, a daughter of
John Humphrey, who carried on farming
there. Her mother, who bore the maiden
name of Jane Bregraw, was a native of New
town, Long Island, and by her marriage had
six children, of whom Sarah was the eldest.
She was followed by Phcebe, wife of George
H. Traver, a retired farmer of Saratoga, N.
Y. ; Elizabeth, wife of Harris McFarland, a
farmer of the town of Pleasant Valley; Ellen,
wife of George Bates, also an agriculturist of
Pleasant Valley town; and Thomas, who mar
ried Ellen Skidmore. After his marriage
the father of our subject took his bride to his
farm in Hyde Park town. They became the
parents of chHdren as follows: George, who
died at the age of twenty-two years; John,

740

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

who wedded Mary Mosher; Abram, who mar
ried Sophia Wagner; Andrew, who married
Cordelia Wagner; GHbert, of this review;
and Kate. The sons all followed in the foot
steps of their father — engaging in agricultural
pursuits as a life work. The parents were
both faithful members of the Reformed
Church, and in politics Mr. Van Wagner was
a Republican. His death occurred July 3,
1884, that of his wife on January 4, 1867.
Gilbert E. Van Wagner received his edu
cation in the excellent schools of Dutchess
county, where under the able direction of his
father he soon became famHiar with the duties
that fall to the lot of an agriculturist. On De
cember 24, 1862, he was united in marriage
with Miss Sarah Ann Barnes, a native of the
town of Clinton, Dutchess county, and a
daughter of Edwin and Laura Ann (Van Der-
burgh) Barnes, also natives of Clinton town,
tbe former born in 18 17, and the latter on
April 18, 18 18. By trade the father was a
machinist, and both he and his wife were Pres
byterians in religious belief. He died April 3,
1842, his wife passing away February 14,
1874. Their only chHd was Mrs. Van Wag
ner. Her paternal grandfather was Samuel
Barnes, and her maternal grandfather was
John Van Derburgh, a farmer of Clinton town,
and a son of Henry Van Derburgh, also an
agriculturist of that township, and an officer in
the Revolutionary war.
Mr. and Mrs. Van Wagner began their do
mestic life upon their present farm of 149 acres,
which has been in the possession of some
member of her family since the year 1800.
Three chHdren bless their union: Evert H.,
who married Ida J. Traver, and engages in
farming; Laura Ann; and George E. B., who
married Etta M. Young, and lives in Hyde
Park. The parents contribute liberally to the
support of the Baptist Church, and Mrs. Van-
Wagner takes an active part in its affairs.
They are highly respected throughout the com
munity in which they live, and he is numbered
among the most progressive and enterprising
citizens of the township. He devotes his en
tire time and attention to general farming, in
which he is meeting with a well-deserved suc
cess, and, though not very active in politics,
usually votes for the candidates offered by the
Republican party.
John Van Derburgh, the maternal grand
father of Mrs. Van Wagner, married Ann
Mott, a daughter of Ebenezer Mott, who

was appointed lieutenant of the Fifth New
York Regiment, December 22, 1779, and
valiantly aided the Colonies in their struggle
for independence. He had been commissioned
second-lieutenant by John Hancock onthe 21st
of November, 1776, and was appointed by
John Jay as ensign of the same regiment in
June, 1779. At West Point he was taken
prisoner, and being placed on board an old
battle ship was taken to New York City and
incarcerated in the old sugar house. He be
came very prominent in public affairs, and
served as a member of the General Assembly
from 1792 to 1793, and from 1798 to 1801.
On March i, 1781, he was married at Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, to Mary Van Vlack, a
daughter of Jacob and Ann (Stoutenburgh)
Van Vlack, and to them were born the follow
ing children: Jacob E., who married Mar
garet Stoutenburgh; James, who died unmar
ried; Ann, who became the wife of John Van-
Derburgh; Mrs. Sallie Sammis; Maria, Cather
ine and Ebenezer, who all died unmarried;
and John, who wedded Maria Culver.
Mrs. Van Wagner can trace a relationship
back to Anneke Jans, the owner of the prop
erty in New York City, where Trinity Church
now stands, which is worth many milHons of
dollars. Her daughter, Sarah, married Hans
Kiersterd on the 29th of June, 1642, and their
daughter, Rachel, became the wife of WilHam
Teller, whose daughter, Margaret, married
Jacob Stoutenburgh. Their daughter, Ann,
was the wife of Jacob Van Vlack, and to them
was born a daughter, Mary, who wedded Eb
enezer Mott in 1 78 1. Their daughter, Ann,
was united in marriage with John Van Der
burgh, March i, 18 12, and to them was born a
daughter, Laura, who, on the 15th of June,
1 84 1, wedded Edwin Barnes, the father of
Mrs. Van Wagner.

WRIGHT B. ODELL, a prominent and
 representative agriculturist of the town
of Beekman, Dutchess county, was born in
the town of Unionvale, same county, June 17,
i860, and is a son of Luman B. Odell, also a
native of that town. The latter was educated
in the district schools, and remained upon the
home farm until attaining his majority. In
his native township he married Mary Abel, by
whom he had three children: Daniel, of Okla
homa, Okla. ; Wright B. ; and Flora M., wife
of Charles Brill, Jr. After residing upon the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

741

Abel farm for a time, Mr. Odell removed to
Arthursburg, where he engaged in clerking for
about two years, and then removed to a farm
in the town of Fishkill, where he passed the
remainder of his life. He was killed while
helping to raise a barn for a neighbor in that
town, in 1876. His career was one of honor
and respectability, and won for him the high
regard of all who knew him. He was a con
sistent member of the Christian Church in
Unionvale town, and a stalwart Republican in
politics. The early school days of Wright B. Odell
were spent at Arthursburg, in the town of La
grange, Dutchess county, and at Poughquag.
In 1880 the family removed to the present
residence of our subject in the town of Beek
man, and two years later Mr. Odell assumed
control of toe farm, which comprises 200 acres
of rich and arable land, and which he has
placed under a high state of cultivation. He
is a most successful and enterprising farmer.
In Chicago, November 25, 1892, was cele
brated the marriage of Mr. Odell and Miss
Inez A. BrHI, a daughter of George Brill, a
native of the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county, and they have one daughter, Mary
Frances. Mr. Odell supports the principles of
the Republican party by his ballot, and he is
deeply interested in the welfare and advance
ment of his native county. He and his wife
are widely and favorably known in their local
ity, and their home is a favorite circle for
many friends.

J

TrOHN H. COX, a valued and esteemed agri
culturist of the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, has his residence upon a farm of
most superior land, which is under excellent
culture and improvement. The buHdings upon
the place are of a neat and substantial charac
ter, and betoken thrift and prosperity. He is
meeting with well-merited success in his farm
ing operations.
Mr. Cox is a native of New York City, and
traces his ancestry back to Isaac Cox, who was
born in 1735, and in Kent county, Del., AprH
7, 1763, was united in marriage with Susanna
Hanson. He died December 28, 1773, at the
age of thirty-eight years. His son, Isaac, was
the grandfather of our subject. He was born
at Baltimore, Md. , November 10, 1768, and
on reaching manhood he there worked at the
hatter's trade; but most of his life was passed in

Pennsylvania. By his marriage with Sarah
Hanson he had five children: Eliza, Samuel
Daniel, Mary, Henry R. and Rachel.
Henry R. Cox, the father of our subject,
was born in 1809, upon a farm in Lycoming
county, Penn., where he spent his boyhood
days. When a young man he went to New
York City, where he became a dry-goods mer
chant on Greenwich street, and there engaged
in business until his death, which occurred May
I, 1 85 1. He wedded Mary Middlemus, and to
them were born three children: Joseph M.,
Henry R. and Eliza H. For his second wife
he chose Miss Susan Lake, a native of Lycom
ing county, Penn., who died in 1857, and they
became the parents of two chHd/en: John H.
and Samuel H. After the father's death the
family removed to the town of Stanford, Dutch
ess county.
As boys, John H. Cox, of this review, and
his brother, Samuel H., lived with their uncle,
John Hunn, in Stanford township, and received
such educational advantages as the district'
schools of the neighborhood afforded, though
the brother had also attended the public
schools of New York City. On February 11,
1885, in the town of Stanford; our subject was
united in marriage with Eliza H. Striker, a
descendant of one of the early settlers of Man
hattan Island. Two chHdren bless this union:
EHa, born February 19, 1887; and Eliza, born
February 18, 1893. For a year after his mar
riage, Mr. Cox remained upon the Hunn farm,
and then for a few months was a resident of
BangaH, Dutchess county. Since that time he
has made his home upon his present farm on
the west side of Hunn's lake. He learned the
trade of a machinist in the Roger's axle fac
tory, at Stanfordville, but has always followed
farming as a means of livelihood. Success has
waited upon the efforts of this gentleman in all
his efforts, and the general verdict is that he
has well deserved it. Labor and persever
ance, coupled with economy and frugality, are
bound to win in the long run, and these virtues
he possesses to a large extent. PoHtically, he
votes the straight Republican ticket, and has
served as assessor of his township, while,
socially, he holds membership with the Knights
of Pythias. Samuel H. Cox has lived with our subject
since the latter's marriage, and has devoted
most of his time to agricultural pursuits and to
the cattle trade. He has served as census-
taker in his township. The brothers are

742

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

esteemed and valued members of the com
munity, and possess the entire confidence and
regard of their neighbors.
John Hunn, the uncle with whom they
lived in boyhood, was born near Dover, Del.,
September 9, 1785, and was the son of John
and Susanna Hunn. He was married in New
York City, May 9, 18 16, to Sarah S. Willis, and
after her death wedded Eliza Cox, February
8, 1837. By trade he was a tanner and cur
rier, and for several years conducted a leather
store in New York City, but in 1851 removed
to the town of Stanford, Dutchess county,
where he made his home until his death, which
occurred December 5, 1867. He was a mem
ber of the S.ociety of Friends, and was an
earnest Christian gentleman.

WARREN REYNOLDS. The subject of
 this sketch, who is a man of more than
ordinary intelligence and business capacity,
owns two fine farms in the town of Washing
ton, Dutchess county, which aggregate about
400 acres, and is prominent among the agri
cultural interests of the county, contributing
largely to its reputation by making his places
two of the most desirable homesteads within
its borders. Admired and esteemed by his
friends and neighbors, he enjoys, as he de
serves, a generous portion of this world's goods.
Mr. Reynolds was born in Chatham, Co
lumbia Co., N. Y. , September 19, 1821, and
is a son of Titus S. Reynolds, whose birth oc
curred in the same place January 9, 1790. Of
that county his grandfather, Solomon Reynolds,
was one of the leading agriculturists. The
family were members of the Society of Friends.
Titus S. Reynolds was united in marriage
with Hannah Brockway, a native of Columbia
county, born March 12, 1794, and they began
their domestic life in Chatham, where the
father followed farming. His political views
were in accordance with those held by the Re
publican party, and religiously he was a Hicks
ite Quaker. He passed away April 11, 1862,
and his wife on August 3, 1881. Their family
circle included twelve children: Horace, born
August II, 1814, died at the age of sixteen
years; Lester A., born February 16, 18 16, is
living retired in Iowa; Sylvester (twin brother
of Lester) followed blacksmithing and farming,
and died in 1890; Elias B., born September
14, 1 818, was a drover, and died May 24,
1880; Mary A., born March 23, 1820, became

the wife of John Goodenough, a wheelwright
by trade, and died in 1889; Warren, of this
review, is the next in order of birth; Deborah
J., born February 5, 1823, married Erastus
Jones, a farmer of Columbia county, and died
in 1887; Isaac B., born November 26, 1824,
died in infancy; LauraB. (twin sister of Isaac),
married a Mr. Brown, and died in 1879; Julina,
born October 23, 1828, became the wife of
George WHliams, a farmer, and died in 1887;
Freeman, born April 16, 1831, is an agricult
urist of Orleans county, Vt.; "and AHda, born
May S, 1833, was the wife of H. W. WHHams,
a farmer of Columbia county, and died August
27, 1864.
Our subject was reared on a farm, and re
ceived his first lesson in agriculture from his
father, who was a practical, capable farmer.
He was married, October 2, 1843, to Hannah
Carpenter, who was born in Hudson, N. Y. ,
May 12, 1822, and died in Wayne county, this
State, May 24, 1852. Four chHdren graced
this union: Lydia J., born October 12, 1844,
died in infancy; FranceHa, born July 2, 1846,
married WiHiam Jones, of Chicago, III., and
later became the wife of George K. Jones, of
the same city; Jason C, born March 13, 1849,
is employed in the Adams Express office in
New York City; and Alvah B. , born AprH 28,
1857, is a niHkman of Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
On September 19, 1859, Mr. Reynolds was
again married, his second union being with
Mary Morey, who was born February 20, 1819,
and died December 7, 1881.
On September 19, 1883, Mr. Reynolds was
married to Mrs. H. C. Hunt, a native of Ber
lin, Vt. , who bore the maiden name of Cor
nelia Bosworth. Her father, Jonathan Bos
worth, wasborn January 21, 1787, in Lebanon,
N. H., and was a son of Nathaniel Bosworth,
a Revolutionary hero, and the grandson of
Jonathan Bosworth, who came from England
and founded the family in this country. All
his life the father of Mrs. Reynolds engaged
in the manufacture of hoes. By his marriage,
on July 2, 181 1, with Lovisa 'VHona Darling,
who was born November 9, 1791, he had thir
teen children, namely: Lovisa V., Mary L.,
Elisha D., Jonathan E.(i), Sarah D., Jona
than E. (2), Tryphena N., Samuel H. 0.,Anna
M., Lucy D., David B., Joseph S., and Han
nah C. The father died AprH 7, 1879, and
the mother passed away August 13, 1872.
Since i860 Mr. Reynolds has resided in
Dutchess county, where he is successfully en-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

743

gaged in general farming, and is one of the
most progressive citizens in the community,
always identifying himself with all matters for
the public welfare. His political support has
ever been given the Republican party, and he
is a member of the Society of Friends, while
Mrs. Reynolds is a member of the Presbyterian
Church of Amenia.

JAMES H. LOVELACE. Among the lead
ing and representative agriculturists of the
town of Clinton, Dutchess county, stalwart
and sturdy tillers of the soil, there is none who
stands a more prominent figure than the gen
tleman of whom this notice is written. He
made his appearance upon the stage of life
March 26, 1845, m the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, at the home of his parents,
WHHam and Mary (Bates) Lovelace. His
paternal grandfather, Peleg Lovelace, was one
of the early residents of Putnam county, N.
Y., but his last days were spent in the town of
Stanford, Dutchess county. He reared to
manhood and womanhood a family of ten
chHdren — seven sons and three daughters.
William Lovelace was born in the year
18 1 2, in Putnam county, where his boyhood
days were passed, and during his youth he
learned the carpenter's trade, but did not long
follow that occupation, as he soon began farm
ing in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county,
remaining there several years. Ten years
were afterward spent in the town of Washing
ton, at the expiration of which time he re
turned to Stanford, where he carried on agri
cultural pursuits for thirteen years. He next
located upon a farm on Chestnut Ridge, in the
town of Dover, which he still owns, but is now
living retired in Millbrook, town of Washing
ton. Although he started out in life with
nothing, he has by energy and perseverance
become a very successful man. He is a stanch
adherent of the Democratic party, but has
never cared for political preferment, and is a
consistent member of the Baptist Church. On
November 14, 1835, ^^ the town of Washing
ton, he led to the marriage altar Miss Mary
Bates, a daughter of Joseph Bates, and four
children blessed their union: Francis, de
ceased; James H.; Richard, of the town of
Dover; and Asa, of Millbrook.
Our subject accompanied his parents on
their various removals during his younger
years, and in the public schools of the local

ities obtained a fair education. For ten years
he engaged in agricultural pursuits on Chest
nut Ridge, in the town of Dover, remaining
upon his father's farm untH 1887, when he re
moved to the Tonsey farm near Clinton Cor
ners, which he operated until the spring of
1890. He then purchased his present farm in
the town of CHnton. •
Mr. Lovelace was married in the town of
Stanford, March 2, 1870, to Maria E. Wood,
daughter of Talmage and Lydia (Mosher)
Wood. Previous to the Civil war her father
had been a resident of that town, but during
that struggle enlisted in the 150th N. Y. V. I.,
under Gen. A. B. Smith, and while serving
with that command was killed at the battle of
Gettysburg. Two children were born to our
subject and his wife: Alva Wood, and WHl
iam R. , but the latter died in infancy. Mr.
Lovelace attends the Christian Church at
Stanfordville, is an upright, honorable gentle
man, who wins friends wherever he goes, and
by all who know him he is held in the highest
regard.

C\HARLES H. GRIFFEN. Prominent
/ among the more intelligent, active and
enterprising citizens of the town of Clinton,
Dutchess county, is the young man -whose
name introduces this biography. His reputa
tion for integrity and industry is second to none
in the county, and he is a man devoted to
farming and fine stock. He was born on the
farm which is stiH his home, May 27, 1868,
and since the early age of fifteen years has
had the entire management of the place, which
attests his progressive spirit, energy and perse
verance. William D. Griffen, the father of our sub
ject, was born at White Plains, Westchester
Co., N. Y., and at the age of ten years ac
companied the family on their removal to
Dutchess county. He attended the Nine Part
ners Boarding School in the town of Wash
ington, and later became a student in a school
at Westtown, Penn. He remained upon the
home farm untH 1857, when he and his brother
Jacob purchased the farm now owned by our
subject. This they operated together untH
1875, when the brother returned to the old
homestead in the town of Clinton, but the
father continued its cultivation up to his death
in 1877. On February i, 1865, inthe Friends Church

744

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

of StandfordvHle, N. Y., William D. Griffen
was married to Phoebe Jane Haight, daughter
of Zebulon Haight, of the town of Clinton,
arid three children blessed their union : Daniel,
of Millbrook, Dutchess county, who was born
in December, 1865, and by his marriage with
Esther A. Purdy has two chHdren — Ira and
WHliam; Charles Haight, of this review; and
Mary G., wife of F. E. Birdsall, of the town
qf Clinton. The parents were both sinCere and
faithful members of the Society of Friends,
and the political support of the father was
given the Republican party, whose principles
he stanchly advocated. He was always a pro
gressive, upright citizen, respected by all his
neighbors and friends. His father had given
him a good start in life, and as he had made
the most of his opportunities he secured a
comfortable competence. His wife survived
him for some years, and was called to her
final rest in 1891.
On reaching a sufficient age, Charles H.
Griffen entered the district schools of the
town of Clinton, later attended Hoags Board
ing School at the head of Upton Lake, was
then a student in a private school kept by
Miss Tousey, near Clinton Corners, and fur
ther continued his studies at Westtown, Penn.
His education, however, was completed in the
Leslie School, on Academy street, in Pough
keepsie, N. Y. On laying aside his text books
he entered upon the more difficult lessons of
life, and his time is now fully occupied with
the labors and duties which fall to the lot of
the agriculturist. He is identified with the
Republican party, and his religious connection
is with the Society of Friends.

ICHARD L. VALENTINE, a leading
. undertaker of Millerton, Dutchess coun
ty, was born December 9, 1851, in Nassau,
Rensselaer Co. , N. Y. His family is one of
the oldest of that locality, his ancestors having
settled there during the Colonial period. They
came from England, but it is probable that the
family originated in France. His great-grand
father, John Valentine, was born February 28,
1 76 1, and was married December 29, 1791, to
Amy Brockway, who was born January 30,
1770, and they had nine children, whose names
and dates of birth are as follows: Lucy, Sep
tember 12, 1792; William, March 30, 1794;
Richard, November 11, 1795; Abraham, July
6, 1797; Isaac, August 19, 1799; Jacob, April

19, 1801; Jerusha, April 21, 1806; Elizabeth,
April 25, 1808; and Eunice, June i, 1810.
Richard Valentine, the grandfather of our
subject, was a farmer by occupation, and pos
sessed limited means. He was quiet and re
tiring in disposition, extremely kind-hearted,
and was highly esteemed for his many admira
ble traits of character. April 3, 181 1, he mar
ried Anna Hoag, a native of the same county
as himself, and had thirteen children: Anna,
born August 31, 18 16, died February 24, 1841;
Permelia, born February 15, 181 8; William
H., born September 11, 1819, died March i,
1820; Hiram B., born January 21, 1 821; James
A., born October 3, 1822, died March 4, 1855;
Jerusha Jane, born June 18, 1824; Lorenzo,
born February 16, 1826, died July 21, 1881;
Phoebe A., born February 19, 1828; Charles
F. , born AprH 22, 1830,' died August 29, 1878;
John W., born August 5, 1832, died March 5,
1854; Alfred, born July 31, 1834, died August
27, 1835; Henry, born July 24, 1837, died
November 28, 1837; and Sylvester, born De
cember 8, 1838, difed May 2, 1839.
Lorenzo Valentine, our subject's father,
was a farm laborer, and, except for five or six
years passed in Columbia county, his life was
spent in his native place. Although he was
not blessed with much of this world's goods,
he was a good citizen, a kind and affectionate
husband and father, and his upright and con
sistent conduct gained him the respect of all
who knew him. He married Amanda Her
mance, a descendant of a well-known Colum
bia county famHy and the daughter of John R.
and Elizabeth (Haightman) Hermance. Four
children came of this union: Anna, born Au
gust 30, 1850, who married WiHis Clark, of
Nassau; Richard L. (our subject), born De
cember 9, 185 1 ; Frank, born April 20, i860,
died July 30, 1861; and Edwin E., born Au
gust 3, 1862, now residing near Brainard Sta
tion, Jlensselaer Co. , N. Y. The father died
July 21, 1 881; the mother is now living in
Berlin, New York.
Our subject's educational opportunities
were limited in his youth to a few years' at
tendance at the district school. When he was
ten years old he began working in a cotton
factory at Stuyvesant Falls, and after two years
there he went to Valatie with his father, and
worked in a cotton factory there some four
years. In his eighteenth year he began to
learn the trade of wagon making, serving a
three-years' apprenticeship with his uncle, Gil-

t:x^i

(^ (P^ (y^C-CZyi^y^-^U^n^xf^

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

745

bert Hermance, at Nassau. He then went to
MHl River, Mass., where he worked as a jour
neyman for eight months, and in 1873 came
to MHIerton, and for one and one-half years
worked at the trade for John Scutt. On March
20, 1875, he bought Andrew Fish's undertak
ing business, which he has since conducted,
developing and enlarging it until he is now at
the head of the principal establishment in that
line in Millerton, and one of the most exten
sive in the county.
Although Mr. Valentine's business success
has been won by his own hard work, he has
found time to assist in public affairs, as every
good citizen should. He votes the Republican
ticket, has been corporation trustee for four
years, and he is prominent in the various phil
anthropic enterprises of the Methodist Episco
pal Church, of which he has been a member
for twenty-six years, and is now a leading offi
cial. He belongs also to the Royal Arcanum,
Poughkeepsie Council.
Mr. Valentine has been twice married, first
time September 16, 1874, to Miss Libbie J.
Kipp, who was born July 21, 1849, a daughter
of George and Jane M. (Levy) Kipp, the latter
of whom was born in Gallatin, N. Y., and died
November 2, 1886, aged sixty-three years.
Mr. Kipp was born at Red Hook, N. Y. ,
was a farmer in the town of Northeast for
fifty years, and is now retired. He is a typi
cal self-made man, having begun life a poor
boy, but by the aid of his faithful wife became
well-to-do. He is one of the township's best
men, and is highly esteemed by his many
friends. His second wife (for he was twice
married) was Mrs. Washington Hubbell. To
our subject and wife were born three children,
to wit: George L., born January 17, 1876;
Willard J., born August 8, 1880"; and Henry,
born December 2, 1892. The mother of these
died January 7, 1893, and for his second wife
Mr. Valentine married Miss Jennie V. K.
Oliver, a lady of English descent, born July
31, 1865. By this union there was one child,
Frank, who died in infancy.
Mrs. Valentine's great-grandfather, Will
iam Oliver, married Elizabeth Seech, and
reared a family of eleven children: WiHiam,
Richard, James, Elizabeth, Jane, John, Ann,
Jacob, Benjamin, Joseph and Sarah. Of
these, Joseph (Mrs. Valentine's grandfather)
was born August 22, 1779, at Parish of Horn
Church, County of Essex, England, and in
early life came to America, locating near Cats-

kill, Greene Co., N. Y. , where he died July
20, 1869. He was a paper maker by trade.
By his wife, Sarah (Thornton), he had seven
children, named respectively: Mary, Sarah,
William, Jane, Elizabeth, AbigaH and Cynthia.
WHliam Oliver (Mrs. Valentine's father) was
born October 4, 18 16, and followed wagon-
making at Catskill, N. Y. He married Anna
M. Jennings, who was born February 11,
1828, in Fairfield, Fairfield Co., Conn., and
they had a family of four children: WiHiam
C, born April 5, 1849, is a minister in the M.
E. Church, at Hunter, N. Y. ; Frank, born
April I, 1852, is in business at CatskHI, N. Y. ;
Mary, born January 18, 1862, died in child
hood; Jennie V. K., wife of our subject, being
the youngest.

A

LFRED S. WILEY, one of the well-to-
^ do and prosperous farmers of the town
of Clinton, Dutchess county, residing near Clin
ton Corners, is one of those men who thor
oughly understands the business which he is
pursuing, and by following that vocation has
secured a competence. He is the architect of
his own fortune, having started in life with but
little capital beyond his own industry and
laudable ambition to rise in the world.
Mr. WHey is a native of Dutchess county,
born near SchultzvHle, in the town of Clinton,
AprH 14, 1829, in which town were married
his parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Green)
Wiley, who were also born in Dutchess
county, and the latter was the daughter of
Tobias Green. In their family were the fol
lowing children: Emily, deceased wife of
Henry Barnes; Chancellor, who has also
passed away; Annie, deceased wife of Mark
Wilber; Harriet, who first wedded Griffin Sny
der, and, after his death, Charles Moon; Alexan
der and Martin Luther, who have both de
parted this Hfe; Alfred S., of this review; and
Mary, wife of Nelson Sleight. After the death
of his first wife Mr. Wiley married Mrs. Eliza
Wing. All his life the father engaged in agri
cultural pursuits in the town of Clinton with
the exception of fourteen years spent in the
town of Milan. He was a sincere and faithful
member of the MHan Christian Church, and
died at the ripe old age of eighty-six years.
Alfred Wiley received his education in the
common schools of the towns of CHnton and
Milan, and was given the training necessary to
a successful pursuit of agriculture upon his

746

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

father's farm, remaining at home engaged in
helping to carry on the labors upon the old
homestead untH he had attained the age of
seventeen. For one year he then lived in the
town of Unionvale with his brother, after
which he returned to the town of Clinton, and
made his home with his brother-in-law, Mark
Wilber, for the following two years. His
father having again married, he then returned
to the parental roof, where the next two years
were passed.
Thinking it was about time that he should
establish a home of his own, and surround his
domestic hearth with family ties, Mr. Wiley
married March 5, 1851, in the town of CHn
ton, Mary A. Pultz, a daughter of Jacob G.
Pultz, who was born in the town of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county. By this union four
children were born, namely: Carlinda, de
ceased, was the wife of John Budd, by whom
she had one son — WHHam; Ida is the wife of
Monroe S. Eckert; Emma F. married Robert
Lawrence, who resides near Salt Point, Dutch
ess Co., N. Y. (they have two daughters — Alice
arid Maud); and Frank Wiley died at the age
of five years.
For the first year after his' marriage, Mr.
Wiley worked on the farm of Mark Wilber,
after which he purchased land near CHnton
Hollow, operating the same for three years,
and on disposing of that tract bought another
farm about a mile east of Clinton Hollow,
where he remained for five years. On selling
that place be purchased the Clinton Corners
store, which he ran for a couple of years, and
then bought a farm a mile and a half northeast
of Clinton Hollow. After residing upon that
trad for about eight years, he sold soon after
the close of the Civil war, and has since made
his home upon his present farm near Clinton
Corners. There he has erected a fine resi
dence, which he now occupies, and the present
highly cultivated state of his land has been
brought about by the exercise of great industry,
perseverance and excellent management. His
improvements are of a substantial character,
and everything about the place denotes pros
perity and thrift. Though not an office seeker
in any sense of the word, Mr. WHey served
for eight consecutive years as justice of the
peace, being elected on the Democratic ticket,
which he always supports. He has been quite
prominently identified with the interests of the
community in which he lives, and bears a high
character for sterling integrity and genuine

worth. Mrs. Wiley is a member in good stand
ing of the Christian Church at SchultzviHe.
WHliam Budd, our subject's grandson, was
married December 19, 1894, to Belle Stewart,
of the town of Clinton. He now operates his
grandfather's farm, the latter having retired
from active work.

J'f ATHAN FELLER. As a representative
of the agricultural class, and one who has
met with good success in his independent caH
ing, we take pleasure in giving a brief sketch
of the gentleman whose name appears at the
beginning of this notice. He is pleasantly lo
cated upon a farm of seventy-eight acres in
the town of Red Hook, which he purchased of
Bartholomew Gray in 1 894. It is well stocked
and supplied with everything found upon a
model farm of the nineteenth century. His
birth occurred in Red Hook on August 15,
1840, and in the common schools of the com
munity he acquired his education. He early
became inured to the arduous duties of farm
life, and his training along that line was under
the able instruction of his father, Philip Fel
ler, a prosperous farmer of Red Hook.
On January 3, 1866, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Feller and Miss Emma Mar
tin, who was born April 12, 1847, and is the
daughter of Col. Claudius G. Martin. Her
father received his title while serving in the
1 1 ith New York Artillery. He was also a na
tive of the town of Red Hook, born February
19. 1799. and was educated in the common
schools near his home. He learned the trade
of blacksmithing with Fred Barringer, but did
not follow that pursuit. He turned his atten
tion to farming, taking the old Martin home
stead on the Post road, which had been the
historic residence of the family since the Rev
olutionary war, and there he died March 17,
1875. Col. Martin was twice married, his first
union being with Miss Julia Ring, daughter of
Mr. Ring, of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess
county, and to them were born two children,
but one died in infancy. John G. was born
January 28, 1828. After the death of his first
wife, he remained single for about ten years,
when he wedded Miss Sarah Webster, daugh
ter of Harry Webster, a shoemaker of Red
Hook, June 10, 1835.
Nine children graced the second union:
Claudius R. , born July 28, 1836, was married

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

14.1

May 27, 1863. to Esther A. Stall, daughter of
John StaH, of Clermont, Columbia county;
Julia F. , born May 13, 1838, became the wife
of David V. Traver, of Rhinebeck, Dutchess
county, January i, 1861; Lucy M., born May
22. 1840, married Alonzo Wood, of Pough
keepsie, November 19, 1862; Clarence W.,
born September 8, 1842, was educated in the
common schools, and learned the trade of a
cooper, at which he worked for a time, but
afterward was employed on a steamer on the
Hudson until 1892, when he returned home
and is now living retired; Aurelia W., born
January 4, 1845, married William H. Dedrick,
of Rhinebeck, December 25, 1866; Emma,
wife of Nathan Feller, is next in order of birth;
Isabella, born October 6, 1849, died March
25, 1852; Henry A., born April 30, 1852, was
united in marriage with Elizabeth M. Traver,
daughter of Nelson Traver, of Rhinebeck, Jan
uary I, 1880; and Frank, born November 29,
1855, died April 2, 1861. The entire family
were born on the old Martin homestead on the
Post road. The house is still standing, and is
now occupied by Sarena Martin, niece of Ed
ward Martin, deceased.
To Mr. Feller and his estimable wife was
born a daughter — Isabella M. , whose birth oc
curred September 22, 1 87 1. She was married
June 20, 1895, to WilHam R. Carroll, son of
Andrew J. Carroll, of Rock City, Dutchess
county. Mr. Feller and his wife are worthy
members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, at
Red Hook, and endeavor to carry out in their
lives its moral teachings. They are straight
forward and reliable, industrious, energetic and
progressive, and are highly esteemed and re
spected by all who know them. Their daugh
ter, Mrs. Carroll, and her husband are both
also members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church
at Red Hook.

fENRY MYGATT, who is one of the
prominent agriculturists of the town of
Amenia, Dutchess county, has spent almost
his entire life in that township, his birth hav
ing occurred on his father's farm near Sharon
Station, August i, 1846. As a man of in-
flence, public-spirited and liberal, this brief
record of his history will be more than ordi
narily interesting to those who are identified
in any way with* the interests of Dutchess
county. Thomas Mygatt, his grandfather, came

from New Faireliild-, Conn,, in 1772, and
purchased land near Sharon Station, in Amenia
town. He was a descendant in the sixth gen
eration of Deacon Joseph Mygatt, one of that
company of Puritans who landed on the
shores of New England in 1633, and three
years later went with Rev. Mr. Hooker to
start a settlement at Hartford, Conn. He
became a wise counsellor in that new Com
monwealth. The father of Thomas was a
citizen of Danbury, Conn., and was distin
guished for his enterprise and thrift. After
coming to Dutchess county, Thomas Mygatt
married Miss Annie Watrous, a native of the
town of. Amenia, by whom he had two sons,
Ambrose and Abram. As a life occupation he
followed agricultural pursuits.
In Amenia town, in 181 1, Abram Mygatt,
the father of our subject, was born, and he was
educated in the district schools near his home.
He was united in marriage with Miss Louisa
Rundall, a daughter of Jacob Rundall, and to
them were born four children: Julia, wife of
Dr. I. N. Mead; Anna; Henry; and Laura,
wife of H. B. Murdock. The father carried
on farming near Sharon Station until 1851,
when he removed to the present residence of
our subject, and there lived untH 1869. The
remainder of his life was passed in the viHage
of Amenia, where he passed away in 1892.
In politics he was identified with the Demo
cratic party, and religiously was one of the
active members of the Presbyterian Church at
Amenia, being a liberal contributor when the
house of worship was erected.
The boyhood and youth of our subject
were passed in much the usual manner of
farmer lads, his home being at his present
residence, while his primary education was
obtained in the district schools of the neigh
borhood. Later, for four or five years, he at
tended the Amenia Seminary, and then spent
one year at the Poughkeepsie Military Insti
tute. On October 30, 1868, Mr. Mygatt mar
ried Miss Alice M. Frost, of ConnersviHe,
Ind., and they have two daughters, Louisa
and Laura, twins.
In October, 1876, our subject removed to
ConnersvHle, where he engaged in farming
untH AprH, 1886, when he returned to the old
home farm in the town of Amenia, and there
has since resided. For six years he accepta
bly served as assessor of his township, being
elected on the Democratic ticket, which
party he always supports.

748

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

i^AVID V. MOORE, one of the reliable
and progressive young business men of the
town of Beekman, Dutchess county, is success
fully engaged in general merchandising at
Clove VaHey. A native of Dutchess county,
he vvas born in the town of Unionvale, August
4, 1869. The Moore family, to which our
subject belongs, came to this country from
County Antrim, Ireland, and they derived their
name from living on or near a boggy heath.
The first to locate on the Emerald Isle came
from Maernen, and from Thomas de Moore,
who went to the British Isles in 1066, the year
of the Conquest, are descended the Earls of
Mount Cashel and Drogheda. In this country
the family have principally belonged to the
Society of Friends.
Our subject traces his ancestry back to
William Moore, who was born on Long Island,
and there engaged in farming throughout life.
His son, Andrew Moore, was also there born,
but when a young man became a resident of
Dutchess county, and was a farmer and miller
by occupation. He married Miss Elizabeth
Dorland, who was born at Hempstead, Long
Island, in May, 1740. Her father, Samuel
Dorland, was a native of the same place, and
the son of Lamerest Dorland, who came from
Holland to America in 1663 on the vessel
named the ' ' Spotted Cow. " To Andrew Moore
and wife were born ten children, namely: An
nie, who first married a Mr. Merritt, and after
his death wedded Isaac Thorn, of the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, and died in 1838;
Mary, who wedded Daniel Haight, and died
in 1887; WiHiam, who married Mary Oakley,
and died in 1849; Samuel, who married Eliza
beth Pitcher, and died in 1885; Stephen, from
whom our subject is descended; Gilbert, who
died in infancy; Elizabeth, whomarried James
Ellison, and died in 1824; Arletty, who mar
ried Jonathan Holmes, and died in 18 14; Al
len, who married a Miss UnderhHI, and after
her death wedded Eliza Wooley, and died in
1826; and Andrew, who married Sarah Oak
ley, and died in 1885.
Stephen Moore, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was born at Verbank, the town of
Lagrange, Dutchess county, and on reaching
manhood wedded Miss Ruth Clark, whose
birth occurred near New Bedford, Mass. Her
people were also members of the Society of
Friends, and her grandfather, Lawrence Clark,
was a native of England. Her father, Jona
than Clark, was born in Rhode Island, and

came to Dutchess county witn his family when
a young man, where he engaged in farming.
For fifteen years after his marriage, Stephen
Moore lived at Verbank, and later removed
to Moores Mill, where he conducted the
milling business, and which place was named
in his honor. In his family were twelve chil
dren, as follows: (i) Anna married Jesse
Congdon, a farmer of Lagrange town. (2)
Stephen went to Alabama, where he engaged
in the practice of medicine, and there died; he
married Emily Brooks, a native of that State.
(3) Elizabeth married John Thorn, a farmer of
the town of Washington, Dutchess county.
(4) Alfred, who was a farmer and miller of
Unionvale town, married Charlotte Haviland.
(5) Philip was the grandfather of our subject.
(6) Susan married Dr. WHlet Dorland, of Can
ada. (7) Lydia married William Akin, a
farmer of Pawling town, Dutchess county. (8)
William was an agriculturist, and died unmar
ried. (9) Jonathan, a farmer of Lagrange
town, married Jane Underbill. (10) Ruth
married Joseph Flagler. (11) Content mar
ried William Osborn, a farmer of Pawling
town. (12) Mary is single. The father of
these children died June 9, 1851, the mother
on December 16, 1868. He was a devout
Christian, and left behind him wealth and a
good name.
Ruth Moore, of the above family, was
born at Moores MHl, and in AprH, 1835,
married Joseph Flagler, who was born in La
grange town in 1803. and was the son of Paul
Flagler, a native of the same town. Joseph
grew to manhood on the home farm there, and
in that town carried on agricultural pursuits
untH 1865, when with his wife he removed to
Poughkeepsie, where he lived retired untH his
death, February 13, 1881. He was oneof
the first directors of the First National Bank
of that city, and was a Republican in politics.
He was an honorable, upright man and sin
cere Christian, an elder in the Church with
which he was connected. His faithful wife
still survives him.
Philip Moore, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in the town of Unionvale, and
was there reared upon a farm. He married
Sally A. Losee, a native of Washington town,
where her father, Samuel Losee, carried on
farming. Her people were of Holland origin.
After their marriage they located upon a farm
in Unionvale town, where they reared their
family of six children — Maria L. , who married

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

749

Joseph Wicks, a farmer of Lagrange town;
Anna, who married Smith G. Levings, a farm
er of Rensselaer county, N. Y.; Stephen, father
of our subject; Samuel, who is a miller by
trade; Henry C, who was a farmer, but is
now deceased; and William, an agriculturist
of Moores Mill. The grandfather carried on
farming during his entire life, dying in 1892.
He was a Republican in politics, and an or
thodox Quaker in religious belief. His wife
is stHl Hving.
Stephen Moore, the father of our subject,
was born in the village of Oswego, in the town
of Unionvale, October 6, 1839, and there ac
quired his elementary education. He later
attended school in Poughkeepsie, and after
finishing his education returned to the home
farm. In 1869 he was united in marriage
with Miss Martha A. Vincent, a daughter of
David D. Vincent, who was supervisor of the
town of Unionvale for thirteen years. Our
subject was the only child born of this union,
and was only four years old when his mother
died. His father was again married, this
time in 1884, to Florence E. Latten, who
died, leaving one son, Oscar, whose death oc
curred in 1889. In 1890 Stephen Moore
wedded NelHe F. Taber, daughter of William
F. Taber, a farmer of Pawling town, and they
have two children: Louella P. T. and Elma
H. Upon the old home farm in Unionvale
town the father continued to reside until 1891,
when he removed to his present farm in East
Fishkill town, comprising 320 acres of good
land. For seventeen years he served as road
commissioner of the former township, and he is
an ardent Republican in politics.
David D. Vincent, the maternal grand
father of our subject, was a native of the town
of Dover, Dutchess county, and the son of
Isaac and Martha (Duncan) Vincent, the for
mer a merchant on Chestnut Ridge in that
town. When a young man David went to the
Clove in the town of Unionvale, where for over
forty years he engaged in merchandising, and
there spent his last days. By his marriage
with Phoebe Preston he had three chHdren,
namely: (i) Isaac married Mary Albro, by
whom he had three children — Phebe, David D.
and Martha Louise; (2) Martha A. was the
mother of our subject; and (3) Obed married
Ella Vincent, by whom he had a daughter.
Hazel. The three chHdren are all now de
ceased. When thirteen years of age, David V.

Moore, whose name introduces this sketch,
went to live with his grandfather, David D.
Vincent, in the town of Unionvale, and at the
age of eighteen years assumed the management
of a farm in the town of Beekman, which is
owned by himself and Mrs. Margaret Galla
gher. In February, 1894, he began general
merchandising at Clove Valley, in Beekman
town, where he has since successfully conducted
business and erected his present store building.
He is a wide-awake, energetic business man,
who deals squarely and liberally with his pa
trons, and merits the confidence of the com
munity. On December 2, 1891, Mr. Moore was
married to Miss Minnie Vincent, daughter of
Edwin Vincent, and they have two interesting
children: Edna and Vincent. Mr. Moore has
always been a stanch Republican, was elected
supervisor of Beekman town in the spring of
1892, which position he filled for two success
ive terms, and in the spring of 1896 was again
elected. In September, 1895, he was also ap
pointed assistant postmaster of Clove Valley.
He is a popular and influential citizen, and has
many warm friends throughout the community.

WALTER B. THOMAS is a leading
 farmer of the town of Amenia, Dutch
ess county, having resided upon his present
place since i860. Go into any village, town
or city in this great country of ours, seek out
the men who are the leaders in spirit, thought
and action, learn the history of their lives and
you will find that nearly all of them are self-
made men, who have risen by their efforts to
positions of prominence and prosperity. This
fact illustrates most aptly one of the salient
features of our American civiHzation. There is
an opportunity offered here under our emblem
of liberty for every human being to work out and
develop the best there is in him. To this class
of self-made men belongs Mr. Thomas.
He traces his ancestry back to John
Thomas, who was born April 10, 1725, and
December 22, 1746, married Sarah Gifford,
who was born April 12, 1720. In their family
were seven children, whose names and dates of
birth are as follows: Mehitable, October i,
1747; Charles, November 25, 1749; John,
June 20, 175 1 ; Sarah, May 15, 1753; Martha,
March 19, 1755; Elizabeth, June 2, 1757; and
Stephen, March 28, 1759.
Charles Thomas, the grandfather of our

750

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

subject, was married December 5, 1770, to
Elizabeth Lake, who was born October 15,
1750, and died AprH 14, 1837. His death
occurred January 26, 1824. He was a devout
Christian, a faithful member of the Society of
Friends. His family consisted of the following
chHdren: Phebe, born August 26, 1771;
James L., born February 8, 1773; Elizabeth
and Sarah, twins, born May 26, 1775, and the
latter of whom died October 26, 1826; Anna,
born March 24, 1778, and died April 20, 1820;
Rebecca, born April 19, 1780; Mary, born
July 22, 1782, and died AprH 21, 1827; Mar
garet, born AprH 15, 1785, and died Septem
ber 29, 1785; Catherine, born September 22,
1786; Charles B., born May 2, 1789; and Jane,
born January II, 1792, and died September
20, 1801.
Charles B. Thomas, the father of our sub
ject, was a native of the town of Unionvale,
Dutchess county, and for a companion and
helpmeet on life's journey chose Miss Mary
Ingraham, who was born March 6, 1791.
Their wedding was celebrated November 13,
1 81 3, and they became the parents of six chil
dren: Jane Ann, born October 22, 1814, died
January i, 1891; John, born April 5, 1817,
died September 19, 1833; Walter B,, next in
order of birth; Phebe D. , bornAugust i, 1821,
married Smith Doughty; Daniel L. , born Octo
ber 23, 1823, died March 29, 1892; and Sarah
Maria, born October 28, 1826, died June 14,
1851. The father was educated in the com
mon schools of Unionvale town, and there
engaged in farming. By birthright he belonged
to the Society of Friends, and was a highly
respected and honored citizen of the com
munity where he made his home. He departed
this life February 5, 1861, and the mother of
our subject had long preceded him to the other
world, dying July 15, 1833.
Walter B. Thomas was born in Unionvale
town, March 6, 18 19, and received such an
education as the district schools of the neigh
borhood afforded. At the age of seventeen
years he left the parental roof and began work
ing in a stone quarry at Verbank, Dutchess
county, receiving the munificent salary of six
cents per day and board, while he was com
pelled to sleep in a wagon house. The follow
ing spring he went to Poughkeepsie, where he
was employed by Henry K. Free upon the
"Exchange Hotel", which was then being
built, and with that gentleman learned the
carpenter's trade, which he subsequently fol

lowed at Verbank for two years. After re
maining a year and a half at Salt Point,
Dutchess county, he removed to Bangall,
where he worked at his trade for two years,
and in 1844 came to Amenia, there engaging
in wagon-making in partnership with his brother
Daniel. He followed that business untH his
removal to his present place, and, in connec
tion with its operation, still carried on wagon-
making for a time. He enjoyed a liberal
patronage in that line, and in his agricultural
pursuits has also met with a well-deserved
success. In early life he supported the Whig
party, but since its dissolution has been a stal
wart Republican, and is one of the highly es
teemed and valued citizens of Amenia town.
In the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, January 21, 1843, Mr. Thomas was
united in marriage with Jane Ann McFarlin,
daughter of Abram McFarlin, and they had
four children: Ann Eliza, born August 24,
1845, married Morgan C. White, and they
have one son, Herkimer; Charles B., born May
20, 1847, died August 5, 1851; John D., born
June II, 1850, married Carrie Tabor, by whom
he has three children, Walter J., Dudley and
Chester; and Henry J., born September 9,
1854, wedded Mary Fields. The wife and
mother passed away October 20, 1872, and at
Amenia, January 18, 1882, Mr. Thomas was
again married, his second wife being Jane E.
Wheeler, daughter of Gilbert Noxon, of La
grange, Dutchess county.

C\HARLES TOWNSEND, a prominent
^1 young agriculturist of the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, is one of the most progress
ive and successful men of that locality. His
ability in his chosen calling is not to be won
dered at, in view of the fact that many pre
vious generations have followed it with marked
success. The old home of the famHy is in
the town of Kent, Putnam county, where a
large tract of land, on what has long been
known as Townsend Ridge, was acquired by
an early ancestor, and has ever since been in
the possession of his descendants.
Samuel Townsend, our subject's great
grandfather, resided there, a'rid his son War
ren, our subject's grandfather, who was born
in 1800, was one of the most influential men
of the locality, holding the office of justice of
the peace for many years. He married Betsey

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

751

CaldweH, and had seven children: John, our
subject's father; Edgar, who lives at Patterson,
Putnam county; Mariette, the wife of George
Hughson; Charlotte, who married Coleman
Hughson; Thomas and Keeler, both deceased;
and EH, who resides at Carmel, Putnam
county. John Townsend was born in 1824, at
Townsend Ridge, and inherited a farm of 100
acres, where he lived untH 1867, when he
moved to Dutchess county, and bought from
William Pearce 230 acres of land about half a
mile north of the vHlage of Pawling. He
made of this one of the best farms of the town,
displaying marked ability as a manager, and
he made his home there until 1883, when he
sold the property to John B. Dutcher. In
1888 he moved to Bound Brook, N. J., and
purchased an estate, where he is now success
fully engaged in general farming. He is a
man of much public spirit, a member of the
Baptist Church, and a Republican in politics,
being one of the chief advisers of the party in
his locality. He is not a seeker after official
honors, but has been town auditor and assessor
for a number of terms. His first wife, our
subject's mother, was Anna Maria Ludington
(daughter of Frederic Ludington), by whom he
had four children: Fred, a resident of Dan
bury, Conn. ; Harriet, the wife of DeWitt
Burr; Charles, our subject; and Warren, who
died in infancy. By his second wife, Sarah
E. Dykeman, he has had two children: Fan
nie, the wife of James E. Baldwin; and George
H. , who is at home.
Charles Townsend was born at the old
homestead November 20, 1857, and, after
attending the public schools of his native place
for some time, spent three years at Wilbraham
Academy, and one winter at the Eastman Busi
ness College, Poughkeepsie. Of these advan
tages he has made good use, and his later read
ing has kept him well posted upo-n all topics of
general interest. His first venture into the
world of business was as a clerk in the dry-
goods house of Lord & Taylor, on Grand street.
New York, and after one year in that capacity
he was promoted to the office of cashier. He
spent neariy three years with this firm, and
then engaged in the mHk business, but in 1880
he left the city to* follow the free and inde
pendent life of a farmer, purchasing of Albert
Corbin the property near Pawling, Dutchess
county, known as the Stockholm farm. It
contains 1 40 acres, and, under Mr. Townsend's

skHlful management, is one of the best farms
in the town.
He was married in November, 1880, to
Mary E. Sherwood, daughter of Stephen P.
Sherwood, and a descendant of the Stark
family, famous for patriotism and valor in
Revolutionary times. Three children were
born to them: Carrie L. ; Anna B., deceased;
and Edith A. Mr. Townsend and his family
attend the Baptist Church, and he is prominent
in local affairs, being pronounced in his views
and courageous in expression, traits which
characterized his ancestors before him. His
well-proved ability and public spirit have
gained him the confidence of his neighbors,
and he has been elected assessor on tbe Repub
lican ticket for the last seven years. He is
now justice of the peace and president of the
village board of health.

ERMAN PULVER, one of the active,
prominent and most enterprising citizens
of the town of Pine Plains, is there engaged in
general farming and carpentering. He was
born in Columbia county, N. Y., June 4,
1833, and is of Holland descent. The place
which he now occupies has been in the family-
for many years, and Pulvers Corners was also
named in honor of its members.
William W. Pulver, the grandfather of our
subject, was born at Pulvers Corners, Dutchess
county, August 18, 1773, and lived for many
years upon the farm now occupied by Mrs.
Carskaden, in the town of Ancram, Columbia
county, but his last days were passed at Pul
vers Corners, where he departed this life March
22, 1 86 1. As an agriculturist he was very
successful, and though he began with nothing,
at his death was worth about $100,000. By
his marriage with Christiana Millions, who was
born May 18, 1780, he had eleven children,
whose names and dates of birth are as follows
John, 1 801; WiHiam, 1804; Henry, 1806
Catherine, 1808; Polly, 18 10; Jacob, 181 2
Levi, 1 8 14; Peter, 18 16; Anthony, 1818
Esther, 182 1 ; and Harman W., 1824. These
children lived in the vicinity of Pulvers Cor
ners. Their mother died May 28, 1872, aged
ninety-two years.
John Pulver, the father of our subject, was
born in Columbia county, N. Y., November
10, 1 80 1, and although his school privHeges
were Hmited he became a well-informed man

752

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

as he was ever a great reader. By occupation
he was a farmer, and followed that pursuit near
Ancram, N. Y. , for some time, and then for
seven years engaged in the cultivation of a
farm three-quarters of a mile from Ancram
Lead Mines. He next removed to what is
known as the Brookside farm, which is one of
the oldest places in the locality, there having
been at one time an English church, a grist-
mHl, tannery and fulling-mHl upon the land,
and also at three different times blacksmith
shops had been located there. It was in 1847
that he purchased that farm, which then con
sisted of 3572 acres; he added to it until it now
comprises 368 acres of the best farming land
to be found in the locality. He was an able
man, of good business ability and sound judg
ment, careful and cautious in his dealings, very
temperate in his habits, and was held in the
highest regard by his fellow-citizens. Though
not particularly active in politics, he was a
stanch supporter of the Republican party, and
for over fifty years he was a faithful member of
the Baptist Church. He was twice married,
his first union, March 31, 1831, being with
Emma Curtis, who was born in Columbia
county, August i, 1807, and died AprH 11,
1837. To them were born two children:
Herman, of this review; and Emma, who was
born November 25, 1836. On November 5,
1840, Mr. Pulver wedded Caroline Thompson,
who was born October 27, 18 16. After a long
and useful life he was called to his final rest
January 20, 1891, at the advanced age of
ninety years.
After pursuing his studies for a time in the
district schools, Herman Pulver was for a few
months a student at CollinsvHle, Conn., and
completed his education at Saugerties, just
across the river in Ulster county, where he re
mained for five months. Since laying aside
his text books he has devoted his time and at
tention to the cultivation of the old homestead,
in which he has been quite successful, and has
worked at the carpenter's trade. Being of a
mechanical turn of mind, he is able to do al
most any kind of labor along that line.
On November 19, 1868, Mr. Pulver was
united in marriage with Miss Carrie E. Thomp
son, who was born in Birmingham, Conn,,
July 21, 1848, and they have become the par
ents of four children: John Duncan, who was
born October 15, 1869, and is now a carpenter
by trade; and Elbertine M,,born December i,
1871; Emma B., born July 23, 1877; and

Charles Herbert, born March 4, 1881, aH at
home. In the exercise of his elective franchise, Mr.
Pulver generally supports the men and meas
ures of the Republican party, but has never
taken an active part in political affairs. He is
pubHc-spirited and enterprising, aiding in
everything for the welfare and advancement of
his town and county, and his honor and integ
rity are unimpeachable. A true and sincere
Christian, he is a faithful member of the Bap
tist Church.

E

EDMOND BUTLER, a farmer and breeder

 of blooded stock, is a native of Ireland,
born in County Waterford, August 15, 1832, a
son of Edmond and Ellen (Stack) Butler, both
also natives of the Emerald Isle.
Edmond Butler, Sr., the father of our sub
ject, was the youngest in the family of seven
children born to John and Mary (Whalen)
Butler, the others being: Mary, who married
a Mr. Welch, a farmer in Ireland; Abigail,
who married John Ormond, a farmer in Ohio;
Hanorah, who became the wife of Peter Mc-
Graft, a school teacher, and, later, foreman of
a farm; Kate, who died unmarried; Bridget,
who married John O'Neal, a farmer in Ireland;
and Margaret, who became the wife of Edmund
Langley, of Ireland. Edmond Butler, Sr.,
followed the occupation of a farmer. By his
marriage with Ellen, daughter of John and
Margaret (Foley) Stack, he became the father
of seven children, of whom the following record
is given: Margaret married John Maroney,
formerly a farmer in Unionvale, now deceased;
Mary became the wife of Dennis Flynn, a
resident of St. Joseph, Mo. ; Bridget married
Nathan Conklin, a farmer; Ellen married
Valentine Rickes, a blacksmith in Millbrook;
John is a farmer in Ireland; Thomas farms in
the town of Washington; and Edmond is our
subject. The father of this family died in
Ireland in 1844, and the mother survived him
until 1863. They were faithful and consistent
members of the Roman Catholic Church.
John Stack, the maternal grandfather of
our subject, was a noted horseman. In his
family were chHdren, as foHows: Thomas,
Morris, John (who was one tif the finest riders
in Ireland), Richard, WiHiam, Bridget, Mar
garet, Ellen, Catherine, and Mary.
Edmond Butler, the subject proper of this
sketch, spent his early days in Ireland, and at

^Oly^^/^/Wd ,J^,^J^^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

753

the age of eighteen (in 1850) he took passage
in the "Martha J. Ward," for the New World.
On his arrival he went to live with the family
of Nicholas Haight, in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, remaining with them until
Mr. Haight's death, January 15, 1856, and
shortly afterward the son, James Haight, made
our subject promise to remain with the widowed
mother and her two daughters, Sallie and
Louisa, until their death, and also asked them
to remember Mr. Butler for his kindness to the
family. James Haight died October 12, 1859;
the widowed mother on December 25, 1864;
Louisa on March 5, 1875, and SaHie on April
I, 1891. The sisters, SalHe and Louisa, re
warded Mr. Butler for his kindness and long
faithfulness to the family by leaving him the
homestead and considerable other property.
He had only one settlement with the family,
and that was in 1865, shortly before his mar
riage; and when that event took place he
brought his bride to live on the Haight
family homestead, where they reared their
large family, and which they now own and
occupy. On October 8, 1865, Mr. Butler was mar
ried to Miss Ellen Cullinan, also a native of
County Waterford, Ireland, and a daughter of
Michael Cullinan, a farmer in that country.
Mr. and Mrs. Butler began their married life
on the present homestead, where the following
children were born: Janies H., July 18, 1866;
John M. , September 6, 1868; Thomas E.,
AprH 10, 1 871; Sally H., June 24, 1873, who
graduated with honors from the Eastman
Business College, Poughkeepsie, in 1891, and
is now bookkeeper for James Converse; Ed
mond, Jr., January 29, 1876; William C,
August 22, 1878; Louisa H., February 19,
1883; all of whom are single.
At one time Mr. Butler was the owner of
about 900 acres of land, and now owns about
500 acres, but farms about 1,000 acres. He
has been a general farmer, and has given much
attention to the breeding of blooded stock.
He has sold a great many fine horses to prom
inent people, and at present has about thirty-
one head on his place. He is very fond of
nice stock, especially horses, of which he is an
extensive breeder, and owns "Benjamin Har
rison," one of the promising stallions of the
county. Besides his own work he manages
the farm of James Converse, a wealthy farmer,
who has always about twenty-five head of
horses on the place. In politics Mr. Butler is
48

a Republican, and he and his family are Cath
olics. Although coming to America without
money, he has, by perseverance and hard
work, attained the position of one of the
wealthy citizens of his township. He is a pro
gressive and representative citizen, and takes
an active interest in all public matters.

EWRITT CONOVER occupies a place in
 'I the esteem of his fellow townsmen which
is a tribute to that genuine worth and true
nobleness of character which are universally
recognized and honored. Enterprise and in
dustry are numbered among his marked char
acteristics, and he has been an important fac
tor in advancing the general welfare and secur
ing the material development of the town of
Pleasant Valley.
Mr. Conover was born October 10, 1847,
in the town of Pleasant Valley. His father,
Peter Conover, was a native of the town of
Poughkeepsie, and the grandfather, Jacob
Conover, was a progressive farmer of Dutchess
county. He married Miss Van Kleeck, and
took up his abode on a farm in Poughkeepsie
town, where they reared a family of five chil
dren, namely: Peter, whose sketch follows;
Abram, an agriculturist of the town of Hyde
Park; Adrian, a farmer of the town of Pleasant
Valley; Barbara A., wifeof Merritt A. Mar
shall, a farmer who is now living in Pleasant
Valley; and Catherine, wife of Zachariah Van-
Wagner, who devotes his energies to agricultural
pursuits in this neighborhood. To the same call
ing the grandfather of our subject devoted his
life, and spent his last days in Pleasant Val
ley. During the Revolutionary war he was a
captain in the home guards.
Peter Conover spent his youth in the usual
manner of farmer lads, and after entering upon
his business career he chose, as a companion
and helpmeet on life's jo'urney, Miss Sarah Van-
Wagner, who was born in the town of Pleas
ant Valley, apd, like her husband, was of Hol
land lineage. They established their home
upon the farm where our subject now resides,
and their union was blessed with five children:
Evritt; Martha, wife of Frank Lamoree, who
operates a tract of land in the valley; Abram,
a farmer of the town of Clinton; Emily, wife
of Edwin Husted, a resident of the village of
Pleasant VaHey; and Nellie, wife of Frank
Knapp, a farmer of Clinton town. The par
ents have both passed away, leaving many

'754

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

warm friends to mourn their loss. They were
consistent members ofthe Presbyterian Church,
arid Mr. Conover was a Republican in his po
litical belief.
Evritt Conover, whose name introduces
this review, early became familiar with all the
duties of farm life, for at an early age he per
formed his quota of the work on the old home
stead. He obtained his education in the dis
trict schools, and then entered upon the more
responsible duties that come to one on laying
aside text-books and commencing a business
career. He is to-day the owner of lOo acres
of cultivable land, conveniently situated about
seven miles from Poughkeepsie, and carries on
general farming. He has a beautiful home
and substantial outbuildings, which are sur
rounded by fields of waving grain, and are
supplemented by all the conveniences and ac
cessories of a model farm of the nineteenth
century. In February, 1878, Evritt Conover was
married to Miss Allie Walters, who was born
in Cairo, town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
Co., N. Y. , a daughter of Edward Walters, a
farmer, merchant and miller. They now have
four children: Ethelyn, Rose, Robert and Har
old. The parents attend the Presbyterian
Church, and hold an enviable position in social
circles where true worth and intelligence are
received as the passports into good society.
Mr. Conover is a Republican in political belief,
and is deeply and actively interested in those
affairs Which pertain to the public welfare.

|r*;\EORGE S. HALSTED. The subject of
\^ this personal narration is one of the suc
cessful and progressive farmers resident within
the borders of the town of Hyde Park, and
may be termed one of the representative men
of his section, where he is engaged in general
farming. He has made his special field of in
dustry a success, and is highly esteemed and
respected by those who know him best. He
was born at Crum Elbow, in Hyde Park town,
September 14, 1853, and belongs to a family
that for several generations has been identified
with the history of Dutchess county.
David Halsted, his great-grandfather, was
one of the earliest settlers of the town of Beek
man, where from the primeval forest he de
veloped a farm and reared his family. He
belonged to the Society of Friends. He mar
ried, and became the father of seven children:

Stephen, Samuel, David, Jerusha, Prudence,
Phebe and Eunice.
David H. Halsted, the grandfather, was
born in the town of Beekman, where he spent
his boyhood days, and there owned two farms.
He married Miss Letitia Haviland, daughter
of Thomas Haviland, of Pawling, Dutchess
county, and the following chHdren were born
to them: Thomas, Amy, Moses and Eliza
beth, all deceased; David S. , father of our
subject; and Letitia, wife of Isaac Hewlett.
In 1832, the father of this family removed to
the town of Clinton, Dutchess county, where
he died two years later. In religious belief he
was a Friend.
The birth of David Sands Halsted, the
father of our subject, occurred in the town of
Beekman, March 28, 18 19, and he obtained
his education in the schools of the neighbor
hood. He accompanied the family to Clinton
town, and remained upon the home farm a few
years after his father's death. In his twentieth
year he purchased a farm in the town of Hyde
Park, on which he located after his marriage,
September 9, 1846, with Caroline W. Hew
lett, who was born in that town, November 14,
1830, and died May 15, 1866, in the town of
Lagrange, same county. Two children graced
their union: William D., bornAugust 5, 1848,
and George S. , of this review. In the town
of Pleasant Valley he was again married, June
10, 1868, hrs second union being with Mar
garet J. Allen Marshall, who was there born
March 6, 1832. He engaged in farming in
Hyde Park from 1839 untH 1859, during which
time he was elected inspector of elections for
the town on the Democratic ticket. Since the
latter year, however, he has made his home in
the town of Lagrange, where he has filled the
same position. On starting out in life he re
ceived about $1,500, and being very successful
in his business undertakings has been able to
assist his children. He has always attended
the Friends Church at Poughkeepsie, and is a
gentleman worthy the commendation of all.
For four years George S. Halsted attended
the Dutchess County Academy, under Stewart
Pelham, after which he pursued his studies for
two years in the Cary Academy, but completed
his education with Mr. Pelham, finishing the
entire course in 1872. On leaving school he
took up farming, and for many years worked
for his father, but in 1880 purchased the old
Sidney Livingston farm, removing upon the
place in the spring of that year. It comprises

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

755

sixty-five acrqs of rich and arable land, which
he has converted into one of the best farms
of the town. In 1880 Mr. Halsted was mar
ried to Miss Esther E. Dickinson, of West
chester county, N. Y., daughter of Henry
Dickinson, and they have become the parents
of three children: Ruth, CaroHne W., and
George D.
Politically, Mr. Halsted affiliates with the
Democratic party, and he is ranked as a man of
ability and enterprise, on account of which he
holds a good position among the people of the
community. In 1884 he was elected justice
of the peace to fiH a vacancy, and in 1888 and
1892 re-elected to the same office. He has
also been school trustee and assessor of his
district, and has done much toward getting the
postal facilities improved in his section. He
is prominently identified with the Dutchess
County Farmers Club, and is a charter mem
ber and one of the directors of the Farmers
Town Co-operative Insurance Company of
Hyde Park, while religiously he belongs to the
Hicksite Branch of the Society of Friends, at
tending meeting at Crum Elbow.

JAMES BLAIR. Among the most success
ful horticulturists, or gardeners, in thi^
country, there are few that are the peers of
the representatives of the Scotch-Irish race.
In the village of Grange, County Tyrone, Ire
land, our subject's birth occurred January 29,
1853, and he is a son of David Blair, who was
born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1804. His
grandfather, Robert Blair, was also a native
and farmer of the latter country, belonged to
one of its oldest famHies.
For twenty-five years the father followed
teaching at Cloughhag, County Derry, Ireland,
and continued to follow that profession until
• seventy-five years of age. He was a man of
more than ordinary abHity, highly educated,
and proved a competent instructor. He was
a particularly fine mathematician, and was one
of the representative men of the locality in
which he lived. He married Agnes, daughter
of James Foster, who was born in Ireland, but
was of Scotch descent. The parental house
hold included five children: Robert, a gar
dener, who died in 1889; James, of this sketch;
David, who is connected with a boot and shoe
house in Ireland; Margaret, who died at the
age of six years; and WHliam, who died in

1889. In 1889 the father was called to his
final rest, but the mother still makes her
home in Ireland.
Under his father's instruction, Mr. Blair,
of this review, received a good education, and
on leaving school at the age of seventeen had
charge of his father's farm for a year. Dur
ing the following four years he served an
apprenticeship at gardening at Killymoon Cas
tle, and then began as a journeyman with
Dickson & Co., of Edinburgh, Scotland, with
whom he remained a year. Sixteen months
were then passed on the estate of Lord Lam-
ington, in Lanarkshire, Scotland, and the fol
lowing six months he was again with Dickson
& Co. Going to Calendar Park, near Fal
kirk, in Stirlingshire, owned by William Forbes,
he remained there a year, after which for a
year and a half he worked for Earl Grey, at
Howick Hall, in Northumberland. For six
years and a half he was then foreman for Lord
Belper,, of Kingston Hall, in Nottinghamshire,
and on leaving his service returned to Ireland
for a short time, later gaining his experience in
fruit culture in Selkirk, Scotland, at The Tweed
Vineyard, where he remained two years.
In the year 1887, Mr. Blair determined to
try his fortune in America, and coming to Paw
tucket, R. I., he there served as head gardener
for Mr. Sales for about ayear; but, owing to
the death of two brothers and his father,
returned to Ireland. In 1889, however, he
came again to the New World, this time locat
ing at Yonkers, N. Y. , where he was head
gardener for Mrs. Lillenthal, at Belvour Park.
It was in 1890 that he came to Staatsburg,
and he has since been head gardener for Ogden
Mills, giving the best of satisfaction.
In 1889 Mr. Blair was married to Miss
Eliza Lloyd, of Shropshire, England, and they
have four children: David Edward, Agnes
Margaret, William James and Hilda Eliza.
Our subject belongs to St. Margaret's Episco
pal Church. He has the respect and confi
dence of all who know him, and January 2,
1895, was elected first president of the Dutch
ess County Horticultural Society.-

WILLIAM HERRICK, an old-time agri-
 culturist of large experience, is now
numbered among the most enterprising and
prosperous farmers of the town of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, by whose people he

756

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

is held in that reverence and respect tacitly
accorded those whose lives have been distin
guished by integrity and usefulness.
The Herricks under consideration come of
a prominent family of England, and the
descent of our subject is traced as follows:
Sir William Herrick, of Beau Manor Park,
Leicestershire, England; Henry; Ephraim;
Samuel; Stephen; Elijah, who was a captain
in the Revolutionary war; Ephraim (our sub
ject's grandfather), who was born at Amenia,
Dutchess county, married Anna Dixon, and
located in the town of Milan, where he estab
lished a Church; Ephraim, our subject's father;
and William (our subject). The first of the
family to come from England to America
located at Beverly Farms, Massachusetts.
Ephraim Herrick, father of WHHam, was
born and reared on his father's farm in the
town of MHan, Dutchess county. He married
Phoebe Albertson, a native of the town of Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, where his father, John
Albertson, a Hollander by descent, was a
farmer. After their marriage Ephraim Her
rick and his young wife located upon a farm in
the town of Milan, where children as follows
were born to them : John is a farmer in the
town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county; William
is the next in order of birth; Walter was
a practicing physician, and died January 13,
1895; Gurdon, who was an agriculturist in the
town of Milan, died April 28, 1894; James is a
speculator of that town; Elizabeth is the widow
of Isaac Sherwood, at one time a grocer of
the village of Rhinebeck; Susan died in infancy;
and Caroline married Henry Butts, a farmer
of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county.
The mother of these died, and four years later,
about 1835, Ephraim Herrick married Susan
Ann Andrews, by which union there were four
chHdren: Anna, George, Edward and Ephraim.
The father continued to follow the occupation
of farming until his death, in 1867. He was
a faithful member of Christ's Church; politic
ally he affiliated with the Democratic party,
and served as supervisor of his town, and county
superintendent of the poor.
William Herrick, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born September 28, 1818, in the
town of Milan, Dutchess county, and was
reared to manhood on the home farm, where
at an early age he became familiar with agri
cultural pursuits. In 1841 he married Eliza
beth Brown, who was born in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, a daughter of

Charles Brown, a native of Pawling, same
county, and a farmer and wagon maker by oc- ¦•
cupation. They began their domestic life
upon his father's place, whence at the end of
five years they removed to the present farm of "
our subject, where he has now resided for over ;
half a century. Four children blessed that ^
union: (i) Charles B., in his day a prominent J^
lawyer of Poughkeepsie, 'married Ada Van- ^
Benschoten, and died July 29, 1896; they had
no children. (2) Phoebe A. married Albert P. 1
Smith, a miller of Salt Point, Dutchess county "=%
(now deceased), and they had one son, Eugene /
Herrick Smith, who is in business in New^
York. (3) Sarah is a school teacher in Penn- "*"
sylvania. (4) Marshall, one of the leading ;
furniture dealers of Poughkeepsie, married s!
Julia AHen, and they have one son, Harold ''^
Allen Herrick. The mother of this family "^
died in i860, and October 26, 1865, William j
Herrick married/^ary Harris, a daughter of ^
Col. Israel Harris, of the town of Pine Plains, ^
Dutchess county, to which union has been^
born a daughter, Mary Elizabeth. X
Mr. Herrick has an excellent farm of 190
acres, which he has placed under a high state
of cultivation, and for many years has followed
general farming, including the raising of
blooded cattle, in which he makes a specialty
of Jersey cows, having at present a fine herd
of some thirty head of this breed. He also
sells cream to the Co-operative Creamery.
By industry and good management he has
made his farm one of the most highly culti
vated and improved in the locality.
Mr. Herrick is not a member of any
Church, but has been interested in the one at
Salt Point, N. Y. He is prominently identi
fied with the Democratic party, has ably
served as justice ofthe peace, and as assessor
and supervisor of his town. Surrounded by
loving kindred and friends, he is now nearing
the last milestone that marks the end of life's
journey. His record has been an honorable
one, his years have been fruitful with deeds of
usefulness and kindness, with malice toward
none and friendliness toward all who have come
under his influence, and he has gained the re
spect and honor of the whole community.

ElhENJAMIN K. WHITE. Among the agri-
 I culturists of Dutchess county who have
attained success through their own persever
ance, enterprise and good management, is the

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

151

gentleman whose name is here given. He is
now engaged in general farming in the town of
Stanford, and is complete master of the calling
which he is following. His sterling integrity
and honorable, upright manhood fully entitle
him to the position which he holds in the esti
mation of the people of the community.
Mr. White is a native of Dutchess county,
born October 3, 1859, near the vHlage of Beek
man, in the town of Beekman, and is a son of
Leonard and Mary (Wright) White, who died
when our subject was but an infant, the mother
in 1859, and the father the year following.
They were earnest members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and the father followed the
occupation of farming in the town of Beekman
up to the time of his death. Our subject was
taken by Dr. D. A. Knapp, of North Clove, in
the town of Unionvale, Dutchess county, with
whom he continued to live until reaching his
majority, and attended school at that place.
At the age of twenty-one he went to Fremont
county, Iowa, and later took up 160 acres of
land at Beatrice, Neb. On disposing of this
he went to St. Louis, where he was employed
in the stockyards with his brother Thomas for
two years and a half, when, being taken ill, he
returned to Dutchess county, and operated a
farm in the town of Unionvale for a year. He
then purchased his present place, to the culti
vation and improvement of which he devotes
his time and attention, and during the twelve
years of his residence there has made it one of
the most highly productive farms in the lo
cality. Dn January 13, 1880, Mr. White was mar
ried to Miss Frances M. Traver, daughter of
Philo and Mary Traver, and a son — Frederick
— was born to them August 2, 1890. They
are devoted to the interests of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, of which they are members.
In his political views Mr. White coincides with
the principles of the Republican party, but
takes no active part in politics, preferring to
give his time to his business affairs, and has
never accepted office.

W LBERT J. BUDD is a reliable and in-
,M%, telligent farmer of the town of Pleasant
Valley, where his birth occurred August 16,
1830. His father, James Budd, was one of
the twelve children of John Budd, and our sub
ject is the youngest in a family of twelve. One

of his brothers, Joseph, is the father of, James
H. Budd, the Governor of California, whHe
another brother, Joel Budd, is a prominent
resident of Hyde Park. The primary educa
tion of our subject was obtained in the district
schools, and he later pursued his studies for
some time in Amenia Seminary, also at Rhine
beck and Amsterdam, N. Y. After leaving
the school room he turned his attention to
agricultural pursuits.
On October 16, 1853, Mr. Budd was united
in marriage with Miss Kate S. Stoutenburgh,
who was born in the town of Pleasant Valley,
in 1837, and is the eldest child of Tobias and
Maria (Albertson) Stoutenburgh, the former
born in the town of Hyde Park January 29,
1806, and the latter in the town of Pleasant
Valley, July 18, 1809. Her sister, Mary, is
the wife of Dr. Merritt Dutcher, a practicing
physician of Owego, N. Y. Religiously, her
father was a Baptist, and his poHtical support
was formerly given to the Whig party, he later
becoming a stanch Republican. Her grand
father, Isaac Stoutenburgh, was the son of Will
iam Stoutenburgh, one of the Nine Partners
who came to this country and took up a large
tract of land, thus becoming one ofthe earliest
settlers of this locality.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Budd
began their domestic life upon their present
farm, and their household was brightened by
the presence of eight children: James T., a
farmer of Pleasant Valley town; Frederick,
who was a lawyer and farmer, and died in
Pleasant Valley; Caroline, wife of Oliver
Wood, also a farmer of the same township;
Lillian, deceased wife of Byron Conklin, an
agriculturist; Isaac A., a farmer of Clinton
town, Dutchess county; Mary A., wife of
David S. Van De Water, a farmer of Pough
keepsie town; Walter, an agriculturist of
Pleasant Valley town; and Willard, vvho died
in infancy. Mr. Budd has been successful in
his life work, and owns a fine farm of 108
acres, where, in connection with general farm
ing, he makes a specialty of the manufacture of
butter. He is progressive in his methods, and
on his place are seen all the conveniences and
accessories of a model farm of the nineteenth
century. His political views are in accordance
with those of the Republican party, and he
has served as justice of the peace. To the
Baptist Church he and his wife contribute lib
erally, and they enjoy the esteem of the entire
neighborhood.

758

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

JOHN A. MONFORT. The fine farm owned
by this gentleman, in the town of Lagrange,
Dutchess county, is a standing monument
to his industry, perseverance and good man
agement. He comes under the category of
self-made men, having been thrown upon his
own resources early in life, and has succeeded
only by the exercise of his steady, plodding
labors, both mental and physical. At the
present time he is one of the prominent repre
sentatives of the agricultural interests of Dutch
ess county.
Our subject was born April 6, 1818, and his
boyhood days were passed inthe town of Beek
man, Dutchess county, where he attended
school. He remained upon the home farm until
his father's death, when, at the age of seventeen
years, he was obliged to start out in life for
himself. Removing to the town of Lagrange,
he there worked for S. L. Lockwood until he
was twenty-two. On October 6, 1841, he was
married to Miss Julia Ann PhiHips, who was
born August 6, 1824, daughter of Thomas H.
PhHlips, of the town of Lagrange, and one
child graced their union, Mary Louisa, born
February 11, 1845, who, on October 10, 1866,
was united in marriage with Frederick I.
Knapp, by whom she had two chHdren: John
M. and Effie Beatrice; but she was called from
this Hfe June 9, 1876.
After his marriage Mr. Monfort operated a
farm in the town of Lagrange for a year, after
which he followed the same pursuit in Fishkill
town, Dutchess county, for six years. For
nine years he was then engaged in farming in
the southern part of Lagrange town, and on
the expiration of that time came to this present
farm, which he cultivated for ten years, but
the following five years were passed in Pough
keepsie, after which he returned to his farm in
Lagrange town, where he has resided since
1874. On October 6, .1891, Mr. Monfort and
his faithful wife celebrated their golden wed
ding, having traveled life's journey together
for fifty years, sharing with each other its joys
and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity.
They are now well advanced in years, and
have reason to feel that their lives have not
been spent in vain. They have endeavored to
exercise the kindly spirit of charity and benev
olence, to do good as they have opp'ortunity,
and proved the friends and sympathizers of
those less fortunate.
Henry A. Monfort, father of our subject,
was born in the town of Fishkill, June 25,

1778. On December 2, 1801, he married
Miss Maria Phillips, who was born November
27, 1780, and they became the parents of six
chHdren: Susan, Eliza, Albert H., Aletty
Maria, Jane and John Angevine.
Thomas H. PhHlips, the father of Mrs.
Monfort, was a native of Dutchess county,
born in the town of Fishkill, February 4, 1794. .
He married Miss Rachel Brower, who was
born January 7, 1794, and they became the
parents of five children: Mary Ellen, who died
March 25, 1836; Cornelius; JuHa Ann; and
Sylvanius and Susan E. , who live on Smith
street, Poughkeepsie.
\ 
GRACE JENKS, a prominent agricult-
IL urist of the town of Northeast, Dutchess
county, is of English descent on both sides of
the family. His paternal grandfather, WilHam
Jenks, wasborn October 5, 1775, and was for
some time an iron manufacturer on Staten
Island. He came to Dutchess county in 1795,
and located at LeedsvHle, where he became
interested in the flax business, supplying that
material in large quantities to the North Fac
tory. He was married November 3, 1795, to
Sarah Mygatt. They died within a year of
each other, Mr. Jenks, May 18, 1824, and his
wife, February 14, 1825. They had nine
children, whose names with dates of birth are
as foHows: George, June 24, 1798; Myra,
September 29, 1800; MHes, July 30, 1802;
William, February 29, 1804; Luther Pardee,
May 30, 1806; Sally Ann, November 18, 1809;
Thomas M., November 30, 181 1; Edward,
March 29, 18 14; and Eli Starr, April 22, 18 16.,
Miles Jenks, our subject's father, was a man
of great energy, and, although he died in early
life, he had given evidence of unusual abHity.
He engaged in the hotel business and in black
smithing at LeedsviHe, and during the summers
he also bought and butchered stock. In 1 829 he
went to Michigan, where he remained for a
year, purchasing, whHe there, 1,000 acres of
land in Oakland county. He died September
18, 1836. His wife, formerly Betsey ConkHn,
to whom he was married January i, 1824,
survived him until September 30, 1853. Of
their four children our subject is the only one
now Hving. WiHiam H. , born October 26, 1 824,
was a painter in the town of Northeast, where
he died August 22, 1893; Selah N., born Sep
tember 7, 1829, died January 7, 1893; he was
a merchant in the village of MHIerton, and

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

759

also a musician and bandmaster, teaching
music throughout the neighboring towns and
viHages. Mary Jane, born August 14, 1833,
died August 19, 1884; she married Myron
Pitcher, who survived her nine years, dying
November 2, 1893.
The subject of our sketch, the second son,
wasborn December 30, 1826, attended the
public schools of Amenia during early boy
hood, but did not receive much schooling after
the age of nine years. After his father's death
he lived for one year with his uncle, Horace
ConkHn, on the farm once owned by the late
Ezra Clark, and now owned by Leonard Bar
ton. The next two years he spent with Hiram
Wheeler, and in 1838 he accompanied his un
cle, Horace ConkHn, to Binghamton, Broome
Co., N. Y., where he remained four years.
In 1842 he came back to his native county, in
charge of a drove of cattle, belonging to his
uncle, and began to work for Lawrence and
Milton Wheeler on their farm in the town of
Northeast, and later he apprenticed himself to
Daniel Platt, a well-known mason, for two
years, at three shillings per day.
On completing his term he formed a part
nership with Mr. Platt, which lasted five
years, their work extending to different por
tions of the towns of Amenia and Northeast.
For about seven years after the dissolution of
their partnership Mr. Jenks carried on his
trade alone, and in the spring of 1856 he went
to Davenport, Iowa, and then to Henry Co.,
111., where he engaged in buying and herding
cattle for a short time. Later he went to Pon
tiac, Mich., and worked at his trade, but in
1857 he returned to Dutchess county. Until
1864 he was a successful drover, buying his
own cattle in Vermont and central New York,
and selling to the farmers in Northeast and
vicinity. He then entered the employ of C.
S. Maltby, as wood and coal agent, supplying
the Phoenix and Millerton iron furnaces. 'This
responsible position he held for twenty-one
years; but since his retirement he has been en
gaged in farming in a small way. He is a
man of sound business judgment, noted for
his shrewdness and caution, and his advice is
valued in financial circles. For the past three
years he has been a director of the Millerton
National Bank.
On March 3, 1880, Mr. Jenks was inarried
to Miss Jennie Lord, a descendant of one of
the old families of the town of Northeast, and
a daughter of Newman and Malinda (Hise

rodt) Lord, prominent residents of Spencers
Corners. They have one son. Miles Lord
Jenks, born May 14, 1883. Newman Lord
was born November 12, 1808, in the town of
Northeast, Dutchess county, and his wife, Ma
linda (Hiserodt), on January 28, 1828. They
were married September 17, 1855, and had
four daughters, Mrs. Jenks being the only one
who grew to womanhood. She was borp
August 7, 1856. The father passed frorn
earth June 19, 1894; the mother is yet living,
Mr. Lord's father, Ethan Lord, by occupa
tions a painter and a farmer, as was also the son,
was born July 14, 1776, in Connecticut, and
died July 4, 1866. He married Ruth Dakin,
and they had four children: Jenette, New^
man, Cornelia and Olivia, all now deceased,
Ruth Dakin, wife of Ethan Lord, was born
September 8, 1785, and died January 10,
1852; she was a daughter of Simon Dakip,
and a granddaughter of Elder Simon Dakin,
the first stationed Baptist minister of this
place. He was born January 27, 1721, and
died September ig, 1803. Simon Dakin, Jr.,
was born September 16, 1757, and died July
12, 1830.
In public affairs our subject has always
shown a generous interest on the side of prog
ress. Politically he is a Republican, but has
not taken an active share in the work of the
party. He is affiliated with the Masonic fra
ternity, and has been a member of the Order
of American Mechanics.

JACOB S. TOWNSEND, a well-known resi
dent of the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, is one of the successful agricultur
ists of that locality.
Mr. Townsend's ancestors were early set
tlers in Arthursburg, Dutchess county, and his
grandfather, Tredwell Townsend, was born
there January 9, 1780, and became a promi
nent farmer. His educational opportunities
were limited to an attendance at the local
schools, but he was a man of intelligence, tak
ing much interest in public questions. In poli
tics he was a Democrat, and represented his
town on the board of supervisors several terms.
He married Miss Anna Dorland, who was born
August 31, 1782. They had nine children,
whose names, with dates of birth, are as fol
lows: Zachariah F. , AprH i, 1802; John, Sep
tember 12, 1803; Edgar, December 14, 1805;
Enoch, October 17, 1807; Samuel, August 18,

760

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

i8ii; GHbert, May 6, 1815; GHbert D., March
15,1817; Mary, July 27, 1 8 19; and Catharine,
July 13, i82T>
Edgar Townsend, father of our subject,
was born in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess
county, and was educated there at the com
mon schools. He taught school for some time
in early manhood, and later he engaged in
farming. He married Miss Eurana Jolly, and
their chHdren were as follows: Jacob S., born
November 10, 1834; Mary E., May 22, 1836;
and Catharine A., March 11, 1838.
Jacob S. Townsend, our subject, was born
and educated in Seneca county, N. Y. In early
life he learned the blacksmith trade, at which
he worked a few years, engaging later in agri
culture. He is a Democrat in politics, but
never held any important town office. He
married Miss Cordelia Washburn, daughter of
Daniel Washburn, a prosperous farmer of
Unionvale, and his wife, Sarah Morey. Mr.
Townsend's home has been brightened by three
daughters: (i) Mary, born December 21, i860,
is at home. (2) Sarah was born February 5.,
1863, in LagrangevilleV Dutchess county, and
was educated there. She married George W.
Gibney, a tinsmith of PawHng, and they have
three chHdren— Willie T., born July 8, 1888;
Ethel M., born March 8, 1894; and Florence
A., born February 18, 1896. (3) Carrie Town-
send was born January 2, 1865, in Lagrange-
ville, Dutchess county, and was educated in
the local schools. She married Walter EHs
worth, an employe of the N. Y. C. R. R. They
have had one child, Arthur, who was born
October 3, 1891, and died February 21, 1893.

ip\EORGE R. SHAW. The subject of this
^^ sketch, one of the prosperous agriculturists
of this section, has lived a long and active life,
been more than ordinarily successful in his
chosen vocation, and reared in intelligence and
comfort a large family. He is a native of
Dutchess county, being born January 24, 1822,
on the farm at that time belonging to his father,
in the southern part of what is now the town
of East Fishkill. He was the elder of two
sons of Enoch and Catherine (Reed) Shaw.
The younger son, the Rev. WHliam W. Shaw,
is a clergyman of the Methodist Church, and
is the pastor of the Church at Spencertown',
Columbia county. Mr. Shaw resided with his
father until grown to man's estate. The home
farm was of about one hundred acres, and,

after the death of the father, was divided be
tween the two sons. Mr. Shaw continued for
a time upon the old place, working his portion
in connection with other land adjoining, but,
later, the farm was sold, and he resided in other
neighborhoods, working different farms, untH
during the "seventies," he purchased a farm
near Washingtonville, Orange county, contain
ing over two hundred acres. Here the family
resided for a few years, until 1882, when he
sold the property, and the present home was
purchased. This farm is one of the historic
ones of this historic town. It is situated on
the old "Post Road" laid out by Lord Low-
den ii} 1753, leading from New York to Albany,
and is a half mile north of the gateway of the
Highlands, known as Wiccopee Pass. The
farm is a portion of a tract of 959 acres pur
chased by Cornelius Van Wyck, of Hempstead,
Long Island, of Catherine Brett in 1733. The
farm was in the possession of his descendants
for nearly 150 years. The farm was divided
shortly after the Revolution, and the portion
now owned by Mr. Shaw, comprising 21 1|
acres, of which 160 are under cultivation, fell
to Cornelius C. Van Wyck, grandson of the
original settler, who built the present mansion.
Tradition says that previous to that time a
small house had occupied nearly the same site,
a part of that structure forming the kitchen
wing of the present edifice. The original Van-
Wyck house stands a few rods toward the
south. This dwelHng has been made famous
by history and romance. It is the "Wharton
House " of Cooper's "Spy." It was for two
years during the Revolution the residence of
John Jay, the chairman of the Committee of
Safety, and was at various times occupied by
the officers who commanded that considerable
part of the American forces which for several
years was stationed in this neighborhood to
guard this pass through the mountains. All
about these houses was the camp. The sol
diers' barracks stood behind the site of the
house now occupied by the Shaw family, and
frequently have been found relics of their oc
cupancy, in the shape of corroded bullets,
pieces of shells, bayonets and other imple
ments of war. The enlarged house was par
tially built with timbers taken from these bar
racks. Mr. Shaw has been twice married. His
first wife was Amy Maria Rickey, daughter of
Peter and Elizabeth (Horton) Rickey. She
died leaving five children. 'Ward is a farmer

"WMo.^^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

761

in IHinois; Catherine Elizabeth is married and
lives in Orange county; Julia, married, lives
in the town of Wappinger; Sarah G. and
Georgiana reside in New York City. Mr. Shaw
remarried, his second wife being Susan Jane
WHcox, daughter of George and Tamar (Ste
vens) Wilcox, of Putnam county. By this
marriage there were eleven children, two of
whom died in infancy. William G. is the
manager of the Elmira Glass Works; Irving is
a farmer in Illinois; Amy is a teacher in the
academic department of the FishkHl Union
School; two sons, George R. , Jr., and John,
are engaged in brick manufacturing; Frank, a
graduate of the Brooklyn Polytechnic School,
is attending Harvard University, while NelHe
B. and Luella are teaching in district schools
near their home.
There was one other son, Adelbert, born in
1870, who met a sad and tragic death at the
age of twenty. He was a youth of rare intel
lectual promise. After studying the ordinary
branches at the t:ommon schools, he decided
to fit himself for the legal profession. For a
time he was a student in the law office of J.
Hervey Cook, of Fishkill Landing; later, from
1888 to 1890, he attended the Genesee Wes
leyan Seminary, at Lima, N. Y. , graduating
with the highest honors of his class. In 1890
he entered Harvard University. He was
blessed with a quick mind, and was a patient,
laborious student. More than that, he was
a natural athlete, large and of excellent
physique. The leaders of athletics of the
college demanded his services. He was put
on the football team, and was one of the
best men on the eleven. Later he was
urged to join the "Varsity Crew ", then
training at the oars in hopes of defeating Yale.
As an oarsman he promised to be the strongest
of all. On April 6, 1 891, he was practicing in
a single boat. He passed under the Western
avenue bridge, when, from some unaccountable
reason, his boat capsized, and, though an ex
pert swimmer, and scarcely fifty feet from
shore, he sank and drowned almost instantly.
The next day his remains were brought home
for burial. During the time of the funeral
services at his home, memorial services were
held in the chapel of Harvard College. All
college work was suspended, and the professors
and students in large numbers attended the
obsequies, which were conducted by the Rev.
Phillip Brooks, who offered prayer, while the
discourse was delivered by the Rev. Frank G.

Peabody, who spoke of the virtues and relig
ious character of the deceased. To his family
his mysterious and untimely death was a shock
from which none have even yet fully recovered.
To the parents, but to the children more espe
cially, it was the first break in the family chain.
Mr. Shaw has nearly all his life been a
prominent and enthusiastic member of the
Methodist Church, and for years he 'has
been a licensed local preacher of the denomi
nation. Mrs. Shaw and many of the chil
dren are also members of that Church.
The subject of this sketch has never taken a
great interest in public affairs of a political
nature, has never held any public office,
but, as an individual, has had the courage of
his convictions, and labored for the benefit of
his country as he saw the right. For the past
few years he has voted and worked with the
Prohibitionists. After a long life of agricult
ural labor, he still takes an interest in his farm
work, favors advanced ideas, but devotes his
energies along well-tried lines, general farming
and dairying, keeping from twenty to thirty
cows. He is possessed of much general in
formation, is a good business man, an agreeable
acquaintance, and a warm and abiding friend.

S\AMUEL HASTINGS, though not a native
) of this country, has lived in the United
States nearly all his life, coming here at the
age of twelve years. He was born in Dover,
County of Kent, England, on the paternal side
of English origin, and on the maternal side of
Scotch-Irish descent. His mother belonged
to an old Scotch-Irish family of the name of
Tomb, who were engaged in the manufacture
of Irish linen, near Belfast, Ireland, before the
days of machinery. The father, who was an
officer in the British army, died while stationed
in the West Indies, in 1835.
The education of our subject was com
menced in his native land, and on reaching
the shores of the New World he completed his
literary training. For a time he took up the
study of law, then that of medicine, from
which he drifted into the study of chemistry
and pharmacy, graduating in those sciences at
the College of Pharmacy in Philadelphia,
Penn., with the class of 1849. For twenty
years he conducted a large drug business in
the city of New Orleans, and on the termi
nation of the Civil war left the South, but still

762

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

holds interests in that city, which he occasion
ally visits on business.
In Dutchess county, N. Y., Mr. Hastings
was united in marriage with Miss Eliza J.,
daughter of the late J. Hastings, and in this
county has made his home for over twenty-
seven years, during which time he has taken
much interest in the affairs of his adopted
county and State. Though a Democrat in
politics, he has no ambition for political pre
ferment, and has held no public offige. His
religious affiliation is with the Episcopal
Church. The elegant place of Mr. Hastings is
known as " Fairview," and comprises 825
acres. He superintends the cultivation of this
property, employing much labor, thus further
ing the material interests of the surrounding
section and the county at large. In his family
are six children, — two sons and four daughters.
The view from his place is most extended and
beautiful, indeed is one of the finest in the
county; there a grand panorama is spread out
before the vision — the Catskill mountains can
be seen, commencing at the site of the old
" Mountain House," and extending far south
ward, the coloring of this delightful scene
changing as the seasons come and go, from the
rich green of the springtime to the brilliant
gold and red of autumn, the whole is like a
series of beautiful pictures hung up before the
beholder. This charming spot not only glad
dens the eye, but is one of the most healthful,
well watered with springs, and altogether is
one of the most highly favored locations in the
county.

ALPH A. BARTHOLOMEW. Among
the leading and influential farmers of the
town of Pleasant Valley, who thoroughly un
derstand their business, and pursue the voca
tion of their chosen calling in a methodical
and workmanlike manner, is the subject of
this biography. In reviewing his genealogical
record we find his lineage tracing back to the
Colonial history of the nation, and to* that
period which marked the inception of the
grandest republic the world has ever known.
Through such sources have we attained the
true American type, and along this line must
our investigations proceed if we would learn of
the steadfast, unyielding elements which con
stitute the basis upon which has been reared
the lofty and magnificient superstructure of
an enlightened and favored commonwealth.

Among the early emigrants from England, who
located in New England, was the Bartholomew
family, whose descendants are now very nu
merous throughout the Eastern States.
John Bartholomew, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in Kensington, Conn., but
was reared in Litchfield county, that State,
where, after his marriage with Lydia Brooks,
he located upon a farm. Three children were
born to them: Lynus, who died at the age of
two years; Lydia S., who became the wife of
P. B. Butler, a wheelwright of BurHngton,
Hartford Co., Conn.; and John B., the father
of our subject. The grandfather followed
farming exclusively, and valiantly aided the
Colonies in their struggle for independence.
His death occurred in 18 17, that of his wife in
1854. Early in life they were Presbyterians,
but later they joined the Congregational
Church. John B. Bartholomew was born October
13. 1793. in Harwinton, Litchfield Co., Conn.,
and he married Eunice Harrison, who was born
at Branford, New Haven Co., Conn., June
19, 1 801, a daughter of Augustus Harrison,
also a native of New Haven county, and a
farmer by occupation. The Harrisons also
came from England. To the old family home
stead Mr. Bartholomew took his bride, and
their four children were there born. Ralph,
the eldest, died at the age of twelve years;
George, a wholesale and retail jeweler, died
June 10, 1893; Harriet became the wife of
John W. Lattin, a native of Dutchess county,
N. Y. , and a retired farmer. He was killed
by the cars September 23, 1890, and his widow
now makes her home in the town of Pleasant
Valley. Ralph A. is the youngest of the fam
ily. Upon his farm in Litchfield county.
Conn., the father died February 10, 1859; the
mother died May i, 1896, at the patriarchal
age of about ninety-four years. In religious
belief they were Congregationalists, and in
poHtics he supported the Democratic party.
Ralph A. Bartholomew was born in the
town of Harwinton, Litchfield Co., Conn.,
April 3, 1837, and grew to manhood upon the
old ancestral farm, contributing his quota to
carrying on the work of the place. At the age
of nineteen he started out as a traveling sales
man; but at the end of four years he returned to
the old farm, which he sold in 1867, and the
following year bought his present place in the
town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county.
He now has ninety-seven acres of fertile and

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

763

productive land, pleasantly situated about six
miles from the city of Poughkeepsie. It is
highly cultivated, and well improved with fine
large buHdings and good fences, and is one of
the most beautiful places in the locality.
In his political views, Mr. Bartholomew
strongly adheres to the principles of the Dem
ocratic party. He is one of the active and
progressive men of the county, taking great
interest in all matters calculated to enhance
its value, or to benefit his fellowmen, and has
the respect and confidence of all with whom
he comes in contact.

BENJAMIN VAN WAGNER is one of the
 .' enterprising, energetic and industrious
agriculturists of the town of Pleasant Valley,
and is a worthy representative of an honored
old family of his section.
The founder of the family in this country
was Nicholas Van Wagner, who came from
Holland and located in the town of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, where his descend
ants now live. His son, Evritt Van Wagner,
was born on the farm which our subject now
owns, where the birth of his son, Benjamin,
also occurred. The latter was the grandfather
of our subject, and by his marriage with Eliza
beth Dyer had several children, six of whom
grew to maturity, namely: David, a machin
ist and carpenter, of Hyde Park; Underbill,
who became a speculator in California; Sylves
ter, who was a landlord in Pleasant Valley
town; James, who was killed in amine in Cal
ifornia; Abraham, the fatner of our subject;
and Hannah, wife of -Lewis Haight, a farmer
of the town of Washington, Dutchess county.
They are all now deceased except Hannah.
On the old family homestead Abraham
Van Wagner was born in August, 1816, and
on reaching manhood he married Maria West
ervelt, a native of the town of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, and a daughter of Cornelius
Westervelt, a blacksmith by trade. For a
time after their marriage they lived upon
another farm in Pleasant Valley town, but
later returned to the home where Mr. Van-
Wagner's childhood was passed. In their
family were five children: Emeline, widow of
John W. Lattin, who followed farming; Elma,
wife of J. Edward Clapp, a farmer of Pleasant
Valley town; William, a farmer of Clinton
town, Dutchess county; and Benjamin and
Elizabeth, twins. The last named died in in

fancy. The parents were both members of
the Presbyterian Church, and in politics the
father was a Democrat, and served as commis
sioner many years. He was called from this
life in June, 1885; his estimable wife still
survives him.
On December 18, 1843, Benjamin Van-
Wagner, the subject of this review, was born
in the town of Pleasant Valley, and when only
a year old was taken by his parents to the
family homestead, where he was reared in the
usual manner of farmer boys. In 1870 he was
united in marriage with Miss EmHy B. Wood,
a native of Hyde Park, and a daughter of Har
vey Wood, and to them was born a son, MH
lard. The mother died in 1877, and in 1880
Mr. Van Wagner wedded her sister. Miss Jose
phine Wood. Three children graced this
union: Harry, Frank and Ernest, but the
last named died in 1888. Our subject is the
owner of 106 acres of valuable land, highly
cultivated and improved with good and sub
stantial farm buildings. He is an intelligent,
wide-awake farmer, enterprising and progress
ive, always giving his support to any measure
fof the benefit of the community. He is iden
tified with the Democratic party, and his wife
is a consistent member of the Methodist
Church.

LUZERNE DUTCHER is a prominent and
 ! and very highly esteemed citizen of the
town of Dover, Dutchess county, and is a de
scendant of the well-known HoHand-Dutch
family of that name.
Samuel Waldo Dutcher was a native of the
town of Washington, and grew to manhood
there, engaging in the tanner's trade, which he
carried on for many years. He married Miss
Maria Edmonds, and had three children:
Lawrence, Luzerne and Catherine. The elder
son, Lawrence, has always been prominent in
local affairs, and is a member of several fra
ternal orders, the F. &A. M., the I. O. O. F. ,
and the K. of P. He married (first) Miss
Eliza McTurk, (second) Miss Catherine Dutch
er, and (third) Miss Mary Quimby.
Luzerne Dutcher, our subject, was born in
1824, and after acquiring a common-school
education learned the details of the tanner's
trade, which he followed throughout his active
business life. About twenty years ago he pur
chased a fine farm near South Dover, Dutch
ess county, where he now resides, having re-

764

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

tired from business a few years ago. He mar
ried Miss Harriet Soule, daughter of Lansing
Soule, a leading farmer of the town of Dover,
Dutchess county. They have had four chil
dren: Mary F. , who died in infancy; Charles
E.; Mary F. (2), who also died in infancy;
and Elmer W.
Charles E. was born in Warwick, Orange
Co., N. Y. , and was educated there. He first
engaged in farming, later was in the cattle
business in Chicago, and in the stock yards at
Des Moines. At present he is a mason in Chi
cago. He married Miss Carrie Sterling, daugh
ter of John and Emeline Sterling, and has one
son, Monroe.
Elmer W. was born at Highland Mills,
Orange Co., N. Y., in 1863, and attended
school in Poughkeepsie during his boyhood.
He is very successful as a farmer, and takes
much interest in local affairs and in the work
ofthe Masonic order, being a member of Dover
Plains Lodge No. 666. In 1893 he was united
in matrimony with Miss Hattie Dutcher, daugh
ter of Vanness Dutcher, of Dover. They have
one daughter, Mabel.

F\REDERICK AUGUSTUS FAUST, M, D.,
 one of the ablest and most successful phy
sicians of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is a
native of that city, born March 24, 1865.
Dr. John Faust, our subject's father, who
is a prominent veterinary surgeon of Pough
keepsie, was born July 19, 1835, in Hessen-
Cassel, Germany, which place has been the
home of his ancestors for many generations,
and there his grandfather, Barhold Faust, and
his father, Conrad Faust, were also born, the
latter in 1807. Dr. John Faust acquired a
good education in his native place, and while
pursuing his studies he decided to come to
America, where he could obtain better oppor
tunities. Landing in New York City, he soon
after began to learn the cooper's trade, which
he followed there until 1859, when he and his
brothers went to Poughkeepsie. In i860 they
entered into business there under the firm
name of John Faust & Bros. The Doctor was
an active worker in this enterprise until 1865,
when he became a silent partner, continuing
until 1875, when the partnership was dissolved.
In 1 88 1 the Doctor went before tbe examining
board of the New York Veterinary Society,
and passed the examination, receiving the de
gree of V. S. He is one of the most careful

of the veterinary surgeons of Dutchess county,
and has done much to elevate the profession
by his scientific researches. In 1854 he mar
ried Miss Maria Frietag, also a native of Hes-
sen-Cassel, and has six chHdren: Louis, a
physician at Schenectady; Frederick Augustus,
our subject; Otto, a veterinary surgeon in
Poughkeepsie; William P., a physician in
Schenectady; Mary, the wife of F. C. Krue-
ger, of that place; and Christina H., who is
at home. Frederick A. Faust, our subject, after com
pleting the high-schooLcourse at the age of six
teen, spent two years in the preliminary study
of medicine with his brother. Dr. Louis Faust,
of Schenectady, as preceptor. He matricu
lated at the New York Homeopathic College
in the fall of 1883, and took the full general
course, graduating AprH 15, 1886, passing his
vacations also in studying with his brother.
With this thorough preparation he began his
professional career, and on May 4, 1886, he
took charge of an established practice at Berne,
Albany county; but a year later he disposed of
it to locate in Poughkeepsie, where 'he opened an
office alone on Garden street. He has been very
successful in his practice at his native place,
and after four years in his first office and three
at No. 60 Market street, he purchased the
property on the northwest corner of Cannon
and Liberty streets, to which he removed
March 31, 1894. He is a reader, and keeps
well-informed upon all the lines of progress in
his ever-advancing profession. His clients are
among the best in the city, and his success in
the past forms ground for firm belief in his
future. In local affairs the Doctor has always
taken the side of progress and improvement.
Although he adheres to the principles of the
Republican party, he has never taken any ac
tive share in politics. On January i, 1897,
he was appointed, by Mayor Hull, a member
of the city board of health, which position he
is still holding. He is a member of the Ger
man Methodist Church, and takes great in
terest in its various enterprises for the welfare
of the community. Socially, he belongs to the
F. & A. M., Triune Lodge, the Poughkeepsie
Chapter and Commandery, and to the Amrita
Club. In professional circles he is a leading
spirit among the younger element; has twice
been vice-president of the Dutchess County
Homeopathic Medical Society, and is a prom
inent member of the New York State Homeo-

yc

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

765

pathic Society. In the summer of 1896 he
spent some six nionths in Europe, studying at
the hospitals of Berlin, specially the diseases
of children, and internal diseases, and his
knowledge of the German language, which he
reads and speaks fluently, enabled him to make
rapid progress in his studies. He also im
proved the opportunity by making a tour
through Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

JOHN H. PARMELE. There are found in
every community men who are the leaders
in public affairs, who are the promoters of
all interests that have for their object the pub
Hc good, and on whom the welfare of the local
ity depends. Of this class of citizens our sub
ject is a worthy representative, and Dutchess
county may well be proud to claim him among
her native sons.
Mr. Parmele was born on the farm which
is StiH his home, in the town of Pleasant Val
ley, February 14, 1846, and is a representa
tive of one of the early families of New Eng
land, descended from English ancestry. His
grandfather, Joseph Parmele, who was born in
Connecticut, August 15, 1776, married Lavi
na Westervelt, a native of Dutchess county,
N. Y., and they located on the old famHy
homestead south of Poughkeepsie. Eight
children were born to them, as follows: Rich
ard, who was born June 21, 1802, was a farmer
and merchant, and died in Poughkeepsie; John,
born February 14, 1804, died at the age of
twenty-one; Catherine, born January 13, 1806,
became the wife of William H. Calkin; Cor
nelius, born April 29, 1808, died on the old
homestead; Sarah Ann, born November 25,
1809, died unmarried; WHliam was the father
of our subject; Elias, born February 13, 1815,
was a farmer of Tompkins county, N. Y. ;
and Elizabeth, born May 20, 1821, died in in
fancy. The grandfather made farming his life-
work, and died August 30, 1842, while his wife
passed away March 28, 1847. They were
members of the Reformed Church of Pough
keepsie. William Parmele, father of subject, was
born on the old family homestead in the town
of Poughkeepsie, March 2, 18 12, and was
there reared to manhood. On November 23,
1842, he wedded Elizabeth Seaman, who was
born in the town of Hyde Park, January 27,
1 8 19, a daughter of WHliam Seaman, a farm
er. They began their domestic life on the

farm where our subject now resides, and reared
a family of four children: Lavina, born Janu
ary 2, 1844, wife of John C. Wood, who was
afarmerof Hyde Park town; John-H., sub
ject of this review; Mary, who was born Oc
tober 12, 1848, and is the deceased wife of Ed
gar A. Briggs, of Poughkeepsie; and Maria L. ,
who was born July 26, 1854, and died in early
life. The father of this family always devoted
his energies to agricultural pursuits. His po-
litical support was given the Democracy, and
he and his wife held membership with the Pres
byterian Church. He passed away February
13, 1876, she on November 11, 1892.
John H. Parmele remained in his parent's
home untH about seventeen years of age, when
he became a student in Claverack Institute,
supplementing bis primary education by a
thorough course of study there. When he laid
aside his text-books, he returned to the farm,
and has since been actively interested in its
improvement and cultivation. He now owns
and operates 103 acres of rich land, pleasantly
situated five miles from Poughkeepsie, and his
well-directed efforts bring him a good return.
On November 20, 1878, Mr. Parmele mar
ried Miss Mary A. Lyon, daughter of George
Lyon, a farmer of this locality. Eight chil
dren have been born to them, their names and
dates of birth being as follows: Mary L. ,
March 10, 1880; Joseph L. , August 31, 1881;
Fred, September2i, 1885; Elizabeth, Septem
ber 2, 1887; George, May 19, 1889; WHliam
J., March 7, 1891; Ruth, February 6, 1894;
and Ernest, July 20, 1896 (he died AprH 21,
1897). The parents are identified with the Pres
byterian Church of Pleasant Valley, and are
people of prominence in the community, hold
ing an enviable position in social circles. His
poHtical support is given the Democratic party,
but he has had neither time nor inclination for
public office, preferring to devote his best ef
forts to his farm work, and to the faithful dis
charge of his duties of citizenship.

T\HERON R. MARSHALL. Among the
 leading farmers of the town of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, there is none better
known in its history than the individual whose
name is here recorded.
Here his birth occurred AprH 20, 1831, and
in the same house his father, Israel Marshall,
was born in August 14, 1796, but the farm then

766

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

comprised a part of the town of Clinton. The
grandfather, Zacheus Marshall, was a native
of Connecticut, born at Horseneck, February
5, 1746, and was of English descent. On De
cember 14, 1764, he married Anna Totten,
who was born October 20, 1747, and they be
came the parents of the following children:
Hannah, born October 5, 1768, became the
wife of a Mr. Stoughtenburgh, of Pleasant
Valley to wn ; Reuben, born June 1 4, 1 770, was a
resident of Hyde Park; David, born May 2,
1773, died while young; Totten, born July 7,
1775, was a farmer of Greene county, N. Y. ;
Daniel, born February 15, 1778; and Solomon,
born January 2, 1783, died in childhood; and
Phcebe, born October 25, 1787. For his
second wife, Zacheus Marshall wedded Susan
na Dean (the grandmother of our subject).
She was born in Dutchess county, July 11,
1756, and was a daughter of Stephen Dean,
whose ancestors were English. Her marriage
with Mr. Marshall was celebrated December
25, 1789, and she became the mother of three
sons: Stephen D., born October 27, 1790,
was a farmer of Pleasant Valley town, and
died in Hyde Park; Henry S., born August 3,
1792, was a farmer of Hyde Park; and Israel
was the father of our subject. On April 24,
1806, Zacheus Marshall was married to Jane
Quinby, who wasborn June 27, 1765, and May
2, 1809, was born their son, Isaac P., who was
was a farmer of Pleasant Valley town, and be
came a prominent politician. The grandfather
was a carpenter by trade, and also carried on
farming. Upon the old home farm Israel Marshall
grew to manhood, and on May 26, 1825, he
was joined in wedlock with Anna Gifford,
whose birth occurred in the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county, March 23, 1799. Her fa
ther, John Gifford, was also a native of Stan
ford town, where he engaged in farming.
After their marriage, the parents of our subject
located upon the old farm, where they reared
their two chHdren: Susan A., who was born
December 11, 1827, and died September 26,
1842; and Theron R. The father gave his
exclusive attention to agricultural pursuits, was
a Democrat in politics, and died in the faith of
the Friends Church, July 13, 1873. His wife,
who was also a member of that denomination,
died October 25, 1883.
Our subject was reared to the life of a
farmer, and received from his parents many a
lesson in thrift and honesty, which have been

his guiding principles through life. On Octo
ber 31,. 1855, he was married to Elizabeth
Marshall, a granddaughter of John MarshaH.
She was born in the town of Stanford March
7, 1836. Herfather, Isaac Marshall, whowas
born in Pleasant Valley town, January 22,
1 8 16, wedded Eliza A. Lawrence, vvho was
born in that town February 12, 18 14. They
became the parents of seven children: Eliza
beth, wife of our subject; Augusta, wife of
Joseph Doty, afarmerof Pleasant Valley town;
WiHiam W., who resides in Poughkeepsie
town; Sarah K., wife of Parris Baker, a farmer
and carpenter; PermeHa; Ellathan G. , who
operates the old homestead; and Emily J.,
wife of Clarence Van Wagner, a farmer of
Pleasant Valley town.
Theron R. Marshall, the subject proper of
this review, began his domestic life on the old
homestead where he lived until 1892, when he
removed to his present farm, comprising forty-
five acres; but he still owns the other place,
whose boundaries contain 120 acres of rich
and productive land. He is a thorough Demo
crat in politics, has served his fellow towns
men as assessor, was justice of the peace from
1 89 1 until 1895, and represented his town on
the board of supervisors in 1883, 1884 and
1888. He is highly respected throughout the
community, having the confidence of all with
whom he comes in contact, and himself and
wife are earnest members of the Friends
Church. To them were born three chHdren:
Israel D., an agriculturist of Pleasant Valley
town, who was bornAugust 3, 1857, andmar-
ried Carrie D. Van De Water; Susan A., who
was born December 15, 1858, and died Sep
tember 10, i860; and Robert L.,also a farmer
of Pleasant Valley, who was born August 13,
i860, and wedded Elizabeth W. Conklin.

WILLIAM S. BECKWITH. There are
 few men more worthy of representation
in a work of this kind than the subject of this
biography, who has passed his entire life upon
the comfortable homestead where he still re
sides. It is one of the best farms in the town
of Red Hook, comprising as it does 144 acres
of rich and fertHe land, where he is success
fully engaged in general farming.
Our subject can trace his ancestry on his
father's side to the founder of the family in
the New World, who belonged to a promi
nent family of England dating from the tenth

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

767

century, and on coming ^om that country
to America located at Hartford, Conn., in
1639. His descendant in the fifth generation,
Sylvanus Beckwith, our subject's grandfather,
wasborn inthe town of Lyme, Conn., May
22, 1742. He married Amy Sutherland, born
in this country in 1743, and who was of Scotch
extraction. 'They located upon a farm in the
town of Stanford, and all through the Revolu
tionary war he valiantly aided the colonies in
their struggle for independence, serving as a
soldier in the Continental army. He was called
from this life May 30, 1839.
Nathan Beckwith, father of our subject,
was born September 15, 1778, in the town of
Stanford. He married Betsie Gale, a native
of Amenia, Dutchess county, and a daughter
of Josiah Gale, who came to Dutchess county
from Connecticut. The Gale family is of
EngHsh origin, and one of its members, George
W. Gale, was the founder of the city of Gales
burg, 111. In 1807 Mr. Beckwith located upon
a farm in the town of Red Hook (at that time
a part of the town of Rhinebeck) , where he con
tinued to make his home until bis death, March
4, 1865. His political support was given to
the Democratic party, and he served his fellow
citizens as supervisor of the township for many
years; he served in the war of 181 2 as lieuten
ant, being stationed at Brooklyn Heights, and
for services in that war received a grant of
land in Herkimer county, N. Y. ; was commis
sioned as colonel of cavalry by Gov. Tompkins
in 1820. On the occasion of the visit of Gen.
LaFayette to Dutchess county, in 1824, Mr.
Beckwith was marshal of the day. He was a
classmate of President Martin Van Buren at
Kinderhook Academy, and graduated as civil
engineer. With Prof. Joseph Henry he sur
veyed a State road from Hudson river to Lake
Erie, afterward adopted as the route of the
Erie railway. He was a life member of tbe
American Bible Society, also the Foreign
Bible Society, and helped to organize the First
Baptist Church of Red Hook. Mrs. Betsey
Gale Beckwith in practical life maintained the
religious fervor and. devotion to Christian prin
ciples which characterized her Puritan fore
fathers, and was a blessing to her family and
neighborhood, ministering to the spiritual and
temporal wants of the afflicted until her death
in 1838. To Nathan and Betsey Beckwith were born
four sons and three daughters. The eldest
son, Josiah Gale, graduated from Union Col

lege, studied medicine and settled at Litch
field, Conn, where he became eminent in his
profession. He was president of the State
Medical Society, a delegate to the National
Medical Convention, and appointed by the
State to the board of medical examiners of
the insane at the asylum at Hartford. He
was elected several times to the State Legisla
ture, and once nominated Governor. In 1831
he married Jane M. Seymour, a cousin of
Governor Horatio Seymour, of New York, and
died at Litchfield March 4, 1871.
The fourth son, William S. Beckwith, our
subject, was born January 14, 1820, on his
present farm in the town of Red Hook. He
attended the district schools of the neighbor
hood until eleven years of age, when he was
compelled to give up study and turn his entire
attention to agriculture, at the same time tak
ing a few winter terms study in the Red Hook
Academy. He is a very intelligent man, most
of his knowledge being acquired by study at
night, and otherwise, and is well posted on tbe
current events of the day. On March 29,
1848, he was married to Miss Ann M. Collyer,
a native of Sing Sing, N. Y., and six children
blessed their union: Alice M.; Thomas C. ;
William, who makes his home in California;
Amy, who married Armand De Potter; LeHa,
wife of Abram Havens, a lawyer of New York
City; and George, who died at Pella, Iowa.
Mr. Beckwith is a stanch Democrat, and has
occupied various positions in his town, includ
ing that of poormaster, assessor many years,
and supervisor of the town of Red Hook in
1884.

JEREMIAH MEAD, a leading dairyman of
the town of Pawling, Dutchess county,
noted for his successful management of large
agricultural interests, is a descendant of one
of the oldest famiHes of Putnam county, N. Y.
His ancestors came from England four or five
generations ago, and made their home on what
was then a frontier line in the town of Kent,
Putnam county, where their descendants have
been prominent in different lines of life. Jere
miah Mead, our subject's grandfather, had so
strong a liking for the free life of a pioneer
that he left his fine farm of 300 acres, in 1845,
to go with his family to the vicinity of Fond
du Lac, Wis,, then a wilderness, where he en
tered a large tract of land, upon which he
passed his remaining years, dying in 1888, at

768

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

the age of ninety years. His wife was Sarah
Barrett, a member of another old family living
near Lake Mahopac. They had seven chil
dren: Major, MHan, Morris, Mrs. Mahala
Metcalf, Moses, Minerva (who married James
Huyatt), and Marrilla (who married Henry
Merrick). Major had several sons who are
now occupying prominent positions in Wis
consin. Morris Mead (our subject's father), who
was born in 1817, was the only one of the
family to remain in Putnam county, and there
passed his entire life, following farming as an
occupation. He possessed the characteristic
good sense of the Mead family, and was highly
esteemed in the neighborhood. He was a lead
ing Baptist, helping to found their Church in
his vicinity, and holding the office of deacon
for many years. He married Sarah Hyatt,
daughter of James Hyatt, a well-known resi
dent of Putnam county. His death occurred
in 1853; that of his wife in 1890. Of their
seven children only three are living. Cather
ine died in childhood; Marilda is the wife of
Eli Smalley, resides in Fishkill, and has one
son, Charles, who is now an attorney. Peter
and Sarah Ophelia died in childhood; Jere
miah is the subject of this sketch; Jennie died
in 1876; and Roselle lives in the town of Dover.
Jeremiah Mead was born at the old home
stead in Putnam county. May 9, 1843, and re
ceived his education in the district schools of
that locality. Being left fatherless at the age
of ten years, he was obliged to take up the
serious business of life while still a boy in
years. At thirteen he left home to work upon a
farm, for which he received during his first year
$15 and his winter's schooling. For a number
of years he continued to work for wages for
eight months, and attending school during the
winter. When he was twenty-four he returned
home and worked the farm for two years, and
then sold his interest to his brother. In 1869
he took the old Deacon Canipbell homestead
on shares, and has now conducted it for twenty-
seven years, adding land from time to time
until he has 400 acres under his control. He
makes a specialty of dairying, and is very suc
cessful in that line. He owns a farm of 250
acres near Danbury, Conn., where he keeps
fifty cows and other stock.
The Mead family has always taken a pa
triotic stand upon public questions, and from
the grandfather down they became ardent sup
porters of the Republican party upon its forma

tion. Mr. Mead h^ been active in local poli
tics, and was supervisor in 1891, 1892 and
1893, serving as chairman of the committee
on equalization of taxes. He was also com
missioner of highways for two years. He is a
ready helper in every worthy cause, and be
longs to the Baptist Church.
In 1866 our subject married Miss Amanda
Light, daughter of Putnam Light, who was
born in Genesee county, N. Y. , April 11, 18 12,
in which same year his mother died, and he
was then reared by his uncle, Samuel Hawk
ins. He attended the public schools, and then
worked on a farm. In 1839 he married Miss
E. M. Smith, and they had four children, viz. :
Cordelia, who lives with Mrs. Mead; Amanda
(Mrs. Mead); Edgar D., farming the old home
stead in Putnam county; and Ellen M., wife
of James H. Cole, residing in Danbury. The
mother of these died August 20, 1853, and in
November, 1854, Mr. Light married Miss A.
J. Light, by whom he had three children:
Henry C, who died in infancy; Emma C. and
Willis E., both following teaching, the latter
being a graduate of Eastman Business Col
lege. Mr. Light died March 7, 1888, in fuH
membership with the Baptist Church. In poli
tics he was a Democrat, and he served as as
sessor three terms. He was a self-made man,
and accumulated a comfortable competence,
was well liked and generally respected.

WILLIAM H. HAIGHT, proprietor of
 Haight's Sale and Transient Stables,
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born No
vember 30, 1839, in the town of New Paltz,
Ulster Co., N. Y., and there passed his boy
hood days, attending the Butterville district
school and New Paltz Academy. Later, for
two terms, he studied at the Nine Partners
(Quaker) School, near Millbrook, Dutchess
county, receiving, in all, a good education.
Mr. Haight remained on his father's farm
until of age, at which time h« commenced the
droving of cattle and sheep, purchasing in
Canada and throughout the Western States,
and finding his markets in all the larger cen
ters of this country, as well as selling many
" store cattle " in the Hudson river counties.
In 1878-79, during the great LeadviHe (Colo.)
silver excitement, he sold horses, mules and
cattle in Denver and LeadvHle. In 1880 he
took up his residence in Chicago, IH., and
engaged in the manufacture of tinware and

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

769

tinware machinery, owning some patents that
caused a revolution in the manufacture of tin
ware, which machines are successfully used to
the present day. In this industry he employed
from seventy to lOO men and at the same time
he owned a membership on the Chicago Board
of Trade, in which his deals proved highly sat
isfactory to both himself and others.
At the end of two years Mr. Haight re
turned east, and, in 1882, opened his present
boarding and sale stables in Poughkeepsie, in
which he has met with well-merited success,
at this writing owning the largest establishment
of the kind in the city. He also owns a 275-
acre farm near the corporation line, with a
brickyard attached, all of which are running
successfully under his personal supervision.
Our subject was brought up under the influ
ence and in the strict lines of the Hicksite-
Quaker faith, which has had its influence in
governing all the turning points of his life;
never seeking public office or becoming a mem
ber of any secret society; never feeling at home
in any Church that was not governed by the
Hicksite rule — "Do unto others as you would
be done by" — inspiration, he says, is the only
true teacher, and should govern all faith.
"Owe no man, and love one another," is the
watchword in all his business relations.
When a very young man Mr. Haight was
married, which marriage, not proving a happy
one, was divorced. He then wedded Elma
(daughter of Isaac G. Sands), whose death,
after ten years of uninterrupted happiness,
caused much the greatest sorrow of his life.
One child, Meda, was born to them, June 7,
1884. John N. Haight, our subject's father, was
born in Stanford, Dutchess Co. , N. Y. , where
he lived until fourteen years of age. His par
ents, Amos and Eunice (Northrop) Haight, of
Amenia, N. Y. , dying when he was fourteen
years of age, John N. Haight apprenticed him
self to Rowland De Garmo, at New Paltz,
Ulster county, in order to learn the tanner's
and currier's trade. At the age of twenty-
seven he married Mary, daughter of Rowland
(his employer) and Phebe De Garmo, and, be
sides our subject, they had two daughters,
EHza and Mary, who married and settled in
Orange county, N. Y. At the age of twenty-
one WHliam H. Haight found his parents in
straightened circumstances, but by diligence
and economy he placed them and his sisters
beyond want, and then commenced the battle
49

of life for himself. Recently, when asked how
hard times affected him, his answer was that
only those who spend their money before they
earn it cry about " hard times."

C\HARLES G. CUTLER. The ancestors
^1 of the Cutler family were amongthe early
settlers of the town of Dover, Dutchess coun
ty, and the grandfather of the subject of this
sketch, William Cutler, was born there in
1760. That locality was then a wilderness,
and his youth was spent amid the scenes of
pioneer life, in which he took an active part.
He traced his ancestry back to one of three
brothers — ^James, Otis and John Cutler — who
came over in the "Mayflower." William
Cutler lived to a good old age, dying in 1842.
He married Elizabeth Gifford, of Pawling,
Dutchess county, and had nine chHdren. (i)
Bigelow, a farmer near Jamestown, N- Y. ,
married Miss Dennis, and had four children —
WHliam, Thursa (Mrs. Johnson), Eliza and
Nancy. (2) Abigail married Thomas Tomp
kins, a farmer of the town of Dover, and had
two sons — Enoch, who married Tabitha Hum
phrey, and William H., who married Abbie
Humphrey. (3) Thomas C. married, and was
the father of five chHdren, all now deceased
excepting George, who is a physician in Cali
fornia. (4) Calvin C. is mentioned below.
(5) Robie married Isaac Northrup, a farmer at
Copake, N. Y., and had two children — -WHl-^
iam and Ella. (6) Thurza died at the age of
twenty-seven. (7) Mahala did not marry.
(8) William S. , the father of our subject, was
born in 1805 at the old homestead in Dover,
where he received his education. He followed
farming from an early age, and was a promi
nent man in that locality ; he supported the
Democratic party, and held a number of town
ship offices, including that of assessor. In
1858 he married Miss Irene H. Brush, daugh
ter of Amos Brush, a well-known farmer of
New Fairfield, Conn. They had three chil
dren: William B., Charles G. and Hattie.
William was born in 1859, and after complet
ing his education at Wilbraham, Mass., en
gaged in mercantHe business at Dover Furnace,
where he also holds the position of station
agent. He is a member of the F. & A. M.,
Lodge No. 666, of Dover. He married Miss
Marie Sparks, of Poughkeepsie, but they have
no living children. Hattie, the youngest of

770

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

the trio, was born in 1869, and was educated
at WHbraham, Mass. ; she married Otis Ar
nold, a hotel keeper, who conducted the rail
road restaurant at Pawling for a number of
years. They have one daughter, Marjorie.
William S., the father, died May 26, 1888.
Charles G. Cutler, the subject proper of
thissketch, wasborn November 2, 1 861, and
was educated in the schools of the town of
Dover, and of Wilbraham, Mass. He is a
leading farmer in that town, and active in local
affairs, holding public office at different times.
He belongs to the Masonic order, Dover Lodge
No. 666, and at present is senior warden. He
married Miss Nellie Stevens, daughter of
Thomas A. Stevens, a prominent farmer of
Dover, and they have two chHdren, Howard
S., born in 1888, and Irene H., born in 1893.
Calvin Cutler, the son of William and Eliz
abeth f Gifford) Cutler, was born in 1797, and
enjoyed the usual educational advantages of a
country boy in those days. He engaged in
farming in Dover, purchasing an estate which
is now owned by his son, Frank. His wife,
Keziah Varney, was the daughter of John Var
ney, one of the well-to-do farmers of that
neighborhood. They had eight children, of
whom the first, John, and the last, Jerome,
died in infancy. The others are: Eleazer
and EHhu (twins), born in 1825; Priscilla,
1827; Mary, 1828; Sarah, 1830; and Frank
M, Eleazer Cutler was married in 1853 to
Amaranth Eggleston, of Dover Plains, who
was born in 1828. They have three children.
Frank Cutler was born in 1832 at the old
farm, and after attending the common schools
for some years completed his studies at a
boarding school in Connecticut. He learned
the carpenter's trade, which he followed for
more than twenty years; but after the purchase
of the present homestead he took charge of it.
An active worker in public affairs, he has held
several town offices, including that of collector,
and he belongs to Dover Plains Lodge No.
666, F. & A. M., in which he was trustee for
many years. He married Elizabeth Carey, a
daughter of Jeremiah Carey, a prosperous farm
er of Connecticut, and has had three children:
( I ) George, who was born in 1 86 5 , was educated
at Dover Plains Academy, and taught in Dover
for some time. He has now been employed
in the New York post office for ten years.
Like his father, he is a Mason, and belongs to
the Royal Arpanum. He married Miss Bertha
Dutcher, daughter of J. Van Ness Dutcher, a

well-known agriculturist of Dover, and his
wife Harriet, and they have one child, Ethel.
(2) John was born in 1868, and also taught
school for a time, but since 1890 he has been
in the U. S. mail service on the N. Y. C. & H.
R. R. , from New York to Syracuse. He belongs
to Dover Plains Lodge No. 666, F. & A. M„
He married Miss Sarah Dutcher, daughter of
one of the leading farmers of his native town,
John I. Dutcher, and his wife, Ada C. (3)
Fred, the youngest son, was born in 1872, and
was given tbe same educational advantages
that his brothers had. Since his graduation he
has been engaged in farming with his father.
He married Miss Mary Northrup, daughter of
Edwin R. and Mary Northrup, who are prom
inent residents of the same township.
Mrs. Frank N. Cutler is a member of an
old Connecticut family, and her grandfather,
Jeremiah Carey, was a prosperous agriculturist
of Fairfield county. He and his wife, Eunice
Odell, had eight children: James is the eldest;
Elias is an inventor; Robert died at an early age;
Lockwood: Lucretia (Mrs. Robert Chestnut);
Artemisia (Mrs. David Waldron); Sarah (Mrs.
Orin Benson), and Jeremiah (Mrs. Cutler's fa
ther). He was born and reared in Fairfield coun
ty. Conn. , engaged in farming there, and married
Miss Salina Hunter, daughter of a weH-known
farmer of the same locality, Joseph Hunter,
and his wife, Sylvia. Mrs. Cutler was the
second in a family of six children. The eld
est, Julia, married (first) Charles Hinman, and
(second) Fred Bergman. She has two sons,
Leman Hinman and Frank Bergman. The
third daughter, OrvHla, married Henry Ebert,
and has five children: Henry, Will, Saline,
Charles and Walter. Sarah J. Carey married
Stephen R. Scott, and had six children:
Alida (Mrs, Oscar Smith); Abraham, who mar
ried Mina Decker; George, who married Abbie
Decker; LilHe (Mrs. William Decker); Carrie
(Mrs. Robert Holly), and Gertie, who is not
married. George Carey married Mary Trainor,
and has four children — William, Charles, Min
nie, the wife of Harry Dougherty, and Blanche.
Silas S. Carey married Laura Conklin, and has
three sons: Frank, who married Laura Mott;
Fred, who married Edith Wheeler, and Clay
ton, who is unmarried.
The Brush famHy, to which the mother of
our subject belonged, counts among its mem
bers many who have attained distinction in
various walks of life. Amos Brush, the great
grandfather of our subject, was a soldier inthe

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

Ill

Revolutionary army. He was born in Fair
field county. Conn. , and had his home there
all his Hfe. He married Miss Hannah Bearss,
and had eight chHdren: Ezra, who married
Betsey Bearss; Amos, Mrs. Cutler's father;
Amy, the wife of Dr. Isaac Knapp; Hannah
(Mrs. Sniith); Esther (Mrs. Amos Chapman);
Ada, the wife of Mr. BaHey, a Revolutionary
soldier; Mary, who died at thq age of twenty,
and Eli, who married Rilla Davis.
Amos Brush, Jr., was bornin New Fairfield,
Conn., in 1798, and, after obtaining an educa
tion in the local schools, he engaged in farm
ing. He married Miss Aurilla Barnu-m, daugh
ter of Ephraim and Sarah (Seeley) Barnum,
of Bethel, Conn., and had seven children: (i)
EHza married Daniel Duncan, and has had six
chHdren: Austin, Alex, Theo, William, Irene
and John, of whom only Theo and William
are now living. (2) George never married.
(3) Austin married H. Lucetta Rogers, and has
three children: Edward, William and Ella.
(4) William is mentioned below. (5) Irene
was the mother of our subject. (6) Augustus
was prominent in public life, and was State
school commissioner for six years; member of
the Assembly from Dutchess county two terms;
agent for the United States Treasury for some
time; an employe of the New York Custom
House for twelve years, and from 1880 to 1891
was warden of Sing Sing prison. He married
Susan Senserbaugh, and had five children:
George, Alice, Irene, Augusta and Fred. (7)
Harriet married Cornelius Hill, and had three
children: Irene, Ernest and George.
(4) Rev. William Brush, D. D., Mrs. Cut
ler's brother, was born in New Fairfield, Conn.,
February 19, 1827, and died in Englewood,
Chicago, 111., AprH 29, 1895, having but a few
weeks before passed the sixty-eighth milestone
in his life's journey. It is to the circumstances,
associations and surroundings of his early life
that we must look for the elements that pro
duced his strong character. Born and reared
as he was among the rocks and hills, the looms
and spindles of New England, we find in him
the qualities of energy, industry, self-denial
and perseverance. Puritan blood flowed in
his veins, and loyal patriotism fired his soul.
In his student days he sacrified the ordinary
pleasures and even conveniences of life that
he might furnish his mind with higher and
nobler attainments. True to his youthful am
bition, by dint of earnest toil and hard study
he returned at the early age of twenty to knock

at the door of Yale College for admission to
the sophomore class. In the three remaining
years he completed the full classical course
with high rank in scholarship. In October,
1850, foHowing his graduation, he was married
to Electa J. Brush, the trusted and beloved
companion of his after years. They had three
children: Frank, a minister; Darley, a banker,
and Hattie, who married Dr. O. E. Murray.
Dr. Brush's active work in the ministry began,
in 1 85 1, in the New York Conference, of which
he was a member, and served successful pas
torates untH 1858, when he took a transfer to
the Upper Iowa Conference, and was appointed
pastor of the M. E. Church at DyersvHle. In
i860 he was called to the presidency of Upper
Iowa University, at Fayette, Iowa, which po
sition he held for nine successive years. En
tering again upon the active work of the min
istry," he served a four-years' term as presiding
elder of the Charles City district. In 1873,
finding the rigor of the northern winter too
severe for his wife's health, he decided to
move south, and became presiding elder of the
Austin, Tex. , district. From the result of his
eight-years' labor in this field the Austin Con
ference was formed. In 1 881 he removed
north, and filled appointments again as pastor
of the churches at Maquoketa and Vinton,
Iowa. In 1885 he removed to Dakota, and
became one of the founders and first president
of Dakota University, which position he occu
pied for six years, or until his appointment in
1 89 1, by President Harrison, as U. S. Consul
to Messina, Italy.
On his return from his foreign mission in
1892, he was elected chancellor of the Univer
sity of the Northwest, at Sioux City, Iowa,
where he labored untH a few months previous
to his death. He assisted in laying the foun
dation of three colleges in the West, and when
the history of these institutions are written
fifty years hence, such men as Dr. Brush will
receive due credit for the sacrifices made in
their behalf. The Churches and the cause of
education are indebted to him for forty-four
long years of eminent and efficient service,
eighteen years as college president and twenty-
six years in the ministry, during which time
his name has been associated with many im
portant issues and undertakings. On several
occasions he acted as chaplain of the House of
Representatives in Washington, D. C. , and
officiated in the same capacity at the National
Republican Convention in 1892. Five times

772

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

was he elected delegate to the General Con
ference of the M. E. Church, and once re
ceived a large vote for the office of bishop.

ilrTrUSTUS P. REYNOLDS, a leading and
Jl progressive citizen of the town of Amenia,
Dutchess county, was there born on what
is now known as the J. O. Peters place, Jan
uary 24, 1833, and belongs to a family that
was established in this country soon after the
landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.
The first to arrive in the New World was Rob
ert Reynolds, a native of England, who was
living in Watertown, Mass., in 1634, and later
became a resident of Boston. His son, Na
thaniel Reynolds, was born in that State, and
in 1680 emigrated to Bristol, R. I., becoming
one of its first settlers. He had previously
married Priscilla Brackett, and their soA Jos
eph was born in Massachusetts, December 20,
1676, and died January 16, 1759. The latter
wedded Phoebe Leonard, and among their
children was Joseph Reynolds, who was born
in Rhode Island, November 15, 1719, and died
September 14, 1789. He married Lydia
Greenwood. Joseph Reynolds was a prominent patriot
during the Revolutionary war. Gen. LaFayette
stayed at his house during the occupancy of
the town of Bristol. Later, vvhen the British
took the place, Mr. Reynolds and his servant
were taken prisoners and confined in a prison-
ship in the harbor. He suffered great priva
tions in that vermin-infested ship, but was
finally exchanged for a British officer. Gen.
LaFayette visited him on his return to America
in 1824. The house in which he was enter
tained was built (according to the history of
the town) about the year 1700, and is still
standing in a fine state of preservation, and is
owned and occupied by one of his descendants.
The room in which Gen. LaFayette slept is
preserved in its original state.
George Reynolds, the son of Joseph and
Lydia (Greenwood) Reynolds, was the grand
father of our subject. He was born at Bristol,
R. I., November 7, 1756, and at that place
was united in marriage with Abigail Peck, by
whom he had five children: Jonathan P.,
Lydia, George, Joseph, and Abigail, who mar
ried Philo Reed. In 1794 the grandfather
came to the town of Amenia, Dutchess county,
locating upon a farm near the village of
Amenia, where he engaged in agricultural

pursuits until his death, which occurred in
AprH, 1808.
George Reynolds, the father of our subject,
was also a native of Bristol, R. I. , born No
vember 15, 1788, received a district school
education, and remained under the parental
roof for some years. At Amenia was celebrated
his marriage. May 26, 18 19, with Miss AbigaH "
Pennoyer, daughter of Jonathan Pennoyer, and i
to them were born four chHdren, namely:
George Greenwood, born February 7, 1821, is
an ex-judge of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Caroline, born
January 23, 1826, died March 28, 1829; Mary,
born May. 18, 1830, became the wifeof George
Kirby, and died October 15, 1874; Justus Pow
ers, subject of this sketch, completes the family.
After his marriage the father bought the Peters
farm, north of Amenia village, where he lived
until 1834, when he purchased the E. J. Pres
ton place, south of Amenia, there dying Jan
uary 31, 1873, in the faith of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. His political support was
first given the Whig and, later, the Republican
party, and he acceptably served as assessor of
his town. He was a straightforward, honor
able man, who had the confidence and esteem
of all who knew him.
Justus P. Reynolds spent bis boyhood days
in the town of Amenia, and acquired his edu
cation in the district schools and the Amenia
Seminary.* In i860 he purchased the Jordan
farm, near South Amenia, where he made his
home, until removing to his present place near
the same village in 1869. He has continued
to follow the occupation to which he was
reared, with results that are satisfactory; the
reward of well-directed labors.
In the town of Amenia, January 31, 1863,
Mr. Reynolds led to the marriage altar Miss
Nancy Barlow, daughter of Elisha Barlow,
and to them were born six chHdren: George,
who married Clarabel Williams, daughter of
William WHHams, and has two chHdren, How
ard B. and Edward D.; Abbie L. ; Lucy B.,
wife of John T. Sackett, of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
by whom she has one daughter, Justine R. ; Ed
ward G. ; Francis B. ; and Bertha May, de
ceased. Mr. Reynolds affiHated with Sheko
meko Lodge, when it was at MabbettsvHle,
Dutchess county. In politics he is independ
ent, voting for the man whom he thinks best
qualified to fill the office, regardless of party
ties, but favors Democratic principles. He takes
a commendable interest in the prosperity and
advancement of his native county.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

lis

WILLIAM B. ROE (deceased) was born
 at New Hackensack, Dutchess county,
October 17, 18 19, and was of English ex
traction. His father, WHliam Roe, whose
birth occurred June 26, 1790, was married in
18 1 2 to Miss Abby Blatchley, who was born
in Connecticut December 27, 1788, and they
located upon a farm in New Hackensack,
where their four chHdren were born, namely:
Joseph B., who died in infancy; WHliam B. ;
John B., who became a merchant of Mary
land; and Sarah, who married Gilbert Has
brouck, a farmer of Michigan. The family
were members of the Episcopal Church.
Upon the farm where bis widow now
resides, WHliam B. Roe passed his boyhood
and youth in much the usual manner of farmer
lads, and on November 11, 1846, married
Miss Amanda Anderson, who was born in the
town of East FishkiH, on the farm known as
"Locust Dale, " which was also the birthplace
of her father, Peter Anderson. Six children
were born to our subject and his wife: Abby
B., who died May 19, 1852; Sarah E.; Annie
L.; EHa K., who died October 25, 1862; Will
iam A., who died August 21, 1865; and Win
ifred A.
At his childhood home, Mr. Roe continued
to live until his earthly career was ended June
2, 1873, when he passed to his reward. In
connection with general farming he also dealt
extensively in stock of all kinds, buying and
seHing horses, cattle, etc., and did a profitable
business along that line up to the time of his
death. His ballot was always cast in support
of the men and measures of the Democratic
party, and he took a commendable interest in
public affairs. With his estimable wife, he
held membership in the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and faithfully followed its teachings.
In all the relations of life he was honorable and
upright, never seeking to take advantage of
others, and enjoyed the confidence and respect
of all with whom he came in contact. He
left a comfortable property, including a farm
of 225 acres, on which his wife and daughters
reside. They are intelligent and highly cul
tured ladies, and have many friends through
out the community.

E

^DWIN L. BUSHNELL, a prominent citi

zen of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
the inventor of the Bushnell spring bed, and
founder of the Bushnell Manufacturing Com

pany, was born March 8, 1822, in Stanford,
Dutchess county.
His family is of English origin, and he
traces his lineage to one of three brothers who
came from Saybrook, England, at an early
date, the Bushnells of New Haven, Conn.,
and of Ohio, being also their descendants.
Alvah Bushnell, our subject's father, was born
in Litchfield county. Conn., in 1796, and in
181 7 came to Dutchess county, and engaged
in mercantile business; but after two years in
Stanfordville and two in Bangall, he gave up
that occupation to conduct a hotel at Pulver's
Corners, remaining there three years. He
then bought the property known as the Solon
Lapham farm, where he passed the remainder
of his days as a successful farmer. He mar
ried Mr. Lapham 's daughter, Melinda, and had
three children, Julia, Edwin L. , and Tamma
Josephine. He was an active worker in the
Republican party, also in all local movements
of importance, and was a regular attendant of
the Baptist Church at Bangall. His death
occurred November 16, 1865 ; his wife died
October 28, 1861.
Edwin L. Bushnell, our subject, attended
the district schools of his vicinity in boyhood,
and then studied for one winter at Amenia
Seminary. At seventeen he was obliged to
leave school, but he has always been an ex
tensive reader; and is an unusually well-in
formed man. He remained at home until the
age of twenty-three, when he left the farm on
account of ill health and entered the Pough
keepsie Iron Co. , of which he was one of the
three first stockholders on the organization of
the company, October 31, 1848. This com
pany owned the first anthracite furnace built
east of the Alleghanies, and Mr. Bushnell
personally supervised its construction. In
1850 he retired to take the business manage
ment of the American R. R. Chair Co. , and in
their interest he spent the winter of 1851-52
in Columbus, Ohio, and four months of 1852
in Montreal, Canada. His mother's faHing
health caused him to sever his relations with
this company, and return to Poughkeepsie.
In 1852 he undertook the selling of patents,
and visited Bangor, Maine, and Portsmouth,
N. H., with a patent window-blind hinge. He
had been for some time engaged in perfecting
the invention, of which he has since made such
a distinguished success; but like most in
ventors he was obliged to follow occupations
which were less congenial, though more re-

774

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

munerative, than fashioning models. A brief
venture in the real-estate business in Boston
was followed by a few months in the lumber
trade with an uncle in New York City; but in
the fall of 1853 this business was closed out,
and Mr. Bushnell became connected with the
Lord's Prayer Association in the same city.
The winter of 1853-54 he spent in Richmond,
Va. , selling machinery. In the spring of 1855
he married Miss Sarah Jane Sherman, of Cam
bridge, Washington county, N. Y., and settled
upon the old homestead farm. Three chH
dren were born of this union: Jennie, now at
home; James S., a resident of Seattle, Wash.;
and Edwin M., the treasurer and general man
ager of the Bushnell Manufacturing Co., at
Easton, Pennsylvania.
In i860 Mr. Bushnell went to New Pres
ton, Conn. , and engaged in a mercantile busi
ness; he contributed largely to the support of
families whose fathers were in the army dur
ing the RebeHion. In the fall of 1865 he sold
his business in New Preston, and returned to
Poughkeepsie, where in the spring of 1866 he
purchased the house in which he still resides.
He began the manufacture of scythe riffles, and
patented a mowing-machine sharpener, which
he sold in 1869, when he commenced manu
facturing his own invention, making a spring
bed with four eyes in each end of the springs.
This has met with great success, and in 1880
he adapted the idea to car seats, berths and
backs, and was awarded the only medal on
that line of goods at the National Exposition
of Railway Appliances at Chicago in 1883.
Though various parties infringed his patents
and kept him seven and one-half years de
fending his rights in the United States Courts,
he secured the patronage of the Wagner &
PuHman Palace Car Co. His goods have been
largely adopted by all the leading railroads
and car-builders throughout the country, with
several new patents for improvements, and, on
tools and machinery for manufacturing, they
take the lead. In 1893 Mr. Bushnell removed
his factory from Poughkeepsie to Easton,
Penn., where there is a fine plant employing
a large number of men. This firm furnished
the seats for the new "Defender," also the
"Black Daimon Train," the finest train in
the world. He built the first skylight in
Poughkeepsie, for taking' pictures.
Mr. BushneH is a man of great natural
ability and energy, and notwithstanding his
years is mentally active, his memory being re

markable. He has always taken an interest
in the success of the Republican party, but
has always refused to accept office. He
served out his time with the Davy Crockett
Hook & Ladder Company. He attends the
Second Reformed Church, to which he is a
liberal giver.

ISAAC B. GILDERSLEVE (deceased), who
 was one of the highly respected and hon
ored citizens of the town of East FishkiH,
Dutchess county, was born in Scipio, Cayuga
Co., N. Y., AprH 5, 1823, of HoHand descent.
His father, Solomon Gildersleve, was a native
of the town of Fishkill, Dutchess county, but
after his marriage with Margaret Wiltsie lo
cated upon a farm in Cayuga county, where
their five children were born: Annis, who
married Thomas Ketchum, of the town of East
Fishkill, but both died in Indiana; Eliza, who
first married James Deleree, and after his death
wedded Elias Tompkins, and they lived at
Cold Spring, N. Y. ; Emma, who became the
wife of a Mr. Bronson, and lived at Port
Chester, N. Y. ; Ann; and Isaac B.
Our subject when a young man came to
the town of East Fishkill, where he engaged
in teaming, hauling hoop poles to Poughkeep
sie, but about 1842 went to Missouri, and was
on the Mississippi until 1865, working his way
upward from a deck hand until he was owner
of a steamboat, which carried both freight and
passengers. In 1865 he began the hotel busi
ness in St. Louis, which he continued for five
years, and on the expiration of that time re
turned to Dutchess county, purchasing the
farm now owned and occupied by his daugh
ter, Rita A.
Mr. Gildersleve was married in 1865, to
Miss Charlotte A. MHler, a native of Berwick,
Columbia Co., Penn., and adaughter of Jacob
Miller. Five children were born to them, all
of whom died in infancy with the exception of
Rita A., and the mother departed this life
September 24, 1887, while the father's death
occurred on the home farm February 25, 1890.
The farm is a most beautiful place, on
which Mr. Gildersleve made many improve
ments and erected excellent buildings. It
comprises 146 acres of valuable land, on which
he carried on general farming, but his daugh
ter, who now has the management, makes a
specialty of mHk.
In the career of this gentleman we find an

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BEOOBD.

775

excellent example for young men just embark
ing in the field of active Hfe, of what may be
accomplished by a man beginning poor, but
honest, prudent and industrious. He was en
tirely self-made, and left behind him an excel
lent property, as well as a good name. He
was a Democrat in politics, and was one of
the prominent and esteemed citizens of the
community. His estimable wife held member
ship in the Episcopal Church.

WONCURE BARTOW was called from
 earth in the midst of his usefulness, dying
on the 19th of April, 1881. He was a leading
and honored citizen of the town of East Fish
kill, Dutchess county, where he devoted his
energies to the care and cultivation of the farm,
and was also connected with the Dutchess
County Insurance Company, of Poughkeepsie.
The Bartow family is of French extraction,
and was established in Dutchess county at a
very early day. Religiously, its members were
mostly connected with the Episcopal Church.
William A. Bartow, the father of our subject,
was a native of the town of East Fishkill, and
a farmer by occupation. The mother bore
the maiden name of Jane Hasbrouck.
Moncure Bartow was the seventh son in a
family of twelve chHdren, and was reared upon
the old home farm, where he continued to en
gage in agricultural pursuits until his marriage,
in 1867, to Miss Elizabeth D. Brinckerhoff.
They began their domestic life upon the farm
where she still resides, and there their two
children — Jane D. and Moncure — were born.
The parents contributed to the support of the
Reformed Church, and in politics Mr. Bartow
was a decided Democrat, but would never ac
cept public office. His upright, honorable life
won him the confidence and esteem of his
neighbors, and he was classed among the most
respected representative citizens of East Fish
kill town.
Mrs. Bartow, a most excellent lady, was
born in the house which is still her home, and
is the only child of Abraham and Betsey
(Delavan) Brinckerhoff, the former born on
the farm in the town of East Fishkill (where
his daughter now resides), October 6, 1798,
and the latter at North Salem, Westchester
Co.. N. Y., January 11, 1799. The Brincker
hoff family is of Holland origin, and was
founded in America in 1638. The first to lo
cate here was Joris Dericksen Brinckerhoff,

who married Susanah Dubbles, and from him
in direct line to the father of Mrs. Bartow were
Abraham Jorisen (married to Altia Stryker),
Derick (married to Altia Cowenhoven), Abra
ham (married to Femmetia Remsen), John A.
(married to Elizabeth Brinckerhoff), and Derick
(who married Margaret Brett). The Delavan
family was of French extraction, and Mrs.
Bartow's maternal grandfather, John Delavan,
was born February 11, 1744, and became a
prominent farmer of Westchester county. He
married Martha Keeler, whose birth occurred
at Ridgefield, Conn., August 28, 1757, and
they became the parents of five children, as
follows: Jane, born in 1789, died in 1865;
Chauncy, born in 1790, died in 1863; Benja
min, born iri 1792, died in 1827; Catherine,
born in 1797, died in 1867; and Betsey, the
mother of Mrs. Bartow, was the youngest.
The father of these children died January 8,
1834, the mother on March 10, 1843. After
their marriage, Abraham Brinckerhoff and his
wife located upon the farm where Mrs. Bar
tow yet lives, and there the former died Jan
uary 5, 1874, and the latter on September 29,
1878. They were prominent members of the
community, and had the respect of all who
knew them. In early life Mr. Brinckerhoff
was a Democrat, but later supported the Re
publican party.

IRAM CLARK (deceased). The family
name of the subject of this sketch has
long been held in high esteem in Dutchess
county, and he proved himself to be a worthy
representative, displaying in a high degree the
keen business judgment and high sense of
honor which have characterized the race. Re
motely he was of English descent, the head of
the American branch being Thomas Clark,
who was one of the "Mayflower" pilgrims.
The first of the family to come to Dutchess
county was our subject's grandfather, Ezra
Clark, an energetic, thrifty and prosperous
farmer, who was born at Plainfield, Conn., in
1748. He came to Dutchess county about
1795, and his first purchase was a farm of 200
acres, adjoining what is now our subject's es
tate, he later buying the farm now owned by
Leonard Barton, where he passed his later
years, and died in 1834. He was married in
Connecticut to Mary Douglas, who died in
1837. Theyhad ten children: Douglas; Moses;
Ezra; Elijah, a farmer in Amenia; Sarah, who

776

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

married Samuel Brown; Lidia, who married
Jeremiah ConkHn; Patty (Mrs. ConkHn); Aphia,
married to George Brown; and Olive, married
to Jacob Dakin.
The two elder sons remained in the town
of Northeast, and became prominent in local
affairs — business, political and social. Doug
las Clark, our subject's father, was born in
Plainfield, Conn., July 12, 1774, but spent the
greater part of his Hfe on the present Clark
farm, near Millerton, Dutchess county, con
sisting of 400 acres, which he purchased in
1 8 16 from a Mr. Spencer, for whom Spencer's
Corners was named. He, owned two other
estates also, comprising in all about 800 acres.
He possessed rare business judgment, and was
greatly esteemed throughout the community,
being often called upon to assist in the settle
ment of estates. In 1829, 1830 and 1831 he
was supervisor, and for a number of years was
commissioner of highways and Justice of the
peace. He was twice married, (first) to Sarah
CoHins, and (second) to Elizabeth 'Wiggins, a
lady of English descent, daughter of Arthur
and Mary Wiggins, of the town of Northeast.
He had eight children, as follows: Of the
first family were — Olive, born in 1797, who
died at the age of twenty-seven; Sarah (Mrs.
Alex. Trowbridge), born in 1798; Perry, born
in 1800; Harry, born in 1808; Emeline (Mrs.
B. H. Wheeler, of Amenia), born in 1816; and
Caroline (Mrs. Caleb Barrett), born in 18 — .
The second family were: Hiram, born June
I, 1824; and Douglas, born in February, 1832.
Hiram Clark succeeded at his father's death
to a portion of the estate, and followed farm
ing. He was a well-informed man, having re
ceived a good English education in his boyhood
at Amenia Seminary and at Kinderhook, to
which he constantly added by reading and ob
servation. An able and entertaining business
man, in the management of his farm he was
thoroughly successful. He made many im
provements, remodeling the house, which was
built about 1829, the lumber being brought
from Albany. It is now one of the finest farm
houses in the town. He was engaged for
some years in the breeding of fine horses.
Among other business enterprises in which he
was interested was the founding of the Miller
ton National Bank, in which he was one of the
original stockholders. Although he took a keen
interest in public affairs, and was an ardent
Republican in politics, he never sought or held
office, being quite content to use his influence

quietly. He was an earnest Christian^ and
a regular attendant at the Congregational
Church, but later became an adherent of the
Presbyterian Church, and often held official
positions in those societies. On November 17,
1847, he married Mary Richter, daughter ot
John W. and Hannah (Harris) Richter, well-
known farming people of near Pine Plains.
Four children were born to them: Henry, June
28, 1850; John W., December 17, 1854; and
two who died in infancy. The father was
called from earth December 6, 1890; the
mother still resides on the old homestead.
The two surviving sons of this estimable
couple inherited the old farm of 400 acres
first acquired by their grandfather, where they
now conduct an extensive dairy business. They
are successful managers, and hold a prominent
place among the younger men of their town.
Henry Clark was educated at Amenia Semi
nary and at New Marlboro, Mass. He is a
Democrat in politics, was assessor from 1890
to 1893, and for two years past he has been a
director of the Millerton National Bank. On
January 1 1, 1882, John W. Clark was married
to Harriet J. Weed, of Torrington, Conn., and
has one daughter, Harriet Emma Clark.

WILLIAM H. DIAMOND, the well-
 known proprietor of the Beverick
Bottling Vaults, at the corner of Main and
Clover streets, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
is one of the most enterprising business men of
that city.
His family is of Irish origin, the old home
of his ancestors being located at Belfast,
where his grandfather, James D.. Diamond,
followed the trade of a mason. He had five
sons, all of whom came to America. John
died in Dutchess county; Hugh was our sub
ject's father; Charles H. was a saloon keeper
in Poughkeepsie, and was noted for his gener
osity; Patrick, a ship builder by trade, enlisted
in the army during the Civil war, and rose to
the rank of acting major; William was a la
boring man; James enlisted in the army in
1863, and was one of the " missing."
Hugh Diamond came to Poughkeepsie in
1849, and engaged in the manufacture and sale
of boots and shoes at the corner of Dutchess
avenue and Albany street, gaining the reputa
tion of being an excellent workman and good
business manager. Although he was not Hb
erally educated, he had good natural ability

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Ill

and sound judgment, and was highly esteemed.
In his later years he went into the wholesale
ale business, in which he was engaged at the
time of his death, which occurred in 1875. A
Democrat in principle, he vvas interested in
the success of the party, but was no politician.
He was one of the earliest members of St.
Peter's Catholic Church, and for some years
was captain of two military companies of the
city — the Poughkeepsie Grenadiers and the
Jackson Republican Guards. In 1859 be mar
ried Miss Jane Reynolds, daughter of Thomas
Reynolds, a native of Kilrea, County Derry,
Ireland, and had seven children: James (de
ceased); William Henry, our subject; Margaret
Ellen, who is at home; James, a resident of
Poughkeepsie; Sarah Jane (deceased); Mary
Jane (deceased); and Sarah, an invalid, at
home. Three of the family died before reach
ing adult age.
W. H. Diamond was born October 24,
1852, at No. 45 Dutchess avenue, Pough
keepsie, and was educated in that city, attend
ing St. Peter's parochial school in Mill street,
from the age of seven years until he was thir
teen, when he entered the public school at the
corner of Mill and Bridge streets, against the
strenuous opposition of the priest and the fam
ily, with the exception of his father. Notwith
standing threats and hindrances, he prevailed,
and attended there for about three years. At
fifteen he began to learn the trade of brick
layer and plasterer with William Harlow, of
Poughkeepsie, who was then building the print
works at Haverstraw. So capable was the
young apprentice that he was soon made time
keeper and paymaster, having at times 1 50
bricklayers, and from seventy-five to one hun
dred other laborers to keep accounts for, and
handHng hundreds of thousands of dollars
without the loss of a cent. Later he went to
New York City with his employer, and worked
on the post office, the Jefferson market police
station, the Garner warehouse at the corner of
Jay and Hudson streets, and other large build
ings. After three or four years there he re
turned to Poughkeepsie, and worked on the
asylum for WilHam Sayer. In 1881 he started
in the business of wholesahng ale, handling the
goods of T. D. Coleman, of Albany, and Ken-
. nedy & Murphy, of Troy. On April i, 1884,
he rented the property at the corner of Main
and Clover streets, and established his pres
ent business, which includes the bottling of
lager beer and a wholesale business in ale. He
50

has built up a large trade, one of the best in
that line, extending throughout the county and
for some distance up and down the river, and
he makes a specialty of handling the best
goods, the Anheuser Busch and Ballentine
Lager, and several brands of fine ale. His
property on North Clover street, the John VaH
place, is one of the finest in the city. The
secret of his success may be found in his close
attention to business, and fair dealing with
customers. On September 7, 1884, he married Miss
Catherine Hillery, of Poughkeepsie. They
have no children. Mrs. Diamond's parents
were natives of Ireland, and her father died
there in 1862; her mother died in Poughkeep
sie in 1879. Mr. Diamond has always been
interested in public affairs. On State and
National issues he is a Democrat, but in local
politics he votes independently. He belongs
to Triumph Lodge, K. of P. , the Young Amer
ica Hose Co. , the Poughkeepsie Zither Club,
and is a leading member of St. Peter's Catho
lic Church.

WILLIAM J. CARPENTER, a retired
 merchant of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born in New York City, December
10, 1828, a son of Emory and Jane Ann (Du
Bois) Carpenter. [A geneaological sketch of
the Carpenter family will be found in the
biography of J. DuBois Carpenter elsewhere.]
Our subject attended school in an old stone
school house until he was fifteen years old, and
then came to Poughkeepsie, where he went to
the Smith Institute for a year, at the end of
that time entering his uncle's store at No. 271
Main street, as clerk, the firm name being L.
& J. G. Carpenter, grocers. There Mr. Car
penter clerked until the spring of 1849, when
he joined a company going to California.
They went via Cape Horn, and consumed five
and one-half months in making the trip. In
the spring of 1850 Mr. Carpenter returned to
Poughkeepsie, and went into the grocery store
of his uncle at No. 320 Main street, where he
remained some three years, and then he and
his brother, J. Du Bois, took the business and
conducted it under the name of Carpenter &
Bro. After eight years they sold out and en
gaged in the boating business, running a boat
from New Paltz Landing to New York City.
This they continued for one year, and then, in
1863, our subject again went into partnership

778

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

with his brother (J. Du Bois) at the corner of
Academy and Main streets, remaining there,
under the firm name of Carpenter & Bro., until
1887, when our subject bought a beautiful
home on Southeast avenue, and is now living
a retired life.
On September 5, 1854, Mr. Carpenter was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Boerum,
a native of Poughkeepsie and a daughter of
David Boerum, the first merchant tailor who
did business in Poughkeepsie. Four chHdren
came of this union: Amelia, born June 4, 1855,
died June i, 1863; Fred White, a druggist in
New York City, born February 16, 1857; Jen
nie Boerum, born February 4, 1863, married
Myron H. Barlow, a furniture dealer of Pough
keepsie; and Hattie W., born April 13, 1872, is
unmarried. Of these, Fred W, married Malvina
Finch June 3, 1885, and they have three chil
dren: William Frederick, Gerald Finch and
Margaret. Jennie B. was married, March i,
1888, to Myron H. Barlow. Mrs. Sarah E.
Carpenter died April 18, 1875, and for his sec
ond wife our subject married, September 26,
1876, Miss Jane E. Flagler, who was born in
the town of Pleasant Valley, a daughter of
Isaac Flagler. No children have been born of
this marriage. In politics Mr. Carpenter is a
Republican, having previously been a Whig.
He and his wife have been connected with the
First Congregational Church for twenty-five
years, and he has been identified with the busi
ness interests of Poughkeepsie for half a cen
tury. He is enterprising, progressive and highly
esteemed by his fellow citizens. In September,
1895, he was stricken with paralysis, and is
now (1897) in very feeble health and mostly
confined to the house.

DW. ROGERS (deceased) was an enter
prising and reliable agriculturist of the
town of East Fishkill. These qualities, in
connection with his natural industry and per
severance, made him, wherever known, an ob
ject of uniform regard. His birth occurred on
July I 5, 1852, on the farm in the town of East
Fishkill, where his widow still resides, and
where his great-grandfather, Micah Rogers, lo
cated in 1762, at that time purchasing 100
acres. On coming from Holland, the latter
made his first home in the town of Beekman,
but the greater part of his life was spent upon
that farm, where his death occurred. "The
grandfather of our subject, who also bore

the name of Micah Rogers, was there born,
and throughout life engaged in farming. He
wedded Margaret Workman, by whom he had
three sons: James W. , who was a farmer of
this county; Alexander, who carried on agri
cultural pursuits in the town of East FishkHl;
and Charles H., the father of our subject.
Upon the old homestead in East FishkHl
town, April 9, 1822, Charles H. Rogers was
born, grew to manhood, and as a companion
on life's journey chose Sarah J. Parmalee. They
began their domestic life upon that farm, and
there spent their remaining days, the father
dying AprH 16, 1876, and the mother on March
I, 1872. They were sincere and earnest
Christians, members of the Reformed Dutch
Church. Four children were born to them:
Margaret, deceased; D. W. , of this sketch;
Mary P., deceased; and Herbert, a resident of
the town of East Fishkill.
The subject of this review was reared in
the usual manner of farmer boys, and in early
life learned the blacksmith's trade; but owing
to his father's ill health, he gave up that pursuit
and returned to the homic farm, to the cultiva
tion and improvement of which he ever after
ward devoted his attention.
On March 22, 1877, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Rogers and Miss Mary L.
Van Nostrand, who was born in the town of
Hyde Park, Dutchess county, but came to
East Fishkill when quite young. The only
chHd born of their union, Charles H., died in
infancy. The parents of Mrs. Rogers, Joseph
H. and Mary E. (Berry) Van Nostrand, were
both natives of East Fishkill town, and in
their family were two children, the son being
Francis S., a postal clerk on the Hudson
River railroad. 'The father, who was a wagon
maker by trade, died February 29, 1884,
whHe the mother departed this Hfe AprH 23,
1868. The former was the only chHd of
George and Levina (Gildersleeve) Van Nos
trand. The grandfather of Mrs. Rogers was
also a wagon-maker, and a native of East
Fishkill. There her great-grandfather, Joseph
Van Nostrand, was born, and, after his mar
riage with Elizabeth Mead, located upon a
farm, where he reared his six children^ — George,
Phcebe A., Helen M., James, Sarah, and Cath
erine. The father of Joseph, Sr., was George
Van Nostrand, who came from Holland to the
New World, and located in the town of East
Fishkill, Dutchess county, at a very early peri
od in its history. His wife bore the maiden

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

779

name of HHtje Dorland. On the maternal
side, Mrs. Rogers is also of Holland origin.
Her grandfather, Francis Berry, was a native
of East Fishkill, where throughout his active
life he followed farming, as did also his fa
ther, Nicholas Berry. The former wedded
Mary Ketcham, of the same township.
Mr. Rogers continued the operation of the
old homestead farm up to the time of his
death, which occurred March 24, 1880, and
his widow has since had its management. It
is an excellent place of 152 acres, which in
cludes the original tract of one hundred acres.
Politically, Mr. Rogers was a Democrat, while
religiously he belonged to the Reformed Dutch
Church, of which his widow is also a consistent
member. He contributed his full quota toward
enterprises having for their object the general
welfare of the community, and was one of its
most highly respected citizens. His widow
also has the love and confidence of those
who know her.

i^AVID B. WARD, M. D., a prominent
physician of Poughkeepsie, and one of
the most able and progressive members of his
profession, was born in Pleasant Valley,
Dutchess county, March 13, 1853, the son of
Alson Ward, now a resident at No. 254 Church
street, Poughkeepsie.
Dr. Ward possesses unusual natural quali
fications for his chosen calling, and his abHities
were developed by thorough intellectual train
ing in youth. He prepared for college at
Riverview Military Academy, and after three
years at Dartmouth College, where he com
pleted the junior year, he entered Hamilton
College, and was graduated from the classical
course in 1873 with the degree of A. B, With
Dr. Parker, of Poughkeepsie, as preceptor, he
then began the study of medicine, and a year
later became a student in the College of Phy
sicians and Surgeons in New York City, com
pleting his studies with the class of 1876. On
graduating, in due course of time, he engaged
in practice in Wheeling, W. Va. , and remained
three years; but in 1879 he moved to Pough
keepsie, where he has built up an extensive
general practice. He has the true scientific
spirit, and keeps fully informed on every ad
vance in professional research, being himself
an original investigator. His work in micros
copy is especially worthy of note; he holds a high
rank in the profession not only with the pub

lic but among his medical brethren, and he is
a leading meniber of the Dutchess County
Medical Society, and of the city board of
health. The Doctor is a believer in the principles
of the Republican party, but has never taken
an active interest in political affairs. He was
City Physician from 1880 to 1888, and has
given his influence at all times to measures for
sanitary improvement. He belongs to the
Amrita Club, and to the I. O. O. F, , Fall
kHl Lodge. He has never married.

C\HARLES C. MORE, a retired merchant
^1 and real-estate dealer, was born in the
town of Blenheim, Schoharie Co., N. Y. , Sep
tember 19, 1828. The name of More first
appears about the third century in the north
ern part of Ireland, and has been variously
spelled Moore, Moir, Moor and More, but the
last is the proper spelling, Carber Riabha More
being the Father of the first chieftains and
Kings of Scotland. The Mores probably came
first from Norway or Sweden, in Scandinavia.
They were Presbyterians and, later. Re
formers. John More, the great-grandfather of our
subject, came to this country and located in
Delaware county, N. Y. , where he followed
the occupation of farming until the breaking
out of the Revolutionary war, in which he en
listed and served. After its close he returned
to his farm. He was an educated man, taught
school gratuitously, was justice of the peace,
legal adviser, and drew up many legal docu
ments that are still in existence. He married
Betty Taylor, daughter of Robert Taylor and
Jean Innis. Robert More, the grandfather,
was born at Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire,
Scotland, July 8, 1772, and followed agricult
ure exclusively. He married Susanna, a
daughter of David Fellows, and they reared a
famHy of nine chHdren. Two of Robert's
brothers, John T. and Jonas, were members
of the New York State Legislature.
Alexander More, father of our subject, was
the fourth child, and was born at Roxbury,
Delaware Co., N. Y. , September 14, 1799.
He grew up on a farm, and was the first man
to introduce the method of manufacturing but
ter in Delaware county. He dealt largely in
that commodity, buying and seHing it in New
York City, retiring after several years of suc
cessful business. He married Miss Sarah

780

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

Church, who was born at Salem, Washington
Co., N. Y. , January 8, 1802, and they moved
to Rondout, where he died September 16,
1872, and his wifeon AprH 9, 1862. Alexander
was a Democrat in politics, was elected super
visor of his town, and was ensign in the State
militia. Charles C. More, our subject, lived in
Schoharie county but a short time, being
moved, at the age of three years, to Roxbury,
where he grew up and attended the schools
and academy. In 1850 he went to Rondout
(now Kingston), where he engaged in general
merchandising. After selling his interests there
he went to Moline, 111., where he stayed for a
few years, manufacturing lumber. In 1876
Mr. More came to Poughkeepsie, where he has
since resided. He is owner of many large
farms, and, as he says, "runs them by proxy."
On June 13, 1850, Mr. More married Miss
Sarah C. LaFevre, who was born at Roxbury,
Delaware county, March 4, 1828, and is a
daughter of Daniel and Henrietta LaFevre,
the former of whom was a tanner by occupa
tion, and descended from persecuted Hugue
nots, of France, who came to America and
settled in Kingston, N. Y. Mr. More is a
Republican, but has never held office. He is
a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and with
his wife belongs to the Reformed Church, to
which he is a liberal contributor. He is a
public-spirited man, and beHeves in the educa
tion of the masses.
Ira C. Church, father of Mrs. Alexander
More, was born in Massachusetts, and was a
manufacturer of edge tools in Washington and
Delaware counties. He married Miss Abigail
Burnham, and reared a family of several chil
dren, Mrs. More being the only daughter. The
Church family is of English extraction.

WILLIAM ANTHONY WHITE, super-
 intendent of the Lee estate, in the
town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, was
born at St. Heliers, in the island of Jersey
( Channel Islands), May 29, 1840, and on the
paternal side is of French descent, while the
maternal ancestry were English. His grand
father, Charles Henry White, belonged to one
of the old families of Jersey. He was a
" warrant officer " in the English navy, and
head saHmaker on a man-of-war.
Henry Charles White, the father of our
subject, was also born in Jersey, served as

gardener for Lord Normandy over ten years;
later served as gardener thirty years for Alfred
George, Esq., Downside, near Bristol, Eng
land; he wedded Mary Barrett, daughter of
Rev. Robert Barrett, a clergyman of the
Church of England at Withycombe, a small
hamlet in Dorsetshire, England. Four chil
dren came to bless this union: Aramanta,
wife of Robert Smith, carpenter and builder,
Westbury-on-Trym, England; Henry, who
was a commissioned officer in the EngHsh
navy, and was killed at the age of twenty-
two years; William A. is the next in order of
birth; and Charles Henry, who was born
after his brother was kHled, learned the trade
of a marble mason in Bristol, England, but
worked as a boss farmer in England and
America, and died February 22, 1896. The
father departed this life on February 13,
1879; the mother, Mary ( Barrett ) White, de
parted this life December 30, 1883.
William A. White learned the profession
of gardener and florist in England, and be
came gardener for Walter Daubney, Esq.,
Cote House, Durham Down, near Bristol,
England, with whom he remained three years,
and during the following two and one-half
years he filled the same position with Richard
Bassett, Esq., of Bonveston, South Wales,
who. was commissioner of public works and
railroads. Removing to Exeter, Devonshire,
England, Mr. White was employed as head
gardener by William Cuthbertson, J. P.,
over three years.
In February, 1871, he arrived in America,
and coming to Staatsburgh, Dutchess county,
June 8, the same year, was appointed gardener
and superintendent of the estate of the late
Lawrence Lee, since which time he has filled
that position to the satisfaction of all concerned.
He is also present owner, of the Staatsburgh
Greenhouses, and with his son, Samuel Will
iam White, is engaged in the culture of the vio
lets, carnations, etc. The plant consists of
four houses, 2o6x 20; one large connecting
house 30x130; propagating house; and large
boiler house fitted with two large cylinder boil
ers. The houses are fitted with hot-water
heating, patented by William A. White, who
is also invenr.or of and patentee of the Acme Hot
Water BoHers used on the estates of Archibald
Rogers and Ogden Mills, Esquires, and a num
ber of other large estates. William A. White
is also the inventor of White's Garden Trellis,
and a number of other useful appliances; also

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

781

inventor of an automatic hot-water car-heater,
burglar-proof letter-box, etc. He has written
many able articles for horticultural papers,
and thoroughly understands his work in all de
partments. Mr. White was married in November, 1861,
to Hester Millard, daughter of Samuel Millard,
of Hutton, near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
shire, England, and they have two children:
Edith Annie, wife of Jacob Anderson, of Frank
lin, La., and Samuel William, who wedded
Ada Johnson, granddaughter of the late John
Bold, of Vineland, N. J., and is now superin
tending the Staatsburgh Greenhouses with his
father. Politically, Mr. White is an ardent Demo
crat; socially, he is a member of Rhinebeck
Lodge No. 432, F. & A. M. He is a man of
great perseverance and industry, and has suc
ceeded in accumulating some property in Vine-
land, N. J., and at Staatsburgh, N. Y. His
family attend the Episcopal Church.

m DAM A. STREVER, proprietor of one of
.^k the best farms of the town of Pine Plains,
Dutchess county, comprising 235 acres of im
proved land, is numbered among the honored
residents and most substantial agriculturists of
Dutchess county. He has been particularly
wise in his investments, and possesses excel
lent business capacity, making the most of his
opportunities. He is one of the most public-
spirited and progressive of men, giving his aid
to all worthy enterprises for the benefit of his
town and county.
Sylvester Strever, the father of our subject,
was born in 1822, in the town of Ancram,
Columbia county, N. Y. , and was but a boy
when brought to the town of Pine Plains,
Dutchess county. He has always engaged in
farming, operating his father's place until he
had reached the age of twenty-eight; but for
forty-three years he has made his home upon
a farm of 175 acres at Mt. Ross. He has
been more prosperous in his undertakings than
the majority of his neighbors, and has ac
cumulated a handsome property, owning an
other farm in addition to the one on which he
lives. He is a man of the strictest integrity,
was a member of the Reformed Dutch Church
at Gallatin, Columbia county, and has always
been very active in Church matters. Politic
ally he affiHates with the Democratic party.

Mr. Strever was united in marriage with
Phoebe Sheldon, and after her death wedded
MatHda Sheldon, who died in August, 1895.
He became the father of eight children, name
ly: Clarissa, now the widow of the late Dr.
C. E. Cole; Adam A.; Samuel J.; Monroe, a
merchant of New York City; Sheldon P., who
is located in the southern part of the town of
Pine Plains; Lewis, vvho conducts a store for
John Rudd; and Grant and Frank at home.
Our subject received a good education in
the district schools at Mt. Ross, and for one
year, after laying aside his text-books, aided
his father in the labor on the home farm. For
four years he then engaged in the cultivation
of his grandmother's farm for his father, and
for the following two years operated it on his
own account. The next year was passed upon
his father's farm, after which he went to Illi
nois, where he remained some six months.
On his return he purchased the Nancy Smith
farm, which he conducted four years, and at
the end of that time bought the old Hiserodt
homestead, where he has now lived for eleven
years. On March 18, 1880, he married Miss
Esther M. Hiserodt. They attend the Pres
byterian Church, and in politics Mr. Strever
is identified with the Democratic party. He
has capably filled several local offices, includ
ing that of assessor, in which he served six
years. The first of the Hiserodt family to locate
in Dutchess county was John Hiserodt. His
son, Hendrick Hiserodt, was the father of
Henry I. Hiserodt, the grandfather of Mrs.
Strever. Henry I. was one of the leading citi
zens and wealthy farmers of the county, own
ing at one time about 800 acres. He married
Miss Esther Steckles, by whom he had four
children — three sons and. one daughter: Bry
ant H., father of Mrs. Strever; Harmon;
Ward, a prominent citizen of New York City;
and Esther. After the death of his first wife
he wedded Rebecca Schultz, and to them were
born the following children: Jane, Caroline,
Francis, Christopher, Albert, Sanford and
Backus. Bryant H. Hiserodt was born July
13, 1 8 14, in the house in which Mr. and Mrs.
Strever now occupy, and with the exception
of two years he made his home there during
his entire life. He was joined in wedlock
with Lavinia C. Hoffman, daughter of Henry
Hoffman, and they became the parents of two
children: Henry Hoffman, of MHIerton, N. Y. ;
and Esther M., wife of our subject. On June

782

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

I, 1856, the father was called to his final
rest, and January 2, 1894, the mother followed
him to the unknown land.

WILLET J. MARSHALL is an enter-
 prising, wide-awake young business
manof Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, where,
on Garden street, he is successfully conducting
a meat market. His birthplace was Middle-
town, Orange Co,, N. Y. , where, on Decem
ber 16, 1 87 1, he first opened his eyes to the
light. His father, David Marshall, was a na
tive of Dutchess county, his parents, Hiram
and Hannah (Haight) Marshall, there living
upon a farm, and was the youngest in their
famHy of seven chHdren, the others being
Susan, who married William Finch, an under
taker of Hyde Park, N. Y. ; Mary C. , wife of
John Van Derwater, a farmer of East Park,
Dutchess county; Jane, who wedded Jacob De-
Groff, an agriculturist of Wappingers Falls,
Dutchess county; Ederette, wife of Jerome
Myers, a mason of Hyde Park; WHlet, a dealer
in smoked meats at Newburgh, Orange county,
and Henry, a butcher of that place, and the
senior member of the firm of Henry Marshall
& Sons. The Marshall family is of English
ancestry, and Quakers in religious belief. The
grandfather continued his farming operations
until his death, and was one of the highly-es;
teemed citizens of the county. His wife, who
is still living, has now reached the age of
eighty-six years.
The early life of David Marshall was
passed upon a farm in Dutchess county, and
on reaching man's estate he was united in mar
riage with Miss Mary V. Briggs, a native of
the same county, and a daughter of William
Briggs, also of English descent. To this
worthy couple were born two children — Han
nah, deceased wife of J. M'. Osborn, and WH
let J., of this sketch. The parents located at
Middletown, N. Y. , where the father carried
on the butcher's business for some time, and
then went to Denver, Colo., where he was
similarly employed. Returning to New York,
he became owner of three markets in Yonkers,
and on disposing of the same bought a farm in
Hyde Park township, Dutchess county, to the
cultivation of which he has devoted his time
for three years. Finally he removed to
Poughkeepsie, where he engaged in the butch
ering business until 1895, since which time be
has lived retired, enjoying the fruits of his for

mer toil. He and his wife are members of
tbe Episcopal Church, and their circle of friends
is only limited by their circle of acquaintances.
WiHet J. Marshall was quite smaH when his
parents removed to Denver, and most of his
boyhood was passed at Poughkeepsie, where
he attended the Warring Military School, and
later served six years as bookkeeper and cashier
in his father's market. Going to New York
City, in 1892, he formed a partnership with
W. H. Baker in the commission business at
No, 337 Washington street; but at the end of
a year he returned to Poughkeepsie, where he
has since conducted his present market. An
important event in his life was his mairriage
with Miss Julia A. Rooney, which was cele
brated in 1889. She is a native of England,
and a daughter of John Rooney, a cabinet
maker. Three children grace this union —
David B., Mary C. and John R. Politically,
Mr. MarshaH affiliates with the Republican
party, giving full adherence to the principles
and doctrines of its platforms, and is a sup
porter of all interests intended to benefit the
city in which he resides.

JOHN SCHWARTZ. Among the prom
inent citizens of Gerrtian birth in the city
of Poughkeepsie, none holds a higher place
in the estimation of the community than the
gentleman whose name introduces this sketch.
He is extensively engaged in the tobacco bus
iness, and has an enviable reputation for integ
rity and fair dealing, as well as for thrift and
enterprise. Mr. Schwartz was born in Bavaria, Ger
many, September 9, 1839. His father, John
Schwartz, died when our subject was a small
chHd, and when he was ten years of age he
came with his mother to America, landing at
New York City, where the mother had a mar
ried sister living, and here they lived for one
year. In January, 1850, the entire family
came to Poughkeepsie, and he entered school
for a short time. He soon became an appren
tice to learn the cigar business with George
M. Welker, with whom he remained six or
seven years, and on May i, 1864, went into
the tobacco business for himself at No. 315
Main street. He made a success of this enter
prise, and in 1879 he purchased the store at
No. 313 Main street, where he has carried on
his business ever since. Although having
some retail trade, he is principally engaged in

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

783

wholesaling, and ships his goods lo all points
in New York as well as to many other States.
His Business is the largest of its kind in the
county. On May 6, i860, Mr. Schwartz was mar
ried to Miss MatHda W. Bayer, a native of
Troy, N. Y., whose father, Joseph Bayer, was
born in Germany, but subsequently came to
America. Of this union four sons have been
born: Frank J., Charles G, , Edward T. and
Albert E. Frank is a druggist in Poughkeep
sie, and the other sons are in business with
their father, having been admitted to partner
ship in February, 1889, All are intelligent, en
terprising young men.
Mr. Schwartz is a Republican, but has
never taken an active interest in political
affairs, and in local elections supports the
best men irrespective of party. He has been
very successful financiaHy, the result of his
own exertions, as he began life a poor boy and
has SteadHy worked his way up to his present
position as one of the leading business men of
Poughkeepsie.

C\HARLES HOAG SMITH, who was called
'I from this earth in the midst of his useful
ness, was a native of Dutchess county, born in
the town of Stanford, April i, 1816, and is re
membered by the people of this section as one
of its most worthy and influential citizens.
His grandfather, Stephen Srnith, was an early
settler of the town of Clinton, Dutchess coun
ty, and by occupation he was a farmer. In his
family were six children, namely: Rufus;
David; Daniel; Harris; Martin; and Abbie,
who became the wife of Solomon Frost.
Harris Smith, the father of our subject.
was born in the town of Clinton, but
spent the greater portion of his life in the
town of Stanford. In 1855 he removed to
Washington town, and the following year pur
chased the farm on which his son Henry and
daughter Julia A. now reside. As a farmer
he was quite successful, and was a prominent
and representative citizen. He married Anna
Hoag, by whom he had five children: Charles
H. and Stephen (twins), Henry Hoag, Jacob
and Julia.
Mrs. Smith was the daughter of Charles
Hoag. Her paternal grandparents were John
and Mercy Hoag, the former born October 5,
1734, and the latter March 16, 1735. They
were married February 22, 1759, and became

the parents of nine children, whose names and
dates of birth are as follows: James H., Jan
uary 10, 1760; Abel H,, December 12, 1761;
Philip H., December 6, 1764; Lucy, March
17, 1767; Amy H,, July 2, 1769; Charles H.,
December 25, 1771 ; Ruth H., April 22, 1775;
Tripp H., March 26, 1778; and Mary H., May
23, 1782. The mother of this family died in
1807, at the age of sixty-nine years, and the
father October 4, 181 1.
On November 21, 1793, Charles Hoag was
married to Betsey Denton, who was born April
5, 1772, and to them were born eight children,
whose names and dates of birth are as follows:
Anna Hoag, October 2, 1794; John H., Sep
tember 27, 1797; James, February 14, 1799;
Henry, May 3, 1801; Phoebe, August 13, 1805;
Ezra, December 11, 1807; Benjamin, Novem
ber 23, 1 8 10; Deborah H., October 18, 18 12;
and Mary, February 25, 181 5. The father of
this family was a highly educated man, and
for many years was principal of the Nine
Partners Boarding School, in the town of
Washington, later moving to the town of Pine
Plains, and conducted a private school at
Bethel. Mr, Smith, whose name introduces this
sketch, was an agriculturist, and spent most of
his life upon a farm in about the center of the
town of Stanford. He was a good, substan
tial citizen, who took a warm interest in enter
prises calculated to build up his town, was a
man of sound judgment, and his untimely
death, at the age of thirty-eight years, was
deeply mourned throughout the community.
In 1840 he was married to Miss. Jane A. Peck,
who was born November 6, 18 19, and they
became the parents of two children: Albert,
born in 1841, was a patriotic yoiing man, and
was one of tbe first in the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, to enlist in the Union army
during the Rebellion, becoming a member of
the 44th N. Y. V. I. He died December 6,
1862, of typhoid pneumonia, while in the
service; Frances, born in 1843, is at home.
Henry Peck, the father of Mrs. Smith, was
born April 2, 1791, and the early part of his
life was passed in the town of Milan, but he
later became a resident of the town of Stan
ford. By occupation he was both a farmer
and merchant. He was the son of Loring
Peck, who was born January 19, 1744, and
made his home at Bristol, R. I. He was a
zealous patriot and became a colonel in the
Continental army in the war of the Revolution.

784

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

For many years he later served as a member
of the State Legislature. He was a son of
Jonathan Peck, whowas born at Bristol, R. I.,
September 12, 1698, and bis father, who also
bore the name of Jonathan, was born Novem
ber 5, 1666. The latter was a son of Nicholas
Peck, who was born April 9, 1630.
The family of which Mrs. Smith is a mem
ber numbered five children, four of whom
grew to adult age, namely: George, born
April 8, 18 1 3, was one of the leading and suc
cessful medical practitioners of the town of
Stanford; Richard, born May 5, 1815, was a
prominent attorney at law of Pine Plains for
forty years; Jane A., born November 6, 18 19,
is the widow of our subject; and Alfred, born
January i, 1822, died in the West.

0^

RVILLE L. DAVIS, one of the most suc
cessful agriculturists of the town of Clin
ton, Dutchess county, is also among the best
known, his pleasant home near Clinton Hol
low being a favorite resort for summer tourists
who wish to enjoy the charms of a genuine
country life. He is a native of the town of
Washington, where he attended the district
school at Shady Dell, and early became familiar
with the details of farm work from the thor
ough, but not always pleasant, teachings of
experience. Seth Lawton, our subject's grandfather,
was born in Rhode Island, in 1782, and when
a lad of ten summers was brought to Dutchess
county, where , he passed the rest of his life,
dying at an advanced age, in 1869. Henry D.
Davis, father of Orville L., was born in Kinder
hook, Columbia county, December 25, 1798,
and vvas married, November 27, 1826, to Jane
Ann Lawton, daughter of Seth Lawton, of the
town of Washington. After engaging in shoe-
making and farming in Columbia county he
came to Washington town for a time; but, in
1836, he moved to Fort Madison, Iowa, where
he died, September 22, 1838, when our sub
ject was eight years old. The widowed mother
then returned to her old home in the town of
Washington, with her family, whose names
with dates of birth are as follows: Esther,
August 25, 1828; OrvHle L,, November 5,
1830; Betsey, February 25, 1833, died August
5, 1838; William, February 10, 1835, died
March 6, 1868; and Seth, April 21, 1837, died
September 21, 1838. The mother, who was

born May i, 1809, survived her husband many
years, dying May 11, 1886.
Our subject, who has always been a fafmer,
worked upon his grandfather's estate until after
he was of age, and later cultivated his inherit
ance of 116 acres. He served in the army
some eighteen months during the Civil war, in
Company B, 128th N. Y. V. I. On March 24,
1875, he was married, in the town of Wash
ington, to Maria Eighmey, daughter of James
Eighmey, a lifelong resident of the town of
Unionvale. He and his wife, Mary Ann Jus
tus, had three daughters: Jane fnow Mrs.
Jacob Cambran), of Stanford; Maria (Mrs.
Davis); and Anna Eliza (Mrs. James Cambran),
of Milan. After his marriage Mr. Davis moved
into a house which he had built upon his es
tate, where he lived until the spring of 1887,
when he sold the property and purchased his
present fine farm in the town of Clinton. Here
a limited number of summer visitors — about
twenty in number — are entertained each year,
the attractions of the place always bringing all
that can be accommodated.
Mr. Davis is a Democrat in political faith;
in religion he and his wife are prominent mem
bers of the Christian Church at SchultzviHe,
and are interested in all movements tending to
the welfare of the community. They have one
son, Henry Thorne Davis.

OBERT LIVINGSTON MASSONNEAU,
president of the First National Bank of
Red Hook, Dutchess county, is a worthy rep
resentative of an ancestry which has long been
prominent in the history of this region. His
grandfather, Claudius Germain Massonneau, a
native of Angouleme, France, left that country
at the outbreak of the Revolution, with his
twin brother Pierre, both being then in early
manhood. They went to San Domingo, but
upon the insurrection of the negroes of that
island, abandoned their plantation and fled to
the United States. After a short stay in New
York City they settled, in 1790, in Red Hook,
engaging in mercantile enterprise. He mar
ried Catherine Gertrude Livingston de Brissac,
daughter of Robert Gilbert Livingston, and
widow of M. de Brissac. They had three
children: Robert Claudius, Edward and
Catherine. Robert C. Massonneau, the father of our
subject, was born May 3, 1797, in Red Hook,
and after enjoying such educational advan-

HRS, HARIA DAinS,

ORYILLE L, DAYIS,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

785

tages as the schools of Red Hook then afforded,
was sent to the Claverack Academy. At the
age of sixteen he began to assist his father in
the village store, and soon after had control of
the whole business, his father retiring to his
farm, where he spent the remainder of his life,
dying in 1846, in the seventy-seventh year of
his age. Robert C. added to his mercantile
work the manufacture of cigars and tobacco,
which venture proved highly successful from
its inception. He married, in 1824, Miss
Ehzabeth Waldorf, daughter of John Waldorf,
a leading citizen of Red Hook, and reared a
family of chHdren whose names are as follows:
Robert Livingston (our subject), born October
3, 1825; Catherine Elizabeth (now widow of
David Sparks) ; Peter Neilson ; Charles Waldorf ;
Edward Francis; and Mary Alice (now Mrs.
LeGrand B. Curtis). •
Robert L. Massonneau attended the schools
of his native place, entering while young his
father's store as clerk, serving in that capacity
a number of years. On October 27, 1859, he
married Emma Clark Strobel, who was born
December 19, 1859, in New 'Y'ork City. She
was a daughter of Rev. William D. Strobel,
D. D., at that time paster of St. Paul's
Lutheran Church of Red Hook. Five chil
dren were born of this union: Robert Living
ston, Jr.; WiHiam Strobel; Edward PhHip;
Eliza Franklin and Emma Engs. In 1852
our subject engaged in the tobacco business,
established by his fattier, continuing therein
until 1867, when he sold out his interest. His
trained business talent and sound judgment
have made him a recognized force in business
circles. On the organization of the First
National Bank of Red Hook, in 1865, he was
chosen director and afterward vice-president.
On the death of the president, W^Hliam Cham
berlain, he was elected to that position, which
he has since filled with distinguished ability.
In his political preferences he was originally a
Democrat, but since the formation of the
party has been a Repubhcan.
Mrs. Massonneau, wife of our subject, was
born in New York City, where her father at
the time was pastor of St. James Lutheran
Church. He was born May 17, 1808, at
Charleston, S. C, and married Abby Anna
Engs, who was born in New York City Sep
tember 17, 1815. They had seven chHdren,
four of whom are yet living, Mrs. Massoneau
being the third in order of birth. Her father
died December 6, 1884, in Rhinebeck, N. Y.,
51

and, with his wife and three children, is buried
in the cemetery at Red Hook. John Strobel,
great-grandfather of Mrs, Massonneau, owned
a large tannery in Charleston, S, C, about
the middle of the eighteenth century, serving
in the war of the Revolution as a captain in
the '"' German Fusileers, " the famed regiment
of South CaroHna. Her great-grandfather,
Col. Jonas Beard, served also in the Revolution.

MERITT HUMESTON, a prominent busi-
 ness man of Dover Plains, Dutchess
county, the senior member of the firm of
Humeston & Barrett, belongs to a famHy
which has been engaged in the manufacture of
wagons in Dutchess county for three genera
tions. His grandfather, Eli Humeston, was
born in Waterbury, Conn., in 1795, and after
securing an education in the local schools, be
came a wagonmaker and millwright, and fol
lowed those trades throughout his active life.
After his removal to Dover he constructed the
first milling plant ever buHt there. He mar
ried, and had the following children: George
E. , our subject's father; James, who married
(first) Miss Perry, and (second) Miss Lydia
UnderhiH; Joseph, who married Miss Vandu-
sen; Hannah, the wife of Jacob Palmer;
Harriet, who married George Basset; and Ed
ward, who is mentioned below.
George E. Hpmeston was born in Dutch
ess county in 1806, and learned the trade of
his father during his early years. Later he
engaged in it on his own account, and a few
years before his death he established a shop at
Dover Plains. His wife was Elizabeth Wel
ler, daughter of Jonathan Weller, a prominent
citizen of the town of Dover, and they had ten
chHdren: Catherine, Mrs. Thomas F. Wat
son; George, who died at the age of twenty-
two; John, who married Ann EHza Stage;
WilHam, who married (first) Elizabeth Vincent,
and (second) Harriet Vincent; David L., who
married Lavina Howard; Meritt, our subject;
Charles, who married Abbie Dennis; Harriet
and Sarah, who died in infancy, and one
whose stay upon earth was so brief that no
name was bestowed.
Meritt Humeston was born in 1842 in the
town of Unionvale, Dutchess county, and was
educated in Dover Plains. At the age of fif
teen he began to work at the blacksmith's
trade, and continued untH 1862, when he en
listed at Hudson, in Company B, 128th N, Y.

786

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

V. I, His first battle was at Port Hudson, on
the Mississippi, May 27, 1863, and among
other important engagements in which he took
part were those of Winchester, Va., Fisher's
HHl, Va. , Cedar Creek and Cane River Bluff.
His regiment was mustered out of the United
States service at Savannah, July 15,' 1865,
and ten days later was discharged from the
State service at Albany. On returning home
Mr. Humeston established himself in business
in the town of Beekman, Dutchess county,
and later spent four years at his trade in
Breenhaven, four in StormvHle, and two in
HopeweH, and in 1887 he opened the black
smith and wagon shop at Dover Plains, which
he has ever since conducted in partnership
with John R. Barrett, under the firm name of
Humeston & Barrett. With his war record it
will readily be inferred that Mr. Humeston is
interested in the G. A. R. ; he formerly be
longed to Ketcham Post No. 661, and is now
a member of C. S. Cowles Post No. 540, of
Dover Plains. He has taken an active part in
local politics, serving as constable in the town
of Beekman, and as overseer of the poor in
the town of Dover. On September 16, 1865,
he was married to Miss Sarah Lee, a native of
'FishkHl, born in 1841, and they have had four
chHdren: Annie, Mrs. Ellsworth Shultis; Har
riet, who died in infancy; and Charles and
George, who are at home. Mr. and Mrs.
Shultis have three children: George, born in
1888; Frederick, in 1889, and Maude, in 1892.
Mrs. Humeston's ancestors were early
settlers in the town of Fishkill, Dutchess
county. Her grandfather, Jonathan Lee, was
born there, and, after profiting by the ad
vantages afforded by the district schools, he
engaged in wagon making. He married Miss
Mary Ann Slocum, and had twelve chil
dren, all of whom lived to adult age. Their
names, with those of their respective partners
in marriage, are as follows: Harry, married
Amelia Griffin; Harriet, James Smith; Abra
ham, Maria Layne; Martin, Sallie Briggs;
George, Mary A. Howe; Alonzo, Zillie Brewer;
Eliza, James Howe; Harvey, Marie Van-
Haultz; Lucretia, John Brewer; William,
Phoebe J. Ferris; Charles, Jane Traverse, and
Ashel, Nancy Brown. Ashel Lee, Mrs. Hume
ston's father, was born at Harpersfield, in
1806, and attended the common schools there.
He learned the shoemaker's trade but followed
¦farming as an occupation. His wife was a
daughter of Samuel Brown. They had four

children: James, who married Catherine
Dingee; Mary Ann, who died in infancy; Sarah
J., Mrs. Humeston; and Montraville, who was
born in 1844, and died in Texas during the war
while in the service of the government.
Edward Humeston, son of EH, was bornin
1767, in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county, and was educated there. He learned
the trade of wagon making, and worked at that
during his active life. In local affairs he was
quite prominent, holding some minor town of
fices. He married Miss Elizabeth Weller,
daughter of Jonathan Weller, a farmer of
Amenia, and had eleven children: Catherine,
Mrs. Thomas F. Watts; George, who is not
married; John, who married Miss Stage; Will
iam, who married Elizabeth Austin; David L.,
who married Levina Howard; Sarah A., who
died young; Merrittf who married Sarah Lee;
Charles, mentioned below; Harriet, who died in
childhood; Henry, who was twice married, first
to a Miss Rodgers, and, second, to a Miss Stev
ens; and one child died in infancy unnamed.
Charles Humeston was born in the town
of Unionvale, Dutchess county, in 1844, and
was educated in Dover Plains. He learned
the shoemaker's trade in 1858, and worked at
that a short time; then, in 1859, began work
ing at the carriage-making trade, continuing
until 1862. In the latter year he enlisted in
Company B, 128th N. Y. V. I. as a private,
but was mustered in as a sergeant, and held
that commission throughout the war. He was
under the command of Col. David S. Cowles,
and was with him in many engagements, among
which were the following: Port Hudson, La.,
May 27, 1863, and June 14, 1863; Alexandria,
Cane River, Monett Bluff, and Marksville, La.;
Berryville, Va., September 3, 1864; Winches
ter, September 19, 1864; Fisher's HiH, Sep
tember 21, 1864; Mount Jackson, September
23, 1864, and Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864.
His command participated in two other minor
skirmishes, under Gen. N. P. Banks. At one
time it served with Gen. Phil Sheridan. This
regiment was mustered out of the United
States service at Savannah, Ga. , July 12, 1865,
and from the State service at Albany July 26,
1865. In 1870 Mr. Humeston married Miss
Abbie Dennis, and had seven chHdren: Mary
E, , Mrs. Frank Talladay; Emma, Mrs. Pat
rick Kelley; and Joseph, George, Frederick,
Bessie and John, who are not married. Mrs.
Humeston is a descendant of an old family of
the town of Dover, and her grandfather. Solo-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

181

mon Dennis, was born there and passed his
life in that locality, following agricultural pur
suits. He married, and had five children :
Thomas, Joseph, Henry, one sister (name not
known), and Reuben, Mrs. Humeston's father,
who was born in the town of Dover and edu
cated in the common schools of that vicinity.
He was engaged as a farmer throughout his
active years. His wife, Miss Mary Ann Lane,
was a daughter of Daniel Lane, of Balls-
bridge, Conn. They had the following chil
dren: Almira, Mrs. Oliver Potter; Solomon,
who married Abbie Cooper; Sarah, Mrs. David
Squires; Pollie, Mrs. Albert Flagler; Mary,
Mrs. Henry White; Daniel, who is not mar
ried; Amy, Mrs. Charles Millard; Reuben,
who has not married; Abbie, Mrs. Humeston;
Joseph, who married Rebecca Mullen; George,
who married Lena Bauer, and one who died in
infancy.

B lENJAMIN H. RUSSELL has for more
 .) than half a century resided inthe town of
Pleasant Valley, and to-day is living retired,
enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life. He
was born in the town of Fishkill, December
24, 1 8 16, and is a son of William Russell, a
native of Putnam county, N. Y. The grand
father, John Russell, was also a native of that
county, and was descended from English an
cestry. Upon his marriage he located upon a
farm in Putnam county and reared a family of
five children, namely: Abijah, Lee, Robert
and David, all of whom became farmers of that
locality, and William, father of our subject.
The agricultural pursuits of the grandfather
were interrupted by his service in the Revolu
tionary war, for when the Colonies attempted
to obtain release from the yoke of British op
pression, he joined the Colonial troops and
valiantly aided in that struggle for independ
ence. The religious views of the family have
generally been in accordance with the doctrine
of the Baptist Church.
WHHam Russell was reared on the old fam
ily homestead, and as a companion and help
meet on life's journey chose Theodosia Town-
send, also a native of Putnam county, and a
daughter of Elijah Townsend, who in that lo
cality followed farming. He was descended
from English ancestry, but when the war of
the Revolution broke out he manifested his
loyalty to the Colonies by his opposition to the

mother country, and in the service rose to the
rank of general.
Shortly after their marriage, WilHam Rus
sell and his wife located on a farm in the town
of Fishkill, where they spent their remaining
days. They were Baptists in religious belief,
and in his political proclivities Mr. Russell was
a Repubhcan. They had eight chHdren:
James, who was a farmer of the town of Fish
kill; Anna, deceased; Austin and John, who
were also fanners of Fishkill; Elijah, who car
ried on that pursuit in Dutchess county for
some years, and is now living at Matteawan;
WHliam, deceased, who was a farmer of the
town of FishkHl; and Elizabeth, who was mar
ried, and lived in the town of Dover, and both
she and her husband are now dead.
Our subject was sixth in order of birth, and
he spent his boyhood days on the parental
farmstead, aiding in the labors of the field
through the summer months, whHe his winters
were mostly spent in attendance in the district
schools of the neighborhood. On attaining his
majority he began working as a farm hand for
others, and later he became owner of a farm of
his own, which he cultivated for many years.
He still owns 1 50 acres of rich and arable land,
and also had ninety acres which he gave to his
son. He placed upon his farm many excellent
improvements in the shape of buildings and
machinery, and transformed his land into pro
ductive fields.
When twenty-eight years of age, Mr. Rus
sell was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth,
a daughter of Everett De Groff. She was born
on the farm Mr. Russell now occupies, and here
died about 1836. Our subject afterward mar
ried Hester J. De Groff, a relative of his first
wife, and by this union were born four children:
Everett, a farmer of Pleasant VaHey town;
John J. and James, both deceased; and Ben
jamin, who is also a farmer of that locality.
The mother having passed away, Mr. Russell
was again married, Miss Helen Stoutenburg
becoming his wife. She is a native of Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, and a daughter of
William Stoutenburg, a farmer of Hyde Park.
They have one son, Harry A. , who is still at
home. Mr. Russell formerly gave his political sup
port to the Democracy, but now votes with
the Republican party. He . has served as
trustee of the schools, and is deeply interested
in the cause of education, and in all matters
pertaining to the general welfare. He is a

788

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

member of the Presbyterian Church, in which
he is serving as elder, and is a most venerable
and highly-respected old man, having the re
gard of all who know him.

/TVEORGE H. BRIGGS, the genial and en-
^^ terprising partner of Charles A. Shurter,
is a member of the firm of Shurter & Briggs,
hardware dealers of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, where our subject was born May 23,
1842. His father, George G. Briggs, was a
native of England, and was one of the three
children of Isaac Briggs, a tailor of that coun
try, his two sisters being Mary, who married
Benjamin Briggs, a hardware merchant of
Poughkeepsie, and Sarah. The grandfather
came from England to America when his son
was about thirteen years of age, and located
in Poughkeepsie, where he carried on the
tailoring business until his death. He was a
straightforward, upright man, and a faithful
member of the Baptist Church.
George G. Briggs, the father of our sub
ject, also learned the tailor's trade, which he
has made his lifework, and is one of the most
highly respected citizens of Poughkeepsie,
where he has made his home since crossing the
Atlantic. He was married to Miss Mary Kipp,
a native of Poughkeepsie, and to them were
born nine chHdren, but three died in infancy.
The others are George H., of this review;
John, who is working in the store of our su'o-
ject; Albert, also a resident of Poughkeepsie;
WHliam, who is employed in the rolling mHls;
Mary, wife of George Marshall, a carriage
maker of Danbury, Conn. ; and Kate, wife of
CharlesJVilson, of Poughkeepsie. The father
gives his poHtical support to the Republican
party, whose principles he earnestly advocates.
On completing his education in the city
schools of Poughkeepsie, George H. Briggs
entered the hardware store of his uncle, at the
age of sixteen, to learn the tinner's trade, and"
served an apprenticeship of about five years.
He then worked in the store until, in connec
tion with Mr. Shurter, he purchased the busi
ness. They are conducting a very large and
prosperous business, and the credit of the firm
stands high in financial circles.
In 1864 Mr. Briggs married Miss Georgia
Macall, who was born in Ireland, but came
with her parents to this country when quite
young. She was the daughter of Edward
Macall, a gardener by occupation, and by her

marriage she became the mother of one son,
Edward T. , who wedded Miss Deavens, and now
clerks for his father. Mrs. Briggs was called
to her final rest in 1893. In September, 1894,
our subject was again married, his second
union being with Hattie WHliams, a native of
Newburgh, New York.
In politics, Mr. Briggs favors the Demo
cratic party with his cordial support, was
elected alderman of the Fourth ward, of
Poughkeepsie, in November, 1892, and is now
satisfactorily serving his second term. Socially,
he is a member of the Odd FeHows Society,
and the Order of American Firemen. He is a
public-spirited, enterprising man, taking an
active part in everything that tends toward the
promotion of the welfare of the city or county,
and is held in the highest regard by all who
know him.

C\HARLES N. STOWE, who was called
^' from this life February 4, 1893, when in
the prime of life, was one of the leading and!
representative farmers of the town of Beek
man. His grandfather, Eliachim Stowe, was-
a native of Ohio, whence in early life he came
to Dutchess county, his last days being passed
in retirement in the town of Dover. There he-
married Deborah Maxim, and they had a family
of three children: Vivant, Levi and James.
The last named was the father of our sub
ject. He was born in the town of Dover, De
cember 16, 1817, and was a first cousin to the
husband of Harriet Beecher Stowe. There
his boyhood was passed, and his education was-
received in the district schools of the locality.
He continued to engage in agricultural pur
suits in the town of Dover until the last year
of his life, which was passed in the towns of
Beekman and Unionvale. In religious belief
he was a Methodist. In the town of Dover, he
married Susan Schemerhorn, and they became-
the parents of four children: Lois, who mar
ried Nelson Cook, of the town of Unionvale;..
Lodema, wife of Charles Whitney, of Scars-
dale, N. Y. ; Charles N., of this sketch; audi
Mary, widow of Lewis Burton.
Charles N, Stowe was born in the town of
Dover, February 14, 1846, and spent his-
school days in that township, in Kent, Conn.,
and in the town of Unionvale, Dutchess.
county. Until attaining his majority he re
mained with his father, and was married in.
Unionvale to Miss Phebe Emigh, an adopted.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

789

daughter of Henry Emigh. Four children
graced their union: Susan R. , who married
Andrew G. Pray, of the town of Beekman, by
by whom she has two daughters — Mary and
Margaret; James H. ; Vincent E. and Will
iam C.
After his marriage, Mr. Stowe removed to
the town of Beekman, where he engaged in
farming up to the time of his death; he served
as assessor there for four years. His political
support was ever given the Republican party,
and socially, he affiliated with Shekomeko
Lodge, F. & A. M. His influence was great
and always for the good; while his sympathy,
his benevolence, his kindly greetings, will long
be remembered. His duties were performed
with the greatest care, and throughout life his
personal honor and integrity were without
blemish.

GILBERT TABOR, one of the most prom-
_ inent agriculturists of the town of Dover,
Dutchess county, is connected by descent or
marriage with some of the leading famHies of
that locality. He is a native of the town, and has
passed his life there, acquiring his education
in the public schools, and, later, engaging in
agriculture. His present farm, near Dover
Furnace, contains about two hundred acres of
fine land, and was purchased in 1881 from H.
W. Preston. Mr. Tabor's able management
has made it one of the best farms of the
neighborhood. He is a leading worker in the
local Republican organization, and has held
several official positions of the town.
In 1863, he married Miss Nora Hoag;,
daughter of PhHip Hoag, a well-known farmer
of South Dover, and his wife, Mary Hoag.
Four children were born of this union : George,
July 2, 1865, was married in 1894 to Miss
Mary Stevens, daughter of Hiram Stevens, of
South Dover; William F., December 26, 1867,
Wright P., July 2, 1871, and Mary H., June
I, 1876, are at home.
The Tabor famHy has been prominently
identified with the town of Dover for several
generations and our subject's great-grandfa
ther. Job Tabor, came from Rhode Island to
that locality at an early period to engage in
farming. He married, and had the foHowing
chHdren: Noah, whomarried Miss Carpenter;
Thomas, who married FaHie Belding; John,
our subject's grandfather; and the wife of
Joseph Belding. John Tabor was born at

Chestnut Ridge in 1778, was educated at
Dover Plains, and became a farmer by occu
pation. His wife, Jane Beldirig, was a daugh
ter of Silas and Dorcas Belding, her father
being a well-to-do farmer of Dover. John
and Jane Tabor had six children: Oscar,
Charles, William, Emeline, Maria and Ann.
Oscar Tabor, our subject's father, was born
in the town of Amenia, Dutchess county, Au
gust 4, 1809, and completed his education in
Poughkeepsie. After his graduation he taught
school in Dutchess county for a short time, and
then engaged in farming and stock dealing, in
which he was rewarded with success. He was
an influential Republican, and held a number
of township offices, including that of assessor.
In -religious faith he was a devout Baptist, and
he was an active worker in the Dover Plains
Church. On March 3, 1836, ^he married
his first wife, Miss Hannah Preston, daughter
of John and Amy Preston. Her father was a
well-known farmer and hotelkeeper at Dover
Plains. She died June 18, 1862, aged forty-
four years, and in 1863 Mr. Tabor married a
second wife, Mrs. Martha Giddings, nee Mer
win, who had one son by a former marriage.
By Mr. Tabor's first marriage there were four
children: Mary E., Gilbert, Myron and Amy
J., all of whom Hved to adult age, and of the
second, one child was born who died in in
fancy. Mary E. was born in the town of
Dover, December 30, 1836, and married Or
vHle Sheldon, a merchant in Dover, and a son
of Egbert Sheldon, a cattle dealer. She died
October 19, 1861, leaving no chHdren. Myron,
who was born in October 9, 1850, is a well-
known farmer in the town of Dover; Amy J.
was born March 27, 1852, and married Gerry
Dennis, a conductor on the Harlem R. R.,who
has since moved to the West. She died Au
gust 12, 1889, and left one son, Fred Dennis.
Oscar Tabor had one child by his second mar
riage, but it died in infancy.
WHliam Tabor, second son of John Tabor,
was born in Dover, Dutchess county, in 1820,
and was educated in the common schools. He
engaged in farming, and was also a great trav
eler. He married Miss Ann Eliza Chapman,
and had eleven children: John and Louisa
never married; Jennie died young; Florence
married Frank Van Auken; Frank and Harriet
did not marry; Mary is the wife of Everet
Travers; WHliam died at an early age; Harry
and Haddie (twins) died in infancy; and Jennie
(2) married Mr. Sepring.

790

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Charles Tabor, third child of John Tabor,
was born in Dover, 1817, and after attending
the common schools of the town during boy
hood he engaged in farming. He married Miss
Caroline Vincent, daughter of Absolom and
Abigail (Duncan) Vincent, farmers of Dover.
Charles Tabor and wife had ten children: Mary
married Josiah Elting, a merchant, formerly of
Poughkeepsie, now of Mt. Kisco, and they have
one son, Charles, unmarried, who is in the feed
business in Colorado; Helen married Charles
Brower, an electrician of Boston, but has no
children; Jennie died at the age of seventeen
years; Emma, at the age of thirty-two; Maria,
at thirty; Ida, who married Rev. Edwin Rusk,
died at twenty-eight; Carrie, Charles and A.
Vincent are not married; and Harry died 'in
infancy. Ann Tabor, fourth child of John Tabor,
never married; Emeline, fifth child of John
Tabor, married Harvey Preston, a farmer
of Dover; they had two children — Charles
Preston, who married Annett Sherman, and
John, who married Augusta Marcy, and had one
child — Fannie, now Mrs. Lines. Maria, sixth
child of John Tabor, did not marry.

fYRON P. TABOR, an enterprising and
successful agriculturist residing near
Dover Plains, Dutchess county, is a member
of one of our old and highly-esteemed families.
His grandfather, John Tabor, and father, Os
car Tabor, were both well-known residents of
Dutchess county, the latter being especially
active and influential in public affairs. The
accompanying biography of Gilbert Tabor, our
subject's*brother, gives an interesting history
of the family.
Myron Tabor was born October 9, 1850,
and has always made his home in the town of
Dover. He married Miss Sarah Elizabeth
White, a lady of unusual mental endowments,
by whom he has had two children: Cora E.,
born in 1878, and Harry M., born in 1885.
Mrs. Tabor, who is a descendant of old piorieer
stock, was born in the town of Lagrange in
1856 and was educated in that locality. Her
grandfather, Henry White, was a native of
Unionvale, where he became a prominent
farmer. He married Miss Sarah Doolittle and
had six chHdren: (i) Egbert married Irene
Losee, and had four children: Emeline, Mrs.
Walter Smith; Sarah, who never married;
Harrison, who married Addie Lee, and Mary,

Mrs. Richmond Fort. (2) Henry married
Catherine McCord, and had three chHdren:
William, Leander and Mary. (3) Charles,
Mrs. Tabor's father, is mentioned below. (4)
Esther married Nicholas Baker, and had five
chHdren: Abbie J., the wife of WHHam Cronk;
Levina, vyho married first James Scott, and
second James Cronk; Nicholas, who married
Elizabeth Allen; Sarah, the wife of Albert
Cole, and WHliam. (5) Jane married Israel
F. Duncan, and had three children: George;
Egbert, who married Annie Houghteling, and
Charles. (6) Lizzie married Mr. Van Cott, but
had no chHdren.
Charles White was born in the town of
Unionvale in 1834, was educated in the schools
there, and became a farmer by occupation.
His wife was Miss Caroline Van Wyck, daugh
ter of a well-known farmer of Dover, Robert
S. Van Wyck, and his wife, Caroline. Four
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. White, of
whom Mrs. Tabor was the second in order of
birth. Nettie, the eldest, was born in Union
vale in 1854. She married Edwin Velie, a
farmer of the town of Lagrange, and has two
children — Carrie and Frederick. Hattie, the
third daughter, was born in 1859, and is now
the wife of Elmer Preston, the proprietor of a
hotel at Dover Plains; they have one son —
John C. Preston. Wellington White, the
youngest chHd and onlj' son, was born in the
town of Washington in 1862, and is engaged
in business as a stock speculator in the town
of FishkHl. He married Miss Sarah Vollmer,
and their only child died in infancy.

JAMES CARROLL, a successful business
man of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is
one of the most progressive and public-
spirited citizens of that thriving municipality.
He was a native of County Louth, Ireland,
and a son of Michael C. Carroll, who was born
in that county in 18 16, and was one of three
brothers, namely: Michael, our subject's fa
ther; James, who enlisted in the English army
at sixteen years of age, and went to the West
Indies, where he was employed as a horse-
shoer and farrier; and Luke.
Michael C. Carroll learned the blacksmith's
trade in his youth, and in about 1835 came to
America, locating first in New York City, where
he was employed in the Alum Works for some
years. Later he went to Flushing, L. I., and
then to South Brooklyn, carrying on the black-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

791

smith, wheelwright and wagon-manufacturing
business, making many milk wagons. He was
a first-class mechanic, and also possessed
marked skill as a horse doctsr.
He married Margaret Savage, who was also
a native of County Louth, Ireland, and to
their union were born ten children, viz. :
Mary, deceased; James, our subject; Thomas,
a master mechanic, who met his death from an
accident in the Roche Iron Works; Luke, a
machinist in New York City; Mary Ann, the
wife of Joseph Crolley, of Wappingers Falls;
Mike, deceased; Mike (2), a machinist, who
joined the United States Navy, and died in
South America, in 1857, from an .accidental
injury. In politics he was a Democrat. The
father of this family died in 1851.
James Carroll, our subject, was born in
the Emerald Isle in 1835, and as his parents
came to America in the same year, his educa
tion was obtained in this country. He at
tended the Bishops' Church School in Brook
lyn, the School of the Nativity in Concord,
and later the public schools, making good use
of his advantages. As he was always fond of
reading he has gained much additional knowl
edge since he left school, at the age of eight
een, by private study, and can hold his own
in an argument on the questions of the day.
During boyhood he worked for a short tiirie in
a factory at the corner of Elizabeth and Mott
streets. New York City, for $3. 50 per week,
and later sold fluid light for Mr. Conklin. He
then served a full apprenticeship of five years
in the iron moulder's trade at a shop on Third
avenue, where he continued to work for two
years after the completion of his term. On
leaving this place he worked on Water street,
near Ruckster, and then with the McCulloms
on Elder street, between Canal, Hester and
Eldridge streets. Here he spent fifteen years,
being foreman during the last few years. In
September, 1865, he came to Poughkeepsie
and entered the employ of Thompson and part
ner. At the end of two weeks he was called
to the office and made foreman of the shop.
He worked for this firm and their successors,
Dudley & Thompson, and Dudley & Bullard,
untH 1879, at $4.00 per day, having from
twenty-two to twenty-eight ,men under his
charge. He left this business reluctantly, and,
as he had some funds to invest, he at once
engaged in the butcher's business in Union
Square. Later he sold out that estabhshment
and located at his present place of business.

which he remodeled and improved. For
about seventeen years he has enjoyed an ex
tensive patronage, and is regarded as a sub
stantial business man.
In 1864 he was married to Miss Ann EHza
Belton, a daughter of William Belton, whose
family is one of the oldest in the city. To
them were born the foHowing named chHdren:
Mary married a-Mr. Clark, of Orange, N. J.;
Margareti is a professional nurse at Honolulu,
having completed a course in the PoSt-Gradu-
ate School of New York; Eleanor is at home;
Annie married John Blynn, of Wassaic; Grace
is a trained nurse from the Post-Graduate
School; Jennie B. ; WHliam Thomas, a gradu
ate of Eastman Business College, of Pough
keepsie, is employed in a dry-goods house in
New York; James is in school with a view to
studying law; Robert is a graduate of East
man Business College; and Thomas is at home.
Politically, Mr. Carroll is a Democrat on
State and National issues, and he takes great
interest in the welfare of the party. He is
active and influential in local politics, having
served in 1873-74-75 on the Waterworks
board, and in 1893 and 1894 as alderman from
the Third ward. While on the board of alder
men he was chairman of the committee on
streets. His well-proven integrity, no less
than his abHity, has been the source of his
popularity. He is a member of the Order of
Good Fellows, of the Queen City,

DR. JOHN FAUST, a prominent veteri
nary surgeon of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, is widely recognized as an authority
upon the nature and treatment of the diseases
of that noble animal, the horse. He is a na
tive of Hessen-Cassel, Germany, which has
been the home of the family for many genera
tions, and there his grandfather, Barhold Faust,
and his father Conrad Faust, were also born,
the latter in 1807.
Dr. Faust was born July 19, 1835, and
while acquiring a good education in the schools
of his native place he began to consider the
vital question of self-support. He decided to
come to America, where, to use his own phrase,
he could "secure a bigger piece of bread," or
in other words better opportunities. On Au
gust 12, 1852, he landed in New York City,
and soon after began to learn the cooper's
trade, which he followed there untH 1859, when
he and his brothers, Tobias and Otto, went to

792

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

Poughkeepsie. In i860 they started in busi
ness there under the firm name of John Faust
& Bros. The Doctor was an active worker in
this enterprise until 1865, when he became a
silent partner, so continuing until 1875, when
the partnership was dissolved.
In 1 88 1, our subject went before the ex
amining board of the New York Veterinary
Society, and passed the examination, receiving
the degree of V. S. He is one of the most
careful and studious of the veterinary surgeons
of his county, and has done much to elevate
the profession by his scientific researches. A
number of valuable treatises give evidence of
his learning and ability, among them an essay on
Hernia read before the N. Y. State Veterinary
Society; one on the History of Contagious and
Infectious Diseases, Ancient, Medieval, and
Modern; and one read in 1894 on the Practical
part on Tuberculosis, He also prepared an
article on the Darwinian Theory for the ' 'Medi
cal Record " in reply to Prof. Bolenhomer, of
New York. At present the Doctor is writing a
work on Homeopathic Practice on Domestic
Animals. He is a leading member of the
U. S, Veterinary Medical Society, and has for
two years been the cattle inspector for tuber
culosis in this State, He was credited in 1886
with being the first to vaccinate successfully
against Anthrax fever, that treatment provid
ing the only means now known for arresting
the disease. He has a large practice, and is
frequently called in consultation in important
difficult cases. In 1854 Dr. Faust married
Miss Maria Frietag, also a native of Hessen-
Cassel, Germany, and has six children: Louis,
a physician at Schenectady; Frederick A., a
physician in Poughkeepsie; Otto, a veterinary
surgeon in the same city; William P., a physi
cian in Schenectady; Mary, the wife of F. C.
Krueger, of that place; and Christina H., who
is at home. The Doctor is a Republican in
principle and a public-spirited citizen, but takes
no part in political wire pulling. He is a
member of the K, of P,, and is one of the
most prominent supporters of the German
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has
been Sunday-school superintendent for several
years, and a steward since 1859.

>HOMAS EMERSON, head gardener for
William Densmore, of the town of Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, is a native of Scot
land, born at Thornhill, December 25, 1842, a

son of William Emerson, who was also born
in that village, in 181 1, a son of Thomas and
Janet Emerson.
Thomas Emerson, the grandfather of our
subject, belonged to one of the old and highly
respected families of southwestern Scotland.
For many years he served in the British army,
being one of the veterans of Waterloo, and
after leaving the service he lived in retirement.
In his family were five children: William, the
father of our subject; Robert, who lived in
Scotland until i860; John, a resident of Glas
gow; George, superintendent of an estate in
Dumfriesshire; and Elizabeth, who married a
Mr. Hope,^ and lived in Edinburgh (' 'Auld
Reekie"), Scotland,
By occupation the father of our subject
was a gardener, was engaged in the Stirling
nurseries for many years, and was also em
ployed by the Montgomery family. Though
he was a general gardener, he gave a great
deal of attention to the culture of grapes. He
was an honest, trustworthy and reliable man.
In 1832, at the age of twenty-one years, he
married Isabella McQueen, who was born in
1 8 12, and was of Scotch descent on the pa
ternal side, while her mother belonged to an
•old Scotch family. Seven children blessed
this union: Elizabeth, living in Edinburgh,
Scotland; Mary, in Glasgow; Thomas; Janet,
also in Edinburgh; David, a blacksmith, in
Birkenhead, England; Johann, in Ayrshire,
Scotland; and WHliam, who died at the age
of three years. The father passed away in
1880, at the age of sixty-nine years, and the
mother in March, 1893.
The education of Thomas Emerson was be
gun in the common school near his boyhood
home, and completed at a night school. He
has ever been a great reader, making a special
study of his " profession," as gardening is caHed
in his native land. He began to learn that
occupation in Scotland at the age of sixteen
years, at a place called Blair Drummond,
where he served a three-years' apprenticeship.
He then wentto Dumfries, and was in the nur
series there some six months, afterward, for a
year and a-half , being employed by Sir William
Jardine, For the same length of time he was
at Eglinton Castle, owned by the Earl of Eg-
linton, and from there wentto Rozell, Ayrshire,
being within a stone's throw of the cottage of
Robert Burns, the poet, for a year. After six
months passed at the Williams nursery in Lon
don, he secured a position at Hythe, in Kent,

c^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

793

England, the place of Henry B. Mackeson,
which he laid out, and continued in charge of
for five years. He then returned to Scotland,
but in I870 came to the New World, locating
at first in Philadelphia, where he remained for
a month. On April 18, of that year, he ar
rived in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess
county, and became assistant gardener on Mr.
Dinsmore's place, under A. L. Black, who, the
following year, went to Philadelphia. Our
subject succeeded to his position, which he has
since most efficiently filled. The place con
tains one of the finest collections of plants to
be found in the State, of which he has com
plete charge.
Mr. Emerson has been remarkably success
ful in his chosen calling, and in his present en
gagement has seventeen men under his charge,
during the summer months, while in tbe winter
there are eleven. He is a prominent member
of the Society of American Florists, the Florist
Club of New York City, and the Free Gar
deners. In his political views he is an ardent
Republican, giving his earnest support to the
party, and is one of the leading representative
citizens of the town of Hyde Park. In relig
ious faith he is a consistent member of tbe
Presbyterian Church.

PERRY WHEELER, a worthy member of
 the agricultural community of the town
of Dover, Dutchess county, is the grandson of
John B. Wheeler, whose birth occurred there.
In the common schools of the locality the
grandfather received what was considered at
that day a very good education, and at an
early age turned his attention to farming. He
owned and controlled a large tract of land in
the southern portion of Dover town, on which
he continued to make his home, and there
reared his family. He married Miss Ruth
Sampson, and had five children: Sebastian,
John, Henry, Belding and Katie.
Henry Wheeler, the father of our subject,
was also a native of the town of Dover, Dutch
ess county, and after securing a common-school
education, successfully engaged in farming
throughout his entire life, accumulating by
that means considerable wealth. He married
Miss Catherine Wing, a daughter of Thomas
Wing, and his wife, Hannah White, who were
the parents of three children: Amy, Katie
and Hannah. Her father, who was one of
the Revolutionary heroes, was born in the

town of Dover, where during manhood he
engaged in agricultural pursuits. To the par
ents of our subject were born nine children,
namely: Harvey, Thomas and John, all de
ceased; Shandanette; Bailey; Perry; Amy,
who married Lathic Brown; Hannah; and
Mariette. To the marriage of Lathic Brown
and wife was born a son, Alexander (who
married Ethel Wheeler, an adopted daughter
of Perry Wheeler), who was a policeman in
New York City for sixteen years. His death
occurred at South Dover in 1873. Lathic
Brown was born in Onondaga county, N. Y. ,
and his death occurred in 1866 in the City of
New York. He was a farmer by occupation.
Mr. Wheeler, whose name introduces this
review, wasborn in Dover town, May 29, 18 19,
and after completing his education started out
in life as a farmer, but he later learned the
wheelwright's trade, at which he worked for
eight years. Owing to ill health, he again
took up the occupation of farming, which he
has since continued. Since its organization he
has been identified with the Republican party,
and has acceptably served in several township
offices, including those of assessor and commis
sioner. His life has been manly, his actions
sincere, his manner unaffected, and his exam
ple is well worthy of emulation,
Mr. Wheeler was united in marriage with
Miss Ann Ross, a daughter of Zebulon and
Rhoda Ross, of the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, and to this worthy couple were born
two children : Catharine, who was born in
1850, educated in Dutchess county, and is now
the wife of Charles Hawes, a farmer of Sher
man, Conn,; and George R., who died at the
age of three years. After a long and happy
married life, the wife and mother was called to
her final rest in 1895.
John Ross, the grandfather of Mrs. Wheel
er, was born in Dover town, Dutchess county,
where he followed farming and married Miss .
Hannah White. In their family were six chil
dren : Fannie; Mrs. Eliza Prentice; Mrs.
Sallie Butts; William; one whose name is not
given; and Zebulon, the father of Mrs. Wheeler.
Zebulon Ross, an agriculturist, was also
born, reared, educated and married in the town
of Dover, Dutchess county. Miss Rhoda Wing
becoming his wife. Mrs. Wheeler was one of
their five children, the others being as follows:
John wedded Mary Stark, of Pawling, Dutchess
county, by whom he had six children: Katie,
Addie, Rhoda, Theodore, Charles and Will-

794

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

iam. George, who married Miss Mariette
Wheeler, had no children. Theodore was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Ar
nold, and they, too, had no family. Eliza be
came the wife of Harvey Buckingham, of
Northville, Conn., and to them were born
three children, namely: (i) Theodore first
married Eliza Whitley, and their one child
died in infancy. For his second wife he chose
Phoebe Rennis, by whom he had four children:
Estelle, May, Herman and Fre'derick. His
third wife bore the maiden name of Annie
Martin. (2) Herman was kHled while valiantly
serving in the Union army during the Civil
war. (3) Ann Eliza married Orville Sheldon,
who died in May, 1896, a son of Egbert Shel
don, and they had no children.

rRS. RHODA L. SHERMAN, a most
IPOI estimable lady, whose home is in the
town of Unionvale, belongs to a family that
has been prominently identified with the inter
ests of Dutchess county from an early period
in its history. Her paternal grandfather,
Hiram Rozell, was a native of the town of
Dover, Dutchess county, received his educa
tion in its common schools, and engaged in
farming during his active business career. By
his marriage with Miss Catharine Buck he had
three chHdren: Martin, Hiram and Peter.
After the death of his first wife he again mar
ried, and to the marriage were born the follow
ing children: Henry; James, who married a
Miss Wight; Beekman, who married a Miss
Morey; Albro, who married a Miss Rozell;
Mrs. Catharine Leroy; Mrs. Helen Van Vleck;
Mrs. Mevilie Hewett; Mrs. Mary Whitehead;
Mrs. Phoebe Dennis; and Mrs. Cordelia Reed.
Martin Rozell, the father of Mrs. Sherman,
was born in the town of Dover, in 1793, at
tended the public schools of the locality, and
engaged in farming as a lifework. He was
united in marriage with Miss Deborah Cypher,
an agriculturist of Beekman town, Dutchess
county. Twelve children blessed their union, name
ly: (i) Peter, born in 1818, married Phoebe
Giles, by whom he had five children — Allison,
Phoebe, Amelia, Deborah and Ida. (2) Thomas,
born in 18 19, married Sarah J. Cypher, by
whom he had one daughter — Harriet. (3)
Elizabeth, born in 1823. married James Wes
ley, and they had one son, George, now de
ceased. (4) Jane A., born in 1821, married

Ephraim Hewett, by whom she had six chH
dren — Sarah, Cecelia, WiHiam, Edward, Emma
and Obe. (5) Maria, born in 1825, married
John Doan, and has three children — Samuel,
Lewis and Frank. (6) Smith, born in 1827,
married Ellen Ball, by whom he has five chil
dren — Charles, Etta, Edith, Ella and WiHie.
(7) Rhoda L. is next in order of birth. .(8)
Drusilla, born in 1833, married John Flagler,
and has three daughters — Carrie, Arcelia and
Alda. (9) Wicks, born in 1831, wedded Miss
Maria J. Brooks, by whom he had three chH
dren — Edward, Charles and Carrie, and after
the death of his first wife he married Mary E.
Clark, by whom he had a daughter — Annie.
(10) David, born in 1836, married Phcebe
Lake, and they had two children — Mamie and
Remsen. (11) Caroline, born in 1839, mar
ried Theodore Cypher, and they have a daugh
ter — Cora. (12) Cecelia, born in 1842, died
when young.
Mrs. Rhoda L. (Rozell) Sherman is a na
tive of Dutchess county, born in the town of
Lagrange, in 1829, and pursued her studies in
the schools near her home. On reaching woman
hood she was united in marriage with Samuel
Rozell, a farmer of Unionvale town, who died
in 1869, at the age of seventy-three years.
Later she became the wife of Isaac W. Sher
man, who was by occupation a painter and
farmer, and whose death occurred in 1889.
Mrs. Sherman enjoys the respect of all who
know her, and her many virtues and loving
disposition have gained her many warm friends
in the community where she has so long made
her home.

JAMES H. RUSSELL, a prosperous and
honored citizen of the tovvn of Beekman,
Dutchess county, successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits, started out in Hfe poor in
everything but pluck and indomitable will
power, and is now one of the well-to-do farm
ers of the community.
John Russell, his great-grandfather, in an
early day came, along with two of his brothers,
from England to this country, one of the three
settling in Dutchess county, one i'n Massachu
setts, and the other, John, in Orange county,
N. Y. The last named was twice married,
and by his first wife had five sons, one named
WHliam (the grandfather of our subject), and
three daughters; by his second wife he had but
one child, a son. John Russell moved from

\

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

795

Orange county to PhHIipstown, Putnam county,
where he passed the rest of his days. He was
a lifelong farmer, and during the Revolution
ary war served as major-general.
William Russell, grandfather of our sub
ject, was born in the town of FishkHl, Dutch
ess county, vvhere he passed his entire life in
agricultural pursuits. He was thrice married,
the names of his wives being Theodosia Town-
send, Amy Cronk and Helen Champlain, re
spectively, the first of whom was the grand
mother of James H. William Russell had.
ten chHdren in all, as follows: Bradford,
James, Annie, Austin and John, all five de
ceased; Elijah, father of our subject; WHliam,
deceased; Benjamin; Betsey, deceased; and a
daughter who died while young.
Elijah Russell was born in the town of
FishkHl, June 12, 181 3, and attended the dis
trict schools of the neighborhood. He re
mained at home until his marriage with Miss
Margaret Wright, daughter of Isaac Wright.
Her death occurred June 20, 1892, and she
was mourned by many warm friends as well as
by her immediate family. The family circle
included five chHdren: Ann Jeanette, wife of
GHbert Southard, of the town of Stanford,
Dutchess county; George Isaac, who makes
his home in Matteawan, N. Y. , but is a keeper
in the prison at Sing Sing; Alphonza, who
married D. W. Haight, of the town of East
Fishkill, Dutchess county; James H. , subject
of this sketch; and Maria Amelia, wife of WHl
iam Wolcott, of Matteawan. The father has
always engaged in farming upon many places
in Dutchess county. After his marriage he
located in the town of Lagrange, whence he
removed to the town of Poughkeepsie, and
later was a resident of PeekskHI, N. Y. ; then
Hved in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county,
and now makes his home with his daughter,
Mrs, Haight, in the town of East FishkHl.
UntH recently he had always supported the
Democratic party, but is now a stalwart Pro
hibitionist on account of his views on the tem
perance question. He has never aspired to
pubHc office, but faithfully discharges his du
ties of citizenship. When young he united
with the Methodist Episcopal Church, arid
has since been one of its active and faithful
members. In the town of Fishkill, Dutchess county,
James H. Russell, the subject proper of these
lines, was born June 7, 1845, and his school
days were- there passed. His educational

privileges, however, were quite limited, a fact
which he has always deeply regretted. On
leaving home at the age of twenty years, he
entered the drug store of Van Valkenburg &
Brown, of Poughkeepsie, where he engaged in
clerking for a year; then, with his father and
brother bought out the Denton restaurant, at
No. 270 Main street, in that city, which they
remodeled and conducted for a year. On
selling out he engaged in the fire-insurance
business for two years, representing the Loril-
lard Company, of New "York City, being lo
cated at Arthursburg, N. Y, He was next
employed on the farm of J. W, Van Tassell for
a year, and during the following four years
operated land for W. S. Verplanck; removing
to the town of Pleasant "Valley, Dutchess
county, he rented E. H. Clark's farm for two
years, whence he went to the farm of Benson
J. Lossing, the historian, on Chestnut Ridge,
in the town of Dover, which he worked on
shares for three years, and rented during the
following six years. In 1886 he purchased a
255-acre farm of W. E. Haxtun, in the toWn
of Beekman, on which he has since resided,
and which he has placed under a high state of
cultivation. He is ranked among the most
progressive agriculturists of the county, and
he thoroughly understands his business in all
its departments. In 1864, in the town of East Fishkill, Mr.
Russell was married to Miss Hester A. Haight,
daughter of Henry Haight, and two children
were born to them, the elder being Walter G.,
now in the grocery business in New York City.
He married LHlian Greenthall, by whom he
has three sons — James H. , Vincent L. , and
Percy (deceased).
Mr. Russell has ever taken a prominent
part in public affairs, casting his ballot in sup
port of the Democratic party, and on that
ticket was elected superintendent of the county
poor in the fall of 1883, and again in the fall
of 1886, serving altogether six years. For
two terms he was commissioner of highways
in the town of Dover, and in the town of
Beekman has been supervisor one term, and
also commissioner of highways one term.
Twice he has been the nominee of his part}'
for the Assembly, and came within eighteen
votes of being elected in a district which has
usually 1,800 majority for the Republicans,
which fact plainly indicates his popularity and
the confidence reposed in him. In all the
various relations of life, Mr. Russell has been

r96

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

true and faithful in every trust, and justly
merits the high regard in which he is held.
He is a member of the F. & A. M., Lodge No.
458, Shekomeko, Dutchess county, and also a
charter member and master of Sylvan Grange,
of the town of Beekman, organized in Decem
ber, 1896.

J

YOHN GEORGE BODENSTEIN. Among
the valued German-born citizens of Staats
burg, Dutchess county, stands prominent
in progressiveness, industry and popularity,
this gentleman. He was born in Hessen-Cas
sel, Germany, June 20, 1850, a son of John
H. and Dorothea (Boerner) Bodenstein, natives
of the same place.
By trade ihe father was a blacksmith,
which occupation he continued to follow after
coming to America in 1858, first locating at
Rockland Lake, Rockland Co., N. Y. , where he
remained untH 1863, when he removed to Pier
mont, N. Y. There he worked at his trade for
one year, spending the following seven months
as a journeyman in Jersey City, N. J. In 1864
he came to Staatsburg, where for three years
he worked for the Eagle Ice Company, and at
Athens, N. Y. , he was employed by the same
company until 1868. In Staatsburg he then
opened a shop for the manufacture of ice tools
and general blacksmithing, which business he
continued up to his death in 1875, He was
very successful, and made many improvements
in ice tools, though he took out no patents.
Among the many implements manufactured by
him were ice plows. In his family were seven
chHdren, all yet living, namely: Eliza Cather
ine, John George, Henry, Frederick. Sophia,
Amelia and Charles. The mother died No
vember 25, 1 89 1.
For four years prior to coming to this
country our subject attended school in the
Fatherland, and completed his literary educa
tion by two years and a half attendance at the
common schools at Rockland Lake and Pier
mont. Although his privileges in that direction
were somewhat meager, he has by subsequent
reading become a well-informed man. With
his father he learned the blacksmith's trade,
and from 1866 to 1868 worked as a journey
man in Newburg, Fishkill Plains and Kingston,
N. Y. In 1868 he started a shop for his father
on the site where his brother Henry now car
ries on business, and although he owned no
interest in the shop had full control until two

years after his father's death. He and his
brother Henry then formed a partnership, and
under the style of J. G. & H. Bodenstein en
gaged in the manufacture of ice tools until
March 22, 1890, when the partnership was
dissolved. Our subject then established his
present shop, where he does a great deal of
forging for the Poughkeepsie foundries, and
has furnished all the iron work for the Ogden
Mills summer residence, which required nearly
a hundred tons of iron and steel. However,
the manufacture of ice tools is still his main
business, in which he has a large trade, ex
tending all over the country, from Maine to
the Pacific. He is essentially a self-made
man, having been the architect of his own for
tune, and is deserving of the highest commen
dation. In 1873 Mr. Bodenstein was united in
marriage with Louisa Hess, of Staatsburg,
a daughter of John George Hess, and to
them have been born two sons: Fred, who is
associated with his father in business; and
John George. Mr. Bodenstein is an ardent
supporter of Republican principles, though he
takes no very active interest in politics; socially,
he is identified with the F. & A. M. at Rhine
beck. He is a member of the Episcopal
Church at Staatsburg, of which he has been
vestryman since its incorporation; has been
school trustee for many years, and a member
of the Staatsburg fire department. He is a
member and one of the organizers of the
Staatsburg Gun Club, and is a noted crack-
shot, having captured many money prizes,
and borne away the first prize medal from Al
bany, put up by the Third Brigade of the Na
tional Guard of the State of New York, in a
two-days' "shoot," making a score of 48 out
of a possible 50, with military arm, off-hand
at 200 yards, Creedmore targets. The com
petition was one of the sharpest. Mr. Boden-
stein's honor and integrity are unimpeachable,
his word being considered as good as his bond.

|FILLIS HAVILAND CASE. The name

jlSL of this lamented citizen of the town of
Clinton, who passed to bis rest on Sunday,
February 12, 1893, is remembered as that of
one of the most prominent and energetic men
of the community, one who assisted greatly in
its development and prosperity. Besides gen
eral farmirig he also devoted considerable time
to the practice of veterinary surgery, and on

'.i^^J<^^t^S^^^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

797

the day of his death all of the famHy, with the
exception of himself and wife, had gone to
Church. Feeling iH, he took what he sup
posed to be some medicine, but which the in
stant afterward he knew to be some aconite
he had prepared for a sick horse, and he died
soon afterward. No man is more worthy of
representation in a work of this kind, and there
is none whose name is held is more general re
membrance. The early home of Mr. Case was in the
town of Milan, Dutchess county, where he was
born September 12, 1829, to Ephraim and
Mary (Haviland) Case, who were farming peo
ple of that township, where the birth of the
father also occurred. The paternal grand
father, Nathan Case, who was a minister in
the Society of Friends, married a Miss Hicks.
The boyhood days of our subject were spent
in the place of his nativity, where he also re
ceived his educational advantages in the dis
trict schools.
At the age of twenty-six years Mr. Case
was united in marriage with Phoebe Collins,
widow of Mr. Ackerman, ofthe town of Union
vale, Dutchess county, and to them were born
two children: Oscar J., and Olive Augusta,
wife of George N. Bowman. For his second
wife he wedded Hannah M. WHey, and their
wedding was celebrated in the town of Clin
ton, January 23, 1867. One son graced this
union: Homer, who married Florence E. VaH,
daughter of Israel VaH, of the town of Union
vale. Mrs. Case is the fifth in the family of
eight children born to John and Sarah (Allen)
Wiley, the former a native of the town of
Clinton, the latter of the town of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county. In order of birth
the children are as follows : Ensign (deceased) ;
AHen; Reuben, who was killed at the battle of
Petersburg during the Civil war; Mary J., wife
of Burtis Hicks; Hannah M.; Martin W. ; and
William A. and Adeline (both deceased).
The father always carried on farming in the
town of Clinton, where he died at the age of
forty-six years; he was also a grain and cattle
dealer. His parents were Reuben and Drusilla
(Covill) Wiley, who always made their home
in the same township.
By birthright Mr. Case was a member of
the Society of Friends. He was a man uni
versally respected, one whose word was con
sidered as good as his bond, and on his death
the county lost one of its most honored and
useful citizens. Mrs. Case proved herself full

worthy as the companion and helpmeet of this
excellent man, and is a lady greatly esteemed
in the community in which she lives.

T\IMOTHY GARRICK KELLY. Accord-
 ing to tradition, the Kelly family had its
origin in Spain, and emigrated to Ireland at a
very early period, the branch of which our sub
ject is a descendant making its home for many
generations in County Galway.
His grandfather, Patrick Kelly, and father,
Michael Kelly, were both natives of that county.
The latter was born in 1803, received a good
practical education in the schools of his neigh
borhood, and after his marriage to his first
wife, a Miss Egan, came to America. For
some time he lived in Brooklyn, and then went
to Albany, but about 1835 he settled in Pough
keepsie. He had learned the carpenter's trade,
but never followed it, being engaged in the gro
cery business both in Albany and Poughkeep
sie, where he located first at the corner of Jef
ferson and Church streets, and later at the
corner of Church and South Bridge streets.
He was a man of fine natural abHity, a great
reader, and a good judge of men and affairs,
and was associated in his time with the best
men in the city. Aside from his mercantile
business he was interested in banking and in
real estate, of which he owned a large amount
in the Second ward. He gave the land for the
opening of Church street. In politics he was
always a strong Democrat, and, although he
was never an office-holder, he was quite influ
ential in party affairs. He was one of the
original promoters of St. Peter's Catholic
Church, the first meeting of the congregation
being held at his house. To the end of his
life he was regarded as a leader and counselor
by the men of his faith. Thoroughly loyal to
his adopted city, he was the means of bringing
many of his people here. On the death of his
first wife, who left four children, namely: John,
born in 1830, was educated at Fordham Col
lege, New York, was ordained a priest, and at
the time of his death, in 1891, was Dean and
Vicar General of the Trenton Diocese ; Barnard ;
Mary, now Mrs. Jacob Kuhn, of New York City;
and Annie, who died at the age of eighteen.
Mr. Kelly's second wife was Miss Mary Gar
rick, a native of Ireland and a daughter of
Timothy Garrick, who was a resident of New
York City in later years. Of the three chil
dren of the second marriage, Timothy G. , our

798

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

subject, is the eldest; Catherine died in 1881
at the age of twenty-six; and Eliza Regina is
still living. The father died in 1861, and the
mother survived him twenty-seven years, dying
in 1888. Timothy G. Kelly was born February 16,
1852, in Poughkeepsie, and attended Dutchess
County Academy in boyhood, untH Prof. Mc
George left that institution. He then spent
one year at Riverview Seminary. As he was
naturally a good student he made fine progress,
but at sixteen his school days ended. He was
only nine years old when his father died, and
as the clerk, upon whom entire reliance had
been placed, was stricken with paralysis not
long afterward, he was obliged to make him
self useful in the store. As he grew older he
assumed the management of the business, to
which he finally succeeded, and he has displayed
the characteristic business faculty of the family
in his successful career. The store is of the
old-fashioned sort, with a bar in the rear.
In September, 1874, he married Miss Mary
Cunningham, daughter of Patrick and Cath
erine Cunningham, formerly of Beekman, and
they have four children: Mary, John, Frank
and Paul. Mr. Kelly has always been a
Democrat, and in 1873 and '74, although hav
ing only just attained his majority, served as
alderman. He takes great interest in the
success of his party and in public affairs gen
erally. He belongs to St. Mary's Roman
Catholic Church, of which he is a trustee, and
he is also a member of the Benevolent Pro
tective Order of Elks.

HOWARD C. MILLARD, a prominent
 business man of New Hamburg, Dutch
ess county, and a member of the well-known
firm of Millard Lumber Co., was born in that
town December 17, 1846.
His family is of French descent, and his
ancestors were early settlers at Cornwall,
Conn., where his grandfather, Charles MHlard,
was born in 1763. The latter settled in Marl
boro, Ulster county, where he was engaged in
the lumber business until 1824, when he
moved to New Hamburg and opened a lumber
yard. He manufactured his lumber from the
raw material, and had an extensive trade for
that early day, the distance from our own
times being more easily realized when the fact
is recalled that he witnessed the trial of Robert
Fulton's steamer on the Hudson in 1807. He

was prominent in local affairs, and a leading
member of the Presbyterian Church. On
^ June 17, 18 16, his first wife, Lydia Pride, a
native of Poughkeepsie, died leaving seven
chHdren, and October 22, 18 18, he married
Sarah Miller, by whom be had two children.
His own death occurred April 30, 1827. Of
the first family the eldest son (i), John, born
May 21, 1789, became a merchant and specu
lator in Brooklyn. (2) Charles, born in 1792,
located in New Orleans, where he acquired a
large fortune; he was a man of unusual energy
and business ability, and took a prominent
part in affairs in his adopted city. (3) James,
born in 1795, was a wholesale dealer in lumber
and coal at CatskHI. (4) Cornelia, born in
1797, married Hezekiah Purdy, of Marlboro.
(5) William, born in 1800, settled in Galena,
111. , and became a leading business man there,
holding the office of postmaster at one time;
his later years were spent in traveling in
Europe and America, and he died while in
Jacksonville, Fla. (6) Walter, our subject's
father, is mentioned below. (7) Catherine,
born in 1803, married Elem Dunbar, then of
Poughkeepsie and later of Cortland county.
The children of the second family were Mar
garet G. and Franklin.
Walter Millard was born in Marlboro in
1802, and remained there until the removal of
the family to New Hamburg. UntH 1834 he
was engaged in the lumber business exclusively;
but at that time he became interested in freight
ing, and built the barge " Lexington," which
ran between New York and New Hamburg.
In 1844 he purchased the steamboat " Splen
did," which carried freight from New Ham
burg to Marlboro, About 1855 he disposed
of this line of business to give attention to
dealing in lumber and coal, which he contin
ued until his death, August 20, 1880, building
up an immense trade with large contractors.
He was a man of remarkable business acumen,
and possessed the energy and enterprise to
carry his projects to completion. A strict
Presbyterian in religious faith, his life was
marked by integrity and fair dealing. In pol
itics, he was in early years a Whig, and later a
Democrat. He was married November 14,
1834, to Martha Hyer BuH, a native of New
York City, who died June 14, 1896. Her fa
ther, William BuH, who was of English birth,
was a well-known saddle and harness dealer in
New York, and was the first to import collars
fro-m England. To Walter Millard and his

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

799

wife were born children as follows: Sarah,
William B., Walter P., Edward J., Fenwick
T., Howard C. and Charles.
Howard C. MHlard, the subject proper of
this review, was educated in the schools of
Poughkeepsie and Fairfield, N. Y. , and on re
turning home he began his business career as a
dealer in cement pipe. He followed this until
the death of his father, in 1880, when he ac
quired an interest in the lumber and coal busi
ness. The Millard Lumber Co. is one of the
most substantial firms of this region, manu
facturing and dealing both at wholesale and
retail, and commanding an immense trade.
The brothers are prominently identified with
the leading interests of their locality, and How
ard C. Millard has taken generous pride in as
sisting every movement tending to promote
the public welfare.
On September 20, 1870, Mr. MHlard mar
ried Miss Catherine Jane LeRoy, daughter of
Jacob and Angeline LeRoy, of New Hamburg.
The LeRoys are of French Huguenot descent,
and are among the oldest and most highly-re
spected families of Dutchess county. Two
children were born of this union: Jacob L.
and Katie, both at home. Mr. Millard and his
wife are leading members of the Presbyterian
Church, of which he is a trustee. In politics
he is known as a Democrat, but he is a believer
in Protection. He has taken great interest in
the work of the Masonic order, and he and his
son Jacob are both members of the Wappinger
FaHs Lodge No. 671.

JOSEPH I. VAIL, a leading mason and con
tractor, of Poughkeepsie, is a native of
Dutchess county, born in the town of Fish
kill, September 20, 1835. His father, Joseph
Vail, Sr., was also born in that township,
July 27, 1803, and was a son of Isaac and De
borah Vail, farming people of that locality,
vvhere they reared their family of seven chil
dren — four sons and three daughters. The
sons were: Abram, who engaged in agricult
ural pursuits in the town of Fishkill; Joseph,
the father of our subject; William, a farmer,
who is StHl living at the age of ninety years;
and Platt, who followed the same occupation.
The grandfather, whose ancestors were from
Holland, was a native of Dutchess county, and
died upon the old homestead farm in the town
of FishkHl, where his wife also departed this

life. They were earnest and sincere members
of the Presbyterian Church.
On that farm the father of our subject grew
to manhood, and married Mrs. Sarah N,
(Simmons) Waterhouse, anative of Coxsackie,
Greene Co., N. Y. , whose father, Isaac Sim
mons, was born in 1786, of English lineage,
and was a boatman by occupation. After
their marriage the parents looated upon a farm
in the town of Fishkill, where their ten chil
dren were born: Stephen S., born October
27, 1830, operates the old homestead farm;
Elizabeth A., born July 29, 1832, wedded
WHliam Abel, a farmer of Illinois; Isaac S.,
born September 20, 1835, is a commercial
traveler; Joseph I., the subject of this review,
is the twin brother of Isaac; Sarah J., born
May 6, 1838, is the wife of George Cornell, a
farmer of Virginia; Mary L., born July 29,
1 840, is the wife of Walter Van Namberg, a
farmer of the town of Poughkeepsie; Harriet
M., born June 25, 1842, married George
Sprague, a farmer of Ohio; Deborah, born
March i, 1844, is the wife of Nicholas Chati-
ton, an agriculturist; Malissa, born March 23,
1846, is the wife of Ira Van Kleeck, a farmer
of Orange county, N. Y. ; and Willett, born
July II, 1848, is engaged in merchandising at
Florida, Orange county. The father carried
on farming up to his death, which occurred
September 20, 1877; the mother passed away
March i, 1882. They held membership with
the Presbyterian Church, and in politics he
was an ardent Republican.
Joseph I. Vail passed his early life upon
the farm, aiding in its cultivation as soon as
old enough, and acquired his education in the
district schools. At the age of eighteen he
came to Poughkeepsie, where^he served an ap
prenticeship to the mason's trade with Isaac
Broas, and about i860 began contracting in
that line for himself, since which time he has
erected almost half of the buildings put up in
the city. From a mere hamlet he has watched
the growth of Poughkeepsie, and during his
long residence here has been one of the im
portant factors in its progress and upbuilding.
On January 11, 1866, Mr. Vail was united
in marriage with Miss Susan A. Sloane, a na
tive of Poughkeepsie. Her father, James
Sloane, was born in Ireland, and wedded Han
nah Davidson, also of Irish extraction. To
them were born seven chHdren: Thomas D.
(i) and William J., who died while young;
Thomas D. (2), who became a merchant of

800

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

New York City; William J., who died in child
hood; Mary J., who wedded Archie Hawloe, a
sea captain on the Pacific coast; Susan A., the
honored wife of our subject; and Margaret D.,
who married James E. Kirk, a railroad man.
Mr. Vail is a Republican in his political
convictions, and is one of the broad-minded
business men of the city, whose prosperity can
not be attribut'ed to a combination of lucky
circumstances, but who has risen from energy,
enterprise, integrity and intellectual effort well
directed. His business has ever been con
ducted on the strictest principles of honesty.
He and his wife hold a high position in the es
teem of their fellow citizens, and they give
their support to the Second Reformed Church
of Poughkeepsie.

[ORRIS BAKER, for many years a well-
known citizen of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, was born in Bamberg, Bavaria, Ger
many, in 1842, and came to America with his
parents in 1844.
Heyman Baker, the father of our subject,
was a native of Exin, Germany, born in the
year 181 5. He was a merchant tailor by oc
cupation, and after coming to this country
first located in New York City, later coming
to Poughkeepsie. In addition to his custom
work, Mr. Baker was interested in manufac
turing goods for the California and Mexico
trade, making the fanciful and highly-colored
fabrics which the people of the latter country,
especially, use so profusely. This was in
1849; some time later he established a factory
in Poughkeepsie, which he carried on for about
eight years, and after giving ftp this Hne of
trade he continued in the clothing business
until his death, in 1866. Mr. Baker was well
known in commercial circles, where he held a
high reputation for integrity and straightfor
ward methods of dealing, and was very suc
cessful in his enterprises. He was a worthy
citizen, highly esteemed by all who knew him.
He was a charter member of the Masonic or
der, and of the Odd Fellows. Mr. Baker was
masrried to Caroline Gillett, a native of Bam
berg, Germany, and two children were born
to them, one of whom died when nine months
old. The father passed from earth in 1866,
and the mother in February, 1891,
Morris Baker had good advantages for an
ducation, first attending the primary school
held in the old Bond street school house, in

the Sixth ward. New York City. From there
he went to a private school taught by Miss
Filkins, and then to a grattimar school under
A. UnderhiH, finishing his education at the
Poughkeepsie Academy. He has always been
a reader, and is a well-informed man. After
leaving school he went into business with his
father, and after the latter's death carried on
the establishment until the winter of 1867-68,
when he took up the business of an auctioneer,
in which he has been engaged until the present
time. This occupation carries him all over
the county, and he has become riot only well
known, but is considered one of the best in
that line. His sales comprise real estate, chat
tels and other property, and he has been re
markably successful in n.aking large sales of
lands and personal property. He is popular
with all classes, and is a public-spirited and
enterprising citizen. In 1865 Mr. Baker was
married to Miss Marie Boyd, of Plainfield, N.
J., and seven children have blessed their union,
namely: Rebecca, the wife of Walter Todd,
of Poughkeepsie; Ettie, at home; Henry, a
cigar manufacturer at Wappingers Falls; So
phia, employed in the silk works at Matteawan;
Albert, a commercial traveler; and Belle and
Pauline, at home.
In politics Mr. Baker believes in the prin
ciples of the Democratic party, but has never
taken an active part in public affairs. He is a
member of the Jewish Synagogue, and of the
Royal Good Fellows.

S\AMUEL J. TANNER. Among the active
) farmers and stock-raisers in the town of
Pine Plains, Dutchess county, this gentleman
holds prominent place. He belongs to one of
the pioneer families of the county, his great
grandfather having been one of the early set
tlers of the town of Dover. He was a native
of England, and while serving in the British
army he was captured by the Spaniards and
would have starved to death had it not been
for the Spanish women.
The grandfather of our subject, Samuel
Tanner, was born in the town of Dover, but
early located on. the old Tanner farm, east of
the vHlage of Pine Plains, and became a lead
ing and influential man. He wedded Mary
Mcintosh, and to them were born fourteen
chHdren: WHliam, John, Alex, Reuben, Mor
ris, Anthony, Henry, James, Samuel, Margaret,
Eliza, Myra, Clarissa, and Mary Magdalene,

(^^^7.^^^2>t:.e^^^^ c^^^^^-t^^-t..

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

801

most of whom resided in Columbia county.
New York".
Samuel S. Tanner, father of our subject,
succeeded to the old homestead in the town of
Pine Plains, and by the careful management
of his business affairs accumulated a comforta
ble property, having in the neighborhood of
450 acres of land, comprising one of the best
farms in the town. He was a man of good
natural ability, strong and rugged, of sound
judgment and well informed for his time. His
fortune was the result of his own diligence and
enterprise, and his upright, honorable life won
the high regard of all. For his first wife he
wedded Fannie Streaver, and after her death
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Betsy
Lown, by whom he had four chHdren: WHl
iam; Fannie, wife of Henry Palmer; Mary,
wife of John Head; and Samuel J., subject of
this sketch. His third union was with Julia
Sheldon, and to them were born three chil
dren: Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Titus; George,
of Pine Plains; and Julia. The father voted
the Democratic ticket, though never particu
larly active in political matters, and was often
urged to take office, but declining the honor he
only served as assessor one term. In religious
faith his support was given to the Presbyterian
Church, which he attended. He was called
from this earth February 7, 1891, at the ripe
age of eighty-six years.
Our subject was born in 1845, on the old
homestead in the town of Pine Plains, and re
ceived a fair education in the district schools
of the locality, which education in later years
he improved by reading and observation. He
always remained upon the old homestead, aid
ing in its operation, and successfully managed
the same for several years. After the death of
his father he purchased the interest of the other
heirs, and his career as a farmer and stock-
raiser has been characterized by keen judg
ment, shrewd common sense and good business
habits. He raises cattle, sheep and hogs, and
is a careful, conservative business man and
substantial farmer, owning 450 acres of valu
able and productive land.
On November 28, 1894, Mr. Tanner was
united in marriage with Fannie E. Van Aken,
who was born April 22, i860, in Ulster coun
ty, N. Y. , daughter of Solomon and Catherine
Ann (Atkins) Van Aken, highly respectable
farming people of the town of Esopus, Ulster
county. The father died in 1879, aged fifty-
five years; the mother in 1891, aged sixty- six
52

years. They are the parents of eight children,
three of whom are yet living. To the mar
riage of Mr. and Mrs. Tanner has come one
child: Charles S., born November 8, 1895.
They are also caring for the orphan son of
Mrs. Tanner's sister, Aurelia (Mrs. William
Swartout), who died September 15, 1890.
Our subject is strictly temperate in every sense
of the word, thus following in the footsteps of
his father, and is a liberal contributor to the
Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a Dem
ocrat, but cares nothing for political prefer
ment, desiring rather to devote his time and
attention to his business interests.

ATHANIEL SMITH, a prominent mer-
H^ chant of Low Point, Dutchess county,
has been for many years the postmaster at that
place, and his able administration of the affairs
of the office has served to confirm his popular
ity and influence in that locality. He is a na
tive of Dutchess county, born in New Hacken
sack, September 18, 1840. His father, Na
thaniel Smith, was of English descent, and
was born on Long Island in 1777. He mar
ried Eustacia Weeks, a native of Westchester
county, and settled in New York City, where
he followed the carpenter's trade for some
years, the old Trinity church being among the
most important structures which he helped to
buHd. In 1832 he moved to New Hacken
sack, and continued his trade until bis death
in 1850, his wife surviving only six years. Po
litically he was a Democrat, and he and Mrs.
Smith were both consistent members of the
Reformed Church. Of their five children,
some of whom were born in New York City,
our subject is the only one now living. Will
iam was a carpenter, and spent most of his
life in New York City; Susan married Oliver
Van Dyne; Ann married Abram Stoutenburgh,
a farmer in western New York, and Maria was
the wife of Samuel Van Forte, a shoemaker.
The subject of our sketch spent his school
days mainly in Pittsford, N. Y. , where he en
joyed the ordinary educational advantages of
the time. His first entrance into mercantile
life was as a clerk at New Hamburg and Hyde
Park, but in 1856 he became station agent at
Low Point, then known as Carthage Landing.
After four years there he was transferred to
Dutchess Junction, and later to FishkHl Land
ing, where he remained untH 1871, when he
again turned to the mercantile life, opening a

802

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

grocery at Low Point. His success in this
venture soon warranted the enlargement of his
stock, and he now conducts a general store,
with a good trade. In 1868 he was appointed
postmaster, and has held the office without
interruption since that time, with satisfaction
to all concerned. Politically Mr. Smith is a
Republican, and, as oneof the substantial and
progressive citizens of the town, he takes a
leading part in local affairs.
In 1864 our subject was united in matri
mony with Miss Maria DeGroot, a lady of
French descent, but a native of New Ham
burg. One daughter blessed this union, Es
telle, who married George TerwiHiger, of
Wappingers Falls.

/GEORGE W, DUTCHER. The Dutcher
\^ family has held a prominent position in
this section for many years, various members
taking an influential part in business and po
litical life. The different branches of the fam
ily trace their descent from one or another of
six or seven brothers Who came from Holland
to America in the latter part of the eighteenth
century and located on Long Island, where
some of them remained. Derrick Dutcher,
our subject's grandfather, came from Long
Island to Dutchess county, and settled upon a
farm in the town of Dover. He married Miss
Edith Chapman, daughter of William Chap
man, and reared a family of eight children:
Israel, the eldest; Ransom, who never married;
Wilbur, who married Mary Hoag; Luther, our
subject's father; Amy, who was twice married,
hersecond husband being Daniel White; Esther,
Mrs. Ellis Benson; Elizabeth, Mrs. E. B. Som-
mers; and Ann, Mrs, Willis Benson, Derrick
Dutcher and wife are dead, his wife dying in
1 86 1, aged eighty-three years.
Luther Dutcher was born in the town of
Dover in 1806, and received his education in
the common schools there. He learned the
wheelwright's trade, becoming an expert fin
isher and polisher, and later engaged in the
iron business at Dover Furnace, being one of
the founders of that industry there. Later he
became connected with the Novelty Iron
Works, located at the foot of Twelfth street,
in New York City. On retiring from this busi
ness he followed farming for three or four
years, and then resumed his former business
at Napanoch, Ulster county, remaining two
years. He then moved to Poughkeepsie,

where he occupied the residence at 471 Main
street, the present location of the Electric
Light Company. From that place he moved
to Dover Plains, and spent two years in the
business of carriage manufacturing. He was
a very benevolent man, a leader in many pub
lic movements, and took an active part in the
work of the Masonic fraternity and in military
affairs, serving as captain in the old mHitia.
An ardent Democrat, he was a popular candi
date of his party, and held a number of town
ship offices, including that of jusdce of the
peace. In 1892 he was elected to the State
Assembly, defeating John B. Dutcher, who
had been confident of success. He married
Miss Adelia A. Geddings, who was born in
1809, the daughter of Buell and Sarah Ged-
dings, weH-known residents of the town of
Dover. Of the four chHdren of this union,
the eldest, Hiram W., born in 1834, was a
farmer. He never married. GHbert J., born
in 1835, was in the employ of the government.
He married Miss Mary Watson, of Ulster
county, in 1863, and had one child, who died
at the age of six months. The third son is
the subject of this memoir, and the fourth,
WHliam G., was born in 1848, and after re
ceiving an education in the seminaries of that
locality, entered the service of the Harlem
railroad as conductor, and was regarded for
many years as one of their best and most
trustworthy employes. He married Miss Kate
S. Swords, daughter of Henry Swords, of
Pawling, and had two children: Sarah and
Adelia, both of whom died in infancy.
George W. Dutcher was born AuguSt 27,
1839, and was educated in the academies at
Amenia and Fort Plain. After graduating, he
learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner,
which he followed for twenty-five years. He
was engaged to some extent in the undertak
ing business during that time, and in 1888 he
opened such an establishment at Wing's Sta
tion, where he makes a specialty of that line
of work, in which he is a leader, and carries a
large stock of materials, having about $2,000
invested. He owns a farm of fifty-two acres
in that vicinity. His first wife was Miss Net
tie HHl, daughter of Thomas Hill, a well-
known resident of the town of OHve, Ulster
county, and of this marriage three chHdren
were born: (i) Frederick died when six
months old. ,(2) Eva is the wife of George
A. Trowbridge, and has two children, WHliam
L. and Nettie; and (3) Luther T. died at the

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

803

age of fifteen years. The mother of this fam
ily died March 5, 1878, and Mr. Dutcher mar
ried Miss Sarah A. Webb, daughter of a prom
inent commission merchant of Wing's Station,
Alexander Webb, who was born in Pawling,
September 5, 1813, and after receiving his
education there learned the miller's trade. He
spent some years in that business at Roches
ter before settling at "VVing's Station. He
married Miss Elizabeth Lane, of Unionvale,
and had two children: Sarah (Mrs. Dutcher),
and Mary J., who married William S. Jones,
and has two children: Nellie E. and Annie M.
On his mother's side Mr. Dutcher is de
scended from the well-known Geddings fam
ily. His grandfather, Buell Geddings, was a
native of the town of Sherman, Dutchess coun
ty, where he was educated and learned the
trade of a wagonmaker, at which he worked
during the greater part of his life. His last
years were passed upon a farm in the town of
Dover. He married Miss Sarah Reasoner,
and has five children: (i) Noble married
Harriet Cox, of Crum Elbow, and had three
children: Theo F,, Nina and Frank. (2)
Adelia married Luther S. Dutcher. (3) Jack
son married Debora Hoag, and had four chil
dren: John H., who married Maria Oliver;
George W., who married Jennie VHlinger;
Myra, Mrs. James Reynolds; and Andrew,
who is not married. (4) Martin married Mary
J. Hoag. (5) WHliam is not married.
In politics Mr. Dutcher has always been a
stanch Democrat, and has held a number of
offices. He has been inspector of elections in
his district for nineteen years, school trustee
for the same length of time, and is now serving
his sixteenth term as justice of the peace.

Ip^.HEODORE S. HORTON is proprietor
^ of one of the most noticeable homesteads
in the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, pleasantly situated about eight miles
frbm Poughkeepsie, His pleasant residence is
flanked by a good barn and the various other
outbuildings required by the progressive agri
culturist. As a tiller of the soil he is thorough
and skHlful, and has been uniformly fortunate
in his investments.
Mr. Horton spent his boyhood days in the
town of Esopus, Ulster county, where his
birth took place August 19, 1848, at the home
of his parents, John and Phoebe (Stoutenburgh)
Horton, both natives of Ulster county. His

paternal grandfather, David Horton, was a
farmer of that county, where he was married
and spent his remaining days. The Stouten-
burghs were of Holland descent, formerly
bearing the name of Van Stoutenburgh. The
maternal grandfather, Herman Stoutenburgh,
was also an agriculturist of Ulster county.
After their marriage the parents of our subject
located on a farm in the town of Esopus,
where they reared their two chHdren : Elizabeth
and Theodore S. Besides his farming opera
tions the father also conducted a grist and saw
miH. His political support was given the Re
pubhcan party, while he and his wife attended
the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was
caHed from this life in 1855, and his wife, who
survived him for many years, died January
13. 1895-
The early days of Theodore S. Horton
were spent upon the farm where his birth oc
curred; but at the age of eight years he came
to the town of Pleasant Valley, to live with
his grandfather, and here obtained a fair edu
cation. In 1866 he went to Poughkeepsie
town, Dutchess county, where he lived on the
iarm of his uncle, David Stoutenburgh, and
there followed farming.
On November 6, 1873, was consummated
the marriage of Mr. Horton and Miss Jennie
Underwood, who was born on the farm where
she now resides, and is a daughter of Gerald
Underwood, also a native of the town of Pleas
ant Valley, and of Holland lineage. To them
have been born three chHdren, all at home,
namely: G, Kendel, Lispnard S. and Flavins.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Horton con
tinued to live on a farm in the town of Pough
keepsie until the spring of 1891, when they
removed to their present fine farm of 188 acres
of rich and fertile land. He is a progressive
and enterprising farmer, public-spirited to a
high degree, and an ardent supporter of the
Democratic party. Both he and his wife at
tend the Baptist Church, to which they are
liberal contributors. They hold a high posi
tion in the social circles of the community.

JOHN W. LINK is one of the most promi
nent among the energetic and successful
farmers of the town of CHnton, Dutchess
county. His life history clearly illustrates
what may be attained by faith and continued
effort in carrying out an honest purpose. In
tegrity, activity and energy have been the

804

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

crowning points of his success, and have en
abled him to accumulate all that he now pos
sesses. William Link, his father, was born about
1798 in the town of MHan, Dutchess county,
of which locality the grandparents, Philip and
 (Cookingham) Link, were early resi
dents and farming people. William was the
second in their family of seven children, and
in the common schools of the neighborhood
received his education. On attaining manhood
he was married, in the town of Milan, to Eliz
abeth Pells, a daughter of John Pells, and to
them were born six children: John W. , the
subject of this review; Eliza Ann (deceased);
Jeremiah ;Henry (deceased) ; Helen and Charles.
For some time after his marriage the father
worked by the day, but later engaged in farm
ing on his own account, and from no source
whatever did he ever receive financial assist
ance. In the town of Milan, December 11, 1817,
John W. Link was born, and he there attended
school. On starting out in life for himself he
first worked as a farm hand, later learning the
carpenter's trade, at which he was employed
some twenty-five years. His first purchase of
land comprised a farm in his native township,
which he operated for twelve years; but in
1864 he bought his present farm in the town
of Clinton, to the improvement and cultivation
of which he has since devoted his time and at
tention with remarkable success.
In Albany, N. Y., November 13, 1851,
Mr. Link was united in marriage with Miss
Sarah Hicks, who was born June 20, 1823, in
the town of Milan, Dutchess county. Her
father, David Hicks, was born in the town of
Pine Plains, in 1797, and in the town of Clin
ton he was married in the Quaker faith to Miss
Mary Gildersleeve, who was born in that town
ship in 1798. He died in 1884, she in 1889,
and they were the parents of nine children,
Mrs. Link being third in the family and eldest
of those yet living. Benjamin Hicks, grand
father of Mrs. Link, born in 1751, became an
early settler of Dutchess county. He married
Deborah Doty, and to them were born eight
children, all now deceased. The family were
Quakers in religious belief. Mr. and Mrs.
Link rank among the oldest living pioneers of
Dutchess county, the family having been con
nected therewith about 200 years, and they
command the respect and esteem of all with
whom they come in contact. Mr. Link has

been a lifelong Democrat, and has served as
road master in the town of Clinton. At aH
times he has taken an active interest in the
welfare and prosperity of his town and county.

G\EORGE F. PHESAY, a leading watch-
_ r maker and jeweler of Matteawan, Dutch
ess county, and one of the most enterprising
of the young business men of that place, is
the proprietor of an establishment which com
pares favorably for equipment and variety of
stock with any of its kind along the Hudson
river. His success is the more worthy of note
because it is founded upon his own efforts, and
his term of apprenticeship was served at the
same place which he now occupies as owner.
His parents, John and Ellen (Rhine) Phe-
say, were both born in England, his father at
Kidderminster, his mother in London. On
coming to America in 1856, his father, who
was a gardener by occupation, located first at
Matteawan and except for some years at Troy,
N. Y. , the greater portion of his time was
spent there. Our subject was one of eight
children, of whom two died in childhood. The
survivors are Carrie Emma (Mrs. Albert
Yates), John K, , James K. , Ellen Nora,
George F. and Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Fred-
eiick Way).
George F. Phesay was born at Lansing-
burg, N. Y., September 13, 1864, and was
educated in the public schools of Matteawan,
his parents having returned from Troy when
he was about five years old. After leaving
school he entered the employ of Capt. Fair
banks of the steamer "Martin," plying between
Newburg and Albany, and took charge of his
conservatories, the fine collection of orchids
being his especial care. He remained there
about a year, and then spent a few months in
the Matteawan Manufacturing Company's
works, but finally found thoroughly congenial
employment in the jewelry store of the late
A. Townsend, where he learned the business
in all its branches. After the death of Mr.
Townsend in 1894, Mr. Phesay remained in
charge of the store for a time, and in Novem
ber of that year he bought the fixtures from
the heirs and started in business on his own
account at the same location, opening on De
cember I, 1894, with an entirely new stock,
his choice selection displaying artistic taste as-
weH as sound business judgment.
Mr. Phesay married Miss Louise Ticehurst,,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

805

daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Tomlins)
Ticehurst, prominent residents of Matteawan,
and has two sons, Charles Frederick and
George Simms Phesay. He and his wife at
tend the Episcopal Church, and are among the
leaders in the various social and charitable
activities of the Church. In politics Mr. Phe
say is a Republican, and he is a member of
Hudson River Lodge No. 57, of the fraternal
order of Knights of Pythias.

E\GBERT DOTY. We are now permitted
 'I to touch briefly upon the life history of
one who has retained a personal association
with the affairs of Dutchess county since his
infancy, and one whose ancestral line traces
back to the Colonial period. His life has
been one of honest and earnest endeavor, and
due success has not been denied him. He is
a native son of the county, his birth having
occurred in the town of Pleasant Valley, Jan
uary 23, 1827; but his entire married life has
been passed in the town of Clinton, where he
owns a valuable farm, highly cultivated and
well improved, with all the accessories to be
found upon a model farm of the nineteenth
century. Samuel Doty, father of our subject, was
also born in the town of Pleasant Valley, and
was a son of Stephen Doty, an early resident
of that locality. On reaching maturity Sam
uel was married in the town of Hyde Park,
Dutchess county, to Elizabeth Briggs, and
eight children were born to them, in order of
birth as follows: George, Henry and Martha
(aH deceased); Stephen, of Brooklyn, N. Y. ;
Egbert, of this sketch; Joseph, of the town of
Pleasant Valley; Mary, wife of Paul Flagler;
and Hiram (deceased). In his native town
ship the father continued to follow farming
untH his death, which occurred in 1872; his
wife died in 1845. He was a self-made man,
who by sheer force of will and untiring effort
worked his way upward until he has secured a
comfortable competence.
Egbert Doty grew up on the home farm,
receiving his primary education in the district
schools, and later was a student in tbe Amenia
Academy. On Novenber 19, 1856, he was
united in marriage, in the town of Hyde Park,
with Mary B. Wood, a daughter of George R.
Wood, and was called to ber final rest March
24, 1892, leaving a loving husband and two
children, besides innumerable friends, to

mourn their loss. The daughter, Josephine
W., is the wife of Abrarii J. Conover. The
son, Norman J., acquired his education in the
public school of the town of Clinton, and the
Poughkeepsie Military Institute. He still re
mains upon the home farm with his father,
and on November 5, 1891, in Clinton town,
he wedded Carrie M. Hicks, a daughter of
George S. and Emma (Foster) Hicks. They
have a son, Foster W., bornAugust 24, 1893.
A man of unswerving integrity and honor,
one who has a perfect appreciation of the
higher ethics of Hfe, Mr. Doty has gained and
retained the confidence and respect of his fel
low men, and is distinctively one of tbe lead
ing citizens of the town of Clinton, with whose
interests he has always been identified.

FvRANK P. MEAD. Among the wide-awake
 young farmers of the town of Amenia,
Dutchess county, there is probably none more |
energetic and reliable than the gentleman
whose name begins this sketch. He has made
many valuable and useful improvements upon
his place, and has the land under a high state
of cultivation. John FrankHn Mead, father of our subject,
was a native of the town of Amenia, born
March 16, 1836, and died thcicuu the liuiiie^^
Gtoad farm, September i, 1890. His boyhood'^
days were there passed, much in the usual '^
manner of farmer lads, and he attended the
district schools and tbe Amenia Seminary,
acquiring a good practical education. His
life was devoted to the pursuit to which he was
reared, and he also served as director of the
First National Bank of Amenia, and president
of the Amenia and Sharon Land Co. , of North
Dakota. He was numbered among the pub
lic-spirited men of the county, and was one of
the most interested in its development and
progress. A conscientious Christian, he was a
member of the Baptist Church -of Amenia, in
which he served as deacon; politically he was
a Republican, and for one term filled the office
of supervisor of his township. In the town of
Amenia he married Mary Mygatt, daughter of
Ambrose Mygatt, and three children blessed
their union : Emma, now the wife of Jacob
Peters, of Amenia; Edward, of the same place,
and Frank Presson, of this review.
The "birth of our subject occurred in the
town of Amenia, December 13, 1869, and on
reaching a sufficient age he attended school at

806

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

Perry's Corners, in Northeast, was later a
student in the Amenia Seminary and the Reed
school at LakeviHe, Conn., and completed his
education at the Housatonic Valley Institute
at Cornwall, Conn. On December 15, 1892,
in Amenia town, he was united in marriage
with Miss Laura Belle Bartram, only daughter
of Barney and Laura G. (Culver) Bartram.
He has always turned his attention to agricult
ural pursuits, and is now operating the old
Bartram farm.
Barney Bartram was born at Redding,
Conn., in 1808, and was a cattle broker in New
York City the greater part of his business life.
In 1867 he came to Amenia, where he built
the present residence of our subject, and
resided there during the summer months, but
the winter seasons he still spent in New York.
At Pine Plains, Dutchess county, he married
Miss Laura G. Culver, who survived him some
time, dying in 1887, while his death occurred
in 1878. In religious belief he was a Method
ist, and he was a most highly esteemed and
honored citizen.

THEODORE WHEELER, a prosperous
 agriculturist, residing near South Dover,
Dutchess county, is one of the substantial citi
zens of the town of Dover.
His lather, Thomas Wheeler, was a well-
known drover and farmer, residing near Wing
Station, and owned about 1,000 acres of fine
land. He was born in Dover in 18 14, and in
1837 was married to Rhoda Ann Oney, of Ot
sego county, who was born in 18 12. They
had three sons: Theodore, Obed and William.
Theodore Wheeler was born in 1837 at the
old homestead in Dover, and, in 1858, he was
united in matrimony with Miss Jane A. Chap
man. They have one son, Thomas S. Wheeler,
who was born in Dover, May 22, 1862, and
was educated at PeekskiH, N. Y. Since his
graduation he has been engaged in business in
New York City as a broker, and he is a mem
ber of the Produce Exchange of that place.'
He married Miss Addie Mayer, daughter of
Gilford Mayer, a well-known insurance agent
of Plainfield, N. J., and his wife, Ophelia.
Mrs. Jane A. Wheeler, was born in Dover,
March 16, 1837, and was educated in the local
schools. She is a lady of unusual ability and
force of character, and is descended from an
old Connecticut family. Her grandfather,
John Chapman, was born and educated in

that State, whence he came to the town of
Dover. He and his wife, Catherine (Briggs),
reared a family of four children: Henry,
Richard, Ann (now Mrs. Bishop) and Sarah
A. (now Mrs. Henry Fiero).
Richard Chapman, Mrs. Wheeler's father,
was a native of the town of Dover, born in
1 8 10. He was carefully educated, and as he
possessed mechanical ability of a high order
he decided to learn the carpenter's trade, which
he followed until be was forty years old. He
then moved to Pawling, Dutchess county, and
engaged in the restaurant business. No desire
for political distinction was ever manifested by
him, but he ardently believed in the principles
of the Democratic party, and never faHed to
support them as occasion permitted. He mar
ried Miss Sarah Wheeler, daughter of Sebas
tian Wheeler, a prosperous farmer, and his
wife, Phoebe (Wing). The five children of
Richard and Sarah Chapman were: Francis,
Jane A., Sarah L. , Perry M. and Emma M.
Of these, (i) Francis, born July 11, 1835,
was educated in the schools of his native town,
and then engaged in the mercantile business in
Pawling. After some years he went to New
York City as a bookkeeper, and died there.
His wife was Miss Jennie M. Bishop, daughter
of Rev. Bishop. They had no children. (3)
Sarah L., born May 14, 1839, married Will
iam B. Ross, a merchant of the town of Dover,
and they have three children: William J.,
Charles (who married Miss Ida Woodman)
and George W. (4) Perry M., born March
27, 1 841, engaged in the restaurant business
with his father, after he had completed his
course of study in the local schools. During
the Civil war he served as a soldier in defense
of the Union cause. He married Miss Ann
Thomas, daughter of Charles Thomas, a well-
known farmer and blacksmith of Dover. Five
children were born of this union: Cora T, (now
Mrs. George Daniels), Albert, Ross, Fred and
Emma. (5) Emma M. married George W.
Chase, cashier of the Pawling Bank, and they
have had two children: Nellie T. and George.

C\LARENCE E. YOUNG. The subject of
^1 this sketch was born in Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, August 14, 185 1, and is the
son of Edward H. and Phoebe (Frost) Young,
the former of whom was born in the town of
MHton, Ulster county, and the latter in Dutch
ess county.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

807

Our subject spent his boyhood on the farm
and attending the public schools and the Dutch
ess County Academy. After finishing his ed
ucation he worked on the farm, where he is at
present occupied in the business of gardener
and florist. He was niarried in 1876 to Miss
Rebecca U. Underbill, who wasborn in Queens
cojinty, L. I. Her father, Jacob Underbill,
was a farmer, and came of Irish ancestors.
Two children have been born to our subject and
wife: Edith M. and Blanch. Mr. Young
has a farm just outside the city limits, where he
raises vegetables, garden supplies and flowers.
He has a fine residence on the place. He is a
progressive citizen, a Prohibitionist, and, with
his wife, is a member of the Reformed Church.
Edward H. Young grew up in Ulster county
and married Miss Frost, who was the daughter
of James Frost, a farmer. They lived for some
time in Ulster county, and then moved to Pough
keepsie and purchased their farm in 1850, on
which their present house was built in 185 1.
Four chHdren were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Young: Annie, who married William M. Du
Bois, a farmer of Charles county, Maryland;
Phcebe, unmarried; Hannah, who died in 1885;
and Clarence E., our subject. Mr. Young
died in 1878, and his wife in 1887. He was
a Republican. Edward Young, grandfather of our subject,
was also born in Ulster county. He married
a Miss Cromwell, and they reared the following
children: John, a farmer in Ulster county, now
deceased; David was a farmer in Pleasant
Valley, and is now deceased; Alexander is a
farmer in Orange county; William is on a farm
in the town of Marlborough, Ulster Co., New
York.

JOHN R. BARRETT, the junior member of
the well-known firm of Humeston & Bar
rett, leading blacksmiths and wagon makers
of Dover Plains, Dutchess county, is one of the
prominent young business men of that village.
He is a native of the place, born in 1865, and
after - acquiring his education in the public
schools he learned the blacksmith's trade of
WilHam Barhite, of Amenia. In 1878 he es
tablished his present shop at Dover Plains in
partnership with Meritt Humeston, and his
success in this enterprise has given him excel
lent standing in financial circles.
His family is of Irish origin, the home of
his ancestors being at Doneraile, County Cork,

Ireland. James Barrett, his grandfather, was
born and educated there and became a farmer by
occupation. He married Margaret Mahoney and
had five children, of whom the youngest died in
infancy. The others were: James and Mary,
who never married; Ellen, Mrs. James Cullen,
and Richard, our subject's father, who, after
attending the schools of DoneraHe untH the
age of fourteen, came to America and settled,
in 185 1, at Dover Plains. For a number of
years he was employed by the Belding estate,
and then he went to New York City and en
gaged in the mercantile business for one year,
and, on returning to the town of Dover, fol
lowed farming during his later years, with J.
K. Mabbet. He always took an intelligent
interest in public questions, but was not act
ively engaged in politics. He and his wife,
Mary Gorings, reared a family of seven chil
dren: Maggie, Mrs. William Donovan; Ellen,
Mrs. William Burns; Mary, Mrs. Thomas
Whalen; James, who married Della Murray;
John, our subject; George, who married Nellie
Dahoney; and Richard, who married Annie
Donley. The subject of our sketch found a worthy
helpmeet in Miss Anna Quinlan, a lady of Irish
descent, and their home is brightened by three
children: Frank, born December 21, 1885;
Arthur, September 22, 1890; and Gertrude,
October 6, 1892. Mrs. Barrett's father, Martin
Quinlan, was a native of Ireland, but came to
America in boyhood with his parents, who
located upon a farm in town of Unionvale,
Dutchess Co. He attended the schools of that
locality for some time, and in early manhood
purchased a farm near Burbank, where he still
resides. He married Miss Mary McLaughlin,
who was also born in the Emerald Isle, and
they have eleven children: William, who mar
ried Sarah Quinlan; Maggie, Mrs. Thomas
Mullen; Daniel, who married Annie Donley;
Martin, Charles, Terrance, Ella and Hattie,
who are not married; Delia, the wife of John
McKenna; George, unmarried; and Annie, now
Mrs. Barrett.

2^ LEXANDER BISHOP, Jr., a prominent
.^^ agriculturist of the town of Wappinger,
Dutchess county, residing near New Hacken
sack, is one of the most highly respected citi
zens of that locality, a long life of quiet, unob
trusive usefulness having gained him the esteem
of a large circle of acquaintances.

808

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

His famHy is among the oldest in Dutchess
county. His great-grandfather, an English
man by birth, was a pioneer farmer in the town
of FishkiH, where Caleb Bishop, our subject's
father, was born. By occupation he was a
farmer and lime burner. He married Hannah
Phillips, and settled on a farm in the town of
Poughkeepsie, where they reared a famHy of
nine children.
Gabriel Bishop, their fourth child, grew to
manhood at the old homestead and engaged in
the business of boating for some years. Polit
ically he was a Democrat. He married Hester
Yates, a native of the same town, and daugh
ter of John Yates, a well-known hotel-keeper.
Her grandfather came to Dutchess county from
Ireland. After his marriage Gabriel Bishop
settled in his native town, and of his nine chil
dren the majority located upon farms in Dutch
ess county. The eldest, William, was a boat
man on the Hudson; Jackson was a farmer in
his native town; John, Alexander, Samuel and
Caleb all engaged in farming; Mary Ann mar
ried Joseph Randolph, a jeweler; Catherine
married Charles Deering, a farmer; and Hester
never married. The family has always been
identified with the Reformed Dutch Church,
and various members have taken an active
part in local affairs.
Alexander Bishop was born February 4,
1820, and lived at the old farm until he was
twenty-four years of age, when he married Miss
Jane Kirklan, the daughter of a farmer of
Greene county, N. Y., who died when she was
a mere infant. She was adopted and reared
by the Rev. Van Cleef. The young couple
made their first home upon a farm in tbe town
of Lagrange, but in 1876 they moved to their
present property, a fine farm of no acres de
voted to mixed crops. Mrs. Bishop died in
1886, leaving a family of four chHdren: Alex
ander, Jr. , assists his father in the manage
ment of the farm, and is one of the influential
young men of that vicinity, holding the office
of commissioner of highways; Cornelius Van-
Cleef is an undertaker in Wappinger Falls;
Gertrude and Nellie are at home. Mr. Bishop
has always been an interested student of public
questions, and in politics is a Democrat.

C\HARLES S. HEANEY, the enterprising
' proprietor ofthe "Oak Hotel and Caf6"
at Fishkill Landing, and of another popular
cafe on Main street, FishkHl, wasborn Septem

ber 8, 1867, in Bucks county, Penn., where
his parents, who were both natives of that lo
cality, now reside.
"William Heaney, his father, has been en
gaged in agriculture, and in boating on the
canal for many years, and is well known in
that section. In politics he is a Democrat,
and he and his wife, Emily (Buck), are devout
members ofthe Roman Catholic Church. They
had five children: Henry, a canal man in
Pennsylvania; Isaac, a blacksmith and butcher
by trade; John, who met his death at the age
of twenty-seven in a street-car fire at Tren
ton, N. J.; Charles S., our subject; and Anna,
wife of George Mich, a boatman, in Bucks
county, Pennsylvania.
Charles S. Heaney spent the first sixteen
years of his life at home, and then began work
upon the canal, contributing his wages, until
he was twenty-one, toward the support of the
family. On attaining his majority he went to
New York City, and for some time ran a barge
for the Montrose Brick Co., but since Decem
ber, 1 89 1, he has been engaged in the hotel
business at FishkiH Landing, and has also
been interested in tbe wholesale beer trade as
agent for Quinn & Nolan, of Albany, N. Y.
On July 29, 1896, he added to these lines of
enterprise a cafe in the Opera House block at
Fishkill, his business sagacity being supported
by an apparently limitless energy.
On January 4, 1892, he was married to
Miss Mary Quirk, daughter of Michael Quirk,
a well-known resident of Fishkill Landing,
who is of Irish descent. Two children, Lil
lian and Ellen, bless this union. In his
political views Mr. Heaney is not hampered by
partisan ties, and his vote is cast according to
the requirements of the times. He is a promi
nent member of tbe Church of St. John The
Evangelist (Roman Catholic), at FishkHl
Landing, and is identified with the Catholic
Benevolent League and Catholic Order of
Foresters.

OLIVER KEES SMITH. This gentleman
is generally known as one of the substan
tial farmers of the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, but he now leases his land, and de
votes his time and attention to the fire-insur
ance business, having represented the Conti
nental Company for about ten years. He was
eminently successful as a tiller of the soH, and
is a man of keen intellect, sound judgment

/t^^^

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

809

and business abHity. His early home was at
Bear Market, in the town of Stanford, Dutch
ess county, where his birth took place July i,
1834. The paternal grandfather of our subject,
Stephen R. Smith, was born about 1768, in
Rhode Island, where he married Miss Rhoda
Harris. On leaving his native State he came
to Dutchess county on horseback, his wife and
three children accompanying him, locating first
in the town of Stanford, where he followed the
occupation of a farmer, later becoming a
resident of the town of Clinton. He held
membership with the Society of Friends. In
his family of nine chHdren, Rufus Smith, the
father of our subject, was next to the young
est, and was born in the town of Stanford,
June 8, 1805. In the schools of that town
ship and at Clinton Corners he received his
education, and he continued to remain on the
old homestead farm for two years after his
marriage. On December 3, 1828, in the town
of Washington, Dutchess county, Mr. Smith
married Ehzabeth Thorne, who was born De
cember 19, 1808, and they became the parents
of three chHdren, namely: (i) Cynthia T. ,
who married Thomas I. Wing, and they have
two daughters — Annie and Carrie. (2) Caro
line, who married Welcome Johnson, of Min
neapolis, Minn., and they have three children
-^Frank (who is married, and has two daugh
ters, Marie and Elizabeth); Elizabeth and
George S. (3) OHver K., subject of this
sketch. The entire business career of the
father was spent in farming in the town of
Stanford, where he served as supervisor about
1847, and there his death occurred January 8,
1 88 1. He was a member of the Friends
Church. The mother of our subject is a daugh
ter of Stephen and Sarah (Thorn) Thorne,
while her paternal and maternal grandfathers
bore the name of Joseph Thorne and Joseph
Thorn, respectively, although the former was
of French and the latter was of English ori
gin. Joseph Thorne was born in 1745, and
married Sarah Kees; Joseph Thorn was born
in 1749. The entire life of Stephen Thorne
was passed in the town of Washington, where
he was married, and where were born to him
five chHdren: Anne K., Cynthia, Elizabeth,
Hannah and Joseph.
Oliver K. Smith, the subject proper of these
lines, acquired his education in part at a school
at New MHford, Conn . , in part at the Nine Part
ners Boarding School, in the town of Washing

ton, and became familiar with tbe various
phases of farm life under the capable instruc
tion of his father. He remained under the pa
rental roof until his marriage, when he re
moved to his present residence in the town of
Stanford. On September 24, 1863, in the
town of Pleasant Valley, Mr. Smith was mar
ried to Miss Hannah P. Halstead, a daughter
of Joseph G. Halstead, of Clinton town, and
to them were born three children: Lizzie,
wife of Harry Decker, of New York City, by
whom she has one child — Elaine; and Thorne
and Florence, both deceased.
Mr. Smith is a progressive man, pre-emi
nently pubHc-spirited, and all that pertains to
the public welfare receives his hearty endorse
ment. For three terms he served as assessor
of his township, being elected on the Repub
lican ticket,, and by the Democratic party was
elected supervisor, filling that position for one
term. He is emphatically a man of enter
prise, positive character, indomitable energy,
strict integrity and liberal views, thoroughly
identified with the prosperity and welfare of
his town and county. He is a stanch and
loyal friend, fond of good fellowship, and de
voted to those who have his confidence.

m LBERT R. BRYANT, a prominent young
.^^ business man of Matteawan, Dutchess
county, is a descendant of an old English fam
ily long established at Bristol, England, where
many of his ancestors were connected with the
business of hat manufacturing.
His great-grandfather, Richard Bryant,
and grandfather, Jonathan Bryant, were thus en
gaged throughout their manhood, and his father,
the late George Bryant, who was born in Bris
tol, learned the same trade there, and on coming
to America, at the age of eighteen, continued it
for many years. He located first at Newark,
N. J., where he met and married Miss Eliza
beth Simmonds, a° native of England, whose
father, John Simmonds, brought his family to
the United States during her youth and settled
at Bloomfield, N. J. The early years of their
wedded life were spent in Newark, but later
they removed to "Yonkers, N. Y. , and finally
to Matteawan, where Mr. George Bryant fol
lowed the hotel business for about seventeen
years. He was a man who took a generous
interest in everything that pertained to the
welfare of his adopted country, and in politics
was a stanch Republican, He and his wife

810

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

were members of the M. E. Church. She
passed to the unseen life in 1871, and his death
occurred March 11, 1888. They had five
children: George H., who is now in the Ma
rine Hospital at Stapleton, L. I. ; John Ed
ward, a hatter by occupation; Lucy, now Mrs.
Newton Quick, of Yonkers; Albert, our subject,
and Robert, who died at the age of five years.
Albert R, Bryant was born at Yonkers, N.
Y. , July 7, 1862, and was about five years old
when his parents removed to Matteawan. He
attended school at that place for a time, and
then entered a private school in New York
City, where he remained about twelve years.
On completing his course he returned to Mat
teawan and learned the hatter's trade, which
may be said to be hereditary in his family,
preferring the hotel business, in which he was
engaged for nine years at the corner of Water
and Fountain streets. In March, 1888, he
opened a saloon at the same site, and has ever
since conducted it. He has gained the friend
ship of many people, and is also successful
financially, owning a large amount of valuable
real estate at Matteawan, including the "Com
mercial House."
In 1 88 1, Mr. Bryant was united in mar
riage with Miss Margaret Forsyth, a native of
Orange county, N. Y,, and a daughter of
Joseph Forsyth, a well-known resident of that
locality. Two children were born of this
union: Edna E. ;-nd George A. Mr. Bryant
is an ardent advocate of Republican principles,
and socially is connected with various organi
zations, being an active member of the B. P.
O. E., the Foresters of America, and the
Beacon Hose Co., of which he was foreman
for three years and is now chief engineer.

JAMES B. TRIPP, the able manager of an
extensive stock farm at Dover Plains,
Dutchess county, is considered an author
ity upon all questions relating to the training
and care of that noble animal, the horse. His
experience as foreman of large stock farms at
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , and Danbury, Conn.,
has admirably fitted him for his present re
sponsible position with H. N. Bain, of Dover
Plains. Mr. Tripp is a descendant of one of our old
families, his grandfather, John Tripp, having
been a nativeof Dutchess county. He became
a farmer by occupation and for many years
lived at Ancram, Columbia county. His wife

was Cynthia Adzit, of Bangall, Dutchess coun
ty, and they reared a famHy of nine children:
Daniel 1. married (first) Dameris Myers, and
(second) Mrs. Adaline Sharp; David K. ; Elisha
married Miss West; Benjamin, Miss Shultz;
Mariette, Henry Keefer; Anthony, Rebecca
Keefer; Rachel, Myron Hamblin; Loretta,
Henry Dayton; and James, our subject's fa
ther, chose for his life partner Emma Card,
daughter of Esson and Lottie (WetherHl) Card,
of Ancram. He was engaged in farming in
that vicinity all his life, and died there January
14, 1896. Of bis six children our subject is
the eldest. The others are: Cynthia, Mrs.
James R. Paine; Mary K., Mrs. George Mitch
ell; Emma L, , Mrs. Marks Senigo; Sarah,
Mrs. Howard Thompson; and Myra, Mrs.
Harry Dewsnap.
The subject of our sketch was born in An
cram in 1854, and for some time after leaving
school was engaged in farming, but in early
manhood acquired a high reputation in his
present calling. He has always been a Dem
ocrat in politics, and takes an intelligent in
terest in public affairs. On November 3,
1886, he was married to Miss Ella Van Steen-
bergh, a lady of fine mental ability and cult
ure, who previous to her marriage was a suc
cessful teacher at Millerton and in Columbia
county. She was born in Amenia in 1867,
and was educated by her father, George Steen
burgh, a well-known resident of that place.
Her ancestors were among the early settlers
in that vicinity, and her grandfather, Henry
Van Steenbergb, was born and reared there,
and became a prominent farmer. He married
Miss Anna Blass, of the same town, and had
eight chHdren, whose names, with those of
their partners in matrimony, are as follows:
Philip, Sarah Hunt; Ezra, Nellie Berrian;
John, Harriet Green; George, Mary Rowe;
Hampton, Hattie Melloy; Gernsey, Mary
Drake; Emmett, Phoebe Odell; and Coralie,
Henry Pitcher. George Van Steenbergb grew
to manhood, at the old farm, and was gradu
ated from the Amenia Seminary. He learned
the carpenter's trade, but, finding teaching
more to his liking, be followed that calling
nineteen years. In politics he was a steadfast
Democrat, and never lacked the courage to
express his convictions upon any subject.
Mrs, Tripp is the only living child, two sons
having died, Walter in infancy, and Hubert at
the age of nineteen. Her mother, Mrs. Mary
Rowe, was a direct descendant of the Moravian

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

811

missionaries of that name who came to this
country to instruct the Indians in the Christian
faith. Orville Rowe, one of Mary Rowe's an
cestors, was a prominent farmer of White
Plains, Dutchess county, and his wife was
Miss Elizabeth Pitcher, of Johnson's Corners,

C\HARLES E. BOYCE, a prominent resi-
'I dent of the town of Dover, Dutchess
county, at present holding the office of consta
ble, is the proprietor of a popular meat market
in Dover Plains. He is a native of the town
of Stanford, Dutchess county, where several
generations of his family have made their
home. His grandfather, Jacob Boyce, was
born and educated there, and spent bis life in
agricultural pursuits. He married Miss Holmes,
and reared a family of nine children: Marga
ret, Mrs. Henry Van Dewater; Sarah A., Mrs.
Alfred Van Dewater; Olive, Mrs. Levi Ambler;
Eliza and Nargette, who never married; Amy,
Mrs. Drury; Edwin, our subject's father; Isaac,
who married Miss Allen; and Levi, who mar
ried Catherine Ambler.
Edwin Boyce was born at the old home
stead in the town of Stanford, September 19,
1812, and died May 13, 1861. He was edu
cated in the district schools of that locality,
and afterward engaged in farming. He was
married to Miss Sabrina Betts, who was born
in 1820, and of this union four children were
born: James H., Henrietta, Charles E. and
Mary F.
The subject pf our sketch enjoyed tbe usual
educational privileges of a farmer's boy, later
learned the butcher's trade, and also worked
at carpentering for some time. Since his re
moval to Dover Plains he has conducted a
meat market with gratifying success, and has
taken an active part in local affairs. His part
ner in life's journey is Kate Titus, daughter of
Alexander Titus, and they have had three chil
dren: Ethel May, born January i, 1882;
AHce Titus, born April 8, 1888, and Eugene
Holmes, born May 15, 1890.
The Titus family has been prominent in
the town of Washington, Dutchess county, for
many years, and Mrs. Boyce's grandfather,
Jackson Titus, was born and educated there,
and later became a prosperous miller. He
and his wife, Hannah Conklin, reared a family
of four chHdren: Alexander, Mrs. Boyce's fa
ther; Stephen, who married (first) Harriet Bur

lingame, and (second) Mary Burlingame; Mott,
who never married; and Ruth Amelia, Mrs. Jo
seph Titus. Alexander Titus was born in
1 82 1, and received his early education in the
district schools of Washington town. He en
gaged in the milling business for a time, but
the greater part of his life was spent in farm
ing. He married Letitia Strang, daughter of
Henry and Catherine (Adriance) Strang, and
had six children: Kate, Mrs. Boyce; Edward,
who married Josephine Stansbury; Anna, Mrs.
Charles Rich; Eleanor, the wife of Charles
Gilbert; Stephen, who married Estella Out
house; and Lillian, the wife of Charles Lewis.
Mr. Titus was a prominent Republican, and
held aH the important offices in his town at
different times, from supervisor down. He
was also an active member of the order of Odd
Fellows.

JOHN B. WALDO is the owner of one of
the finest fruit farms in East FishkHl town,
Dutchess county. Around his handsome
residence the grounds are beautifully laid out,
and altogether it presents a most attractive
picture. He was born upon this place at
JohnsvHle, on June 2, 1846. It comprises
175 acres of rich land, and was the last farm
to be parted with or left h-y the Indians, and
was used by them also as a burying ground.
A part of an old Indian orchard, which at one
time was four mHes long, is stHl standing, and
when the father of our subject was a boy a
party of Indians returned here from the West
and camped on the farm near the mountains
for the purpose of viewing their former home.
Charles Waldo, the grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Windham, Conn.,
and after his marriage with Elizabeth Besley
located in the town of East Fishkill, Dutchess
county, but the latter part of his life was
passed in the West, where his death occurred.
By profession he was a physician and surgeon.
WiHiam B. Waldo, the father of our sub
ject, was an only child, and was born at
Brinckerhoff, in Fishkill town. May 5, 1805.
He grew to manhood on the farm now owned
by our subject, and was a graduate of Union
College, at Newburg, N. Y. He studied law,
was admitted to the bar at Poughkeepsie, and
began practice at Brooklyn, but owing to iH
health he gave up his profession, returning to
the farm in the spring of 1838, where he con
tinued to reside up to the time of his death, on

812

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

June 14, 1867. He took an active interest in
the success and welfare of the Whig party,
which he always supported by his ballot, and
was a most influential and prominent citizen
of the community.
The mother of our subject, who bore the
maiden name of Jane Ann Bruce, is a native
of New York City, and is still living. Her
father, John M. Bruce, was a prominent mer
chant of that place, and was among the first
to import tin and sheet iron in Dutchess coun
ty. The Bruce family principally were mem
bers of the Baptist Church, while the Waldos
were Presbyterians. Only two children were
born to the parents of our subject, his sister
being Elizabeth, who married Rev. G. T.
WoodhuH, now professor of languages in Lin
coln University, Pennsylvania.
The boyhood of John B. Waldo was spent
upon his present farm, and, after attending tbe
local schools, he became a student in an
academy at Newburgh, N. Y. On the death
of his father, however, he returned home, and
has since had charge of the farm, where he
now devotes special attention to fruit culture,
raising grapes, apples, peaches, etc., with
most gratifying results, which fact shows that
he thoroughly understands his business.
On January 14, 1872, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Waldo and Miss Helen Brett,
whose birth occurred at JohnsviHe. Her
father, James Brett, and her grandfather,
Robert Rombout Brett, were also natives of
the town of East Fishkill, and farmers by oc
cupation. They were descended from the old
patentee. Madam Brett. Nine children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Waldo: Jane Ann, who
was born October 30, 1873, and died Decem
ber 14 following; an infant, who died un
named; WilHam B., whowas born November
23, 1874, and has been an engineer on the
Long Island railroad since sixteen years of
age; Lewis H., who was born March 5, 1877,
and is at this writing at home; James B., who
was born AprH 21, 1878, and died May 30,
1893; John M., whowas born May 3, 1879,
and has just graduated from the Albany Busi
ness College; Oliver W., born May 20, 1880;
Elizabeth W., born January i, 1882, and
Helen A., born January 27, 1883. The wife
and mother was called to her final rest Octo
ber II, 1890. Politically, Mr. Waldo is a
Republican, and does all in his power to pro
mote the welfare and prosperity of his native
town and county.

'^^FILLIAM W. BAKER, a prominent agri-
M'lc culturist and business man of Clinton
Hpllow, Dutchess county, and a veteran of the
Civil war. was born September 25, 1843, in
Poughkeepsie, New York.
His family has long been well known in the
county. His grandfather, Jesse Baker, was
born in the town of Beekman, N. Y. , in 1778,
and died in Lagrange, N. Y. , January 22,
1849, having passed his life in agricultural
pursuits. He was an elder of the Presbyterian
Church of Freedom Plains, and held an influ
ential position in the community. He married
Sarah Morgan, and reared a family of six
children, all now deceased, giving to all of
them good educations. Their names are:
Thomas D., Abram, Susan, Maria, Catherine
and Jobn M.
The youngest son, our subject's father, was
born in the town of Beekman, November 16,
1 81 5. His boyhood was spent in the town of
Lagrange, where he attended schools, and in
early manhood he engaged in the grocery
business in Poughkeepsie, at the corner of
Main and South Hamilton streets. Later
he followed the carpenter's trade in the town
of Lagrange. He was married July 17, 1839,
at No. 97 Orchard street. New York, by Rev.
S. Benedict, to Eunice M. Wolvern, and by
this union there were two sons: Jesse I. and
William W. Of these, Jesse I., born March
20, 1 84 1, attended the schools of Lagrange in
early life, and learned the blacksmith's trade.
On August 19, 1862, be enlisted in Company
I, 128th N. Y, V. I., and died February 4,
1863, at Camp Chalmette, Louisiana-
William W. Baker, our subject, grew to
manhood in Lagrange, enjoying the ordinary
life of the country boy, and making the most
of the advantages offered by the district
schools. At the age of eighteen he enlisted on
the same day with his brother, and in the same
company, the regiment being assigned first to
the Department of tbe Gulf, and later to the
forces in the Shenandoah Valley. He served
throughout tbe war, fortunately escaping his
brother's sad fate, and after being mustered
out, June 7, 1865, he returned home. He
worked at the painter's trade for two years in
Lagrange, also for four years in the town of
Clinton, later engaging in agriculture near
Clinton Hollow, buying a farm after working
it on shares for two years. His progressive
ideas and energetic management have brought
him marked success, and he now owns two

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COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

813

good farms in that vicinity. In 1875 he en
gaged in pork packing in a small way, and has
increased the business until he now enjoys an
extensive trade.
On September 12, 1865, Mr. Baker was
married at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , by Rev. Sum
ner Mandeville, to Miss Carrie S. Baker, who
was born September 26, 1846, a daughter of
Thomas D. Baker, our subject's uncle. Two
children came of this union: Jesse A., born in
1866, married Miss Ida Wooley, and has three
children — George W., William and Viola;
and Orrie J., born in 1868, now a farmer, mar
ried Vernie J. Cookingham, and has two chil
dren — Carrie E. and Olive J. In politics Mr.
Baker is a Republican, and he and his wife are
members of the Christian Church at Schultz
viHe, New York.

LEWIS H. CHASE, an enterprising busi-
 ! ness man of Matteawan, Dutchess coun
ty, is the proprietor of a popular meat market,
and is also supcessfully engaged in the ice
trade, his custom extending through Mattea
wan, FishkHl, Fishkill Landing and FishkHl
Village. He was born March i, 1854, in
Westchester county, N. Y., and is of English
descent in both paternal and maternal lines.
His paternal grandparents settled in Putnam
county shortly after their marriage, and reared
eight children: John and Wright are farmers
in Kansas; James is a laborer in Ulster county,
N. Y. ; Robert is mentioned more fully below;
Fred, deceased, was a laborer; Adelia is mar
ried to PhHip Van Buren, a livery man at
Waldon, Orange Co., N. Y. ; WHliam is a
farmer iri Ulster county; and Elijah went West,
and nothing is now known of him.
Robert Chase, the father of our subject,
first saw the light at the old home in Putnam
county, and in early life engaged in farming.
Since the war, however, hehas been in the rub
ber hose and belt factory. He is a highly es
teemed citizen. His wife, Phoebe J. Ellis,
who is also a native of Putnam county, is a
daughter of Abraham EHis, a well-known agri
culturist. Robert Chase is a Republican in
politics, and he and his wife are leading mem
bers of the Baptist Church. Of their five chil
dren our subject is the youngest. Caroline
married Lewis Glover, of Connecticut; Cather
ine, who was married to Theodore Post, of Put
nam county; Laura is the wife of Charles Ives,

of Matteawan; and Hattie married Clark Mac-
key, of the same place.
Lewis H. Chase had the advantage of
country life in his youth, remaining upon a
farm until he was about twenty-five years old.
In 1880 he went to Matfeawan to engage in
business, forming a partnership with Abram
Biker in a meat market. Two years later the
firm was dissolved, and Mr. Chase purchased
his present market on Main street, Matteawan,
where he has built up a fine trade. His ice
business was added in 1890, and both, under
his able management, are constantly increas
ing. He has a pleasant home in Matteawan.
His wife, formerly Miss Hattie Bogardus, to
whom he was married in 1882, is a daughter
of Oliver Bogardus, a well-known citizen of
FishkHl Village, and a descendant of one of
the old Holland-Dutch families. Nine chH
dren have blessed their union: May, Etta,
Arthur, Ralph, Walter, Robert, Lewis, Row
land and Mildred. Public affairs receive from
Mr, Chase the intelligent attention which it is
the duty of every good citizen to give. He is
a Republican in his political views, and in local
matters he is always to be found on tbe side of
progress. Fraternally, he is a member of the
I. O. O. F., the Order of American Mechan
ics, and the Order of Red Men.

M ATHANIEL PARKER. The excellent
 farm of 175 acres in the town of Dover,
belonging to our subject, is conspicuous for the
manner in which it has been improved and
cultivated, and is evidently the homestead of
one of the most enterprising men of Dutchess
county. He is a native of New York, born in
18 18, in the town of Kent, Putnam county,
where his grandfather, Nathaniel Parker, whose
birth occurred in Connecticut, had located
when a young man, there owning a good farm.
The latter wedded Miss Mary Rhodes, a daugh
ter of John Rhodes, a farmer of PeekskHI,
Putnam county, and in their family were three
sons : John, the father of our subject ; Nathan
iel, who remained single; and Platt, who mar
ried Rhoda Post, but had no children.
John Parker was born and educated in Kent
town, Putnam county, where he later followed
farming, and in the war of 1812 served as a
private. He married Miss Elsie Lee, daughter
of Joseph and AbigaH (Emmons) Lee, agri
culturists of Dutchess county, and to them

814

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

were born eleven children, three of whom died
in infancy, the others being as follows: (i)
Rhodes married Miss Adaline Poley, by whom
he had two children — John P. and Orphey.
(2) WHliam married Eliza Russell, and had
three children — Isa%.c, John and Alpheus. (3)
Nathaniel is next in order of birth. (4) Mary
married Aaron Wright, and to them were born
three children — John, Eli and Rodin. (5)
Abigail married Joseph Fisher, and their chil
dren were accidentally kHled. (6) Phoebe A.
married George Fisher, and has four children —
WHHam H., Nathaniel, and two daughters
whose names are unknown. (7) Sarah be
came the wife of Leroy Hewitt, and reared a
family. (8) Clarinda married Augustus Lee.
The education of our subject was such as
the district schools of his native town afforded.
During his younger years he learned the car
penter's trade, which he continued to follow
for twenty years, and then for about eight
years operated land in the town of Kent, Put
nam county, where he owned three different
farms. On the expiration of that time he came
to Dutchess county and purchased the Levans
farm in the town of Dover, where he still con
tinues to make his home and successfuHy en
gages in its cultivation. He is a prominent and
influential citizen of genuine worth and sterling
integrity. In politics he is an uncompromising
Republican, but has never aspired to official
position. Mr, Parker was united in marriage with
Miss Hulda Patrick, daughter of Jehial and Lu
cinda (Finch) Patrick, and they now have one
son, Jehial, whose birth occurred in the town
of Kent, Putnam county, but his education was
secured in Dover town, Dutchess county. He
is now successfully following the teacher's pro
fession. He was married to Miss Amy Russell,
and to them has been born one child — Wilbur.
John Patrick, the grandfather of Mrs, Par-
kei, was a native of Putnam county, where he
carried on farming, and by his marriage with
Jemima Tyler had eight children: Bathia,
Rhoda, Hannah, Hulda, Betsy, Jehial, David
and John. Jehial Patrick, her father, was also
born, reared and educated in Putnam county, -
and as a life work also turned his attention to
agricultural pursuits. He married Miss Lu
cinda Finch, a native of Connecticut, and they
became the parents of seven children: Lewis,
who remained single; Sarah, who married Niles
Sturdevant; Hulda, the estimable wife of our
subject; Samantha, who married jamuel Ros-

00 ; Jemima, who never married; Finch, who
died in infancy; and Emmorett, who became
the wife of Amos Merritt.

m LBERT S. EMANS, one of the wide-
^^^ awake and progressive business men of
the town of East FishkHl, Dutchess county, is
profitably conducting a good general store at
Gayhead. He was born at that place, Janu
ary 30, 1854, and is the son of John S. Emans.
His boyhood was there passed upon the home
farm, and at an early age he became station
agent at Hopewell Junction, Dutchess county,
for the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut
railroad, holding that position for about ayear.
For a short time he was then with the New
York & Erie railroad at Newburgh, and was
later employed on a steamer for a few months,
running between Newburgh and Nyack, New
York. Subsequently Mr, Emans became interested
with his father in farming, which they contin
ued up to the time of the latter's death, when
our subject began dealing in agricultural im
plements. These he still sells in connection
with other general merchandise, including gro
ceries, dry goods, boots and shoes, wagons,
harness, etc. His strict attention to his busi
ness interests and his unswerving integrity have
aided him in securing the liberal patronage
which he now receives, and he is ranked among
the most reliable and straightforward business
men in Dutchess county.
On March 4, 1880, Mr. Emans was united
in marriage with Miss Laura T. Thomas, who
was born in the village of Fishkill, and is a
graduate of the State Normal School at Al
bany, N. Y. Her father, E. V. B. Thomas,
who was of Scotch extraction, was a leading
carriage manufacturer of Fishkill. Two chil
dren have come to bless their union: Blanche
A., born March 4, 1880; and Albert S., born
October 2, 1889.
Mr. and Mrs. Emans began their domestic
life upon the farm, but in 1891 he purchased
their present home, and also his good store
property at Gayhead. In religious affairs they
take an active interest, being consistent mem
bers of the Reformed Dutch Church, and he
has served as treasurer of the Hopewell Y. M,
C. A., and was one of the three members of
the building committee. In politics he is an
earnest Democrat, for three terms has been
collector of the town of East FishkiH, was

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

815

town clerk five years, and for the same length
of time was notary public, while since 1891 he
has served as postmaster. He takes an active
interest in all social affairs, being a prominent
member of local clubs and like organizations,
and is one of the valued citizens of the com
raunity where he is so widely and favorably
known.

m BRAHAM A. BOGARDUS, a substantial
jP^ and reliable agriculturist of the town of
East FishkiH, Dutchess county, was born at
JohnsviHe, in the same town, April 26, 1830,
and on the paternal side comes of good old
Holland ancestry. The birth of his grand
father, Cornelius Bogardus, occurred at what
was then called StonykHn, in Fishkill town,
and throughout life he followed agricultural
pursuits. He married Miss Elizabeth Roe, by
whom he had four children: Cornelius, who
became a car man in New York City; James, a
farmer of East FishkHl town ; William , a minister
of the Reformed Dutch Church, and Elias, the
father of our subject.
The last named was born in the town of
FishkHl August 16, 1784, was reared upon a
farm, and in early life learned the carpenter's
trade, which he always followed. He was
married May 3, 18 15, to Miss Hannah Mont
fort, whose birth took place at JohnsvHle Oc
tober 25, 1791. Her family were of French
extraction. Her father, Adrian Montfort, was
born at FishkHl Plains, in FishkHl town, Sep
tember 6, 1755, and was the son of John Mont
fort, a native of the same town. Upon their
marriage, Elias Bogardus and his wife located
on a farm in the town of Fishkill, where they
reared their six children: Adrian, who has
always followed carpentering in that vicinity;
John C. , who was a harness-maker of New
York City, and died there May 9, 1884; Lettie
E., who married Henry Burroughs, a farmer
of the town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county;
Susan A.; Abraham A.; and Mary J., wife of
Aaron Woodruff, a traveling salesman of New
York City. Before his marriage the father
worked at the carpenter's trade in New York,
but subsequently followed that occupation at
JohnsviHe and FishkHl, Dutchess county. He
voted the Democratic ticket, and both himself
and wife were sincere and faithful members of
the Reformed Dutch Church. She was caHed
from this life November 9, 1839, and he passed
away August 28, 1853.

Upon the farm at JohnsvHle, Abraham A.
Bogardus passed his childhood, early becoming
familiar with the duties that fall to the lot of
the agriculturist, and, in 1862, he and his
brother Adrian purchased their present place,
which was known as the ""Horton farm." It
comprises 178 acres of fertile land, and to its
cultivation and improvement our subject has
devoted his time with results so satisfactory
that to-day he is one of the prosperous farmers
of the community. In political belief he is an
unswerving Democrat, and for thirty-three
years he capably filled the office of commis
sioner of highways. By the exercise of integ
rity, industry and intelligence, he has become
a substantial and honored citizen, one who
stands high in the estimation of his fellow men.
In religious faith the family hold membership
with the Reformed Dutch Church.

JfOHN F. JEWELL, a prominent agricult-
1 urist of the town of Clinton, Dutchess
county, is a self-made man who learned in
early years the difficult art of making farming
pay, and has throughout his long life been
putting his knowledge into successful practice.
He was born AprH 15, 18 16, in the town of
Poughkeepsie, and his family has long been
known in the county, his grandfather, Harmon
Jewell, being an early resident. The last
named had three sons: George, John and
Henry. Henry Jewell, our subject's father, lived
to the age of ninety-six years. He was a life
long resident of the county, and farmed for
many years in the towns of Poughkeepsie and
Lagrange. He was a man of excellent habits,
and a member of the Reformed Dutch Church.
In politics he was in early days a Democrat,
but later a Republican, and he took an active
interest at times in local affairs, serving as
constable for many years. He married Bet
sey Van Kleeck, and had eight children: (i)
Bernard; (2) Maria (Mrs. Richard Grant);
(3) Martha (Mrs. Jacob Nelson); (4) Cathar
ine, who married (first) Casper Dusenberry,
and (second) John McNeal; (5) Gertrude;
(6) Eliza (Mrs. Harvey Grant) ; (7) Henry
E., a resident of Newburg, and married to
Rachel Lewis; and (8) John F., our subject.
Of this family the first and the two youngest
are the only survivors.
Our subject moved to the town of Lagrange
in boyhood, ^nd his school days were spent near

816

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Lagrange. At an early age he began working for
farmers in that vicinity, and on attaining his
majority he went to the town of Olive, Ulster
county, and followed the same employment
for four years. He then took a farm on shares,
and later bought one in the town of Rosen-
dale, where he Hved eleven years. Returning
to Poughkeepsie he spent a year, and in Sep
tember, 1868, he purchased his present farm
near Rowland, where be has resided since
March, 1869. He started out in life without
help from his relatives, and his accumulations
are the result of hard work and wise manage
ment. As a speculator he displays unusual
judgment, and he has dealt profitably in cat
tle and horses for many years.
Mr. Jewell was married, January 18, 1838,
to Miss Ann Eliza Merrihew, who was born
December 11, 18 16, in the town of Olive,
Ulster county, a daughter of Stephen and
Rebecca (Krum) Merrihew, well-known farm
ers of that locality. Two children came of
this union: (i) Martha, born October 6,
1839, married Abram Hill, of Newburg, and
has two children — WHlet and Mary (Mrs.
Samuel Brown). (2) Andrew, born April 2,
1843, is the proprietor of a livery and board
ing stable on Main street, Poughkeepsie. He
married Aurelia Cookingham. In politics our
subject is a Democrat, and has been from his
first vote. He is progressive in his ideas,
always ready to help forward any worthy
movement, and he contributes to several
Churches in his neighborhood.

'^^J'lLLIAM HALL HART, an extensive
ItJt fruit grower and farmer in the town of
Lagrange, Dutchess county, was born there
March 3, 1853. He attended the private
schools of Poughkeepsie, and later went to
Dartmouth College, where he was graduated
in 1875, taking the degree of A. B. Return
ing to Lagrange, he has since given his atten
tion to his farm. He has a fine orchard, and
makes a specialty of growing apples.
Benjamin Hall Hart, father of our subject,
was born in Hempstead, L. I,, February 13,
181 1, and attended school at Richmond, Va.
Later he went to sea on account of his health,
acting as mate on the Liverpool line for six
years. In 1836 he was married at Hempstead
to Miss Elizabeth Nichols, and the following
children were born to them: (i) Mary Amelia.
(2) Edmund Hall married Isabella M. How

land; they live at Federal Point, Fla., and
have had four children — Theodora, Adelia,
Lucy Eleanor and Amy, the last named hav
ing died. (3) Walter Nichols married Cor
nelia D. Storm, and Hved at Federal Point,
Fla. ; their children are Mary Louisa, CorneHa
Brinckerhoff and Abram Percival; W. N. Hart
died in 1884. (4) Ambrose Burnham, who
lives at Lake City, Fla. (Walter and Ambrose
each served three years in the Upion army,
and each was honorably promoted). (5) Lou
isa Abigail married Edwin S. Hubbard, of Fed
eral Point, Fla., and had two children — Edith
Louisa and Ervin Stuart. (6) Elizabeth Emily.
(7) WHliam Hall. In 1839 the father of this
family moved to the town of Lagrange, where
he spent the remainder of his days farming,
except that he visited California twice, in 1 849
and 1850, and spent the winters after 1867 at
his orange grove in Florida. He died in 1875,
a member of the Episcopal Church, a stanch
Republican, and an active and respected citi
zen. Seth Hart, grandfather of William H. , was
born June 21, 1763, at Kensington, Conn.,
was educated at Yale CoHege, where he was
graduated in 1784, after which he studied med
icine, and for a time practiced as a physician.
He went in that capacity with tbe surveying
party that laid out the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
Desiring to become a clergyman of the Epis
copal Church, he studied to that end, and in
1 79 1 was admitted to tbe order of deacons, in
1792 to the order of priests by Bishop Sea
bury. He became rector, consecutively, of
St. John's Church, Waterbury; St. Paul's,
Wallingford, Conn. ; and for twenty-eight years
of St. George's, Hempstead, L. I., at which
latter place he also kept a private school. He
died there March 16, 1832, and his wife, who
in her maidenhood was Ruth Hall, daughter of
Hon. Benjamin Hall, of Cheshire, Conn.,
passed away November 3, 1841. They were
the parents of the following children: (i) Will
iam Henry, born January 5, 1790, married
(first) Lydia Hubbard Moore, of New York,
and (second) Maria Graham, of Shawangunk,
N. Y. ; he died July 28, 1852. (2) Ambrose
Gustavus, born October 13, 1792, died Octo
ber 15, 1 8 16. (3) Hannah Burnham, born
July 16, 1797, died in September, 1798. (4)
Henry William, born October 26, 1799, died
January 9, 18 13. (5) Elizabeth Anne, born
May 9, 1809, died December 24, 1840, mar
ried William J. Clowes, of Hempstead, L. I.,

^/rA^^'^tz^t^T.^y^- ytayiy-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

817

and their daughter, Caroline Morgan, makes
her home with our subject (she is well known
as an artist of much talent, and has made
painting her life work). (6) Benjamin Hall.
(7) Edmund Hall, born August 7, 18 13, died
August 22, 1838.
Matthew Hart, the great-grandfather of
our subject, was born in Kensington, Conn.,
January 23, 1737, and was married November
15. I7S9> to Miss Ehzabeth Hopkins. He
died in 181 1. The following children were
born to him and his wife: Matthew, Seth,
Sarah, Elizabeth (who married Dr. James Per
cival, by whom she was mother of James G.
Percival, the poet), and Oliver.
Matthew Hart,Sr., great-great-grandfather,
was born in 1690 at Farmington, Conn., and
was married January 10, 1725, to Miss Sarah
Hooker. He died October 30, 1736. Five
children were born: Ruth, Mary, Lois, Oliver
and Matthew.
Capt. John Hart, the great-great-great
grandfather, was born at Farmington about
the year 1655, He married Miss Mary Moore.
He belonged to the Farmington train-band, of
which he became lieutenant and captain, be
sides holding other important offices in the
community. He died November 11, 1714,
and Mrs. Hart on September 19, 1738. Their
children were John, Isaac, Sarah, Matthew,
Samuel, Nathaniel and Mary.
John Hart, great-great-great-great-grand
father, was born in Braintree, England. He
came to America and located at Farmington,
Conn., where one night in 1666 his house was
set on fire by the Indians and he and all his
family, with the exception of the eldest son,
John, who, but eleven years old, was away
from home caring for stock on an outlying
farm, were burned to death.
Deacon Stephen Hart was born in 1605 in
Braintree, England, and married (2) Margaret,
the widow of Arthur Smith. About 1632 he was
oneof the fifty-four settlers of Cambridge, Mass. ,
and was one of the original proprietors of Hart
ford, Conn,, in 1635, it being a tradition that
the name of Hartford originated from a ford
in the Connecticut river which he discovered
and used, and which was called Hart's ford.
He was one of the leading settlers of Farm
ington, about 1640, where he died in 1683.
He was a man of great force and influence in
publicaffairs. Six chHdren were born to him and
his first wife: (i) Sarah, married November
20, 1644, ta Thomas Porter; (2) Mary, mar

ried (first) to John Lee. (second) to Jedediah
Strong; (3) John; (4) Steven; (5) Mehitabel,,
married to John Cole; and (6) Thomas, born
in 1643, married to Ruth Hawkins.

53

ISAAC BRYAN (deceased). Aniong the en-
_ terprising and prosperous agriculturists of
the town of Northeast, Dutchess county, the
subject of this sketch held a prominent place,
maintaining in his day the reputation for en
ergy and sound judgment which his father and
grandfather had established at an earlier time.
The family is of English origin, and the
earlier generations were residents of Newtown,
Conn., where our subject's great-grandfather,
Alexander Bryan, was born. A family record
exists which was written by him in 1759. Ezra
Bryan, our subject's grandfather, was born at
Newtown, November 30, 1740, and was the
first of the family to come to Dutchess county.
He became the owner of a large tract of land
in the Nine Partners territory, which since his
death has been divided into several good-sized
farms. He was a cabinet maker by trade, and
engaged for a time in the manufacture of cof
fins, but later invented a fanning-mill, which
he manufactured on quite a large scale at the
old farm, employing three or four men. As
may be inferred, be was a man of much tal
ent, noted for his practical business ability.
He was a Quaker in religion, and his death
occurred while on bis way to meeting, July 9,
1825. He was married May 21, 1761, at
Newtown, Conn., by David Judson, minister,
to Sarah Beck, who was born April 12, 1738,
and died November 19, 1829, and their re
mains now rest in the family burial lot at
Shekomeko. They bad six children, whose
names with dates of birth and death are as
follows: Alexander, March 23, 1762 — Decem
ber 14, 1 781; Eliza, September 13, 1764 — -
October 9, 1842; David, July 18, 1767 — June
30, 1848; Isaac, July 4, 1772— July 30, 1776;
Isaac, August 18, 1776 — June 25, 1854; and
Amos, January 31, 1779 — April 12, 1863.
Amos Bryan, our subject's father, succeed
ed to his father's business, and carried on the
manufacture of fanning-mills, at the same time
operating a large farm, having inherited the
old homestead and bought in other portions of
the estate. He was successful in business and
prominent in public affairs, and his integrity
and ability won for him the entire confidence
of the community. He helped to settle a

818

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

number of estates, was a justice of the peace
for many years, and in 1840 was a member of
the State Assembly. He died AprH 12, 1863,
followed on the 24th of the next month by his
wife, formerly Betsey Finch, of Ancram, to
whom he was married October i, 1804. Nine
children were borpof their union, whose names
with dates of birth and death are here given:
Laura, October 5, 1805 — May 20, 1831;
Ward, AprH 12, 1807 — December 14, 1863;
Eliza (Mrs. Henry Sisson), March 16, 1810 —
September 3, 1884; Ezra, March 4, 181 2 —
March 22, 1876; Isaac, August 25, 181 5 — Sep
tember 14, 1885; James, November 27, 1817
— March 16, 1839; David, September 22,
1819 — now living; Mary (Mrs. James Carman),
December 9, 1822 — November i, 1853; and
Sarah (Mrs. James E. Mott), AprH 10, 1825 —
April 15, 1872.
Isaac Bryan was educated at Warren,
Conn., and at Peekskill-on-the-Hudson, re
ceiving a good education for the time, and was
throughout life an intelligent reader on general
topics. He engaged in farming at the old
homestead, but in i860 bought the farm near
Shekomeko where his family now reside. It
consists of 240 acres of fine land, and is said
to be one of the best farms in the town of
Northeast. He possessed excellent business
judgment, and accumulated a large property.
He was a public-spirited man, but although he
was a stanch Republican and greatly interested
in the success of his party, he was no office
seeker, the only position ever held by him be
ing that of commissioner of highways. He
had been reared a Quaker, but in later years
he attended the Pine Plains Presbyterian
Church. In 1861 he married Miss Mary Hoff
man, daughter of Henry Hoffman, a well-
known citizen of Pine Plains. Two children
were born to this union: Ward, November
II, 1863, and Edward, September 4, 1866,
who conduct the farm,
good English education
Academy, and at twenty returned to the farm.
Ini895 he was married to Miss Angie Smith.

Edward received a
at the Pine Plains

JG. DAWSON, M. D., of Matteawan. The
Dawson family originated in England, and
the first to come to the New "World was
William Dawson, who, with his wife, Isabella,
crossed the Atlantic about 1760. According to
family tradition they were Friends or Quakers,
and fled from their native land in order to es

cape tbe persecution to which the followers of
that faith were then subjected. They settled
in Caroline county, Maryland, and being iso
lated from the Friends, they united with a new
society called "NichoHtes," after its founder
and head, Joseph Nichols, of Kent county,
Delaware. This sect was spreading rapidly
in eastern Maryland about the time of their
coming, but by the end of the century it had
merged into the Society of Friends. WHliam
and Isabella Dawson reared a family of eleven
children: John, Elizabeth, WHliam, Mar
garet, Jonas, Edward, Elijah, Elisha, Shad
rach, Frederick and Joseph.
Elijah Dawson, the great-grandfather of
the gentleman whose name opens this biog
raphy, was born in Caroline county, Mary
land, March 9, 1764. He married Catherine
Broadway, daughter of Robert and Sarah
(Russum) Broadway, and made his home near
Sandtown, Kent county, Delaware, where he
died leaving two children — Greenbury and
Sarah. Greenbury Dawson, the grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Kent county, Dela
ware, born in April, 1785, and engaged in
farming in the same county, near Camden.
In religious faith he was a Friend. His death
occurred AprH 6, 1847, and his wife, Mary
Smith, daughter of Major Thomas Smith, died
March 12, 1846. They had six children:
Catherine, William, Thomas, Willard H.,
Mary S. and Ezekiel. None are now living
except the last named, who is a prominent
physician at Baltimore, Maryland.
William Dawson, our subject's father, was
born June 24, 1817, near Camden, Delaware,
and became one of the most successful agri
culturists in that region, accumulating a hand
some competence. He possessed unusual
force of character, and was a leader in local
affairs, and in the Whig party. On December
29, 1840, he married Elizabeth G. Britting-
ham, whose father, a prosperous farmer, came
from England about 181 5, and settled in Kent
county, Delaware. William Dawson estab
lished his home near Smyrna, Delaware,
where he died, September 30, 1854, but his
widow still resides there. Of their eight chH
dren our subject was the youngest. Ann M.
and Sarah died in infancy; Thomas G. is a
dentist in California; Mary J. married Dr.
John M. Smith, of Cheswold, Del. ; Margarette
married Jobn M. Bishop, a farmer of the same
locality; William H. is an agriculturist in

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

819

Maryland, and Ezekiel is a manufacturer of
butter, at Newark, Delaware.
With this introduction we may the better
trace the history of ,our subject, who is a
worthy representative of an ancestry noted for
ability and high character. During his boy
hood Dr. Dawson lived at the old farm near
Smyrna, Del,, attending the local schools,
with one year in the Classical Academy at
Smyrna. In 1872 he entered the State
Normal School at MillersviHe, Penn,, and on
completing his course in 1875, he engaged in
teaching in the country districts. Deciding
upon the medical profession as a lifework, he
began his preparation in 1877, at Smyrna,
and in the following year he was enrolled as a
student in the Hahnemann Medical College at
Chicago, from which he was graduated in
1880. Locating at MHford, Del., he practiced
successfully until 1892, when, realizing the
necessity for change and rest, he went to New
York City for a time. In February, 1892, he
settled at Matteawan, where be speedily won a
high place in the esteem of the people, both
as a citizen and a practitioner. He has never
joined the ranks of tbe happy Benedicts. In
all public questions he takes an intelligence
interest, and he is active in local affairs. Po
Htically he is a Republican, and he is now
serving as health officer of the town of Fish
kiH. For some time past he has been a mem
ber of the Masonic order, and he is also an
active worker in the American Institute of
Homeopathy.

W LSON OSTRANDER, one of the oldest
.^^ and most highly respected citizens of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is a repre
sentative of a family which has long been
prominent in this region.
The ancestors of our subject who first
represented this branch of the family in Amer
ica was Pieter Pieterson Ostrander, who left
Amsterdam, HoHand, on the ship "Spotted
Cow," April 16, 1660. Landing in June fol
lowing, he settled at Kingston, N. Y., where,
on January 19, 1679, he was married to Re
becca Traphagen. Their son, Arend, who
was baptized at Hurley, N. Y., October 5,
1684, married Gertrude Massen Van Bloomen-
dahl, daughter of Maas Van Bloomendahl.
Maas Ostrander, a son of Arend, was baptized
at Albany, N. Y., AprH 11, 17 14. married
Jennetje Swartwout, and their son Cornelius,

who became the grandfather of our subject,
was born July 22, 1742; he married, April 25,
1764, Mary Luyster Brinkerhoff. Their son
Cornelius, our subject's father, was born at
FishkHl, May 22, 1775, and was reared at the
old farm, attending school in the neighborhood
during boyhood. He learned the shoemaker's
trade, and followed it for some years, going
from one farm to another in winter and making
shoes. His later years were spent upon his
farm; he died January 17, 1853. He married
Mary Way, and had eight chHdren, of whom
only two are now living: Alson, the subject
of this sketch; and Melinda, who married
James E- Smith, of Fishkill.
Alson Ostrander was born at FishkHl March
9, 18 18, and spent his boyhood there attend
ing the public schools near his home. At the
age of fifteen he went to New York City, and
found employment as a clerk in the grocery
store of N. D. Hurder. In 1838 he returned
home, and remained with his father (who then
lived near Freedom Plains) untH 1840, when
he went to Genesee county, making the jour
ney with a horse and wagon. There he
worked on his brother's farm for three years,
and October i, 1844, he came to Pough
keepsie, where he has since resided. Until
1847 he was with Slocum, JHson & Co., in
their pin factory, the ruins of which still stand
on Bayeau street. Mr. Ostrander left this
employment to become assistant postmaster
at Poughkeepsie for Egbert B. Kelley, with
whom he remained three years, and so well
and faithfully did he discharge his duties that
the two succeeding postmasters found him in
dispensable. He was next employed in the
county clerk's office during the term of George
H. Tompkins, and in i860 he became con
nected with the firm of William W. and James
Reynolds, Jr. (now Reynolds & Cramer), with
whom he remained twenty-eight years, when
he retired from active business. He is a
man of quiet tastes and reserved manners;
but whHe he has never sought prominence, he
has more than once taken an influential part
in advancing measures which he believed tobe
beneficial to the pubHc. He is an ardent
friend to the temperance cause; has voted the
Prohibition ticket ever since the organization
of the party, and is now the senior resident
member of the Sons of Temperance. His
connection with that body dates back to 1846
when he became a member of Howard Divi
sion No. 45, and when that society gave up its

820

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

charter, Mr. Ostrander, with William Schrum,
Judson D, Case, Richard Brittain, Lazarus V.
Brinck, Thomas Platt, John M. Cable, Isaac
Butler, Dennis C. Clemishire, and James
Brower, took their cards and joined Pough
keepsie Division No. 9, which was instituted
August 4, 1843.
On June 3, 1841, Mr. Ostrander was mar
ried in Genesee county to Miss Harriet Arnold,
who died leaving one son, Alson B., born
February 2, 1846, at Poughkeepsie, who was
a soldier in the Civil war and is now a resident
of New York City. He was married at Ber
gen, N. Y, , to Hettie Gifford. Mr. Alson
Ostrander was again married, this time at
Leon, N. Y., February 7, 1854, to Miss
Frances E. Evarts, who was born February
14, 1825, a daughter of Rev. Renaldo M. and
Eliza (Morley) Evarts. Two sons (twins)
were born of this union at Poughkeepsie, Feb
ruary 7, 1863 — James Henry and Charles
Melville, both of whom are successfully estab
lished in life, the latter being now in the in
surance business at Omaha, Nebraska.
James Henry Ostrander has chosen to
remain in his native city, where he now con
ducts an extensive undertaking and embalm
ing business. His early education was ob
tained in the public schools of Poughkeepsie,
and on leaving the high school he entered the
telegraph office as messenger, and later was
employed as salesman for a New York firm,
and then began to learn the undertaking busi
ness with Stephen Merritts, with whom he
worked three years. In 1888 he returned
to Poughkeepsie where he had already won a
high standing in business circles. He was
married there June 5, 1888, to Miss Lavinia
S. Cluett (born November 28, 1864), daughter
of George W. and Lavinia Cluett, and has
one son, Cornelius, bors January 11, 1892.
He is a member of Poughkeepsie Lodge No.
268, Chapter No. 172, King Solomon Council
No. 31, Commandery No. 43, Mecca Temple
A. A. O. N. M. S.

lOYD FAMILY, THE, which has been
prominent in this section for several gen
erations, originated in Scotland, and the head
of this branch was among the " Scotch Seced
ers " who went to the North of Ireland about
the year 1700 to avoid the religious persecu
tions of the time in his native land. He set
tled in County Down, but the exact locality

cannot now be ascertained. The coat of arms
found in the possession of some of his descend
ants is the same as that of the Kilmarnock
Boyd, and without doubt if the record had
been kept all could trace their lineage to the
same source in Scotland. The name of this
ancestor is not known, but bis family, as far as
can be learned, consisted of five children:
Samuel, Robert, James, Nathaniel and Mary.
Samuel Boyd came to New York City early
in the eighteenth century, and finding this
country a haven of rest from the hardships and
religious wars of the Old World, he assisted
his brothers and sisters to come. They re
mained but a short time in New York City,
and most of them made their permanent home
at New Windsor, Orange Co., N. Y. With
the exception of Samuel the brothers were all
married and had large families, which shows
that they were well advanced in years. Na
thaniel Boyd was born in County Down, Ire
land. He married (first) Margaret Beck, (sec
ond) Martha Monsel, but whether the last
marriage took place in Ireland or America
there is now no means of knowing, and (third)
Jane Johnston. He settled in Little Britain,
Orange county, where he passed the remainder
of his days. There were seven chHdren by the
first marriage, and nine by the second.
John Boyd, his first son by the first mar
riage, was born in County Down, March 24,
1746, and came to America with his parents at
the age of eight years, and removed io Amenia,
Dutchess county, from his home in Orange
county, about 1769. On August 10, 1769, he
married Elizabeth Winager, who was born
AprH 3, 1754, and was a daughter of Conrad
Winager, an extensive landholder of Dutchess
county, and made his home at Amenia where he
followed the taHor's trade. As he is said to
have owned a large tract of land there at the
time of his death, on August 29, 181 7, he
probably received a portion of his father-in-
law's estate. His wife died October 5, 1820.
He was known as Capt. John Boyd, and his
name appears among 300 others on the " Roll
of Honor " during the Revolutionary war.
The records of the State of New York show
him first as a lieutenant in Capt. Colby Cham
berlain's company in the 6th Dutchess County
Regiment, March 20, 1778, and later as a
captain in the 5th Dutchess County Regiment
under Col. William Humphrey. Capt, Boyd's
name is on the records of the old Presbyterian
Chui'ch at Amenia, and he was connected with

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

821

the Society during the building of the church
edifice in 1796. He was a man highly es
teemed and trusted by his fellow-citizens. In
his time people did not know the meaning of
bHls, checks and drafts, and they learned by
sad . experience the worthlessness of Conti
nental bills. Capt. Reed at one time when
making a large purchase of wheat requested his
neighbor, Lieut. John Boyd, to bring from
Poughkeepsie a certain bag of silver money.
Mr. Boyd brought it on horseback on the
pommel of his saddle, and when he rode up to
the store an attendant lifted it down, not with
out some exertion, and carried it in. His
family consisted of eleven children, most of
whom died in early life. The two who sur
vived and settled in Amenia were Samuel, who
married Sarah, daughter of Judge Ephraim
Payne, and Gilbert, who married Abigail
Chamberlain; none of their descendants are
now living in Dutchess county. The youngest
son, David Boyd, for forty-six years known
as a prominent tanner, was born in Amenia,
N. Y, , May 21, 1795, and remained in his
native place, with the exception of a few years
of his childhood passed in Little Britain, until
he was seventeen years of age. He had the
usual advantages offered by the common
schools of the day, of which he was a regular at
tendant until he reached the age of seventeen.-
He left home in the year 18 12 determined to
acquaint himself with some branch of industry
in which ,he might become self-supporting.
His brother James was already engaged in the
tanning business in Brooklyn, N.Y. , and thither
David directed his steps and apprenticed him
self to learn the trade. The custom of drinking
which was then so common in all classes of so
ciety, especially in the cities, was new to young
Boyd, and being surrounded with temptation
it was not long before he determined to return
to his quiet country home. His parents,
having a just appreciation of his motives, ap
proved of his resolution to look in another di
rection for a chance to fit himself for the tan
ner's trade. While visiting some relatives in
Poughkeepsie, he was introduced to Mr. John
Gary, a practical tanner of that place, who had
a tan-yard on Washington street, near the
corner of Main, in what is now the center of
the city. No vestige of it remains to-day.
With Mr. Gary he resumed his labors, ac
quiring a thorough knov/ledge of the trade,
and remained with him several years until
after Mr. Gary removed his business to Troy,

N. Y. During this time his home was with
his employer's famHy, where he met Mr.
Gary's sister-in-law, Rhoba Pettis, who was
born June i, 1792, at Foster, R. I., and died
February 12, 1836. They were married in
Troy, April 27, 18 17, and having now a family
to provide for, Mr. Boyd was desirous to
commence business for himself, and he re
turned to Poughkeepsie to run the same yard
where he had learned the trade a few years
previous. In 1821 he opened a leather
store on Main street, in the buHding now
owned by John J. Bahret, the clothier, and
lately occupied by him. Here he retailed all
kinds of leather, employing his leisure in finish
ing such stock as he could purchase in the
rough from country tanners. He soon deter
mined to make a more permanent arrange
ment for carrying on business, and for that pur
pose built himself a store and tannery, at
No. 360 Main street, where he tanned
most of the hides, calf and sheep skins,
bought by him in the Poughkeepsie mar
ket, besides finishing calf and kipskins,
picked up in New York while purchasing his
stock of sole leather. He followed this busi
ness during the remainder of his life, his indus
try and integrity being rewarded by the acqui
sition of a considerable property. He lived
during the most of this time where South-
wick's place of business now stands; later he
removed to the corner of Cannon and Hamil
ton streets, where he died May 10, 185 1.
A just appreciation of the probable growth
of the city induced him to purchase at differ
ent times several acres of land in the suburbs
of the town which he disposed of at such times
as he found opportunities for making profitable
sales, and he realized from these investments
all and even more than he had at first antici
pated. He built a more extensive tannery, at
the place known as the Red Mills. Years of
trial followed those of prosperity, and the
financial crisis of '36 and '37 was a season of
heavy losses for him, but it was always a mat
ter of honest satisfaction to Mr. Boyd that he
had been able to meet his indebtedness paying
one hundred cents on the dollar in every case.
It was his maxim during life to live hon
estly, and deal justly with all men. He
continued in active business untH the years of
his death, enjoying the regular routine of a
busy life and the intercourses of those with
whom he had so long been associated. He
was a director in the Bank of Poughkeepsie for

822

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

many years. In religion he was a Presbyte
rian, and he aided in the building of the church,
and was one of the substantial members and
trustees. He was a member of " Old Protec
tion No. i" Fire Engine Company in the year
1 82 1.
By his first wife he had three children,
Mary Eliza, who married Abram WHtsie; John
Gary, and Julia who married Alson Ward.
His second wife was Clarissa Lewis, who died
April II, 1856, leaving no children. Accord
ing to his desire he was succeeded in business
by his son and son-in-law, under the firm name
of Boyd & Wiltsie, his plans for the future
being well-known to them.
John G. Boyd, the only son of David Boyd,
was born February 12, 1825, at the place now
known as No. 16 Washington street, Pough
keepsie. As a young man he became engaged
with his father in business, beginning as an ap
prentice. He had good advantages in youth,
and was given a fine business education. At
eleven years of age he was sent to Dover to
study with Mr. Jeliffe, and later he attended
Fay's school at New Paltz. After leaving
school he went into the tannery with a view
of becoming acquainted with the trade, bis
time being divided between store and tan
nery. He succeeded to a share in the bus
iness in his twenty-eighth year, at his fa
ther's death. In the same year he married
Phebe E. Trowbridge, daughter of Stephen
B. Trowbridge and Eliza Conklin. The firm
of Boyd & "Wiltsie continued in business twen
ty-five years, and the real-estate interest was
continued even after that time. The old en
terprise is still carried on by Messrs, Dick &
Dobb, Mr. Dick having been an employe for
many years. Previous to May, 1853, he was
a member of Howard Hose Company, No. 2.
For twenty-nine years Mr. Boyd was trustee
of the Presbyterian Church, and was always
ready to do his duty. He was connected with
the Poughkeepsie National Bank for twen
ty-two years, having held the office of vice-
president for some time, and that of president
for two years, until compelled by failing health
to decline a re-election. He was a member
of the Water board, and trustee of Pough
keepsie Rural Cemetery for many years pre
vious to his death, which occurred AprH 6,
1886. There are not many to be found
through the conflicts of an active business life
who have gained and retained to the last the
friendship and respect of all with whom they

have come in contact. Mr. Boyd, from his
natural benevolence of disposition, accom
plished this in a remarkable degree without
effort. A born gentleman, it was easy for him
to make and retain friendship. His kindly
nature was free from restraint in all his inter
course with men, and he left upon all the
impression of inherent modesty and true
affection, excellent purpose, broad views
and sound judgment. He sought to cul
tivate the good feeling of others. He loved
the bright and beautiful side of life and would
fain have others share his joyous disposition.
Enemies he had none, for his gentle ways for
bade their creation. He had three chHdren —
Nathan T., Henry S,, who died in infancy,
and Frederick J.
Nathan T. Boyd was born April 17, 1856,
in his grandfather's house on Mill street. He
was educated in Poughkeepsie, his first teacher
being Mrs. Herrick, and later he attended the
old Quaker School, Riverview Academy, and
Bishop's Select School. In 1875 he went into
the First National Bank as bookkeeper, under
Zebulon Rudd as cashier. After two and a
half years there, he took a position as book
keeper in the store of Trowbridge & Co., re
mained about three years, when he took an
interest with George Dick in the old leather
store. Later he sold out his share to Mr.
Dobbs, and went to IHinois where he was in
terested in the Illinois Central R. R. for two
and a-half years. He came back, practically
at the request of Trowbridge & Co., and took
his former place in that firm, continuing as
clerk until the partnership was dissolved Feb
ruary I, 1888. The firm then became Kirby,
Du Bois &Boyd. and continued until February
I, 1895, when Mr. Boyd retired. Since that
time he has been engaged in business in New
York City. In 1884 be became a member of
Phoenix Hose Company No. i, and continued
untH October 21, 1889, serving as treasurer for
the full term of five years. He was married on
October 24, 1889, to Miss Anice M. White, only
daughter of Charles D. White and Mary A.
Haynes, of Brinckerhoff, New York.
Frederick J. Boyd was born March 18,
1868, and was educated at Bisbee's MHitary
School, and at the Eastman Business College.
In 1888 he took a position as clerk in the officS
of Adriance Platt & Co., remaining about three
years, and then went to New York City with
the Consolidated Kansas City Smelting & Re
fining Company. He was with them for some

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

823

time, and then was sent to St. Louis as its man
ager. He is now the agent and manager of
the International Metal Company, at St. Louis.
In 1889 he joined the 15th Separate Company
under Capt. B. Myers, and received bis dis
charge from the State of New York November
3, 1894, having filled the office of sergeant be
fore resigning.

fRS. HANNAH DOUGHTY (deceased),
late a resident of Webatuck, town of
Dover, Dutchess county, was a scion of an ex
cellent old family who have wisely preserved
their record through several generations. They
became residents of Dartmouth, Mass., in
1632. Philip Sherman (son of Samuel, a son of
Henry, whose father Henry is the first we have
of this name, and is mentioned as a clothier of
Dedham, England), was born February 10,
1610, at Dedham, England. He came to this
country about the year 1632, and became the
first Secretary of the State of Rhode Island.
He was one of the leading men of his day.
Many of his descendants settled in Dartmouth,
Mass., one, whose name" was Michael, was
born there in 17 19; he married Deborah Briggs
July 29, 1740, and they settled in Dutchess
county, N. Y. , in the spring of 1742. They
had several children, among whom was Jere
miah, born March 29, 1743, and died March
4, 1812. He married Elizabeth Mosher, by
whom he had nine children. Amongthem was
John, the father of the subject of this sketch.
Most of the ancestors of Mrs. Hannah Doughty
were members of the Society of Friends.
John Sherman, her father, was born May
17, 1783, and acquired a good common-school
education in the town of Washington, where
he also learned the trade of saddle and harness
making, which he continued to follow through
the greater part of his life. He was one of the
prominent Democrats of the locality, and for
a number of years held town offices, giving the
best of satisfaction.
On February 23, 1806, John Sherman was
married to Mary Briggs, daughter of Edward
and Anna Briggs, prosperous farming people
of the town of PawHng, Dutchess county.
Eight chHdren came to this union: (i) Eliza
beth, born April 3, 1807, never married. (2)
Almaron, born September 28, 1808, was a tan
ner by trade, and in 1828 married Jane A.
Donley, of Newburgh, N. Y., by whom he had

six children — Evelyn, Mary, John, Andrew,
Eliza A. and Albert. (3) Adaline, born Sep
tember 30, -1810, never married. (4) De
borah, born December 17, 181 1, also remained
single. (5) Catharine, born December 13,
181 3, was married, in 1833, to Ichabod Pros
ser, and now lives at Hampton, Neb. (6)
Phoebe, born November 30, 18 15, became the
wife of Damon Whaley, a wagon maker of
Pawling, Dutchess county, and to them were
born four children — Sherman, who remained
single; George, who married Jane Ross; Fran
ces, who married William Shaw, and after his
death wedded Henry Lenney; and Franklin.
(7) Albert, born July 3, 1817, was a tanner by
trade, and was married September 23, 1837,
to Miss Phoebe Rider, by whom he had five
children — John, a tanner, who wedded Mary
Smith: Mary, who became the wife of Rev.
Henry Hayter; Albert; Addie, who married
Frank Finger; and William, who never mar
ried. (8) Hannah was the youngest of the
family. Mrs. Doughty was born in the town of
Dover,- January 27, 1826, and died June 30,
1896; she received her primary education in
the public schools, supplementing same with a
course in the Friends School of Washington
town, where she graduated at the age of six
teen years. Four years later she was united
in marriage with Daniel Doughty, a mechanic
of the town of Washington, who died in 1852.
He was a son of Stephen and Mary (Ellis)
Doughty, the former of whom was a native of
Washington town, and a wagon maker by
trade. In their family were five children: Ira,
who married ZHlah Doughty; Maria; Mrs.
Sarah Smedes; Daniel; and George. For over
forty years Mrs. Doughty was successfully en
gaged in teaching. She merited and received
the esteem of the whole community, and was
much beloved by every one with whom she
came in contact.

DAVID C. DRISLANE, one of the ener
getic and influential citizens of Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, is now engaged in
the wholesale and retail grocery and liquor
business, in which he is meeting with a well-
deserved success, and owns the substantial
brick block which he occupies. He was born
June 7, 1857, at Tarrytown, Westchester
county. New York.
Cornelius Drislane, father of our subject.

824

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

is a native of County Cork, Ireland, where
his childhood and youth were passed, nd he
there learned the business of florist. When
a young man he came to America, making his
first location at Manhattan, N. Y. , where he
followed his occupation and married Catherine
Cummings, who was also born in County
Cork. After remaining at Manhattan a short
time, they removed to Tarrytown, N. Y. ,
where for a time he continued his calling, and
on leaving that place he became gardener for
John Jacob Astor, in Ulster county, N. Y. ,
near "West Park, by whom he was employed
some fifteen years. He then purchased a farm
in Orange county, N. Y., which he operated
for ten years, at the expiration of which time
he returned to Ta"rrytown, where he still
makes his home. He is a stalwart Democrat
in politics, and for the past ten years has been
trustee of Tarrytown; in religious faith he is a
Roman Catholic. His wife, who held mem
bership with the same denomination, died in
1892. They were the parents of nine chil
dren, namely: William E. is a groceryman
of Albany, N. Y. ; Lena (deceased) was the
wife of Robert Ludford, who conducted a gro
cery store at Sing Sing, N. Y. ; Lizzie married
James Quinn, of Tarrytown; David C. is next
in order of birth; Kate is the wife of William
Fallon, of Tarrytown; Frank died while young;
Mary is the wife of George Yerks, an under
taker of Tarrytown; John died in infancy; and
Cornelius is a groceryman of Tarrytown.
At the age of two years David C. Drislane
accompanied his parents to the town of
Esopus, Ulster county, where the following
fifteen years of his life were passed mostly in
attendance at the district schools of the neigh
borhood. After their removal to Orange
county, he continued his studies for some
time, and for about eight years assisted in the
cultivation of the farm. On leaving home he
went to Newburg, N. Y. , where he entered the
grocery store of his brother, WHliam E. , with
whom he remained for about a year and a half,
when he went to Tarrytown, being there em
ployed by a brother for three years. He then
went to Sing Sing, and formed a partnership
with Robert Lynford in the grocery business,
under the firm name of Drislane & Lynford,
which connection was continued for a year and
a half. Going to PeekskiH, N. Y. , he and his
brother, WHliam E. , carried on a grocery
store under the style of Drislane Brothers, and
in 1882 they also started another store in the

same line at No. 249 Main street, Poughkeep
sie, owning at the same time an establishment
at Albany. This partnership lasted until 1887,
when it was dissolved, our subject taking the
store at Poughkeepsie, and his brother the one
at Albany; the one at PeekskHI had previously
been sold.
In 1885 David C. Drislane was married to
Miss MatHda M. Gregg, who was born in
Poughkeepsie, a daughter of WHliam Gregg,
a contractor. In politics our subject is a rad
ical Democrat, and in religion a member of
the Roman Catholic Church. In 1889 he
purchased his pleasant residence at No. 211
Mill street, and a year later bought his store
building. His fair dealing and systematic
methods of doing business have won him the
confidence and respect of all with whom he
has had occasion to transact business. His
property has been acquired through the exer
cise of sound judgment, good business talents
and industry.

JOHN M. JULIAN, M. D., an eminent phy
sician and surgeon, of the town of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, is a native of
New Jersey, born at Hoboken, AprH 25, ^854.!
He traces his ancestry to Jobn M. Julian (his
great-grandfather), a native of France, who
spent his entire life there engaged in the silk
business, an occupation that was followed by
many of the family.
John Marius Julian, the grandfather of our
subject, was born at Avignon, France, in 1766,
and by profession was a physician. He was
with Napoleon Bonaparte all through his vari
ous wars, and was a member ofthe "grand
old guard," being six feet, seven inches in
height; was at Moscow, Russia, also on "the
fatal field of Waterloo," and was wounded
several times — in fact his military career was a
brilliant one. At its close he came to America,
locating in New Jersey, where his death oc
curred in 1864, when he had reached the patri
archal age of ninety-eight years; he had mar
ried Maria Francisco Eunri, by whom he had
fourteen children: Maria, Francisco, Cecelia,
Matilda, Antoinette, Adrian, Jenia, John M,,
Thomas, Felis, and four who died in infancy.
All have now passed away with the exception
of Adrian, who, like most of his ancestors, is
following the silk business.
At Avignon, France, February 13, 181 1,
was born John M. Julian, Sr. , the father of

^-^^r

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

825

our subject. In the common schools of his
native land he obtained his literary education,
and with his father began the study of medi
cine. He was the only child of the family to
come to the New World, arriving in 1828, and
making his home in New Jersey. Entering the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York
City, he graduated from that institution with
the class of '31, and became a member of the
Medical Society of the city and county of New
York, also of the State Medical Society of New
Jersey. Shortly after his graduation he en
tered a hospital in New York City, securing
much practical knowledge in his profession,
and in 1838 he settled at Hoboken, N. J.,
where he successfully engaged in practice up to
his death, January i, 1879. His wife, Cor
nelia A. (Mount) was born in New York City,
November 22, 181 5, and was a daughter of
John D. P. Mount, also a native of that city,
where he was engaged in the banking business.
The Mount family was originally from Holland,
as were also the maternal ancestors of Mrs.
Julian, though her mother, who bore the
maiden name of Christian Stagg, was born in
America. In the large family of fourteen
children born to the parents of our subject
only three reached adult age, namely: Mary
B,, wife of Stephen E. Brown, a lawyer of
New York City; John M. ; and Claude E., a
dentist and farmer of Flemington, N. J. In
religious belief the members of the family have
either been Catholics or Episcopalians, and in
politics the father was a stalwart Republican.
His widow, who is still living, has now reached
the age of eighty years.
The boyhood days of our subject were
passed at Hoboken, N. J., where he attended
the city schools and the gymnasium. At the
age of fifteen he was sent to Paris, France, to
the Polytechnic Institute, where he remained
for two years and a half, and then began the
study of medicine in that city, graduating in
1870. On the breaking out of the Franco-
Prussian war, the Doctor served as orderly in
the hospital corps of the 105th Regiment of
the line for three years, during which time he
traveled over a great deal of Europe, and
gained much valuable experience in his chosen
profession, and was honorably discharged in
October, 1873. He then took a course of lect
ures at Heidelberg, Germany, while the re
mainder of the year was spent at Bonn, Prus
sia, and the next year at Zurich, all of which
time he spent in the study of medicine, while

the following two years were spent in visiting
riiany hospitals of the Old World. In Decem
ber, 1875, he returned to the United States,
and for a time practiced at Hobokeu, N. J.;
but in 1877 he went to Brooklyn, N. Y., en
tering the out-door department of the Long
Island College Hospital, where he graduated.
On January 31, 1880, Dr. John M. Julian
was married to Miss Katie A. Powderly, a na
tive of Dublin, Ireland, and on the 7th of the
following October, they located at Moores
MiH, Dutchess county, where he continued
practice until 1892, in which year he came to
Pleasant Valley. Politically, the Doctor has
always been a Republican; socially he is a
member of the F. & A. M. As a physician he
enjoys the honor of being the peer of any in
the county. His life has been characterized
by energy, perseverance and labcr, and to
these principles his success is due. He is prom
inently identified with the Dutchess County
Medical Association, and with the New York
State Medical Association.

S\TORM H. CONKLIN for a number of
) years has been prominently identified with
the business interests of Poughkeepsie. From
1 89 1 to January i, 1894, he was connected
with John Leeming in the undertaking busi
ness, and since has been associated in the
same line with Frank B. Van Dyne.
For one hundred and fifty years the Conk
lin family have been residents of Dutchess
county, living upon a farm at Van Wagners,
in the town of Hyde Park, where the father of
our subject, William Conklin, was born Janu
ary 2, 1800. He was a son of John and
Susan (Storm) Conklin, farming people. The
grandfather was born on August 15, 1762, and
his death occurred February 3, 1803. In
Poughkeepsie was celebrated the marriage of
William Conklin and Maria Mott, and they
became the parents of two sons, John, and
Storm H., of this review. The father was
reared to agricultural pursuits, but later learned
the hatter's business with Tunis Van Kleeck,
of Poughkeepsie, and carried on the manufac
ture of hats at Lyons and Geneva, N. Y. He
died at Bridgeport, Conn., in 1837.
The birth of Storm H. Conklin occurred at
Sharon, Conn., September 17, 1833, but was
only five years of age when brought to Pough
keepsie, where he began his education and at
tended the Lancaster and Cornish schools.

826

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

During his early life he was apprenticed to J.
P. Nelson to learn the cabinetmaker's trade,
and remained with that gentleman about
twenty-eight years. He was also employed in
the same business with Nelson, Seward & Mc
Gregor and Charles F. McGregor. However,
since 1891 he has engaged in his present busi
ness, being an undertaker and funeral director.
For twenty years he has engaged in undertak
ing, so that he thoroughly understands his
business in all its details.
In 1850 Mr. Conklin joined the Phoenix
Hose Company, with which he has since been
prominently connected, serving as its secretary
and representative in the Board of the Associ
ated Fire Department for twenty-six years.
He is to-day the oldest active member on
Phoenix's roll. He has served on about all the
important committees that have had the wel
fare of the company at heart, and Phoenix
takes great pleasure in claiming him as a mem
ber to-day. For twenty-eight years he has
been an active member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows at Poughkeepsie, being
the treasurer of the lodge for thirteen years.
He is a stanch supporter of the men and meas
ures of the Democratic party, and has served
as supervisor from the Fifth ward, and police
commissioner under Mayor Ellsworth. His
success in life is attributable to his own in
domitable energy, and the close and assiduous
attention he has paid to the minute portions
of his affairs.

m LBERT F. BOOTH, a prominent resi-
.^k dent of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
and a well-known dealer in tea, coffee and
spices, is one of the substantial self-made men
of that city. Like many other successful busi
ness men he comes of an ancestry which had
been for several generations devoted to agri
cultural pursuits.
His grandfather, Daniel Booth, a farmer,
was an early settler near Mooresville, Dela
ware Co., N. Y, John H. Booth, our sub
ject's father, was born and reared at the home
stead there, attending the district schools of
the neighborhood. In early manhood he lo
cated on Green Island, between Albany and
Troy, where he was engaged in gardening for
many years. His later years were spent upon
a farm near Albany, where he died in 1880.
He was married in Watervliet, N. Y. , to Miss
Sarah Bigelow, who survives him and is hale

and hearty at the age of seventy-eight. They
were leading members of the First Reformed
Church at Bethlehem. Six chHdren were born
to them: Oscar, Albert F., Edward (deceased),
Andrew (now living at the old homestead),
Emma and Theresa.
Albert F. Booth first saw the Hght Feb
ruary 21, 1 84 1, on Green Island, where he
spent his boyhood, attending the schools of
Bethlehem. At the age of eighteen he went
to New York City and clerked in a store for
two years, returning afterward to his father's
farm. In February, 1861, when he was
twenty years old, he was married to Miss
Sarah Bender, a daughter of Wendel Bender,
a well-known citizen of Bethlehem. He pur
chased a farm for $8,000, for which he went
in debt, and in four years he cleared off the
obligation from the proceeds of the farm and
the increase in value of the land. His health
having become impaired he sold the farm, and
for two years did no business except looking
after his interest in a tea business, toward
which he had advanced some money. In
1865 he took charge of a tea store in Albany
for Mr. Cunningham, of Troy, becoming well-
posted in the details of its management, and
when tbe store was sold a year and a half
later he determined to establish a simHar
enterprise for himself. In 1867 he came to
Poughkeepsie, and through the influence of
Robert Slee, located at No. 270 Main street,
where he opened the first tea, coffee and spice
store in the city. In 1872 he moved to his
present store at No.- 368 Main street, and for
twenty-five years has enjoyed an extensive
patronage. He conducts the business on a
"cash" principle, and bis able management
has brought him well-deserved success.
Mr. and Mrs. Booth have had two chHdren:
(i) Wendell, who married a daughter of J. S.
Vandorn, and is now in tbe advertising com
mission business with his father-in-law; and (2)
Satie, who died October 8, 1885, at the age of
twenty-one years. In politics Mr, Booth is a
stanch Republican, having cast his first vote
for Abraham Lincoln; socially he is a mem
ber of the Masonic fraternity. Triune Lodge,

/*V\EORGE DAKIN, one of the most promi-
\^ nent agriculturists and real-estate holders
of the town of Northeast, Dutchess county,
was born February 13, 18 17, at Mount Riga
(Harlem R. R. Station), town of Northeast.

{,-

J

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

827

The Dakins have been among the leading
families of that vicinity for several generations,
and are related by marriage to a number of
other old families. George Dakin, our sub
ject's grandfather, owned a large farm at the
site of the vHlage of Mt. Riga, west of >the
depot. He had three children: Jacob, our
subject's father, born in 1775; Hannah (Mrs.
John Culver), and Charity (Mrs. Driggs).
Jacob Dakin inherited this farm and set
tled there, and afterward increased his poses-
sions until he was the largest land holder in that
locality. His first purchase was the Haywood
farm, where the family now lives, and later by
buying the Lucas Hotchkiss property, fore
closing on the Simon Dakin farm where the
Maltby iron mine is, and buying the Birch and
the Tankery farms, he acquired in all over
1,800 acres. He was a man of unusual ability
and wide information, an independent thinker
and a strong believer in the doctrines of the
Universalist Church. In politics he was a
Whig, and took an active and influential part
in local affairs. He married Miss Olive Clark,
a descendant of one of the oldest families, and
daughter of Elijah Clark. He died July 9,
1836, followed four years later by his wife.
They had eleven children: Harriet, Orville,
Joshua, Maria, Mary Ann, Myron, De Witt C. ,
Emeline, George, Cornelia and Caroline.
George Dakin has always lived upon his
present farm, having inherited 200 acres from
his father. He has, however, added to this
nucleus until he owns 520 acres, and he is
known as one of the most enterprising and
successful managers. He was married Sep
tember 22, 1847, to Eliza M. Kelsey, daugh
ter of WilHam Kelsey, a well-known resident
of Salisbury, Conn., and a representative of
one of the leading famHies there. Six chHdren
were born of this union, whose names and dates
of birth are as follows: WHliam, July 23,
1848; George, January 18, 1850, deceased,
who married Fannie Bishop; Julia, December
18, 1852, the wife of Alexander Griffin; John
D., May i, 1856; Carrie D., May 21, 1861,
the wife of Oliver Burr; and Jennie, January
18, 1867, the wife of Peter McGill, whose
farm adjoins the homestead on the north.
William Dakin, the eldest son; is now
conducting the entire tract of 520 acres, hav
ing assumed the responsibility on his own ac
count about fifteen years ago. Previous to
that he had spent ten years in clerking in a
store at Mt. Riga, five for his father and five

for W. B. Gray. He has been very success
ful in his management of the farm, which is
next to the largest in the town. He married
Miss Jennie Pulver, daughter of Jacob Pulver,
but has no children. Although he has never
cared for office, he is at times active in the
local work of the Republican party. He and
his" wife attend the Methodist Church, at MHI
erton, and he has taken a generous interest in
many important movements for the good of
the community.

T\HERON H. CALDWELL. At the time
_ of the French Crusade, the great-grand
father of our subject was driven out of France
on account of his religious views, and went to
the north of Ireland, where he was married.
Later he came to America. The grandfather
was among the first settlers of Poughkeepsie,
where he worked as a chair maker for many
years. There the father of our subject, George B.
Caldwell, was born, and in the common
schools he received his education. He learned
the tailor's trade with George Mead, and be
came the first merchant taHor in the city who
kept cloth on hand. His store was located at
No. 289 Main street, where he conducted busi
ness many years, and in i860 moved to the
store now occupied by J. B. Flagler. There
he engaged in the jewelry business with .his
son, Edward O., who had learned the trade
with Van Keuren Brothers. In Poughkeepsie
Mr. CaldweH led to the marriage altar Miss
Eliza M. Coffin, daughter of Robert Coffin,
Esq., and both were called from this earth in
1886. In their family were five chHdren,
namely: Helen, deceased; Edward O.; Fred
erick, deceased; Theron H. ; and Malcolm, de
ceased. The father served as internal reve
nue collector, and took quite an active part in
pplitical affairs, first voting with the Whig
and later with the Republican party, but he
would never accept public office. He was cap
tain of the Davy Crockett Hook & Ladder
Company, belonged to the Masonic Order, and
was a member of the Episcopal Church.
Physically he was well developed, and was
known as the straightest built man in the city.
Thereon H. Caldwell first opened his eyes
to the light of day AprH 24, 1854, at Pough
keepsie, in the same house on Main street
which is StiH his home. Like most boys he
spent his chHdhood in attending school and

828

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

engaging in youthful sports. After pursuing
his studies for a short time in the public
schools, he entered a boarding school at Fish
kill, N. Y. , and later was a student in the
Friends Boarding School at Oswego, N. Y.
On laying aside his text books, he worked
for two years in a carriage shop at Amenia,
and the following year was spent at the
same occupation at Pleasant Valley, Dutch
ess county. He next clerked in a grocery
and feed store at New Haven, Conn,, after
which he returned to Poughkeepsie and learned
the printer's trade with Platt & Platt, for
whom he worked for five years. The follow
ing two years he conducted a printing office
for George D. Eighmie, and then opened one
for himself at No. 363 Main street in 1862.
Two years later, however, he went to Pitts
burg, Penn, , where for the same length of
time he filled different positions on the
Western Division of the Pennsylvania railroad.
In 1866 Mr. Caldwell returned to Pough
keepsie, and again engaged in the printing
business, being first located at No. 5 Academy
street, but later removed to No. 16, where he
increased his plant. He formed a partnership
with A. H. Hasbrouck, now foreman for A. V.
Haight, and the present firm is composed of
our subject and "WHHam G. Hansman. For a
year and a half they have published The Search
Light, and also have a large trade in the job
department, and are now working on a contract
for the Imperial Pattern Company. Their
work is all first-class, giving general satisfac
tion, and they are doing an extensive business.
Mr. Caldwell was married in Poughkeepsie
to Annie M. Bolton, daughter of John Bolton,
and she died in 1886, leaving three children:
Eleanor, Albert and Edna. Mr. CaldweH was
again married at Hyde Park, Dutchess county,
his second union being with Alice Kelley,
daughter of George Kelley. PoHtically, Mr.
Caldwell affiliates with the Republican party,
is a member of the O. H. Booth and Veteran
Fire Companies, and religiously he is an Epis
copalian. Courteous, genial, well informed,
alert and enterprising, he stands to-day one of
the leading representative men of Poughkeep
sie — a man who is a power in his community.

HON. JOSIAH SUTHERLAND wasarep-
 resentative of that rare element in mod
ern life, which, although an invaluable part of
it, yet rests upon a basis of something ideal

and philosophical. In a worldly sense he cer
tainly made his mark, becoming one of the
foremost lawyers and prominent judges of New
York City. Whenever he came in contact
with men of note, not only was he valued as
an equal of practical strength and resources,
but also as one whose integrity was beyond
question. The Judge was born in the vHlage of Ban
gall, Dutchess county, June 12, 1806, and was
the son of Josiah and Abigal (Duncan) Suther
land, who were the parents of six children, all
now deceased: Walter, Sarah, Mary, Han
nah, Josiah and Birch. The father was a na
tive of the town of Stanford, where his father
had located at an early day on coming from
Scotland — ^his native land — to America. In
that town the son carried on farming until his
death. He had served as colonel in the war of
1 812, was a strong Democrat in politics, and a
Baptist in religious belief.
The boyhood days of Judge Sutherland
were passed, at Bangall, and he prepared for
college in New York City under the guidance
of Judge Parker's father. After his graduation
from Union College in 1826, he studied law
for a year in the office of Samuel G. Hunting
ton, at Waterford, Saratoga Co., N. Y. , but
finished his studies in the office of Bushnell &
Stebbins, at Hudson, Columbia Co., N. Y.
Shortly after his admission to the bar in 1829,
he went to South Carolina on account of ill
health, and there remained for a year. Re
turning north, he entered into partnership, at
Johnstown, N. Y., with Robert H. Morris, a
former mayor and recorder of New York City.
In 1 83 1 Mr. Sutherland was appointed dis
trict attorney of Columbia county, which office
he continued to fill for about fifteen years,
and in 1856 he was elected to Congress to
represent the Thirty-second Congressional
District, having run against Judge Coles. In
1838 he had removed to Hudson City, N. Y. ,
where he occupied the office of the late Am
brose L. Jordan, who had removed to New
York City, where in the spring of 1851 Mr.
Sutherland also located, there forming a part
nership with Judge Morrell. He was elected
judge of the supreme court in 1857 to fill a
vacancy caused by the death of Judge Whit
ing, and held that position for six years. On
the resignation of Charles O'Connor from the
office of United States District Attorney, he
was tendered that position by President Bu
chanan, but declined it. In the fall of 1863,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

829

he was re-elected to the supreme court without
opposition, and continued to fill the position
on the bench for the full term of seven years.
By an act of the Legislature, the Judge
was appointed one of the three commissioners
to decide a certain claim against the City of
New York, and though millions of dollars were
involved, so impartial were all his decisions,
that all parties felt satisfied with their correct
ness. In 1872 he was elected city judge of
New York. He retired from the bench on the
1st of January, 1879, carrying with him not
only the respect of the entire legal fraternity,
but an enviable reputation as a jurist. One
of the most extraordinary events was the meet
ing of the New York bench and bar to express
their regret at the retirement of the Hon.
Josiah Sutherland from the bench, which he
had occupied with distinguished rectitude and
simplicity of character for over twenty years
of a busy and honored life. Few men have
lived to experience such a vocation as this
from the most critical and scrutinizing of pro
fessional and judicial contemporaries.
That a man born and bred in country life
could go to New York City when there was on
his arrival, already in existence, strongly in
trenched, a ring of corrupt political tricksters,
surrounded by an outer ring of a corrupt and
powerful system almost irresistible, and win
and occupy one of the highest seats of justice,
was a credit to the better sense and intelligence
of the people. That a judge could in all these
years sit.in calm rectitude and severe and in
flexible justice when almost all else was cor
rupt and partial, is a wonder in our day. The
honor of Judge Sutherland was never assailed.
Enemies may have ridiculed him, and even
friends criticised his ways, but no man ever
hinted at anything dishonorable or unjust in
his character as a man or judge. The consti
tutional limit of seventy years, as the end of
judicial service, cut him off, as it did Spencer
and Chancellor Kent, in the full maturity of in
tellectual capacity, at the threshold of the
beauties of an honorable and venerable old
age, but we can still point to his record with
pride. From the time of his retirement from
the bench untH his death he resided in New
York City. He died May 25, 1887.
At Johnstown, N. Y., was, celebrated the
marriage of Judge Sutherland and Miss Jane,
youngest daughter of Dr. John McClellan.
She was born in the Manor of Livingston,
February 22, 181 1, and died February 22,

1876. To them were born fourteen children,
of whom two are now living — Robert and Mrs.
Sarah A. Eddy.
Tbe birth of Robert Sutherland occurred
at Hudson, Columbia Co., N. Y., March 11,
1838, and there his early school days were
passed. He attended the Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Md., and when the Civil war broke
out he was appointed by President Lincoln to
the position of ist Lieutenant, i8th U. S. I.,
in which he served for three years, when he
was discharged on account of physical disa
bility. In New York City in 1866, he was
united in marriage with Miss Lucy A. Mills, a
native of Irela'nd, and to them were born four
daughters: Jane Douglas, who is now the wife
of Rev. D. S. Hamilton, rector of St. Paul's
Church, at Paterson, N. J. ; Florence, deceased;
Sarah E. and Blanche. For the past twenty
years Mr. Sutherland has lived retired in the
town of Stanford, Dutchess county, where he
is surrounded by a host of warm friends and
acquaintances.

WILLIAM H. TANNER, M. D., a
 worthy representative of the farming
interests of the town of Amenia, Dutchess
county, is a native of same, born September
12, 1836. The family had long been estab
lished there, his great-grandfather, James
Tanner, being one of its earliest residents.
William Tanner, the grandfather, was born
in the town of Dover, January 9, 1786., was
brought up on a farm, and received the edu
cation afforded by the district schools. He
was an agriculturist, and spent the latter part
of his life in the town of Amenia, where he
died in 1856. In religious belief he was a
Baptist. He was married March 13, 1806,
to Mary Uhl, who was born December 29,
1786, and they became the parents of three
chHdren: James U., the father of our sub
ject; Mary Eighmy, who was born May 4,
1 8 14, and wedded Abram White; and Cath
erine E., who was born May 8, 1824, and
married Swift Nase.
James Uhl Tanner, also a native of the
town of Dover, was -born April 22, 1807, there
secured his elementary education, and con
tinued his studies at the Nine Partners Board
ing School, in the town of Washington, Dutch
ess county. He was married December 4,
1 83 1, to Miss Rhoda Ann Hubbell, who was
born May 31, 18 14, and was a daughter of

830

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

Cushman and Tamma Hubbell. Their family
consisted of three children: James H., born
November 25, 1835, died February 10, 1837;
William H., of this sketch; and Annie Maria,
who was born August 5, 1842, and married
S. H. Hedges. About 1840 the father re
moved to the town of Amenia, building the
present residence of our subject, and there en
gaged in farming up to his death, which oc
curred July 28, 1886, He was one of the
most wide-awake and progressive farmers of
the locality, and met with a well-deserved suc
cess in his vocation. In early life he was
identified with the Whig party, and later was
a Republican. His strict integrity and kindly
nature endeared him to all his associates, and
for many years his hospitable home was a
place dear to many, both young and old, by
reason of the kindly welcome extended to
them by him and his faithful helpmeet. He
lived upon the farm, where he died, for over
fifty years.
The early life of Dr. Tanner was spent
after the manner of most farmers' sons, com
paratively uneventful, and after attending the
district schools for a time, he pursued his stud
ies at the Amenia Seminary, at the Loweville
Academy, in Lewis county, N. Y. , at the Sus
quehanna Seminary, in Binghamton, N. Y. ,
and at the Oxford Academy, of Chenango
county, this State. He then entered tbe medi
cal department of the University of New York,
where he graduated in i860. After Fort
Sumter was fired upon, the Doctor laid aside
personal interest, and in 1861 joined the 47th
N. Y. V. 1., as assistant-surgeon. In the fol
lowing year he was promoted surgeon, and
served with the rank of major of cavalry until
hostilities ceased, when he was honorably dis
charged and returned home.
On April 26, 1866, Dr. Tanner was mar
ried to Miss Achsa York, of Chenango county,
N. Y. , and they became the parents of three
children, as follows: (i) James E., of Cole
man Station, Dutchess county, born December
8, 1868, was married June 20, 1889, to Emma
Gridley Lewis, and they have three children:
Lewis W., born May 19, 1890; Margaret, born
October 16, 1892; and Frederick, born Octo
ber 29, 1895. (2) Frederick, born January
24, 1871, died June 14, 1875, (3) Mary
Mabel, born January i, 1874, was married
December 27, 1890, to Louis M. Allerton, and
they have one son, James K. , born November
5, 1892.

After his marriage, Dr. Tanner removed to
Louisiana, where for two years he engaged in
cotton raising, but in 1868 returned to the
home farm, which he has since operated with
good success. He is also engaged in the milk
business, which he finds to be a profitable
source of income. Fraternally he is connected
with Shekomeko Lodge No. 458, F. & A. M.,
at Washington Hollow, Dutchess county. A
man of strong individuality, whose influence
has been directed toward the good, the true
and the beautiful, this honored veteran of the
Civil war well merits representation in this
volume.

WING J. MARTIN and JAMES H.
 MARTIN. The head of the Martin
family which has been prominently identified
with the history of the town of Dover, Dutch
ess county, for many years, was Agrippa Mar
tin, who came from England when a young
man, and became one of the early settlers of
Dover. His son James was a farmer by occu
pation and an adherent of the Quaker faith.
He married Sarah Kelley, daughter of Samuel
Kelley, of Poughkeepsie, a seafaring man, and
had four children: Wing, mentioned below;
John, who never married; Phoebe A. (Mrs.
Joseph Haviland), and Ruth A. (Mrs. Samuel
Hallack). Wing Martin was born in 1798, and on at
taining manhood's estate engaged in farming
and in brick manufacturing. He possessed
decided mechanical ability, and was an excel
lent business man, his enterprises meeting with
success. Some of the oldest houses in the
town of Dover were built of brick from his
kiln. In politics he was a Republican, and in
religion a Quaker. His first wife was Hannah
Whitley, and his second was her sister Eliza
beth, both daughters of Joseph Whitley.
Three children were born of the first marriage:
John J., James H., and Ann E., who died at
the age of eighteen.
John J. Martin was born in 1824, and re
ceived his education in the schools of his na
tive town. Until he was twenty-eight years
old he assisted his father, and he then became
the owner of a part of the farm which has been
in the possession of the family since 1776. He
cared nothing for politics, preferring a quiet
life. He married Miss Lydia Haviland, daugh
ter of Isaac HavHand, and had one son — Wing
J. Martin, who was born at the old home-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

831

stead May 20, 1850, was educated at the acad
emies in that vicinity, and then engaged in
farming. He has been twice married, first in
1 87 1, to Miss Sarah E. Tabor, daughter of a
well-known farmer of Dover, John Tabor, and
his wife, Cordelia Ross. Three chHdren were
born of this union: Anne T, , born in 1871;
Sarah E., born in 1875; and Mary D., who
died in infancy. Mr. Martin's wife died in
1875, and in 1884 he married Miss Catherine
C, Corey, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth
Corey, prominent residents of Port Jervis,
Pennsylvania. Both daughters are at home.
They are accomplished young ladies; Anne T.
was for a time in attendance at a school in
Brooklyn, and one at Stanford, and Sarah E.
was for a time at the same school at the latter
place. Their main education, however, was
received at home under a governess.
After his marriage, in 1871, Mr. Martin
settled on the farm on which he now resides,
which is a fine tract of 108 acres. In 1895 he
erected here a fine house, and has a modern
home. The main part of the old house was
one of the oldest houses built in the locality,
being upward of one hundred and seventy-five
years old. In addition to the farm ori which'
he resides, Mr. Wing Martin is the possessor
of another farm comprising 234 acres located
three miles south of his present home. In ad
dition to general farming, Mr. Martin carries
on a dairy business, keeping fifty cows. In
politics he is a Republican.
Isaac Haviland, the father of Mrs. John J.
Martin, was a prosperous farmer of the town
of Pawling. He married Miss Lydia Weever,
and had nine chHdren: (i) Joseph was married
four times, first to Hannah Martin, by whom
he had one son — James M., deceased; hissec
ond wife was Sarah G. Griffin, and they had
one daughter, Mary, who married the late Noal
Tompkins, and has two children; by the third
wife, Lydia Oakley, and by the fourth, Lydia
Haviland, there were no offspring. (2) Dan
iel married LiHias Akin, and seven children
were born — Lydia, LilHe, LilHas, Joseph, Jon
athan (who married Angeline Hungerford),
Daniel J. , and Abigail (the wife of PhiHp Hav-
Handj, (3) Isaac married Maria Swift, but
had no children. (4) Jacob married Elizabeth
Shove, and had one daughter — Minnie, now
Mrs. Morris. (5) Abraham married Ann Bow
dish, and had one child — Nellie, who married
William Well. (6) Alexander married Judith
Griffin, and had two chHdren — Phcebe, now

Mrs. Elmer Gildersleeve, and Lydia, who died
in youth. (7) Lydia married John J. Martin.
(8) Charlotte married Alfred Moore. (9) Sarah
never married, Charlotte Moore had four
chHdren: Lydia married Daniel Willits, and
has three children — Lottie, Hannah and Amy;
Ruth married Peter A. Skidmore, and has had
four children — Libbie, Susie, Jessie and Alfred,
of whom, the last named is the only one living;
Susan is at home; Alfred H. married Phcebe
Willits, and has had three children — Herman,
Willits and Daniel.
Joseph Whitley, the father-in-law of Wing
Martin, was a native of the town of Dover,
and became a prominent farmer there. He
owned a number of slaves, whom he freed, but
they refused to leave the place, and he volun
tarily paid them wages. He married, and had
five children: Phcebe, who died at an early
age; Hiram, who married Mary Preston; Eliza
beth and Hannah, mentioned above; and Jo
seph J., who married Jane Ross.
James H. Martin, the second son of Wing
Martin, was born in 1833, and was educated in
Amenia Seminary, and at GaylordsvHIe. After
graduation he engaged in farming with his fa
ther, and is now the owner of a fine farm of
124 acres, and 2,000 acres of timber land.
He also owns a house and ten lots in Oakland,
Cal. He married Miss Sarah H. Stevens,
daughter of David W. Stevens, a leading
farmer of the town of Dover, and a deacon in
the Baptist Church. They have two children:
(i) Eugene H., born in 1857, was educated at
Grand Rapids, Mich., and Poughkeepsie, N. Y.,
and is now a prosperous farmer. He married
Miss Jennie Jones, daughter of John C. and
Mary E. (Murton) Jones, of Port Washington,
N. Y. Her father is a successful music teacher.
They have four children: Bessie A., born in
1885; Jennie S., 1887; James B., 1890, and
Franklin E. , 1893. (2) Annie Martin was
born in 1859, and, like her brother, was edu
cated at Grand Rapids and at Poughkeepsie.
She married Theo Buckingham, a merchant of
Dover, and son of Harvey and Eliza (Ross)
Buckingham. They have no children.
Mrs. James H. Martin is a member of the
well-known Stevens family of the town of
Dover. Her grandfather, Thomas Stevens,
kept an inn at South Dover in the early days.
He married Sarah Howard, and had seven
children: Samuel was married three times;
Edward married Amanda Hunt; William mar
ried Hannah Hunt; Phoebe was the wife of a

832

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mr. HoUoway; SaHie died at the age of seven
teen; Thomas did not marry; and David, who
was born in Dover in 1798 and became a
farmer there, married (first) Miss Nancy Ged
dings, and (second) Mrs. Lydia A. Camp. His
first wife was a daughter of Hon. Gamaliel
Geddings, a prominent farmer of Dover, and
his wife, Eunice Barns. There were seven
children by the first marriage: Orin, who
married Ann Wheeler; Eliza, Mrs. Alice Ged
dings; Baldwin, who married Julia Dutcher;
Hiram (i), who died in childhood;- Mary, Mrs. "
Emery Cole; Sarah H., Mrs. Martin; and
Hiram (2), who married Ann E. Camp.

JrTrRIAH TEATOR, who in his liferime was
%jj one of the most prominent agriculturists
of the town of Milan, Dutchess county, resid
ing near Cokertown, was a native of that town,
born March 26, 1825.
The first of the name in this country came
from Holland, and passed some years in Dutch
ess county, settling later in Columbia county,
where Pbilip Teator, our subject's grandfather,
was probably born. He spent the most of his
life there, following farming, but died in
Dutchess county. He married Miss Friese,
and reared a family of six children, of whom
our subject's father was the eldest; Frederick
J. and Robert were farmers in Wayne county,
N. Y. ; Catherine married Zachariah Pulver, a
farmer in Columbia county; Maria married
PhHip Coon, a shoemaker in MHan. Of this
family the only survivors are the two younger
daughters, Jacob P. Teator, our subject's father, was
born in the town of Gallatin, Columbia coun
ty, and grew to manhood at the old farm
there, learning the shoemaker's trade. For
many years he was a farmer in Dutchess coun
ty, and died upon a farm in the town of Red
Hook, where he had been one of the leading
men in local affairs, commissioner of highways,
and an active supporter of the Democratic
party. His wife was Catherine Plass, a de
scendant, of an old Holland family, and daugh
ter of Philip Plass, a well-known farmer of the
town of Red Hook. Their first home was on
a farm in the town of Milan, where they reared
a family of seven children, our subject being
the eldest; Margaret A, is the widow of Philip
R. Boice, formerly a farmer; John N. is a car
penter in the town of Red Hook; Mary is the
widow of Nicholas Holsapple, a farmer in the

town of MHan; Robert is a farmer in Red
Hook; Catherine is unmarried; and Freeman
is a farmer in the town of Red Hook.
Mr. Teator enjoyed the usual advantages of
a country boy, and attended the district
schools of Milan and Red Hook. In 1853 he
married Miss Emeline Boice, a descendant of
ahother Holland family, and daughter of Sim
eon Boice, a leading farmer of Red Hook.
For two years after their marriage the young
couple lived upon a farm in the same locality,
but for forty years thereafter they resided upon
the present farm of 312 acres, which is de
voted to general farming, • and is one of the
finest estates in the vicinity. Eight children
were born to them: Oliver is a farmer in the
town of Red Hook; Douglas A. and Frederick
J, are farmers inthe town of Milan; Warren is
employed in a factory in Columbia county;
John S. is at home; Mary A. married Sylvanus
Coon; Kate is the wife of Stewart Teator; and
Esther married Sylvester Palmeteer. The
Teator family have been connected with the
Lutheran Church for generations, and the
present representatives are among its most
, active supporters in this locality.
Politically Mr. Teator was a Democrat and
an influential one. He served as justice of the
peace for twelve years; in 1878 was elected
township supervisor, and a vacancy occurring
in 1885, he was appointed to the same office,
for which his well-proved abHity so well fitted
him that he was re-elected for each succeeding
term afterward. He died June 27, 1896, and
was buried in the Lutheran cemetery at Red
Hook.

LESLIE A. SUTTON, M. D,, a leading
 ' young physician and surgeon of the town
of East FishkHl, Dutchess county, was born
June 10, 1866, upon the farm at Louisville,
St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. , where his grandfa
ther, Benjamin Sutton, had located when a
young man, the locality at that time being an
unbroken wilderness. The latter was a native
of England, and on landing in this country at
once went to St. Lawrence county, where the
remainder of his life was passed in clearing,
developing and improving his farm, which was
covered with a dense forest.
By his marriage with Miss Sarah Brunt,
Benjamin Sutton had a family of seven chH
dren, as follows: (i) Henry is a fruit farmer
of Minneapolis, Kans. (2) George L. received

^ .^.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

833

his education at Castleton, Vt. , after which he
entered the College of Physicians and Surgeon,
New York City, where he graduated in i860,
and was then a surgeon in the army for four
years; on leaving the service he came to the
town of East Fishkill, Dutchess county, where
he engaged in the practice of medicine up to
his death, in the spring of 1889. (3) Benjamin
was a farmer and drover in Louisville, St.
Lawrence county. (4) William was a promi
nent lawyer of Kansas City, Mo., where his
death occurred; he faithfully served through
out the CivH war, and filled many official posi
tions, including that of circuit judge. (5)
Franklin J. (the father of our subject) was
next in order of birth. (6) Sarah married Dan
iel Smith, a carpenter and ship-builder. (7)
Webster laid down his life on the altar of his
country during the war of the Rebellion.
Upon the old homestead Franklin J. Sutton
was born, and was engaged in its operation
untH thirty-eight years of age, when he turned
his attention to the cream and milk business,
having five creameries, and doing an extensive
business, which proved very profitable. In
politics he was an ardent Republican. He
married Miss Clarissa Shoen, also a native of
LouisviHe, St. Lawrence county, and the
daughter of Sheppard Shoen, who was born in
Scotland, and was there married. To this
union were born eight children, as follows:
Franklin J., a farmer in St. Lawrence county;
Guy H., who is engaged in mining in Colorado;
Sarah P., who became the wife of Rolf Wells,
a fruit grower of California, and died in Feb
ruary, 1884; LHlian E., the wife of Herbert
Bell, a carpenter and builder of Louisville, N.
Y. ; Leslie A., our subject; George L., a farm
er in Louisville, N. Y. ; Elizabeth, wife of
Nelson Tucker, a carpenter and buHder; and
Jennie, widow of Anson Wager, who was a,
merchant of Louisville. The mother of this
family is still living. The father passed from
earth in 1884.
Dr. Sutton spent his boyhood upon the
home farm, attending the district schools until
fifteen years of age, at which time he entered
the Massena Academy, where he graduated
with the class of 1883. The following two
years were passed at the Ogdensburg Free
Academy, and in AprH, 1886, he began the
study of medicine with his uncle. Dr. George
L. Sutton, in the town of East FishkiH, Dutch
ess county. In the fall of that year be became
a student in the College of Physicians and
54

Surgeons, New York City, but after a year he
entered the medical department of the Uni
versity of the City of New York, graduating
March 4, 1889. After receiving his degree he
came to East Fishkill town, where he has since
been successfully engaged in practice.
On March 26, 1890, Dr. Sutton was mar
ried to Miss Lillian E. Emans, a sister of Storm
Emans, and they have one child, Leslie Emans,
who was born May i , 1 893. The Doctor stands
in the front rank of the medical fraternity of
Dutchess county, is one of the examining sur
geons of the United States Pension Office, and
for six years has been health officer of East
Fishkill town. In social as well as in profes
sional circles he stands high, and he has many
friends throughout the community. Like his
father, his ballot is cast in support of the prin
ciples of the Republican party.

H^ LVA SHELLEY, a weaHhy and public-
J^k spirited citizen, whose beautiful estate
near Rock City, Dutchess county, is one of the
finest in that vicinity, was born in the town of
Milan, Dutchess county, March 27, 1852.
His family originated in Holland, his great-
great-grandfather having come from that coun
try in Colonial times. His great-grandfather,
Samuel Shelley, was born in America and was
an early settler in Westchester county, where
bis descendants have since held a prominent
place. His son, Joseph Shelley, our subject's
grandfather, although a Quaker in faith, served
as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Most
of his life was spent in Westchester county,
where he followed the shoemaker's trade, but
he died in Columbia county. He married Miss
Cole, by whom he had five children: Sarah,
who married a farmer in Columbia county;
Louisa, the wife of a carpenter in tbe same
county; Benjamin, our subject's father; Henry,
who was a soldier in the Civil war, and is now
a farmer in Kansas; and John W., who lost
his life in defense of the Union.
Benjamin Shelley was born at the old
homestead in Westchester county in 1834, but
in early manhood came to Dutchess county
and married Miss Phoebe Ireland, daughter of
Isaac Ireland, a well-known farmer of the town
of CHnton. Her ancestors were also from
Holland originally. After their marriage they
settled upon a farm in the town of Milan,
where they passed the remainder of their lives
exemplifying in their daily conduct the simple

834

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

faith of the Quakers, but not uniting with any
Church. Mr. Shelley was a firm supporter of
the principles of the Republican party, but
was not interested in partisan work. He died
March lo, 1893, his wife passing away in 1855.
Theyhad three sons: Isaac, George and Alva,
all of whom settled upon farms in the town of
Milan, and two daughters — Phoebe and Arme-
na, who died in childhood.
The subject of this sketch was educated in
the district schools near his father's home, and
has always been identified with the interests of
his native town. He lives upon a farm of 270
acres situated some three miles from Rock
City, and has built there the finest dwelling
house to be found in Milan township. His
holdings in real estate are extensive in Dutch
ess county and elsewhere; in fact, he does not
know exactly how much be does own, but esti
mates it roughly at "about 1500 acres." His
fortune is largely invested in mortgages and
similar securities, and he ranks as the wealthi
est man in the town. He is one of the proini-
nent Republicans of his locality, and is a gen
erous contributor to every measure for local
improvement and to religious and philanthropic
movements, giving freely to all of the Churches
of the neighborhood.
On March 13, 1887, Mr. SheHey married
Miss Eliza Carroll, a native of Dutchess coun
ty, born March 30, 1870, and a daughter of
Michael and Adelia Carroll, the former of
whom is now deceased, the latter making her
home with Mr. and Mrs. Shelley. Three chil
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Shelley:
Alva, Phcebe A. and Ruth.
The grandfather of Mrs. Shelley is a large
landowner in the town of Amenia, Dutchess
county. The Carroll family is of Irish ex
traction.

JAMES O. PINGRY, M. D., a well-known
and prominent physician of Millbrook,
Dutchess county, was born in the village of
FishkHl, July 21, 1843. The family is of En
glish descent, and the Doctor traces his ancestry
back for seven generations, as follows: John
F., his father, born in Newburyport, Mass.,
September 26, 18 18. John, his father, was
probably born in the same place. Then came
Francis, Job, Aaron and Moses; the Doctor
makes the seventh.
The grandfather of our subject, John Pin
gry, was a shoemaker by trade, and came from

Massachusetts to Fishkill, where he died. He
was a consistent member of the Presbyterian
Church. He married Miss Little, and had a
family of four children: John F. ; Julia M.,
who died unmarried; Mary E., the wife of
Richard Coffin; and Margaret A., who married
the Rev. Charles M. Oakley.
John F. Pingry grew to manhood in New
buryport, Mass., and was a graduate of Dart
mouth CoHege, and also of the Union Theo
logical Seminary of New York. He married
Caroline, daughter of James Oakley, and a
native of New York City. Her family was of
English descent. After marriage the young
couple settled at Fishkill village, where Mr.
Pingry preached for four years. In 1846 he
established a school in that place which he
superintended until 1853, when he removed to
Newark, N. J., where he was pastor of a
church for seven years, and also carried on a
school. He then removed to Elizabeth, N, J.,
where he taught until his death, February 16,
1894. His wife passed away October 4, 1856.
Their children were five in number: James
O., the subject of this sketch; John, who
resides with his brother James; Frank K. is a
civil engineer, and lives in Elizabeth, N. J. ;
Julia married Charles M. Schott, Jr, ; and
Mary E.
John F. Pingry was a prominent factor in
the history of Dutchess county. He had as
many as one hundred students under his in
struction at one time, and these included many
who became influential citizens of the county.
He was a man of fine tastes, high principles,
and consistent life, and was greatly respected
and esteemed in the different communities in
which he lived. He was a Presbyterian in his
religious faith, and politically affiliated with the
Republicans. James O. Pingry was ten years old when
his parents removed from Fishkill to Newark,
and eighteen when they went to Elizabeth.
He was graduated from the University of New
York in the Class of '62, and then entered the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, receiving
his diploma from that institution in 1868. He
practiced in Bellevue Hospital in New York
City, until November i, 1870, at which date
he took up his residence in Millbrook, Dutch
ess county, where he has since made his home.
Dr. Pingry was married June 28, 1876, at
MHIbrook, to Ida L., daughter of R. G. Coffin,
whose biography appears elsewhere in this
volume, and ten children have been born to

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

B35

them, eight of whom ase living, namely: Julia,
hizzie, Caroline, John, Clarence, Van Wage
nen, James O, , Jr., and Robert. The Doctor
is a Republican, and has been a member of the
school board for about four years. Socially
he is a member of the Dutchess County Medi
cal Society, and of the Society ofthe Alumni of
Bellevue Hospital; he also belongs to the Mill
brook Club of MHIbrook, and takes an active
interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare
of the community. He is progressive and lib
eral in his views, and his opinions have weight
with his fellow citizens. As a physician he
ranks among the best, and his large practice
testifies to the confidence felt in his knowledge
and skill. He owns a handsome residence
where he and his estimable wife dispense a
most genial hospitality to their large circle of
friends.

J 'OHN S. WING. This gentleman is ac
credited with the ownership of one of the
best farms in the -town of Washington,
Dutchess county, comprising 165 acres of rich
and arable land, and be is numbered among
the most progressive and industrious agri
culturists of the locality. His farm buHdings
and machinery are in keeping with the neat
and thrifty appearance of his place. He was
born in Washington town, June 9, 1857,
and is a son of Thurston Wing, a native of the
town of Dover, Dutchess county. His pa
ternal grandfather, Jason Wing, a native of
HoHand, after his marriage located in the
town of Dover, where he reared his family.
On reaching manhood the father of our
subject was united in marriage with Ann
Tripp, a native of Washington town, where
her father was engaged in agricultural pur
suits. , On a farm in the same town the young
couple began their domestic life, and there
were born to them six children, namely:
Charles, deceased, was a farmer of the town
of Washington, where he wedded Mary
Maroney; Thurston J. married Hattie Cutter,
and operates a farm in Dover town; Elias
makes his home in Washington town; Mary
T, is the wife of Joseph Talmadge, a farmer
ofthe town of Lagrange; John S. is next in
order of birth; and George died in infancy.
In politics the father of these was a stanch
Democrat, and was called from this life in 1875,
whHe his wife, who preceded him to the other
world, died in 1869.

The boyhood of our subject was spent
upon the old home farm, assisting in its culti
vation and improvement during tbe summer
months, while in the winter season he at
tended the common schools of the locality.
The lady who now shares his name and fortune
was in her maidenhood Miss Maggie Learey, a
native of the Emerald Isle, and a daughter of
John Learey, a farmer of that country. After
their marriage Mr. Wing and his bride lived
for two years and eight months at Verbank,
Dutchess county, and in 1890 removed to his
present farm. Three children have been born
to them: George W., Lucy H, and Anna.
Besides general farming, Mr. Wing is also
engaged in the milk business, and sells that
product quite extensivelj' to the Wassaic
Condensary. He is an earnest supporter of
Democratic principles; is public spirited and
progressive, and contributes his share to im
provements of various kinds in the community.

JAMES V. BENSON. The splendid farm
owned by this gentleman in the town of
Dover, Dutchess county, is a standing
monument to his industry, perseverance and
good management. It is pleasantly situated
on one of the picturesque hills near the village
of Dover Plains, and invariably attracts the
eyes as being under the supervision of a
thorough and skillful agriculturist, and a man
of otherwise good business qualifications.
His grandfather, Samuel Benson, was a
native of the town of Dover, Dutchess coun
ty, where he received a good common-school
education, and always followed the occupation
of farming there. He was there married, and
became the father of six children: PhHa, who
wedded Preserved Cooper; Jemima; Paltire;
Joshua, who married Amanda Hopkins; Sam
uel and John.
Samuel Benson, Jr., the father of our sub
ject, was also born in the town of Dover, and
like his ancestors had a common-school educa
tion and followed farming throughout his life.
He wedded Miss Sallie Knapp, of Danbury,
Conn., and in their family were the following
chHdren: Joseph married Helen Hall; Samuel
married Ruth Wheeler; John married Marga
ret Irish; James V. ; Joshua married Susan
Tappin; Darius married Polly J. Dutcher;
Charles died at the age of eighteen years;
Ebenezer married Emily Deuel; SaHie J,
married Elias Irish; Ada married John D.

836

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Dutcher; and Harriet married Van Ness
Dutcher. The birth of Mr. Benson, whose name in
troduces this record, occurred in the town of
Dover, Dutchess county, April 20, 1823, and
in the village of Dover Plains he received a
good common-school education. After his
graduation he took up the pursuit of farming,
to which he had been reared, and has since
given most of his time and attention to that
occupation. He is a man of more than ordi
nary business ability, and is at present one of
the stockholders and directors of the Dover
Plains National Bank. He has always taken
a deep interest in political affairs, favoring the
Democratic party with his support, but has
never aspired to public office, perferring the
quiet life which he has always led, though he
has often been urged to accept official posi
tions. He is an earnest Christian gentleman,
having the respect and confidence of all who
know him.
Mr. Benson has been twice married, his
first union being with Miss Mariette Hufcut,
daughter of John and Mary Hufcut, who were
prosperous farmers of Denmark, Lewis Co.,
N. Y. They became the parents of seven
children: Clark H., whomarried Nina Oxiey;
George V., who wedded Carrie Fry; Martha
A., who died at the age of sixteen years; Mary,
who became the wife of James Bird; Carrie
and Sarah, who died in infancy; and Hattie.
In 1872, the mother of these children died,
and two years later Mr. Benson married a sis
ter of his former wife. Miss Caroline Hufcut,
by whom he has one son, Horatio S., whowas
born December 24, 1874, and since complet
ing his education in Dover Plains, has en
gaged in teaching school in one of the district
schools of the town of Dover, Dutchess county.
The family to which Mrs. Benson belongs
have also been prominent agriculturists of
Dutchess county. Her grandfather, George
Hufcut, was a native of Dover town, and re
ceived his education in the school of Dover
Plains, where he also studied law. He prac
ticed to some extent in connection with farm
ing, but gave most of his time to the latter pur
suit. He married Miss Hannah Benson, of
Dover Plains, and to them were born the fol
lowing children: Martha married William
Howard; John B. was the second in order of
birth; George B. married Sallie Dennis; Obed
was also married; Shedrish married Susan
Tappency; Henry- first married a Miss Dixon,

and, after her death, Eliza Wheeler; WiHiam
married Pattie Preston; Perry married Sarah
Schammerhorn; Jane married Aaron Benson;
Caroline first married Myron Knickerbocker,
and, for her second husband, Samuel Edward;
and Betsy married Andrew Pitcher.
John B, Hufcut, the father of Mrs. Ben
son, was a native of the town of Dover, Dutch
ess county, where he attended school, and like
his father, followed the occupation of farm
ing. In early life he married Miss Mary Simp
son, daughter of Ambrose and Elizabeth
Simpson, prosperous farmers of Dover Plains,
and to them were born seven children: Am
brose, who married Lurinna Wilson; Henry,
who married Elizabeth Butterworth; George,
who wedded Melvina Barnum; Delia, who be
came the wife of Samuel Worm; Martha, who
remained single; Mariette, the first wife of our
subject; and Caroline, the present Mrs. Ben
son.

S\AMUEL P. TEN BROECK, a prominent
) agriculturist of the town of Wappinger,
Dutchess county, and a descendant of one of
the oldest and most distinguished families of
that locality, was born March 20, 1839, in the
town of Livingston, Columbia county, N. Y.
His father, the late Samuel Ten Broeck, was
also a native of Columbia county, and passed
his early years there, removing to the town of
Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, when the sub
ject of this sketch was only six years old.
Mr. Ten Broeck has spent most of his
years in Dutchess county. On October 25,
1876, he was united in marriage with Miss
Adeline Montfort, and settled upon the farm
near New Hackensack where she was born.
Her family has been prominent in this region
for several generations, her ancestors, being
among the earliest settlers. Her grandfather
was a leading farmer in the town of Fishkill,
and her father, the late John Montfort, fol
lowed the same pursuit. He married Miss
Martha Emmons, a member of another well-
known family and daughter of Cornelius Em
mons, a prosperous agriculturist of the same
locality. They established their home at the
farm now occupied by Mr. and Mrs, Ten
Broeck, and reared a family of four children:
Catherine, deceased; Adeline, Mrs. TenBroeck;
Gertrude, now residing in Chicago; and John
Jacob, deceased. Mr. Montfort was never
active in political life, but he was a supporter

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

837

of the principles of the Democratic party, and
was influential in local movements of various
kinds. Our subject has resided at this farm since
1877, and is considered one of the successful
farmers of the vicinity. He has no specialty,
his 114 acres being devoted to general crops.
Mrs. Ten Broeck is an Episcopalian, but they
attend the Reformed Church. Their four
children — Catherine, Samuel M., Charles and
Walter L. — are all at home. In politics, Mr.
Ten Broeck, like his ancestors before him, ad
heres to the Democratic faith.

C\OLLINS SHELDON, a leading lawyer of
' Millerton, and an ex-surrogate of Dutchess
county, was born July 26, 1839, in Copake,
Columbia Co., N. Y, The Sheldon family is
of English origin, but on the maternal side the
ancestry is Irish. Agrippa Sheldon, our sub
ject's great-grandfather, was born in South
Dover, Dutchess county, and was a blacksmith
there for many years.
Gideon Sheldon, our subject's grandfather,
was born at South Dover, and lived there un
til he was about twenty-five years old, when
he moved to Copake, and purchased a farm of
200 acres on which he spent the remainder of
his life. He was a man of note in that local
ity, a ^V'hig in politics, and for a number of
years was a justice of the peace. He died in
1835, his wife, Lydia Lake, surviving him un
til 1850. They had nine children: Henry;
Isaiah; Eliza, wife of Thomas Trafford; Daniel;
Emma, wife of Jacob Vosburgh; James; and
three who died in chHdhood.
Henry Sheldon, the father of our subject,
was born at the old homestead in South Dover,
July 23, 1812, but his life was passed mainly at
Copake. He inherited his father's farm, and
was largely engaged in cattle raising, being
noted for his excellent judgment in this line.
He Was a man of fine natural ability, possess
ing an unusually good memory, and his strong
and positive nature made him a leader in the
community. In early life he was a Whig, and
later a Republican, but he never sought political
position for himself. He was greatly interested
in educational work and in the temperance
movement, taking advanced ground in both,
and he was an active and generous supporter of
the Methodist Church. He married Selina
Cook, daughter of Lot Cook, a well-known
citizen of Amenia. His death occurred in De

cember, 1865, his wife surviving him until
1892. Of their nine children all were care
fully educated to fill honorable positions in life.
They are: Eveline, living at Brooklyn; Col
lins; Wilson, a farmer at Hillsdale, N. Y. ;
Allen, a farmer and speculator at the same
place; Miranda, who married Chester Dayton,
of Northampton, Mass.; Otis, a farmer of
Copake; Franklin, living at Glens Falls, N, Y. ;
Frances, living at Northampton; and George,
a resident of New Briton, Connecticut.
Collins Sheldon attended the public schools
of Copake for some years, and in i860 was a
student at the Hudson River Institute at
Claverack. He then took the regular course
in the Albany Law School, graduating May
23-, 1862, and after some months of preparatory
work in the office of Maynard, Wright &
Moore, he went to Millerton and opened an
office of his own, February 23, 1863. Since
that time he has been successfully engaged in
practice, making no specialty of any particular
branch, although his business consists mainly
of the settlement of estates, in which he has
gained a high reputation. In 1864 he was
elected clerk of the town of Northeast, and in
the faH of 1877 was chosen surrogate of
Dutchess county, taking office January i, 1878,
and serving for six years with entire satisfac
tion to the public. He was offered a. re
nomination, but declined it. He has taken a
leading part in various local movements, es
pecially those which relate to educational
affairs, and was a town trustee at the time of
the building of the Union Free School house,
and was a trustee of Millerton Academy.
Possessing keen perceptions and strong con
victions, he is a forcible and pungent speaker,
and a most positive man.
In June, 1867, Mr. Sheldon was married
to Miss Maria Pulver, daughter of Henry Pul
ver, a prominent resident of Stanford, and has
two children — Harriet, who is at home, and is
a graduate of Mrs. Gynn's Seminary in Pough
keepsie, and Wallace A,, a graduate of the
Albany Law School, who is now in practice
with his father, under the firm name of C. &
W. A. Sheldon.

E\DWARD JEFFERSON HALL, M. D.,
 '/ of Moores Mill, Dutchess county, a rising
young physician whose abilities are already
winning recognition, is a descendant of an old
English family, being of the seventh genera-

B38

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

tion in the direct line from Col. Harry Hall,
who came from England about 1690, and set
tled in Connecticut. By his activity during
Queen Anne's War he gained the name of
"Harry, the Indian Killer," and is so men
tioned in history. His son, Ichabod Hall,
settled in Enfield, Conn., and was married
May 31, 1730, to Lois Kibbie, of that place.
Their son, Ebenezer Hall, moved to Massa
chusetts, and died there in 18 17. His son,
Gen. Isaac Hall, married Vashti Johnson, of
New Marlboro, Mass., and moved to Pompey,
N. Y., in 1797. Their son, Johnson Hall, was
born at Sheffield, Mass., January 6, 1794, and
became a hardware merchant at Syracuse,
N. Y., where he died October 27, 1870. He
was known as Judge Hall. He was married
in 1 8 16 to Polly Andrews, and their son, John
son LaFayette Hall, our subject's father, was
born at La Fayette, N. Y., September 16,
1825. He obtained a district-school educa
tion, and then went into the hardware business
with his father, but later engaged in forwarding
freight on the canal, owning a fleet of boats
at Oswego. He is now an expert accountant
at Syracuse. On August 22, 1848, he was
married in that city to Marcelia Wood, daugh
ter of Noah and Pauline (Holmes) Wood.
Her father was a well-known business man at
Buffalo and Chicago. Mrs. Hall died Decem
ber 6, 1890, leaving three children, viz.: (i)
Florence Elizabeth, born June 4, 1849, mar
ried Henry Cory, of New York City, and has
one daughter — Florence Pauline. (2) Irene
Virginia, born AprH 17, 1853, married John
Clark Howe, of St. Louis, and has one child —
Guy La Fayette.
E. J. Hall, the third and youngest member
of this family, wasborn at Oswego, N.Y. , March
6, 1 85 5, and after attending the public schools
of that city for some years he studied at St.
John's MiHtary School in Manlius, N. Y. He
then entered the business world, spending five
years with the St. Paul's Harvester Works at
St. Paul, Minn., six years in a drug store at
Syracuse, and twelve years ina hardware store
at St. Louis, Mo. During this time the desire
to follow his present profession became too
strong to be overcome by his unpromising cir
cumstances, and he began his preparation by
private study. Three years of reading fitted
him to undertake practical work in anatomy
with profit, and he spent two years in dissect
ing at night at St. Louis Medical College. To
this preliminary work he added three full

years of study at the Homeopathic College of
Missouri, graduating in the spring of 1894.
April 17, 1895, he passed the Regent's exami
nation in this State, and December 16, 1895, he
located at Moores Mill, purchasing the prac
tice of Dr. Warren C. McFarland. He is the
fourth physician to occupy his present residence
in Moores MiH.
Dr. Hall was married at St. Louis to Miss
Ellen Frances Cooper, daughter of the late
WHliam Fenimore Cooper, who was formerly
a well-known hosier at Watertown, N. Y. , and
a member of the Masonic fraternity. He en
listed in the looth N. Y. V. 1., and lost his
life in the Union cause.

J HYATT LYKE, D. D. S., a leading den
tist of the town of Millerton, Dutchess
county, was born September 9, 1864, in
Copake, Columbia Co., N. Y. He is a son of
John Lyke, now a prominent resident of Pough
keepsie, who retired from business some years
ago, and his academic education was obtained
there, with the exception of two years at Wil
bur, Mass. During the last year of his course
in the Poughkeepsie high school he left, only
a month or two before the graduation day, to
begin the study of dentistry in the office of Dr.
Mills, and, after seven months of preparation,
be entered the New York Collegeof Dentistry.
After one year there he went to the Philadel
phia Dental College, where he also remained
a year and was graduated, the youngest mem
ber of the class.
Immediately after his graduation he began
the practice of his profession at Pine Plains,
succeeding Dr. Seaman. He remained there
several years, and enjoyed a lucrative practice;
but seeing an opportunity for more rapid ad
vancement and a larger business, he moved to
Millerton, in May, 1891, taking the practice
of Dr. C. I. Bailey. He has been more than
ordinarily successful, his practice including
many of the best people of Millerton and vicin
ity, and extending for some distance up and
down the Harlem railroad. He was married
in 1889 to Miss Georgia Rowe, daughter of
Clinton Rowe, a well-known resident of Pine
Plains, and has had two chHdren — CHnton and
Stewart. While he is an earnest advocate of local im
provement, and a stanch beHever in the princi
ples of the Republican party, the Doctor has
never taken an active part in public affairs.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

839

He is much interested in the breeding of the
English greyhound, and owns two famous speci
mens — "Southern Rhymes" and " Bestwood
Daisy. " The former has won ten first prizes
in England and seven in this country — three
in the challenge class and four in the open
class. He has defeated the " Gemot the Sea
son," owned in Toronto, Canada, the winner
of 175 first prizes, and without doubt is the
best of his breed to-day in America. " Best-
wood Daisy" is the winner of fifty-one first
premiums in this country and is the best of
three well-known dogs, "Southern Beauty"
and "Spinaway" being the other members of
the trio.

HENRY M. SWIFT, a highly esteemed
 residentof the town of Unionvale, Dutch
ess county, residing near Verbank, is a man
of liberal education who, preferring a country
Hfe to the more exciting scenes of a profes
sional career, has devoted his time to agricult
ural pursuits.
He is a descendant of William Swift, a na
tive of the County of Essex, England, who
came to Boston during the immigration of 1 630-
163 1. On his arrival in Massachusetts, he lo
cated at Watertown, but he sold his posses
sions there in 1637, and removed to Sandwich,
Mass., on the Cape, purchasing the largest
farm in that vicinity, which is still in the pos
session of his lineal descendants. He had three
children: William (2), Hannah and Esther.
William Swift (2) was born in England, and
came to this country with his father. He
married, and became the father of eleven chil
dren: Hannah, William, Jireh, Josiah, Tem
perance, Esther, Dinah, Ephraim, Samuel,
Ruth and Mary. Ephraim was born at tbe
old homestead in Sandwich, Mass., June 6,
1656, and became a carpenter and cooper by
occupation. He died in January, 1742. Their
seven children were: Elizabeth, Joham, Sam
uel, Ephraim, Sarah, Hannah and Moses.
Samuel Swift was born at Sandwich April 9,
1686, and died in December, 1757. By trade
he was a carpenter and blacksmith. He was
married December 24, 17 12, at Falmouth,
Mass., to Miss Ruth Hatch and they reared a
family of nine children: Ephraim, Manassa,
Judah, Reuben, Moses, Mary, Joanna, Joan
and Lydia. Judah Swift, the great-grand
father of our subject, was born September 3,
1 716, at the old home on Cape Cod, and in

1769 came to Dutchess county, vvith his wife,
Elizabeth Morton, of Falmouth, Mass., to
whom he was wedded December 14, 1738.
They were accompanied by their children, and
made the journey with an ox-team. Mr.
Swift settled in the town of Amenia, purchas
ing first the property now known as the Bar
low farm, but later he exchanged it for a larg
er tract, now owned by N, W. Smith. Al the
time of his death, January 17, 1807, he was
one of the most extensive land holders of
Dutchess county, owning 1800 acres. In poli
tics he was a Tory. His wife died in 1802 at
the age of eighty-two. They had eight chil
dren: Lois, Samuel, Nathaniel, Moses, Re
becca, Seth, Elizabeth and Moses (2).
Samuel Swift went west, and bought the
land where the city of Auburn, N. Y., now
stands. Elizabeth married (first) Sam Jarvis,
and (second) a Mr. Hawkins. Seth Swift, our
subject's grandfather, was born at Falmouth,
Mass., March 16, 1757, and on arriving at
manhood's estate he engaged in farming upon
a portion of his father's property. In 1782 he
married Mary Wells, by whom he had six
children: Henry, who married Rebecca War
ner; Moses, who married Hannah Payne; E.
Morton, our subject's father; Thomas, who
married Emma Gront; Ann, the wife of William
T. Hobson; and Maria, Mrs. Allen Cline.
E. Morton Swift, tbe father of our subject,
was born in the town of Amenia, in 1790, and
after acquiring a common-school education in
the local schools studied law, engaging in the
practice of the profession at Poughkeepsie and
Dover Plains. He married Miss Belinda Bar
low, daughter of Thomas Barlow, a well-known
farmer of Amenia. Our subject was the eldest
of seven children, the names of the others with
datesof birth being as follows: Ann, December
18, 1814; Rebecca, February 28, 1818; Maria,
July 4, 1820; Harriet, November 13, 1822;
Amie, December 13, 1825; and Mary, August
25, 1829. The father passed to his eternal
rest May 10, 1859, at the age of sixty-nine.
Capt. Swift first saw the light July 17,
1 8 10, at the old, farm in Amenia. His literary
education was completed by a course at Union
CoHege, Schenectady, N. Y. , and he then
studied law, but he never practiced his pro
fession. He is one of the prosperous agri
culturists of his locality, and is prominent in
local affairs. Although he has not aspired to
office for himself, he has always been influen
tial in political movements in his section, as is

840

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

well shown by the history of the nomination of
Killian Miller for Congress. During the Civil
war our subject was appointed on the staff of
General Clark, the-Commissary General of the
Army of the Potomac, with the rank of Cav
alry Captain, and he still, has in his possession
the original commission signed by Edwin M.
Stanton and President Abraham Lincoln.
Capt. Swift enlisted April 14, 1862, and
served until 1864. He reported for his first
duty at the White House. He participated in
many engagements, and his reminiscences of
the war are very interesting. At the time of
the battle of Fair Oaks he was at the White
House, where he met Gen. Clark, and was
ordered to the scene of battle, and after
remaining there one week he joined the forces
on the Potomac.
In 1834 Capt. Swift was married to Miss
Sarah Coffin, daughter of Robert and Magda
line (Bently) Coffin, and they have had six
children: (i) Belinda, born January 22, 1836,
died in infancy. (2) Robert, born June 16,
1837, was educated in the common schools of
Amenia township, and is now a trusted employe
of the Harlem R. R. He married Miss Mag
gie Elliot, and has two children: Samuel E.
and Sarah, (4) Morton, born April 14, 1840,
received a common-school education, and is
now engaged in the postal service. He mar
ried Miss Francesca Cooke, and has three
chHdren: Lucy, BeHnda and Harriet. (4)
Henry and (5) Jane have never married.

HARVEY J. FRENCH, a prominent and
 successful merchant tailor of Poughkeep
sie, Dutchess coimty, is a native of New York
State, born in the city of Albany, August
12, 1862.
The family of which our subject is a mem
ber is of English origin, and his grandfather,
Samuel French, was a merchant tailor in Lon
don, England, during the early part of the
present century, and died there. He had but
one child, Samuel (the father of our subject),
who was born in 1825, learned of his father
the trade of tailor in the Mother Country, and
in 1857 came to the United States, settling in
Albany, N. Y. , where he commenced business
as a merchant tailor, continuing in that line
some thirty-five years, or until 1892, when he
retired from active work, and now makes his
home in Syracuse, N. Y, In England he had
married Miss Ann Barnett, who survives him.

and nine children (all living) were born of this
union, to wit: Samuel H., a merchant tailor
in Albany, N. Y. ; Kate, the wife of Dr. W.
H. Todd, of Dobbs Ferry, N. Y. ; Annie, wife
of George Barnhart, of Columbus, Ohio; Mabel,
the wife of Fred L. Geer, a weH-known mer
chant of Albany; Harvey J., our subject; Har
riet, the wife of T. Rockwood Cutler, a prom
inent architect in New York City; Grace, the
wife of Frederick Hemming, a merchant of
Syracuse, N. Y. ; Bertha, at home; and Clar
ence, living in Syracuse.
Harvey J. French, whose name introduces
this sketch, passed his boyhood in Albany, at
the public schools of which city he received his
primary education, later attending All Saints
Cathedral school, an institution conducted un
der the auspices of the Episcopal Church, and
presided over by Bishop Doane. From that
school Mr. French was graduated, and he then
entered his father's place of business as an ap
prentice to the taHoring trade, making him
self a thorough master of the business, espe
cially in the cutting department. Later he
graduated from a "cutting school" in New
York City, and then opened out a tailoring es
tablishment in Albany, N. Y., which he con
ducted some six years; but owing to impaired
health was compelled to abandon work and
recuperate for a year. His health being re
established, he took charge of the custom de
partment of Julius Saul's tailoring business in
Troy, N. Y., the largest of the kind in that
city. In March, 1892, Mr. French came to
Poughkeepsie, where he accepted the position
of cutter for Peter B. Hayt & Co., which he
filled two years, at the end of that time resign
ing to engage in a similar capacity with M.
Swartz. In the winter of 1895 he commenced
his present successfully-conducted business on
the corner of Main and Garden streets, and in
the face of strong competition has advanced
rapidly to the position of one of the leading
merchant tailors of the city. He employs
only skilled workmen, which fact, together
with his genial good nature and painstaking
methods, as well as determination to please
his patrons at whatever cost of time and
trouble, have secured for him, and retain, a
liberal portion of the best business of the county.
In Albany, New York, in June, 1883, Mr.
French was united in marriage with Miss May
W. Nichols, daughter of Charles C. Nichols, a
prominent architect of that city, and to them

TWal^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

841

have been born three children : Clifford,
Harold, and Harvey, Jr. While a resident of
Albany our subject was a member of Company
A, N. G. N . Y. , Albany Zouave Cadets. After a
service of six years Mr. French applied for and
received an honorable discharge; he then joined
the Old Guard of Company A, a leading social
organization of that city, which numbers
among its members nearly all the prominent
professional and business men of the city. In
Poughkeepsie he is a member of Armor Lodge,
K. of P., of the Booth Hose Co., and of the
Century Bicycle Club. He was once elected
heutenant of the Nineteenth Separate Com
pany, N. Y. S. N. G. , but declined to accept
the honor. In religious faith he and his wife
are members of Christ Episcopal Church, of
Poughkeepsie.

IrRVING DEYO LE ROY, M. D., a prom-
_i inent physician and surgeon of Pleasant
Valley, Dutchess county, by his devotion to
his work, and the careful study and diagnosis
of the various diseases that have come under
his observation, has been unusually success
ful, and has gained an enviable reputation as
a skilled practitioner. He belongs to a family
long prominently connected with the history
of Dutchess county, although his birth occurred
at Highland, Ulster Co., N. Y., on AprH i8,
1859, The founder of the family in this country
was Frans LeRoy, who was of French Hugue
not descent, the family having emigrated from
France with the Huguenots, and taken up
their abode in Canada. Frans settled at
Kingston, N. Y. , about tbe year 1700. John
S., a descendant of Frans, settled in the town
of Fishkill, Dutchess county. One of his sons,
Levi, established the town of LeRoy in the
western part of the State, and Simeon became
a resident of Canada, whHe John I. established
LeRoys Mills in Dutchess county.
The last named, who was a great-grand
father of our subject, was born in the town of
Fishkill, Dutchess county, and by his marriage
with Hannah Westervelt, of Holland origin,
he became the father of twelve children,
among whom was Joseph LeRoy. He was
born in Fishkill, N. Y. , in 1801, and was
united in marriage with Miss Clarissa Traver,
also a native of Dutchess county. They be
gan their domestic life upon a farm in the
town of Clinton, where were born their six

children; one of whom, Abram, was the father
of our subject. Upon their farm in the town
of Clinton the grandparents spent their remain
ing days, faithful and consistent members of
the Presbyterian Church,
Abram Leroy, the father of our subject,
was born August 20, 1829, in the town of
Clinton, Dutchess county, where he grew to
manhood and married Miss Cornelia Cooking
ham, who was born there in 1831, a descend
ant of Daniel Cookingham, a native of Hol
land, who on crossing the Atlantic took up a
tract of land in the town of Clinton, Dutchess
county, on which his son Michael and grand
son Daniel were born, the last being the father
of Mrs. LeRoy. After their marriage the par
ents of our subject located at Highland, Ulster
county, where the father engaged in farming
and milling for about ten years, when they re
turned to LeRoys Mills. Besides the opera
tion of the mill, Abram LeRoy also dealt in
grain, following those pursuits until his death,
August 3, 1870. In religious faith he held
membership with the Presbyterian Church, and
his political support was unswervingly given
the Republican party. His widow is also a
member of the Presbyterian Church.
Irving D. Leroy, whose name introduces
this sketch, was the only child of his parents,
who took him to LeRoys Mills when six years
of age. After pursuing his studies for some
time in the district schools of the locality, at
the Poughkeepsie high school and the public
schools of Lansing, Mich., he entered the
Hungerford Collegiate Institute at Adams, N.
Y., taking the regular college course and grad
uating with the class of '76. He was next a
student in the Eastman Business College at
Poughkeepsie, and after his graduation there,
in 1878, he became bookkeeper and cashier
for Dobbs & Herrick, of that city, remaining
with them for a short time. In 1880 he be
gan the study of medicine in the office of Dr.
H. L. Cookingham, of Red Hook, Dutchess
county, where he remained for a year, and
then entered the Albany Medical College,
graduating March 9, 1883. The following
winter he took a post-graduate course in the
New York Polyclinic, being at the time estab
lished in practice at Poughkeepsie. He was
also a student of Drs, S, B, Ward, of Albany,
N. Y, , and James R. Leaming, of New York
City. Since. 1884 he has followed his chosen
profession in Pleasant Valley, and has built up
a large and lucrative practice. During the

842

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

years 1870-71 the Doctor, then a student,
traveled quite extensively through the Western
States. On April 7, 1886, Dr. LeRoy was married
to Miss Jennie Duncan (a lady of Scotch ex
traction), born in Pleasant Valley, Dutchess
county, as was also her father, John B. Dun
can, a merchant of that village. The Doctor
and his wife are active workers in the Presby
terian Church, and he is now serving as one of
its elders. Dr. LeRoy is a member of the
Dutchess County Medical Society, a founder
of the New York State Medical Association,
and a permanent member of the American
Medical Association. He is at present, and has
been for many years, health officer of his dis
trict, and is one of the most progressive phy
sicians of the county, standing deservedly high
among his professional brethren. In politics
he is a hearty supporter of the Republican
party.

P ALVERSON LEE. Poughkeepsie, Dutch-
 ess county, numbers this able young law
yer among her native sons, as he first saw
the light in that city on the- Sth of August,
1870, His father, Lewis Alverson, was born
there in 1843, and was a son of Samuel
and Caroline E. Alverson, the former a
native of Connecticut. Lewis was the eldest
in a family of four children, the others being:
Mrs. Josephine Woodworth; Mrs. Ellen Smith
(deceased); and Samuel, who enlisted during
the CivH war in the 128th N. Y. V. I., and
died in a hospital in Louisiana. The father of
our subject obtained his education in the pub
lic schools of Poughkeepsie, where he also
learned the machinist's trade, and on reach
ing man's estate was united in marriage with
MaryE. Lee, a daughter of Bezaleel Lee. He
departed this life in 1872, his wife surviving
him about a year.
Thus at the age of three years our sub
ject Was left an orphan, and his little baby
sister died at the age of six months. After
the death of his mother Per Lee Alverson was
taken to the home of his uncle and aunt, Mr.
and Mrs. Ogden Lee, who still make their
home in Poughkeepsie, where they are held in
the highest esteem. By trade the uncle is a
carpenter, but is now county canvasser for the
Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle.
During his childhood our subject attended
the public schools of Poughkeepsie, and De

cember 3, 1888, was graduated from the East
man Business College. For one year thereafter
he studied law with J. S. Van Cleef, and then
entered the office of C. W. H. Arnold, with
whom he remained two years. On being
admitted to the bar in 1892, he at once began
practice, opening an office at No. 54 Market
street. He makes a specialty of realty law
and probate practice, and his ability and in
dustry make bis services valuable. In argu
ment he is logical and eloquent, and his words
always carry weight with judge and jury, sel
dom faHing to result in victory.
Mr. Lee has a large circle of warm personal
friends, the regard of the entire legal profes
sion, and has won the respect of all with
whom business or social relations have brought
him in contact. In November, 1896, he was
elected to the office of justice of the peace, on
the Republican ticket.

WILLIAM J. BEARDSLEY, a leading
 architect of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, and one of the most promising young
business men of that locality, is of English de
scent. His ancestors were early settlers in
Connecticut, and his grandfather, William E.
Beardsley, was the first of the family to locate
in Dutchess county. He conducted a sash and
blind factory at the Upper Landing, in Pough
keepsie, and at the time of his death resided
upon a farm on the inside road near Morgan
Lake. He had a family of seven children, to
wit: William J. (our subject's father), Abbott,
Martha (now Mrs: Stephen Wilkinson), Han
nah (now Mrs. Eli Ranson), Mary, Ophelia
Fanny, and Miranda. In politics he was a
Republican, in religion a Congregationalist.
He died at the age of eighty-seven years.
William J. Beardsley, our subject's father,
succeeded to his father's business in Pough
keepsie, and conducted it at the same place
until 1887, when he built a factory on the cor
ner of Main and Harris streets, where he car
ried on a large milling business successfully
until his death, which occurred July 2, 1887.
He was a Republican in politics, and a mem
ber of the M. E, Church. He married Miss
Louise McLean, a lady of Scotch descent,
daughter of Samuel McLean, a well-known
resident of Poughkeepsie, who conducted a
store and, later, a commission business in that
city. Three sons were born of this union:
Charles, WiHiam J., and Ralph (deceased).

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

843

On the death pf the father the business was
continued by his son Charles until February
14, 1 89 1, when the property was destroyed by
fire. Since that time Charles Beardsley has
been in the employ of the government as a rail
way mail clerk.
William J. Beardsley, our subject, fol
lowed his father's occupation, and made him
self thoroughly acquainted with all branches
of interior building work, until his father's
death, when he discontinued the sash and
blind business, and proceeded with architect
ural work, for which he had a natural talent.
He had had practical instruction and experi
ence in the art of building in different places
throughout the country, and, being thus
thoroughly versed and schooled in architecture,
decided to locate in Poughkeepsie for the
practice of that profession. He has one of
the largest architectural offices in the city, lo
cated at No. 42 Market street, and equipped
with all necessary devices, together with a
corps of competent assistants.
Up to the present time Mr. Beardsley has
shown great talent in his chosen calling, hav
ing built many of the fine residences through
out the counties of Dutchess and Ulster, and
throughout the Hudson River Valley — some of
the best people in the above named counties
being. among bis clients. Mr. Beardsley is
prominent in tbe fire department of Pough
keepsie as a member of the Crockett Hook
and Ladder Co., and he also affiliates with
the Knights of Pythias, Uniform Rank, and
and of the Masonic Fraternity.

JAMES E. BALDWIN, a prominent agri
culturist of the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county, is well-known as a business man,
having spent a number of years as a success
ful speculator previous to settling down to his
present calling. He was born July 13, 1829,
in the town of Patterson, Putnam Co;, N. Y,,
and his early education was acquired in the
schools of that town. He made his entrance
into the business arena as a speculator at an
early age, and after a time went to New York
City, where his abilities had wider scope. In
1874 he purchased the farm in the town of
Pawling, where he has since made his home.
On November 5, 1884, he married Miss Fan
nie Townsend, who was born in the town of
Kent, Putnam county, in 1865, but was edu
cated in Pawling. To this union, one child.

Susie, was born November 27, 1885. Mrs.
Baldwin's father, John Townsend, was born in
1824, in the town of Kent, Putnam county,
and passed his early life there. He married
(first) Anna M. Luddington, and (second)
Sarah Dykeman (Mrs. Baldwin's .mother), who
was born in Patterson, Putnam county, in
1827. Both parents are now living at Bound-
brook, New Jersey.
Mr. Baldwin's great-grandfather, James
Baldwin, was born in Cheshire, England, in
1700, of parents v;bo traced their ancestry to
old English stock. He came to America in
1730, and settled in Carmel, Putnam Co.,
N. Y. , where he acquired a large farm and
passed the remainder of his days engaged in
agriculture and dealing in cattle. Successful
as he was in the management of his private
business, he was an active and able worker in
public affairs, and at one time held the office
of judge of Westchester county. His wife,
Hannah Golden, of Goldens Bridge, N. Y.,
died in 1802, and he foHowed her two years
later. They had eleven chHdren, whose names
with dates of birth are here given: James,
1734; Ephraim, 1736; Phoebe, 1738; Elisha,
1740; Pearce, 1742; Daniel, 1744; Catherine,
1746; Elizabeth, 1748; Henry, 1750; Hannah,
1752; and James, 1760. The members of the
Baldwin family, with but few exceptions, have
been Whigs, and in later times Republicans,
and although in the old days they adhered to
the Baptist faith, some of this generation are
Congregationalists. James Baldwin, our subject's grandfather,
was born in Carmel, N. Y. , and after enjoying
such educational opportunities as that locality
afforded in those days he engaged in farming,
having inherited Starr Ridge farm, a portion of
his father's property. Although he was deeply
interested in poHtical questions, he never sought
or held office. He married Miss Susan Vail,
whowas born in 1764, iti the town of Carmel,
a daughter of Aaron Vail. Twelve children
were born to them: Daniel, Fannie, Henry,
Polly, Aaron, James, Dorcas, Betsy, Nathan
Cole, Susan, Hannah- Jane and Hannah N.
The father died in 1827, the mother surviving
him four years. The grandfather's descend
ants are numerous:
(i) Daniel, who was born at the old home
February 4, 1782, and became a well-to-do
farmer of the same locality, married Miss Field,
and had four chHdren, namely: Henry F., a
farmer, married Jane Dykeman, and had one

844

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

child — Mrs. Mary Huston, who has one son,
Henry Huston, not married. (2) Perry mar
ried Eliza Nickerson, and had no children, (3)
Laura married Isaac Haviland, and had three
sons: Baldwin, who died many years since;
Comfort Haviland, living in Ohio; and Will
iam, who married Miss Rogers. (4) Phcebe
married Lansing Rodgers, and reared a large
family. (II) Fannie, born March 2, 1784, married
Peter Dykeman, and had five children: (i)
James B., born in 1821, married Annie Mabe,
and had eight children — Nellie, wife of Charles
Travers; Willard, who married Jessie Kelley;
Annie B., wifeof Charles Nichols; James, who
died young; Frank, who is now married; Mary
A., wife of Sam Cornish; Peter, unmarried;
and James H., who died at an early age. (2)
Nathan C, born in 1823, married Ruth Mabe,
and has one son, Alex, who married Antoin
ette Barns, and has two sons — Nathan B., who
married Miss Bloomer; and Henry, still single.
(3) Susan, born in 1820, married J. Patrick,
and has had four children — Mary and Sarah,
at home; Fannie, who died in childhood; and
Charles, who married Bessie Utter, and has
one daughter, Susie. (4) Ruth, born in 1825,
died at an early age. (5) Sarah, born in 1825,
married John Townsend (Mrs. Baldwin's fa
ther), who had by his first marriage to Anna
M. Luddington, four children — Fred, who
married Lillie Hopkins; Hattie, wife of De
witt Burr; Charles, who married Mary Sher
wood; and Warren, who died in infancy. By
the second union there were two children —
Mrs. Baldwin, and her brother, George H.,
unmarried. (Ill) Henry Baldwin, our subject's father,
was born September 21, 1787, at the home
stead, to which he succeeded at his father's
death. His early education was obtained in
the common schools of the neighborhood, and
and to this he added greatly by extensive
travel in later years. Among other trips taken
was one to New Orleans, made before the
days of railroads and steamboats, and the
greater part of the journey was made on foot.
He married Miss Pollie Smith, a daughter of
Edward and Abbie (Northrup) Smith. Her
father was a well-known farmer of Putnam
county, and a man who was prominent in
public life, serving as county judge and for
two terms as a member of the State Legisla
ture. Seven children were born of this mar
riage, their names, dates of birth, etc., being

given: (i) Susan E. (March 17, 1823) mar
ried Isaac Akin, but had no children. (2)
Hannah (May, 1826) married James M. Bald
win, and had four children — Burdette, Elisha,
Bell and Jodia. (3) James E. (July 13, 1829)
is the subject proper of this sketch. (4) Eliz
abeth (June, 1832) inarried Elijah Budd, but
had no children. (5) Henry C. (1834), a farmer,
married Phoebe I. Homan, and had four chH
dren — Jerome V. and Herbert, who are not
married; Edward S,, who married Sarah
Beecher; and Mary, who is at home. (6)
Josephine (March, 1838) married Alex Homan,
and had three children — Charles, who married;
and Henry and Clara, who are single. (7)
Sarah J. (June, 1843) married Isaac Akin,
but has no children.
(IV) Pollie, born December 23, 1798, was
married in 18 12 to James Townsend, and had
eleven children — Aaron, 181 3; Caroline, 181 5;
Fannie, 1818; Henry, 1820; Betsey, 1822;
Susan and Elizabeth, twins, 1824, who lived
less than one year; Sarah, 1826; Mary, 1830;
Jane, 1832; and James, 1835.
(V) Aaron, born January 13, 1791, was
kHled in the war of 18 12 (he never married).
(VI) James, born April 4, 1793, married
Cornelia Luddington, and had seven children.
(VII) Dorcas, born December 28, 1795,
was married in 1839, to Peter Whitney, but
had no children.
(VIII) Betsey, born February 11, 1798,
married Allen Light, born in 1805, and had
five children — MaryD,, March 22, 1834; Fan
nie E., 1835, who married Charles Barber,
the eldest of twenty-one chHdren of one father
and mother; Flora E., 1837, wife of WHliam
Pugsley; Susan E., 1839, wifeof Loren WH
cox; and Allen D., August, 1841.
(IX) Nathan Cole spent his boyhood at
Starr Ridge farm, where he was born May 27,
1800. He engaged in farming in the town of
Kent, Putnam county, owning about 300 acres
of land; but while he was recognized as a
leading agriculturist, he was not especially
prominent in political affairs, and, preferring
to exert his influence as a citizen in a quiet
way, he refused all invitations to run for office.
Strong and athletic, physically, and gifted with
an active mind, and the retentive memory for
which his family is noted, he held an influen
tial position in the community. His reading
was extensive, his knowledge of the Scriptures
being unusually thorough, and he was a Bap
tist in religious faith. He married Eliza,

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

845

daughter of John Smith, of the town of Kent,
Putnam county, and had five chHdren. (i)
Sarah Ann, December 23, 1826, died at the
age of thirteen. (2) Peter W. is mentioned
more fully below. (3) L. Nathan, February
II, 1838, fell from a wall when he was five
years old, dislodging a stone which fell upon
him and kHled him. (4) William R, , May 24,
1 841, a farmer and a lawyer at Boundbrook,
N. J. , married Hattie "Young. (5) Dorcas
Elivia, March 2, 1843, died at six years of age.
(X) Susan, born December 29, 1802, mar
ried David Russell, and had four children —
Baldwin married Miss Smith; Robert married
Miss Holmes; Louisa, wife of Caleb Smalley;
and Henry, unmarried.
(XI) Hannah Jane, born in 1804, died in
1806. (XII) Hannah N., born AprH 11, 1807,
married Jacob Sunderland, who was murdered.
Peter W. Baldwin, son of Nathan C.
Baldwin, was born in the town of Kent, Put
nam county, May 13, 1830, and on attaining
to manhood's estate he engaged in agriculture,
later in cattle dealing, which he has now fol
lowed successfully for about twenty years, his
speciality being the buying of milch cows for
the local trade. Until i860 he lived in his
native township, and he then moved to Nor
wich, Chenango Co., N. Y. , where he spent
ten years. In 1870 he purchased the Aiken
Taber farm of 307 acres in the town of Pawl
ing, now one of tbe best estates in Dutchess
county. He makes a specialty of dairying,
and raises Holstein stock exclusively, his herd
of ninety-three being the largest in the locality.
He also keeps eight horses. Fond of reading,
he is well posted upon the questions of the
day, and as he is of an analytical turn of mind
he does his own thinking. He is not an office
holder, but takes keen interest in the political
contests of the time, supporting Republican
principles. He is a member of the Baptist
Church of Towners. In 1854 he married
Miss Nancy WeHs, daughter of Jonathan
Wells, a leading citizen of Norwich, N. Y. ,
and a prominent Republican. Two chHdren
were born of this union: Lucy E. and Wells
N., both of whom are at home.

M EUBEN VINCENT (deceased) was long
 connected with the farming and industrial
interests of the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, there operating the old homestead

farm from 1802 up to the time of his death,
and also conducting a blacksmith shop. He
was born in what was then the town of Beek
man, but is now Unionvale, on August 15,
1768, and in its common schools received his
education. He was a valued and reliable citi
zen, one who had the confidence and respect
of all with whom he came in contact.
His grandfather, Michael Vincent, was a
native of Westchester county, N. Y. , where
he was reared and educated, and as a life work
chose the vocation of farming. In his family
were five sons, namely: Michael, Levi, Leon
ard, Richard and Philip.
Levi Vincent, the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Unionvale, Dutchess
county, and here obtained his education, and
later followed farming. He married Miss
Sarah Hoxie, and to them were born seven
children: Reuben, whose name introduces this
review; Levi, who married Evaline Snivens;
Samuel; Elizabeth, who became the wife of
Samuel Carey; Mrs. Annie Jennings; Hannah
and Tabitha,
Reuben Vincent was united in marriage
with Miss Deborah Bowerman, daughter of
Ichabod and Jane (Richmond) Bowerman, who
were the parents of twelve children, whose
names and dates of birth are as follows : Thomas,
May 22, 1758; Lydia, January 15, 1762;
Phebe, September 9, 1763; Mary, June 30,
1765; Ichabod, September 2, 1767; Jonathan,
August 10, 1769; Deborah, January 8, 1771;
Stephen, October 22, 1773; Gideon, June 29,
1775; Israel, August 21, 1777; Judah, July 16,
1779; and Nancy, November 27, 1780. The
oldest of these children — Thomas Bowerman —
married Sarah Vincent, a sister of our subject.
Twelve children also blessed the union of
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent, namely: (i), Pauline,
born August 22, 1791, married George Darling,
a tanner and currier, of Connecticut, and they
had three children^Jane; Phoebe A.; and
Deborah, deceased, (2) Elizabeth, born July
9, 1793, married Stewart Christy, a farmer,
and they had five children — Reuben; William;
John; Gideon, who wedded Mary Cunningham;
and Mrs. Jane Burlingham. (3) Hoxie, born
March 24, 1795, married Abigail Stone, and
they had five children — Reuben, Mrs. Antoin
ette Sheldon, Philo, John and Henry. (4)
Jane was born February 24, 1797. (5) Levi,
born February 16, 1799, wedded Miss Mary
Vale, and had nine children — Phoebe; Isaac;
Deborah; Gideon, who married Ophelia Lodre;

846

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

Levina; Platt; Albert; Chester; and Mary J,
George Vincent, the son of Gideon and Ophelia
(Lodre) Vincent, married Miss Ella Matteson,
by whom he has a daughter, Edna, born in
1883. (6) Gideon was born December 13,
1800. (7) Lydia was born November 12,
1802. (8) Mary, born May 25, 1805, wedded
Cyrus Perkins, and had six children — Charles,
Delila, Jane, Elizabeth, and Hoxie and Edwin,
both of whom died in infancy. (9) Margaret,
born May 3, 1807, married Seth Barmore,
and had three chHdren — Deborah, Elizabeth
and AbigaH, (10) Platt was born February
8, 1809. (11) Phebe A. was born February
28, 1811, (12) Thomas, born January 11,
1 817, died at the age of two years.

S\M1TH D. HARRIS. Like many other
) residents within the bounds of Dutchess
county, who started out in life with naught save
an abundance of determination and an inde
fatigable industry, combined with a strong and
healthy constitution, and who have succeeded
through their own deligence, energy and econ
omy, is to be-classified the gentleman whose
name 'here appears.
Smith Harris, father of our subject, was
born in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where for many
years he conducted a grocery business, the lat
ter part of his life, however, being devoted to
shoemaking. As an unswerving Democrat, he
was very active in political matters, while in
social life he was a member of the Masonic
fraternity. In New York City he married Miss
Eliza Mealy, and they both departed this life
in 1879. Smith D, Harris, our subject, was born
August 8, 1841, on Pine street, Poughkeepsie,
N, Y. , the schools of which city he attended
until he was sixteen years of age. Being now
prepared for life work, he set out for the town
of Stanford, Dutchess county,, where he se
cured employment on the farm of Paul Upton,
and continued thereon some sixteen years,
having the entire management of the place
after his employer's death. In 1873, at
SchultzvHle, in the town of Clinton, Mr, Har
ris wedded Mary H. Doughty, a daughter of
Oliver Doughty, and three children bless their
union: Mrs. Leonora Murch, Paul D. and
Laura. The mother of these died July 28,
1896. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Harris
located upon their present farm in the town of

Clinton, known as ' ' The Maples ", and have
since made that place their home. After rent
ing the land for one year, Mr. Harris purchased
the same for $7,000, giving his personal note
for it, and went steadily to work to clear it
from all encumbrance. He has not only paid
off the amount, but has another fine farm in
the town of Stanford, known as " Lake Side."
The improvements upon the places are of a
neat and substantial character, and bear wit
ness to the fact that the owner thoroughly
understands his business, and that he is -indus
trious and enterprising. He is an earnest.
Christian gentleman, a faithful member of the
Friends Church, and an active worker in the
Endeavor Society. He uses his right of fran
chise in support of the men and measures of
the Prohibition party; is an earnest advocate
of moral reform and the utter overthrow of the
liquor traffic, which he considers the chief bar
rier to the advancement of Church work.

WILLIAM W. HAXTUN. The subject of
 this sketch is one of the leading citizens
of the town of Beekman, Dutchess county,
where he is successfully engaged in agricultural
pursuits, and where his birth occurred on March
19, 1829, His great-grandfather, who was a
resident of Greene county, N. Y. , was killed
by the Indians, being attacked while repairing
the roof of his mill. The rest of the family,
with the exception of one son, then removed
to the town of Beekman, Dutchess county,
where they were numbered among the early
settlers. They located in the eastern part of
the town, where they at first leased land of the
Beekmans, but later purchased property. The
great-grandmother was buried there.
Jeremiah Haxtun, the grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Greene county, and
after the death of his father became the main
stay of the family. In the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county, was celebrated his marriage
with Rhoda Akin, a native of that town, and
they began their domestic life upon a farm a
mile east of Gardner Hollow in the town of
Beekman, where they were living at the time
of the Revolutionary war. Their famHy in
cluded the following children: Benjamin,
William, Louisa, Emily and Rhoda.
The birth of Benjamin Haxtun, the father
of our subject, occurred in the town of Beek
man, where his father always carried on farm
ing, and there his boyhood days were passed in

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

847

assisting in the work of the farm, and in at
tending the district schools. He was married
in that town to Almira Vanderburg, daughter
of Colonel Vanderburg, and after her death he
was united in marriage with Sarah "VVooley,
daughter of William and granddaughter of
Joseph Wooley. Two children graced the sec
ond union — William W., of this review; and
Almira, who died in infancy. The father al
ways continued to reside upon the old home
farm at Gardner Hollow, there dying in Octo
ber, 1857, at the age of eighty years, while his
wife passed away in 1870. An influential and
popular man, he represented his district for
two terms in the General Assembly.
After the usual manner of farmer boys,
William W. Haxtun spent his early life at
Gardner Hollow, in the town of Beekman, and
received his primary education in the district
schools. Later, for four years and one term,
he attended the old Amenia Seminary, after
which he was a student in the Dutchess Coun
ty Academy on South Hamilton street, Pough
keepsie, but on account of ill health was
obliged to give up his studies and return home.
In the town of Beekman he wedded Miss
Maria De Long, whose birth occurred there,
and they have become the parents of two chil
dren — Benjamin, now of Stormville, Dutchess
county, who married Dorothea Storm, by
whom he has a daughter, Maria; and Will
iam, Jr.
In 1873 Mr. Haxtun left the old home
stead, and for the past fifteen years has re
sided near Green Haven, in Beekman town,
where he is engaged in farming. He is very
fond of travel, and has visited many points of
interest in the West. In politics be is a stanch
Republican, and has taken a prominent part
in public affairs, representing Beekman on the
board of supervisors for two terms. For three
years he was president of the Dutchess County
Agricultural Society, treasurer for seven years,
and had charge of the ladies hall for four
years.

BENJAMIN HOWELL (deceased). Among
the representatives of the Pine Tree
State, who traveling westward have estab
lished homes in Dutchess county, N. Y. , none
are more worthy of mention in a work of this
character, devoted to the biographies of the best
citizens, than the gentleman whose name in
troduces this review. He wasborn in Portland,

Maine, May 29, 18 18, and was a son of Ben
jamin Howell, whose birth occurred in 1784,
on Cape Elizabeth, which now forms a part of
the city of Portland. The grandfather, Isaac
Howell, was a native of the same place, and
was descended from EngHsh ancestors, who, on
crossing the Atlantic to America, took up their
residence in Portland. There he was reared,
and for many years was identified with the
business interests of the city as a clothing mer
chant. When the colonists, no longer able to
bear the tyrannical oppression of the mother
country, fought for independence, he was
numbered among the valiant troops that fol
lowed the leadership of George "Washington.
All his life was passed in Portland, and both he
and his wife were connected with the Baptist
Church of that city. They became the par
ents of four children: John, who was a grocer
of Portland, Maine; George, who followed the
sea; Benjamin; and a daughter of whom no
specific record can be found.
Benjamin Howell was reared in Portland,
learned the carpenter's trade, and was the ar
chitect and builder of his own home. He
married Rebecca Dyer, a native of that city,
and a daughter of Nathaniel Dyer, and after
his marriage established a home in Portland,
while as a means of livelihood he followed the
sea. He died of yellow fever in the West
Indies in 1828, and his wife passed away in
February, 1835. They had six children:
Emily, who died unmarried; Harriet, who be
came the wife of Joseph RusseH, a carriage
maker; Rebecca, who married Samuel Chester,
a clothier; Mary, who died unmarried; John,
who became a minister of Christ Church; and
Benjamin. The subject of this review spent his early
boyhood in the city of his birth, and at the age
of fifteen started out in life for himself, going
to New York City, where he engaged in the
milk business, which he followed for ten years.
In 1845 he wedded Mary Lamoree, who was
born in Dutchess county, and is a sister of
George Lamoree. In the spring of 1845 they
removed to the farm on which Mr. Howell
ever afterward made his home. They had five
children: Harrison, who died at the age of
three years; Walter, who died at the age
of nine years; George W., a farmer of Pleas
ant Valley town; Augustus C, an agricultur
ist; and Emily C, wife of James T. Budd, who
is a farmer of Pleasant Valley town. The
mother of this family was called to the home

848

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

beyond in April, 1888, and many friends
mourned the loss of her whom they had so
deeply respected. The father has died during
the preparation of this book.
Mr. Howell gave his attention to agricult
ural pursuits after coming to Dutchess county,
and was at the time of his death the owner of
loi acres of valuable land, which is highly cul
tivated and improved. He never held office,
but faithfully performed his duties of citizen
ship, and was one of the supporters of the Bap
tist Church. He was a self-made man, starting
out in life empty-handed, and steadHy worked
his way upward, overcoming all obstacles and
difficulties that barred his progress to success.

C\APTAIN JOHN H. BRINCKERHOFF,
^1 one of the best-known men along the Hud
son river, was born in the town of Fishkill,
Dutchess county, November 24, 1827, a son
of Henry I. and Freelove (Serene) Brincker
hoff, who were both also born in the town of
Fishkill. The father, who followed agricult
ural pursuits, died July 4, 1852, the mother
passing away December 26, 1891, at the ad
vanced age of ninety-five years. They were
the parents of eight children, three of whom
are yet living: Abram, John H. and Eliza.
When our subject was eleven years old his
parents moved to Esopus, Ulster county,
where he spent the rest of bis boyhood days,
attending the common schools. At the age of
twenty years, on account of the failing health
of his father, the management of the farm de
volved upon our subject, and he remained
there until he was twenty-four years old, at
which time he was married at Esopus to Miss
Angeline Terpenning, who was born there in
1 83 1, and died in 1880, leaving no issue.
After marriage he moved to Highland, Ulster
county, and bought some property, including a
mill at Esopus, which he operated for some
time, at the same time carrying on factories at
Highland and Pine Bush, Orange county.
After continuing in the milling business some
twenty years he bought the "J. C. Doughty,"
a ferry boat plying between Highland and
Poughkeepsie, of which he was captairi for
four years. In 1883 he bought, from Thomas^
Cornell, the "Mary Powell," the fastest pas
senger steamer on the river in those days, and
later he sold an interest in this vessel to Capt.
Anderson and Capt. Wicks. In 1878 Capt.
Brinckerhoff purchased the interests of Thomas

Doughty, Augustus Doughty and Capt. I. E.
Wicks in the Poughkeepsie Transportation
Co., in 1888 buying the interest of Homer
RamsdeH, in same company, and becoming
president of the company, which at that time
owned the steamers "John L. Hasbrouck"
and ' ' Andrew Harda, " which latter our sub
ject rebuilt, renaming her the "P. D. Le
fever." By 1888 the Captain had also built
the river boats: "Gracie," "Gypsy" and
"Queen City," and also the ferry "J. H.
Brinckerhoff." He has accomplished a great
deal for the transportation facilities of Pough
keepsie, doing all his freighting business there.
By purchase he has become the owner of the
entire dockage on the west side of the river,
between Lewisburg and Highland, also much
dockage on the east side of the river, and
altogether he is a large owner of property at
various places.
From its earliest inception the Captain has
taken a lively interest in the Poughkeepsie
Electric Light & Power Co. , and is the heaviest
stockholder in same; is also a stockholder in,
and treasurer of, the Delamater Carriage Co.,
at Poughkeepsie. His comfortable home on
Hamilton street, Poughkeepsie, he has rebuilt
and much improved and beautified. Capt.
Brinckerhoff is a member of Trinity Methodist
Episcopal Church.

IRA E. WILBUR, a well-known and hon-
 ored citizen of Amenia, Dutchess county,
has here spent almost his entire life. His
grandfather, David Wilbur, who was born in
Rhode Island in 1770, was brought to Amenia
the following year, and throughout life he there
foHowed the trade of a tanner, dying in 1852.
Rutledge Wilbur, the father of our subject,
is a native of Dutchess county, born at South
Dover, on August 29, 1809, and there acquired
his education in the district schools. For a
time he made his home in Sharon, Conn., but
about 1834 came to Amenia, and six years
later was appointed superintendent of contract
work in Capt. Weed's, Palmer's and Gridley's
mines, with which he was connected for about
fifty years. Politically he is a pronounced
Republican. In 1833 he was united in mar
riage with Miss Betsey A. White, whose death
occurred November 2, 1879, and to them were
born six children: Albert B., born in 1834,
ex-superintendent of the schools of Middletown,
N. Y.yElecta C, deceased; Sarah B., born in

w<n.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

849

1840; Charles R., deceased; and Ira E. and
Ida E. , twins, the latter being now deceased.
The educational advantages afforded our
subject were those of the public schools and
the Amenia Seminary. Later, for the long
period of twenty-two years and three months
he was secretary of the Barnum-Richardson
Mining Company or the Amenia Mining Com
pany, since which time he has been variously
employed, being in the carpet business at
Brooklyn and the publishing business at Chi
cago. Subsequently he purchased land in
Florida, 230 miles south of Jacksonville, where
he engaged in raising oranges and lemons,
and also pineapples. He holds a patent on
the Berkshire cough syrup, which he manu
factured at Amenia.
"In that vHlage Mr. WHbur led to the mar
riage altar Mrs. Anna (Wickes) Wakeman,
widow of James M. Wakeman, by whom she
has one son — Raymond; and by her marriage
with our subject she is the mother of a daughter
— Bessie. The family is greatly esteemed in the
community, as representing the best type of
its moral and social element. Mr. Wilbur is
prominently identified with the Masonic fra
ternity, has been a member of Amenia Lodge
No. 672, F. & A. M., since 1869, in which for
six years he served as master, and is also con
nected with the chapter and commandery at
Poughkeepsie, New York.

S\TOUTENBURGH.— The ancestor of this
) faiAily, the first of the name in this coun
try, was Pieter Stoutenburgh, who settled in
New Amsterdam.'**' The date of his arrival
does not appear, but it was probably before
1649. He was a schoolmaster, and therefore
a man of education; and his family was of
good standing, as indicated by their marriage
connections and the offices they held in the
city and colony. He bad a house and a large
garden on the east side of Broadway, just
north of Wall street, as mentioned on old rec
ords and shown on the early maps. He mar
ried 25 July, 1649, Aefje (Eve) Van Tienhoven
(a near relative, perhaps sister, of Cornelis
Van Tienhoven, the secretary and treasurer of
the Colony), by whom he had nine children.
By a note on the list of members of the Dutch
Church it appears that Pieter Stoutenburgh
*It has been sometimes stated that the first Jacobus Stouten
burgh, of Dutchess county, was a native of Holland; whereas records,
easily accessible, show that he was of the third generation.
55

".Obyt den 9 Mart. 1698-9," aged eighty-six
years. .
Tobias Stoutenburgh, the sixth chHd of
Peter, was baptized i8th January, 1660, his
sponsor being Judith Stuyvesant. He lived
all his life in New York, where he married 2
July, 1684, Anneke (or Anna) Van Rollegom,
whowas baptized 15 July, 1665, daughter of
Jan Joosten Van Rollegom, from Haerlem,
Holland. She was one of a large family; but
when her brother, Jacobus, died intestate, his
three sisters, Mary, Anna and Gertrude, were
his only heirs, to be referred to later, as he left
estates in Dutchess county. Tobias and Anna
had twelve children, all baptized in the Dutch
Church, New York, and several left descend
ants; but only tbe line of Jacobus, the sixth
child, will be followed in this account. The
codicil to the wHl of Tobias Stoutenburgh is
dated 29 December, 171 5, and it was proved
15 January, 17 16. His widow survived him
many years.
Jacobus Stoutenburgh, the sixth child of
Tobias and Anna, was baptized 7 June, 1696,
his sponsors being Jacobus Van Rollegom and
Jannetje Van Feurden, wife of Evert Byvanck.
He married in New York 25 May, 1717, Mar
garet, daughter of WHliam Teller, of TeHer's
Point, Westchester county, and Rachel Kier-
stede; the latter being a daughter of Dr. Hans
Kierstede by Sarah, daughter of Rollof Jansen
and the celebrated Anneke Jans. The por
traits of Jacobus and Margaret were painted by
a good artist, about the time of their marriage.
They are on "panel," and are now treasured
by their descendant, Mrs. Eugene Wells (Mary
Teller), of Rhinebeck. Jacobus and Margaret
had nine children: Tobias, baptized. New
York, 12 February, 171 8, married Catharine
Van Vleck; Rachel, baptized. New York, 16
March, 1720, died young; William, baptized.
New York, 3 June, 1722, married Maria Van-
Vleck; Anna, baptized. New York 11 Novem
ber, 1724, married James Van Vleck; Jacobus
married Josina Teller; Jobn, baptized, Philips-
burg, 29 March, 1729, married Catharine
Teller; Peter married Rachel Van Steenburgh;
Margaret, baptized, Pbilipsburg, 14 April,
1734, married John Teller; Luke, baptized,
PhHlipsburg, 5 June, 1736, married (first) Ra
chel ' Teller, and (second) Mary (Van Vleck)
Minthorne. From the above it will be seen that Jaco
bus removed, sometime after his marriage, to
the Manor of PhHipsburg, Westchester county,

850

COMMEMORA TIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

near his wife's relatives. In a deed, as late>as
1 74 1, he is caHed of that place "shopkeeper,"
and he must have been successful in that call
ing. In a deed of 1742, he is called "ofthe
county of Dutchess," and that is doubtless the
date of his removal. What led to this change
of residence may now be briefly stated: The
celebrated " Nine Partners Patent," in Dutch
ess county, was granted 27 May, 1697, to Col.
Caleb Heathcote, Augustine Graham, James
Emmot, Col, Henry FHkin, David Jamison,
Hendrick Ten Eyck, John Aertson, WiHiam
Creed and Jarvis Marshall. Nearly all these
men held some office, high or low, in the col
ony. By the Civil List of the Province of New
York, it appears that in 1693 Jarvis Marshall
was "Doorkeeper and Messenger of ye Coun
cil," at a salary of ;^30 a year. This grant
was an extensive one, now including the
greater part of seven townships. In 1699 sur
veys were made, and the lands divided among
the partners, or then owners. That part of
the patent bounded on the west by the Hudson
river was divided into ' ' the Nine Water Lots. "
These lots varied from thirty to thirty-two
chains in width, and ran back about four and
a half miles " into the woods." Lot No. 9, at
the north end, fell to Jarvis Marshall, who
also had " Great Lots " Nos. i, 15, 24, and 35,
in the interior. He had already sold one-half
his interest in the patent to Jacobus Van Roll
egom, and, in 1700, he sold the other half to
John Crooke, of New York, merchant. Van-
Rollegom died before 1722, intestate, as before
stated, and his estate fell to his three sisters:
Mary, wife of Henry Kermer (or Carmer),
Anne Stoutenburgh, widow, and Gertrude,
widow of Bartholomew Le Roux. The latter
was mother of Charles Le Roux, goldsmith, in
New York, whose name so often appears as
one of the attorneys for the proprietors of the
Nine Partners Patent.
By a deed, 25 August, 1722, Anne Stouten
burgh sold her interest to her son Jacobus, for
^65. Subsequently, by a number of convey
ances. Jacobus Stoutenburgh seems, by 1743,
to have become the owner of all, or nearly all,
the share that fell to Jarvis Marshall. It was
twenty 3'ears from the date of his first pur
chase before Jacobus Stoutenburgh removed
to what is now the town of Hyde Park; as in
1 74 1 he was still " of PhHipsburgh, " His first
house, probably the one named in old abstracts
of title as " buHt in 1723," was of stone and
logs, and stood a short distance south of the

present vHlage, near a spring, where some re
mains of it are stHl to be seen. It is probably
that it was buHt for the use of the men who
cleared the land, and for his occasional stop
ping place. The wood cut doubtless found
a ready market in New York, when coal was
yet unknown; and some years would naturally
be spent in thus clearing the land. Very likely
he did not remove his family until he built the
stone mansion which stood until 1864, west of
the post road, near the "Lower Corners."
It was a fine house for that day, the rooms
being spacious, and the paneling and wood
work handsomely finished.
During the remainder of his lifetime he
was engaged in disposing of a part of his lands,
and in settling his children on homestead
farms; and he also deeded to them other lands.
He was called upon to take some part in pub
lic affairs, and was for some time County
Judge. In the deed to his son, Luke, he re
serves the well-known ' ' Stoutenburgh Bury
ing-ground " as a burial place for his family,
forever. The will of Jacobus Stoutenburgh is
dated 24 January, 1770, and it was proved 19
December, 1772. He gives his eldest son
Tobias, "besides what 1 have given him, ";^ 25,
and a silver teapot. As he has given his daugh
ter Annatje a silver teapot of the value of .£¦ 14,
he gives " one now in my family " to Margaret,
and orders one for each of the five younger
sons; desiring if any of his children should die
leaving a daughter Margaret, such teapot
should descend to her. His wife, Margaret,
is to enjoy all his estate, rents, etc. , .for life,
with remainder to the seven younger children.
This will is recorded in New York.
The account which follows, of his descend
ants, is founded on a "Family Tree," and
papers now in the possession of Dr. James L.
Prichard, with the assistance of Church records
where available. It is believed to be correct,
as far as it goes; but the order of births in
some families, where dates are wanting, is un
certain; and there maybe omissions, for which
the "tree" must be held responsible.
Tobias Stoutenburgh, son of Jacobus, mar
ried in New York, 6 July, 1745, Catharine,
daughter of Abraham Van Meek, and Maria
Kip, baptized in New York, 30 November,
1 71 8. To him his father gave a farm lying on
the river front of the Ninth Water Lot. It is
probable that the large house that stood until
about i860, opposite the present railway sta
tion, was his residence. This house was oc-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

851

cupied at the beginning of this century by his
son-in-law, Richard De Cantillon, who carried
on here a mercantile and shipping business;
sending cargoes as far as the West Indies, to
be exchanged for sugar, molasses and rum.
Few particulars of this eldest son seem to have
come down to this day. Children: Margaret,
baptized. New York, 30 March, 1746; married
Jacob Schryver, and had Jane, and Sarah, who
married her cousin, Tobias S. De Cantillon.
Abraham, who left two chHdren, Tobias and
Mary. Mary married in 1770 Richard De-
Cantillon, and had Tobias S. (married Sarah
Schryver), Richard, Catherine (married Patrick
B, Collins), and Maria (married Capt. Hum
phrey Wood). Jacobus T. , who died after
1807. Tobias Stoutenburgh was commissioned
colonel of the 4th Regiment, Dutchess county,
17 October, 1775.
William Stoutenburgh, a son of Jacobus,
received from his father a homestead farm of
large extent, lying on both sides of the Creek
road, and taking in the whole breadth of the
Ninth W^ater Lot. On this he built a large stone
house, which isstill standing, and in a good state
of preservation, a short distance south of Union
Corners, with the date, 1765, cut in a stone
in the front. He married in New York, 5
July, 1753, Maria, daughter of Abraham Van-
Vleck and Maria Kip; baptized in New York,
25 July, 1725. Children: James, who died
in i8©7, married three times; Abraham W. ,
married Margaret Van Vleck; WiHiam W. ,
died 1829, married Elizabeth Conklin; Tobias
W., married Mary HiH; Mary W., married
Harmon Van Benschoten, and had Mary,
born 25 October, 1789, and Catharine, bap
tized 3 December, 1797; John W. , baptized,
Poughkeepsie, 22 September, 1765; Isaac,
born 17 December, 1767, married Elsie Schry
ver; Henry, born 22 June, 1770, died early.
James Stoutenburgh, son of WHHam, owned
a farm on a road now closed, northeast of
Union Corners. He was married three times,
first 31 December, 1782, to Mary Moss; and
had: Polly, married James Culver. Mar
garet. He married a second, 30 December,
1790, Hannah Marshall, and had Richard,
born 9 July, 1791 (married, and had Richard
and John T. B.); Hannah ("Nancy"), born
23 August, 1792; Herman; Marshall, died in
Poughkeepsie, 19 August, 1849, aged fifty-
seven, leaving children. He married (third)
Comfort Bell, by whom.he had one chHd, Eliza
beth, married John Handricks. In his wiH, 19

May, proved 25 June, 1807, he names vvife
Comfort, and all the above chHdren. "The
widow Comfort Stoutenburgh" survived her
husband many years, residing on the home
stead. Abraham W. Stoutenburgh, son of WilHam,
married Margaret, daughterof James Van Vleck
and Anna Stoutenburgh. Children: James;
Margaret, married Tunis, son of William W.
Stoutenburgh; William, born 23 March, 1783;
Ann; Harmon; Elizabeth, born 7 March, 1789;
Catharine, Maria, born 5 September, 1790;
Abraham, born 25 August, 1791; Mary, born
10 December, 1797. Abraham W. Stouten
burgh lived in the town of Clinton. On May
I, 1795, Ebenezer Mott, of Stanford, and
Mary, his wife, conveyed 21 1 acres in Clinton
to Abraham Stoutenburgh, of Clinton, and Mar
garet, his wife, " it being the homestead farm
their mother, Ann Van Vleck, possessed and
resided on at the time of her decease,"
William W. Stoutenburgh, son of William,
died 19 August, 1829, aged seventy years. He
had from his father a farm and mills a mile
east of Union Corners. He married 28 Janu
ary, 1783, Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac Conk
lin and Catalyntje Van Benschoten, born 14
May, 1766, died 7 November, 1835. Children:
William W. , Jr. , married Maria De Groff, and
left a family. Isaac, born 12 February, 1786,
not married. Catalyntje, born 22 December,
1789. Maria, born 9 January, 1792, died 28
May, 1884, aged ninety-two, married JohnE.
De Groff, who died 20 September, 1846, aged
fifty-nine. Jacob Van Benschoten, born 25
June, 1794, died 18 May, 1879, married Hes
ter Travis, who died 14 May, 1883, aged
eighty-five. Tunis married Margaret, daugh
ter, of Abraham W. Stoutenburgh. Sarah,
born 13 May, 1798, married — Mosher, and re
moved to " the West," died in fall of 1848.
Susan C., born 29 May, 1800, died 23 June,
1889, married Jobn A. De Groff, who died 2
February, 1876, in his eighty-first year. Ann
Eliza, born 1804, died 29 November, 1822,
aged eighteen years, three months. Henry,
kHled in 1 841, by beii;g thrown from a wagon;
not married. Elias Van Benschoten, born
14 March, 1810; married 11 March, 1835,
Huldah Swartwout.
Tobias W. Stoutenburgh, son of WHliam,
had the north part of the homestead of his
father, 121 acres, at Union Corners, and other
lands. In 1820 he advertised this property for
sale. He sold not long after and removed.

852

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

with a part of his family, to Phelps, Ontario
Co., N.Y. He married Mary HiH. ChHdren:
Barbara, born 29 June, 1792, married James
Hall, of Stanford. George, of New York,
married three times. William, of New York,
married and left a family. Mary Van Vleck
("Maria"), born 4 November, 1797, never
married. Abraham, removed to Texas, never
married. John T. , born 21 September, 1799,
married Mary Van Wagner, 3 December,
1823. Sarah, born 19 September, 1801, mar
ried Peter Reese. Isaac married Miss Reese.
Jane married Benjamin Prichard, son of James
Prichard. Cornelia Mott removed to Phelps,
Ontario county, had six children. Eliphalet,
born 15 October, 181 1 (living, 1897), of
Phelps, Ontario Co., N. Y, , married Clemen
tine Knapp, and has a family.
Isaac Stoutenburgh, son of William, was
born 17 December, 1767, and baptized at
Poughkeepsie 14 February, 1768; his sponsors
being Johannes Eman and Catharina Van Deu
sen, widow of his uncle Isaac Van Vleck. He
inherited the homestead of his father, with the
stone house before mentioned. He was a
prominent man in his day, in town and Church
affairs. He died i November, 1859, aged
ninety-two. He married 29 September, 1791,
Elsie, daughter of John P, Schryver and Elea
nor Van Benschoten, baptized at Rhinebeck,
15 August, 1773, died 6 July, 1845, aged
seventy-two. Children: William I., born 5
September, 1792, died 21 September, 1859,
unmarried. John Schryver, born 7 November,
1794, died 15 March, 1874, married Maria,
daughter of John Albertson, who died 22 Sep
tember, 1865, in her sixty-fifth year, and had
John Albert, counsellor at law, of Hyde Park
and New York, born 6 September, 1820, died
II AprH, 1887; James De Cantillon, counsel
lor at law (now of Washington, D. C); Susan
Caroline, died 1864, aged thirty-five, married
Col. Orrin Travis; WHlet E. (now of Wash
ington); Walter H. (also of Washington);
Isaac, died 1841, aged three years; and Mary,
married Abram Hyatt, of Sing Sing. Cathar
ine De CantHlon, born 25 May, 1797, died 13
May, 1858, unmarried. Richard De Cantillon
(twin), born 25 May, 1797, died 24 May, 1875,
married (first) Eliza Sophia Sleight, of FishkHl,
and (second) Eliza, daughterof Alexander Mc
Clellan. By the latter he had Isaac, of San
Francisco, deceased; George Washington, of
Chicago, died 1884; and Catharine Eliza, who
married Edgar Van Kleeck, of Poughkeepsie.

R. D. C. Stoutenburgh was long a merchant in
Poughkeepsie. Eleanor, born 20 December,
1800, died 25 September, 1876; married Rich
ard Lewis Prichard, son of James Prichard, and
Cornelia Mott, born i August, 1804, died 22,
November, 1882. His commission as captain
in the 84th Regiment was signed by Gov.
Marcy, 5 August, 1837. Richard L. and
Eleanor Prichard had three children: Isaac De-
Cantillon Prichard, late one of the Associate
Judges of Dutchess county, who died 9 Feb
ruary, 1894; James L. Prichard, M, D, , of
Hyde Park, and Elsie Cornelia Prichard.
James C. died 20 June, 1815, aged thirteen.
Tobias I., born 29 January, 1806, died 25 Oc
tober, 1888; married Maria, daughter of Isaac
Albertson, and settled in the town of Pleasant
Valley. ChHdren: Sarah C. married Albert
J. Budd, and Mary married Dr. Merritt
Dutcher, of Owego, N. Y. Mary Elsie, born
17 July, 1809, died 16 January, 1833; married
Jacob T. Sleight. Henry Cuyler, born i Au
gust, 1 8 12, living 1897, of Poughkeepsie; mar
ried Amelia, sister of Col. Orrin Travis, and
has Mary, Edward, Walter, Juliet, Anne and
Henry. Caroline, born 23 June, 181 5, died
20 June, 1829, aged fourteen. WHliam I.,
son of Isaac Stoutenburgh, served in the war
of 1 8 12, being then about twenty years of
age. For his services he had a pension, in
later years, and a grant of land. A home
made blanket with the date " 18 12 " woven in
it, and which he had with him at Harlem
Heights, is still preserved by a niece.
Anna Stoutenburgh, daughter of Jacobus,
married June, 1755, Jacobus (James) Van-
Vleck, son of Abraham Van Vleck, of New
York, and Maria Kip, baptized in New York
18 September, 1720. She inherited lands in
the town of Clinton, near her brother Peter,
and died there before 1795, leaving two chil
dren, viz. : Mary, wife of Ebenezer Mott, of
Stanford, Margaret, wife of Abraham, son of
the first William Stoutenburgh. The husband
of Anna died before 1772. " Ebenezer Mott,
Esq," died January 9, 181 3, aged sixty-two.
Mary, his wife, died December 2, 1840, aged
eighty-two. Jacobus Stoutenburgh, Jr., son of Jacobus,
married 23 June, 1764. Josina, daughter of
John Teller, of Teller's Point, and Aeltje
(Alida) Vermilye. He lived in the stone house
at the Lower Corners, which he inherited, to
gether with a considerable farm adjoining.
At the close of the Revolution he purchased

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

853

the confiscated estate of Christian Bergh,
which joined his own on the south, and which
Mr. Bergh had intended for the portion of his
daughter, Maria Barbara, wife of Martin Dob,
who built the stone house, still standing, east
of the road. Children: James I. (Captain),
born February i, 1767. married (first) 3
March, 1793, Catharine E. , daughter of Rich
ard Snediker, of Spacken Kill, in the town of
Poughkeepsie, who died 4 August, 181 5, aged
forty; and (second), 15 AprH, 1824, Sarah
Patchen. He inherited part of the late Bergh
estate, and built the first part of the house
afterward the residence of the late Daniel S.
MiHer; but soon sold the property. He was
an active man, and made many changes during
his Hfe. AHda, born 19 April, 1769; married,
first, 13 October, 1794, Dr. Hiram Walker
(who settled at Hyde Park, but died early),
and, second, Walton Street, of Coxsackie.
Margaret, born 26 December, 1771; married,
first, John L., son of Luke Stoutenburgh, and,
second, John I. Teller, son of John Teller and
Margaret Stoutenburgh. John I., baptized 24
May, 1774, died 18 March, 1822; married
Sarah Griffin, of Lyme, Conn., and had
Margaret, born 1797, died 6 March, 1802, and
Sarah Catharine, born 8 February, 1807,
died 14 March, 1888; married WiHiam B.
Platt, of Rhinebeck. Tbe homestead of John
I. Stoutenburgh was on the east side of the
road, at tbe Lower Corners, on the property
now owned by Mrs. Calista Jones. The house
stood untH after 1850. Luke I., born 28 Jan
uary, 1779; married Elizabeth Catharine,
daughter of Anthony A. Hoffman and Eliza
beth Snediker, and niece of his brother James'
wife. They had, Josina, married Storm
Truesdell, of Coxsackie; Walton Street, of
Coxsackie, who died about 1872; Edgar, died
29 July, 181 1, aged one year four months;
Richard Anthony, born August, 18 16, and
Cortland Augustus, born January, 1820.
Luke I. Stoutenburgh lived in the house late
the residence of his father. In later years this
became the property of John I. Teller; and
after having had several owners, and a long
list of tenants, was finally destroyed by an in
cendiary fire, on the night of August 6, 1864.
Then for some years it formed a picturesque
ruin. John Stoutenburgh, son of the first Ja
cobus, married by license dated 25 November,
1773, Catharine, daughter of John Teller
and Aeltje Vermilye, who died 27 August,

1805, in her seven-sixth year. They had no
chHdren. He had from his father, besides
other property, valuable mill privHeges on
Crumelbow creek. He was one of the chief
founders of the Reformed Dutch Church of
Hyde Park, and one of its first officers. He
died at Hyde Park, 21 February, 1808, in his
seventy-ninth year. In his wHl, dated 3 Jan
uary, 1807, after directing a wall five feet
high to be built around the family burying
ground (it stiH stands), and freeing his slaves,
to whom he gave legacies, he distributed a
considerable estate among his heirs, who were
his surviving sister, Margaret Teller, and his
nephews and nieces.
Peter Stoutenburgh, son of the first
Jacobus, was settled on a tract of land (it is
said 1,600 acres) in "Great Lot No. i," in
the northwestern part of the town of Clinton.
He married Rachel Van Steenburgh. Chil
dren: James P., rnarried and bad John,
James P., Jr., Joseph, Mary, Rachel, Margaret
and Sarah. Tobias P., baptized, Pough
keepsie, 17 November, 1765. WilHam P.,
married 5 June, 1803, Elizabeth, daughter, of
Maj. John Pawling, and had Alfred and JuHa.
Peter P., who married and had WiHiam T.,
Peter P., Margaret, Maria Affie, Catharine
and Sarah. Luke P. Benjamin. Rachel P.
Margaret married  Row, and had Mark,
Catharine, Margaret, Rachel, and " W. P.
Row," who married Rachel, daughter of
James L. Stoutenburgh. John, born 22 Oc
tober, 1768, baptized, Poughkeepsie.
Margaret Stoutenburgh, daughter of the
first Jacobus, married 8 October, 1764, John
Teller, born 1741, son of John Teller and
Aeltje VermHye. Children, all baptized at
Poughkeepsie: John I, , born 16 November,
1765, married Margaret, daughter of Jacobus
Stoutenburgh, Jr., and widow of John L.
Stoutenburgh; had a son, the late WilHam
Teller, of Rhinebeck, father of Mrs. Eugene
Wells. James, born 2 July, 1768, married,
and had John, Morris and Margaret. Tobias,
born 27 January, 1772, died 19 October,
1854, of Red Hook; married Paulina  ,
and had B. Franklin, Monroe and Margaret.
WHHam, born 29 December, 1775, married,
and had Jacobus and Tobias. Most of the
family of John TeHer and Aeltje VermHye
came early to what is now the town of Hyde
Park. Their chief residence was at " Teller's
HiH," on the "Fourth Water Lot," where
the large mansion of the family stood untH

854

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1830. Of the brothers, James died without
issue; Luke left a large family, and John mar
ried as above stated; while Dr, Abraham
Teller, who died in 1803, aged fifty-nine, was,
perhaps, about the earliest settled physician
in the neighborhood.
Luke Stoutenburgh, youngest son of the first
Jacobus, married, first, 2 August, 1762, Rachel,
daughter of John Teller and Aeltje Vermilye,
by whom he had eight children. He married,
second, 24 November, 1782, Mary Van Vleck,
widow of Henry Minthorne, who survived him.
To Luke he gave that portion of his estate
lying between the lands given to Tobias and
William; the creek bounding it on the north,
while on the south were the lands of Jacobus,
Jr. An abstract of title says this deed of gift
was made in 1758, and confirmed by will. Luke
died before 1789, and in 1791 his farm was
divided by commissioners into forty-two lots,
and apportioned among the heirs; two lots,
comprising the mansion and its environs, being
left undivided. It was this division, and the
establishment of a Church that decided the site
of the village, now Hyde Park; some of the
smaller lots being soon disposed of. Luke
lived in the stone house built by him, orbis
father, on the brow of the hill at the end of an
avenue of cherry trees leading from the Post
road. Some say Jacobus, himself, lived in
this house in his later years. The avenue
became a thoroughfare to the "Upper", or
"DeCantillon's Landing;" the road curving
around the north side of the house and thence
down the hiH; and in 1791 lots were laid out
along it. It is now known as Market street.
The house was fully equal to the one at the
Lower Corners, and perhaps a little larger. It
was visible from the river, and in 1777 the
British vessels, passing up to burn Kingston,
fired on it. Several cannon balls were after
ward found, and are stiH preserved in the
town. In 1872 this house, long in a neglected
condition, was taken down in order to straighten
the road.
Luke Stoutenburgh and Rachel Teller had:
James L. , died 16 December, 1831, aged sixty-
seven years, eight months, nineteen days; mar
ried Sarah Morris, who died 15 March, 1846,
aged seventy-one years, nine months, eleven
days, John L. , baptized i February, 1767,
died I December, 1794; married Margaret,
daughter of Jacobus Stoutenburgh, Jr. ; had
one child, John, died 15 September, 1797,
aged three years; and his widow married John

I. Teller. Luke L., born 28 January, 1770-
never married. Tobias L. , born 2 September,
1772; died March 27, 1846; married Esther
Rogers. William L. , born 10 September,
1775, died in Brooklyn 22 January, 1864;
married Mary Juliet Dutton, Peter L, , born
 . married Pamela  , removed to New
York. Margaret, born 27 February, 1779,
died 28 August, 1835, married 18 January,
1797, Richard Teller, son of Luke Teller, and
Sarah Snediker, born 28 July, 1775; and had
Catharine, Eleanor and Margaret, all died un
married, and the late Col. Richard Teller (born
1822) of New York. Eleanor married Samuel
Van Vleck, of Pittston, Rensselaer, Co., N. Y.,
and had Mary and Catharine.
James L. Stoutenburgh, son of Luke,
owned the farm lying north of the road, and
next east of Union Corners. He and his wife,
Sarah Morris, had eleven children, as follows
(Bible record): Catharine, born 2 December,
1793. Rachel I., born 29 May, 1796; married
W. P. Row. Margaret 1,, born 28 AprH,
1798. John, born 29 April, 1800, died 15
December 1800. Eleanor C, born 21 Feb
ruary, 1802. William I., born 12 June, 1804.
Tobias M., born 2 August, 1806, died in
Poughkeepsie, 23 October, 1884, married
(first) Mary L, Van Wagner, who died 20 Au
gust, 1845, aged thirty-five; and (second)
Serena Velie, who survived him. He had a
large collection of family documents, parch
ments and papers, which he left to a nephew,
son of the Rev. Luke. Sarah Mary Juliet,
born 14 August, 1808, Richard T. , born 21
December, 18 10. James, born 18 October,
1812; died young. Luke, born 29 December,
181 5; the Rev. Luke I. Stoutenburgh, of
Schooley's Mountain, N. J., who died in "Wash-
ton, D. C, 13 March, 1891, leaving a family.
Tobias L. Stoutenburgh, son of Luke, be
came the owner of the homestead of his fa
ther, and lived there until his removal to New
York. He represented his district in the Leg
islature, in 1807-8, In 18 1 3 he built the first
store in the vHlage, on the corner of Albany
and Market streets, and conducted business
there, as a merchant, for several years. About
1830 he removed to New York, where he be
came a "public weigher and measurer," and
continued to reside there, until his death. He
married 28 November, 1812, Esther, daughter
of Capt, Jeremiah Rogers and Mary Jones.
Capt. Rogers [for whose ancestry refer to the
N. Y. Genealogical and Biographical Record,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

855

1884-1885] owned the estate, on the Post road,
next south of Teller's Hill, where he died in
1810, and is buried, with several of his family,
on the place. Mrs. Esther Stoutenburgh died
in New York 28 July, 1842, aged sixty-two.
ChHdren: Elizabeth, born 20 November,
181 3, died II August, 1893; married 8 Febru
ary, 1837, Richard Aurelius Tebault, of South
CaroHna, and had two children, who died young.
Mary, born 9 April, 1815, died i June, 1865;
not married. Edmund Jones married Mary
Lowry, who died 16 December, 1847, aged
thirty; no surviving issue. Margaret died 9
September, 1844, aged twenty-six; married
Thomas Rudd Lowry, of New York. Cornelia
Jones, born 6 April, 1821, died 9 July, 1848;
married J. Warren Rogers.
William L, Stoutenburgh, son of Luke,
lived many years on the Post road, just north
of the village, and near the Stoutenburgh bury
ing ground; but removed to New York, and
engaged in business. He married 1 1 October,
1807, Mary Juliet, daughter of Capt. THus
Dutton, a soldier of the Revolution. She died
on Staten Island, 24 November, 1861. Chil
dren: William Tobias, died in New York, 28
October, 1884, aged seventy-three, leaving
four children. He was twice married. Mary
Elizabeth died i June, 1891, aged seventy-
nine; married Rev. Robert A. Quin (of the Re
formed Dutch Church), chaplain of the Sail
ors' Snug Harbor, Staten Island, and bad a
family. Peter Augustus, M. D., settled at
Oyster Bay, L, I. ; he died of blood poisoning,
caught from a sick horse. Thomas DeWitt,
born 23 March, 1818, died 12 November, 1855.
Anna, born 23 February, 1820, died 29 March,
1845; married Edwin Sturges. Richard Tel
ler, born 20 May, 1822; married  . Ferdi
nand Vanderveer, baptized 27 March, 1824.
Martha Catharine, baptized 30 March, 1826,
died 10 October, 1844.
Peter L. Stoutenburgh, son of Luke, had,
by Pamela, his wife: Wright, Joseph, Mary,
Sarah, David, Jacob, Samuel and James.

TARTIN W. PAINE, a leading business
^ man of Millerton, Dutchess county, the
proprietor of the well-known feed store and of
the Benedict Mills, was born in the same lo
cality June 12, 1841, in the house now occu
pied by Mr. Hotchkiss. His father, Platt A.
Paine, was one of the most prominent citizens

of the town of Northeast, and a farmer by
occupation. Mr. Paine's early life was that of the aver
age country boy, his time being spent in the
healthful exercise of "doing up the chores,"
and in attending the district schools of Spen
cers Corners and Millerton. After leaving
school he remained with bis father for a year,
and then engaged in farming on his own ac
count, spending four years near Boston Cor
ners and five on the Paine farm, just below
the old family homestead. In 1870 he pur
chased the Benedict Mills, which he has ever
since conducted, together with a small farm
adjoining them. He has done a large custom
business in milling, and dealt extensively in-
flour, and in 1893 opened a flour and feed
store in Millerton, which is the principal estab
lishment of the kind in that vicinity. His en-
prises have all been successful, and he has ac
cumulated a fine property.
Notwithstanding the close attention re
quired by his business, Mr. Paine has found
time for reading, and is well informed upon
the questions of the day. Politically, he is a
strong Republican, but he does not take an
active share in party work, although in many
progressive movements in his neighborhood he
has been among the chief promoters. He
married Miss Emily Eggleston, daughter of
Nicholas D. Eggleston, and both are promi
nent members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. They have had three children: Berk
ley, a residentof Buchanan, Va. ; Grace A.,
who married D. C. Dakin, of MiHerton; and
Fred L. , an enterprising young blacksmith in
Millerton.

IRAM GEDDINGS STEVENS (de
ceased). The subject of this memoir,
formerly a prominent agriculturist of the town
of Dover, Dutfchess county, was a worthy rep
resentative of two of the oldest and best-known
families. His father, the late Hon. David W.
Stevens, was a man of fine ability and wide
influence. His first wife, our subject's mother,
was Nancy A. Geddings, daughter of Hon.
GamaHel B, Geddings, of Sherman, Conn.,
and for some years after their marriage he re
sided at her father's farm there, taking mean
time a leading part in local affairs. In 1846
he represented that district in the Legislature
of Connecticut, Later he moved to a farm in

856

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

South Dover, Dutchess county, and identified
himself with the best interests of that locality,
helping in many public movements, and espe
cially in the work of building up the Bap
tist Church of South Dover. Mrs. Nancy
Stevens died at Palmyra, Ohio, March i8,
1858, and AprH 18, i860, he married Mrs
Lydia Ann Camp, a lady of exemplary Chris
tian character, the widow of the late WHliam
T. Camp, and daughter of Jonathan and Philo
mela Geddings. She survives him and resides
in South Dover, where his death occurred No
vember 16, 1868. There were the following
children by the first marriage, whose dates of
birth are given: Orrin, 1821, who married
"Phoebe A. Wheeler; Eunice, 1823, Mrs. Jona
than A. Geddings; Hiram, 1826, who died in
1833; Gamaliel, 1829, who married Julia
Dutcher; Frances, 1832, Mrs. Emery Cole;
Sarah, 1834, Mrs. James H. Martin; Hiram
G., May 29, 1839, the subject of thissketch.
The Geddings family is well known in dif
ferent parts of the United States, its members
playing an honorable and often a distinguished
part in their various lines of life. Hon. Gam
aliel Baldwin Geddings, our subject's maternal
grandfather, was born at Sherman, Conn., Oc
tober 6, 1766. He was an extensive land
holder in the Geddings district, and possessed
great political influence, serving as constable
and justice of the peace for about twenty years,
and as a member of the Legislature in 1805,
1 812 and 18 1 3. On November 24, 1790, he
married Miss Tabitha Eunice Barnes, daugh
ter of Stephen and Ann (Phinney) Barnes.
They had five children: Harriet, born Sep
tember 9, 1 79 1, died in Palmyra, Ohio, March
8, 1876; Solomon, born October 5, 1793, died
in 1838; Hiram, born September 14, 1795,
married Miss Rebecca Geddings; Nancy A.,
born May 30, 1798, was the mother of our
subject; and Sally M., born February 23, 1800,
married David W. Stevens, Gamaliel B. Ged
dings removed to Palmyra, Ohio, in 1845, and
died there at an advanced age.
Mr. Stevens was born at the old homestead
in South Dover, and in his youth received an
excellent education. He was married March
3, 1863, to Miss Ann Elizabeth Camp, daugh
ter of William T. and Lydia A. (Geddings)
Camp, and settled upon a farm near Wings
Station, where he lived a peaceful and happy
life until death called him February 21, 1893.
Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Stevens: Florence Bell, July 26, 1864;

Thomas Howard, January 9, 1873, and Nan
nie May, November 19, 1874, now the wife of
George Tabor, of South Dover. The elder
daughter, Florence, died May 25, 1871, at the
age of seven, and her death was deeply felt by
the entire famHy, but especially by her father,
who was led by it to seek consolation in com
munion with the only Friend who can bring
lasting peace to the afflicted, and although he
never made a public profession of faith he be
came a consistent follower of Christ, and took
the Golden Rule for the law of his life. His
stern integrity, which commanded the respect
of all who knew him, was combined with a
kindly sympathy for others that won the
affectionate regard of his more intimate ac
quaintances, and his death was mourned
throughout the community. His son, Thomas
H. Stevens, is one of the most intelligent
young men of South Dover, and is already
noted for possessing the admirable character
istics of his ancestry.

S\MITH J. SACKETT is one of the most
) prosperous and successful farmers of the
town of Stanford, Dutchess county, owning
300 acres of valuable land there. He is num
bered among the self-made men of the county,
his accumulations being the result of his own
industry, obtained by self-denial and economy,
and the exercise of a naturally good judgment,
both in regard to agricultural pursuits and
business matters. Stanford town has always
been the field of his operations, and the cen
ter of his hopes and interests, for since his
birth, which occurred March 19, 1844, he has
there made his home.
His father, Leonard Sackett, was born in
the town of Stanford, September 7, 1797. In
the schools of the neighborhood of his boy
hood home he obtained his education, and he
remained upon the home farm until his mar
riage. He married Ruth GHdersleeve, a na
tive of the town of Clinton, Dutchess county,
and they had the following chHdren: Joel,
born June 29, 1828, is now deceased; Cor
delia, born April 28, 1830, is the wife of Elias
Thompson, of Pine Plains, Dutchess county;
Eunice was born March 8, 1832; Jane Eliza
beth, born August 10, 1834, has passed away;
Hiram L. wasborn August 15, 1837; Emily,
bornAugust 13. 1839, 's the wife of Theron
Knickerbocker; Sarah M., born February 17,
1842, is also deceased; Smith J. is next in or-

ct^J^ J ^a^^^-^

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

857

der of birth, and Henry, born in December,
1847, has departed this life. The father's
death occurred May 17, 1866, that ofthe mother
on July 25, 1878. Most of their married life
was passed on a farm near Stissing, Dutchess
county, which Mr. Sackett operated. With
the Baptist Church of Bangall they held mem
bership, and in his political views the father
was first a Whig, later a Republican.
The education of Smith J. Sackett was
such as the district schools of the town of
Stanford afforded, and on reaching his major
ity he left his parental roof, starting out in life
with no capital. For some time he operated
farms on shares, but in 1880, in connec
tion with his brother Henry, he purchased
his present farm, and the following year bought
another. With him, his brother Hiram and
sister Eunice find a pleasant home.
Mr. Sackett has never taken an active part
in politics, although keeping himself well in
formed on matters of general interest, and uni
formly votes the straight Republican ticket.
To enterprises calculated for the general wel
fare of the people around him he has ever
been a cheerful and liberal contributor.

^\AMUEL LYNCH. This capitaHst is living
'^) at his ease in Pleasant Valley village,
Dutchess county, his only occupation being
the care of the property be in his younger days
accumulated by untiring industry and judicious
economy. Mr. Lynch was born September 18, 1823,
in the town of Pleasant Valley, Dutchess county,
and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Camp
bell) Lynch, both natives of Ireland, where
they married. On leaving the Emerald Isle
they saHed for Nova Scotia, where the father
was engaged in the lumber business for about a
year, and then removed to Long Island, there
following farming during the next three years.
Removing thence to Dutchess county, he be
came a resident of the town of Pleasant Val
ley, where during the remainder of his life he
devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits.
He died about 1880, his wife several years be
fore. They were earnest and consistent mem
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
in his political affiliations Mr Lynch was a
stanch Whig and Repubhcan. They had the
following chHdren: Martha married Henry
PhHlips, a tanner of Dutchess county; Samuel
comes next; Betsy Jane became the wife of

Silas Ward, a shoemaker; Leah married a
Mr. Gardiner, a merchant; Margaret wedded
Ebenezer Whitney, a carpenter; Harriet mar
ried John Delany, a car conductor; Hanna be
came the wife of a Mr. Gardiner, a milkman;
Alexander went to California when young, and
nothing is known of him; and George was a
carpenter and wheelwright.
The subject of this memoir received the
education common to farmer's sons, his boy
hood being passed in the town of Pleasant
Valley, but after his school days were over he
went to Unionvale, where he learned the car
penter's trade with Joseph Wait, by whom he
was employed for about six years. He then
began business for himself in the town of
Pleasant Valley, but in 1849 went to New
York City, where for forty years he was
engaged in contracting and buHding with good
success, erecting many houses in that city.
On laying aside business cares he returned to
Pleasant Valley, where, since 1889, he has
lived retired, having accumulated sufficiently
of this world's goods to enable him to pass his
remaining days in ease, surrounded by the
comforts of life, and enjoying the respect and
confidence of his fellow men in the highest
degree. In 1852 Mr. Lynch was married to Miss'
Anna M. Wyles, who was born and reared in
Philadelphia, Penn., and is a daughter of
Joseph Shaw Wyles. Four children blessed
this union: Clara; Anna, wife of George E.
Stuart, of New York City; Frank, a resident of
Brooklyn, N. Y.; and Emma. Mr. Lynch is
a true-hearted man, an earnest believer in the
doctrines of Christianity, and both he and his
wife are faithful members of the Presbyterian
Church. Politically he is a stanch Republican,
and in 1895 was elected supervisor, serving one
year. He is a public-spirited, enterprising
man, and in all matters tending to benefit the
people of his community, morally, socially or
financially, he has ever been an earnest and
cheerful worker.

^ARCUS D. MARCY, a prominent resi-
^ dent of Dover Plains, Dutchess county,
who was for many years a valued employe on
the Harlem railroad, was born March 29,
1848, in the town of Dover, Dutchess county.
He took advantage of the educational oppor
tunities afforded by the schools of his native
place, and in early manhood entered the serv-

858

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

ice of the raHroad company, and remained
twenty-five years working first as a brakeman
and afterward as a conductor. In the latter po
sition he was unusually successful, a fact which
speaks well for his tact, and intelligence.
Realizing the value of a clear brain, he is a
firm opponent of intemperance, and for fifteen
years he has been a member of the order of
Good Templars. He married Miss Hattie
A. Fero, daughter of John and Adelaide Fero,
and has one daughter. Bertha, born in 1886.
His ancestors have been agriculturists in
the town of Dover, Dutchess county, for sev
eral generations. His grandfather, Moses
Marcy, was a native of the town, and followed
farming all his life. He and his wife, Susan
Cutler, reared a family of eight children:
Rogers wentto Michigan, made a home in the
forest, and became well-to-do; George; Robey
married Fred Summers; Abbie married Brigg
Tanner; Hannah was the wife of Seneca
White; Lucretia never married; Moses married
Fannie Addis; and Mary married Orisey Wol-
sey, and had one son, Moses Wolsey.
Moses Marcy, our subject's father, was a
native of Dover Plains, where he was educated
and later engaged in farming and in the butch
er's trade. His wife, Fannie Addis, was a na
tive of New Preston, Conn. They had seven
children: Oliver W., who married Alvira
Halleck; Griffin C, who niarried Jane Sher
wood; Andrew A,, who never married; Gar
wood G., who married Caroline Summers; Al
vin B., who married first, Emma Lee; Mar
cus D., our subject; and Samantha A., the
wife of John Bristow.
Mrs. Marcy's ancestors on both sides were
early settlers in Dutchess county. A great-
great-grandfather, Israel Chapman, was a
farmer in the town of Dover, where he and
his wife Esther reared a family of three chH
dren: (i) John; (2) WiHiam, who married
Rachel Cherrytree; and (3) Nathan, John
Chapman, Mrs. Marcy's great-grandfather,
was a lifelong resident of the town of Dover,
where he followed the shoemaker's trade. He
married Catherine Briggs, of Connecticut, and
had four children: Ann, Mrs, Bishop Smith;
Sallie A., Mrs. William H. Fero; Harry, who
married Pollie Gregory; and Richard, who mar
ried Sarah Wheeler. Sallie A, , Mrs. Marcy's
grandmother, was born in South Dover, in
1807, and married Mr. Fero, November 8,
1827. He was a farmer in Dover town, and
a son of Jacob Fero, a well-to-do farmer of

Columbia county. Five children were born of
this union: Hattie, Mrs. Jerry Waldron;
Oscar, who married (first) Mary Anson, and
(second) Christina Wilcox; John, Mrs. Marcy's
father; Akin, whose wife's name is not known;
and William, who died in infancy. John Fero
was born in South Dover in 1838, and in early
manhood engaged in farming, but later was
employed for twenty years as a conductor on
the Harlem railroad. He now lives a retired
Hfe. He and his brother Oscar both enlisted
at Poughkeepsie during the Civil war in Com
pany E, 150th N. Y, V. I. Although he takes
an active interest in public affairs he has never
aspired to office. He belongs to the Masonic
Lodge No. 666, of Dover, and also to the or
der of Good Templars Lodge No. 433. He
married Miss Adelaide Leonard, and had four
children: (i) Jennie, born in 1859, married
Edward Davis, and has had three children:
May, born in 1886; Bessie, in 1890; and John,
who died in infancy. (2) Hattie, bornin 1862,
wife of our subject. (3) 'WHliam, mentioned be
low. (4) Ida, born in 1869, died in infancy.
Mrs. John Fero, Mrs. Marcy's mother, is
of English descent, her grandparents, Enoch
and Elsie Leonard, cousins, having come from
the mother country to settle in Dutchess coun
ty. Her grandfather was a soldier in the war
of 1812. Their three children were: Joshua;
WiHiam, who never married; and Maria, Mrs.
Joseph Worden. Joshua Leonard, Mrs. Fero's
father, was born in Dutchess county in i8io,
and after attending the schools of that time,
engaged in farming in the town of Pawling.
In 1862 he enlisted in Company E, 150th
N. Y. V. I., and died in the service in 1864.
His wife was Miss Eliza Olivet, daughter of
James Olivet, a prominent farmer of Pawling
town, and his wife Mary. Three children
were born to them: Mary Ann, who died in
infancy; William; and Adelaide, Mrs. Fero.
William Fero, the third chHd and first son
of John and Adelaide Fero, was born in 1865,
and is now an engineer on the Harlem railroad.
He married Minnie Rider, by whom he has
had four children: Addie, born in 1875, died
young; Ida, born in 1885; John, born in 1890;
and "\Villiam, in 1893, Mrs. William Fero is
a descendant of one of the old families of
Bangall, and her grandfather, Thompson Rider,
was a native of that place. He was a carpen
ter by trade, and was an active member of the
Masonic Lodge of Bangall. His first wife,
Sarah Bailey, was a daughter of Joseph Bailey,

¦//,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

859

a well-known resident of that village, and his
second wife was a Miss Davis. There were
five children by the first marriage, (i) Emma
married George Tompkins, a carpenter, and
had six chHdren: Annie, George, Jennie, and
three others whose names are not known.
(2) Landon died in the army. (3) David, a
carpenter by trade, married Miss Eliza Platt,
and had one son, Harry. (4) Legrand died at
the age of twenty-two. Albert, Mrs. Fero's
father, was born at Bangall, in 1843, and
after receiving a common-school education in
his native village, he learned the carpenter's
trade, which be followed for many years. He
is a member of the Masonic fraternity. His
wife, Sarah Sackett, was a daughterof George
and Rachel Sackett, and her father was a
leading farmer in the town of Washington.
Eleven children were born of this union:
Emma married Harry Hardstay, and has had
four children; Anna is at home; Lillie married
George Coolman, and has had one daughter,
Anna; Agnes is not married; Minnie married
Mr. Fero; Josie died in infancy; and Bert,
Charles, John, William and Albert are not
married.

[ARTHA T. WING. Among the suc
cessful agriculturists of the town of
Pawling, Dutchess county. Miss Martha Wing
is noted for her scientific and progressive
management. A constant reader of agri
cultural journals, as well as general literature,
she keeps well informed on the latest and best
methods in all branches of her work, and her
farm shows the results of her practical in
vestigations. She is especially interested in
horticulture. The Wing family has long been prominent
in the town of Pawling. Jedediah Wing,
Miss Wing's great-great-grandfather, came
from Rhode Island at an early period and set
tled upon a farm north of Quaker HHl. He
was a man of quiet tastes and a leading mem
ber of the Society of Friends. Their son,
Elihu, Miss Wing's great-grandfather, was
a miHwright by trade, and lived upon a farm
east of the old Friends meeting house. He
and his wife, Keziah Wihg, reared a family of
eight children: AbigaH, Sybil, Phoebe, Eliza
beth, Sarah, Lydia, Keziah and Abram.
Abram Wing was only seven years of age
when his father died. He became a farmer,
locating about one-half mile south of the pres

ent homestead, and was very successful, own
ing about 500 acres of land at the time of his
death. He was prominent in local affairs, al
though not especially active, and was always
interested in religious progress. He married
Rose Irish, who was born July 4, 1789, and
had four sons: Elihu, born August 20, 1806;
Charles, April 6, 1808; Daniel, September 23,
1809; and David I., March 22, 181 1. Abram
Wing died in 1846, but his widow survived him
many years, passing to her rest in 1888. Of
the sons, Elihu and Daniel spent their lives at
the old home farm. They never married.
Charles married Eliza Deuel, and had three
children: Sarah H., Abram D. and Elihu S.
David I., Miss Wing's father, lived at the
old home untH his marriage to Mary Irish,
daughter of David Irish, when he settled upon
the present homestead, which contains 120
acres. Thrifty and successful in business, he
was also active as a citizen and as a member
of the Friends Society. Like the majority of
his family, he was a Republican and took much
interest in the success of his party. He died
November 27, 1888, and bis wife followed him
September 25, 1893. They had four children:
Elizabeth, the wife of Edward Rider, of Peach
Pond; Martha T. , our subject; Phoebe, who
married Edward Henry Wilcox, of Pawling;
and Carrie, who died in 1894.

OBERT CASS, a prominent educator,
whose professional work has covered a
period of over a quarter of a century, is a
leading resident of the town of Pawling, Dutch
ess county. A man of fine culture and liter
ary ability, he has found time aside from the
exacting duties of the school room to use his
pen effectively, and as a correspondent of the
American Agriculturist , the Poughkeepsie
Eagle, tbe New Milford Gazette, and other
papers, he has done valuable work. He comes
of a brainy, energetic family. His grandfather,
Richard Cass, was one of four brothers vvho
came from the central part of Scotland and
settled in different parts of the United States:
one in Ohio, two in Illinois, and one in Mich
igan, the latter being the father of Gen. Lewis
Cass, so well known in military and political
affairs. AHen Cass, our subject's father, was born
in 1806, near Xenia, Ohio, and in early man
hood engaged in his father's occupation of
farming, at Danville, III., where he owned

860

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

200 acres of land. He was influential in local
affairs, and a personal friend of Abraham
Lincoln, and more than once was a juror
where Lincoln was conducting cases at the
bar. Politically, he was a Whig until the or
ganization of the Republican party, to which
he at once gave his allegiance. He was a
leading member of the Methodist Church. He
married Miss Martha Payton, a descendant of
one of the first families of Virginia, whose fa
ther, Valentine Payton, was a pioneer settler at
Danville. Eleven children were born to them:
William Henry, John Milton, Elisha, Alpheus,
Charles, Willis Allen, Robert, Mary Frances,
Lucy, Margaret and Caroline.
The subject of this sketch was born at
Danville, III., April 23, 1845, and was edu
cated mainly in the high school at Homer, III.,
under H. A. Coffeen, now a member of Con
gress from Colorado. After leaving school he
engaged in teaching, following the profession
successfully in the school at Sherman, Conn,,
the Farmont school at DanviHe, IH., and in
the schools at Pawling, Dutchess Co. N. Y.
He is actively interested in all that tends to
promote the welfare of the community, and
takes a leading part in Church work, having
served as Sunday-school superintendent for
twenty years.
Mr. Cass married a member of one of the
most highly respected families of this section,
Miss Emma G. Chamberlain, and has two
daughters, Carrie Belle and LiHie May.
George H. Chamberlain, the father of Mrs.
Cass, was born in 1820, in Kent, Conn.,
where his ancestors had made their home for
several generations. His father, Harvey
Chamberlain, and grandfather Chamberlain,
were farmers there. Harvey Chamberlain
was extremely popular, and held various offices
in his town, including that of selectman. In
his political affiliations he was a Democrat.
He died in 18 — , and his wife, whose maiden
name was Polly Morgan, passed away in her
fifty-third year. They had six chHdren:
George H. ; John, deceased; Helen, wife of
Daniel Vincent; Flora (Mrs. Sterling, of Sha
ron, Conn,); Mary, vvife of Smith Stewart, of
Kent, Conn. ; and Emeline (Mrs. Frederick
Bull). George H. Chamberlain was educated in
the district school near his birth place and in
a select school at Milton, Conn. Possessing
more than average mental ability, he made
good use of these opportunities, and in later

years kept well abreast with the times by his
reading. He taught for three or four seasons
after leaving school, but engaged in farming
after his marriage, in 1843, to Miss Mary
Ann Tompkins, daughter of Benjamin Tomp-
a leading citizen of Kent, Conn. Their
first home was on a farm about a mile
below the old homestead, but after four years
he purchased another piece of land in the
same neighborhood, where they spent about
five years. He then sold that farm, and in
1857 moved to a tract of land which he had
previously bought near Cerro Gordo, 111. ; but
two years later he returned to his native State,
and lived for two years at New Milford. In
1869 he purchased the Sherman Howard farm,
in the town of Pawling, Dutchess county,,
containing 125 acres, where he passed the re
mainder of his days. He had excellent judg
ment, and was successful in business and influ
ential as a citizen, although he invariably de
clined to become a candidate for office vvhen
urged to do so by his fellow workers in the
Democratic party.
Mrs. Cass was the only chHd of her parents.
Her mother's family, which like the Chamber
lains, was of English origin, was prominent in
East Kent, Conn., from early times. Her
maternal great-grandfather, Philip Tompkins,
was a cooper by trade, and her grandfather,
Benjamin Tompkins, was an extensive agri
culturist, and a man of note in local politics.
He married Ophelia Blakesley, and had six
chHdren: Augustus E. ; Mary Ann; Emeline
(Mrs. Luke Putnam); Laura (Mrs, Peter
Riley); Martha, who married Rufus Lovell, of
Washington, Conn.; and Eber W. Of this
family only, one is now living.

2^ LEXANDER R. BECKER, a prominent
^^^ contractor and agriculturist of the town
of Red Hook, Dutchess county, is a native of
the county, horn at Rock City September 13,
1828. His father. Christian Becker, was born
in the town of Red Hook October 16, 1800,
and there received a common-school education.
He learned the trade of blacksmithing, at
which he worked in connection with farming.
In Red Hook, on November 14, 1824, was
celebrated his marriage with Miss Elizabeth
Near, who was born June 22, 1802, and they
became the parents of four children, namely:
Mary A., who became the wife of Myron A.
Badgley; Juliet, who married John T. Stall;

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

861

WHliam H., who married Catherine Sagendorf;
and Alexander R. , of this review.
In the place of his nativity our subject at
tended the public schools, where he acquired
a fair education, and after leaving school he
learned the trade of a blacksmith with his fa
ther; but as this was not to his taste, he went
to ElizavHle, N. Y. , where he for a time en
gaged in merchandising. Disposing of his
business there, he next conducted a store in
New York City. He was also engaged in the
brewing business at Brooklyn, under the firm
name of Becker & Foster, and for some time
ran a brewery at Albany, N. Y. He was next
employed as freight agent for a line of steam
ers on the Hudson, and later turned his atten
tion to contracting in New York City. Since
returning to Dutchess county he his made bis
home in the town of Red Hook, where be suc
cessfully carries on contracting and farming.
He wins the respect and confidence of all with
whom he comes in contact, and occupies a
leading position among the influential citizens
of the community.
Mr. Becker was united in marriage with
Miss Celinda MuH, a daughter of Captain Mull,
a hay merchant of New York City, who is a
member of the firm of Mull & Lawton. In
1893 Mr. Becker was called to mourn the loss
of his estimable wife.
Mary Ann Becker, the sister of our subject,
was born at Rock City, August 30, 183 1, was
there educated and married Myron A. Badgley,
son of Squire and Hannah (Wing) Badgley.
By occupation Myron Badgley was a farmer.
He was three times married, his first union
being with Miss Elizabeth Near. He next
wedded Miss Becker, by whom he had one
daughter — Minnie L. For- his third wife he
chose Miss Sarah Haines, and to them was
born a daughter — Lizzie E., whose birth oc
curred October 28, 1868. She is now the wife
of WHlard E. Link, and they have two chH
dren — Ethel and Roy C.
Minnie L. Badgley, the niece of our sub
ject, was born June 15, 1863, in the town of
MHan, Dutchess county, attended the schools
of the locality, and was united in marriage
with William Augustiis Lown, who was born
at Madalin, Dutchess county, November 9,
1863, and is the son of Richard and Hannah
(Grunther) Lown, of Barrytown, N. Y. Their
marriage was celebrated June 27, 1886, and
previous to that time Mr. Lown had followed
the trade of a mason for several years, but is

now engaged in farming in the town of Red
Hook. Mr. and Mrs. Lown have become the
parents of three children: Alexander R., born
AprH 10, 1887; Florence, who was born May
25, 1 89 1, and died in infancy; and Bertram E.,
born December 19, 1894.

JOHN W. HOFFMAN (deceased) was for
many years prominently connected with
- the history of Dutchess county. His birth
occurred in the town of Red Hook, March 10,
1826, where the family is numbered among
the very oldest and most substantial in the
locality, being among the pioneers. His
father, George C. Hoffman, was a farmer and
butcher of Red Hook. On June 7, 1807, he
was united in marriage with Lydia Beekman,
and after her death wedded Maria Waldorf.
By the second union were born twelve chil
dren: Gitty Elizabeth, born January 15,
1809; Rebecca M., born February 25,»i8i2;
Helen S. , born January 23, 1814; Sarah A.,
born May 7, 1817; Lydia C. , born April 6,
1819; Benjamin B., born March 15, 1821;
Margarie L., born AprH 4, 1823; John W. , of
this review; George L. , born September 11,
1829; Edward M., born January 5, 1831;
J. Robert, born August 9, 1833; and Regina E.
The boyhood days of our subject were
spent mostly after the manner of farmers'
sons, and when he had attained a sufficient
age he entered the public schools of Red
Hook, where his education was acquired.
When he had arrived at years of maturity he
was united in marriage with Lydia S. Man
ning, daughter of John and Margaret (Raffen-
burgh) Manning. After the death of Mr. Man
ning, her mother was again married, becoming
the wife of Thomas Welsh, who died Seplem-
ter 31, 1 841. In her family were nine chil
dren: J. Manning, born in 1781; Margaret,
born July 10, 1788; Elizabeth J., born Octo
ber 27, 1805; Sarah R, , born October 14,
1807; Sophia, born February 21, 181 1; Mary
M., born October 9, 181 3; John A,, born May
7, 1822; Martin H., born June 18, 1827; and
Lydia S., born February 18, 1830.
The maternal grandmother of Mrs. Hoff
man, who bore the maiden name of Jennie
McGregor, was a native of Scotland, and while
quite young, in 1773, came to the United
States. Having the welfare of the people at
heart, she joined the force of nurses who were
at that time caring for the wounded soldiers of

862

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD

the Revolutionary war, and while serving in
that capacity she met and fell in love with a
handsome lieutenant who was wounded and
brought to the hospital for treatment. The
name of this officer was Peter Raffenburgh,
who was born June 17, 1746. They were af
terward married and became the parents of
five children, among whom was Margaret, the
mother of Mrs. Hoffman,
In early life Mr. Hoffman spent most of his
time in freighting on the Hudson, where he
owned two steamers — the " R. Donaldson" and
the "Clifton" — which he commanded. During
the Civil war the United States Government
wanted the R. " Donaldson " to fit out as a war
vessel. The purchase being completed, he was
on his way to New York City to make the nec
essary transfer, when he received word that
the steamer had run ashore in a fog, and was
burned. The financial loss was very heavy.
He then turned his attention to the hotel busi
ness at Barrytown, Dutchess county, which
proved very successful. He also engaged in
the manufacture of tobacco at Red Hook for
some time.
Eleven children graced the union of Mr.
and Mrs. Hoffman, namely: Orison G. , born
October 25, 1854; Elizabeth H., born October
2, 1856; WiHiam M. , born May 31, 1858;
Allen H,, born January 19, 1861; George E.,
born January 14, 1863; Horace A., born Oc
tober 23, 1864; C. Otis and Otto, twins, born
November 14, 1866; Robert M., born June 29,
1868; Maggie J., born May 5, 1872; and Hat
tie C, born August 27, 1873. The youngest
son, Robert M. Hoffman, was born in Red
Hook, and in 1881 entered the De Garmo In
stitute of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, which
school has since been removed to Fishkill-on-
Hudson. He later attended the Holbrook
MHitary Academy at Sing Sing, N. Y,, and in
1888, became a student at Yale College, from
which he was graduated with the class of 1891.
After his graduation he went to Chicago, III. ,
where for a few years he practiced mechanical
engineering. On December 26, 1883, the earthly career
of Mr. Hoffman was ended, his death being
deeply regretted by many warm friends as well
as his sorrowing family. His personal integ
rity both in public and private life, was of the
highest order, and both he and his estimable.
wife enjoyed the friendship and acquaintance
of a large number of the best people of Red
Hook and vicinity.

M RTHUR H. BOLLES. Although the
Wk^ subject of this sketch has resided at
Pawling, Dutchess county, but a few years, he
has won an enviable position in business cir
cles, the trade of his marble and stone cut
ting establishment extending beyond the limits
of his immediate locality into Putnam county,
N. Y. , and Fairfield and Litchfield counties.
Conn. He is a native of the last-named coun
ty, having first seen the light at New Preston,
November 11, 1857, and two previous genera
tions have been prominent there in the same
line of business. His grandfather, Reuben
Bolles, was born in Colebrook, Conn., in 1790,
but about 1 81 3 went to New Preston and
learned the trade of engraving marble and
granite, which he followed for sixty years, or
until his death, February i, 1874. He be
came one of the principal marble dealers of
that region, owning a quarry of what is known
as New Preston marble, much in demand
for cemeteries. A man of great energy, his
activities were not confined to the manage
ment of his business, as he took an active
share in the work of the Democratic party, and
held numerous official positions. In religious
faith he was a Congregationalist. He married
a native of New Preston, Miss Amanda Meeker,
and had seven children, four sons — George W.,
Noble, Henry N. and Andrew J., all of whom
engaged in the stone and marble trade — and
three daughters — Caroline, who married Will
iam Dowler; Maria, the wife of Henry Peck;
and Jeanette, who married Julius A. Glover,
of New Preston.
Henry M. Bolles, our subject's father, was
born at New Preston, in 1825, and since 1843
has carried on at the same place his extensive
marble works, now the only establishment of
the- kind in the neighborhood. His trade
covers a radius of forty or fifty miles, and he is
one of the substantial business men of the towri.
He is an active member of the Congregational
Church, and in politics has always been in
fluential as a Democrat, holding the office of
assessor and justice of the peace for many
years. His partner in life was Miss Sophia
Kinney, daughter of Gilbert Kinney, a well-
known resident of New Preston, and they
have had three children, of whom, our subject,
the youngest, is the only survivor. Edward
H. died in infancy, and William in his boy
hood. Arthur H. Bolles was educated in the Con
necticut Literary Institute at Suffield, where

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

863

he received excellent training with the view of
pursuing a more advanced course; but at the age
of nineteen he left school to engage in busi
ness. His first employment was as a travel
ing salesman, and in this work he was very
successful, handling some large contracts in
various localities, and superintending their
completion. After eight years with his father,
he spent six years with firms in Springfield and
Hartford and then returned to New Preston,
where he remained two years. In 1891 he
went to Pawling, purchasing the business
formerly owned by George W. Turner. This
was an old and well-known enterprise, estab
lished about thirty-five years ago, and Mr,
Bolles has enlarged the plant and increased
his trade greatly. He makes a specialty of
granite work. Like all of his family, he is
public-spirited and loyal to the best interests
of his town; he attends the Baptist Church,
and takes a generous interest in all pro
gressive movements. In politics he is a Dem
ocrat, but has not sought office or taken a
prominent part in political strife.
Mr. Bolles was united in matrimony with
Miss Christina Richards, daughter of James
Richards, of London, England, but no chil
dren have blessed their union.

ISAAC VERMILYEA BILLINGS (de-
 ceased). In the intensified energy of the
successful man fighting the every-day battle of
existence there is but little to attract the idle
observer, but to the mind fully awake to the
realities of life and their meaning, there are
noble lessons to be learned from the history of
a man who without other aid than a clear
head, a strong arm, and a true heart, conquers
adversity, and while securing an honorable
competency leaves to his family the priceless
memory of a good name.
The subject of this memoir, formerly a
prominent resident of Billings, Dutchess coun
ty, was a grandson of one of the earliest set
tlers of the town of Lagrange — John Billings,
who was a tanner and shoemaker "by trade in
early life, and later becanie well known as an
auctioneer. He was a Whig in politics, and a
member of the M. E. Church at LagrangevHle.
His wife, Rachel Jay, was a native of Hud
son, N. Y. , and they had four children: Isaac,
who lived in Lagrange; Daniel, our subject's
father; Rachel (Mrs. Thurston), and Fannie
(Mrs. Paul Durando).

Daniel Billings resided during his entire life
in the town of Lagrange, receiving his educa
tion in the district schools and, later, followed
the occupation of farming. He became a Re
publican in politics when the war issues caused
the formation of new party lines. He married
Elizabeth Vermilyea, and had four chHdren, of
whom the subject of our sketch was the eld
est: (2) Sarah Ann married Hubbard Col
well, and died leaving three children — Chaun
cey P., Elizabeth and Elvena. (3) John D.
is now deceased. (4) Catherine (deceased)
was formerly the wife of Samuel Colwell.
The late Isaac V. BHlings was born Sep
tember 28, 1 8 16, in the town of Lagrange, and
spent his boyhood at the old farm attending
the district schools and assisting in the work
at home. He learned the shoemaker's trade
with Edgar Hawkins, at Oswego VHlage,
Dutchess county, and followed it at Billings
during the most of his life. In early life he
was a Democrat in politics; but the temperance
reform seemed to him one of the vital issues
of the day, and he became one of the first
Prohibitionists in his town. He was a sup
porter of the M. E. Church at LagrangevHle
for many years previous to his death, which
occurred AprH 19, 1825, On October 30,
i860, he was married at Billings to Miss Susan
Storm, who survives him. No children were
born of their union.
Mrs. Billings is a member of one of the
oldest and most substantial families. Her
great-grandfather, Derrick Storm, was a na
tive of the town of Fishkill, and became a
farmer in Pleasant Valley, where his son Peter,
Mrs. Billings' grandfather, was born and passed
his entire life, engaging in agriculture as an oc
cupation. He married Catalina Van Dyck,
and had six children: John P., who married
Miss Mott; Margaret (Mrs. Peter Le Roy),
Lena, James, Polly, and Francis, none of
whom are now living. James Storm, the fa
ther of Mrs. BHlings, was born at the home
stead in Pleasant Valley, and grew to manhood
there. He married Miss Johanna Van Voor
hees, daughter of John Van Voorhees, a lead
ing resident of Pleasant Valley, and for four
years after his marriage he lived upon a farm
in that locality. He then sold his property
and moved to Alburg, Grand Isle Co., Vt,,
where he followed agricultural pursuits for
many years; but his last years were spent in
his native county, in the town of Lagrange.
He was a Whig in politics, and he and his wife

864

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

were Presbyterians in religious faith. They
had nine children, of whom Mrs. Billings was
the youngest: (i) Caroline (deceased) mar
ried Benjamin Marvin, and had three children
— Albert, Sarah E. and Mary E. (2) John
(deceased) married Mary E. Conger. (3)
Peter (deceased) married Lucinda Palmer, and
had two children — Solon and Caroline. (4)
Henry (deceased) married Abigail Smith, and
had five children — James, Mary Jane, Helen
(deceased), Henry and Minerva. (5) Cather
ine has never married. (6) James, Jr. , a res
ident of Stockbridge, Wis., married Emily
Prentiss, and has three children — Helen, David
H. and Frederick P. (7) Helen (deceased)
never married. (8) David (deceased) mar
ried Jennie Dates.

m LBERT CARTER SMITH (deceased).
,^^ Among those who have been prominently
identified with the agricultural interests of
the town of Amenia, Dutchess county, and
whose perseverance and industry gained for
him not only a foothold in the world, but made
him one of the largest land holders in the lo
cality, was the subject of this review. He be
longs to that class of men peculiar to this Re
public — the self-made men — and his property
was due not to any lucky speculation, to any
inheritance, or to any gift, but to his own con
tinual struggles, and his indomitable pluck un
der adversity.
Phineas Smith, his grandfather, was a lead
ing physician and resident of Litchfield county.
Conn. , where his death occurred at the age of
forty years. He married Miss Clemens, and to
them were born four children, all now de
ceased: Whiting, Eleazer, Lorentz and
Phineas. Lorentz, the father of our subject, was
born at Mt. Tom, Litchfield Co., Conn., June
29, 1789, and in the schools of that county
received his education. As a young man he
worked in a woolen-mill, which is still stand
ing on the old home farm, becoming a weaver
and spinner, and at the age of thirty years
went to Livingston Manor, Columbia Co., N.
Y. , where he engaged in that business until
1826, at which time he returned to the town of
Amenia, having purchased the place contain
ing the mill in which he had worked in his
younger days. His return dated from Febru
ary 22, 1826, and until 1840 he manufactured
woolen cloth and flannels. He also conducted

his farm of 100 acres untH his death, July 18,
1864. At Amenia he had married Miss Sally
Fields, a daughter of Jesse Fields, a carpen
ter and builder. Four children graced this
union: (i) Albert Carter, of this sketch; (2)
George G., of the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, who first married Charity Miller, by
whom he had four children — Hewitt, Mary,
Lawrence and Carrie — and for his second wife
he wedded Nellie Haynes, and by this union
has one son — George. (3) Louisa, who is the
widow of Nathaniel Hewitt (he died December
II, 1865'), by whom she had four children —
Mary, wife of Mr. Colburn; Albertina, wife of
Herbert Fowler; and Emma and Sarah, both
deceased in infancy. Mrs. Hewitt resides on
the home farm, where she was born in 1829;
and (4) Julia Ann, who died at the age of two
years. The mother of this family died in 1848.
Albert Carter Smith was born at Livingston
Manor, Columbia county, April 4, 1820, but
his early life was passed mainly in the town of
Amenia, where he attended the district schools,
and was employed in the woolen-mill of his
father as long as it was conducted. Ever an
industrious, energetic man, he steadily in
creased his estate until he became the owner
of one thousand acres of valuable land in
Amenia, Stanford and Washington town, all
of which property was acquired after he had
attained his fortieth year.
Politically Mr. Smith was an adherent of
Jeffersonian Democracy, but cared nothing for
public office. He stood in his mature years — •
a strong man — strong in the consciousness of
a well-spent life, strong to plan and perform,
strong in his credit and in his good name, and
for the younger generation a worthy example
to imitate, as illustrating that success in life
that may be attained by industry and persever
ance. His death occurred October 5, 1896.

IRVING FRALEIGH. The subject of this
 biography is one of the honored sons of
Dutchess county, and a prominent resident of
the town of Red Hook, where his birth took
place February 4, 1837. He began life with
a definite purpose in view, worked faithfully,
honestly, and with a will for its accomplish
ment, and has now gained a comfortable com
petence. Our subject is descended from Putnam and
Elizabeth (Felder) Fraleigh, whose name ap
pears in the records of the German Reformed.

ALBERT C. SMITH,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

865

Church for the first time July 9, 1780, when
their son Johannes was baptized. The names,
and dates of the baptism, of three of their
other children are as follows: Elizabeth, April
12, 1782; George, September 3, 1784; and
PhHHppus, December 3, 1786. They also
had another son and daughter, Peter and Han
nah. The primary education of our subject was
obtained in the district schools of the town of
Red Hook, and the knowledge there acquired
was supplemented by a course in the Hartwick
Seminary. After completing his studies there
he followed farming until twenty-six years of
age, when he engaged in freighting between
Barrytown and New York City, under the firm
name of P. L. Tyler & Co., which, later, was
dissolved, and the firm of Carnwright &
Fraleigh was organized. The name was
"changed to Carnwright, Fraleigh & Company;
but the firm subsequently assumed the former
style, which they retained as long as the busi
ness was conducted. Mr. Fraleigh was also
engaged in the milHng business with a Mr.
Curtis under the firm style of Curtis & Fra
leigh, which connection was continued some
six years, or until the death of Mr. Curtis.
Our subject then purchased the latter's inter
est, and for two years conducted the Oriole
Mills at Rock City, after which he bought of
Charles White a one-half interest in the Red
Hook Mills, which, together with the Oriole
mHls, were conducted under the firm name of
Irving, Fraleigh & Co, , Sheridan Shook own
ing an interest. .They now operate both mills,
which they have greatly enlarged and im
proved, and are also engaged in the distillery
business. Mr. Fraleigh conducts a fine stock
farm situated a short distance from the village
of Red Hook, which is one of the model farms
of the county and a source of great pleasure
and pride to him. He is a thorough business
man, upright and honorable in all his dealings,
and well deserves the success that has come to
him. On December 9, 1862, Mr. Fraleigh was
married to Miss A. I. Cookingham, daughter
of Andrew Cookingham, of the town of Rhine
beck, Dutchess county, and two children have
been born to them: Sheridan, born Novem
ber II, 1868, died July 24, 1876, and Irving,
born October 17, 1877. In poHtics Mr. Fra--
leigh is a Democrat.
Peter H. Fraleigh, father of our subject,
wasborn September 2, 181 3, in the town of
56

Red Hook, and January 28, 1835, he married
Miss Lydia C. Shook, who was born July 31,
1815, and died August 5, 1885. Our subject
is their only chHd. The father was called
from earth February 10, 1893. He had been
a Hfelong agriculturist, and the farm upon
which he passed his entire married life is now
owned by his son.

WILLIAM CARROLL, a leading business
 man of Rhinebeck, a manufacturer of
furniture and the proprietor of the oldest un
dertaking establishment in Dutchess county,
was bornin Rochester, N. Y., August 25, 1821.
John Carroll, his father, married Mary
Hauver, of Dutchess county, and had three
children: Christian Hauver, Mary Hauver,
and William, of whom, the two sons lived to
adult age. The father died in Ulster county
when our subject was an infant, and the
mother removed to Dutchess county, and lived
for some years in the town of Cinton, near the
slate quarry. Here our subject attended the
district school until the age of twelve years,
when his mother removed to Rhinebeck. After
four years in the schools there, he began clerk
ing for Quick & Traver, and at nineteen went
to Poughkeepsie to learn the cabinetmaker's
trade with Jobn De Pue. He remained in that
city four or five years, working for Taylor &
Nelson after his apprenticeship ended, and
then returned to Rhinebeck. September i,
1844, he opened a cabinet-making shop two
doors below his present location, but after the
fire of 1862, he bought a lot and erected the
three-story brick building which he has occu-
pirti since that time. As his business de
veloped, undertaking and the manufacture of
furniture became leading features, and in the
former line he is now the oldest worker in the
county. He has probably buried more people
than any two of his fellow craftsmen. His
store is one of the most complete in northern
Dutchess county. A careful, conservative
manager, Mr. Carroll's enterprises have always
been successful, and his advice is valued in busi
ness circles and in local affairs. He was one
of the incorporators of the Rhinebeck Savings
Bank, and has always been a trustee in that
institution. In 1845, Mr. Carroll married Miss Olevia
Van TasseH, a descendant of one of the old
famHies of the town of Fishkill, born March
27, 1829, and has had five chHdren, of whom.

866

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

three are living: (i) Henry died at the age of
twenty-three; (2) Arthur died in infancy; (3)
Julia married Dr. Banker, of Elizabeth, N. J.;
(4) William R., now in partnership with his
father, married AmeHa Davis, of Stone Ridge,
Ulster county, and has three chHdren — Grace,
William H. and Jessie; and (5) Harriet is the
widow of the late Dr, Allen, of Columbus, Ohio.
Although he is a firm believer in Republic
an principles Mr. CarroH is an independent
voter in local politics. He has never sought
office, his attention being devoted to his busi
ness, but he has served as trustee of the vil
lage, and is always ready to forward any
measure for local inprovement. He and his
wife are leading members of the M.E, Church,
with which he united fifty-five years ago, and
has been for most of that time an official. He
is also a member of the F. & A. M.

WILLIAM A. TRIPP, the well-known
 forwarding and freighting merchant,
of Rhinebeck, successor to the old New York
State Co., established in 1812, is descended
from one of the pioneer families of Dutchess
county, bis ancestors having come from Eng
land at an early period. His grandfather,
Timothy Tripp, was born in Dutchess coun
ty, but moved to Otsego county in bis later
years, and engaged in farming there during the
remainder of his life. He married Miss White,
and reared a family of seven children: John,
Alfred, Silas, William, Eunice, Hannah and
Ruby, and by a second wife he had another
son, Briggs.
Alfred Tripp, our subject's father, was
born in 1807, on the present site of Millbrook
station, in the town of Washington, and about
1840 engaged in a general merchandise busi
ness at Oak Hill, Greene county, which he
carried on untH a short time before his death.
He was also a stockholder in one of the found
ries at that place, and was one of the leading
business men of the locality. His first wife
was a Miss Hopson, by whom he had one
daughter — Mary Ellen, and his second wife was
Maria Utter, daughter of James Utter, a prom
inent resident of Oak Hill. Eleven children
were born of this union: Elizabeth (deceased);
Alice (deceased); James, captain of the barge
" Enterprise " and a resident of SchultzviHe;
Amanda (deceased); Delia (deceased); Will
iam A., our subject; Helen, who lives at Oak

HiH; Edward (deceased); and Isaac, Hattie
and Carrie, who are all living at Oak HHl.
Mr. Tripp first saw the light May 18, 185 1,
and received his education in the district and
select schools of his native town. His advan
tages in this respect were quite good; he has
since been a constant reader, and his informa
tion is varied and extensive. At nineteen he
entered his father's store as clerk, and re
mained two years, and AprH i, 1872, came to
Rhinebeck as clerk for Capt. J. H. Baldwin,
who then owned the freighting and commis
sion business which had been founded by the
New York State Company sixty years before,
and continued without interruption. Capt.
Baldwin sold it in 1875 to the CorneH Steam
boat Co., who disposed of it March i, 1876,
to Hoffman & Pitcher. This firm continued
the business untH March i, 1884, when it was
purchased by Hoffman, Tripp & Co. On
April I, 1895, Mr. Tripp bought out his part
ners, and has since been the sole proprietor of
the business, and the barge "Enterprise."
He is also engaged in the coal business and has,
perhaps, the largest aggregate trade in that
locality. In all his enterprises Mr. Tripp has
displayed excellent judgment, and he is re
garded as one of the most reliable young busi
ness men of the town.
In politics he is a strong Republican, as
was his father before him, and he has been a
leading worker in local politics, serving as a
member of the Republican County Committee
for several years, and he has served also on the
Town Committee. He was at one time the
party candidate for supervisor. He belongs to
the F, & A. M., and is master of the Rhine
beck Lodge No. 432, and he holds the office of
master of finance in the K. of P. , Rhinebeck
Lodge No. 345.

ICHAEL A. MULDOWNEY. Every-
  where in our land are men who have
worked their own way from humble beginnings
to leadership in commerce, the great product
ive industries, the management of financial
affairs, and in controlling the veins and ar
teries of the traffic and exchanges of the
country. It is one of the glories of our nation
that it is so. Prominent among the self-made
men of Poughkeepsie is the subject of this
sketch. Mr. Muldowney was born at Madison,
Morris Co., N. J., September 15, 1850. His

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

867

father, Edward Muldowney, was a native of
Ireland, and came to America when about
twenty-six years old, locating on a farm in
New Jersey. He was married to Anna Tier-
ney, also a native of the Emerald Isle, and
they began their domestic life upon a farm,
where their six children were born : Michael,
of this review; Mary, widow of Frederick MH
ler, an engineer, who was killed on the rail
road; Martin, who located in the West; Ed
ward, a resident of New York City; John, who
died in infancy; and Joseph, who is engaged
in the grocery business in Albany, N. Y. The
father always engaged in agricultural pursuits,
and died in Poughkeepsie. His political sup
port was given the Democratic party, and he
and his wife were devout members of the Ro
man Catholic Church. Her death occurred
in New York City.
The early life of our subject was passed
at Madison, N. J., until thirteen years of age,
during which time he attended the public
schools, and then went to New York City,
where he secured the position of check clerk in
the "Hoffman House," remaining there for
three years. Going to Newark, N. J., he
learned the carpenter's trade with Reeve,
Howard & Battin, at No. 8 Walnut street. At
the end of three years, however, he returned
to New York City, where he followed that occu
pation in various shops until coming to Pough
keepsie in 1876. Entering into the grocery
business with his brother Joseph, at No. 54
Union street, that partnership was continued
for five years, when our subject assumed com
plete charge. In the winter of 1885-6 he
erected his present brick block at the corner
of Uijion and John streets, Nos. 47 and 49 John
street, and 50 Union street. After its comple
tion he there removed his stock of groceries,
and now does a large and paying retaH busi
ness; he also resides in the building.
On November 8, 1871, Mr. Muldowney was
married to Miss Mary E. Driscoll, a native of
New York City, and a daughter of John Dris
coll, a sailor, who was born in Ireland. Their
famHy circle now includes ten children; one
died in infancy. The others are all at home,
namely: Mary, Joseph, Edward, Jennie,
John, Frank, Hugh, 'Winnie, Rosamond and
WiHiam. Following in the footsteps of his father, Mr.
Muldowney casts his ballot in support cf the
Democratic party, and has been twice elected
alderman of the Second ward of Poughkeepsie,

the last time in 1892, being president of the
councH that term. He has been quite success
ful in his business undertakings, and is now a
member of the Board of Trade and the Busi
ness Men's Association. He is one of the most
public-spirited and progressive men of the city,
and he and his wife are faithful members of the
Roman Catholic Church.

GMLBERT FOWLER, one of the most
^T prominent and prosperous agriculturists
of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
was born October 15, 1840, in the town of
Clinton, where at least three previous genera
tions of the family had lived.
His first American ancestor came from
England at an early date, and his grandfather,
Gilbert Fowler, was born in Dutchess county,
and became a farmer in the town of Clinton,
but later in life he moved to Illinois, where
his death occurred. He married Miss Powell,
a native of Clinton, and reared a family of
seven children: Gilbert, our subject's father;
Weeden, a merchant and truckman in New
York City; James, a cooper in the town of
Hyde Park; Amond, a resident of New York
City; Derinda, who married Dr. Braidy, of
Little Rock, III.; Anna, who married Jesse
Braidy, of Illinois; and Mary, the wife of
Henry Abbey, a wagon maker in Little Rock.
Gilbert Fowler (2), the father of our sub
ject, grew to manhood in the town of Clin
ton, and married Hannah Frost, a lady of
English descent, and a daughter of WHHam
Frost, a well-known farmer there. Shortly
after his marriage he took his young wife to
New York City and engaged in the truckipg
business, but he did not live long, his death
occurring before the birth of our subject. His
wife survived him many years; dying in 1894.
The subject of our sketch was reared in
the town of Clinton, and October 31, 1867,
he was united in marriage with Amanda De-
Wint, a descendant of oneof the early French
settlers, and daughter of George De Wint, a
leading farmer of Rhinebeck. The first year
after his marriage they went to Illinois, where
Mr. Fowler farmed for a year; but in 1868 he
returned, and has since been contented with
the fertile fields and picturesque scenes of his
native county. He first purchased a farm of
118 acres, where he lived until 1889, when he
bought the Pultz farm of 103 acres near Rhine-

868

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

beck, all of which he devotes to general farm
ing. Mrs. Fowler died July 23, 1892, leaving
four children bereft of her loving care: Emory,
Jesse, Gilbert and Edna Mae, all of whom are
at home. Two others had died in infancy.
Mr! Fowler's ancestors on both sides were
Quakers in faith, but he and his lamented wife
had united with the Lutheran Church.
In politics our subject is a Republican, and
while he is no politician he takes an influential
part in local affairs, befriending every progress
ive movement.

PETER M. CORNELL. The subject of
 this sketch was born on his present home
stead in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess
county, November 20, 181 5, and is the son of
Isaac and Elizabeth (Hoffman) Cornell.
Isaac CorneH was born at Bushwick, Long
Island, and at the age of three years was
brought by his parents to Lagrange. Here he
grew to manhood, receiving his education in
the district schools. He was married to Miss
Hoffman, who was a native of the town of
Poughkeepsie, and the following children were
born: Peter M,, our subject; William A,,
Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth, all deceased;
Isabella; and Frederick, living in Kansas. Mr.
Cornell died in Lagrange in 1875, and his wife
in 1878. Peter Cornell, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was one of the earliest settlers of the town of
Lagrange. He married Miss Marcia Messarole,
and to them were born the following children:
Cornelius, Margaret, Eliza, Jane, Sarah and
Isaac, all of whom are deceased. Mr. Cornell
was of French ancestors, who were exiled from
France at the revocation of the Edict of
Nantes. They went to Bavaria, and from there
came to America. Mr. Cornell died on his
farm in Lagrange.
Peter M. Cornell, our subject, remained
on the old homestead in Lagrange with his
father, and in his youth went to the district
schools. He has devoted all his time to farm.-
ing. At one time he was justice of the peace
of Lagrange. He has never married.
WHliam A., brother of our subject, married
Miss Helen Wickoff, and had four children:
Isaac, William, Elizabeth, and Jacob W.
Frederick, another brother, married Miss Alice
Barnes, and three children were born to them:
Edward, Ann, and Peter M.

B OBERT HUTCHISON, one of the repre-
 sentative farmers of Lagrange, was born
in Perthshire, Scotland, July 24, 1857, and
remained there during his boyhood, receiving
his education in the parish schools. He served
a three-years' apprenticeship at the carpenter's
trade in Enochdhu, Scotland, and then worked
in Glasgow for four years, and at Newcastle-
upon-Tyne for three and a half years.
In 1882 our subject emigrated to America
and located in New York City, where he fol
lowed his trade for nine years. In 1891 he
moved to the town of Lagrange and bought his
present farm, on which he has since lived. He
was married in New York City May 1 1, 1887,
to Miss Maggie J. Forbes, a native of Wap
pingers Falls. Mr. Hutchison owes his pres
ent prosperous condition to his own enterprise
and energy. He is a Republican in politics,
and a member of the Reformed Dutch Church
at New Hackensack.
Robert Hutchison, father of our subject,
was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, vvhere he is
still living on the farm, pursuing the occupa
tion he has always followed. He married Miss
Jeannette Petrie, by whom he had three chil
dren, namely: Elsie, Robert and George.
James Hutchison, our subject's grandfather,
was born in Fifeshire also, where he followed
farming.

JOHN SELLECK LANDON, one of the sub
stantial farmers of Dutchess county, was
~ born in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess
county, April 25, 1843. As a boy he attended
the district schools of his native town and, later,
the Irving Institute at Tarrytown, N. Y. .and
Bisbee's school at Poughkeepsie. He remained
upon the farm with his father until his mar
riage, in Poughkeepsie, to Miss Jane Ken-
worthy, a daughter of Richard Kenworthy.
Of this union one child was born, Edith, now
the wife of John Townsend.
Mr. Landon farmed for seven years after
his marriage, and then followed the milling
business at Manchester Bridge, Lagrange town,
for nine years. In 1890 he bought his present
farm, to which he has since devoted his time
and attention. He is a member of the Farm
ers Alliance, is a stanch Democrat, and has
held the office of town auditor for several years.
James H. Landon, the father of our sub
ject, was born in the town of Poughkeepsie,
June 23, 1 8 14, He attended school there and,.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

869

later, in Lagrange, and at the Willets Boarding
School in the town of Washington. He re
mained on the farm with his father until the
death of the latter, and has lived at his pres
ent residence for thirty»-seven years. He was
married January 19, 1842, to Jane A., daugh
ter of Reuben Tanner. Of this union the fol
lowing children were born: John Selleck, our
subject; Mary T., born February 5, 1848,
married Galen Overocker, and they had two
children, Daniel W. , born August 13, 1883,
and Mary, born October 23, 1884. Mrs.
Overocker died November 8, 1884. Mr. Lan
don was assessor of the town of Lagrange for
many years, and. also held the office of town
auditor, being elected on the Democratic
ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Landon celebrated their
golden wedding January 19, 1892, and are as
bright and lively as many people twenty years
younger. Joel Landon, the grandfather of John Sel
leck, was a native of Connecticut, born July
22, 1 77 1, married Deborah Selleck (born Oc
tober 3, 1773), May 30, 1812, and their chil
dren were: John S., born March 30, 1813,
died December 16, 1837; and James H., men
tioned above. Joel Landon died August 23,
1839, and his wife, Deborah, October 10, 1871.

WILLIAM J. WELLING, a substanfial
 farmer of the town of Washington,
Dutchess county, was born in that locality,
March 22, 1833. The first person bearing the
name of Welling in this country came from
Wales and settled in Dutchess county. From
him descended Thomas, the great-grandfather
of our subject, who was born probably in
Pleasant Valley.
William, his son, was also born there, and
his son, James M., the father of our subject,
was born in the town of Clinton, January 19,
1807. Thomas Welling married a Miss Ger
mond, and they settled in what was then a
wHderness, where five children were born to
them. Of these, William married Elizabeth
Marshall, and settled on a farm. Two chil
dren were born to them — James M. and Caro
Hne C. The latter married William C. Smith,
a farmer in the town of Northeast, and is now
deceased. William Welling was a stanch
Democrat. James M. was reared on a farm, and mar
ried Susan Vail. She was born in Unionvale,
and was the daughter of Joseph and Mary

Vail, the former a farmer and a son of Israel
Vail. The Vails are among the oldest fami
lies in Dutchess county. For some time after
his marriage our subject's father ran on the
Hudson river as captain of the steamer ' ' Ga
zelle," and subsequently for several years was
a stock salesman in New York City. Later in
life he spent his time upon his farm, where he
died July 31, 1882. His wife died September
23, 18-86. He was a Democrat and held the
office of justice of the peace for some years.
In their religious belief the family have all
been Presbyterians. To James M. Welling
and his wife four children were born, namely:
Caroline C, who married Mark H. Wheeler,
a farmer in Lagrange; William J., our subject;
Edgar P., who died in the Civil war; and
Frances E. , deceased.
When our subject was nine years old he
went with his parents to Poughkeepsie, where
they made their home while the father was
engaged in steamboating. There he attended
the city schools for some years, and in 1846,
the family went back to their farm in the town
of Washington. William completed his edu
cation in the Richmondville school in Scho
harie county, N. Y., and for a while taught
school in the neighborhood of his old home.
He then took up farming, at which he has been
engaged ever since. He owns a fine place of
200 acres which is highly cultivated, and car
ries on general farming, in which he has been
very successful. Although aman of agreeable
manners and excellent character, and standing
high in his community, Mr. Welling has never
married. He is a Republican and a strong
temperance advocate, and does all in his
power for the good of his fellovv-men.

ILES K. LEWIS. There can be found
JKL no biographies more interesting to read
than those of the industrious and enterprising,
who have risen from a state of comparative
poverty to a position of affluence. Prominent
among the men of Dutchess county who have
thus laboriously toiled onward and upward,
is the individual of whom this sketch is written.
He is now a successful business man of Was
saic, where for over thirty years he has con
ducted a general store.
Mr. Lewis was born at Sharon, Conn.,
August 15, 1842, and traces his ancestry back
to Benjamin Lewis, who came from England
with two brothers and located at Wallingford,

870

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Conn., being one of forty famHies who laid
out that town. His name appears on the
Congregational Church records in 1677. He
married Miss Hannah  , and their son
James wedded a Miss Judson, by whom he had
four children — James, John, David and Eph
raim, the eldest of whom married a Miss Sher
man, and their son Ephraim was the father of
Birdseye, the great-grandfather of our subject.
Birdsey e Lewis was born at Huntington,
Conn., February 20, 1750, and died Novem
ber 27, 1822. On November 11, 1773, he
married Miss Jerusha Thompson, whose death
occurred June 8, 1821. Their son, Cyrus
Lewis, the grandfather of our subject, was
born at Trumbull, Conn., November 15, 1778,
and on November 28, 1809, wedded Alice
Hawley, who was born October 29, 1793, and
died May 26, 1861. He departed this life
August 25, 1 86 1.
Miles B. Lewis, the father, was also a
native of Trumbull, Conn., where he secured
his education in the district schools, and served
an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade,
which he followed some forty years at Sharon,
Conn. At MHford, in that State, he was
united in marriage with Miss Maria Kelsey,
daughter of Horace Kelsey, and they became
the parents of four children, namely: William
S., of Chicago, IH. ; Miles Kelsey, of this
sketch; Eliza (deceased); and Charles, of Car-
pentersville. III. The parents were good
Christian people, very earnest workers in the
Methodist Church, and were held in the highest
regard. The father's death occurred in AprH,
1892; the widowed mother now finds a pleas
ant home with our subject.
Miles K. -Lewis passed his boyhood at
Sharon, Conn., attending the public schools,
and at the age of fifteen years left the parental
roof, coming to Amenia, Dutchess county,
where he clerked for George Conklin in a gen
eral merchandise store until the spring of 1862.
He was then in the employ of Seward, Vail &
Haight, merchant tailors, as bookkeeper and
cashier. Filled with patriotic ardor, Mr, Lewis en
listed, in September, 1862, in Company A,
150th N. Y. V. I., and was a member of the
regimental band untH mustered out at Pough
keepsie, in June, 1865. Returning to Dutch
ess county, he was engaged in clerking in Dover
until January, 1866, when he opened his pres
ent general store at Wassaic. In 1894 he ad
mitted J. G. Doyle to a partnership in the

business. For fifteen years he was also con
nected with the New York Condensed Milk
Factory at Wassaic as bookkeeper and super
intendent, and was administrator of the Grid-
ley estate for seven years. In all his dealing
he is straightforward and honorable, and is
justly entitled to the high regard in which he
is held by all.
At Amenia, on October 24, 1867, Mr. Lewis
wedded Miss Julia C. Reed, daughter of Les
ter and Margaret Reed, and to them have been
born four children: Emma Gridley, who mar
ried E. J. Tanner, and has three chHdren —
Lewis, Margaret and Frederick; Nina, wife of
Albert Hicks, of Wassaic; Alice and Roland.^
Socially, Mr. Lewis affiliates with Dover Plains
Lodge No. 666, F. & A. M., of which he be
came a member in 1867; and of J. M. Gregory
Post, G. A. R., of Sharon, Conn. He is a
member of the choir of the Presbyterian
Church at Amenia, as he takes great delight in
music; in politics he is an ardent Republican.

M OBERT H. TITUS, one of the substan-
 tial farmers of Dutchess county, was
born in the town of Lagrange, August 5, 1835.
He spent his boyhood in the place of his birth,
and attended the public schools and the Nine
Partners Boarding School, in the town of
'Washington. At the early age of ten years he went to
work in his father's woolen-factory, and after
the latter's death he continued the business
with his brothers until 1891, when he sold out
bis interest to his brother Henry, and has ,^
since devoted his time to farming. He was
married in 1864 to Miss Frances Sweet, a
daughter of Nehemiah and Millie Sweet, of
Poughkeepsie. Of this marriage were born
the following children: Mary Annette, Fran
ces Adele, Helen Lossing and Warner Hatch.
Mr. Titus built his present beautiful residence ,
in the spring of 1864.
Elias Titus, father of our subject, was born
in the town of Washington, where he received
his education. He was married in the town
of Pine Plains to Miss Mary A. Hoag, a daugh
ter of Robert Hoag, a farmer of that town, and ,
the foHowing children were born: Frances mar
ried James E. Sleight, and four chHdren were
born (both parents are deceased) ; Robert Hoag,
our subject; Richard, deceased; Henry lives in
Poughkeepsie; Sarah resides in Lagrange;
Caroline Alida. Mr. Titus was living at La-

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

871

grange at the time of his marriage, where he
was running the woolen-factory with his father
and brothers. He continued in that business
from 1828 untH the time of his death in 1881.
In the early days the goods were shipped by
boat in summer and overland in winter. As a
business man he kept out of politics, and was
a member of the Quaker Church. His wife
died in 1838 or 1840.
John Titus, the grandfather, was born in
the town of Washington. He was married
three times, the grandmother of our subject
being his third wife. He was known ' as
" Squire Titus," and ran a factory for the man
ufacture of woolen cloth.
The great-grandfather of. our subject was
one of the early settlers of the town of Wash
ington. The family came from Long Island.

JOHN R. THOMPSON. Success in any line
of occupation, in any avenue of business,
is not a matter of spontaneity, but is the
legitimate offspring of subjective effort in the
proper utilization of the means at hand, the
improvement of opportunity and the exercise
of the highest function made possible by the
specific ability in any case. In view of this
condition, the study of biography becomes val
uable, and its lessons of practical use. Mr.
Thompson to-day stands at the head of several
important enterprises, and is one of the most
enterprising and successful business men of
Dutchess county, making his home in Amenia.
In the town of Amenia, our subject was
born July 8, 1851, and he is a son of Robert
R. and Catherine (Sanford) Thompson, the
latter of whom died in 1892. His father was
born in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county,
December 15, 18 15, a son of James Thomp
son and a grandson of Elias Thompson, also
residents of Dutchess county. For forty years
the father has been engaged in the insur
ance business at Smithfield, and he is a highly
respected citizen. Our subject is the third in
a family of four children, the others being:
Ellen 'C, wife of WiHiam J. Clanney, of
Amenia; George (deceased); and Edward B.,
who is engaged in the poultry business in the
town of Amenia.
The early life of John R. Thompson was
passed upon a farm at Smithfield, and in at
tending the district schools of the neighbor
hood. On leaving the parental roof in 1874
he took charge of a general store at Sheko

meko, Dutchess county, and was also operator,
station agent and postmaster for a year. He
then engaged in the insurance business with
his father at Smithfield, town of Amenia, for
some seven years, on the expiration of which
time he there turned his attention to agricult
ural pursuits, and also owned a large farm in
Nebraska, but never resided thereon. WhHe
purchasing a windmill for the latter place, he
became interested in the windmill business, and
since that time has engaged in selling those
machines all through the State; he also erected
the largest windmill plant in the world, located
at Chatham, Columbia Co. , New York.
UntH 1885 Mr. Thompson continued to en
gage in agricultural pursuits at Smithfield, and
then removed to the village of Amenia, where
he has since resided. Together with B. H.
Fry, Charles Walsh, A. M. Card, of Sharon,
Conn. , and M. K. Le'wis, of Wassaic, he as
sisted in the incorporation of the Amenia
Water Co. , in 1881, and, with Mr. Lewis, also
owns the Wassiac water works, being now the
efficient superintendent of both water works,
as well as the one at Pine Plains. In 1885 he
entered the steam-heating business, and, in
advancing his individual prosperity, he has
materially promoted the welfare of his county
and State.
In the town of Amenia, October 11, 1877,
Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Mary F.
Bertine, daughter of Robert Bertine, of
Amenia, and they have three children: Katie, "A
ojohn R. and Annie Frances. For over twenty
years Mr. Thompson has been prominently
identified with Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. &
A. M., and he also holds membership in the
Royal Arcanum at Wassaic. Like his father,
he is an ardent Democrat, and is one of the
leading and representative citizens of the com
munity.

'&

E WITT C. AYRES, a progressive and
successful young agriculturist of the town
of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was born
February 12, i860, in Clinton Hollow.
His grandfather Ayres came from England
and located upon a farm in Dutchess county,
where he spent his remaining years. Jo
seph Ayres, our subject's father, was born
in Oxford, England, and was nineteen years
old when he accompanied his parents to this
country. He married Margaret Marquet, a
native of the town of Rhinebeck, and located

872

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

in Clinton Hollow, where he followed the
butcher's trade for some years. In 1879 he
moved to the farm which is now owned by our
subject, and here he carried on his trade in
connection with farming. His wife died in
1878, and ten years later he, too, departed
this life. They had four children: Charles,
who died in 1888; DeWitt C. , our subject;
George D., a farmer in Rhinebeck, and one
who died in infancy,
De Witt Ayres was trained in youth to the
habits of industry upon which his success is
based, and for a short time he followed the
butcher's trade successfully. On November
2, 1882, he married Miss Lelia Mills, a lady
of English descent, the daughter of William
Mills, a well-known blacksmith of Red Hook.
After their marriage they settled upon the
farm near Rhinebeck, where they have since
remained. They have two children, Elsie
and Ruth.
Mr. Ayres devotes his one hundred acres
of land to general farming, and is regarded as
one of the most enterprising and judicious of
the young men of his locality. In politics he
follows the faith of his father and is a stanch
Republican.

fOHN H. BOICE, one of the active, prom
inent and most enterprising citizens of
' Dutchess county, is at present engaged in
general farming and fruit growing in the town
of Red Hook, His birth occurred June 16,
1850, on a farm in MHan town, Dutchess
county, where his father, WHHam Boice, and
his grandfather, Henry I, Boice, were also
born. The latter was a son of John Boice,
who was of Holland origin, and is supposed to
have been born in this country. After his
marriage with Miss Lown, Henry I. Boice be
gan his domestic life upon the old family
homestead, where his three chHdren were born,
one son and two daughters; but WilHam was
the only one who reached years of maturity.
To the cultivation of that farm the grandfather
gave his time and attention up to his death.
On reaching manhood the father of our
subject was united in niarriage with Catherine
C. Pultz, a native of the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, and a daughter of David
Pultz, a farmer, who was of Holland lineage.
On the old homestead in Milan town, they be
gan house-keeping, and there remained untH
1869, when the father purchased the farm on

which our subject now resides, there continu
ing to make his home until his death in 1881,.
while his wife also died there on July 12, 1895.
He was identified with the Republican party.
The family circle included three children —
Elmer A. , a retired farmer, who now makes his
home in the villageof Red Hook; Ida C, wife
of Henry Finger, an agriculturist of Columbia
county, N. Y. ; and John H.
John H. Boice, of this review, obtained his
elementary education in the district schools
near his home, but completed his literary
training . at Rhinebeck, and was a resident of
the town of Milan until nineteen years of age.
Being reared a farmer's boy, he has followed
this vocation through life, and since 1869 has
lived upon his present farm, where in 1882 he
erected a beautiful residence. He has 109
acres of fertile and productive land, where he
has been engaged in general farming, though
he makes a specialty of fruit raising. He is a
progressive, scientific farmer, who thoroughly
understands his business, and thus secures the
best results from his labors.
On May 8, 1872, Mr. Boice was married to
Miss Mary E. Hoffman, a daughter of Theo
dore Hoffman, and sister of T. A. Hoffman,
the present county clerk of Dutchess county.
They have one child, William H., who was
born March 22, 1874. They are surrounded
by many warm friends, whom they delight to
entertain, and have the esteem and confidence
of all who know them. Politically, Mr. Boice
affiliates with the Republican party, and main
tains his principles in this regard with the same
steadfastness which has characterized him in all
the relations of life.

IRVING HAPEMAN, a reliable and inteHi-
 gent young agriculturist of the town of Red
Hook, Dutchess county, is the owner of a fine
farm of eighty-seven acres of highly productive
and fertile land, which he has by industry and
good management, with its attendant hard
labor, brought to a high state of cultivation,
and his stock are of the best grades. His up
rightness, integrity and public-spiritedness
have won him the confidence and esteem of his
neighbors, and he is classed among the most
respected representative citizens of the com
munity. Philip Hapeman, his grandfather, was a
native of the town of Red Hook, where he
conducted a farm throughout life, and by his

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

8 73

marriage with Catherine PhHlips had six chil
dren, of whom Nicholas Hapeman, the father
of our subject, was one. His birth also oc
curred in tbe town of Red Hook, where he re
ceived a common-school education, and like
his father he also turned his attention to ag
ricultural pursuits. He married Miss Lucy N.
Straut, daughter of Anthony Straut, by whom
he had four chHdren: Estella, wife of Will
ard Rowe; Jerleau; Irving and Mary.
In 1890 was cele'brated the marriage of
Irving Hapeman and Miss Cordelia A. Stevens,
who. was born in Claverack, N. Y. , and was
• there educated. Her paternal grandfather,
WHliam Stevens, was a native of Hollowville,
Columbia Co., N. Y, and whHe serving in the
war of 1 81 2 was killed. He married Cather
ine Stickle, and to them were born two chil
dren — William A. and Jane E. The former
was also born in HollowvHle, Columbia coun
ty, and after completing his education in the
common schools he worked upon a farm until
the breaking out of the RebeHion in 1861,
when he joined the Union forces, though at
that time only sixteen years old. All through
that struggle he served as a private, and at its
close received an honorable discharge. After
his return home, Mr. Stevens was united in
marriage with Miss Hannah Elizabeth Mor
rison, daughter of WHliam E. and Samantha
Morrison, and they now have a family of nine
chHdren: Cordelia A., WiHiam A., Annie A.,
Fannie A., Henry A., Charles A., Herbert A.,
Frank A. and Milo A. The father, who is an
agriculturist, is, now engaged in the cultivation
of land in Claverack, Columbia county.

ISAAC P. CONKLIN, one of the wealthy
_ farmers of the town of Washington, Dutch
ess county, was born in Chestnut Ridge in that
town, April I, 1820. The ConkHn family is
of Scotch descent, and many of its members
are old residents of Dutchess county.
Charies Conklin, great-grandfather of Isaac
P., was a Quaker preacher and lived in West
chester county, where his son Timothy was
born. The latter married Mary Tamer, a na
tive of the same county, and settled in Wash
ington town, Dutchess county, where thirteen
chHdren were born, of whom the follovving
record is given: David was a miller in Little
Rest, town of Washington; Hiram was a sea
faring man; Timothy was a farmer in West
chester county; Tristam (deceased) farmed for

a while in the town of Washington, but later
went to New York City, finally to Westches
ter county; James was a farmer in Westchester
county; Merritt was a physician in Washington
town; Nathaniel was father of subject; Charles
died in infancy; Hannah married a Mr. Titus,
and they removed to New York City and after
ward to Ohio, where they died; Ruth and
Sarah died unmarried; two others died in
chHdhood. Nathaniel Conklin was born in the town of
Washington, and there spent his entire life.
He was a Republican in his poHtical views,
and served as a justice of the peace and in
other local official positions. He died in 1887.
He married Susan Edmunds, a native of the
town of Dover, daughter of Canada Edmunds,
a farmer, whose family were of old Holland
stock. "The young couple located on Chestnut
Ridge, where they carried on farming and
reared a family of nine children. These were:
Benjamin is a farmer in Washington town;
Tamer married George Sullivan, a farmer also
of that town; Timothy was a farmer in tbe
town of Washington; Phoebe married Mosher
Sherman, a miller in Little Rest; Isaac P. ; El
mira married Uriah Simmons, a farmer in
Stanford; Nathaniel went to Dakota and car
ried on farming there; Hannah is unmarried;
Sarah is the wife of Andrew P. Hammond, a
farmer in Washington town.
Isaac P. Conklin worked at Denning for
several years after arriving at manhood, and
then began Buying and selling farm and other
property, in which business he has made good
profits and has become a wealthy man. He is
full of enterprise, possesses keen judgment and
great sagacity, and has carved his own way to
success. Although arrived at an age when
most men give over active life, he shows no
signs of relaxing his efforts, and keeps abreast
of the times with a vigor and interest which a
younger man might envy. He is genial in his
nature, a good conversationalist and very com
panionable, drawing about him a large circle
of friends who appreciate his many good qual
ities. In February, i860, Mr. Conklin was united
in marriage with Fannie J., daughter of David
Winans, and a native of the town of Stanford.
Five children have been born to them, of whom,
George and Nathan, the eldest two, died in
chHdhood; the others are: Susan, who mar
ried Virgil Winans; Augusta (deceased) and
Jennie. Mr. Conklin owns a fine farm of 336

874

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

acres in the town of Amenia, Dutchess county.
In politics he is a Republican, but he has never
been an office-seeker.

E EDWARD COUSE. One of the active,
 ^ prominent and enterprising citizens of
the town of Red Hook, is the gentleman
whose name introduces this sketch, who is at
present engaged in general farming and fruit
raising. He made his first appearance upon
the stage of life beneath the roof of his par
ents, Jacob and Susan (Robison) Couse, in the
town of Milan, Dutchess county.
His paternal grandfather, Henry J. Couse,
was a prominent farmer in the town of Milan,
and there married Miss Sarah Lynn, by whom
he had seven children, namely: Hannah, who
became the wife of a Mr. Wolcott; Betsy, who
married Peter Stickle; Mary; Jacob, the father
of our subject; Henry, who wedded Kittie
Near; John, who married Miss Kilmer, and Ed
ward, To the parents of our subject were
born six chHdren: Sarena first became the
wife of John Teator, and after his death
married Charles Miller; Henry wedded Rachel
Hood; Elizabeth married John Haines; Charles;
Sarah was united in marriage with Emery
Coon; and Edward completes the family.
Upon his father's farm our subject was
reared and early taught those habits of industry
which have had such an important bearing
upon his entire life. He obtained hie educa
tion in the district school, in the meantime as
sisting his father in such work as his age and
strength would permit. He became interested
in agricultural pursuits, and now operates a
fine farm of 123 acres of land, which he pur
chased in 1889, it being then known as the
Benner farm. He makes a specialty of fruit
raising, and has been quite successful. He has
made good use of his opportunities, has pros
pered from year to year, has conducted all
business matters carefully and capably, and in
all his acts displays an aptitude for success
ful management. Mr. Couse was united in marriage with
Miss Kittie Feller, daughter of Henry A. and
Catherine (Snyder) Feller, who were farming
people of the town of Milan, and the parents
of the following children: Alice, wife of
Wriget Kilmer; Mary, wife of Charles Palse;
Sylvester, who married Grace Levenworth;
Seward; Hattie, wife of Henry Burns; Kittie;

Henry, who married Annie Bathrick; and
Annie, wife of John Smith. The maternal
grandfather of Mrs. Couse, Philip Snyder, was
the only child of Isaac and Catherine Snyder.
He was joined in wedlock with Miss Christina
Near, of the town of Red Hook, and they be
came the parents of two daughters^Catherine,
the mother of Mrs. Couse; and Elizabeth, who
married Isaac Fulton.

JOSEPH BATES, a general farmer and ex-
stock-dealer, was born in the town of
Washington, Dutchess county, July 11,
1822. His father, Joseph Bates, was born in
Nantucket, R. I., and moved to Dutchess
county, where he married Miss Lydia Dicker-
son, who was a native of North Salem, Mass.
They settled on a farm in the town of Wash
ington, and reared a famHy of twelve chHdren,
five ot whom died in infancy. The others
were: Joseph, our subject; George, a farmer
in Missouri; John, a farmer of this town atone
time, is deceased; Stephen died in 1894;
Henry was a farmer in Saginaw, Mich., where
he died; Mary married 'William Lovelace, a
farmer in the town of Dover; Ruth became the
wife of Isaac Lovelace, a mason by trade.
Mr. Bates farmed all his life, and died about
1863. Politically he was a Democrat. His
wife died about 1879,
John Bates, grandfather of our subject,
was born in Rhode Island. He married a Miss
Hill, and they reared a family of twelve chil
dren. Joseph Bates, the subject of this sketch,
grew to manhood in the town of Washington,
worked by the day for various farmers, saved
his money and gradually invested it in land,
until to-day he has one ofthe largest farms in
the town. In 1844 he married Miss Sarah
SmHh, a native of the town of Washington,
and a daughter of Joseph Smith, who was a
farmer of that town. He married Miss Susan
Marshall. In 1852 Mr. Bates bought his pres
ent farm, on which they have reared their two
children: Charles, who married Louise Ruger,
and lives with his parents; Josephine, who be
came the wife of Townsend Coles, a farmer in
Lagrange, where she died in AprH, 1881. Mr.
Bates has a large farm of '300 or 400 acres,
which is planted principally in potatoes, he be
ing the largest producer of that vegetable in
Dutchess county. He also formerly bought

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECORD.

875

and sold stock. He is a Democrat, and a self-
made man, and has acquired his money by hard
work and good management. He enjoys the
esteem of all who know him.

JUDSON A. DENTON, a representative
farmer of the town of Beekman, Dutchess
county, is actively engaged in his profitable
occupation on his homestead, where he has re
sided since the spring of 1888, and where his
energetic labors have met with due reward.
His chHdhood was also spent upon the same
farm, his birth taking place at his present resi
dence February 8, 1853. His grandfather,
Solomon Denton, was the founder of tbe fam
ily in this country, and for many years followed
agricultural pursuits in the town of Pawling,
Dutchess county. His wife lived to the ad
vanced age of ninety-three years.
Amos Denton, the father of our subject,
was born in Pawling town. October 13, 1808,
and there spent his boyhood days attending
the district schools. He remained upon the
home farm until thirty years of age, when he
wedded Mary Seaman, daughter of Sutton
Seaman, and then removed to the town of
East Fishkill, where he conducted a general
store for two years. On selling out, he went
west to hunt up a location, but finally decided
to remain in his native county, purchasing the
old Benjamin Smith farm in Beekman town,
upon which he made his home up to the time
of his death, which occurred November 13,
1887. His wife departed this life in the
spring of 1885. Seven children were born to
them: Edgar, who is superintendent of a
division of the stock yards of Chicago; Emily
F. , wHo is the widow of Leonard Townsend,
and is now a resident of Unionvale town;
Amelia, deceased wife of Jonathan Spencer;
Judson Amos, of this sketch; Frederick S., of
Staten Island; Weston Eugene, of New York
City; and Sarah M., who died in infancy. In
political sentiment the father was first a Whig,
and later a supporter of the Republican party,
while religously he was a devout member of
the Baptist Church at Beekman, for many
years serving as a deacon. He was a highly
respected citizen, and for over twenty years he
efficiently filled the office of justice of the peace.
The education of our subject was such as
the district schools of the town of Beekman
afforded, and at the age of thirteen years he be
gan working as a farm hand for neighbors,

being employed in this way for four seasons.
When seventeen years of age he was united in
marriage with Miss Alice M. WHey, daughter
of George Wiley, and they became the parents
of four children: George W. , who died in in
fancy; Gertrude L. ; Eliza A., who married
Austin Bierce, Jr. ; and George Weston. The
wife and mother was called to her final rest
on August 24, 1880. In 1882, Mr, Denton
was married in the town of Unionvale, the
lady of his choice being Miss Ella F. Bierce,
daughter of Austin Bierce, and to them was
born a daughter — Louie J., who died in in
fancy. After his first marriage, Mr. Denton oper
ated a farm on shares, and also engaged in
teaming for the furnace company. For five
or six years he engaged in butchering, and for
the same length of time lived upon a farm in
Unionvale town; but in the spring of 1888 he
purchased his present fine farm in Beekman
town, to the cultivation and improvement of
which he has since devoted his attention. In
the fall of 1895 he also engaged in the coal
business in the same town. He is a stalwart
Republican in politics, and since the spring of
1889 has acceptably served as justice of the
peace. He is an honorable, upright citizen,
who gains and retains the confidence and es
teem of those with whom he comes in contact.

JOHN C. BARRINGER, a leading agricult
urist of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess
county, is a direct descendant of the pio
neer who, according to tradition, suggested
the name for that town.
Our subject's great-grandfather Barringer
came to that vicinity from Germany in com
pany with Col. Beekman, and the story goes
that as they were talking about naming the
town Mr, Barringer said: "Colonel, you name
it; or, since we both came from the Rhine and
your name is Beekman, call it Rhinebeekman,
or Rhinebeck." George Barringer, our sub
ject's grandfather, was a lifelong resident of
the town. He married Miss Ackert, and had
two children — Julia, who married Stephen
Champlain, of Kingston, and Ephraim, our
subject's father. By a second wife he had
four children: Catherine, Maria, Elizabeth, and
Elias, who married Miss Shoemaker and set
tled on a farm near the village of Rhinebeck.
They had three children: Jeremiah, -Mary and
Elizabeth.

876

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Ephraim Barringer grew to manhood at
the old homestead, and married Alice F. Cham
plain, who was born in Hudson, N, Y. , Sep
tember 21, 1 82 1, but came here with her par
ents when only one year old. Her father,
Joseph Champlain, was a native of Connecti
cut. After his marriage Ephraim Barringer
bought the family estate, which he farmed
during the remainder of his life. Five chHdren
were born to him and his wife: Florence, who
married Rev. Keyser, a Methodist minister in
Westchester county; Catherine; Frances; John
C, our subject; and Martha P., who died
February 3, 1872. The mother of this family
is dead, and of the father's death we take the
following account from the Eagle, under date
of January 20, 1892: "Ephraim Barringer
died at his home in Rhinebeck on Saturday,
January 2, 1892. He was born there October
12, 181 1, on a place obtained by his grand
father from the English King. Mr. Barringer
belonged to one of the oldest famHies in Rhine
beck, his grandfather and Col. Beekman hav
ing named the town,"
John C, Barringer was born September i,
1856, and has always lived upon the old farm.
Under a survey made in 1834 the portion now
in his possession contained eighty-eight and a
half acres, but it is certain that it contains
more than that. He is a general farmer, and
is considered one of the most progressive and
successful managers in the neighborhood.
On March 18, 1882, he married Miss Rosa
De Wint, a daughter of George De Wint, a
well-known resident of Rhinebeck. They have
no children. The Barringers have always been
Lutherans, but our subject and his wife now
contribute to the M. E. Church. In politics
he is a Republican, as was his father also in
later years, and although he is no office-seeker,
there are few among the younger men in the
vicinity who have more influence than John C.
Barringer.

Ei) OBERT HURD. Among the enterpris-
 U^ ing and prosperous young business men
of the town of Pawling, Dutchess county, the
well-known commission merchant and cattle
dealer whose name introduces this sketch may
well be regarded as a leader. His shrewd
judgment and untiring energy have already won
him wide recognition in business circles.
He was born October 5, 1869, onthe Hurd
homestead, formerly the Campbell homestead.

in Pawling town, and is related to several of
the oldest families. On the paternal side, his
great-grandfather Hurd came from Scotland
at an early period to settle in the town of
Pawling, where he followed agriculture, as did
also his son, Benjamin D. Hurd, our subject's
grandfather, who was born in that town.
Hurd's Corners was named in honor of the
famHy, and Benjamin Hurd was a prominent
man of that locality, a leading supporter of
the Methodist Episcopal Church and of the
Whig party. He was not, however, an office-
seeker, although he was justice of the peace
for many years. Both he and his wife, Mary
Campbell, are dead. She was a daughter of
Jeremiah Campbell, who was prominent in his
time in religious and civil affairs in Dutchess
county, and her grandfather Campbell was an
officer in charge of the British forces at the
battle' of White Plains, where he met his
death. Of the seven children of this marriage
all lived to adult age: Harriet married Leon
ard Hall, of Po'quag; WHliam T. was a mer
chant for many years at Hurd's Corners, and
died there; Archibald never engaged in busi
ness, as he was not strong, and his death
occurred in Cuba; Edgar I. is mentioned below;
Mary, deceased, married Thomas Brill, of
Po'quag; Stacia married Groe Dodge, of Pawl
ing; and Julia G. married James Longhead, of
the same place.
Edgar I. Hurd, our subject's father, was
born at Hurd's Corners, and in early manhood
engaged in mercantile business in Pawling.
Later he purchased the old Campbell home
stead and settled here at farming, establishing
at the same time a commission business in all
kinds of country produce, which he has con
ducted successfully for forty years. His goods
are shipped to New York City, and he has sold
large quantities on the present site of the
Grand Central Depot and Madison Garden.
He is accounted a shrewd business man, and
his property has been accumulated through his
own good management. He and his family
are Episcopalians in religion, and, poHtically,
he is a Democrat, but has not been very active
in party work, although he has held most of
the minor offices in the town and has served as
supervisor and highway commissioner. He
married Caroline A. Howard, a descendant of
one of the old families of the county, and a
daughterof James Howard, of Pawling. Five
chHdren were born of this union — James;
WiHiam, deceased; Jay; Robert; and Lucy,

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Sll

who married Dr. Arthur Degaris, a leading
dentist of MHIbrook, N. Y. The three surviv
ing sons are all at home and engaged in busi
ness with their father, a partnership having
been formed in 1889.
Robert Hurd was educated in the district
school near his home and in the select schools
of Dover and Pawling. His remarkable busi
ness abiHties were displayed at an early age,
and at fifteen he went into partnership with
Mr. Smith in the cattle business, and going to
western New York they bought 225 head,
which they drove east, selling along the route
and closing out the lot at Pawling. This busi
ness he has continued ever since, buying in
Buffalo to supply the demand in his vicinity
for milch cows. In addition to his work in
this line he is active in the business of the
firm. His success in his various enterprises-
may be attributed to a rare combination of
conservatism in judgment and energy in action.
These characteristics are shown also in public
affairs, making him a valued worker in the
. Democratic party. He has been a delegate to
many State, county and district conventions,
and in 1896 he was elected commissioner of
highways, being the only successful candidate
on his ticket that year. That his excellent
business judgment is appreciated may be still
farther seen by his appointment, by Judge Bar
nard in 1895, as receiver for the Akindole es
tate, and his friends may well feel justified in
their high hopes for his future.

PiATRICK WHALEN, a prominent resident
 of Dover Plains, Dutchess county, has
been for many years a successful stock dealer,
but is now enjoying a well-earned leisure at his
beautiful home in the mountains. It is situ
ated in a picturesque ravine on the spot known
as the Stone Church, from its resemblance to a
church door, a point greatly admired by tour
ists and often visited by picnic parties from the
surrounding country.
Mr. Whalen is of Irish birth, andhis family
has long held a leading place in County Lim
erick, Ireland. Hisgrandfather, John Whalen,
was a well-educated man, and a farmer by oc
cupation. He married Catherine Burk, and
had seven children: Jeremiah, our subject's
father; Johanna, the wife of Edward Quinn;
Patrick, who married Mary O'Donnel; Cather
ine, the wife of Dennis O'Brien; John, who
never married; Bridget, Mrs. WHliam Shee

han; and Maggie, who died at the age of nine
teen. Jeremiah Whalen was born in 1792, and re
ceived an excellent education in his youth.
He became a well-known agitator for the lib
eration of his native land from the British yoke,
being a valued co-worker with Daniel O'Con
neH, and serving two terms as a member'of
Parliament. For some years he was engaged
in farming in Ireland, and also took contracts
for the working of the highways, subletting
them and keeping a number of men constantly
employed. He married Miss Catherine Heffer-
aman, daughter of John Hefferaman, a farmer
in County Limerick, and had twelve children:
Catherine died at the age of three; Mary; John,
born in 1827, married Mary Manixe; Patrick,
subject of this sketch; Jeremiah D, married
Bridget Grace; Dennis married (first) Hanora
Morone, and (second) Delia Hogan; Michael
died at the age of twelve; William married
Ellen McCoid; James married Johanna Morris-
see; Thomas died at five years of age, and
Stephen and David died in early childhood.
All of these children were born at the old
homestead in County Limerick, and in 1847
the family came to America, settling first in
New York City, and later upon a farm in Dutch
ess county, near Dover Plains.
Our subject was born in 1830, and was
given the best educational opportunities that
his native parish afforded. On his arrival in
this country he found employment upon the
Harlem railroad, which had then been recently
surveyed, receiving five shillings per day for his
work, and paying three shillings per day for
board. He remembers well the first train
which passed over the road. After a year and
a half at this work he engaged in farm labor
with a farmer in Dover, and later became a
stock dealer. In this business he was very
successful, his trade extending over several
States, and he bought and sold some of the
finest cattle ever shipped from Dover. At one
time he owned a farm of 235 acres in that
town, but he disposed of it, and his present
farm contains only seventy-five acres. He has
taken an active interest in politics, has been
assessor for five years, and has held other
town offices including that of road commis
sioner. As a devout Catholic he did much to
establish that Church in Dover Plains, and in
1858 subscribed $50.00 toward the building of
their edifice. He was married in 1857 to Miss
Selina Deviney, and has had four. children, of

878

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

whom two are living: (i) Catherine A,, born
in 1862, is at home. (2) William D., born in
1863, died in infancy. (3) Thomas, born in
1864, married Miss Mamie Doyle, and has one
child — Selina, born June 16, 1893. (4) Jere
miah, born in 1866, died in infancy. Mrs.
Whalen is a native of Walworth, County Lon
donderry, Ireland, and was born in 1835.
She received her education at her native place,
and in 1851 came to Dover Plains, where she
met and married our subject. Her grandfa
ther, Thomas Deviney, was born in Glasgow,
Scotland, where he was for many years a well-
known machinist. He married Miss Jennie
Livingston, by whom he had five children:
Jennie, who married John Berrjsford, Mar
garet, Sarah, Thomas, who married Ann Craig,
and William, Mrs. Whalen's father, who was
born in County Londonderry, Ireland. He
was a cattle buyer by occupation, and was
quite prominent in Masonic circles, being a
Master Mason. His first wife was Miss Mary
Malia, daughter of John and MolHe Malia, of
Walworth, Ireland, and his second was Miss
Hannah McCornica. Seven children were
born of the first marriage : Jennie, Eliza and Isa
bella, whose husbands' names are not known;
Mary, who married (first) David Begley,
and (second) William Bleekley; Selina, Mrs.
Whalen; William, who married Elizabeth Mc-
Golrich; and David, who married Martha
Scott. There were two children by the second
marriage: Thomas, who married Martha
Shaw, and Margaret, the wife of Mr. McNari-
land.

0>SBORN ROBINSON, a general farmer
^' and dealer in dairy products, was born in
Putnam county, N. Y., December 3, 1820.
He grew up in the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, where in 1848, he was married to Miss
Wealthy Mott, who, too, was born in the town
of Stanford. Her father, Jonathan Mott, was
also a native of Stanford, and married Miss Ar
menia Walters, whose birth took place in the
town of Milan. These children were born to
Mr. and Mrs, Mott: Benjamin, Nelson, Sarah,
Betsy A., and Armenia.
Mr. Robinson worked on various farms in
Washington town, and in 1871 bought the
farm on which he now resides. The following
children were born to our subject and his wife:
Martha, who married Milo Dickerman, a milk
dealer of Chicago; Stephen is on the home

place; George married Miss Kitty Reynoldson
and lives in Chicago; Phoebe is at home; John
works on the farm; Carrie became the wife of
Edward D. Smith. Our subject has a farm
of 320 acres, and owns forty^six head of cattle,
fifty-one sheep and nine horses. He deals
extensively in milk and has a model dairy,
with all the modern improvements. He is a
Republican and has held, among other offices
of the town, that of postmaster. He is a
well-known farmer in the community, and is
respected by all with whom he comes in con
tact. Stephen Robinson, father of our subject,
was a native of Putnam county, where he
grew to manhood. He married Miss Hattie
Kelley, who was born in Putnam county, and
who was a daughter of Seth Kelley. Mr.
•Robinson and his wife located on a farm in
Putnam county, and the following chHdren
were born to them: Chapel, a farmer in Stan
ford; Kelley, a retired citizen of Stanford;
Osborn is our subject; Ennis, who was a farmer
of Stanford, died about the year 1870; Jarvis,
a farmer; Robert, a farmer in the town of
Poughkeepsie; William, following the same
occupation in Stanford; Nathaniel, deceased;
Emily married Walter Winans, a farmer in
Amenia, and is deceased; Zilla became the
wife of Charles Barrett, who is deceased; Ada
married Henry Thompson, who was a farmer
in the town of Stanford; Priscilla (unmarried);
Catherine, the wifeof Isaac Sincerbox, a farmer
of Sharon, Conn. Mr. Robinson was a Whig
and later a Republican. He was a member
of the Baptist Church. His death occurred
in 1870. Chapel Robinson, the grandfather, was
born in Putnam county, where he married,
settled on a farm and reared a large family of
children.

WILLIAM H. ALLEN, a wide-awake
 and industrious farmer of the town of
Clinton, Dutchess county, was born upon the
old family homestead in that township, No
vember 27, 1856. The town of Pleasant Val
ley, Dutchess county, was the birthplace of
the grandfather of our subject, WHliam Henry
Allen, who served as captain of the State mili
tia, and in later life engaged in the cultivation
and improvement of a farm in the town of
Clinton. He married Sarah Marshall, and to
them were born five chHdren, all of whom have

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BEOOBD.

879

now passed away, namely: WHliam Henry,
Catherine, JuHa, Henry and James D.
The last-named, who was the father of our
subject, was born in the town of Clinton in
1 8 10, and on reaching manhood wedded Mary
Clapp, daughterof James Clapp, the ceremony
being performed in the town of Pleasant Val
ley. Their family circle included four chil
dren: Julia, wife of Marshall Herrick; Will
iam H.; Mary EmHy, wife of Elmer Van-
Vliet, of Hudson, N. Y. ; and James C. The
father continued to operate the old family
homestead until his death; politically, he was
one of the warmest adherents of the Republic
an party. WHHam H. Allen grew to man's estate
upon his father's farm in the town of Clinton,
attending the school of the neighborhood, and
supplemented the knowledge thus acquired by
a course inthe Poughkeepsie Military Institute.
When his schools days were over he continued
to follow the pursuit to which he had been
reared, and for four years after his marriage
had the care and management of the old home
stead. He then removed to his present farm,
whose neat and thrifty appearance indicates
his progressive spirit and industrious habits.
In the town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, Mr. Allen married Susan Barnes, a
daughter of David Barnes, and to them was
born a daughter, Annette E. For his second
wife he wedded in the town of Pleasant Valley,
Miss Cora A. Van De Water, a daughter of
William Vaif De Water. Two children bless
their union: James Henry, born February 6,
1893; and William MarshaH, born January 3,
1895. Mr. Allen uses his elective franchise in sup
port of the men and measures of the Republic
an party, but takes no very active part in po
litical affairs. His energy and industry are
proverbial, and he is numbered among the men
who have been instrumental in promoting the
progress and prosperity of his town and county.

E

^\PHRAIM HERRICK, the genial and pop-

 ular proprietor of "The Rhinebeck," one
of the best and most pleasant hotels along the
Hudson, was born May 17, 1848, on the old
family homestead in the town of Milan, Dutch
ess county, a son of Ephraim Herrick. His
primary education was received in the district
schools, and he later pursued his studies in the

Rhinebeck Academy, thus obtaining a practical
education, which well fitted him for the duties
of life. After laying aside his text books he
operated the home farm untH the death of his
father, which occurred in 1868, having charge
of that place for twenty-four years, as he con
tinued its cultivation for some time later.
For twelve years Mr. Herrick then super
intended the Dutchess County Gold farm,
owned by Dr. Martin G. Freligh, which was
sold during that time for a large sum. In the
fall of 1888 he purchased his present hotel at
Rhinecliff, which he has conducted very suc
cessfully since, and the place well merits the
liberal patronage accorded it. The house is
well fitted up, is convenient and comfortable,
and the cuisine is unexceptionable.
In 1872 our subject was joined in wedlock
with Henrietta Hermance, daughter of Joseph
Hermance, of Salt Point, in the town of Clin
ton, Dutchess county. Our subject is a stanch
adherent of the principles formulated by the
Democratic party, and is one of tbe most pro
gressive and public-spirited men of the com
munity, where he is widely and favorably
known.

BAILEY WHEELER, a well-known and
prominent citizen of the town of Dover,
belongs to a family that has long been con
nected with the history of Dutchess county.
He is the son of Henry, and grandson of John
B. Wheeler, an account of whom is given in
the sketch of Perry Wheeler.
The birth of our subject occurred May 3,
1825, in the town of Dover, and his education
was received at South Dover. After leaving
school, he engaged in farming for about forty
years, and then turned his attention to specu
lating in tobacco, cattle and stock generally,
with good success. Although he takes no
active part in political affairs, his ballot is al
ways cast in support of the principles of the
Republican party, and he ever faithfully dis
charges his duties of citizenship.
In i860 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Wheeler and Miss JuHet Hungerford,
daughter of Delazon and Hannah Hungerford,
of Connecticut, and two children came to
bless their union, a son and daughter. George
B., the former, was born in Dover township,
in 1866, and obtained an excellent education
in Eastman Business College, and in 1887 at
Fort Edward. The six months following his

880

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

graduation were spent in California, and on his
return to the East he was for two years em
ployed in the ' ' Plaza Hotel " of New "York City.
He was then offered the position of teller in the
Plaza Bank of that city, where he is now located.
The daughter/r^ellie A., was born in the town
of Dover, in 1869, and attended school at
Poughkeepsie. She is now the wife orWilliam_
S. McKean. a wholesale confectioner of Al

toona, Penn., and has one child, William
Wheeler, born April 2, 1894.
Thomas Hungerford, the maternal grand
father of Mrs. Wheeler, was a native of Con
necticut, and by his marriage with Miss Diana
Hungerford was the father of six chHdren.
(i) Harriet married George Shove, by whom
she has three children; Eliza, Henry and Ed
ward. (2) Edwin married Susan Geddings,
and had five children: Martin, who married
Julia Jackson; Phoebe, who married Charles
Hine; George, who married Emily Babcock;
Lewis, who married Elizabeth Treat; and
Anna, who married John Duncan. (3) Emily
married Carlisle Smith, and was the mother
of four children: Clark; Susan, wife of Asa
Camp; Harriet, who died in infancy; and
Oliver. (4) Thomas married Rachel Smith,
and they had six children: Mills, who was
three times married, his first wife being Allie
Hendricks, his second a Miss Cable, and the
third Mary Stewart; Sophia, who married
Edward Teedwell; Ophelia, who married Dan
iel Mallory; Jay, who married Sarah Hoag;
Neilson, who married Lucy Durfey; and Allen,
who died unmarried. (5) Orin married
Wealthy White, and had two children: Fran
cis and Charles. (6) Hannah is the mother
of Mrs. Wheeler.
Hannah Hungerford was born in Connecti
cut, and married Delazon Hungerford, a farmer,
who though bearing the same name was no
relative. They became the parents of seven
children, (i) Angeline, born in 1832, married
Jonathan Haviland, and has four children:
Elsie, wife of Abram Henley; Lillian; Lottie,
wife of George Rice; and Walter. (2) Watson,
born in 1835, died in infancy. (3) Juliet, born
in 1838, is the wife of our subject. (4) Sarah,
born in 1841, married George W. Squires, and
has four children: Robert,' who married
Jennie Stevens; Lewis, Walter and Bell. (5)
Beach, born in 1844, married Fannie Hoag,
and has three children: Nettie, wife of Frank
Cable; Maf and Eva. (6) Mary, born in
1848, wedded Lafayette Joyce, and has one

son, Howard. (7) Frederick, born in 1852,
married Lucinda Sprague, and has three chH
dren: Ward, Bessie and Grace.

w

\E WITT C. KETTERER, the weH-
known proprietor of the ' ' Ketterer Hotel ' '
at Pine Plains, Dutchess county, was born
March 7, 1858, in the town of MHan.
The family originated in Baden, Germany,
where his grandfather, F. Ketterer, passed his
entire life. Of his two sOns, Charles, our sub
ject's father, was the first of the family to
come to America. Charles Ketterer was born
January 3, 1828, and received a good educa
tion in the schools of his native land, where a
strict compulsory system prevails, and after
ward learned and followed the weaver's trade.
In 1853 he emigrated to this country, locating
first at Milan, in Dutchess county, and later in
the town of Clinton. He married Margaretha
Dorothy Mindline, also a native of Germany,
who came to Dutchess county in the sam'e
year on account of ill health. Being thrifty
and energetic, Charles Ketterer made rapid
progress in business, and before the breaking
out of the war had bought a farm in the town
of CHnton. In 1862 he enlisted in the 128th
N. Y. V. I., and served as a private until the
Rebellion ended, taking part in the Red River
campaign and in the operations in the Shenan
doah Valley, and although he was in all the
principal engagements in which his regiment
participated he was not injured in any way.
On his return home in 1865, he removed to
Pine Plains and opened a barber shop, the
first in the town, having learned the business
by shaving his comrades in the army and tak
ing a one month's course of instruction in New
York City. For seven years he followed this
trade successfully at various locations in the
town, and, in 1872, exchanged the business for
the hotel now owned by his heirs. He owned
this property until his death which occurred
December 28, 1888. He was the first to in
troduce beer into the village, ale having been
the only drink known previously. A self-made
man and a hard worker, he was also generous,
and public-spirited, showing a hearty interest
in the improvement of the village. He was an
enthusiastic Republican, and one of the lead
ing members of the Lutheran Church, with
which he had been connected from early chHd
hood.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

881

De Witt C. Ketterer was the only child of
his parents, and after attending the district
school at Pine Plains until the age of fourteen
he took charge of his father's barber-shop on
his own responsibility. He possesses good
natural abilities, and with due preparation
would have been successful in almost any
undertaking. His early limitations in educa
tion have been largely made good by an exten
sive course of reading upon general subjects.
After following the barber's trade for seven
years he and his father, in 1879, exchanged
work, and he took the hotel which he has now
conducted for seventeen years, making exten
sive improvements and keeping well in ad
vance of any competitors. He is prominent
in local affairs, an earnest advocate of progress
ive movements, and in politics he is an Inde
pendent. On January 6, 1891, he married
Miss Jennie M. Boice, daughter of John Boice,
of Ancram, Columbia county. New York.

JAMES NEWMAN. In this free land of ours
many of the inhabitants are of foreign
birth, who have come here for the purpose
of securing homes, and these valuable addi
tions to the native population have, by their
industry, economy and honest methods, be
come essential factors in the growth and pros
perity of the country. They furnish not only
needed workmen, skHled and unskilled, but
enterprising merchants, manufacturers, artists
and apt dealers upon our marts of trade.
Mr. Newman is a native of Germany, born
in New Bavaria, July 23, 1845. His father,
George M. Newman, was a hotel keeper and
groceryman at Herxheim by Landau, in the
Rhine Pfaltz, and in 1854 came to America,
where he died two years later. He was a
man of wealth, had traveled extensively in
France, and had also visited Africa. By
his marriage with Vermika Seither, who died
in Bavaria, he had four children: Frederick,
James, Caroline and George, all now deceased
with the exception of our subject.
At the age of fifteen years James New
man left his native land, crossing the At
lantic to America to hunt up his brothers,
one of whom he found in New York City,
and the other in St. Louis. At the former
place he bound himself out to learn cigar
making with John Paul Ohrt, at No. 113
West Broadway, where he remained about
one year. When the war broke out he
57

enlisted in the Anderson Zouaves, but was
prevented from going to the front by Mr.
Ohrt, as he was not yet of age. He then ran
away, coming to the town of Stanford, Dutchess
county, where he soon afterward enlisted in
the 150th N. Y. V. I., under *Capt. Gilder
sleeve, a.nd was with that regiment untH mus
tered out at Poughkeepsie in 1865. He now
holds membership with John M. Gregory Post
No. 59, G. A. R. , Department of Connecticut,
of which he has served as commander, and
also belongs to the Officers Association of the
1 50th Regiment, at Poughkeepsie, as he had
attained the rank of corporal.
After gallantly aiding his adopted country
in her struggle to preserve the Union until he
saw the flag once more float over a united
nation, Mr. Newman came to Amenia, Hving
with Henry Tripp, his former employer, for a
year, after which he worked for A. B. Rice
for the same length of time, and subsequently
was employed at the ' ' Amenia House " by
Morgan Tripp for a year. Since that time he
has successfully engaged in the cigar business
for himself at Amenia, and is at the head of a
large and constantly increasing trade.
At Poughkeepsie, December 20, 1868, Mr.
Newman was married to Miss Margaret E.
Gaul, a native of New York City, anda daugh
ter of John Gaul, a blacksmith of Amenia.
They have four children: Charles H., who
married Carrie Why land; Carrie E. ; Mary; and
James Arthur. In his political views, Mr.
Newman is a Republican; socially he is a
member of Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. &
A. M.

DAVID HANNA. Quite a number of the
leading and prominent citizens of Dutch
ess county are of alien birth, and have trans
ported to this land of plenty the thrifty habits
of their native country. Among these there
are none better known, or more widely re
spected, than the gentleman whose name ap
pears at the beginning of this sketch.
Our subject was a native of Mayhaland,
County Londonderry, Ireland, where his
father, Samuel Hanna, was also born, reared
and educated. The latter was a farmer, but
also engaged in the operation of a flax and
grist mill at that place. He was united in
marriage with Matilda Fargerson, and to them
were born thirteen chHdren, namely: Jane,
who became the wife of James Sergent;

882

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Thomas, who married Margaret Hutchinson;
James and John, who died in infancy; Isabella,
who became the wife of James Hutchinson;
Nancy, who married William Hanna; John
(2), who remained single; Robert, who wedded
Matilda Dixon; Eliza, who died in girlhood;
Peggy, who died in infancy: David, who mar
ried Eliza Hutchinson; Sarah, who married a
Mr. Livingston; and Alex.
During his boyhood and youth David
Hanna attended the schools of his native land,
and assisted his father in the work of the mills.
On March 15, 1852, was celebrated bis mar
riage with Miss Eliza Hutchinson, a daughter
of Samuel and Abella (Greer) Hutchinson,
who lived upon a farm in County London
derry. Her father was one of the seven chil
dren born to Robert and Nancy (Patterson)
Hutchinson, who were also agriculturists of the
same locality, the others being John, William,
James, Bettie, Alex and Thomas.
In 1852, Mr. Hanna, with his bride, saHed
from the Emerald Isle for the New World,
and made their first location at Paterson,
N. J., where they remained for some time.
On leaving that city, they went to New York,
and for forty-three years our subject was in
the employ of the Harlem railroad, being fire
man for seven years and five months, and was
then given a position as watchman, which he
held until his resignation a short time ago,
owing to his age. His long continued service
well indicates his faithful discharge of duty,
and the implicit confidence which his employ
ers placed in him.
Mr. and Mrs. Hanna became the parents
of seven children, of whom, Arabella is the
eldest. Samuel, who is a conductor on the
Harlem railroad, married Minnie McLassen,
and they have one child, Herbert J. MatHda
is now deceased. John married Miss Ada
Preston, by whom he has one daughter, Julia;
he is a proniinent Republican, and in 1894
was elected a member of the General Assem
bly, and has also filled the position of super
visor of Poughkeepsie for three terms. David
wedded Mary Hutchinson, and is also a con
ductor on the Harlem railroad. Dorly is now
deceased. Lizzie A. completes the family.

:^ TrOHN D. BARNUM, now living retired at
11 Amenia Union, Dutchess county, was for
many years one of the most energetic and
wide-awake business then of Dutchess county.

where his entire life has been passed, his birth
having occurred August 7, 1834, at South
Amenia, in the house now owned by Franklin
Cline. Andrew Barnum, his father, was born at
Danbury, Conn., January 3, 1790, and was
the son of Daniel Barnum, a chairmaker of
Bethel, Conn. Here Andrew attended school.
On reaching years of maturity he engaged in
farming and lime-burning at Ridgefield, that
State. He married Miss Sally Chapman, who
was born at Redding, Conn., February 8, 1792,
a daughter of Phineas Chapman, and died in
July, 1852. Eight children were born of this
union, whose names and dates of birth are as
follows: Milo, February 29, 1816; Joshua,
September 15, 1818; Daniel, September 27,
1820; Lucinda, September 2, 1823; Sarah,
November 28, 1825; Mary, July 3, 1828; An
drew, August 27, 1829; and John D., August
7, 1834. All are now deceased with the ex
ception of our subject, and Mary, the wife of
Daniel Sharpsteen, of Battle Creek, Michigan.
In 1830 the father removed to the town of
Amenia, purchasing the place at South Amenia
now occupied by Franklin Cline, and there
conducted a flouring-mill. In 1839 he sold to
Philo Cline, giving possession the following
year, and then went to Cortland county, N.
Y., where he purchased a farm of 300 acres,
which he continued to cultivate for ten years.
On the expiration of that period he returned
to Amenia Union, and there lived retired until
his death, which occurred December 31, 1869.
He was again married, his second union being
December 8, 1852, with Mrs. Eliza Stevens,
who was born April 12, 1801, and died April
10, 1870. In politics he was first a Whig,
later a Republican.
The early education of our subject was ob
tained in Cortlandville Academy, and at the
age of sixteen years he started out in life for
himself, being engaged in the pump business
with his brother at Danboro, Penn., for two
years. The following summer he spent at Lit
tle York, Cortland Co., N. Y. , while the win-
-ter .was passed by him in the village of Cort
land. He was then employed in selHng tin
for Cicero Beach, of Kent, Conn., for a year.
Subsequently, Mr. Barnum, with his brother
Andrew, established the firm of Barnum &
Co., and engaged in the stationery business,
traveling by wagon with paper supplies, and
gathering material for the manufacture of paper.
This they continued from 1853 untH the death

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

883

of Andrew in 1865, after which our subject
condiicted the business alone until 1885, run
ning five peddling wagons on the road as far
east as Hartford, Conn., west to Oneonta,
N. Y., north to Utica, N. Y. , and south to
Bridgeport, Conn. He was also engaged in the
manufacture of cigars at Amenia Union, which
he sold to the retail trade from his wagons,
a business he continued to carry on after he
had stopped the paper trade. Later he went
on the road for Morgan L. Potts, to whom he
had sold out, and while thus employed be, in
1 89 1, contracted gangrene, which grew rapidly
worse, and resulted in his losing both legs.
Since that time he has necessarily led a retired
life. Mr. Barnum was first married September
I, 1857, to Anna J. Stevens, who was born
October 12, 1840, and was the daughter of
his stepmother. She died September 18, 1866,
leaving one son, William S. , now of Tarry
town, N. Y., who was born November 23, 1859,
and married Caroline Andrews. At Livingston
Manor, N. Y., September 2, 1868, Mr. Bar
num was again married, this time to Harriet
Ann Potts, who was born August 11, 1833,
and they have two children: J. Edmund, who
was born November 20, 1869, and is now with
the Wagner Palace Car Co., in New York
City, and John Dibble, Jr., born July 21, 1871.
In political sentiment, Mr. Barnum has always
been an ardent Republican, and he is devoted
to the best interests of bis town and county,
being numbered among tbe most public-spirited
and progressive citizens of the community.

FRANK E. BURNETT, one of the leading
_ business men of Red Hook, Dutchess
county, the senior member of the firm of Bur
nett Bros., is a descendant of a family which
has long been prominent in that place.
His father, Stephen R. Burnett, was born
there in the year 1829, and from that time to
the present has had his residence there. Early
in life he learned the carpenter's trade, and fol
lowed it successfully for some years, and in
1865 he engaged in the furniture and under
taking business, conducting it with increasing
trade and profit untH 1886, when he transferred
it to his two sons. He is a man who stands
high in the esteem of the community, and al
though he has never sought public office he
wields an influence in a quiet way in every pro
gressive movement. He was a charter mem

ber of Christian Lodge No. 379, I. O. O. F.,
organized January 28, 1874, and he is now a
Past Grand of the Lodge and Past Deputy
Grand Master of the District of Dutchess. He
was married in 1853 to Miss Sarah Eighmy, a
daughter of George Eighmy, a prominent resi
dent of Rhinebeck. The two children of this
union are Frank E., our subject, born April
27, 1855, and WHliam E. , born March 12,
i860. Both were educated in the common
schools of their native place, and after com
pleting the course Frank E. Burnett entered
the employ of his father and learned the de
tails of the business. The younger brother en
gaged in mercantile business for different
parties until the time of the father's retirement
from active Hfe. Under the able management
of the two the firm has maintained its prestige,
and its growing business gives evidence of their
energy and judgment.
On October 30, 1879, Frank E. Bur
nett married Miss Estella C. Lasher, a daugh
ter of Jacob Lasher, a well-known citizen of
Madalin. WiHiam E. Burnett is also married,
his wife being formerly Miss Ella Hermance, a
daughter of Edward Hermance, of Red Hook.
Neither couple have had any children.
Our subject takes an active part in local
affairs, giving his influence to all movements
which promise to aid the community. At the
age of twenty-one, he became a member of the
I. O. O. F., Christian Lodge No. 379, and is
a Past Grand and Past District Deputy Grand
Master of the order. He is also one of the
charter members of Shiloh Encampment No.
68, and has the distinction of being Past Chief
Patriarch, and was District Deputy Grand Pa
triarch for the year 1896.

F

«ANK E. BIRDSALL, one of the reliable

and progressive young farmers and rep
resentative men of the town of Clinton, Dutch
ess county, is actively engaged in general
farming upon the place which be purchased in
the spring of 1895. ^ native of Dutchess
county, he was born August 6, 1867, in the
town where he still resides.
On coming to America the founders of the
family first located in Westchester county, N.
Y., whence they removed to Orange county,
where Solomon Birdsall, the grandfather of
our subject, located on a farm granted by
King George of England to Mr. Lepton, from
whom the great-grandfather purchased it.

884

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

There Solomon spent his entire life in agri
cultural pursuits, and was a faithful member
of the Society of Friends. He was married in
Ulster county, N. Y., to Phoebe Young, and
to them were born seven children, Abram Y.
Birdsall, the father of our subject, being third
in order of birth. He was born March 19,
18 — , at Leptondale, Orange Co., and there
on a farm his boyhood days were passed.
After attending the district schools for a time
he entered Union Springs Boarding School in
New York State, and was then a student in the
Friends Boarding School at Providence, R. I.
After graduating from the Eastman Business
College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., he secured a
position as bookkeeper in New York City, and
later was a commission merchant. For fifteen
years he carried on the feed business, but is
now living upon a farm in the town of Wash
ington, Dutchess county, and devotes his time
to its cultivation.
In that township he married Elizabeth
Haight, a daughter of Lewis Haight, and two
children graced their union: Frank E. and
Gertrude, The parents both hold member
ship with the Friends Church, and the father
always casts his ballot with the Republican
party. The childhood of Frank E. Birdsall was
spent in Brooklyn, N. Y. , untH he was seven
years of age, when he accompanied his par
ents to Orange county, where the following
sixteen years were passed. He secured an
excellent education in the district schools, at
the Union Springs Boarding School, and com
pleted his literary training with an academic
course in the New Paltz Normal. For four
years he remained upon his father's farm at
Millbrook, Dutchess county, thus becoming
familiar with farm Hfe in all its details. His
practical knowledge of agriculture, combined
with his sound judgment and good business
ability, no doubt wins him success in his chosen
calling, and we predict for him a brilliant
future. On October 16, 1894, in the town of CHn
ton, Mr. Birdsall was united in marriage to
Miss Mary G. Griffen, daughter of William D.
Griffen. In his political affiliations he is an
inflexible adherent of the doctrines and prin
ciples of the Republican party, and he is an
earnest member of the Friends Church. He
enjoys the esteem and confidence of his neigh
bors, and, with his exceHent wife, is a valued
addition to the society of the township.

WILLIAM J. BROOKS, one of the promi-
 nent and reliable business men of Hi
bernia, Dutchess county, was born in Ancram,
Columbia Co., N. Y. , August 19, 1861. His
father, who was born in England, in 1831,
bore the name of Henry Brooks, and was the
youngest of the six children that comprised the
family of John and Mary (Ross) Brooks, the
former also a native of England, and the latter
the daughter of Alexander Ross, of Pough
keepsie. When Henry Brooks was about eight years
of age, his father brought the family to Amer
ica and located in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , where
he established himself in business. After com
pleting his education in the schools of that city,
Henry Brooks took up farming, and was also
employed as watchman at the Livingston
Rolling MHl in Poughkeepsie, in 1870. At
Millbrook, Dutchess county, he was united in
marriage with Rachel Butts, a daughter of
James Butts, and five children were born to
them: Lydia, who was born August 1 9, 1856,
and is the wife of Jay White, of Wassaic,
N. Y. ; William J. comes next; Amy, wife of
George Siegler, of Ancram, N. Y. ; Fred; Susie,
wife of Thomas McCarthy; and Eddie. For
many years the father has now made his home
at Ancram, Columbia county, where he is en
gaged in agricultural pursuits. His religious
views are those of the Methodist Church, and
in politics he is a stanch Republican.
The education of bur subject was obtained
in the schools of Ancram and Poughkeepsie,
and on laying aside his text books to take up
the more arduous duties of life, he was first en
gaged either in farming on the old homestead
or being employed by others. In 1890, how
ever, he came to Hibernia, Dutchess county,
where he purchased land and erected his pres
ent house and store. He at once began the
coal and livery business, but February, i, 1895,
he opened his general store, where he carries a
complete assortment of general merchandise
such as can be found in a first-class store of the
kind. He is a wide-awake, energetic business
man, honorable in all his dealings, thus win
ning the confidence and esteem of all with
whom he comes in contact, either in a business
or social way.
On June 12, 1889, in Troy, N. Y., Mr.
Brooks married Miss Cora B. Duncan, daugh
ter of Cyrus Duncan, of the town of Washing
ton, Dutchess county, and to them was born a
son, Henry. Mr. Brooks is a warm advocate

' COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

885

of Republican principles, although he has very
little time to devote to politics, and he is a
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church.

JAMES REYNOLDS. Among Poughkeep
sie's most active and progressive business
men of to-day is the subject of this brief
review, whose successful career of twenty-five
years in business in that city has been such as
to recommend him for the presidency of one of
the leading and substantial business interests of
Poughkeepsie — James Reynolds Elevator Com
pany. Mr. Reynolds was born at Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, June 7, 1858. He attended
school in his native city, and in 1873 was
graduated from Riverview Military Academy.
After his graduation he at once began his busi
ness career as a clerk in the wholesale grain
and feed store of Reynolds & Co., which was
located oposite the depot of the Hudson River
raHroad. He remained with this firm thirteen
years, then purchased a retail business in the
same line, the location of which was in Union
street. Under the judicious management and
popularity of Mr. Reynolds the business in
creased so that more room was required, and
in November, 1888, he purchased the Parker
mill and the surrounding property, and con
verted the mill into a complete grain elevator.
Large and commodious warehouses were
erected in connection with the elevator, and
largely increased switching facilities added ; and
also another retail store opened on Main street.
This business so increased that in February,
1896, it was incorporated under the name
of James Reynolds Elevator Company, and
has so continued to the present, our subject
being the president of the company. The other
officers are: George E. Cramer, of Reynolds
& Cramer, vice-president, and Willard C. VaH,
secretary. The main office, elevator and
warehouse are on the corner of North and
Garden streets, and the retail stores at Nos.
226 and 228 Union street, and No. 17 Cath
erine street. The company does an extensive
business in flour, feed, grain, hay; straw, salt
and fertilizers; also in poultry, kennel and bee
keepers' supplies.
Mr. Reynolds is not only one of the sub
stantial business men of Poughkeepsie, but one
of the popular and esteemed citizens.

WILLIAM B. DINSMORE (deceased).
 The first ancestor of the Dinsmore
family of whom we have any record was John
Dinsmoor, who went from Scotland to Ireland
in the seventeenth century, having run away
from home at the age of seventeen because
his father had compelled him, as the second
son, to hold tbe stirrup while his elder brother
mounted a horse. Unwilling to submit to
such an indignity, he sought a new home
in County Antrim, Ireland, where he lived
to the age of ninety-nine years, and was dis
tinguished for his piety. His son John (2)
married, and had two children, Robert, born in
1692, and Elizabeth.
America was then receiving many emi
grants of the hardy Scotch-Irish race, and
leaving his little family, John Dinsmoor sailed
across the Atlantic, landing at a fort at the
islands known as "the Gorges," off the coast
of Maine. There he began to build a house,
but while shingling it he was captured by the
Indians. By making himself useful to the
chief he gained his favor; but the other mem
bers of the tribe were not so well disposed,
and one day, in the absence of the chief, the
captive was accused of holding a conference
with some Englishmen on the coast, and was
condemned to die by fire. He had already
been bound to a tree, and the brush was piled
about him, when his friend, the chief, returned
and commanded his torturers to cease their
preparations until an investigation of the
charge could be made, as he said there would
certainly be tracks found in the sand if the
alleged conference had been held upon the
shore. None were discovered by a careful
search, and Dinsmoor was accordingly released.
Later the tribe left that part of the country,
and on coming to a stream which crossed their
line of march the chief entered his canoe; but
as Dinsmore was about to push it off and step
into the stern the chief told him that he must
go no further. John pleaded that the Indians
would kill him if he lost the chief's protection,
but the latter said: "No, you much honest
man, John. You walk to Boston," and giv
ing him some nuts and bear's grease he told
him where he could conceal himself in a cave
until the rest of the Indians had crossed the
river. His parting words were: "Indian
and French have all this country. You walk
to Boston, take English canoe and walk to
your own country: you much honest man,
John." Dinsmoor found the cave, and waited

886

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

there for three days watching tribe after tribe
pass until all were gone. He then started to
make his way to "the Gorges," but nearly
perished from hunger, and would have suc
cumbed had it not been for some cranberries
which he found in a swamp. He reached the
fort in safety, and then took passage by sea to
Boston. From there he went to Rockingham
county, N. H. , where a colony of Scotch-
Irish had settled in Nuffield township, now
Derry. Here he found old friends from
Londonderry, Ireland, and either through
sympathy for his sufferings, or as an induce
ment for him to stay there, the proprietors of
the settlement deeded to him and his heirs
sixty acres of land in Jee. As he was a mason
by trade, he buHt a stone house for himself and
sent for his family. After their arrival in
1730 he divided the farm between the two
children, both of whom were married and had
families, and he and his wife lived in the stone
house with his son-in-law. This house was
a noted point between Derry and Windham,
and until recently the location of- the front
door stone was marked by an early apple tree
in the garden of P. D. Scott, generally known
as the Hopkins place. John Dinsmoor, or
"Daddy Dinsmoor," as he was called, died in
1741. His son Robert brought to America his
wife, Margaret Orr, and four chHdren, and
lived upon what is now known as the Barnet
field, the westerly field south of the brook
near the Scott house, and by the railroad. It
is near or was a part of the land given to John
Dinsmoor. The house stood on the top of
the hill a few rods west of an old cellar, about
fifteen rods north of the railroad, and some
forty rods west of the old highway, now dis
continued. Soon after the death of his father
he moved to a farm in Windham, N. H.,
which has ever since been in the possession of
some of his descendants,' and is now the resi
dence of Edwin O. Dinsmoor. The dwelling
house is on or near the site selected by Robert
on a fine swell of land, and commands a wide
view to the east and south. The town records
of Windham show that he was prominent in
local affairs. He was one of three commis
sioners appointed to organize the town, March
8, 1742, and was elected a selectman on that
day. The next year he served on the com
mittee on lawsuits, formed presumably to pro
tect the actual settlers from claims made by
patentees of the Crown. In 1744-45-46-47

and 50 he was moderator at the annual town
meetings, which as is well said in the " History
of Windham, N. Y. ," from which these histo
rical facts have been taken, ' ' not only indi
cates his urbanity of manners, his knowledge
of parliamentary law and his tact in governing
men, but also the esteem of his fellow citi
zens." He died of fever and ague October
14, 1751, at the age of fifty-nine years. His
widow survived him until June 2, 1752. Of
their four sons, Samuel died November 12,
1753, aged twenty. The estate was divided
by lot among the other three, John, the eldest,
drawing the land north of the homestead,
comprising the farms lately occupied by John
and Daniel Kelly. Robert, the second son,
drew the homestead, and William, the west
portion lying south and west of "Jenny's
Hill " and extending to Cobbett's pond.
John Dinsmoor married Martha, daughter
of Justice James McKeen, of Londonderry,
and passed his life at Windham, where beheld
many prominent official positions, having been
town clerk, moderator of the town meeting, se
lectman, justice of peace, delegate to the Pro
vincial Congress at Exeter in 1775, and elder in
the Presbyterian Church. He had thirteen
children, of whom, the youngest, William, was
born at Windham in 1 767. As a young man
of twenty years he went to Charlestown,
Mass., and engaged in mercantile business.
He wedded Catherine H., daughter of Gavin
Brown, an Englishman, who resided in State
street, Boston, on the north side, at the point
now occupied by the Merchants Bank. At
the time of the Boston Massacre the family,
hearing the firing in tbe streets, fled from the
house and did not return for two days, when,
to their surprise they found it just as they had
left it, which speaks well for the honesty of
the citizens of that town. Mrs. Dinsmoor
died at Boston in 1830, and her husband fol
lowed her six years later. They had three
children: Catherine, born in 1805, died in
1857, who married Charles E. Bowers, of the
Adams Express Co.; Eliza, born in 1807,
died in 1827; and William B.
The late William B. Dinsmore was born
in Boston in 18 10, and was sent in boyhood to
Pinkerton Academy, at Derry, N. H. After
completing his course there he returned home,
but his father discovered, on testing his ac
quirements, that he was a very poor penman,
and knowing the importance of a good hand
writing to a business man he selected a good

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

887

teacher of penmanship, with whom the young
man gained unusual proficiency in the art. In
this painstaking attention to detail on the part
of both father and son may be found the
secret of their success, and the quality was
constantly shown in WilHam B. Dinsmore's
work in the Adams Express Company, to
which the best part of his life was given. It
would not be possible to give the history of
one without outlining that ol the other, so
closely are they identified. In 1840 when
Mr. Alvin Adams, of Boston, established an
express business over the Norwich line from
Boston to New York, Mr. Dinsmore was em
ployed as bookkeeper, and soon afterward a
partnership was formed between them under
the name of Adams & Co. Mr. Dinsmore
went to New York to look after the firm's in
terest, and his innate conservatism and caution
is evidenced by his statement to his host at
the ' ' United States " hotel, that he was by no
means sure of the success of the enterprise.
In 1842 and 1843 the amount of business jus
tified an extension of the company's lines, and
PhHadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and
Pittsburg were included in the service, and
other parties entered the company as proprie
tors. In a few years they covered every rail
way in the Southern States, and had niade
rapid progress in the West, and July i, 1854,
the Adams Express Co., a joint-stock associa
tion, was organized with Mr. Adams as presi
dent, and Mr. Dinsmore as treasurer, the
headquarters being located at New York.
The business continued to prosper; but a few
years later the difficulties between the North
and South made it necessary to sell the South
ern lines to the stockholders in that section.
When the disagreements culminated in war,
the Adams Express Company rose to the oc
casion, and their agents accompanied the
Union armies, establishing their offices wher
ever the tents were pitched, thus giving the
soldiers an opportunity to . send or receive
money or packages. Over five millions of
money parcels were forwarded from the sol
diers to their families or friends without the
loss of a dollar. The agents were so active
and zealous in the discharge of their duties
that they often transgressed military rules;
and it is said that at the surrender of Vicks
burg the Adams Express agent, in his desire
to secure a good location, rushed forward to
an unoccupied house, and was about to raise
the company's flag, when Gen. Grant rode up

and said in his quiet way, and with a charac
teristic twinkle of the eye, " Will you do me
the favor to allow me to hoist my flag first.?"
The Adams Express Company now tra
verses 72,162 miles of railway, and has agen
cies at all places on the various lines, and as
the authorized agent of the United States
Treasury it has safely transported thousands of
millions of its treasures and securities. In
1856 Mr. Dinsmore became president of the
company, and for many years he remained at
his post in New York City, never permitting
himself to engage in any enterprise which
would divert his attention from the company's
interests; and this devotion was an acknowl
edged factor in the rapid growth of the busi
ness. His sound, conservative judgment led
him to firmly oppose any precarious invest
ments, and carried the company through the
financial storms of thirty years with less loss
than has been sustained under the same con
ditions by any other large corporation. His
integrity was unquestioned, and united with
his force of character, wealth and ability,
placed him among the leading business men of
the time. His death was widely deplored.
On October 19, 1842, Mr. Dinsmore was
married to Miss Augusta M. Snow, of Brews
ter, Mass., and had two sons: William B., Jr.,
born in 1844, and Clarence Gray, born in
1 847. In ordinary conversation he was some
what reserved in manner, but among friends
he was always frank, and genial, and his re
marks overflowed with "mother wit." As a
correspondent he was noted for charm of
style and inexhaustible humor. His beautiful
country seat on the Hudson, at Staatsburg,
was the scene of unbounded hospitality, for
although naturally economical he always lived
in accordance with his circumstances, and
made wise use of his' wealth instead of hoard
ing it unduly. He had a generous heart, and
his assistance was freely given to many an un
fortunate, although his quiet benefactions were
never heralded to the world.

C\HARLES EDWARD FREDERICK
_l SCHUBERT, a wealthy retired manufac
turer residing at Glenham, Dutchess county,
has held for many years a leading place among
the modern artists in tapestries, and to his fine
taste and rare executive ability much credit is
due for the advance of this branch of art in

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

different manufacturing centers both in Europe
and America.
Mr. Schubert was born in BerHn, Germany,
January 30, 1817, the only chHd of Charles
and Dorothea (Fisher) Schubert. The father
was the proprietor of a livery stable there, and
also ran a line of stages. During the reign of
Frederick William he was drafted in the Prus
sian army, and served some forty months un
der Blucher, and on June 18, 181 5, at the
battle of Waterloo, he was struck in the fore
head by a spent shot, in consequence of which
he became blind shortly afterward.
Charles E, F. Schubert, our subject, re
ceived his early education in the public schools
of Berlin, and in 1830 entered the Academy of
Fine Arts under Prof. Schadouw, remaining
four years, and graduating in 1834. He then
entered the factory of Louis Fonobert&Truck-
ner, India rubber manufacturers, as a designer,
and remained with them in that capacity, and
also as a manager, for seven years. During
this time Mr. Truckner, the junior member of
the firm, invented the Mosaic tapestry, and in
1 841 sold the patent and machinery to a
French firm, Louis Vaison & Porait, and the
plant was removed to Paris, Mr. Schubert be
ing appointed as foreman and designer. He
continued in their employ until 1847, when the
breaking out of the revolution in February,
1848, brought the industry to a standstill,
which they never afterward resumed. In con
sequence Mr. Schubert found himself in the
market for employment, and was engaged by
Recillard Roussel & ClioquH, one of the then
largest carpet-manufacturing firms in France,
at Tourcoing, Department du Nord, on the
borders of Belgium. Here he remained from
1847 to 185 1, and then accepted a situation
with the firm of John Crossley & Son, HaHfax,
Yorkshire, England, where he remained as
chief designer in the tapestry and Brussels
department from 185 1 until 1870. In 1855
he had the honor to represent his firm at the
Universal Exposition held at Paris, and ob
tained the second prize, a silver medal, as a
colorist and designer, which medal is still in
his possession; on one side is a bust of Napo
leon III, and on the other are the coats of arms
of all nations competing at the Exposition.
This firm of John Crossley & Son went into
the manufacturing of mosaic tapestry, in con
nection with their other manufacturing, after
Mr. Schubert became their manager, as he
alone understood the manufacture of this par

ticular branch. One of the directors of this
company, by name John Leach, gave in his
will a great collection of these mosaics (which
had been manufactured under the supervision
of Mr. Schubert) to the museum at Clare Hall
in Halifax, England, where they are stHl on
exhibition to the public.
Prior to 1870 the well-known carpet manu
facturer, Michael Protzen & Son, of Berlin,
Prussia, had bought their printed yarns at J.
Crossley & Sons; but during that year, they
decided to print their own carpet yarns, and
secured the services of Mr. Schubert as their
superintendent and general manager. Conse
quently, he again removed to Berlin, and from
that time date the first printed yarns manu
factured in Prussia. Mr. Schubert remained
with this mHl three years, filling his term of
contract, and then proceeded to Kiddermins
ter, Worcestershire, England, under a three-
years' contract with John Brinton & Co., as
superintendent, to establish a tapestry de
partment. In 1876, when his engagement
with the latter firm came to a close, he re
ceived a proposal from the agent of A. T.
Stewart, of New York, to superintend their
carpet department at their mills in Glenham,
Dutchess Co., N. Y. He accepted the propo-
sitio'n and conducted the department with
marked success until tbe year 1889, covering
a period of fifteen years, when he resigned.
In 1890 Mr. Schubert began on his own ac
count to manufacture mosaic tapestry, mats,
labels and banners, and followed the business
for the three years, when owing to the de
pressed financial state of the country he fore
saw that he was not warranted in continuing,
and accordingly he closed his factory. In
politics he is an Independent.
In 1843 our subject was married to an old
schoolmate of his, Miss WHhelmina Berner,
whose father was a soldier in the Prussian
army, and who was in the siege before Paris
in 1 8 14, also in Waterloo with Blucher in
181 5. They were wedded in Paris in the
Protestant Chapel. Mr. and Mrs. Schubert
have had ten children, three of whom died in
childhood, the remaining seven being as fol
lows: (i) Charles Eugene, a merchant in
Manchester, England, married Emma Tank
ard, and has one child — May. (2) EmH
Heliodore, who is a designer and,lives at Mat
teawan, married Mary Ann Bingley, daughter
of Richard Bingley, of Leeds, Yorkshire,
England; they have two chHdren — Edith and

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

889

Ethel. (3) Ernest Walter is in the hotel
business at Poughkeepsie. (4) William Albert
is with his brother in Poughkeepsie. (5) Kate
Louisa lives at home. (6) Louis Hector is a
clergyman of the Episcopal Church, University
Chapel, Chapel HiH, N. C. (7) Edith Jane
married Edward A. Underbill, of Glenham.
In their religious belief the family are Epis
copalians. In 1889, after Mr. Schubert resigned the
superintendency of the carpet mill of A. T.
Stewart & Co., he felt a desire to visit the
scenes of his former activities in Europe. In
company with his daughter, Edith Jane (then
unmarried), he left New York July 4, 1889, on
one of the Cunard steamers, and arrived in
Liverpool after a voyage of nine days. They
immediately went from there to Manchester,
where they remained with his son for a fort
night, from there visiting Leeds, Bradford,
Blackpool, Brixton and Matlock, the famous
watering place in Derbyshire; from Manchester
they went to London, and from London to
Calais, France, and thence to Tourcoing, where
they remained a few days before going to Paris,
at which city they attended the World's Fair,
and then visited other points of interest in
France. After a sojourn of three months,
they returned by way of London and Liver
pool, taking passage via the Cunard Line again
to New York. Although Mr. Schubert is in
his eightieth year, he is still hale and hearty,
possessing a clear mind and steady hand. His
favorite pastime is making designs for industrial
purposes, being solicited by carpet manufac
turers in different parts of the country for his
handiwork. He is a man of unusual vigor for
his years.
WALTER A. SHERMAN, one of the
 prosperous and enterprising agricultur
ists of the town of Amenia, Dutchess county,
was born on the old homestead at Amenia
Union, May 27, 1861, and can trace his ances
try back to Henry Sherman, who died in Eng
land in 1589. Of his five children, Henry,
the eldest, removed from the county of Suf
folk to Dedham, in the county of Essex, Eng
land, where his death occurred in 16 10. He
married Susan Hills, and of their twelve chH
dren, Samuel, the second, was born in 1537,
and died at Dedham, in 161 5.
Hon. PhHip Sherman, the youngest of the
seven chHdren of Samuel, was born at Ded
ham, February S, 16 10, and in 1634 he emi

grated to Roxbury, Mass., being the founder
of the family in this country. With Roger
WHliams and others, he helped to purchase
Rhode Island, March 24, 1638, and when the
government was established July i, 1639, Mr.
Coddington became governor, with PhHip Sher
man as secretary. His death occurred at
Portsmouth, R. I., in 1687. By his marriage
with Miss Sarah Odding, he had thirteen chH
dren, John being the eighth in the order of
birth. John Sherman was born at Portsmouth,
R. I., in 1644, and by occupation was a black
smith and farmer, living on land inherited
from his father at South Dartmouth, Mass.,
where he died in 1734. He wedded Sarah
Spooner, and to them were born eight chHdren.
Philip Sherman, the eldest, followed farming
upon the old homestead at Dartmouth, Mass.,
and there his death occurred in 1740. His
son, Jabez Sherman, born October 3, 1704,
-at one time served as lieutenant in the
navy of Great Britain, but most of his life
was passed at South Dartmouth, where he
died in 1774. Of his eleven chHdren, Benja
min Sherman, the fifth, was born February 3,
1736, at Dartmouth, and during his boyhood
attended the common schools. He was the
first of the family to come to Dutchess county,
N. Y. , arriving at Pawling in 1764, where he
worked at the carpenter's trade, building the
Hicksite meeting house. He then returned to
Dartmouth, Mass., for his wife, who bore the
maiden name of Deborah Dilnoe, and he later
engaged in farming and wagon making at Pawl
ing, where he died in 1805. In his family of
eleven children, Shadrach Sherman was the
seventh in order of birth. He was born at
Dover Plains, Dutchess county, in 1769, and
by occupation was a farmer and drover. He
became quite a prominent and influential man
of the county, serving as a member of the
General Assembly in 181 1. His death oc
curred December 11, 1 812. He married Dia-
dama Howland, and they became the parents
of eight children: Amy, David, Howland, Al
fred, Benjamin E., Richard H., Walter and
Shadrach. Walter Sherman, the next to the youngest
in the above named family, was the grand
father of our subject. He was born February
21, 1806, at Dover Plains, and there remained
until he was eighteen years of age, when he
removed to Amenia Union, where he carried
on merchandising for some time, and also en-

890

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

gaged in farming and stock dealing. He was
very successful in his undertakings, becoming
quite well-to-do, and his property was all the
result of his own unaided efforts. He took an
active part in political affairs, in early life sup
porting the "Whig party, later becoming an
ardent Republican, and he served as a member
of the General Assembly in 1845 and 1847.
He departed this life March 11, 1880. At
Amenia, August 31, 1834, he married Miss
Cornelia Allerton, and to them three children
were born:, Mary, who was born June 8, 1835,
and died December 29, 1868; David H., the
father of our subject; and Samuel W. , born
September 20, 1844.
David H. Sherman was born on the old
homestead at Amenia Union, June 25, 1837,'
began his education in the district schools of
the neighborhood, and completed his literary
training at the old Nine Partners Boarding
School, in the town of Washington, Dutchess
county. Subsequently he went to Newark, N.
Y. , where he engaged in clerking for a time,
and was there united in marriage with Miss
Cecelia Mayer, by whom he has five children:
Walter Alfred, whose name opens this sketch,
being the fourth in the order of birth. Re
turning to Amenia, the father here engaged in
farming, but later removed to Jersey City, N.
J., in the interests of the Central Stock Yard
and Transit Co., of which he is treasurer and
general manager. Like his father, he also
supports the Republican party.
Walter A. Sherman spent his boyhood days
in Amenia Union, attending the schools of
Amenia, later supplementing the knowledge
there acquired by a course in a private school
in New "York City. He has always been con
nected with his father in business, and now
has charge of oneof the finest farms in his sec
tion of Dutchess county, located in the town
of Amenia, At South Amenia, he was married
September 27, 1882, to Miss Maria E. Cline,
daughter of Albert Cline, and five chHdren
grace their union: Agnes C. , Walter C, Helen
M., May N. and Howland N.
Since casting his first vote, Mr. Sherman
has always taken an active interest in political
affairs, supporting the principles of the Repub
lican party, and for two terms he has been
called upon to service as supervisor of his town
ship. Socially, he is connected with Amenia
Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M. He is of a genial
disposition and affable manners, and is a keen
and sagacious business man.

C\LINTON J. ROCKEFELLER. Among
'I the active farmers and stock dealers of
the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county, the
gentleman whose name stands at the begin
ning of this sketch holds a prominent place.
His birthplace was in the town of German-
town, Columbia Co., N. Y. , and the date
thereof October i, 1839. He is of Holland
lineage, and for many generations the famHy
have resided in Columbia county, where the
grandfather, Philip S. Rockefeller, was born,
and in that county the birth of the father,
Philip P. Rockefeller, occurred. In his native
county the latter grew to manhood and mar
ried Catherine Elmondorf, who was born in
Albany county, N. Y. , and was a daughter of
Jacob Elmondorf, who was also of Holland
descent. Mr. Rockefeller took his bride to
his home in Columbia county, where they
reared their four children: Edmond, who
died at Rochester, N. Y. ; Harmond, who held
official positions under President Lincoln, and
is now a prominent resident of Texas; Clinton
J., of this review, and Anna, who is married
and makes her home in Columbia county. On
his farm there the father died about 1841, and
his wife survived him until 1874, when she,
too, was called to her final rest. He affiHated
with the Whig party.
The early days of our subject were spent
upon the home farm, which he assisted in op
erating, and attended the district schools of
the neighborhood. He completed his educa
tion, however, under the direction of General
De Peyster, and on laying aside his books
worked as a printer for two years in Albany,
N. Y. Later he carried on a photograph gal
lery in New York, but in 1861 he came to
the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county, and
located upon the farm where he has since re
sided. Besides general farming he also turns
his attention to buying and selling live stock,
which he ships to New York City, and finds
this a profitable source of income. He also
ships fruit to European markets.
In 1 87 1 Mr. Rockefeller was married, the
lady of his choice being Catherine Dederick, of
Dutchess county, a daughter of John Dederick,
who is engaged in farming. To them were
born three children: Carrie; Romer, who is
married, and is engaged in agricultural pursuits
in Red Hook township, and one child that died
at the age of thirteen years.
Mr, Rockefeller is one of the leading and
influential Republicans of the town whose

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

891

opinions are invariably held in respect, and in
1888 he was first elected supervisor of Red
Hook. With the exception of two years,
when he withdrew his name, he has since
filled that position with credit to himself and
to the satisfaction of his constituents. He is
a man of sound judgment, upright and honor
able in all his dealings, and has the well wishes
of all.

WALTER G. STORM, a farmer of the
 tovvn of East Fishkill, and one of the
representative citizens of Dutchess county,
comes from one of its oldest and most highly
respected families. He first opened his eyes
to the light in that town, April 8, 1854, and
there his grandfather. Garret Storm, was also
born, and upon a farm reared his family of six
children, namely: John P., the father of our
subject; Isaac, who was an agriculturalist of
East Fishkill town; Garret, a coal dealer of
Matteawan, Dutchess county; Eliza, who mar
ried John S. Emans; Catherine, who married
Edmund Luyster, a farmer and cattle dealer
of East Fishkill town, who is now deceased;
and Charles T., who was a merchant of Pough
keepsie. Throughout his life the grandfather
always followed the occupation of farming.
John P. Storm was born in East Fishkill
township, January i, 1826, there grew to man
hood and married Miss Sarah R. Hasbrouck,
a native of the same place, and the daughter
of Francis Hasbrouck, who was a merchant of
East Fishkill. Upon their marriage they lo
cated upon a farm in their native township,
where their two children were born — Walter
G. , of this sketch; and Jennie E., now tbe
wife of Du Bois Bartow, a farmer of East Fish
kill township. The father is still living, and is
engaged in the operation of his land. His po
litical support is ever given the men and meas
ures of the Democratic party.
On the home farm in the town of East
FishkiH, Mr. Storm, whose name introduces
this review, remained until he reached ma
turity, and in 1887 he was married, the lady of
his choice being Miss Bessie C. Cooper, who
was born in Putnam county, N. Y. , but was
reared at Matteawan, Dutchess county. Her
father, James Cooper, was a hatter by trade.
Two children grace their union — John C. and
W. Bartow.
With his bride, Mr. Storm migrated to
North Dakota, where for six years they resided

upon a farm; but in 1892 they returned east,
and have since been residents of East Fishkill
town. Their fine farm of 100 acres is highly
cultivated and improved, and to general farm
ing Mr. Storm devotes his time and attention
exclusively. They are true Christians, mem
bers of the Reformed Church, and in politics
he is an earnest supporter of the Democratic
party. An energetic and reliable citizen, he
has fully established himself in the confidence
and esteem of the people, and is ready to se-
spond to calls made upon him to promote the
interests of his town and county.

T^HOMAS J. CUNNINGHAM. But few
 young men have as enviable a reputa
tion for enterprise and business acumen as the
subject of this biography, a prosperous pro
duce dealer at Matteawan, Dutchess county.
He was born October 9, 1866, at Peekskill,
Westchester county, N. Y., and is a descend
ant of a Scotch family that located in West
chester county at an early day.
His grandfather Cunningham was a farmer
there, and the late Edward H. Cunningham,
our subject's father, was born there and passed
his life in the same locality, engaged in the
business of stove molding. He was an expert
in his line, and for many years was superin
tendent of the PeekskHI Stove Company. In
later life he retired to a farm to end his days in
the peaceful occupation of agriculture, his
death occurring in 1886. His wife. Miss
Phoebe A. Sutton, a member of one of the old
pioneer families of Westchester county, died
in 1870. She was born in Peekskill, where her
father, a gas manufacturer, was a leading citi
zen. Our subject was the youngest in a fam
ily of nine chHdren, the others being: Letitia,
deceased; John, a resident of Peekskill; Louisa,
Mrs. Charles H. Hall, of Croton Landing;
James, who resides in New York City; Ada,
lately deceased, was the wife of Frank Norton,
of Croton Landing: Dirlin, the sixth in order
of birth; George, a resident of Arkansas City,
Kans.; and Fannie, deceased. Both parents
were devout and consistent members of the
M. E. Church, and were held in high esteem
among their associates.
The early Hfe of our subject was spent in
his native town, his education being mainly
acquired in the local schools. In 1884 he
went to Matteawan and after a short course of
study in the schools there, engaged in business

892

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

at the corner of Fountain and Leonard streets
as a wholesale and retail dealer in flour, feed,
grain, baled hay, straw, and similar commod
ities. Starting practically without capital of
his own, he has made his way to success, and is
recognized as one of the leading business men
of the town. His present extensive trade is
still on the increase, and he devotes his atten
tion to it, paying but little heed to politics.
On June 3, 1896, he was married to Miss Jen
nie McCallin, an attractive young lady, the
daughter of F. McCallin, a well-known citizen
of Fishkill Landing.

WILLIAM J. WOOD, a prominent mason
 of Dover Plains, Dutchess county,
whose skillful work in his chosen calling has
given him more than a local reputation, is one
of the rising young business men of that place.
His family originated in Scotland, where
his grandfather, Thomas Wood, was born and
educated. He came to America in early man
hood and settled in Dutchess county, and he
and his wife. Amy Elliot, reared a family of
three children: John, who married (first) Miss
Carlo, and (second) Miss Lottie Thomas; Lettie,
who married Amos Jenkins; and William, our
subject's father, who was born in 1832, and
received a common-school education in the
town of Dover. He then learned the shoe
maker's trade, which he followed for many
year. He was also interested in quarrying in
the same town, and as an energetic business
man took an influential part in local affairs.
His first wife was Miss Helen Birch, daughter
of Ethel and Gettie (Knickerbocker) Birch.
Of the two children of this marriage our sub
ject was the younger. The elder, Lettie D.,
born in 1861, died at the age of twenty. Mrs.
Wood died in 1869, and our subject's father
formed a second matrimonial union, this time
with Mrs. Mary AHen, who died in 1890,
leaving no children.
WiHiam J. Wood was born in 1863, and
was educated in the public schools of his native
town of Dover. He learned the mason's
trade, and has now been successfully engaged
in it for seven years, his business extending to
all the neighboring towns. Politically he has
always favored the Republican party, but he
has not been an aspirant for pubHc office. In
1883 he married Miss Emma Brown, and they
have had two chHdren: Lettia A., born in
1888, and David B., born in 1891.

Mrs. Wood's father, George H. Brown,
was born and reared in Dover Plains, and after
ward became a prominent farmer of that vi
cinity. In 1 86 1 he enlisted at Poughkeepsie
in the 150th N. Y. V. I., and served through
out the war, taking part in many important
battles and gaining a commission. He mar
ried Rachel Ostrander, and had nine children:
Maggie, who married Egbert Morey, and has
one chHd — Mabel; (2) William, who married
Martha Vincent, and has two children — Allen
and Frank; (3) Emma, Mrs. Wood; (4) Lo-
theria, who married William Dennis, and has
three children — Hazel, Louis, and one whose
name is not given; (5) Elizabeth, who married
George Root, and has one child — Nellie. The
four remaining children, Charles, George, My
ron and John, are not married. Rachel
Ostrander, Mrs. Wood's mother, was born and
educated in Amenia. Her father, Jacob Os
trander, was a native of the town of Milan, and
received his education there, engaging after
ward in agriculture. He married, and reared a
family of children, of whom Mrs. Wood's
mother was the youngest. The others are:
James; Mary, Mrs. Adam Waldron; Lottie,
Mrs. Royal Halleck; Carrie, Mrs. George
Murphy; Kittie, and Amy.

THOMAS G. ALDRIDGE, of the firm of
 Aldridge & Covert, leading merchants at
Dutchess Junction, Dutchess county, is one of
the self-made business men, whose ability and
enterprise have done so much to build up the
trade of their respective communities.
His grandfather, Daniel Aldridge, a man
highly esteemed in his day, married Jane Ed
wards, and had four children: (i) Thomas,
who married, and had eight children — Benja
min, William H., Thomas, Jr., Aaron E.,
Theresa J., Alfraetta, George L. and Ger
trude. (2) William, our subject's father. (3)
Edward. (4) Ella.
WHHam Aldridge was a native of Orange
county; he married Jeannette Simpson, by
whom he had seven chHdren: Edward L-
(deceased), Lemuel E., Ella A., Jennie (de
ceased), Thomas G. , Charles and William S.
During the Civil war Mr. Aldridge enlisted in
the United States service for three years. Be
fore he left Albany on his way to the front his
wife died, leaving the little famHy bereft of the
care of both parents. At the expiration of his
first term the father re-enlisted, and served un-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

893

til the close of the war, when he returned
home and resumed his business of brick-mak
ing, in which he was very successful, being a
thorough master of all branches of the trade.
He died in Kansas City, Mo., in 1878.
Thomas G. Aldridge was born December
12, 1853, at Dutchess Junction, N. Y. , and
has made his own way in life from the time of
his mother's death, when he was only twelve
years old. He secured employment upon a
schooner which was engaged in the brick car
rying trade between Dutchess Junction and
New York City. After three years at this
work he made a practical study of steam en
gineering, and at eighteen was put in charge
of a brick plant at Dutchess Junction. He
held this position until 1892, when he formed
his present partnership and engaged in the gro
cery and meat business, of which he has made
a success. On December 8, 1880, he married
Miss Alida Covert, daughter of Nathaniel and
Catherine (Jones) Covert; their only child died
in infancy. Mr. Aldridge is not a politician in the strict
sense of the word, but he takes a patriotic in
terest in public affairs, and is an earnest sup
porter of the principles of the Republican
party.

E

WAN BRYANT, of Bryant Bros., proprie-

 tors of the "Standard House," Fishkill,
Dutchess county, is one of the most enterpris
ing young business men of that vicinity. He
is of English descent, the old home of his
family being in Gloucestershire, England,
where his great-grandfather, Richard Bryant,
and his grandfather, Jonathan Bryant, were
born and spent their lives in the hatter's busi
ness. His father, Samuel Bryant, was also
born in England, and previous to coming to
America in 1855, learned the same trade. He
is now a resident of Matteawan.
Evan Bryant was born in Brewster, Put
nam county, July 14, 1863, and was but two
years old when his parents moved to Matte
awan, where he grew to manhood, attending
the public schools. He also acquired a knowl
edge of the hatter's trade, and for fourteen
years followed it there and in different places
in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Canada,
On November 13, 1894, he established his
present hotel and saloon business at Fishkill,
in partnership with his brother Edward.
Neither is married. They take great interest

in public questions, and whHe they are stead
fast supporters of the Republican party so far
as national issues are concerned, Mr. Bryant
is not bound by partisan ties in local affairs,
voting for men and measures which, in his
judgment, will advance the best interests of
the community.

/PVVEORGE S. AUCOCK is one of the repre-
^P sentative and prominent merchants of Red
Hook, Dutchess county, N. Y. , where his
birth occurred in 1862. His educational priv
ileges were quite good, he having been able to
attend the De Garmo Institute, Rhinebeck, N.
Y. In 1889 he established his present general
store in the village of Red Hook, which sprang
at once into public favor, and he is now at the
head of a large and constantly increasing busi
ness. In 1886 he was united in marriage with
Miss Mary Vosburgh, a daughter of Ward Vos
burgh, one of the leading farmers of the town
of Ancram, Columbia county, N. Y. , and
they have become the parents of one child,
Bessie, born in 1888.
Robert Stephenson, the great-grandfather
of our subject, was born in Snaith, Yorkshire,
England, where he was educated, and when
quite a young man began dealing in live stock.
Later, in connection with this, he also en
gaged in the butcher's business at that place.
He wedded Miss Watson, of Scotland, and to
them were born five children: William, who
for his second wife married a Miss Collins;
Sarah, Mrs. Anna Oxenforth; Jane; and Eliza,
who became the wife of Charles Bean. The
second child, Sarah Stephenson, was born in
1804, at Snaith, of which place the other
children were also natives, and in the common
schools there she received her education. She
married WiHiam Aucock, a son of Jonathan
Aucock, of Snaith, Yorkshire. At that place
the son engaged in carpentering most of his
life, and was a prominent member of the Inde
pendent Order of Odd Fellows in his native
land. Eleven children were born to William
Aucock and his worthy wife, namely, Eliza
beth, who became the wife of Henry Siberan;
Christina, who wedded Jeremiah Needham;
Jonathan, who married Ann Morgan; John and
Robert, who died in infancy; William, the
father of our subject; Robert, who married
Catherine Martin; Eleanor, who became the
wife of Joseph Green; Sarah, who, after the
death of her first husband, Thomas Hanpson,

894

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

became the wife of a Mr. Jones; and George
and John, who were also married. The mother
of these chHdren died in England in 1881.
The father of our subject was born in
Snaith in 1831, and after completing his edu
cation in the public schools he learned the art
of fancy gardening and plant culture on the es
tates of the Campbells, in Sheffield, England,
where he was employed for some time. Like
his ancestors, he became a member of the Odd
Fellows Society of his native place, and stood
quite high in the order. In 1855 he emigrated
to the United States, making his first location
on Hunters Island, where he remained for
about two months, and then went to Toronto,
Canada. At the end of ten months, however,
he returned to the States, locating this time at
Annandale, Dutchess county, where the follow
ing two years were passed. After a year spent
at Newark, N. J., he came again to Dutchess
county, and has now made his home in the
town of Red Hook for thirty-seven years, be
ing employed there on the estate of the Tymp-
sons. He was joined in wedlock with Miss
Eliza Cooper, daughter of Robert and Anna
Cooper, of New York City, They became the
parents of four children: Mary, born in 1859;
George S., of thissketch; Sarah, born in 1865,
and William C. , born in 1868. The third
child of this family, Sarah, is now the wife of
Charles Burnea, son of Charles E. and Mary
Burnea, of Philadelphia, where the son is en
gaged as a decorator and designer. Two
chHdren grace this union — Marie Gerard, born
in 1 89 1, and WHliam A., born in 1894.
On his mother's side, our subject is also
descended from English ancestry, his great
grandfather, Robert Cooper, being born in
England, and there married. In his family
were the following children: Joseph, James,
Robert, Mary, Eliza, Sarah, Betsy and Nancy.
Of these, Robert Cooper, Jr. , was born in
Manchester, England, whence he removed to
the North of Ireland, and there engaged in
farming. He was married to Miss Anna More-
head, a daughter of John Morehead, of En
gland, and to them were born the following
children: Mattie, who was three times mar
ried, her first husband being James Lawrence,
the second, Claudius Dord, and the third Rob
ert Dunlap; James, who wedded Mary Liddle;
Joseph, who married a Miss Cooper; Robert,
who remained single; Mary, who became the
wife of Pierson Hyde; and Eliza, the mother
of our subject.

C\HARLES REDAVATS, proprietor of a
„' boarding and training stable at Green
Haven, was born in the town of Beekman,
March 29, 1833, and is the son of John J.
Redavats, a native of Italy, who left home at
the age of eighteen years, coming to America,
where he enlisted in the United States navy.
For a number of years he was on a man-of-
war, and after leaving the service came to
Beekman town, Dutchess county, locating at
Green Haven, where he followed the carpen
ter's trade for the remainder of his life. Here
he married Miss Ann Clarkson, a daughter of
Charles Clarkson, and to them were born four
children: Mary Jane, who wedded Aldest
Terwilliger, but both are now deceased;
George, deceased; Charles, of this sketch; and
Joseph, of Danbury, Conn. The father was
first a Whig in politics, but joined the Repub
lican party on its organization, with which he
continued to affiliate up to the time of his
death, which occurred when he vvas sixty
years of age. His wife departed this life at the
age of sixty-five years.
The boyhood days of our subject were
passed at Green Haven, he living with W. B.
Sheldon for seven years in order to pay for
two acres of land on which his father had
erected a house, and later worked for George
B. Foote for five years. In the town of Beek
man, he was married to Miss Mary Jane Grif
fen, and they became the parents of six chil
dren, as follows: William, who was a con
ductor on a construction train on the New
England railroad, was killed by accident;
Theodore died at the age of five years; Charles
died at the age of two years; Clara is the wife
of William E. WHliams, by whom she has two
children, Charles and Leland; Frank is in the
office of the Old Colony Line railroad, at Bos
ton, Mass. ; and Jennie.
For six years after his marriage, Mr. Re
davats made his home near Rahway, N. J. , be
ing superintendent of the farm and stable of
George F. Fellows, and then returned to
Beekman township, where he engaged in the
horse business at the stock farm belonging to
Merritt & Allerton for four years. After their
failure he remained with their successors for
one year, and then purchased his present
place and went into business for himself. He
conducts a good boarding and training stable,
and is now at the head of a large and con
stantly increasing business. Like his father
was, he is an ardent Republican in politics.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

895

and takes an active interest in the success of
his party. He is numbered among the best
citizens of the community, and is a wide
awake, energetic business man and the archi
tect of his own fortune.

C\RAWFORD C. MacNEIL, of Matteawan,
^1 a leading wholesale and retail dealer in
confectionery and ice cream, and proprietor of
a popular restaurant on Union street, is a
descendant of tbe famous Scottish Clan Mac-
Neil, one of his ancestors in the direct line
being Sir John MacNeil.
Crawford C. MacNeil was born at Red
Hook, Dutchess county. May 30, 1844, the
son of Hector and Jane (Craig) MacNeil.
They had nine children: Jane, John, Kate,
Agnes, Crawford C, Serena, Hector, Robert
and Charles.
Our subject was educated in the public
schools near his early home, and on the re
moval of the family to Poughkeepsie in 1850,
he entered the employ of Smith Bros., con
fectioners and caterers, remaining until 1873,
when he opened a similar establishment of his
own. He was burned out during the first
year, and in the spring of 1874 he removed to
Matteawan and again started in business, this
time in a small way. As success rewarded his
efforts, he gradually enlarged and improved his
establishment until it is now one of the most
complete of its kind in the county. Mr. Mac-
NeH has an inventive turn of mind, and is the
originator of that far-famed drink, ice-cream
soda water. He introduced it to the public
while he was with the Smith Bros, and the
beverage soon became a favorite in all parts
of the country. He has also originated a
number of new popular styles of candy, in
cluding the American mixed candy, for which
there has been a large demand. His present
prosperity is well deserved as it is based upon
his own industry and judicious management.
Mr. MacNeil married Miss Alice Trow,
daughter of William and Jane Trow, of Pough
keepsie, and they have one son. They are
prominent members of the Presbyterian Church
of Matteawan, and take a generous interest in
all progressive movements in the locality.
Although he is a Republican in principle, Mr.
MacNeH has never taken any part in political
work or aspired to office. He is active in
many non-political enterprises, however, and
is a member of Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 266,

F. & A. M., of Hudson River Lodge, K. of
P, , and of the Nineteenth Separate Company
of Poughkeepsie, in which he won an elegant
gold medal presented by the State for long
and faithful service, the records placing him
twentieth in rank among 13,000 men. He has
also been a member of the National Guard for
thirty-four years, and was in the volunteer
service during the CivH war.

WILLIAM C. CRAMER. The subject
 of this personal history is a resident of
the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county,
where he is successfully carrying on a boot and
shoe store, and is well esteemed as a man of
industry and enterprise, besides being a worthy
citizen and having to his credit an unblemished
war record. He was born in the town of Red
Hook, May 1 1, 1844, and is a son of Henry A.
and Catherine (Waldorf) Cramer, who were
the parents of five chHdren, the others being:
Balinda, John V. R. , George H. and James.
The father was a son of George Cramer, and
was a prosperous farmer and carpenter of Red
Hook. The maternal grandfather of our subject,
John Waldorf, was born and educated in Red
Hook town, where he later followed the occu
pation of a farmer, owning and conducting the
large and well-stocked farm which had be
longed to his father, who had erected the com
modious and substantial stone house that is still
standing. The place comprised 500 acres of
valuable land, and thereon John Waldorf reared
his family of seven children, namely: David,
Christopher, John, William, Catherine, Maria
and Betsey. In that old house Mrs. Cramer
was born and spent her early girlhood, being
educated at the schools of the neighborhood.
In his boyhood WilHam C. Cramer also
drew his education from the common schools
of the town of Red Hook, and on laying aside
his text books assisted in the cultivation and
improvement of the home farm until the break
ing out of the Civil war in 1861, when he en
listed in tbe 91st N. Y. V. I., and remained in
the service untH after the surrender of Gen.
Lee at Appomatox. He participated in vari
ous engagements, and signalized himself by
bravery and fidelity to duty, receiving the ap
proval of his officers and the warm friendship
of his comrades. After the close of the war he
went to the oil fields of Pennsylvania, where he
remained for some time, and then conducted a

896

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD

general trucking business in New York City for
a whHe. After disposing of that, however, he
returned to Red Hook.
On August 28, 1868, was celebrated the
marriage of Mr. Cramer and Miss Isabella D.
Barringer, daughter of Robert Barringer, of
Red Hook, and to them was born a daughter,
Ida L., who died at the age of six years.
After his marriage, our subject learned the
cooper's trade, at which he worked until 1888,
when he established his present boot and shoe
business at Red Hook, and this venture has
proved very successful.
Mr. Cramer is quite prominently identified
with the Odd Fellows Society, belonging to
Christian Lodge, in which he has served as
. past grand and passed through all the chairs;
is also a member of Jazar Encampment, of
Rhinebeck, Dutchess county; and the Odd
Fellows Mutual Benefit Association. He now
affiliates with Armstrong Post, G. A. R. , of
Rhinebeck, but was formerly a member of
Ward B. Bennett Post, of Tarrytown, West
chester Co. , N. Y. He is a public-spirited,
progressive man, and takes an active interest
in the welfare of his town and county.

WENRY D. CYPHER, who is engaged in
 general farming at Poughquag, town of
Beekman, Dutchess county, is looked upon as
a useful and honorable citizen, who has the
best interests of the county at heart, and does
all in his power to advance its welfare. Of
Holland ancestry, his birth occurred at Pough
quag, December 18, 1836, and there almost
his entire life has been passed.
Thomas Cypher, his grandfather, was a
native of Westchester courity, and when a
young man came to Beekman town, locating
on Clapp Hill, where he engaged in farming
on rented land. His political support was
given the Whig party. He wedded Mary
HHlaker, by whom he had seven chHdren, all
now deceased: John, Deborah, Thomas,
David, William, Mary and one daughter, who
died in childhood.
On Clapp HHl, William Cypher, the father
of our subject, was born in 1806, and in the
common schools of Beekman town he secured
his education. When he had reached matur
ity he was united in marriage with Emily
Armstrong, a native of Connecticut, after
which he purchased a small farm at Pough
quag, which he operated for one year, and

then removed to the town of Pawling, Dutch
ess county, where he followed the same occu
pation until called from this life February 2,
1849. Like his father he was a Whig in
politics. In his family were these chHdren;
Henry D., of thissketch; George and Elisha,
deceased; and two sons, who died in infancy.
The early school days of Henry D. Cypher
were passed at Poughquag, and after the death
of his father he, with the other members of the
family, returned to that place, being at the
time thirteen years of age. In 1851 he began
clerking for James A. Vanderburg, at Pough
quag, which position he held for one year, and
in 1853 went to New York City, where he was
employed in a grocery store for the same
length of time. Returning to his native place,
he learned the carpenter's trade with Henry
Armstrong, vvhich he followed for eight years.
In the town of Beekman, July i, 1863,
was celebrated the marriage of 'Mr. Cypher
and Miss Maria Noxon, daughter of Elmer R.
Noxon, and they became the parents of four
chHdren: La vert, of Brooklyn, who married
Mr. Devine, by whom she has one daughter;
George; Emily, wife of Fred Coleman, of
Dover town, Dutchess county, by whom she
has two children — Delmer Clayton and Ann
Dutcher; and Robert.
Until 1 87 1 Mr. Cypher carried on agricult
ural pursuits in the western part of the town
of Beekman, after which he removed to his
present farm at Poughquag, which was cleared
by Mrs. Cypher's great-grandfather Noxon,
and has since devoted his attention to its culti
vation and improvement. His ballot is cast in
support of the men and measures of the Re
publican party. He has been assessor of his
town, and is still acceptably filling the offices
of commissioner of highways and justice of
the peace. His career has been one of the
strictest integrity and honor.

C\HARLES F. WANZER, a wealthy busi-
1 ness man of Matteawan, Dutchess county,
and the proprietor of one of the oldest grocer
ies in that town, was born January 29, 1828,
on tbe "Wheelocke Farm" near Garrison,
Putnam Co. , N. Y. His grandfather, Abraham
Wanzer, married Lydia Beers, and their son,
Floyd, our subject's father, was a well-known
farmer of Putnam county. He married Jane
Foster, daughter of Joseph Foster, a soldier of
the Revolutionary war, and had five children,

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL RECORD.

897

of whom the first two died in infancy. The
others are Charles F., Elizabeth and Colista
Jane, Charles F. Wanzer attended the district
schools near his home during boyhood, and
spent much of his time in working upon his
father's farm. At the age of twenty-one he
left home to make his own way in the world,
and coming to Matteawan he worked for sev
eral years at various employments, as oppor
tunity favored him. In 1854 he became a
clerk in the grocery store then belonging to
Jacob Palmer, and after the death of the latter
in 1856 he conducted the business for his widow
for one year. He then purchased the store,
and for thirty-eight years has continued the
business at the old location. His success is a
result of untiring industry, and although he is
an ardent Republican, he has invariably de
clined when urged to accept nomination for
office, because he could not see his way clear
to attend to his own affairs and at the same
time meet satisfactorily the demands which
official position would bring. He is interested
in various lines of business, having a large
amount of money invested in real estate in the
village, and he has been for many years a
member of the Board of Trade and the Mer
chants Protective Association. He is also a
stockholder in the First National Bank of
Fishkill Landing. Being an enthusiastic hunter,
Mr. Wanzer spends considerable time during
the duck-shooting season in hunting this most
palatable fowl. He is an unerring marksman,
and woe betide the unlucky bird upon which
he sets his "weather eye," for its doom is
sealed.

M OBERT JOHNSTON. Among the most
 prominent of the early residenis of Lake
Mahopac, Putnam county, was Robert John
ston, the grandfather of the subject of this
sketch. He came to this country from Ireland
in early manhood, and engaged in mercantile
business, first in New York City, and later in
Putnam county, where he became a leader in
political as well as in commercial circles. He
was an influential Democrat, and served as
county judge, member of the State Senate,
and member of the Council of Appointment
and Revision. He was married after coming
to the United States, and reared a family of
six children: One son, WHHam H. Johnston
(our subject's father), and five daughters, one
58

of whom became the grandmother of Chaun
cey M. Depew.
William H. Johnston followed farming and
spent his life at Lake Mahopac, his native
place. Like his father, he was an active and
influential worker in the Democratic party,
and he held the offices of sheriff and surrogate
of Putnam county. His death occurred in
1828, but his wife, Susan Van Wyck, lived to
the age of ninety-eight years, passing to her
eternal reward in 1885; she was born inthe
town of East Fishkill, Dutchess county, in the
house now occupied by our subject, the old
home of her family. Her grandfather, Will
iam Van Wyck, a native of Dutchess county,
was a farmer there. He had four sons: Will
iam, a politician of note, and a Congressman
from his district, was a farmer by occupation,
first in his native place and later in Virginia;
Theodorus is mentioned below; Samuel was a
lawyer in New York City; and John followed
farming near the old home. Theodorus Van-
Wyck (Mrs. Johnston's father) married Miss
Young, of Westchester county, N. Y., and
settled at the homestead, where they reared a
family of six children: Two sons — Theodorus
and William — who both followed agriculture
in their native town, and four daughters — Mar
tha, Susan, Sarah and Ann.
Robert Johnston, our subject, was born at
Lake Mahopac, November 24, 1824, the second
of the three children of his parents, and is
now the only surviving member of the family.
The eldest, Sarah, never married, and the
youngest died in infancy. When Robert was
five years old he came to his mother's old
home, and has lived there ever since. He
owns an estate of about 300 acres, and is en
gaged in general farming, also giving consider
able attention to horticulture. An intelligent,
progressive man, he is highly esteemed among
his neighbors. In poHtics he was originally a
Whig, voting for Henry Clay, and on the or
ganization of the Republican party he gave it
his allegiance.

E

^\DWARD L. RYMPH, a retired farmer
''' and fruit raiser of Poughkeepsie, Dutch
ess county, was born in the town of Hyde
Park, Dutchess county, March 29, 1831.
James Rymph, grandfather of our subject,
was born in Holland, came to America when
a young man and settled on a farm in Hyde
Park, where he built his own house in the wil-

898

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

derness, married, and reared a family of sev
eral children. John Rymph, one of these,
was reared on the farm, and boated on the
Hudson river. He was united in marriage
with Miss Wynche Hasbrouck, who was born
in Ulster county, in the town of New Paltz,
October 21, 1787. They were married Feb
ruary II, 1808. She was a descendant of the
old Hasbrouck family of New Paltz. Mr. and
Mrs, Rymph settled down on the farm, and
the foHowing children were born to them:
Mariah, born November 4, 1808, married
Abram S. Du Bois, a farmer in the town of
Lloyd, Ulster county; James, born May 28,
1 8 10, was a farmer in Dutchess county; Mar
garet, born May 28, 1812, married Benjamin
L, Hasbrouck, a farmer of Ulster county;
Sarah, born October i, 18 14, married Joseph
Chambers, of Ulster county; William H., born
October 4, 18 16, was a farmer in the town of
Clinton; Rachel B., born April 12, 18 19, mar
ried John V. Schryver, a farmer of Hyde Park;
John, Jr., born June 19, 1822, was a farmer;
George, born April 7, 1824, followed farming
in Ulster county; David H,, born July 22,
1827, is still living, unmarried; Susan A., born
September 20, 1829, died unmarried; Edward
L, is our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Rymph were
members of the Reformed Church. He died
on the old farm.
Edward L, Rymph remained on the old
homestead during his early life, and attended
the district schools. In i860 he married Miss
Jane E. Palmer, who was born in Clintondale,
Ulster county. She was a daughter of Harvey
Palmer, a farmer and merchant of the same
place, who came of English ancestors. Three
children were born to our subject and his wife:
Henry L. and Edwin H. (twins), and Mary E.
Henry L. married Miss Smalley, and is farm
ing in Poughkeepsie; Edwin H, died in infancy;
Mary E. married Carl C, Todd, a farmer in
the town of Hyde Park. Shortly after his
marriage our subject went to Poughkeepsie,
where he engaged in the photograph business
for some time. Mrs, Rymph died March 24,
1864, and our subject went to the South and
was with the construction corps in the Civil
war, building bridges, etc, for one year. He
then returned and bought a farm in New Paltz,
on which he lived for two years, and then sold
it. Coming to Dutchess county, he lived in
Poughkeepsie for a year, later moving to Hyde
Park and residing there for four years. In the
spring of 1875 Mr, Rymph came to Pough

keepsie again, erected three fine buHdings and
has since resided here.
On October 24, 1866, our subject married
Miss Martha A. Roosa, who was born in the
town of Rochester, Ulster county, January 9,
1838. Her first husband was George Kelder,
by whom she had one child, Simon J., who
married Miss Jennie Sutton, of Newburgh.
Jacob B. Roosa, Mrs. Rymph's father, was
born in Rochester, April 27, 18 10, and was
married to Miss Nancy Anderson, of the same
place. Two children were born to them:
Elizabeth, November 27, 183 1, married James
J. Shurter, a farmer in Rochester; and Martha
A., the wife of our subject. Mr. Roosa was a
Democrat, and he and his wife were members
of the Methodist Church. He died in 1874,
his wife in 1844. Simon Roosa, the grand
father, was born on the homestead in Roches
ter, and followed farming. He was in the war
of 1 81 2. The great-grandfather, Jacob Roosa,
was the original settler on the farm in Roches
ter. He came of Holland stock, James An
derson, the maternal grandfather of Mrs,
Rymph, was a farmer in Rochester, and mar
ried Miss Martha Merrit, of Marlborough,
The Andersons were of English ancestry.
Our subject and his second wife had one
child, William, born February 18, 1876, and
died in April, 1876. Mr. Rymph has a farm
of sixty-five acres on which he formerly raised
fruit, but he is now living a retired life. In
politics he is affiliated with the Republican
party. He and his wife both attend the Meth
odist Church. Mr. Rymph is an energetic
citizen, and has identified himself with many
progressive movements.

E\DWARD ENGLEHARDT. The subject
 <l of this sketch was born in the city of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, December 16,
1 86 1, He attended school for a time at Lex
ington, Greene county, and at the Eastman
Night School, but his opportunities were lim
ited, and most of his education was acquired by
private study. He has always been a constant
reader and is a well-informed young man.
Our subject's first employment was with
Alexander Ross at the age of thirteen years.
One day when coming through the railroad
yards he was run over and lost his right leg.
Upon his recovery he again worked for Mr,
Ross, remaining with him until nineteen years

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

old. He then secured the position of flagman
on the Hudson River railroad, which he re
tained tor five months, and then went to work
at Poughkeepsie making boxes. He kept at
that for a year, and then learned the coopering
trade, working for Atto' Faust, for whom he
worked as a journeymen untH 1885. He next
went into the saloon business for a year, but
returned to his trade and was employed by
James Buckhurst until 1891, when he went to
Sing Sing as a keeper, being appointed to that
position by Governor Flower. He resigned
July 22, 1892, and came to Poughkeepsie and
again worked for Mr. Buckhurst. In the fall
of 1893 he was elected supervisor of the First
ward for two years. He was chairman of the
printer's committee, member of the committee
on coroners and accounts and on committee
on public institutions in the session of 1894.
He held other positions of trust and responsi
bility. He was janitor of the board of sup
plies for one session, and has filled the office of
county sealer for two successive terms. He
has taken an active part in politics, and is a
leader among the people of his v;ard.
In March, 1880, Mr. Englehardt was mar
ried to Miss Rosanna Kirby, of Poughkeepsie,
and the following children were born to them:
Carrie died at the age of three years; Lucy,
Elizabeth, George, Augusta, Gertrude, Ed
mond. Our subject is a member of the Cath
olic Benevolent Legion and, with his wife, is a
member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Christidn Englehardt, father of our subject,
was born in Denmark in 18 14, and came to
America and engaged for a time in the
cooper business in New York City, then went
to Albany. He came to Poughkeepsie upward
of fifty years ago, and worked as journeyman
cooper for Sleight & Paulding, who started
their shop in 1847, and with vvhom he has
been ever since. He was married in Germany,
and the following children were born to them:
Charles, living in Elizabeth, N. J, ; Martha,
who became the wife of Mathew Benhordt, of
Poughkeepsie; Henry lives in PrattsviHe; Mary
married Jacob Benhordt; Christian resides in
Poughkeepsie; Elizabeth is the wife of Charles
Adams, of Poughkeepsie; Alma married John
Decker, and lives in Poughkeepsie; WHliam,
who lives in Poughkeepsie; Abram; George, de^
ceased; and Edward, Christian Englehardt is
one of the oldest citizens of Poughkeepsie. He
is a Democrat, and a member of the German
Lutheran Church,

JACOB SCHRAUTH, a retired merchant of
Poughkeepsie and one of its most popular
German citizens, was born at Kreuznach,
in the Rhine Province, AprH 18, 1834, a son
of John and Margaret (Wcyell) Schrauth, the
former of whom was also born in Kreuznach,
the latter in Waluff on the Rhine, Prussia.
John Schrauth, the grandfather of our sub
ject, was a hotel-keeper at Kreuznach, of
which place he was a native. He married,
and to the union was born a large family of
children. Their son, John, father of our sub
ject, was also a hotel-keeper, and in connec
tion with it followed the occupation of a farm
er. In 1816, for his second wife, he married,
Margaret Wcyell, and they became the parents
of eight chHdren, as follows: Jacob, Laura,
Kate, Minnie, Julia, Louis, Eliza and Benia.
Of these, Louis is a resident of Boston, and
Eliza is the widow of Conrad Lembke, former
ly a saloon-keeper in Highland. Our subject's
parents spent their entire lives in their native
land, where the father died in 1875 and the
mother in 1885. They were members of the
Lutheran Church.
Jacob Schrauth lived in his native town
until twenty years of age, during which time
he learned the cooper's trade. In 1854 he
came to America, landing in New York City
where he remained three years, and there
learned the trade of a baker. In 1857 he
came to Poughkeepsie, and for six years was
employed as a baker by Robert High, the three
following years working for P. S. Rowland.
In 1866 Mr. Schrauth went into business for
himself, renting a buHding at No. 153 Main
street. In the following two years he made
many improvements in the place and expanded
his business by the introduction of ice-cream,
confectionery, etc., carrying on two stores
with all modern improvements, doing, in fact,
an extensive trade. On May i, 1897, his
sons Edward L. and William H. purchased
the business of their father, forming a co-part
nership under the name of J. Schrauth's Sons.
Being brought up under their father's careful
training, they are well fitted to succeed him,
and a successful future is predicted for them,
especially if they follow in the footsteps of
their predecessor, who is known to be an en
terprising, progressive man, keeping abreast
of the times,thoroughly understanding his busi
ness, courteous and obHging, and not only se
curing the best class of customers, but know
ing how to retain them.

900

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

In i860 Jacob Schrauth was married to
Miss Kate Schneider, who was born at Kaiser-
slautern, Bavaria, Germany, and seven chil
dren have blessed this union: Charles, en
gaged in the confectionery business at Union-
hill, N, Y, ; one who died in infancy; Minnie,
who married William H. Frank, a brewer at
Poughkeepsie; Edward L. , of the firm of J.
Schrauth's Sons; Kate, married to William
La Paugh, of the firm of La Paugh & Son, in
Poughkeepsie; William H., of the firm of J.
Schrauth's Sons, and Cora, at home. Charles
married Barbara Seifts, an orphan, and they
had three children — Charles, Katie and Louis;
Edward L. married Josephine C. Beigle,
daughter of the late Leonard Beigle; William
H. wedded Matilda Seeholtzer, daughter of
Berthold Seeholtzer, and they have one child
— Edna, Edward L. and William H. are
both members of Fallkill Lodge No. 297, I, O,
O, F., and the former is also identified with
the Phoenix Hose Co,, Poughkeepsie.
Our subject and his amiable wife are con
sistent members of the German Lutheran
Church, in the work of which they are always
ready to assist. In his political views he is a
Republican, and for two years was a member
of the board of water works of Poughkeepsie.
Like most Germans, he is a lover of music,
and for twelve years was president of the Ger
man Singing Society. He is a member of
Adler Lodge No. 388, 1. O. O. F.

DAVID V. HAGGERTY, the leading florist
of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was
born in that city August 3, 1867, and although
still a young man has shown more than average
business abHity, which has enabled him to
push forward the enterprise begun by his
father to a wonderful degree of success.
The Haggerty family is of Irish descent.
The father of our subject, James Haggerty,
was born in Brooksborough, Ireland. His
father was a native of that place also, where
he carried on farming or gardening. He had
a family of six children, as follows: James;
William, a farmer in, Rhinebeck; Thomas, a
florist in New York City; Jennie and Sarah,
deceased; Mary, living in New York City.
The family came to the United States and set
tled in Rhinebeck, where the father died.
James Haggerty had but meagre advan
tages for an education in his native country,
but after coming to America he improved every

opportunity to store his mind with useful
knowledge. He was naturally gifted with a
fine intellect, and was a great reader of aH
kinds of literature, but more especially of such
as bore upon the vocation he adopted, that of
a florist. During his life he kept well-posted
on all topics relating to this branch of garden
ing, and was among the most progressive men
in his business.
Mr. Haggerty's first employment was on
the EHerslie farm, which is now owned by
Governor Morton, where he worked for Mr.
James, He then went to Newburgh and was
in the employ of Mr. Bridgman, who subse
quently placed him in his large florist estab
lishment in New York City. There he remained
until removing to Poughkeepsie and going
irito business for himself. He first built a
small greenhouse just south of the old reser
voir on South Clinton street, which was the
first of the kind in the city. From there he
moved to No. 181 Main street, where he buHt
a greenhouse and also carried on a seed store,
then bought the property at No. 381 on the
same street, and erected the large and commo
dious building which he afterward occupied.
In 1867 he bought the T, H. Leggett property
of ten acres near Poughkeepsie, to which he
added from time to time until it comprised
thirty acres. On this he built an extensive
greenhouse covering two acres, the largest
probably in the county, and here carried on a
most flourishing business until his death, which
event took place December 17, 1881. He was
a man of great energy and unflagging industry.
He was successful in almost everything he at
tempted, and accumulated a comfortable for
tune. In his political views he was a Repub
lican, but never took an active interest in public
affairs other than that which every good citizen
should. Both he and his wife belonged to the
Methodist Church, and were members of the
choir. He was for many years one of the most
prominent members of the New York Horti
cultural Society, and served one term as its
president. In all the relations of life he was
generous, kind and helpful, and stood high both
among his associates in business and in social
circles. He was married to Miss Rebecca Vail
Hyde, daughter of Liberty Hyde, of Pleasant
Valley. Five children were born of this union:
William, deceased; John, David Vail, Susanna
and Margaret,
David V. Haggerty obtained his education
in the Poughkeepsie schools, and then went to

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

901

Washington, Conn. , where he studied the
florist's business. He left school in 1885 in
the last year of his course, and the follovving
year took charge of the property for his mother
until he became of age in 1889, when he and
his brother John bought the entire property
with the exception of his mother's interest, she
remaining a member of the firm,' vvhich is
known as R. V Haggerty & Sons. Our sub
ject has taken the active management of the
business, which has steadily increased. He has
become one of the largest producers in the
county, and the greenhouses are the largest in
the State. He has inherited much of his fa
ther's ability and persistence, and is fully as
progressive and interested in his work. He
keeps abreast of the times in all discoveries
and experiments in his line, and by his fair
methods of dealing and courteous manners to
all has drawn about him a large number of
steady customers as well as many personal
friends. Like his father was, he is a Repub
lican and a Methodist, and is prominent in both
these organizations. He is a member of the
order of St. John, and for eight or nine years
has been a member of the Davy Crockett Hook
and Ladder Company. In 1889, he was mar
ried to Miss Isabella, daughter of Frank Rob-
son, and three children have been born to
them: Gladys, James Donald and John
Francis.

A

BRAM V. V. HAIGHT, the able secre
tary of the Poughkeepsie Transportation
Co. , and one of the leading citizens of the county
seat (Dutchess county), was born August 24,
1842, in the town of FishkHl, Dutchess county,
on an estate which had been in the possession
of his family for many years. His ancestors
came from Connecticut at an early period,
locating in the town of FishkHl, where his
grandfather, Joseph Haight, was a prominent
farmer. He married Hannah Dudley, a mem
ber of an old and highly esteemed family of
that vicinity, and had four children: Eliza
beth, who married Henry Van Voorhis; Min
erva, who married Thomas Burrows; Corne
lius J., our subject's father; and Hannah, the
wife of Peter Burchen, who was for some time
the principal of Dutchess County Academy.
Cornelius J. Haight was born June 22,
18 17, at the old homestead, five mHes from
the village of Fishkill, and lived there until he
was thirty-three years old, when he went to

Buffalo and engaged in the commission busi
ness on the dock, dealing in flour, grain and
other commodities, his firm being known as
Ward & Haight. In 1857 he returned to
Poughkeepsie and engaged in the wholesale
flour trade, continuing in same line for several
years. Later he took charge of the interests
of the Manhattan Iron Co., first in Pawling
and then at Sharon Station, in which latter
place he remained until his retirement from
active business in 1883. Since that time he
has made his hom'e in Poughkeepsie. He is a
well-read man, notwithstanding the cares and
distractions of his years of successful business
life. He is a leading member of the First Re
formed Church, and is held in high regard
among all classes for his sterling character
istics. Politically he is a Democrat, and his
active interest in party affairs has caused him
to be chosen to public office at different times.
He married Elizabeth Van Verbis, a descend
ant of a pioneer family of the town of Fish
kill, and a daughter of Abram Van Vorhis, a
leading resident there. They had five sons:
Henry E, , who resides at Sharon ; Abram V, V. ,
our subject; Joseph F. , assistant cashier of the
Pawling Bank; Lewis, who died at the age of
two years; and Edward S., the assistant post
master at Poughkeepsie, and who for two years
previous to receiving that appointment was
city treasurer.
Abram V, V. Haight received his early edu
cation in the schools of his native district,
graduating in 1856 from school No. 10. When
he was examined for admission to the high
school, only twenty-seven out of a class of
fifty passed the examination. He possesses
fine natural abilities, and has kept well-in
formed upon a wide range of subjects. His
first employment was with his father in Pough
keepsie, but at the age of twenty he went to
New York City, where for over a year he was
clerk in a commission house. In 1863 he en
listed in the U. S. Navy, and served "before
the mast " until the close of the war. Return
ing to Poughkeepsie, he was employed as a
clerk for seven years by Carpenter & Bro. ,
and for one year was clerk of the ' ' Morgan
House." In 1871 he engaged in the freighting
business with Doughty, Cornell & Co., at the
Upper Dock, but on the consolidation of the
Upper and Main street docks in 1874, he
took the position of head bookkeeper for the
Poughkeepsie Transportation Co. In 1880 he
was elected secretary of the company, in which

902

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

he had become a shareholder, and has dis
charged his duties with energy and judgment,
his success winning for him a high standing
among the business men of the city.
On December i, 1875, Mr. Haight married
Miss Ida T. Paulding, a daughter of WHliam
Cooper, formerly a leading cooper of Pough
keepsie. Three sons were born of this union:
Burton C, who died at eighteen years of age;
Harry Lown, and Abraham Van Vorhis, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Haight attend the First Re
formed Church, and contribute to the support
of various worthy movements in the commu
nity. On State and National issues Mr.
Haight votes the Republican ticket, but in
local affairs he gives his influence and his bal
lot to the best man. He served as police
commissioner under Mayor Rowley, and has
been urged to accept the nomination for mayor
on two different occasions. Socially, he be
longs to the Veteran Firemen's Association
and to the F. & A. M., Poughkeepsie Lodge
No. 266.

^ELWYN A. RUSSELL, M. D. This
.,^_^ well-known and popular physician was
a born in Jay, Essex Co., N. Y., February 12,
1 85 1, and attended the district and private
schools of that town. In 1874 he went to
Albany and began tbe study of medicine,
graduating with the class of 1877.
After graduating Dr. Russell was- ap
pointed resident physician of the Albany Hos
pital, and remained there untH 1879, when he
accepted a position on the medical staff at the
State Hospital at Utica, holding that position
until 1883, at which time he resigned and
went to Europe for the purpose of completing
his medical education. He spent one winter
in London and one in Vienna, where he had
a great deal of practical experience. He re
mained in Vienna until the spring of 1884, and
then returned to Albany and began the prac
tice of medicine there in partnership with
Samuel B. Ward, a prominent physician, with
whom he practiced untH 1888, when our sub
ject, in connection with his medical work,
made a tour of the world, sailing from New
York in February, around Cape Horn, arriv
ing at San Francisco in June, Thence he
went to China and Japan, returning to Albany
in 1889. On April 25, 1889, Dr. Russell was united
in marriage with Miss Lucy H. Harris, a daugh

ter of the Hon. Hamilton Harris, the promi
nent politician and lawyer. After his marriage,
the Doctor continued his practice in Albany
until 1 89 1, when he accepted a position in the
Hudson River State Hospital at Pough
keepsie, where he remained until April, 1894,
at which time he resigned on account of ill
health, and has since been occupied with a
general practice. Previous to his trip around
the world Dr. Russell was the attending phy
sician of St. Peter's Hospital, and an in
structor in physical diagnosis in the Albany
Medical College. Dr. and Mrs. Russell have
two children, Selwyn, born in 1890, and
HamHton H., born in 1893. Fraternally our
subject is a Mason.
G. B. Russell, father of our subject, was
born in Essex county, January 2, 1822, and
grew to manhood on the old home place.
He married Miss Charlotte Fisher, whose
birth took place in Beekmantown, CHnton Co.,
N. Y., October 11, 1821. After their mar
riage the couple settled on a farm in Essex
county, and the following children were born
to them: Marcus, who is a resident of Balti
more and a manufacturer of iron ware ; Selwyn,
our subject; Lottie became the wife of Frank
Bruce, of Jay, who was a painter, "and she
died in 1880; John is a school teacher at Spar
tanburg, S. C. In early life Mr. Russell was a
farmer and later became an iron maker at Jay.
He was a Republican and a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he took
an active part. He died in 1883. Mrs. Rus
seH died in 1867.
Sidney Russell, the grandfather, was also
born in Essex county, where he grew up and
was married. They had a family of eight
children. He remained on his farm in Essex
county, where his death occurred. Dr. Rus
sell's maternal grandfather was a farmer.
Both sides of the family were of English de
scent.

HORATIO N. BAIN, the well-known and
 popular hotel proprietor in Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, was born in Chatham, Colum
bia Co., N. Y., December 20, 1857, where he
lived until he was seven years old. He first
went to school at Palmyra, N. Y. , then at
Brewster, N. Y. , later at Dover Plains, Dutch
ess county, and for a time at the Connecticut
Literary Institute, Suffield, Conn., and then to
a select school.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

903

Upon finishing his education Mr. Bain re
mained at home until the death of his parents,
after which he continued his father's hotel
business untH the lease expired of the " Pough
keepsie Hotel." In 1884 he leased the " Nel
son House, " a fine, large, brick buHding, capa
ble of accommodating about two hundred peo
ple, and considered the best hotel in Pough
keepsie. In connection with the "Nelson
House" Mr. Bain has a half-interest in the
" Palatine Hotel" at Newburg, N. Y. , which
is considered tbe finest hotel on the Hudson,
and which will accommodate some two hun
dred and twenty-five guests. His eldest
brother, Francis N. Bain, is connected with
him at the " Palatine" under the firm name of
H. N. Bain & Co. Besides his interest in the
two most popular hotels ofthe Hudson Valley,
Mr. Bain is largely engaged in farming and
stock raising, having two farms in the eastern
part of the county, where he is successfully
breeding high-class road and carriage horses,
having exhibited his young stock at the Na
tional Horse Show at Madison Square Garden
for three years past with marked success.
Mr. Bain was united in marriage July 20,
1882, with Miss Carrie Belding, who is a na
tive of Dover Plains, a daughter of David L.
Belding, a farmer and stock dealer, and for
several years president of the Dover Plains
Bank. Our subject is a Republican, and a
public-spirited man. He is a member of the
F. & A. M., and of the AmrHa Club, of Pough
keepsie. Milton Bain (the father of our subject), who
was born in Columbia county, married Miss
Charlotte N. Nash, also a native of Columbia
county. After their marriage they located at
Chatham, where three children were born to
them: Francis N., now one of the proprietors
ofthe "Palatine Hotel," at Newburgh; Hora
tio, our subject; and F. R. , a real-estate dealer
in Poughkeepsie. Milton Bain was landlord
of the " Stanwix HaH Hotel, " at Chatham, for
twelve or fourteen years, and sold out to take
charge of a hotel in Palmyra, Wayne Co., N.
Y., later going to Brewster, N. Y. , where he
conducted the "Brewster House," and then to
Dover Plains, continuing in the same business,
at the "Dover Plains Hotel" for about twelve
years. In 1878 Mr. Bain came to Poughkeep
sie and became proprietor of the ' ' Poughkeep
sie Hotel," which he carried on untH his death,
in 1880; his wife had passed away one year
previously. In politics Mr. Bain was a Repub

lican, and at one time held the office of assessor
of the county, and of deputy sheriff. The
Bain family is of Scotch descent.
Alfred Nash, the maternal grandfather of
our subject, was a native of Columbia county,
where he practiced law. His father, Francis
Nash, was a farmer in Columbia county.

ELSON DENTON. The branch of the
jy,lll. Denton family of which the subject of
this biography is a worthy representative, has
been prominent in the vicinity of Whaley
Pond, Dutchess county, for several genera
tions. The first of the name to locate there
was his great-grandfather, Solomon Denton,
who came from Nova Scotia at a very early
period. The tract of 365 acres which he ac
quired has never been alienated from the fam
ily, and in its entirety is now in the possession
of George F. Denton, a brother of our sub
ject. Solomon Denton's son, Solomon, and
grandson, Solomon B., our subject's father,
each in turn cultivated this estate, and were
among the leading farmers of the locality.
Tbe members of this family have never taken
a very active part in public affairs, although
they have been interested in the questions of
their time and have been regular voters, being
Whigs in the early days and Republicans since
the war issues arose. In their business man
agement they were all thrifty and successful,
and they have been active in religious work as
members of the Second Baptist Church of
Pawling. Solomon the second, grandfather of our sub
ject, and wife had six children, namely: Sam
uel, Amos, Josiah, Pattie (Mrs. Wright), Abram
and Solomon B. Solomon B. Denton died
September 20, 1885, at the age of seventy-five
years, eight months and nine days. He was a
deacon in the Baptist Church for about forty
years, and no man in that vicinity was more
highly esteemed. His wife was Harriet Lud
dington, a daughter of Frederick Luddington,
a leading citizen of Ludingtonville, Putnam
Co., N. Y. Six children were born to them,
of whom our subject is the eldest. The
others were: Augustus, now deceased; George,
a hatter at Danbury, Conn. ; Cecelia, who mar
ried Theodore Purdy, a carpenter of the same
place; Emma, the wife of William F. Purdy,
an engineer of East Orange, N. J. ; and Carrie,
who died at the age of four years.
Nelson Denton was born at the old home-

904

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

stead near Whaley Pond, May 26, 1845, and
was educated in the schools of district No. 9,
Pawling town, and in the old Poughkeepsie
Academy. After completing his studies he en
gaged in mercantile business at Ludington
ville in 1864, forming a partnership with
Joshua Griffith under the firm name of Denton
& Griffith. They continued some time, when
Mr. Denton sold his interest and bought a
feed mill at Ludingtonville, which he con
ducted for three years. Disposing of this he
followed agricultural pursuits for two years in
Putnam county, N. Y. , with his father-in-law,
James Robinson, but later went to Danbury
and was with H. A, Addis & Son for a year
and a half. He then purchased a store at
Peeksville, Dutchess county, and after three
years rented another store where he spent
two years; but in 1887 he erected his present
convenient store building, where he has a trade
in general merchandise such as is enjoyed by
few country stores in southeastern Dutchess
county. As a business man he has been very
successful, and is one of the principal property
holders in that section.
On August 3, 1871, Mr. Denton was united
in marriage with Miss Albertine Robinson,
who was born September 2, 1853, the daugh
ter of a prominent farmer of Putnam county.
They have had two children — Frederick S. ,
born March 11, 1872; and Grace L, , born
December 27, 1882, both of whom are at
home. In politics, Mr. Denton is a Republican,
but he has not given much attention to party
work. He is public-spirited, however, thor
oughly loyal to the best interests of his locality,
and he is a leading member of the Baptist
Church at Ludingtonville.

MARTIN LASHER, proprietor of a first-
  class hotel pleasantly situated at Upper
Red Hook, Dutchess county, is a man of much
experience and a good knowledge of business,
and is conducting his present enterprise with
marked success, winning popularity as a host
who understands well how to cater to the
wants of the public.
Mr. Lasher vvas born in 1822, at Cler
mont, Columbia Co., N. Y. , where the birth
of his father, Jonas Lasher, also occurred.
There the latter was educated and followed the
occupation of farming. He wedded Miss Bar
bara Sagendorph, and to them were born nine

chHdren: George, who married a Miss Bar
ringer; Margaret, wife of Stephen Lasher;
Mary, wife of Peter Fraleigh; Henry, who
wedded Miss Proper; Helen, wife of Edward
Coon; Martin, of this sketch; Augustus; Cath
erine, wife of John Morgan; and John.
In the common schools of Clermont, Mar
tin Lasher acquired a practical education,
which would fit him for the responsible duties
of life, and began his business career as a
farmer, following that occupation untH 1850,
when he opened a hotel at Red Hook, Dutch
ess county, which he continued to carry on
until 1873. At that time he came to Upper
Red Hook, where he purchased the buildings
in which he now conducts a hotel with good
success. He is a good citizen, an obliging
landlord, and has the respect of all with whom
he comes in contact.
Mr. Lasher was united in marriage with
Miss Mary Proper, daughter of Jonas and
Eliza (Ten Broeck) Proper, and four children
bless their union: Fannie, Lida, Maggie and
Grace. Mrs. Lasher's parents were also natives
of Columbia county, where the father followed
farming. In their family were seven children,
namely: Leonard, who wedded a Miss Hoff
man; Mary, honored wife of our* subject;
Samuel, Edward, Philip and Walter, all of
whom died at an early age; and Sarah, who
became the wife of a Mr, Miller.

M NSON A. PLASS, an enterprising and
^^<^ successful business man of Red Hook,
Dutchess county, and the proprietor of a well-
known meat market there, was born in Cler
mont, Columbia county, in 1850.
PhHip H. Plass, his father, was born and
reared in the same locality, engaging in farm
ing as he grew to manhood. Later he became
the captain of a barge on the Hudson river,
and followed boating for many years. He
married Miss Catherine Stall, a daughter of
William St-all, a prominent resident of Cler
mont, and reared a family of five children:
William, Anson, Hermon, Mary E. and
Elizabeth. Our subject received his early education in
the schools of his native place, and for a time
was a farmer, and then foHowed his father's
example and engaged in boating upon the
Hudson. At the age of twenty-six years he
learned the butcher's trade with Peter Rifen-
burgh, of Madalin, and started in business for

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

905

himself at Clermont, continuing successfully for
a number of years. Later he moved to Red
Hook, and established a first-class business
there, his abHity and energy gaining for him
the esteem of all classes. In 1874 he was
united in marriage with Miss Hannah C. Rifen-
burgh, a well-known resident of Clermont.
Seven children were born of this union: Maiy
E. , Fannie, Maud, Ina, WHbur, Homer, and
Foster.

EvUGENE FOX is numbered among the
 'I prominent and progressive young men of
the town of Dover, Dutchess county. He
was united in marriage with Miss Ellen Benson,
who was born in 1879, and belongs to a famHy
whose identification with the interests of Dutch
ess county dates back several generations.
Her great-great-grandfather, Jacob Benson,
was born in Amenia, where he was reared and
educated, and as a life work followed farming.
He married Miss Lydia Thompson, and they
had six children: Benjamin, who for his sec
ond wife, married Deborah Mackam; David,
the great-grandfather of Mrs. Fox; Jacob, who
married Martha Smith; Lydia, who married
Daniel Darling ; Susan, who married John
Benson ; and Hannah, who married Peter
Hunt. David Benson, an agriculturist, was also
born at Amenia, and wedded Miss Susan
Sprague, of Vermont. To them were born
seven children: Jefferson; Joseph; Lansing,
who married Rachel Patchin ; WHHam and
Jacob, who remained single; David, who mar
ried Julia Cook; and Mary, who wedded Eg
bert Watts. Jefferson, the oldest son, was
born, reared and educated in Amenia, Dutch
ess county, and turned his attention to agri
cultural pursuits. By his marriage with Miss
Fannie Glenn, he had five chHdren: Jacob,
who married Ruth White; Manassa, who never
married; Eliza, who became the wifeof Charles
Davis; Phoebe, who married Phil Watts; and
Sylvia, who remained single.
Joseph Benson, the second son, was the
grandfather of Mrs. Fox. He was also a na
tive of Amenia, and after his common-school
education was completed followed the pursuit
to which he had been reared — that of farm
ing. He married Miss Helen Gillet, daugh
ter of Richard and Mercy Gillet, agricultur
ists of the town of Dover. Five children
graced this union, (i) Silas and (2) Charles

never married. (3) Susan, who was born and
educated in Amenia, married Albert Watts, a
mason of Dover, and they have five children:
Frances, who married Frank Silver, and has
four children, Walter, Mary, Ethel and Mabel;
Ellen, who married Shed Bates, and has three
children, Carrie, Ellen and Wealthy; Carrie,
who married Platt Reynolds., and has two
children, Charles and Fred; Annie, who is
single; and Charles, who married Miss Ford,
and has one child, Mary. (4) Eleanor, who
was also born and educated at Amenia, mar
ried Edwin Nightingale, a stone cutter of Mas
sachusetts, and they have three children : John,
who married Sadie Bates; Walter; and Helen.
(5) Edwin, the father of Mrs. Fox, completes
the family.
Edwin Benson was born in Amenia, in
1840, and obtained a common-school educa
tion there. When a young man he entered
the employ ofthe Harlem railroad, with which
he has been connected the greater part of his
life. He is a prominent citizen, and has held a
number of minor offices. He was rnarried to
Miss Adaline Powers, and they became the
parents of two children: David, who was born
in 1862, and married Henrietta Benson, by
whom hehas one son, Herbert; and Ellen, the
wife of Eugene Fox.
John Powers, the grandfather of Mrs. Ed
win Benson, and son of Joseph Powers, was a
farmer of the town of Ainenia, Dutchess coun
ty. By his marriage with Miss Clara Smith,
he had one son, Gaylord, who was born and
educated in the town of Amenia, where he also
followed farming throughout life. He married
Miss Abigail Watts, a daughter of David Watts,
also an agriculturist of Amenia tov.m, and seven
children were born to them, (i) William, a
native of Amenia, learned the machinist's trade,
at which he worked for a number of years.
He married Miss Delia Gordon, (2) Charles,
a farmer, wedded Miss Mary Storms, and they
had six children — Gusta, who married Ben
jamin Milton; Irving; Edwin; Flora; WHHam
and Arthur. (3) George never married. (4)
John married Miss Josephine Vice, and to them
was born a daughter — Sylvia. (5) Emma
married Edwin Davis, a machinist of Pennsyl
vania, and they had seven children — Edward;
Edna, who married Albert Norton, and has two
children, Mabel and Sarah; Ella; Carrie;
Frank; Lillie and Chester. (6) -Mary wedded
James Wheeler, afarmer and carpenter, and to
them were born three children, who died when

906

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

young — C. Edwin, William and John. (7)
Adaline, the mother of Mrs. Fox, completes
the family.

JOHN MITCHELL, the well-known black
smith and manufacturer of carriages and
wagons, at Fishkill village, Dutchess
county, is one of the most respected and in
fluential residents of that place, his public
spirit and efficiency as a citizen being no less
marked than his ability in business. He was
born October 29, 1821, in New York City,
where he received his education in the public
schools. In 1840 he came to Dutchess
county and learned the blacksmith's trade,
and later opened a shop at Fishkill which he
conducted for several years. In 1844 he mar
ried Miss Elizabeth Webb, daughter of Henry
Webb, a prominent resident of Fishkill, and
established his home there. On the breaking
out of the "Gold Fever," in 1849, he went
to California to seek his fortune, and made a
large amount of money in a short time. At
first he worked at his trade for $12 per day,
but soon went into business for himself and
cleared on the average $50 daHy for months.
Sickness compelled him to return home in
1 85 1, and he then purchased the property
which he has since occupied as a wagon and
blacksmith shop.
His high character and reputation for good
judgment have given him the confidence of his
fellow citizens to a gratifying degree. In poli
tics he is a Democrat, and he has held several
township offices, including those of commis
sioner, town clerk for eight years, collector
for two years, and member of the Board of
Excise for eighteen years. He has served on
the Board of Education for thirty years. In 1 890
Mrs. Mitchell died of pneumonia, after nearly
half a century of wedded Hfe. Of their seven
chHdren, the first two, Emerett and Mary
Frances, are deceased. The survivors are
Frederick, Walter, Laura, Bertha and John,
Jr. The family has always been identified
with the Reformed Dutch Church of Fishkill,
and various members have taken active part
in helpful m.ovements in the community.

MRS. MARGARET TOFFEY CRAFT.
_ _ The homestead of the Toffey family on
Quaker Hill, near the famous " Mizzentop
Hotel," is one of the beautiful country estates

for which Dutchess county is noted, being
situated in one of the most picturesque spots
in this favored locality. John Toffey, the
grandfather of our subject, Mrs. Craft, was
the first of the name to occupy the farm, his
last years being spent there in agricultural
pursuits. He was a native of Long Island
and received his education there, but in early
manhood settled in Putnam county, N. Y.,
where he was engaged in the manufacture of
hats for many years. He was married there
to Miss Fowler, who died a few years later,
leaving no children. His second wife was
Miss AbigaH Aiken, and to them five chH
dren were born, of whom the youngest was
Daniel, Mrs. Craft's father. Of the others,
Hewlit married (first) Miss Howland, and (sec
ond) Miss Scofield; Aiken married Ann Aiken;
John married Esther Aiken; and George mar
ried Catherine Vandeburgb.
Hon. Daniel Toffey was born at the home
stead and attended the common schools of the
town of Pawling during his boyhood . He began
farming at an early age, and later became a
speculator in cattle for tbe New York City
markets. In local politics his influence was
marked, first as a 'Whig and afterward as a
Republican, and he held numerous town offices,
and served one term in the State Legislature.
He married Miss Betsy Hollaway, daughter of
Joseph and Olive (Aiken) Hollaway, her father
being one of the prominent farmers of Hurd's
Corners, Dutchess county.
Mrs. Craft was the eldest of a family of six
children. Born in 18 10, she was reared at the
old home, enjoying the educational opportuni
ties afforded by the neighboring schools. She
married James Craft, a prominent merchant of
Pawling, Dutchess county, and in their family
are three children: Mary, born in 1834, is at
home; Lydia, born in 1836, married Dr.
Charles Taylor; and Anna, born in 1839, is
the wife of Aiken Thomas.
Of the younger children of Daniel Toffey
(2), George, born in 181 1, became a well-
known farmer and speculator. He and his
wife, formerly Miss Mary Cook, reared a fam
ily of five children, all of whom married, as
follows: Daniel — Miss AdaHne Wilson; George
— Miss Bessie Rodger; John — Miss Elizabeth
Sip; WHliam — Miss Emma Sip; and Mary —
William B. Wheeler. (3) Ransom, born in 18 — ,
and (4) Elizabeth, born in 18 — , both deceased,
were never married. (5) Olive, born in 1826,
at the old homestead, was educated in Pough-

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

907

keepsie. She married John L. Worden, then
a midshipman in the United States navy, who
rose by frequent promotions from that humble
position to the rank of admiral, and distin
guished himself during the Civil war by his
abHity and courage. He was born in 1818, at
Sing Sing, and is now on the retired list with
full pay, but unfortunately, through old age
and over-anxiety, he has lost his mental bal
ance. He is the only surviving admiral of all
the gallant group that served so nobly in the
Civil war. Two sons and tvvo daughters were
born to him. The eldest, John Lorimer Wor
den, Jr., was born in Washington, D. C. , and
was educated at West Point, receiving a com
mission as lieutenant, and was in command of
troops at Sackett's Harbor, where his death
occurred. He married Miss Annie Edison,
but left no children. Daniel T. Worden was
born and educated in New York City, and is
now engaged in business there as a broker.
He married Miss Emily Neilson, of Philadel
phia, and has one daughter, Florence. Of
Admiral Worden's daughters, Grace is at
home, and Olivia married Lieut. Theron Bus
by, of the United States navy, a Southerner by
birth, and has four children: Daniel, Gaston,
Olive and Grace. (6) Daniel Toffey, Jr., Mrs.
Craft's youngest brother, was born on Quaker
Hill, in 1828, and after completing his studies
in the local schools engaged in mercantile
business in New York City. He married Miss
Annie Robinson, and has no children.

JOHN J. SPAULDING, a leading agricultur
ist of the town of Pawling, Dutchess coun
ty, residing near Quaker Hill, is a man
whose quiet influence had always tended to
promote the progress of that locality. Born
in that town in 1837, and educated in the com
mon schools there, he has chosen to make it
his permanent home, and has been engaged in
his present calling since early manhood. He
married Miss Phoebe J. Light, and has had
three chHdren: Henry, born in 1881, and
Warren, born in 1889, are at home; and an
only daughter, Agnes, born in 1886, died at an
early age.
The Spaulding family has been identified
with Dutchess county for several generations.
Abram Spaulding, our subject's grandfather,
was born and reared in the town of Dover, and
later engaged in farming there. He and his
wife, Elizabeth, reared a family of five children:

Uriah, who never married; John, our subject's
father; SalHe, wife of Sanford Hoag; Lydia,
wife of Warren Kerry; and Ann, who remained
single. John Spaulding first saw the light at the
old homestead in the town of Dover, and after
enjoying the usual educational privileges of a
country boy, he made farming his occupation.
He married Miss MarHla Elsworth, daughter
of Platt Elsworth, and had thirteen chHdren:
George, who is not married ; Jane, wife of James
Evans; John J., our subject; Frank, who married
Minerva Beers; Harrison, who married Lizzie
Donehew; Abram, who died in chHdhood; Will
iam, who married Mary Miller; Nathaniel, who
married Helen Osborne; Uriah, unmarried;
Mary A., wifeof Albert Redney; Sarah, deceas
ed; Warren, who is single; and Myron, who
married Juliette Light.
Mrs. Spaulding's paternal grandfather, John
Light, was a native of Putnam county, N. Y. ,
and was educated there, following afterward
the business of farming. He married, and had
three children: Mosman; Henry, who married
Jane Ferris; and Jeremiah. Mosman Light,
Mrs. Spaulding's father, was born in the town
of Kent, Putnam county, and received his ed
ucation in the common schools of the town.
He also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He
married Miss Sallie Ferris, daughter of John
Ferris, a well-known farmer of Putnam county,
and his wife, Phoebe. Eight children were
born to this marriage: William, who married
Mary J. Russell; John, who married Emily
Smalley; Susan, vvife of Enos Adams; Joseph,
who married Phoebe Lee; Lansing, unmarried;
Mrs. Phoebe Spaulding; George, deceased,
who never married; and Charles, who married
Laura Roscoe.

WILLIAM B. HUTTON, a well-known
 business man of Red Hook, Dutchess
county, is a native of that town, his ancestors
having been for many years engaged there in
mercantile pursuits.
The late Jacob R. Hutton, his grandfather,
was born there in 18 16, and early in life be
came a merchant, dealing in general merchan
dise, boots and shoes and similar commodities,
his store being located on East Market street.
He continued the business until 1876, when he
moved to Poughkeepsie and entered the employ
of Howes & Co., manufacturers of shoes. He
remained with them in a position of trust until

908

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

his death, in 1890, after an exemplary and re
ligious life of seventy-eight years. He was
married at the age of eighteen to Miss Lydia
C. Hoffman, of Red Hook, and reared a fam
ily of four chHdren: WHliam E. , our sub
ject's father; Nicholas R, , who was married in
1865, to Miss Mary Hobbs; Fannie E,, who
married John  , of Red Hook, in 1863;
and Elizabeth H., who married Campbell B,
Hicks in 1875.
William E. Hutton was born March 12,
1 84 1, and after graduating from the Upper
Red Hook Academy he entered his father's
store as a clerk, and soon became a partner.
On the dissolution of the partnership, in 1876,
he established a general drug business at the
same location, and conducted it until 1892,
when he disposed of it to Claude E. Hicks,
who sold it to Walter Van Steenburgh, the
present proprietor. He married Miss Emeline
C. Dunham, of CatskiH, N, Y., in March, 1864,
and has had six children: WiHiam B,, born
September 26, 1866; Grace M., September 27,
1869; Frank B., September 29, 1872; Emma,
October 4, 1874; Mary, in January, 1876; and
J. H., in January, 1876, The two younger
daughters, Emma and Mary, died in infancy.
WHliam B, Hutton, the subject proper of
this sketch, attended the Upper Red Hook
Academy for some time, and then entered St.
Stephen's College at Annandale, graduating
from the classical course in 1888. In 1890
he was graduated from the — ¦  Medical
College at Albany, and soon after entered his
father's drug store as prescription clerk, re
maining untH the disposal of the business, in
1892. Since that time he has been engaged
in the stationery and news business, with a
constantly growing trade. He was married
March 23, 1890, to Miss Ida Yager, of Sauger
ties, their union being blessed with one child,
Anna C. Hutton. A quiet gentleman, of schol
arly tastes, Mr. Hutton holds the friendship of
an exclusive circle of intimates, and the esteem
of the entire community.

JOHN O. WIXOM, of the well-known firm
of Wixom & Townsend, of Matteawan,
Dutchess county, is one of the substantial
young business men of that town. He is a de
scendant of one of the old families of Putnam
county, N. Y. , and was born there in the town
of Kent, November 2, 1862. His great-grand
father was Elijah Wixom, whose son Eli

jah (2) married Hannah Robinson. Their
son, Cnarles, our subject's father, was a farm
er by occupation. He married Miriam Bar
rett, a daughter of Knowlton and Fanetta
(Hazleton) Barrett, and had seven children,
two of whom died in infancy. The others are
Elijah K,, Edwin C, Russell B., John O. and
Cynthia F. The father is dead, but the moth
er is still living.
John O, Wixom attended the public schools
near his home during his boyhood, and worked
in the meantime upon the farm. At the age
of sixteen he began his business career as a
clerk in R, R. Meade's general store at Peeks
ville, Dutchess county, and after a year and a
half there he entered the employ of S, G. & J,
T, Smith, of Fishkill and Matteawan, and re
mained with them for eleven years. January
I, 1890, he purchased the interest of P. D,
Holmes in the grocery firm of Holmes & Town-
send, forming the present partnership. They
carried a full line of groceries, and in the lat
ter part of 1895 they added to this a weH-
stocked meat market, their expanding trade
fully justifying them in the venture. The
business interests of Mr. Wixom have occu
pied his attention too closely for him to take
an active part in public affairs, but he is thor
oughly loyal to his town, and is ari ardent sup
porter of the principles of the Republican
party. He married Miss Jennie Haight, daugh
ter of Theodorus Haight, a well-known farmer,
and his wife, Deborah Lockwood, and they
have one daughter, Ruth A. They are lead
ing members of the M. E, Church at Mattea
wan, and take a generous interest in its work.
Mr. Wixom is also a member of Beacon Lodge
No. 283, F. & A. M.

JOHN L. WHITE, the well-known florist
of Pawling, Dutchess county, is one of the
most enterprising business men, and, be
ginning his career as a general farmer, he has
developed a profitable and pleasing specialty.
He was born in 1834, in Glenham, Dutchess
county, and passed his youth there, his edu
cation being acquired in the public schools.
He married Miss Lucy A. Turner, daughter
of Stephen Turner, a leading agriculturist
of the town of Pawling, and his wife, Sarah
Eastwood. Of the three children of this
union, the first two, Sarah and Ezra, de
ceased, never married. George the only
surviving son, is the proprietor of a printing

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

909

office at PawHng. He is a member of Patter
son Lodge No, 173, I. O. O. F., and now holds
the office of secretary. His wife, formerly
Miss Alpha Mosier, is a daughter of Milton and
Mary (Brown) Mosier, well-known farmers of
the town of Pawling, and has one son, Clif
ton J.
The great-grandfather of our subject, Jos
eph White, was born and reared at JohnsviHe,
N. Y. , and became a farmer by occupation.
He and his wife, Sarah, had several children,
among whom was a son, Philip, our subject's
grandfather, who was born in Dutchess coun
ty, and passed his life here, engaging in the
business of clock making and in agriculture,
which he followed for many years. He was
a member of the Masonic fraternity. He mar
ried, and reared a family of six children:
Amsey, who married Miss West; Joseph; John,
who married Polly Werden; Eli, our subject's
father; Warren, who married Polly Turner;
and Lucy A,, deceased, who never married.
Eli White was a native of the town of
Pawling, and the schools of that locality af
forded him his only educational advantages.
He became a painter by occupation. His wife
was Miss Elizabeth Canif Hagaman, daughter
of David Canif, and they had three children,
of whom our subject was the youngest. Emma
never married, and Cornelia married Kent
Henyon, and had five children — Leona, who
is now married; Coleman, who married Annie
Merritt; William, who married Hattie Loeucs;
Chester and Grace, unmarried.
Mrs. White is descended from a patriotic
family, her father having served in the war of
1812, and her grandfather, Stephen 'Turner,
in the Revolutionary war. The latter followed
agriculture as an occupation. He and his
wife, Amie, reared a family of six children:
John; Caleb, who never married; Stephen,
Mrs. White's father; Sarah, wife of Elijah
Eastwood; Rhoda, wife of James Eastwood;
and Maria, wife of Robert Brockway.
Stephen Turner was born in 1793, in the
town of PawHng, Dutchess county, and grew
to manhood there. His gallant service in the
war of 181 2 entitled him to a pension, and he
also drew 160 acres of land which he cultivated
in his later years. He married Miss Sarah
Eastwood, daughter of George and Rachel
Eastwood. Her father was a well-known
school teacher. Mrs. White was one of eleven
children, who all married as follows: Alexan
der — Miss Margaret Brent; Caleb — Miss Cath

erine Morse; Lyman — Miss Pattie Daiken;
Lydia — John Werdon ; Henry — Miss Cath
erine Lent; Ferman — Miss Charlotte Turner;
Robert — Miss Charlotte Fairchild; Peter —
Miss- Eliza Bullard; Lucy A. — John White;
Emma J. — Gilbert Bullard; and Bennett — Miss
Ann Eliza Washburn,

/r^\EORGE FRANKLIN LEE, the genial
\^f and enterprising proprietor of the "Lee
House," at Pawling, Dutchess county, has
made that well-known hotel one of the best
houses of its class in that locality. Energetic
inaction and sound in business judgment, his
success is a natural result of his practical and
effective management.
His family is of English origin, and several
generations have made their home in Litchfield
county. Conn., where George Lee, our sub
ject's grandfather, was born. He passed his
life there as a farmer. To him and his wife
were born six children: Ward, the eldest;
Jane, who married George Ferris and moved
to Wisconsin; Sarah, wife of Charles Travis,
of Yates county, N. Y. ; Louisa, wife of George
Travis, of Penn Yan, N. Y. ; Emma, wife of
George Wickam, of Havana, Schuyler Co.,
N. Y. ; and Egbert, our subject's father, who was
born at the old home, in Litchfield county, Conn.
Egbert learned the blacksmith's trade, and,
coming to Dutchess county in early manhood,
followed that business in the town of Dover,
and later in Clang Hollow, town of Unionvale,
where he located about 1852. In 1865 he re
turned to Dover and worked for three years,
and in 1874 gave up his trade to go into the
hotel business at the old " Fowler House," in
Hyde Park, in partnership with our subject.
He remained there two years, and then moved
to Poughkeepsie and bought a saloon and liv
ery stable, which he sold two years later,
when he moved to Pawling to spend his re
maining years, his death occurring there about
1 88 1. He was a Democrat, and took a great
interest in local politics, serving as supervisor
and collector in the town of Dover, and as col
lector in the town of Unionvale. A man of
generous disposition and much public spirit,
he had many friends, while in business circles
he was regarded as a shrewd and successful
manager of his varied enterprises, and he cer
tainly was one of the best blacksmiths in the
county. During the war he worked in the
South on a Mississippi river boat, for a man

910

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD

named Bostwick. He married Abbie Jane
Cary, and seven children were born to the
union: Egbert M., a blacksmith, formerly of
the town of Amenia, later of Waterbury, Conn. ;
George F. , our subject; Janie, who married
(first) William Wright, (second) Charles VHlin
ger, and (third) George Geddings, who is in the
United States mail service; Sarah Ann, de
ceased, formerly the wife of Myron Wickam;
Maryette, deceased, who married WiHiam R.
Lee; Martha; and Perry, a painter, of Amenia.
The Carey family have been residents of Litch
field county. Conn., for many years.
George F, Lee was born in the town of
Dover, December 19, 1848, and his education
was mainly acquired in the district schools of
Unionvale, which he attended until he was
about eighteen years old. He had learned the
blacksmith's trade in the meantime, and after
leaving school conducted a shop on Chestnut
Ridge for two years, when he sold out and
went to Dover Plains to work at the trade with
Matthew Borden, A year later he entered the
employ of Milton Bain, then the proprietor of
the " Dover House," and, after one year with
him, he spent about a year and a half as clerk for
Jud Landing, just across the street. The next
three years he spent at Falls VHlage, Conn.,
as clerk for Ezra Dudley, and Mr, Lee then
purchased a saloon and put in billiard tables,
the first that had ever been brought to the
town. He remained there some time, boarding
with Mr, Dudley, and then sold the business
and went to Hyde Park, where he rented the
old "Fowler House " of J, T, Stoughtenburgh,
and conducted it for three years, his father be
ing a partner for a time, as has been stated.
On seHing out this business to J. W. Hinkley,
of the Nezvs, Mr. Lee went to Poughkeepsie,
and for one year ran a restaurant under the
old "Poughkeepsie House," and a livery
stable in the rear, but in 1878 he sold these
enterprises and moved to Pawling. There he
rented a bar room of George Norton, which
he conducted for three years, and then he
bought the "Travelers' House" and spent eight
years in managing H, with Henry Wheeler as
partner for one year, and H. C, Brooks for
another. During this time Mr, Lee had es
tablished the first bottling works ever opened
in Pawling, and when the building was burned
in 1 889 he determined to erect a hotel upon the
same site, and accordingly the "Lee House"
was completed in the following year. With
the exception of one year when the hotel was

rented to Mr. Gardner, he has managed it
himself, meeting with marked success.
Politically, Mr. Lee has always been a
Democrat, and gives active support to the
party in his locality. He has been a member
of the county committee for five years, and
has held the office of school trustee for three
years. In 1890 he was elected supervisor
for one term, and in 1893 was chosen, for a
term, highway commissioner. In local affairs
of a non-political sort he is active also, and he
belongs to Patterson Lodge No, 173, I.O.O.F. ,
of Pawling. He has a pleasant home in
Pawling, his family not residing in the hotel.
His wife, to whom he was married in 1873,
was formerly Miss Mary A. Beden, whose
father, Henry Beden, was a well-known citi
zen of Falls VHlage, Conn. Two sons were
born of this union — Henry A. and Philo B.

PHILIP H. STICKLE. The subject of
 this sketch has been for some years prom
inent among the farmers of Dutchess county,
having a fine estate pleasantly located in the
town of Red Hook, it being one of the best-
appointed homesteads in the locality, and on
account of his strict integrity and high charac
ter, he is numbered among its most valued
citizens. John F. Stickle, his paternal grandfather,
was a native of Red Hook town, where he vvas
engaged in farming during his manhood, and
he there married Hannah Fraleigh. Their son,
Peter Stickle, was the father of our subject.
He was also born in Red Hook town, where on
reaching a sufficient age he attended the dis
trict schools, and as a means of livelihood he
followed farming. By his marriage with Miss
Sarah Feller, he had two sons: John W. , who
married a Mrs. Shook; and Philip H., of this
review. Our subject was born upon the old Stickle
homestead in the town of Red Hook, which
has now been in the possession of the family
for over a century and a half. His school days
being over, he took up the occupation which
his ancestors had followed, and now owns the
old farm, which comprises 250 acres of valu
able land. Although a general farmer, he
makes a specialty of fruit culture, having upon
his place fine varieties of peaches, grapes, ap
ples, currants, etc.
As a companion and helpmeet on life's jour
ney, Mr,. Stickle chose Miss Nellie R. Ring,

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

911

and by their marriage they have two children:
Alva R., born July 5, 1868; and Frank W.,
born March, 1873. Moses Ring, Mrs. Stickle's
father, was a son of George and Elizabeth
Ring, the latter of New York City, and in his
family were six children, namely: Elizabeth,
who became. the wife of George Fellows; Nel
lie R., the wife of our subject; Eugene, who
first wedded Sarah Hunt, and, after her death,
Emma Hunt; Alonzo, who married Balinda
Cramer; John, who married Lizzie Reins-
burgh, and, after her death, Mary Dolle; and
George Lewis.
Mr. Stickle takes quite an active interest in
politics, believing in the principles of the Dem
ocratic party, and to these gives his honest
support. He has been quite prominent in local
affairs, officiating as supervisor of Red Hook
town, and as excise commissioner. Socially,
he is connected with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and religiously holds member
ship with the Lutheran Church. His industry
and enterprise have secured for him an envia
ble position among the progressive and well-
to-do farmers of the town of Red Hook,

JOHN W. BUTTS, one of the most promi
nent and successful business men of the
town of Stanford, Dutchess county, was
born May 19, 1835, upon the farm where he
now resides, which has been for several gener
ations the home of the Butts family.
William Butts, our subject's father, was
born in Stanford, November 15, 1808, a son
of Moses Butts, and died there May 28, 1882,
having been engaged all his life in farming.
He attended the Christian Church, and was an
exemplary citizen, holding the high regard of
aH who knew him. He belonged to the Ma
sonic order, and was buried with their impres
sive ritual. In politics he was a Democrat.
On June 3, 1831, he was married to his first
wife, Miss Eliza J. Truesdale, and their chil
dren were: WiHiam, born March 4, 1832, now
a resident of Valley Falls, Kans,; JohnW., our
subject; Walter D., born July 19, 1839, mar
ried Catherine Humphrey, and died on Octo
ber 22, 1870, followed August 16, next year,
by his wife; and Eliza Jane, born July 19,
1839, died September 28, 1839. On January
23, 1840, Mr. Butts married for his second
wife Miss Deborah Case, a daughter of Nathan
Case, She was born December 21, 1802, and
died February 6, 1892.

John W. Butts, our subject, attended a
district school near Cold Spring during boy
hood, and laid the foundation for a good prac
tical education which his native ability and
habits of observation have enabled him to ac
quire. He has always lived upon the old
homestead, having assisted his father until the
latter's death. March 21, 1861, he was mar
ried to Miss Tamma Humphrey, a descendant
of one of the old families of the town of Stan
ford, her great-grandfather Humphrey having
settled there in the eighteenth century. Her
grandfather, James Humphrey, a farmer there,
married Abigail Canfield, and had eight chil
dren: Nathan, John, Henry, William, Asahel,
Ira, Dama and Tamma, of whom, Ira is now
the only survivor. William Humphrey, Mrs.
Butt's father, was born in 1804, and died in
1882. He was a shoemaker by trade, but in
later years followed farming in Stanford until
his retirement from active business, when he
moved to Bangall. He married Eliza Johnson,
of New Paltz, a descendant of one of the early
Huguenot settlers of Ulster county, and had
three children: Charles H., a merchant of
Bangall; Abbie J., Mrs. Walter Adsit; and
Tamma, Mrs. Butts. Three children were
born to our subject and his wife: (i) Ella
Jane, July 17, 1862, was married June i,
1887, to Elmer G. Story, of Bay Side, L. I,
(now in the Custom House in New York City),
and has two children — Ethel B. and Ernest D.
(2) Mary, February 24, 1864, was married
December 16, 1 891, to Lincoln Husted, of
Stanford, and has one child, Lee J. (3) Will
iam H., July 21, 1868, now a farmer near the
homestead, was married December 7, 1892,
to Adelaide Deyo, and has one son, John
W., Jr,
The farm belonging to Mr. Butts is one of
the largest in the county, comprising 350 acres
of choice land, which is kept in fine order
under his energetic and judicious management.
Within the past few years he has erected a
handsome mansion and farm buildings of mod
ern plan. For twenty years he has been ex
tensively engaged in the commission and
freighting business, dealing in farm produce.
His known responsibility and high reputation
for fair dealing have brought him a large
patronage, the greater part of the produce of
the town being handled by him, as the farm
ers prefer to sell to him rather than to
strangers there or in New York. In politics
he is a Democrat, and he takes an active and

912

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

influential part in all local affairs. He has
been commissioner of highways, town super
visor for three terms, and for the last twenty-
three years he has been postmaster at Mc
lntyre.

'^^FILLIAM DOLAN, an energetic and ef-
jIImI ficient employe of the Harlem Division,
New York Central & Hudson River R. R.,
was born September 19, 1862, in the town of
Amenia, Dutchess county, and received his
education in the schoolfe of that locality. His
father, John Dolan, is a prominent agricultur
ist there, and until the age of twenty-nine our
subject worked upon the farm, 'but in 1891 he
entered the service of the railroad company as
brakeman, and still holds that position. In
1891 he was married to Miss Bridget Callnan,
daughter of Michael and Bridget Callnan, of
Carconlish, County Limerick, Ireland, and they
have a pleasant home in Dover Plains, bright
ened by the merry voices of three children:
William A., born in 1891; Rebecca, in 1893;
and John E-, in 1895.
The Dolan family is of Irish origin, the old
home being in County Roscommon. Thomas
Dolan, our subject's grandfather, was a life
long resident there, and was engaged in farm
ing for many years. He and his wife had five
children: Thomas, who married Bridget Car
rol; John, our subject's father; and three
daughters, Bridget, Anna and Mary, who never
married. John Dolan was born in 18 12, and
received a good education in the schools of his
native county. He assisted his father, learn
ing the details of farm work, and on attaining
his majority in 1833, came to America in search
of wider opportunities. About a year after his
arrival he settled in South Amenia, Dutchess
county, and purchased the farm where he now
resides at the good old age of eighty-four. He
married Miss Rebecca Kelley, a native of
County Roscommon, Ireland, and daughter of
Charles and Anna Kelley. Eleven children
were born of this marriage: Thomas, who
died in Memphis, Tenn. ; John, who married
Maggie Lary; Charles, who married Ellen
Powers; James, who married Kate Kelley;
WHliam, our subject; Edward, unmarried;
Maggie, who died at the age of thirty years;
Rebecca, living at home; Eliza, who died in
infancy; Annie, the wife of Lawrence Dahoney;
and Eliza (2) who is at home,
Mrs. Dolan's father, Michael Callnan, was

a farmer at Carconlish, Ireland, where the an
cestors of her mother, Bridget Murnan, also
had their home. Cue Murnan, her grand
father, was born and educated there, and
was a laborer during the greater part of his
life. His wife's name is unknown, but their
seven children were: Cue, who .married Miss
Geary; Patrick; John; Margaret, who mar
ried a Mr. Geary; Mary, Mrs. Pat Roach;
Kate, Mrs. Michael Welch; and Bridget, Mrs.
Dolan's mother. Michael and Bridget Call
nan had five children, of whom, Mrs. Dolan
was the youngest. The others are Michael,
who married Johanna Shine; John, who is not
married; Kate, Mrs. Thomas Kelley; and Mary,
Mrs. John Welch.

irv\EORGE PEATTIE, an enterprising and
%j^ prosperous business citizen of Fishkill-on-
Hudson, Dutchess county, is a member of the
well-known firm of Peattie Brothers, who are
manufacturers of sleighs and carriages, deal
ers in harness and fittings, proprietors of an
extensive livery stable, and large holders of
real estate. It would be difficult to find a
firm which has covered so varied a field of
effort with such uniform success. He was
born in New York City June 11, 1852. His
father (the late George Peattie) was born in
1 8 14 at St. Andrews, Fifeshire, Scotland, and '
at one time owned the land on the corner of
West Broadway and Hudson street. New
York City, now occupied by H. K. Thurber &
Co., and carried on the blacksmith's trade
there. Later he moved to Cold Spring, N. Y. ,
and in October, 1855, he came to Fishkill-on-
Hudson. He met his death June 22, 1881,
at the Hudson River Depot, in New York City,
a trunk falling upon him. His wife was a lady
of Irish blood. Miss Ann McCormick, by whom
he had six children: James, William H.,
George, Charles, Robert and Margaret A.
After acquiring a good English education in
in the schools of FishkHl, the subject of this
sketch, at the age of seventeen, went to New
York City, and spent three years with N. H.
Gray, of No. 27 Wooster street, learning the
wagon and sleighmaker's trade, and then went
to Yorkville and worked two years with W. H.
Dunns, a manufacturer of coach bodies. In
1 87 1 he and his brothers, James and William,
built a wagon and sleigh factory in Fishkill, at
the corner of Main and Cedar streets, and two
years later added to it the livery business.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

913'-

Both enterprises were carried on successfully
untH February 8, 1895, when the entire plant
was destroyed by fire. Nothing daunted, the
firm resumed business in a shed at their pres
ent location, and proceeded to build their
handsome new repository and livery stable,
covering loox 150 feet of space. They have
also been extensively engaged in the building
of houses and business blocks, and have done
much to improve and develop the town. Since
1875 they have erected forty-one detached
dwelling houses, which they rent, and in 1892
they built tbe Peattie Block, a brick structure
three stories high, containing eight flats and
three stores, all fitted up according to modern
ideas of comfort and convenience. On Sep
tember I, 1894, they opened to the public the
Academy of Music, another large building
costing $35,000, which is managed by Clark &
Peattie. The latter is William Peattie, who,
in addition to his care of tbe interests of the
firm, is a director in one of the banks, and for
fifteen years past has been auditor of the town.
The subject of this sketch is prominent in
local affairs, and a valued adviser in the Dem
ocratic party. In the spring of 1894 he was
a candidate for the office of president of the
village, but was defeated by a small majority,
and for the past year he has been a member
of the board of education. Mr. Peattie mar
ried Miss Bridget Meeley, daughter of Patrick
Meeley, and has had ten children: Mary,
Charles, Lauretta, Edward, Maggie, Hugh,
Celia, Lenna, Ruth, and Alice, of whom, all
but Lenna and Ruth are living. The family
are leading members of St. Joseph's Roman
Catholic Church. Mr. Peattie belongs to the
Order of Foresters and to the Catholic Benev
olent League.

W RNOUT CANNON (deceased). To the
.^^ artistic taste and faithful workmanship
of the late Arnout Cannon, a prominent con
tractor and builder of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, the "Queen City of the Hudson"
owes many of her most notable structures.
During the forty-six years of his active busi
ness Hfe there, he erected pubHc buHdings and
private residences which will long remain as
monuments of his skHl, among which may be
specially mentioned the Home for tbe Friend
less. Mr. Cannon was born July 13, 1805, in
New York City, and there learned the trade of
59

a mechanic. In 1836 he came to Poughkeep
sie and engaged in the building business, in:
which he continued until his death, September
12, 1882. He was a member of the Masonic
fraternity. Lodge No. 266, Poflghkeepsie, and
held a leading place in many of the progressive
movements of the day in his locality. In New
York City he was married to Miss Naomi Chil
son, a native of Orange county, N. Y. , born
June II, 1 81 2, and eight children came of this
union: Hester (deceased); George W., a re
tired business man of Poughkeepsie; Charles
H., a well-known carpenter there; Arnout, Jr.,
our subject; WHliam H., a resident of Chi
cago; Maria, widow of James Gifford; Corne
lius L, , a leading contractor and builder of
Poughkeepsie; and Emma Kate, the wife of
Charles E. Schon. The mother of this fam
ily is still living in Poughkeepsie.
Arnout Cannon, Jr. , was born August 3,
1839, in the city of Poughkeepsie, and after
acquiring an education in the public schools
and the Dutchess County Academy, he at the
age of fifteen began to learn his father's trade,
spending four years with him. He then went
to New York City, where for two years he
was in the office of Frederick Diaper, studying
architecture; in the spring of 1862 he returned
to his native place and established himself in
business as an architect in an office at the
corner of Main and Catherine streets. In
August of the same year he enlisted in the
I28tb N. Y. V. I. and served in that regiment
untH after the siege of Port Hudson; he also
took part in the siege of Mobile. He was
usually assigned to duty as an engineer, and
among other works on which he was engaged
was the dam on the Red river. In 1863 he
was transferred to the ' command of some
colored troops who fought so nobly in that
campaign, and became second lieutenant, first
lieutenant, captain, and Heutenant-colonel of
the gallant Ninety-seventh U. S. Col. Inf.
On receiving his discharge in April, 1865, he
returned to resume work as an architect, and
has been in active business ever since. In
1893 Walter Scofield became his partner; in
1894 Percival Lloyd entered the firm, and
since Mr. Scofield's retirement in AprH, 1895,
the firm has been known as Cannon & Lloyd.
Mr. Cannon is in the front rank in his profes
sion, and has executed with marked ability
some very important commissions. Among
his largest buildings are the Vassar Brothers'
Home for Aged Men, the Vassar Brothers'

914

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Institute, the Vassar Brothers' Library, the
Masonic Temple, and the Nelson House
Annex. In February, 1862, Mr. Cannon was mar
ried to Miss Ai?n E. Davis, who died leaving
three children: Ida Frances, Howard and
Grace. In 1879 he was married to Miss Emily
J. Pelton, by whom he has one son, Pelton.
With his war record it may be supposed that
Mr. Cannon is an enthusiastic G. A. R. man.
He belongs to D. B, Sleight Post, Poughkeep
sie, and to the military order of the Loyal
Legion. He is also a member of the I. O.
O. F. , FallkHl Lodge, and Poughkeepsie Lodge
No. 266, F. & A. M.

JOSEPH H. MULCOX, the well-known con
tractor and builder, holds a leading place
among the enterprising and prominent men
of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, materially
aiding the development and progress of the
municipality. He is a native of that city, hav
ing been born there July 17, 1834, and he is a
son of Joseph Mulcox, who was born in the
town of FishkHl, Dutchess county, December
16, 1802.
Benjamin Mulcox, the grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Yorkshire, England,
and after coming to this country was for many
years engaged in farming and cheese making
in Dutchess county, N. Y. In his family were
two sons, Benjamin and Joseph. By occupa
tion the latter was a truckman of Poughkeep
sie, and in politics he was an ardent Republic
an. He married Miss Cornelia Kipp, who
was born in Dutchess county, of Holland line
age, and was a daughter of Jacob Kipp, an
agriculturist. She departed this life in 1892,
•and January 3, 1893, her husband was also
called to his long home.
Joseph H. Mulcox, whose name introduces
this sketch, is the third in order of birth in the
family of nine children born to Joseph and
Cornelia Mulcox, the others being as follows:
Theodore, formerly an extensive contractor
and builder of Poughkeepsie, died in 1880;
Mathias was a carpenter, member of the firm
of Mulcox Brothers of that city; George, who
was a commission merchant of New York, died
in 1893; Sylvester is a policeman of Jersey
City, N. J. ; Frederick is a carpenter of
Poughkeepsie; Benjamin died in infancy; Celia
A. is married, and lives in Poughkeepsie; and
Mary E. died in 1859 at the age of twenty-

four years. Our subject spent his boyhood
days in Poughkeepsie midst play, work and
study, and March i, 1853, began learning the
carpenter's trade with James S. Post, for whom
he worked seventeen years. He then formed
a partnership with his brothers under the
name of Mulcox Brothers, this connection last
ing five years, since when our subject has en
gaged in contracting for himself, and has
erected many fine dwelling houses. He spec
ulates in real estate to a considerable extent,
erecting buildings for himself which he sells to
advantage. In 1858, Mr. Mulcox was married to Miss
Rachel Van Kureon, who was born at Came
lot, Dutchess county, daughter of Mathew and
Margaret Van Kureon, the former of whom,
who was of Holland extraction, was engaged
in the boating business. One child, Frank,
deceased in infancy, was born of our subject
and his wife. Politically Mr. Mulcox affiliates
with the Republican party, giving full adher
ence to the principles and doctrines of its plat
forms. He is public-spirited and enterprising,
taking an active interest in the welfare and ad
vancement of his native city and county, and
is prominently identified with their improve
ment.

WILLIAM H. S. BRINKERHOFF, a
 well-known builder and contractor of
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born in
December, 1861, at Bedford, Ohio, and is the
son of Benjamin F. Brinkerhoff, who was a
native of Poughkeepsie.
Benjamin F. Brinkerhoff was a mason by
trade, which calling he followed in various
places, being at different times a resident of
Newburg, Kingston and Poughkeepsie, in this
State, and in other cities in Massachusetts and
Ohio. He is now engaged as an agent for
William B. King, in introducing a patent
plastering, and has been fairly successful in
business matters. He was mat ried to Miss
Sarah E. , a daughter of Eli Sutcliff, a well-
known grocer of Poughkeepsie, and four chil
dren have been born to them: William H. S. ;
John S., living in Staten Island; Eli (de
ceased); and Herbert D., also living in Staten
Island. The father is a stanch Republican
and an active worker in his party. He be
longs to the Knights of Pythias and the Ma
sonic order.
WHliam H. S. Brinkerhoff obtained the

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

915

most of his education at Lowell, Mass., where
he attended school until sixteen years of age.
Soon afterward he learned the trade of a car
penter with Arnout Cannon, and for some two
years was employed in sash and door making,
learning all 'branches of that business. In 1888
Mr. Brinkerhoff began business for himself, hav
ing for a short time a partner. He now conducts
the business alone, and employs from three to
eight men, and finds plenty to do, his reputa
tion as a skillful, reliable workman, and a man
who is honest and upright in his dealings, be
ing well-established in the community. He is
self-made, well posted on all topics of the day,
and by his industry and energy is on tbe high
road to financial success.
On December 6, 1883, Mr. Brinkerhoff
was married to Miss Isabella, daughter of John
Bodden. She died November 11, 1892, leav
ing one child, Roy W. Mr. Brinkerhoff's sec
ond marriage took place December 25, 1894,
when he vvas united to Miss Mary Bigel, of
Poughkeepsie. In politics Mr. Brinkerhoff is
an ardent Republican; socially he belongs -to
Triumph Lodge, K. of P. , at Poughkeepsie.
He attends the Episcopal Church, to which he
is a liberal contributor, and as a citizen is
public-spirited and progressive. He is the
youngest builder and contractor in the city,
and has shown great business ability. Mr,
Brinkerhoff is much interested in military mat
ters, and for twelve years has been a member
of the Nineteenth Separate Company, in
which for nine years he was a non-commis
sioned officer, going in as a private and rising
to the rank of quartermaster sergeant.

f pRANKLIN S. EASTMEAD, senior mem-
_' ber of the firm of Eastmead Bros., lead
ing tobacconists of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. , is one
of the best-known residents of that city, his
interest in social, religious, educational and
political affairs making him an active worker
in many organizations. He is a native of
Poughkeepsie, born May 21, 1856, and is of
English descent, the ancient home of his fam
ily being at Wotton-Under-Edge, a suburb of
London, England.
His paternal grandparents were born at
that place, and spent many years of their mar
ried Hfe there, later coming to America, and
settling at Poughkeepsie, where the grandfa
ther, Thomas Eastmead, followed the mason's
trade. He buHt the print works at Wappingers

Falls, and the old edifice known as Christ's
church, in Poughkeepsie, which occupied the
present site of the State Armory at the corner
of Market and Church streets. The family
had always been members of the Church of
England, and after coming to this country he
adhered to the Episcopal Church. He had
five sons, all of whom were born in England
and accompanied him to America: James died
in early manhood in New York City, and was
buried at Poughkeepsie; Charles is mentioned
more fully farther on; Horatio was an engraver
and lithographer in New York City, and died
there; John was a musician and composer of
sacred music; and Joseph was a mason in New
York City.
Charles Eastmead, the father of our sub
ject, was about thirty years old vvhen he came
to America. Although he learned the mason's
trade in the old country he did not follow it
here, but engaged in the boot and shoe busi
ness on Main street, Poughkeepsie. Being
burned out at that location, he moved his
business up town where he carried it on suc
cessfully for many years, making a specialty
of handling the Burt shoes. Disposing of his
establishment, he spent a year in England,
and on his return to Poughkeepsie in 1866
engaged in the tobacco and tea business at the
corner of Main and Washington streets, where
Eastmead Bros, now conduct their business.
As a stanch Republican, he was active in the
service of his party, and was once elected
from the Third ward to the board of aldermen.
He was an exempt member of the Cataract
Fire Company, His death occurred in 1882;
his wife, formerly Miss Jeannette B. Smith,
survives him. She was born in Pittenweem,
Fifenshire, Scotland, and is a sister of Will
iam W. Smith, of Smith Bros. Our subject
is the eldest of five children, the others being:
Florin (deceased), who married Frank L.
Scofield ; Elmer E., head bookkeeper for
Adriance Platt & Co., Mower and Reaper
Works; Charles M., in partnership with our
subject; and Annie M,, who died in infancy.
Franklin S. Eastmead has always had his
residence in the city of his birth, and after
learning the details of the drug business with
Brown, Doty & Co. , he became a prescription
clerk, following the occupation fourteen years,
first with Charles S. Bowne, and later with
Mr. Doty. On the death of his father he en
gaged in his present business under the firm
name of Franklin S. Eastmead & Co., the

916

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

name of Eastmead Bros, having been adopted
in 1892. In 1885 Mr. Eastman married Miss
Annie L. GiHen, a lady of Scotch-Irish descent,
and a daughter of Joseph Gillen, a well-known
citizen of Poughkeepsie. They have two chH
dren: Hazel Belle and Herbert Andrew. Po
litically Mr. Eastman is a Republican, and he
belongs to the following organizations: The
R. A. , No. 391 ; the I. O. O. F. , Fallkill Lodge,
in which he is past grand; SHoam Encamp
ment No. 36, and Canton Dilks No. 19, of
which he is now past captain. He is first
lieutenant of the 15th Separate Co, ; lieutenant
of Poughkeepsie Bicycle Club; active exempt
member of Davy Crockett Hook & Ladder
Fire Company; honorary member of the
Young America Hose Company, No. 6; and a
member of the Apokeepsing Boat Club, the
League of American Wheelmen, and the Cen
tury Road Club of America. He also repre
sents the Sixth ward in the common council of
the city.

HENRY CLIFFORD, an honored and es-
 teemed citizen of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess
county, passed to his rest February 3, 1893.
He was a native of England, born at Bristol,
December 1 1, 1840, and was the son of James
and Sarah (Wolfe) Clifford, in whose family
were three children: Henry, Joseph and
Sarah, all no-Af deceased. The birth of the
father also occurred at Bristol, and when our
subject was ten years of age he brought his
family to America, locating at Poughkeepsie,
where he worked at his trade of blacksmithing
untH his removal to Vermont. There he spent
his remaining days.
The early education of Henry Clifford was
secured in the schools of Poughkeepsie, where,
later, he engaged as a stationary engineer, for
thirteen years being employed bythe city water
works. While fixing some steam pipes at the
Hudson River State Hospital he was injured
by falHng from a step-ladder, which caused his
death a week later. His death was widely
and deeply mourned, for he had the respect of
all with whom he came in contact. In poli
tics he was an earnest supporter of the Repub
lican party; socially he was identified with the
Masonic order; religiously he was a faithful
member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
In the city of Poughkeepsie, on May 20,
1869, Mr. Clifford was married to Miss Annie
Mellor, also a native of England, and to them

were born two chHdren: Jennie Clarkson, now
the wife of Harry M. Rupley; and Harry "Wolfe
(deceased). Mrs. Clifford's father, 'WiHiam
Mellor, was born in Yorkshire, England, in
which country he married Ellen Hanson, by
whom he had four chHdren: Annie C. ; Han
son, superintendent of the freight depot of the
Hudson River railroad at Poughkeepsie; Jen
nie; and Ellen (deceased). For forty-five years
the father has been a resident of Poughkeep
sie, where he has always engaged in general
labor.

JOSEPH THEODORE LAMB, M, D., a
prominent and leading physician and sur
geon of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county,
was born in New York City, July 9, 1834, and
is of Irish descent.
John Lamb, his paternal grandfather, was
a merchant in Ireland, where he spent his en-.
tire life. In 1798, in County Monaghan, Ire
land, Francis Lamb, the father of our subject,.
was born, and in 1814 he came to America,
arriving at New York, securing on the day he
landed employment in a shoe factory in that
city. Later he engaged quite extensively in
the grocery business, so that his last days were
spent in retirement, and he left his family a
handsome property. In course of time he sent
for his mother, brothers and sisters — seven in
number — who joined him in New York City.
At the age of twenty-one years he was there
married to Ann Quin, and to them were born
fourteen children, six of whom are still living.
The father died in October, 1861. He andhis
family were devout members of the Roman
Catholic Church.
The early education of our subject was ob
tained in the private classical institute of John
Young, in New York City, and he completed
his literary studies with the French Pensionate,
an academy conducted by the Christian Broth
ers. He then taught for a time in the Jesuit
College in Sixteenth street. New York, and in
that city studied medicine with Dr, Bedford for
three years. Entering Bellevue Hospital he
attended three courses of lectures there, was
graduated in 1867, and at once began the
practice of his profession in New York City.
His business so rapidly increased, and he de
voted himself so untiringly to his work, that he
became broken down in health, and was forced
to leave the city. Removing to Hudson, N.
Y. , he continued practicing thereuntil 1880,.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

917

when he came to Poughkeepsie, where he es
tablished an office, and has secured a liberal pat
ronage; he is now serving as alms-house physi
cian. The Doctor holds membership vvith the
Alumni Association of Bellevue Hospital, and
the Dutchess County Medical Society. He is
a close and thorough student, and his investi
gations into the science of medicine, and his
skillful application of the knowledge be has
thereby obtained, have won him a place in the
foremost ranks of the medical fraternity.
In New York City, Dr. Lamb was united
in marriage with Catherine Gibney, and to
them were born five children, as follows:
Francis, a member of the Jesuit Order, of
Woodstock, Md. ; James A., an attorney in
New York City; Charles V., also a member of
the Jesuit Order, located at Grand Coteau,
La.; Mary; and Edward, a graduate of St.
John's CoHege. The famHy are all members
of the Roman CathoHc Church, and in politics
the Doctor is an ardent Democrat.

ISAAC S. HEWLETT, a representative
_ farmer residing in the town of Pleasant
Valley, is a man whose sound common sense
and vigorous, able management of his affairs
have been important factors in leading him to
success, and with his undoubted integrity have
given him an honorable position among his
fellowmen. He is a native of Dutchess coun
ty, born in the town of Hyde Park, November
27, 1822.
His paternal grandfather was born in Hol
land, and after coming to the New World was
married and located on a farm in Westchester
county, N. Y., where he reared a family of
several chHdren, among whom was Samuel
Hewlett, the father of our subject. The lat
ter's birth occurred in Westchester county,
where he married Charlotte Kipp, and for some
time operated a farm there. At length he de
cided to come to Dutchess county, and his
wife made the trip on horseback, carrying her
baby in her arms. They first located on a
farm in the town of Pleasant Valley, in the
midst of the wilderness, but later removed to
the town of Hyde Park, where the father car
ried on farming untH his death in 1825. The
mother passed away in 1866. In the family
were ten children, namely: William, a farmer
of Hyde Park town, who died at Poughkeepsie;
Elizabeth, widow of Johnson Baker, a farmer
of the town of Hyde Park; Hiram, deceased.

who was also an agriculturist of the same
town; Phoebe, who is the widow of Stephen
D. Briggs, a farmer of the town of Pleasant
Valley, and now makes her home in Hyde
Park; Hannah, who became the wife of George
Holmes, a farmer of Pleasant Valley town, but
both are now deceased; James, deceased, who
was a farmer of Hyde Park; Caleb C. , de
ceased, who carried on agricultural pursuits in
the West; Zyprah, who became the wife of
Isaac Wood, a farmer, merchant and railroad
man, and both are now deceased; John K. , de
ceased, who engaged in merchandising in Hyde
Park; and Isaac S., of this sketch.
The last-named spent his boyhood days in
Hyde Park, and when large enough began
working for neighboring farmers. He grew to
be an active, ambitious young man, and early
established a home of his own. He was mar
ried in 1845 to Letitia Halstead, a native of
the town of Beekman, Dutchess county, and a
daughter of David Halstead, an agriculturist.
After their marriage they lived for about eight
years on a farm in the town of Hyde Park,
which Mr, Hewlett then sold, and in 1854 lo
cated on his present fine farm of 105 acres.
Two chHdren were born to them, namely:
Samuel D. , a farmer of Pleasant Valley town;
and W. Irwin, who for several years operated
a farm, but is now engaged in the mHk business
in Poughkeepsie. To general farming Mr. Hewlett now de
votes his attention, and the well-cultivated
fields indicate to the passerby the thrift and
enterprise of the owner, who is numbered
among the most progressive agriculturists of
the locality. His first ballot was cast for the
Whig party, but since its organization he
has been a stalwart Republican, and always
takes an active part in politics. Mrs. Hewlett
is a Hicksite Quaker, and her husband, though
not a member, gives liberally toward the sup
port of the Church.

1^\MERY COLE, a prominent business man
JSl// of the town of Pawling, Dutchess county,
is the founder of the village at Coles Mills,
and the proprietor of the manufacturing estab
lishments there. A man of great energy and
fine mechanical ability, he has been unusually
successful in the varied business enterprises,
and has contributed largely to the develop
ment of that locality.
He is of English descent on the paternal

918

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

side, and was born April 19, 181 1, in the town
of Wilton, Fairfield Co., Conn. His great
grandfather, Alexander Cole, vvas a soldier of
the Revolutionary war, and was with Wash
ington at the time New York was taken by the
British forces. Hisgrandfather, Thomas Cole,
was a lifelong resident of Wilton, where he
owned a farm and sawmill, and took a leading
part in local affairs. He was probably a Pres
byterian in religious faith. He and his wife,
whose maiden name was Riggs, are dead.
They reared a family of seven children, whose
names with dates of birth are as follows:
Thomas, October 22, 1780, was a farmer
at the old homestead; Ira. February 10, 1782,
lived near Binghamton, N. Y. ; Timothy, Au
gust 28, 1784; Sally, February 9, 1788, mar
ried David Nichols; Curtis, May 10, 1790,
lived in Stepney, Fairfield Co., Conn.; Sam
uel, October 22, 1791, waS a resident of Wil
ton; and Sherman, June 4, 1804, lived at
Norwalk, Conn., and had a large family of
children, several of whom became prominent
in different lines of effort. Timothy Cole, our
subject's father, was a farmer and wagon
maker by occupation. He married Eliza
Sterling, a daughter of Thaddeus Sterling,
a leading resident of Wilton, and soon after
ward removed to Southeast, Putnam coun
ty, where he carried on his trade success
fully, employing his brothers in his shop.
He and his wife attended the services of
the Presbyterian Church, of which our sub
ject is also an adherent, and they were highly
esteemed in the neighborhood. Of their nine
children the subject of this sketch is the eld
est, the names of the others being as fol
lows: George, born in 18 13, was a wagon
maker; Mary, 181 5, died at the age of twenty;
Sally, 1817, was the second wife of Warren
Collamour, of Saratoga, N. Y. ; Jane, 18 19,
married Charles Marsh, and died in Rockford,
III.; Eliza Ann, 1821, was the first wife of
Warren Collamour; Minerva died in childhood;
Angeline is still living; and Edwin is a resi
dent of Chestnut Ridge.
Our subject's early education was limited
to an attendance at the district schools near
bis home, and to one year in a select school.
He began to learn the wagon maker's trade
with his father when very young, and worked
for him until the age of twenty-one. He
then started in business for himself at Amenia,
taking the shop of John A. Allen on shares,
the profits being equally divided. He did all

branches of the work except ironing the
wagons, and soon built up a fine trade, em
ploying two or three men after the first year.
His work being of the most substantial and
satisfactory kind, it acquired a high reputation
during the eleven years of his stay at Amenia,
his trade extending to Poughkeepsie. In Sep
tember, 1842, be moved to Pawling, and built
the gristmill and wagon shop at Coles MHls,
and established his present extensive business,
which affords employment to about fifteen
men. He built all the houses at Coles Mills,
including the " Chapman House," and still
owns three or four of them. He ran a placer
mill for some time, and indeed has been en
gaged in a number of business ventures, in
which be has been uniformly successful, and
his eighty-five years do not seem to diminish
his spirit of enterprise. Politically he has
always been a Republican, and in local affairs
is a steadfast friend to progress.
On May 10, 1841, Mr. Cole was united in
the bonds of matrimony with Mary Ann Sut
ton, who was born March 11, 1819, the daugh
ter of Gabriel Sutton. Four children were
born to them, whose names with dates of birth
are as follows: George E. , December, 1843,
is a successful business man of Bethel, Conn. ;
Francis Eugene, September 19, 1848, is in
partnership with his father, and is married to
Helen Wanzer; Edward Charles, July 20,
1850, is a traveHng salesman for a carriage
firm of Buffalo, N. Y. ; and Mary Eliza, May
I, 1856, married (first) August Penley, and
(second) Myron Andrews. The mother of this
family died June 23, 1856, and Mr. Colesubse-
quently was married to Mary Frances Stevens,
a member of one of the oldest famHies of
South Dover. They have three children: Al
bert Stevens, born May 21, 1863, is a carriage
maker by trade; WHliam Wallace, September
15, 1864, is a traveling salesman for a mil
linery firm in St. Louis; and Elida Belle, Jan
uary 27, 1870, is at home.
Mrs. Cole's father, David W. Stevens, was
one of the most prominent men of South
Dover, a leading farmer and one of the foun
ders and chief supporters of the Baptist Church.
He was active in political affairs also, and
served one term as a member of the State As
sembly. He married Nancy A. Giddings, a
daughter of GamaHel Giddings, and a cousin
of Joshua R. Giddings, who was for many
years United States Senator from Ohio. Seven
children were born to them, their names with

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

919

dates of birth being as follows: Orrin S., May
4, 1 82 1, is a prominent resident of Ravenna,
Ohio; Emma Eliza, March 30, 1823, married
Allen Giddings. of Grand Rapids, Mich. ;
Hiram G., April 9, 1826, was kiHed by a
horse August 8, 1833; Gamaliel B., March 13,
1829; Mary Frances, AprH 3, 1832; Sarah H.,
November 12, 1834, married James Moolen,
of South Dover; and Hiram G., May 29, 1839,
died in South Dover.

¥IRTUS H. CORNELIUS, an enterpris-
 ing and prosperous agriculturist of the
town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was
born January 5, 1853, in the town of MHan,
where his ancestors have been farmers for
several generations, the family having come
originally from Holland.
His grandfather was born at the old home
stead in Milan, and married a Miss Cooking
ham, also a native of that town. They had
the following children: Jephthah, our sub
ject's father; Alfred, a farmer in the town of
Stanford; Peter, a farmer; Owen, a farmer in
Iowa; Emily, a resident of Stanford, who
married (first) Nelson Almendorf, and (second)
David Nicholas (both now deceased); Mary B, ,
who married (first) Ambrose Smith, and (second)
Jacob Fowler, of Clinton Corners; Phoebe L.,
the wife of Elbert Fowler, a farmer; and
Thirzah R. , the wife of George Marshall, also
a farmer. Jephthah Cornelius, the father of our sub
ject, was born in 1829. He married Eliza
Ann Haines, a daughter of William Haines, a
prominent farmer of Milan, and reared a family
of six children, of whom our subject is the
eldest. Alva N. is a farmer in Otsego county;
Lavilla is a physician in Hyde Park; Clark J.
is a farmer in Schoharie county; and Milton W.
and Emma are at home. The mother of this
family died October i, 1886, but the father
still survives, remaining on the old farm
in Milan. He is a Republican, and while he
has never been a party worker, he has always
taken a keen interest in political questions.
The subject of this sketch was reared in
the town of Milan, and December 18, 1878,
at the age of twenty-six, he married Eudora
Boise, a descendant of one of the old Dutch
families of that locality. Her great-grand
father, John I. Boise, her grandfather, Henry
I. Boise, and her father, George A. Boise,
were all farmers there. For a year after their

marriage Mr. Cornelius and his wife lived on a
farm in their native town, and then they
moved 'to the town of Rhinebeck. They lived
for eight years on their first farm there, and in
1886 moved to their present home near Rhine
beck. They have had five children: Harry,
Vernie, Raymond, and two who died in in
fancy. Mr. Cornelius is one of the representative
farmers of his vicinity, conducting his seventy-
three acres, which are devoted to general
farming, in a model manner. Politically, he
is a Republican, and takes a generous interest
in all matters of public concern. He and his
wife contribute to the support of the Christian
Church.

C CHRISTIAN ALLENDORF (deceased) had
'I long been identified with the interests of
the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county, where
he was born June 16, 18 19, and where he had
spent his entire life. His father. Christian
AHendorf, Sr., who was a native of Germany,
on crossing the Atlantic to this country, came
direct to Dutchess county, N. Y. , where he
worked at the carpenter's trade for a number
of years, but spent the remainder of his life
upon a farm which he owned in the town of
Red Hook. He was twice married, his first
union being with a Miss Fraleigh, by whom he
had four children: PhHip, who married Eliza
beth Stickle; Henry C. , who married a Miss
Fraleigh; William, who married Miss Stickle;
and Maria, who became the wife of Daniel
Faults. After the death of his first wife the
father wedded Miss Margaret Cole, and to them
were born two children: Elizabeth, who mar
ried Daniel C. Ferine; and Christian, of this
review. Christian AHendorf developed into man
hood amid the scenes of his native town, re
ceiving his education in the district schools of
the neighborhood. He had quite an eventful
life. For many years he was engaged in the
mercantile business at Upper Red Hook, and
filled many public offices in the town. For
some time before his death he had a contract
for carrying the United States mail from the
depot to the post office at Upper Red Hook, a
distance of about three miles, and, although
he was seventy-seven years old at the time, he
attended to the business with promptness and
dispatch. He had the respect of all, both
young and old, rich and poor, and in his de-

920

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

dining days he enjoyed the reward of a well-
ordered life, in which he had been faithful to
the trusts reposed in him.
On reaching manhood Mr, AHendorf was
united in marriage with Miss EHen Lown, and
five chHdren were born of this union: Eliza
beth, wife of Philip AHendorf; Eugene, who
married Anna Smith; John; Caroline; and
one who died in infancy. For his second wife
our subject married Mrs. Permelia Wheeler,
¦widow of Samuel Wheeler. Herfather, PhHip
Feller, was a prominent farmer of Columbia
¦county, N. Y. He was three times married,
his first wife being Hannah Hapeman, his sec
ond Catherine Miller, and the third Mary
Ringsdorf, the mother of Mrs. AHendorf, who
was a native of Columbia county. Eight chil
dren were born of the third union, namely:
Mary became the wife of Randall Judd; Lu
cinda wedded Ephraim Wheeler; Philip mar
ried Cornelia Pulver; Andrew married (first)
Mary Hayner, (second) Catherine Allen, and
his third wife is unknown; Marilla became
the wife of John Stearns; WHliam married
Susan Allen, and, after her death, Miss Groves;
Permelia became the wife of our subject; and
John remained single.
The maternal grandfather of Mrs. AHen
dorf, John Ringsdorf, was a native of the Fa
therland, and on emigrating to the New World
located in Columbia county, N. Y., where he
married Miss Mary Lasher, and to them were
born six children: Mary, the mother of Mrs.
AHendorf; Catherine, who married Jeremiah
Cronk; Christiana, who wedded John Finger;
Elizabeth, who became the wife of Baltis
Wheeler; Andrew, who never married; and
Simon (or Simeon), who married Elizabeth
Coon.

i^R. CHAS. H, PERKINS. The subject
of this sketch, one of the successful
young business men of Dutchess county, was
born in the town of Poughkeepsie, said coun
ty, AprH 27, 1865, and is one of a family of
five children born to Alexander W. and Elsie
A. (Kay) Perkins, whose homestead was situ
ated on the old Post road, about three miles
south of Poughkeepsie. Their five children
were as follows: Amelia, wife of Joseph
Doughty, of Salt Point, Dutchess county; Ed
ward E., of whom sketch is elsewhere in this
volume; Charles H,, our subject; Warren J,,
residing in Brooklyn, N. Y. , and Lena E. The

mother of these children died some years ago,
and the father, having left the old homestead,
makes his home in Brooklyn, New York.
Charles H., our subject, spent his boyhood
on the old farm and attended the common school
at the old Spackenkill school house in the neigh
borhood, and then for four years was a pupil in
Poughkeepsie at the old Pelham Institute and
Poughkeepsie MiHtary Academy. In 1 882 he be
came an apprentice, with the then well-known
jewelry firm of Myers & Marble, of. Poughkeep
sie, to learn the trade of watch making, and
after three years of careful application with
them, in which he mastered tbe business, he
became the general watchmaker and engraver
for the firm of Quintard Bros., in the same
city, and continued in said capacity for three
years. While with them he was offered, by
the Non-Magnetic Watch Co. of America, a
position as their traveling expert and demon
strator, his business being to introduce their
non-magnetic watch throughout the United
States. He traveled throughout the Union
showing and explaining the watch for about a
year, when he was offered the position of
chief time inspector for the Chicago & North
western railroad and the Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific railroad. His duties were to in
spect and superintend changes each month on
all the railroad watches and clocks, thus
traveling over both roads. This position he
filled for two years, giving eminent satisfaction
to the managers of both roads. WhHe thus
employed he become an intimate friend of Gen
eral Superintendent Tyler of the Chicago &
Northwestern railroad, and with him pur
chased some real estate at Montrose, a subur
ban town of Chicago, on the Chicago & North
western railroad. The then approaching
World's Fair in Chicago rapidly increased the
value of suburban property, and by the sale of
his recent purchases Dr. Perkins made valu
able profits. Just previous to this he had as
sociated himself, as partner, with C. S. Durfee
& Co. , jewelers at Davenport, Iowa, and thus
continued three years. At the end of this
time, owing to close application to his work at
the bench, his eyes began failing, and on the
advice of his physician he entered the Chicago
Ophthalmic Hospital for treatment. WhHe
here he became deeply interested in the study
of optics and the optical profession, and selling
his jewelry business he at once took up the
study of the eye, ear and throat at said hos
pital, and was graduated therefrom in 1892.

c:<^-..t::>c><y

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

921

After finishing his studies he was united in
marriage with Miss Lydia Stark Day, daughter
of John and Katherine M. (Stark) Day, of
Tunkhannock, Penn., whom he had met while
she was a student at Vassar College. Mrs.
Perkins is a direct descendant from old Gen.
Stark of Revolutionary fame, and her grand
father, Samuel Stark, of Tunkhannock, was
one of the most prominent and wealthy citi
zens of Wyoming county.
After his marriage Dr. Perkins came back
to Dutchess county, and forming a partnership
with his half brother, J. A. Perkins, opened a
jewelry and optical business at 292^ Main
street, paying especial attention to the optical
branch of the business. Their business rapidly
increasing necessitated larger quarters, and the
same year (1892) they removed to their com
modious store at 322 Main street, where under
the name of Perkins & Company their business
has since been conducted. As general jewel
ers and manufacturing opticians their business
ranks among the foremost in the county, and
their fully equipped plant for grinding compli
cated lenses is, without doubt, the finest along
the Hudson river; the skill evinced in this
line of work has caused that branch of the
business to grow to such an extent that up to
1896 they had examined the eyes and fitted
glasses for over ten thousand people. Among
the cases that have come to him for examination
and treatment have been many that others bad
pronounced hopeless, and that yet owing to his
skill have been either entirely cured or greatly re
lieved. Cases of epilepsy have been cured by the
careful and proper fitting of glasses. In con
nection with his study of optics Dr. Perkins
began the study of general medicine, and for
several years devoted his leisure moments to
advancing himself in that science, and by the
advice of some of his medical friends he took
the requisite examination at a medical college,
passing with a grade of ninety percent., being
considerably above the average, and securing
the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He has
since become a registered M. D. in several
States. But not for a moment has Dr. Perkins
reHnquished his study of optometry, but in
stead has been greatly aided therein by his
added knowledge of the human system, and to
still further perfect himself in this branch he
frequently attends the New York Opthalmic
Hospital, and assists in operations there. Dr.
Perkins has also prepared and placed on the
market a wash for sore and inflamed eyes.

known as "Dr. Perkins' Antiseptic Eyewater,"
which is wonderfully effective in the cure of
Catarrhal Conjunctivitis, commonly known as
"Pink Eye."
Dr. Perkins is a member of the Royal Ar
canum, and is vice-chancellor of Triumph
Lodge, K. of P., of Poughkeepsie, besides
belonging to several optical and medical socie
ties. Dr. Perkins and his estimable wife oc
cupy a prominent place in Poughkeepsie's
social circle, and at their modern and commo
dious home, which they have purchased on
South Hamilton street, they are always pleased
to entertain their many friends.

lrJ)ROOKS VERMILYEA, a most highly re
spected citizen of the town of Unionvale,
is numbered among the elderly residents of the
community, and is held in that reverence and
esteem which is accorded those whose lives
have been characterized by integrity and use
fulness. A native of Dutchess county, he was
born in the town of Beekman, in 181 1, and
has here passed his entire life.
His father, Isaac G. Vermilyea, was born
in what was then Beekman town, but is now
Lagrange, in July, 1768, and after the comple
tion of his education engaged in agricultural
pursuits. He married Miss Catherine  ,
whose birth occurred on tbe 4th of July, 1776 —
the day so dear to the hearts of the American
people, when they announced to the world
their independence.
Nine children were born to the parents of
our subject: (i) Elizabeth, born October 23,
1794, married Daniel Billings, a shoemaker,
and they had four children — Isaac, John, Sarah
and Catherine. (2) Jane, born March 2, 1796,
married Alex Homan, a farmer, and they had
two children — Alexander and Phoebe. (3)
Peter, born September 25, 1797, in the town
of Beekman, followed farming as a life work,
and married Miss Van Nostran, by whom
he had two sons — George and John. (4)
Maria, born April 7, 1799, married Enoch G.
Dorland, a farmer, and they had four children
— Gilbert, Catherine, Vermilyea and Samuel.
(5) Gerardus, born in the town of Beekman,
January 26, 1801, engaged in farming, but was
a shoemaker by trade; he married Miss Van-
Nostran, by whom he had eight children —
Cromwell, Isaac, Oscar, Walter, Calle (who
married Irving Vermilyea), Jane, Minnie and
Catherine. The father of these children is

922

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

still living in Lagrange town, Dutchess county,
at the advanced age of ninety-five years, and
is quite active. (6) John K,, born September
i6, 1802, was educated at both Williams and
Yale Colleges, later studied medicine and en
gaged in its practice in the town of East Fish
kill, near Hopewell Junction. He had four
children by his first wife — Dupertrain, Gerar
dus, Anna R. and Lucy. (7) Caroline, born
January 29, 1804, died when young. (8)
Brooks, of this sketch, was born February 27,
181 1. (9) Valentine, born April 4, 18 18, at
tended the New York Medical College, and,
after his graduation, engaged in practice in
Illinois. He married a Miss Davis.
The primary education of Brooks Vermil
yea was obtained in the district schools near
bis early home, and he was, later, a student in
a boarding school. By trade he is a weaver,
at which be worked for a time, but his atten
tion has been principally given to agricultural
pursuits. On attaining to man's estate he was
united in marriage with Miss Charity Shear,
whose death occurred in 185 1; she left three
children, all of whom were born, reared and
educated in Lagrange town, Dutchess county:
(i) Addison, born in 1841, foHows farming. (2)
Irving, born in 1843, engaged in tbe same pur
suit at Low Point. He married Callie Vermil
yea, a cousin, and they have one son, Horatio
S. (3) Abram, born in 1848, also carries on
farming. After the death of his first wife.
Brooks Vermilyea was again married, his
second union being with Miss Lydia A. Donald
son, who was born August 19, 1827, and died
in 1893.

WILLIAM T, PHILLIPS, one of the suc-
 cessful agriculturists of this section,
owning a large farm near Red Hook, Dutchess
county, is descended from a family which is
noted for those practical qualities of thrift and
industry which distinguish the tillers of the soil.
His grandfather, Jacob Phillips, was a
farmer in Columbia county in his early man
hood, but shortly after his marriage he and his
wife moved to Dutchess county and settled
upon a farm there. Their son, Theodore
Phillips, our subject's father, was born in Co
lumbia county, September 25, 1845, and was
only one year old when he was brought to
Dutchess county, where he passed his life. He
became a prosperous agriculturist, raising grain,
hay, and live stock, and in 1878 he purchased

from Gilbert Fraleigh a farm containing 228
acres of fine land, well-stocked, which his en
ergy and enterprise enabled him to improve
greatly. Politically he was an ardent believer
in the principles of the Democratic party.
He was married (first) to Rachel Link, and
(second) to Matilda Coon, daughter of William
Coon, a farmer of the town of Milan. Two
children were born to the second union: Will
iam T. and Merrick. The mother of these
passed to her eternal rest in 1885; the fa
ther survived her ten years, breathing his last
in 1895. William T. Phillips was born in the town
of MHan, Dutchess county, and received excel
lent educational advantages in youth, attending
Hartwick Seminary. He was initiated into the
details of farm work under his father's able
guidance, and remained at the homestead, to
which he succeeded in 1895. He married Miss
Edna Case, daughter of Socatell Case, a well-
known farmer of the town of Milan, Dutchess
county. They have no children.

E

^\DGAR VINCENT, formerly the popu

lar proprietor of the "Vincent House,'
Madalin, belongs to one of the very oldest
families of Dutchess county. He was born in
the town of Washington, April 19, 1832, and
there the birth of his father, Moriorty Vincent,
also occurred. Tbe latter married Phoebe
Fowler, of Columbia county, N. Y. , after
which they located upon a farm in Washing
ton town, vvhere their entire married life was
passed. Their household included ten chil
dren: Ruth, wife of Dr. Holden; Israel, a re
tired farmer living at Morse, III.; Washington,
George and Franklin, all now deceased; Theo
dore, a school teacher, of New Jersey; Edgar,
of this sketch; Moriorty, deceased; Philo, a
carriage manufacturer, of Danbury, Conn. ; and
Benjamin, who died while young. The father,
who was an ardent Republican in politics,
served as supervisor of the town of Washing
ton, and was one of the successful farmers and
stock raisers of the locality.
The childhood and youth of our subject
was passed in the usual manner of farmer lads,
and he remained upon the home farm until
thirty-eight years of age. In 1870 he removed
to Annandale, Dutchess county, where for two
years he carried on a grocery store and hotel.
For nine years he then kept a saloon at Barry-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

923

town, after which he went to Tivoli, there pur
chasing the " Fanners Hotel," which he con
ducted for ten years and which he still owns.
On the expiration of that time, however, he
bought the hotel at Madalin, which is now
known as the "Vincent House," which he
has since sold. The interests and comforts of
his guests were always carefully looked after,
and he is one of the best-known business men
in, the northern part of the county.
In 1875 was celebrated the marriage of
Mr. Vincent and Miss Estella Sagendorf, who
was born in the town of Red Hook, where her
father, Robert Sagendorf, engaged in farming,
and they now have three children: Lula,
George and Hazel. Although Mr. Vincent is
a strong Republican in politics, he prefers to
vote independently at local elections, support
ing the man whom be thinks best able to fill
the position. His personal integrity, both in
public and private life, is of the highest order,
and he has the respect of all with whom he
comes in contact.

E EDMUND DE WITT MULFORD, aprom-
 ^ inent resident of Hopewell Junction, and
one of Dutchess county's most inteHigent and
progressive citizens, is descended from a fam
ily which has long been identified with the
development of this section.
He is a great-great-grandson of Capt. David
Mulford, who came from Long Island in 1776,
and purchased a tract of land at Staatsburg.
He left a large family. One son. Job, re
mained on the farm, and died and was buried
there with his father. He left one son, David,
and one daughter, Margaret, who married Dr.
Hunting Sherrill. David married Margaret
Van Hoevenberg, and left ten children. His
eldest son, David Henry, remained on part of
the original farm purchased by Capt. David
Mulford, and died there, and was buried in
Poughkeepsie cemetery. He was the founder
of Staatsburg, and when the Hudson River
railroad was buHt he gave the land for tbe sta
tion, and built the first store and hotel. He
opened the road and buHt the docks and st jre-
houses at both Staatsburg and Hyde Park, and
was among the first to build ice-houses, and
gather ice from the river.
Possessing an unusually able and active
intellect, he was influential in varied lines of
effort, and was several times elected supervisor
of the town of Hyde Park, and twice to the

Assembly. His first wife, Caroline Balding
(Van Wagner), died leaving two sons, Edmund
De Witt and Francis Henry. He afterward
married Cynthia Van Benschoten, by whom he
had one daughter, Harriet Vanderbilt.

S^AMUEL K. RUPLEY, the well-known su-
) perintendent of the Western Union Tele
graph Co., and Hudson River Co., at Pough
keepsie, Dutchess county, was born in the city
of Lancaster, Penn., July 17, 1843.
After going through tbe public schools of
Lancaster, our subject learned telegraphy in
the office of the National Ohio Telegraph Co.
At the age of fifteen years he came to Pough
keepsie and was employed as operator at the
depot of the Hudson River Co., and remained
with same untH 1862, when he joined Co. F,
I50tb N. Y. S. V. I., and was appointed Col.
Ketcham's orderly. In 1863 he was detaHed
as operator in the United States military serv
ice, where he remained until July, 1865, when
he was mustered out. He was connected with
the Second Army Corps, headquarters with
the Army of the Potomac. After the war Mr.
Rupley returned to Poughkeepsie and was ap
pointed manager of the Hudson River R. R.
Telegraph Co., and also took charge of the
Western Union Telegraph office in the city of
Poughkeepsie. In 1890 he was made superin
tendent of the New York Central and Hudson
River Telegraph offices, whose wires run from
New York City to Buffalo. He also has
charge of the Western Union interests of the
P. R. & N. E., Newburgh, Dutchess' & Co
lumbia, and Poughkeepsie & Eastern railways.
In 1882 the Poughkeepsie Telephone Co. was
organized by Mr. Platt, H. Innis. N. Taylor,
Henry Frost and Mr. Rupley. It was finally
merged into the Hudson River Telephone Co.,
and our subject is manager of its interests in
Poughkeepsie. Mr. Rupley was married in that city Au
gust 30, 1865, to Miss Jane E. Shurter, a
daughter of Isaac H. Shurter, and the follow
ing children were born: Harry Mortimer mar
ried Jennie Clifford, and they have one child — -
Clifford; Mary C. married Albert E. Schwartz,
and they have one child — John R. ; Grace died
in the spring of 1895; and Howard R. Mr.
Rupley is a Republican, and was commissioner
of the city alms house for twelve years. He is
a member of the Poughkeepsie Commandery of

924

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

the Masonic order, and of the Royal Arcanum,
He is a member of the Church of the Holy
Comforter, in which he is a trustee.
The father of our subject, Samuel Rupley,
was born in Lancaster, Penn. , where he at
tended school. He was one of the early engi
neers of the Pennsylvania Central R. R. His
wife was a Miss Mary Martha Kendig, who
died in June, 1892. He died in 1856. Two
of their seven children besides our subject are
now Hving. Rev. E, E. Rupley, of Esprey,
Penn., and Nellie M. Rupley, of Lancaster,
Penn. The grandfather of our subject was also
born in Lancaster, and was of English and
German ancestry.

WILLIAM E. TRAVER, the genial and
 popular proprietor of the "Traver
House," at New Hamburg, Dutchess county,
was born in the town of Hyde Park, March 31,
1864. The family, originally from Holland, is one
of the oldest in Dutchess county. William
Traver, our subject's grandfather, was born in
this country, probably in the town of Union
vale, and became an influential and prosperous
citizen. He was a farmer, and was also en
gaged in speculating, and took an active and
generous interest in the Methodist Church of
bis locality. His son, James L. Traver, our
subject's father, wasborn in the town of Pleas
ant Valley in 1834, and still resides upon his
farm in Hyde Park. He married Miss Phoebe
Jane Laird, a lady of Scotch descent, and
daughter of John and Sarah (Leak) Laird. Her
father was at one time a teamster in Pleasant
Valley, and, later, a farmer in Hyde Park. The
Lairds and tbe Travers are all Democrats in
politics, and are among the most progressive
and public-spirited members of the community.
'William E. Traver is the elder of two chil
dren, his brother Irving being still at home.
After a boyhood spent upon the farm, Mr. Tra
ver, at the age of twenty-one, was appointed
jailer under C. W. Belding, and served in that
capacity for three years. In 1889 he engaged
in the laundry business at No. 14 Washington
street, Poughkeepsie, and after nearly two
years there he purchased the "Perrine House, "
at New Hamburg, which he has since con
ducted as the " Traver House," his active and
business-like management bringing him a grati
fying degree of success.
On June 17, 1890, he was married to Miss

Evadna Robman, a native of New York City,
and a daughter of Thomson Robman. This
family is of English origin. Mr. Traver is a
Democrat in political faith, but has never
sought official preferment. He is a member
of the B. P. O. Elks, Poughkeepsie Lodge
No. 275.

T^HOMAS W. JAYCOX (deceased). The
 subject of this sketch was born in the
town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, De
cember 17, 1826, and was the son of Chris
topher Jaycox.
Our subject was reared upon the farm of
his father, and on December 17, 1850, he was
married to Miss Sarah M. Rose, who was born
in Hyde Park. She is the daughter of Abram
Rose, and lived in Hyde Park until sixteen
years old, when her parents bought a farm
in the town of Clinton, where she resided until
her marriage. Mr. Rose was born in Ulster
county, September 12, i8o2j and married Miss
Eliza Van Wagener, who was born in the
same county, February 20, 1805, a daughter
of Minard Van Wagener, also a native of Ul
ster county. They reared the following chH
dren: Lewis H., a school teacher, who was
a colonel in the Civil war, and died in Louisi
ana in 1865; John M. was a moulder by
trade; during the gold fever he went to Cali
fornia, and nothing more was heard of him;
WilHam G. , and George H., twins (the former
died in infancy, George lives in Waterbury,
Conn.); Sarah M., Mrs, Jaycox; Daniel V. W.
died young; Innis E. lives in Oregon. The
grandfather of Mrs. Jaycox was named John,
and was of Holland descent.
Mr. and Mrs. Jaycox settled on the old
homestead after their marriage, where they
lived until 1859, when he bought the present
farm, and resided there until his death, which
took place December 21, 1887. Five chil
dren were born to our subject and his wife,
namely: Thomas W. is a civil engineer in
LeadviHe, Colo.; Mary R. died AprH 30, i860;
Clinton is on tbe home farm; Anna E. mar
ried I. T. N. Harcourt, a grocer in Wapping
ers Falls; Cora I. became the wife of Elmore
L, Pryor, an engraver at Wappingers Falls.
Mr. Jaycox had 100 acres, on which he did
general farming. He was a Republican and a
prominent man in politics, and held the offices
of Internal Revenue collector, and supervisor
for two terms. He was a progressive citizen

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

925

and took an active part in public affairs, hold
ing at one time the office of president and
treasurer of the Dutchess County Agricultural
Society. Christopher Jaycox was born in Pough
keepsie, where he married Miss Antoinette
Van Dyne and settled on a farm in Poughkeepsie
town, where the following chHdren were born:*
James W. is afarmer and boatman; Hannah J.
married William Luckey, a hotel keeper in
Wappingers Falls; Thomas W. is our subject;
EHphalet is living retired at Sandwich, IH. ;
Mary G. died young.
Thomas W. Jaycox, the grandfather of
our subject, was born in Holland. He was
one of three brothers who came to America
and settled in Dutchess county. One of the
boys died, and another disappeared.

J A. PERKINS, of the well-known firm of
Perkins & Co., jewelers and opticians,
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born
in that county, November 4, 1841, a son of
Alexander W. and Rebecca M. (Akerley) Per
kins. His early life was passed on a farm with
the usual advantages in the way of schools and
work. He acquired his education in the com
mon schools of his native town, and supple
mented the knowledge there obtained by at
tendance at the Dutchess County Academy, in
Poughkeepsie. After leaving school he en
tered the arena of business by accepting a po
sition as clerk in a store. For five years he
was connected with the freight depot of the
New York Central railroad, and, later, beten-
tered the employ of the Poughkeepsie & East
ern railroad, with which he remained two
years as general passenger agent, after which
he was made superintendent and general man
ager. In this capacity, through all the changes
and vicissitudes of the road, he served for
eighteen years, his long term of service being
the best of all testimonials for the faithful dis
charge of his duties. In 1891 he resigned,
and for a short time engaged in the ice busi
ness with his brother, Stephen A., in which he
was very successful; but he now entered a co
partnership with bis brother, Charles H. Per
kins, in the general jewelry business, and the
manufacturing of optical supplies. They
have met with success far beyond all ex
pectations, and have rapidly advanced to the
front rank. The pleasant reception given their

customers at their modern store at No. 322
Main street, Poughkeepsie, has secured them
an extensive and lucrative trade among the
wealthiest citizens along the Hudson river.
Careful attention to the filling of orders, and
the superior work given, has brought its reward
iri the satisfaction to and the good will of the
public. In 1865 Mr. Perkins was united in mar
riage with Anna A. Morey, a daughter of
George and Rachel Morey, of Poughkeepsie.
They have become the parents of two children:
Fred V., of Chicago, and Grace T. , wife of
Edward Quintard, of Poughkeepsie. Socially,
our subject and his wife occupy an enviable
position, and in their charming home their
friends ever find a hospitable welcome. Mr.
Perkins is a member of the Masonic fraternity,
of Triune Lodge, Poughkeepsie. As a pub
lic-spirited, progressive citizen, he is the peer
of any man in the county.

OBERT SANDERS. The subject of
this sketch is a native of Poughkeepsie,
Dutchess county, born April 3, 1847. He
went to the city schools, and later attended the
Dutchess County Academy.
On July 22, 1862, at the age of fifteen
years, Mr. Sanders enlisted in Company D,
128th N. Y. V. I., with which he remained all
through the war. He was wounded while
serving in the Shenandoah Valley. In 1865
he was honorably discharged and returned to
Poughkeepsie and finished his educati'-'n, after
which he went into the trucking business, in
which he continued twenty-one years. In con
nection with this occupation he also for a time
engaged in scalping railroad tickets. He re
mained in business until rheumatism com
pelled him to give it up, and, since 1887, he
has lived retired from active life.
In 1867 the subject of this sketch was
married to Miss Amelia Elsworth, who was
born in the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county. Her parents were Buhl and Sarah
Elsworth, farmers, who came of Holland an
cestors. One daughter, Sarah E,, was born
to Mr, and Mrs. Sanders, and died at the age
of two years. In politics Mr. Sanders is a
Republican, and he is a member of the G. A.
R. and of the K. of P. He and his wife at
tend the Baptist Church to the support of
which he is a liberal contributor. Mr, Sand
ers owns considerable real estate, having five

926

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL BECOBD.

houses and lots on Washington street, and
store property on Main street in Poughkeepsie,
and also 140 acres of land in Florida, on
which there is a well-cultivated orange grove.
He is a self-made man, and has achieved suc
cess by hard work and perseverance.
Simon Sanders, the father of our subject,
was born in Ireland, where he learned the
stone mason's trade, which he followed after
coming to America. He married, in Canada,
Miss Mary Marian, also a native of Ireland,
and they came to Poughkeepsie where Mr.
Sanders followed his trade. The foHowing
chHdren were born to them: James, a machin
ist, who was an engineer for the Standard Oil
Company in New Orleans, where he died;
John, who was captain of the police in New
York City, where he died in 1889; Robert,
our subject; and Simon, who is a blacksmith
in New Jersey. The father of these died
about 1852, and the mother departed this life
in 1885.

JOHN M. DORLAND is one of the ablest
lawyers practicing at the Poughkeepsie bar,
being possessed of a mind which enables
him to at once discover the points in a case.
A man of sound judgment, he manages his
cases with masterly skill and tact. He is a
logical reasoner, and has a ready command of
the English language. He claims Matteawan,
Dutchess county, as his native city, the date
of his birth being June 30, 1846.
Mr. Dorland remained in Matteawan, at
tending school until twelve years of age, at
which time he accompanied his parents to
Poughkeepsie, where he pursued his studies
in the high school and the Dutchess County
Academy, completing his education at the
Eastman Business College, where he graduat
ed in the class of '66. He was then employed
for two years in the surrogate's office, after
which he was engaged in the livery business
until 1870, when he entered the law office of
Dorland & Williams, with whom be remained
for about two years. On the expiration of
that time he again held a position in the sur
rogate's office, where he was employed until
January i, 1877. In September, 1878, he was
admitted to the bar, and has since successfully
practiced law in Poughkeepsie.
On September 5, 1875, Mr. Dorland was
married to Miss Phoebe J. Robinson, a native
of Fishkill, and a daughter of John H. and Jane

Robinson, the former of whom was of Irish
extraction, and by occupation a general farmer.
In religious belief our subject and his wife are
Methodists and are identified with the Meth
odist Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. Dor
land votes the straight Republican ticket. His
powers as an advocate have been demonstrated
by his success on many occasions; he is an able
lawyer of large and varied experience in all the
courts. Thoroughness characterizes all his
efforts, and he conducts his business with a
strict regard to a high standard of professional
ethics.

WILLIAM HENRY WHITE. The fam-
 ily to which the subject of this sketch
belongs is one of the oldest in the town of
Pawling, Dutchess county, his great-great
grandfather, Joseph White, having settled in
the southwestern part of the town before the
Revolutionary war, upon a tract of land which
he cleared and cultivated. This land has ever
since been in the possession of the descend
ants, and is now owned by Warren White.
Joshua, son of Joseph White, was a prominent
resident of Pawling town, holding various
offices, including that of supervisor, and he
for many years was a justice of the peace.
Sewell, another son of Joseph White, and our
subject's great-grandfather, was born there in
1 78 1, and, as did his father, he followed agri
culture throughout his life. He died in 1859,
and his remains are buried at LudingtonvHle.
He married Sallie Lounsbury, and had seven
children, of whom John B., the grandfather of
oui^jsubject, was the eldest. (2) Eli lived and
died in the town of Pawling; (3) Joseph R.
moved to Pennsylvania, where he made his
permanent home; (4) Amzy lived at Bluffton,
Wells Co,, Ind, ; (5) Warren occupies the old
homicstead; and (6) Lucy died at the age of
twelve years. In politics the male members
of the family have always been Whigs and Re
publicans; and in their religious views they
have inclined toward the Methodist form of
worship. John B. White was born at the old farm in
1809, and although his educational advantages
were not of the best, his fine natural ability
made up for that to a great extent, and his
judgment, in business affairs and other matters,
was much sought by his associates. His farm
was not large, but he was regarded as an ex
cellent manager. Political office had no charms

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

927

for him, although his high standing in the com
munity would have insured his success as a
candidate. He married Mary P, Worden, a
daughter of Dr. Stephen Worden, a leading
physician of his day in that locality. Of their
eight children our subject's father, Sewell
White, was the eldest. (2) Stephen died in
1886; (3) Sarah Ann married Timothy Flan-
nelly; (4) Elizabeth married Russell Ballard;
(5) Joshua left home, and his present location
is not known (he probably died in Anderson
vHle prison during tbe Civil war) ; (6) Abigail
married William Peck; (7) Maria married
George Ballard; and (8) Esther became the
wife of Samuel Humphrey. The father died
in 1888, in his eightieth year, the mother sur
viving him only two years.
Sewell White was born September 2, 1834,
at the old home farm, and he was given fair
educational advantages in the district schools at
Reynoldsville, although, with his mental gifts,
he could have done justice to better opportu
nities. His later reading has been extensive
and thorough, thus making good many early
limitations. At the age of seventeen he was
apprenticed to C. H. DeGraff, of Patterson,
N. 'Y. , to learn the blacksmith's trade, and
after three years there, he worked two and a
half years for Matthew Worden, of Dover
Plains. He then entered the service of the
Harlem Railroad Co., spending twelve years
in the repair shops at Dover Plains, with the
exception of two years as conductor of a
freight train. After severing his connection
with the railroad he engaged in blacksmithing
on his own account, opening a shop in Pawling
about 1870, and he followed the trade at dif
ferent locations in the town until 1888, when
the firm of White & Ragan was formed, and
their present successful business as wagon
makers and blacksmiths was established. Their
new shop, which was buHt in 1892, is one of
the largest in that part of the county, and
their trade extends through a large territory.
Mr. White is a member of the M. E. Church,
and has always shown much public spirit. He
takes an active interest in the success of the
Democratic party, and has been town sealer,
town clerk, road commissioner and justice of
the peace. As a self-made man, his reputa
tion in tbe business world is an enviable one,
whHe his able discharge of every duty as a
public official has been no less creditable to
him. He married Miss Nancy Amy, daughter
of Gilbert Amy, a leading citizen of Union

vale, and had three children: (1) William
Henry; (2) Sarah, who married George T.
Chapman, of Pawling, and has four children —
Mary, Cordelia, Grace and George; and (3)
Cora, who is at home.
WHliam Henry White, one of the success
ful business men of Pawling, holds the respon
sible position of assistant purchasing agent for
the N. Y. & N. H. R. R. He was born at
Dover Plains, N. Y, , September 20, 1855;
educated at the private school of George N.
Perry, and at the public schools. He learned
the blacksmith's trade with, his father, and after
serving his time he took up the business of
telegraphing; was in the employ of the Housa
tonic Railroad Co. at New Milford, for a period
of eight years as agent and telegrapher, be
coming during this time a shorthand writer and
machine operator. In 1885 he was appointed
trainmaster of the Housatonic railroad, which
position he resigned in 1887 to accept bis pres
ent one.
Our subject married Mary Augusta Senior,
daughter of Joseph D. Senior and Adelia E.
Wright, and their children are: Grace Dale,
Clifford Sewell, Daisy Edith, Jessie Bishop
and Ruth Marion. Joseph Dale Senior was
born in Danbury in 1830, son of William
Senior, who came from Dorsetshire, England,
in 1830. The family of Adelia E. "Wright
(Mrs. White's mother) is connected with the
early history of New England, originating (to
present knowledge) with John Shaw and his
wife Martha (Knowles), 1744, different mem
bers having been of the towns of Washington,
Kent, Hartford, Haddam, New Milford, and
Danbury, Conn. The family is connected with
the old Beecher and Ward families of Litch
field county, Connecticut.

JAMES B. HAIGHT, a prominent agricult-
urist,and mHler of Bangall, Dutchess coun
ty, was born July 23, 1837, in the town of
Stanford. His family has for many years held
a leading place in that vicinity. His ancestral
history is given in the biography of James
Haight. The late Leonard Haight, our subject's fa
ther, passed his life in the town of Stanford,
attending its schools in youth, and, later, en
gaging in farming, He was a Democrat in
politics, but was not active in party work. He
married Miss Phoebe Griffin, and had six chil
dren, of whom our subject is the youngest.

928

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

Of the others — Margaret, George, Hannah,
John and William — the only. survivor is Han
nah, who is now Mrs. Simon Losee.
James B. Haight was reared upon a farm,
enjoying the educational advantages of the
neighboring schools. At the age of thirty-five
he left the farm to engage in milling at Ban
gall, where he has since resided. He owns
and operates grist, saw and cider mHls, and
also manages the old homestead. Possessing
unusual business ability and energy, which will
push to a successful termination any undertak
ing, he stands high in the esteem of his asso
ciates. He married Miss Susan Hart, a daugh
ter of R. Hart, one of Stanford's leading resi
dents, and has two children — William J., and
Pboebe, now the wife of Charles Hicks. In
politics Mr. Haight is a Democrat.

¥ FREDERICK C. WHITE, a well-known
 citizen of Pawling, Dutchess county, now
in the employ of the Harlem Railroad Co. , is
one of those men whose quiet and constant at
tention to the ' ' duty which lies nearest ' makes
their lives pass without extraordinary incident.
For some years he followed the carpenter's
trade in Canaan, Columbia Co., N. Y. , pre
vious to entering upon his present business.
He married Miss Cornelia Brusie Traver, who
was born and reared in the town of Northeast,
Dutchess county, receiving her education in
the common schools there. Of their two chil
dren, the elder, Wilbur White, was born in
1858, at Sharon, Conn., and, after securing
his education in the schools of that town,
learned the business of painting and paper
hanging. He and his wife, formerly Miss Kate
Northrup, have one child, Raymond, born in
188 1. Estella White, our subject's younger
chHd, was born in 1863, in MHIerton, N. Y.,
where she attended school. She married Fred
Fletcher, a painter at Patterson, N.«Y. , and
has three children: Harold, born in 1886;
Clarence, born in 1889; and Leon, born in
1896. Mrs. Cornelia B. White's ancestors were
early residents at Ancram, Columbia Co., N.
Y., where her grandfather, Charles Traver,
was born. His education was obtained in the
local schools, and later he engaged in agricult
ure there, passing his life in that pursuit. He
was a private soldier in the war of 1812. A
family of six children was born to him and his
wife Elizabeth, all of whom lived to adult age

and married as follows: Hiram — Eliza Brusie;
John — Salina Summers; Freeman — Sarah Col
by; James — Betsy Race; Elizabeth — William
Cannam; and PoHy — Ebenezer Guernsey.
Hiram Traver, Mrs. White's father, was
born in Ancram in 1805, and the common
schools of that town furnished him his educa
tional opportunities. Engaging in early man
hood in farming, he followed that occupation
all his life, and, for twenty years, he also car
ried the mail from Sharon to Cornwall, Conn.,
and from Poughkeepsie to New Paltz, N. Y.
His wife was a daughter of Nicholas and Lo
retta (Egleston) Brusie, her father being the
well-known wagon maker of Boston Corners,
N. Y. Mrs. White was born in 1838, the sec
ond of a family of four children — Charles, Cor
neHa, Mary and Alva. The eldest, Charles,
was born in 1836, in Sharon, Conn., studied
in the public schools there, and learned the
carpenter's trade, which he followed the greater
part of his life. Shortly after the breaking out
of the CivH war he enlisted in the 19th 2d C.
V. H. A., as a corporal, and served through
out the war with honor, being mustered out, in
1865, as a Heutenant. He received a wound
in the battle of the WHderness. He married
Miss Susan Kellog, and has had four chHdren:
Julia, wife of Eugene Halleck; Frederick, who
married Paulina Halleck; Fannie, wife of John
Platt; and WiHiam, who is not married. Of
the two younger children of Mr. and Mrs. Hi
ram Traver, Mary Brusie was born in 1840, at
Dover Furnace, married Sanford Palmer, and
had two chHdren: (i) Emma, who married
William Root, and has three children — May,
Claude and Bertha; (2) Dora, who married
Fred Calkins, and has four children — Charles,
Emma, Eugene and LeRoy. Alva Brusie
Traver was born in 1855, at Sharon, Conn.,
and, after attending the public schools there
for some years, studied music, and is now a
professor in that art at Central Valley, Orange
Co., N. Y. He married Miss Adelaide Strick
land, and has had two chHdren — Levern and
Carl, both at home.

IK BEL SMITH, one of the substantial agri-
.^^ culturists of the town of Pawling, Dutch
ess county, is a descendant of an old and pa
triotic family of Westchester county, N. Y.
His grandfather, Richard Smith, was born in
North Castle, and followed agriculture there.
He did good service in the Revolutionary war.

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

929

and, as the locality in which he lived was the
scene of much disturbance, many memories
of that trying period are connected with his
farm. On one occasion a man was shot in his
house, and the blood stains can stHl be seen
upon the fioor. He and his wife, Elizabeth
Miller, reared a famHy of seven chHdren:
Jacob, Richard, Isaac, Benjamin, Sophia, Het
tie and Phoebe.
Jacob Smith, our subject's father, was born
and educated at North Castle, and he gave evi
dence of his patriotism, by serving as a soldier
in the war of 1812. By occupation he was a
farmer and shoemaker. He , married Miss
Betsy Carpenter, and had ten children, of
whom our subject was the youngest. The
others all lived to adult age, and married as
follows: Ruth — Hiram Lewis; Esther A. —
Merritt Saris; AbigaH — Chauncy Hall; Morris
C. — Charlotte Foster; Mary — WHHam Wright;
Deborah L. — John Griffin; Richard — Mary
Peck; Sarah S. — ^Griffin Hunter; and Eleanor
— Edward Simmonds.
Our subject was born March 5, 1831; he
was reared at the old homestead at North Cas
tle, and attended the, public schools of that
tpwn. He learned the blacksmith's trade, and
followed it there for several years, but, in i860,
he moved to the town of Pawling, and be has
since devoted his attention to farming. He
married Miss Ann Maria Odell, and has had
five chHdren: (i) Benson was born at Mount
(Pleasant, Westchester county, in 1854,. and,
after receiving a common-school education, en
gaged in farming, but later became interested
in shirt manufacturing. He and his wife, for
merly Miss M. Frances Reynolds, have four
children — ^Herbert^ Belle (Mrs. Watson Bal
lard); LHly M., and WHby; of these, the first
and the last two are not married. (2) Elnora,
born in 1856, married Casper Davis, a wheel
wright, of Connecticut, and has five children
— Maude, Della, Edna, Abel, and Casper, all
at home. (3) Lemuel, born in i860, married
Miss Alice Carrey, but has no children. (4)
Ida, born in 1863, is at home. (5) Grace,
born in 1870, married RHey Peck, and has
three chHdren — Arthur, Everett L. and Odell.
The wife of our subject is also descended
; from a well-known Westchester famHy. Her
grandfather, Benjamin OdeH, was born there,
and lived and died there, following in his
mature years the occupations of farmiqg and
blacksmithing. He married, and had seven
.phildren: Jacob, Isaac, Benjamin, Clinton,
60

Rosette, Mary and Lackey. Jacob Odell,
Mrs. Smith's father, was also a native of
Westchester county, and on completing his
common-school course there engaged in farm
ing and blacksmithing at Mount Pleasant. He
married (first) Miss Taner, and (second) Miss
Jane Lint, daughter of Peter and Maria Lint,
Seven children were born of the second union:
Abram married Esther Angevine; Peter mar
ried Lutetia Yearkes; WiHiam married Charity
Nodine; Jackson married Mary Buckhaupt;
Julia A. is not married; Ann Maria is now
Mrs. Smith; and Benjamin married Martha
Whitney.

/*V\EORGE J. LEE, a prosperous farmer of
^^ the town of Unionvale, Dutchess county,
is a representative of the well-known Lee
family, who long made their home in the town
of Washington, Dutchess county. His grand
father, Samuel Lee, was there born, reared
and educated. He learned the trade of a
mason, which he followed throughout life, and
vvas an expert workman. In Unionvale there is
a house still standing, now over one hundred
years old, which was erected by him. He
married Miss Pattie Haight, by whom he had
nine children: John, the father of our subject;
Frederick, who wedded Margaret Crouse;
James; Joseph; Herman; Moses; Isaac, who
married Mary Lee; George; and Phoebe A.,
who became the wife of Talmadge Sutherland.
The birth of John Lee occurred in the
town of Washington, in 1805. He received a
common-school education, and learned the
carpenter's trade, Many of the finest resi
dences of Dutchess county are the work of
his hands. His vote was cast in support of
the principles of the Whig party, but he cared
nothing for political preferment. He married
Miss Ann Wilbur, daughter of Enoch WHbur,
a farmer of Washington town, and they be
came the parents of four children, namely:
(i) Enoch H,, who after the completion of his
edugation, engaged in painting in Washington
town. On the breaking out of the war of the
Rebellion he enlisted in the 44th N. Y. V. I. ,
and was, later, transferred to the 146th regi
ment; he was kHled in the last battle of the
war, at the time of Lee's surrender. (2)
BrowneH W., the second son, learned the
wheelwright's trade, at which he has since
been employed, having a shop at Arlington,

930

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

N. Y. He also served in the Civil war, be
coming a member of the 6 ist N. Y. V. I., and
on his re-enlistment joined the 66th New York
Cavalry, with which he served until hostilities
had ceased, when he was mustered out with
the rank of sergeant. At one time he was
confined in Libby prison and endured all the
privations and hardships of army life. He
married Miss Jane Owen, by whom he has
ten chHdren — George; Ida, wife of Clinton
Kerry; Eva; Harvey; Weston; John; Mabel;
Oneta; Myron; and Louis, who died in infancy.
(3) Our subject is next in order of birth. (4)
Elizabeth, the only daughter, died at the age
of five years.
George J. Lee, of this review, was born in
the town of Washington, in 1847, and there
obtained a common-school education. In early
life he learned the blacksmith's trade, whichhe
followed only to a limited extent, giving his at
tention principally to his farming interests.
In 1896 he purchased the Caroline Congdon
farm in Unionvale town, which comprises 223
acres of fine land, and is now engaged in its
cultivation and improvement. He is an enter
prising and progressive agriculturist, thoroughly
understanding his business, and well deserves
the success which has come to him. He is a
valued citizen of the community, one who has
the esteem and confidence of those with whom
he comes in contact.
In 1,875 Mr. Lee was married to Miss Car
rie Jones, whose birth occurred in the town of
Clinton, Dutchess county, June 6, 1854, and
whose education was obtained in Broome
county, N. Y. They have an interesting fam
Hy of three chHdren: Enoch J., born Janu
ary 19, 1880; EsteHa, born June 28, 1883,
and Minnie A., born August 21, 1892.
The paternal great-grandfather of Mrs. Lee
spent his entire life in Columbia county, N. Y. ,
and reared his six children, namely: Hugh;
Mary; Margaret; John; Thomas, who married
Jane Allen; and William, who married AbigaH.
Hugh Jones, the eldest of the chHdren, and
the grandfather of Mrs. Lee, was a native of
Columbia county, and throughout life followed
the occupation of farming. He was united in
marriage with Miss Matilda Burrows, a daugh
ter of Benjamin Burrows, and to them were
born children as follows:
(i) Sarah M. Jones was born in Columbia
county in 1829, but was educated in Dutchess
county, where her parents had removed when
she was quite young. She became the wife of

George Morey, a native of the town of Clin
ton, Dutchess county. However, most of his
life was devoted to farming in Washington
town. He was the son of Joseph Morey, who
was born and reared in the town of Clinton,
and was also a farmer by occupation. By his
marriage with Miss Mary Winslow, Joseph
Morey had six children: Benjamin, who mar
ried Jane Burhans; Edmond, who died when
young; George; Jane A. ; Margaret; and Eliz
abeth. The eldest daughter, Jane A., mar
ried Robert Buck, and they have two children:
Elizabeth, who married Godfrey Wolven, and
they have twcv children: Lottie, wife of Paul
Burger, and Annie; and George, the only son
of Mrs. Jane Buck. Three children were born
to George and Sarah M. (Jones) Morey, as fol
lows : (a) Robert, who was born and educated in
Washington town, and during his youth learned
the blacksmith trade, at which he has since
worked. For his first wife he married Delia
Bishop, and they had one child, Georgiana,
who wedded Amos Thorn, a carpenter, and to
them has been born a son, Harry, After the
death of his first wife, Robert Morey was joined
in wedlock with Minnie Clement, and they
have two chHdren: Oakley and Allerton. (b)
Egbert Morey was also born, reared arid edu
cated in Washington town, and follows the
pursuit of blacksmithing. He married Ella
Travis, and they have one son, Chester, (c)
Annie Morey, the only daughter, died at the
age of eight years. The family are widely and
favorably known throughout the community
wherethey make their homes, and have the re
gard of all who know them.
(2) Darius was a native of Columbia county,
N. Y. , and a carpenter by trade. He married
Miss Jane Gallagher, and had four chHdren:
Ida; Charles; Mrs. Viola Horn; and Elry.
(3) Michael Jones is the father of Mrs. Lee.
He was born in Columbia county, but acquired
his education in the common schools of Dutch
ess county, and throughout life has been em
ployed at the mason's trade. He wedded Miss
Adaline Gildersleeve, daughterof Alfred GHder
sleeve, a farmer of the town of Pleasant Val
ley, Dutchess county, and they became the
parents of the follovving children: Lemuel, a
machinist of Oneonta, N. Y., who is married
and has three chHdren, Lillie, Dora and Effie;
Carrie, the wife of our subject; Emma, wife
of Augustus West (an employe on the Albany
& Susquehanna railroad), by whom she has
two sons — Herbert and Harry; George; Hugh;

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

931

Paul; John; Laura; Harry; and one who died
at the age of two years.
(4) David Jones, a native of Columbia
county, carried on farming. He married Het
tie Davis, and in their family were five chil
dren: Annie, who married Irving Jones; Mary,
who wedded Byron Robinson; Dora; Alfrette,
who married WHliam Robinson; and Alice,
who became the wife of Arthur Haight.
(5) Diana Jones married Cornelius Morris,
and had two children: William, who married
Annie Shaw; and Annie, who married WHliam
Martin. (6) Elizabeth married Walter Stew
art, and had three children: Mrs. Mary Hop
kins; Harry; and Zadie. (7) Lydia married
Orlando Monroe, and had three children:
Frank O.; Elizabeth, who married Hiram
Tripp; and Clark, who married a Miss Hor
ton. (8) Josiah Jones, an agriculturist, mar
ried Elizabeth Horn, and has one son, Will
iam. (9) Mary Jones wedded William Cham
berlain, and had two chHdren: Willis and
Hugh. (10) Alonzo Jones died when young.
(11) Louisa Jones married Henry Briggs, by
whom she had one child, Orlando. (12)
Rodger T. Jones, the youngest of the family,
married Diana Davis, and they have two chil
dren: Judson and Eva.

/*V\EORGE INNIS, a son of Aaron Innis,
\^ mention of whom is made in the sketch
of a son, Aaron, elsewhere in this volume,
where will also be found the ancestral history
of the family, is a representative manufacturer
of Dutchess county, born in Poughkeepsie,
where his early life was spent and where he
received his education.
In 1842 our subject became associated
with Gifford & Sherman in the dye-wood
business, in which he has continued ever since.
That year the style of the firm became Gifford,
Sherman & Innis, and so continued until the
death of Mr. Sherman in 1858; the firm name
stood as formerly until 1884, when it was Innis
& Co. Our subject has been one of the lead
ers in all matters relating to public improve
ment, and among other projects he contributed
a large sum of money for the construction of
the Poughkeepsie & Eastern R. R., which he
was instrumental in getting through Pough
keepsie. Mr. Innis was elected president of
the old vHlage of Poughkeepsie in the " 5®'s,"
was mayor of the city for three terms of two
years each, during the Civil war, and has held

the office of village trustee and supervisor.
He has always been a stanch Republican in
politics, and was a Presidential elector at the
first election of General Grant. Religiously
he is a member of the First Reformed Church,
to which he is a liberal contributor. In 1855
he was married in New Paltz, Ulster county,
to Anna Bevier, daughter of Levi Hasbrouck,
and two chHdren were born to them: (i)
Martha, who married William H. Young, a
lawyer in New York City, living on Prof. S. F.
B. Morse's place; they have two chHdren —
Annette Innis, and Innis. (2) Hasbrouck, of
the firm of Innis & Co. Our subject is a com
petent business man, social in nature and well-
liked by everyone.

JOHN McGLASSON, the able superintend
ent of the Poughkeepsie (Dutchess county)
Rural Cemetery, has made that place one
of the most admirably managed burial grounds
to be found along the Hudson river, his suc
cess fully justifying the confidence reposed in
him by the officers of the association.
The ancient home of his family was in
Dumfriesshire, Scotland. His grandfather Mc
Glasson was a native of that locality, and fol
lowed the business of quarrying, in which he
lost his life. He and his wife, Elizabeth Elliott,
had three children: Robert, our subject's fa
ther; Jane, who married Jacob Read, of An
nan, and Jessie, who married Mr. Wilkinson.
Robert McGlasson was born in July, 1818,
and was a mere boy when his father's death
occurred. He became a miller by occupation,
and in 1848 came to the United States, lo
cating first in Stanford, Conn. , vvhere he was
foreman of the spice mHls for some time.
Later he moved to the town of Lewisboro,
Westchester Co. , N. Y. , and spent six or seven
years conducting a flourmill, but about 1857
he disposed of this business and removed to
Dover, Dutchess county, where he ran the
Hancut Mills on shares for many years. With
the exception of two or three years at Little
Rest, the remainder of his life was passed there.
Possessing good natural abilities, he was suc
cessful in business, and was regarded as one of
the substantial citizens of the town. He was
a Presbyterian in religion, and in politics was
a Democrat, voting for Pierce, but latei: was a
Republican, though liberal in his views. His
wife was Mary Irving, daughter of John and

932

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD

Jeannette (Thompson) Irving, and they had
six children, viz.: Jeannette T., who married
S. B. Shaw, a farmer of Fairfax Court House,
Va. ; John, our subject; Thomas Irving, now
the owner of an undertaking establishment
and paint shop in Matteawan; Elizabeth Elliott,
the wife of Robert J. Shadbolt, a lawyer of
Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Robert A., a railway con
ductor, residing in Harlem; and Minerva I.,
the wife of Samuel R. Hanna.
John McGlasson was born September i,
1843, at the old home. Thefamily settled in
Dutchess county during his boyhood, and his
education was obtained mainly in the district
schools of Dover Plains before the age of fif
teen years, although after he was twenty-one
he attended night school in New York City,
at Cooper Union and in the grammar schools.
While his early advantages were not as liberal
as might have been desired, he has done much
to offset this by reading and private study, and
is well-posted upon current topics. At the
age of fourteen he left home and spent two
years working for the father of W. T.
Ketcham, and two summers with the father of
George W. Perry. He began to learn the
marble-cutter's trade, when he was seventeen,
serving an apprenticeship df four years with
Charles Smith, and theri worked for him two
and a half years longer: He went to NSW
York and remained seven years, and iri 1870,
he estabhshed a marble yard at Pawling, and
continued it untH 1882, when he went to
Poughkeepsie as foreman for Richard Gra
ham. He worked seven years for him, and
one year for Mrs. Graham. In December,
1889, he was appointed to his present respon
sible position, being one of twenty-eight appli
cants. He is now one of the leading workers
in his line, and his management of the
grounds with the force of from twenty to
twenty-four men is beyond criticism.
He was married to Miss Ollivia Hurd,
daughter of William and Laura Hurd, of
Pawling. Her father was formerly a well-
known merchant at Hurd's Corners. Four
chHdren were born of this union : Minnie
Reed, Maud CampbeH, Mabie Irving and Will
iam T., all of whom are at home.
Mr. McGlasson sympathizes with the Dem
ocratic party in national issues, but is inclined
to be independent in local politics. He at
tends the M. E. Church and contributes to its
support, and to the advancement of other
worthy causes, and he is a member of Triune

Lodge, F. & A. M., Poughkeepsie Chapter
No. 173, Poughkeepsie Commandery'; No. 43
and to the Royal Arcanum.

JOHN LYKE is now retired from the active
labors of life, and occupies a comfortable
home in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county.
He is a native of the vicinity of Johnstown, Co-''
lumbia Co., N. Y., where his father, George
Lyke, was born. There the latter spent his
boyhood days, and on reaching maturity was
< united in marriage with Anna Scofield, by
whom he had two children, Margaret and
John, but the sister and parents of our subject
are all now deceased. The father was a farmer
of Columbia county, and was the son of John
Lyke, who vvas of German ancestry, and one
of the first settlers of that county where he
carried on agricultural pursuits.
Our subject spent his early years near
Johnstown, N. Y., in the usual manner of
farmer lads, until fourteen, when he went to
Copake and completed his education. From
the age .of twelve years until he reached his
majority he worked as a farm hand, but at.
that time entered a store at Ancram, where he
clerked for a year and a half. He next se
cured a position in a store at Sheffield, N. Y.,
and later was employed in a hotel at New
"York City. He then began the show business
with G. F. Bailey & Co., and afterward was
with Van Ambergh & Co. for sixteen years,
during which time he purchased an interest in
the firm. On selling out he traveled for a few
years with the London Show, and has visited
nearly every town of any size east of the Mis
sissippi river.
On giving up that life, Mr. Lyke returned
to Copake, N. Y., where he lived retired un
til coming to Poughkeepsie in 1882, in order
to educate his sons. At the former place he
was married in 1 861, to Sarah Sweet, a
daughter of Rowland Sweet, and their family
includes three sons: J. Hyatt, a dentist of
Millerton, N. Y. , wedded Georgiana Rowe,
I and has two children, Clinton and Stewart;
Fred S., a stenographer, married Hattie WHl
iams, by whom he has a son, Fred; and John
J. belongs to the hospital corps of the United
States Army and is stationed at Washington.
For about fourteen years our subject has made
his home in Poughkeepsie, during which time
he has gained many warm friends and is held
inthe highest regard by aU who know bim.v

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BEOOBD.

933

He was identified with the Masonic fraternity
in New York City, belonging to Polar Star
Lodge; he is now a faithful meniber of Trin
ity Methodist Episcopal Church of Pough
keepsie.

C\HARLES E. VAN KLEECK, a prosperous
I farmer and representative citizen of Pough
keepsie, was born in the town of Beekman,
Dutchess county, January 14, 1843. He
worked on his father's farm and attended school
during his youth.
On November 17, 1869, he was married to
Miss Kate B. Rogers, who was born in the
town of Beekman August 4, 1842, and they
settled on a farm in the town of Wappinger,
where they remained for three years, and in
1873 moved to Poughkeepsie. After living
here a year they moved to their present farm,
where they have reared their two chHdren,
Mary E. and Robert M." Mr. Van Kleeck has
a farm of eighty-seven acres in the town of
FishkHl, and twenty acres in Poughkeepsie.
He is a Republican, a public-spirited citizen,
and, with his wife, is a member of the Presby
terian Church.
James W. Rogers, the father of Mrs. Van
Kleeck, was born in the town of Beekman,
where he married Miss Mary Besley, a native
of Fishkill, and there were born to them the
following chHdren: Helen A., John A., Mar
garet, Kate B. , Charlotte, Phoebe, Mary E. ,
Walter, Henry, George and James. John
A. and Walter are farmers in Dutchess county.
The others, with the exception of our subject's
wife, are deceased. Mr. Rogers died January
29, 1884, and his wife November 22, 1888.
Micah Rogers, the grandfather, was also born in
Beekman. Robert M. Van Kleeck, the father of our
subject, was born in the city of Poughkeepsie
August 10, 1804. He grew up there, and in
early life learned the harness and saddle mak
ing business of David B. Lent. He married
Hannah Rogers, the daughter of John Rogers,
a farmer in the town of Beekman. After their
marriage, the parents of our subject located
in Beekmanville, where he carried on the busi
ness of making harness, trunks, saddles, etc.
One chHd, our subject, was born to Mr. and
Mrs. Van Kleeck. In 1843 they bought a
farm in FishkiH, to which they moved and car
ried on farming until his death, which occurred
October 4, 1872, his wife dying November 19,-

1874. He was a Republican, and both were
rtiembers of Christ Church. The Rogers
family was of EngHsh ancestry. Hezekiah,
the grandfather, was a tanner and currier in
the town of Beekman. John, the father of
Mrs. Van Kleeck, married Mary Skidmore,
a native of Beekman, where they settled and
reared the following family: Phoebe, Ruth,
Stephen, Laban, James, Judith, Gilbert,
Mariah and Hannah.
John M. Van Kleeck, the paternal grand
father of our subject, was born in Poughkeep
sie beptember 15, 1776. His father, Myndert
Van Kleeck, was born in Dutchess county,
and died there December 17, 1799. He was
a direct descendant of Baltus Van Kleeck,
who came from HoHand. John M. married
Miss EHza Noxon, the daughter of Bartholo
mew Noxon, a physician, for whom Noxon
street was named. John settled in Pough
keepsie, where he carried on a general store
on the corner of Main and Academy streets.
He also did a shipping business between Pough
keepsie and New York City. He was the
father of these chHdren: Robert M., father
of our subject; George M., a dry-goods mer
chant of Poughkeepsie; Edgar M. was in early
Hfe a merchant in Poughkeepsie, and later re
tired; Hester F. died unmarried. The old
folks were members of Christ Church.

BAVID F. PHILLIPS, one of tbe ener
getic and progressive farmers of the town
of Red Hook, Dutchess county, where he has
resided since 1861, is now devoting his atten
tion to the improvement and cultivation of his
land with most excellent results. He is hon
ored and respected by the entire community,
who look upon him as one of the most wide
awake farmers and model citizens.
The maternal grandfather of our subject,
David F. Feller, was a native of Columbia
county, where his education was obtained in
the common schools, and he there followed the
vocation of farming throughout life. By his
marriage with Miss Elizabeth Mink, of the
same county, he had six children: William,
Ezra, Lena, Helen, Jane and Emma Eliza.
The last named, Emma Eliza, was born and
educated in Pleasant Vale, Columbia county,
and became the wife of Abraham Henry Phil
lips, a native of Columbia county, N. Y. ,
where he was educated in the common schools

934

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

and followed the occupation of farming. By
this union were born seven children, namely:
Romelia married Rennselaer Moore; David F.
is next in the order of birth; William H.
wedded Mary McClure; Martha is unmarried;
George A. married Daisy M. De Forest;
Elizabeth became the wife of William Wol
cott; and Alice died at the age of four years.
The brothers and sisters of Abraham Henry
Phillips, father of our subject, were: Anthony,
who married Catherine Lasher; Nicholas, who
married Catherine Feller; Jacob, who also
wedded a Miss Feller; John, who married
Elmira Decker; Catherine, who became the
wife of Edward Teator; and Elizabeth, who
married PhiHp Hapeman.
Mr. Phillips, of this review, is also a native
of Columbia county, his birth having occurred
in 1845, but when quite young his parents re
moved west, locating in Michigan, where he
attended the public schools and there acquired
a fair education. He , followed agricultural
pursuits in that State untH 1861, when he
returned east, and has since made his home in
the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county. In
1879, he married Mrs. Lottie De Forest,
widow of Harry C. De Forest, by whom she
had three children: Augustus R. , born in
1852; Daisy M., born in 1868; and WaHace,
born in 1876. Our subject and his wife have.
one daughter— Ruby L. , born September 6,
1880. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Phillips,
William Carter, married Miss Charlotte Ear
ner, daughter of Douglass and Elizabeth
Earner, of New Brunswick, and to them were
born two children: William, the father of
Mrs. Phillips; and Elizabeth, who became the
wife of Samuel Montgomery. WiHiam Carter,
Jr., was born and educated in New Brunswick,
where he later engaged in the manufacture of
cigars. He married Miss Maria B. White-
man, and to them were born three daughters:
Julia W. , wife of James H. Cortelyou'; Josie,
wife of John P. Shafer, of Red Hook; and
Lottie, wife of our subject. Her maternal
grandfather, John P. Whiteman, was a prom
inent farmer of the town of Red Hook, Dutch
ess county, and there married Miss Annie
Shook, daughter of John Shook, of the same
town. By this union seven children were
born, of whom, the mother of Mrs. PhHlips
was the eldest. She was followed by Eliza
A., who became the wife of Robert Leete;
Jane L., who married John Lambert; Sarah

M., who wedded George Deipignac; Sophia
F. ; Aaron W. ; and John, who died at an
early age.

F

^\RANK TEATS, one of the reliable and

progressive young men of Red Hook,
Dutchess county, is connected with the firm of
Curtis & Benner, hardware merchants. He is
a son of Electrice Teats, a prosperous farmer
of the town of Red Hook, where our subject
received his literary education. He is a nat
ural musician, the master of many different
kinds of instruments, and is also quite a vocal
ist, being at the present time a member of the
choir of the Methodist Church of Red Hook,
On April 16, 1894, he was united in marriage
with Miss Anna Traver, also a native of Red
Hook, where she obtained a good education,
and, one chHd, Elmer, blesses this union.
Edgar Traver, the grandfather of Mrs.
Teats, born in Rhinebeck, Dutchess county,
March 20, 1829, was educated in the district
schools of the neighborhood, and received his
early training as a farmer at that place. He
continued to follow that vocation, in connec
tion with stock raising, throughout life, and
was quite a prominent man in the community,
serving as assessor and supervisor of Red Hook
town for many years. He was twice married,
his first union being with Anna M. Snyder,
and for his second wife. he married Catherine
Benedict. He became the father of two sons:
Arthur and Ransom. The former's birth oc
curred at Rhinebeck, January 12, 1851, and,
after completing his studies in the common
schools of the locality, he took up the occupa
tion of farming, and now conducts the old Tra
ver farm at Red Hook. He occupies the old
homestead of his father, a substantial brick
structure, over one hundred and fifty years old.
He married Miss Martha Westfall, whose father
was a native of Canada, and to them have
been born three children: Mabel, born June
20, 1884; Edna, born April 26, 1886; and
Edgar, born February i, 1887.
Ransom Traver, the father of Mrs. Teats,
was born at Rhinebeck, September 21, 1852,
and his education was such as the common
schools of the locality afforded. On starting
out in life for himself he learned the drug
business in the village of Rhinebeck, which he
there foHowed for a few years, and then estab
lished a drug store at Red Hook, conducting
the same very successfully for many years.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

935

On disposing of his business there he removed
to Watertown, N. Y., where he now resides.
The lady who now shares his name and for
tunes was in her maidenhood Miss Edith Hoff
man, daughter of B. B. Hoffman, vice-presi
dent of the National Bank of Red Hook. They
are the parents of four children, namely: WHl
iam, born December 28, 1870; Herbert, born
June 2, 1872; Addie, born March 26, 1875;
and Anna, born September 15, 1876.

fYRON BARLOW (deceased) is remem-
^ bered by the people of the town of
Unionvale as a most valued and highly re
spected citizen. A native of Dutchess county,
he was born in the town of Stanford in 1 808,
and was the son of Braman and Mary (Engla-
sol) Barlow. Thomas Barlow, his paternal
grandfather, passed his entire life in Dutchess
county, following the occupation of farming
during his mature years. He married a Miss
Braman, -and to them were born two sons —
Braman and James.
The birth of Braman Barlow occurred in
Stanford township, and in the common schools
he secured his education. Like his father, he
engaged in agricultural pursuits, and he died
on his farm in the town of Stanford. In his
family were four children: James never mar
ried; Cyrus, who was a member of the Masonic
order, married Minerva Welling, and had three
children — Myron, who married John Crokite;
Caroline, who married Benjamin Palmer; and
Frances, who married Dr. Thorn. Myron,
of this review, is next in order of birth. Maria
became the wife of James Germain, and had
nine children — Edward; Talmadge; Cyrus, who
married Viola Hicks; Mary; Sarah; Elizabeth;
Frances, who married WiHiam Creede; Nettie,
who married Robert Halstead; and Julia, who
married Isaac Winance.
The educational privileges of our subject
were such as the public schools of Stanford
afforded at an early day, and as a life work he
also followed the vocation of farming, to which
he had been reared, and with which he was
familiar. He was a straightforward, reliable
man, courteous, genial, alert and enterprising,
and his actions during life were such as to dis
tinctively entitle him to a place in a publica
tion of this character. Socially he affiliated
with the Masonic fraternity.
Mr. Barlow was united in marriage with
Miss Martha Van Vlack, who was born in

Pleasant Valley township, Dutchess county, in
1834, and there received a good common-
school education. Seven chHdren blessed their
union, namely: (i) Emerson is by profession
a dentist, but is also engaged in the brokerage
business in Poughkeepsie and Kingston, N. Y.
He married Eugenie Du Bois, and they have
one daughter, Susie. Like his father he is
identified with the Masonic order. (2) Alfred
is a buyer of stock for the Union Stock Yards
of Chicago, 111. (3) Myron married Miss Jennie
Carpenter, and is now engaged in the furniture
business in Poughkeepsie. (4) Alice married
Frederick Hall, a carpenter of Patterson, Put
nam Co., N. Y. , and they have three chHdren,
Anna, Myron and Clayton. (5) Jennie is follow
ing the profession of teaching in Lagrange
town, Dutchess county. (6) George turns his at
tention to agricultural pursuits. (7) Etta, who
completes the family, is a teacher of New
Hamburg, Dutchess county. With the ex
ception of the two youngest children, whose
births occurred in the town of Unionvale, all
were born in Stanford town. They were pro
vided with good educational privileges, and
have become intelligent and useful citizens of
the various communities where they make
their homes.
Andrew Van Vlack, the grandfather of Mrs.
Barlow, was a native of Dutchess county, and
a farmer by occupation. By his marriage with
Catherine Jewell he had seven children: Al
fred, the father of Mrs. Barlow; Abraham-,
vvho married Phoebe Devine; CorneHa, who
married John Stewart; Martha, who married
Cornelius Ingraham; Eliza, who married
Nicholas McMann; Catherine, who married
Jonathan Devine; and Reuben, who married
Catherine Johnson.
Alfred Van Vlack was born in 18 14, in the
town of Pleasant Valley, where he was edu
cated and learned the milHng business, which
he successfully followed throughout life, pur
chasing and conducting a mill in Unionvale
town. He was a stalwart Democrat in poH
tics and quite an active politician, but never
cared for the honors or emoluments of public
office, while socially he was connected with
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He
was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Foster,
daughter of Martha (Welling) Foster. Five
children were born of this union, as follows:
Amelia married Lewis Ward, by whom she
had a daughter — Minnie. Martha is the sec
ond of the family. Jennie married Henry

936

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

Burton, and has tvyo chHdren — Estella, now
the wife of Edward Van Keuren; and Lewis,
who married Hattie Duncan. Mary wedded
Benjamin Van Wyck. Louisa died in infancy.

irv\EORGE NAGENGAST was born in Pough-
\^ keepsie, Dutchess county, June lO, 1852,
and has already resided in that city forty-five
years. His father, Charles Nagengast, was
born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1825, and came
to America in 1840. He first settled at
Honesdale, Penn., from there went to Albany
and soon after found bis way to Poughkeepsie.
Charles Nagengast was a teamster by oc
cupation, hauling ore for the blasting.furnaces
where he was also foreman for many years.
In the later years of his life he was in the
saloon business. He married Mary Hanline,
and they had children as follows: George;
Caroline married Lindsley Downer; Charles is
in business in Poughkeepsie; Elizabeth Louisa
married Frederick Bart; John Schwartz. The
mother of this family was a woman of strong
character and a large fund of common sense.
She died June 18, 1873, the father surviving
her until 1889.
George Nagengast had but a limited educa
tion as he was only about eleven years old
when he went to work in the cigar shop of
Joseph Bayard, which a week afterward
changed owners, John Schwartz taking pos
session of the business. He remained in this
connection for nineteen years, lacking one
month, and until March 25, 1881, when he
went into the butchering business. In this,
however, he remained only a few weeks, and
then again took up the work of his trade, this
time with Stephen Stafford. He afterward
ran a factory for Eastmead & Lewis, and on
October 2, 1 88 1, he began keeping hotel in
what is now the " Hudson River House." He
remodeled the building, and conducted the
business for six years and eleven months.
Later he bought out the store of Mrs. Conger
at 43 5 Main street, and ran it for a little over five
years. On November i, 1894, he purchased
his present stand, and has since been car
rying on a prosperous business. He is a care
ful, conservative man in financial matters, and
has invested his money in real estate, owning
some valuable property in Poughkeepsie. Mr.
Nagengast was married November 2, 1878,
to Miss Caroline, daughter of William and
Adeline (Martin) Swartout, and two children

have been born to them: Arminta and Lillie
May. Mr. Nagengast is a Republican, but has
never been very active in; political affairs. He
does not belong to any fraternities, but joined
the Niagara Company, No. 2, when eighteen
years old, four years later joining the O. H.
Booth Company, but returning after eight
years to his first company, of which he is now
treasurer. He is a public-spirited citizen,
and is always ready to assist in all worthy
enterprises.

DENNIS WHALEN, a well-known retired
 agriculturist of the town of Dover, Dutch
ess county, now residing at Dover Plains, was
born in 1835 in the parish of Kilteely, County
Limerick, Ireland. His family has been prom
inent there for many generations, and his
father, the late Jeremiah Whalen, was one of
the leaders of his day in the struggle for the
liberty of his country, and was twice.elected to
Parliament. In 185 1 the family immigrated
to the United States and settled at Dover
Plains. Patrick Whalen, one of our subject's
brothers, resides there, and his biography con
tains a history of this highly esteemed family.
Mr. Whalen attended the schools of his
native parish in boyhood, but on coming to
this country he at once sought employment.
The Harlem railroad was then in process of
constructionr and for some time he worked
upon it. He then spent ten years on a farm,
and in 1869 he bought a farm of 157 acres at
vyhat is known as Illert HHls, and cultivated
this while working at times for the raHroad
company. In 1873 he was appointed baggage
master and switch man at Dover Plains, and
held those positions until 1 894, when an acci
dent disabled him, for active business, .although
he is not at present confined to his bed. He
;sold his farm in 1893 to S. R. , Hanna, and
took a pleasure trip to the old country, visit
ing all parts of the Emerald Isle and gathering
a marvelous fund of information.
In 1858 Mr. Whalen married .his first wife,
Hanora Marona, by whom he had three chil
dren: Mary E., born in 1859; Catherine F.
in i860; and Sebastian F. in 18661 , His first
wife died August 11, 1891, and Mr. i\^,l}alen
married Miss Delia F. Hogan, a, nativie pf
County Limerick, Ireland. Her father, Will
iam Hogan, was a gardener by trade, and was
one of five children, the others being John,

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

937

Dennis, Mary (Mrs. James Rahilly), and Cath
erine. He married Margaret Lynch, who was
also a member of a family of five. James
Lynch married Bridget Sherye; Patrick mar
ried Ellen Sherye; Catherine was the wife of
William Murphy; and Mary married James
Ryan. Mrs. Whalen was the youngest of the
five children of William and Margaret Hogan.
Mary married John O'Shea; Catherine is at
home; Margaret died at the age of thirteen;
and Patrick is at home.

M

ENRY BOLENBAKER. There is prob-
^^ ably not a finer farm in all its appoint
ments in the town of Red Hook than the one
owned by the subject of this history, who is
still a young man, and of whom, on account of
his enterprise and industry, great things are
expected in the future. The residence is in
keeping with the taste and means of the pro
prietor, and the whole place forms a picture
which invariably attracts the admiration of
the passing traveler.
Peter P. Bolenbaker, the father of our
subject, is one of the prosperous farmers of
Red Hook town, and on reaching man's estate
he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth
Traver, who is one of the nine children of
Henry H. Traver and wife, also agriculturists.
This worthy couple became the parents of
five children, namely: Daniel, who died in in
fancy; Martha, who became the wife of The
odore Traver; Sarah, who remained single;
Henry J., of this review; and Luella C, who
also remained single.
In 1886 Mr. Bolenbaker, whose name in
troduces this notice, was married to Miss
Emma E. Fraleigh, a native of tbe town of
Clermont, Columbia Co.. N. Y., where she
was educated in the common schools. One
child blesses this union — Roger Fraleigh.
Peter P. Fraleigh, the father of Mrs. Bol
enbaker, was born in the town of Clermont,
Columbia county, and in the district schools
of the neighborhood he obtained his educa
tion. As a lifework he also followed farming.
Early in life he was joined in wedlock with
Miss Mary Lasher, daughter of Jonas Lasher,
of Clermont town, and to them were born the
following children: Peter F. married , Jennie
Saulpaugh; Jonas L. married Margaret Gard
ner; Helen married Montgomery Finger; WHl
iam H. married Addie Van Horn; Barbara mar-
61

ried Charles Moore; Margaret married Willis
Hermance; Emma E. is next in order of birth;
Edward W. married Kittie Francis; and Mar
tin and Mary both died in infancy.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MOSHER, a
 prominent agriculturist of the town of
Fishkill, Dutchess county, is well known along
the Hudson, having spent many years in the
transportation business before settling down to
the quieter life of a tiller of the soil.
His family is of English origin, and his
great-grandfather, William Mosher, crossed
the Atlantic as a soldier in the British army
during the Revolutionary war, but on landing
he deserted and joined the forces under Gen.
Washington, serving as a captain throughout
the struggle. His son, Amos, married Jane
Rhinehart, and their son Miles, our subject's
father, was born at Breakneck, Dutchess coun
ty, and became a boatman on the Hudson,
being engaged in carrying brick between Fish
kill Landing and New York City, until his
death. He married Louisa Smith, a native of
Dutchess county, daughterof Elijah and Mar
garet Smith, and is still living. Of their eight
children, the youngest, Frances, died in chHd
hood, and the others are: William Augustus,
Amos, Margaret Jane, Annie, Ida, Henry and
Charles. William A. Mosher was born at Burnsville,
Dutchess county, in 1841, and, after acquiring
a common-school education, left home to take
a place on a boat with Capt. Virgil Coleman,
who carried coal from Rondout to FishkHl
Landing. He remained with him two years,
then#spent three seasons on a brick boat run-
ding from FishkHl Landing to New York City,
passing the winters at home. In 1861 he
went to Long Island and worked on a farm for
his uncle, Charles Mosher, and on returning
spent four months as fireman on the steamer
"Rip Van Winkle." In 1862 he served on
the government transport, "Gen. Meigs," for
several months, carrying troops and provisions
for the army between New York City and
southern ports; he also enlisted in Company
E, 19th N. Y. S. M., and was sent to Balti
more, Fort Delaware and Havre de Grace,
receiving his discharge at Newburgh, N. Y. , on
the expiration of his term of enlistment — one
hundred days. He then went on a canal boat
with Capt. Daniel Howell, and on leaving him

938

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

worked in the Fishkill Landing Machine Shop
for a year, when he took another place upon a
government transport running from St. Louis
to DuVaH's Bluff, Memphis, Cairo and New
Orleans. He was on this boat at Du VaH's
Bluff when the news of Lincoln's assassination
reached him. On his return home he was
married to Miss Hannah Hickman, daughter
of William and Martha (Purdy) Hickman, and
granddaughter of Michael and Rachel Hick
man. On the maternal side, her grandparents
were Francis and Mary (Shaw) Purdy. Six
children were born of this union: Amos, Ida,
George, Matthew, Nettie and Blanche.
After his marriage Mr. Mosher worked for
two years in the Fishkill Landing Machine
Shops as a blacksmith and machinist, and two
years on the Newburgh and Fishkill ferry as
fireman, and then went to Kansas and spent
five years in farming. On returning to the
East he worked, on the construction of the
N. Y. & N. E, R. R., aboard a mud scow,
and, while thus employed, saved from drown
ing two men, named John Cook and a Mr,
Mitchell. His next employment was on the
ferry boats ' ' City of Newburgh " and ' ' Fish
kill-on-the-Hudson," as engineer, but after
three years he gave up this work to take charge
of the brickyard of William H. Aldrich, where
he remained six years. He then purchased
his present farm of 270 acres, which is bounded
by the lands of William H. Cary, George Ire
land, Alfred MiHer, James Daniels and Reuben
Knapp. His main crops are hay and grain,
but he gives considerable attention to horti
culture, having many grape vines and a num
ber of apple and peach trees, with other fruits.
Part of his land is as yet uncleared, and he
sells a large amount of wood and hewn ti,mber.
His son George assists in the management of
this estate. In politics Mr. Mosher is a Re
publican, and he is a member of the G. A. R.

E

EUGENE WELLS, one of the leading cHi-

 zens of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, now
living in retirement amid the charming sur
roundings of that picturesque locality, was born
at Hudson, Columbia Co., N. Y., January 17,
1839, Isaac Wells, the grandfather of our subject,
was born in 1770, and among his family of
children was Richard I. WeHs, Eugene's father,
whowas born at Coxsackie, Greene Co., N. Y. ,
September 25, 1795. Richard I. Wells was a

prominent lawyer of New York City, a mem
ber of the well-known firm of Wells & Bush
nell, and was a man of great mental ability
and sound judgment. From his office were grad
uated some students who afterward achieved
distinction at the bar. In early years he was
a Whig and later a Republican, but he was never
active in politics. He was an intimate friend
of Stephen A. Douglas, and was prominently
identified with the landed interests of Chicago,
III. , owning at one time a large amount of real
estate there. Wells street in Chicago was
named in his honor. On September 28, 1819,
he was married to Ann Maria Olcott, daugh
ter of Josiah Olcott, a prominent citizen
of Hudson, and had ten children: Anna, the
widow of Claudius L. Monell, who was, at the
time of bis death, chief justice of the Superior
Court of the City of New York; Mary, who
married Charles Roome, president of the Con
solidated Gas Co., of New York; Caroline
(deceased); John H. (deceased); Richard (de
ceased) ; Ophelia, who married Rev. Henry Dar
ling, late president of Hamilton College; Fred
erick J., who died in infancy; Thomas O., a
resident of New York City; Frances M. (de
ceased), formerly tbe wife of Isaac M. Collins,
of Hudson, who is now the surrogate of Colum
bia county; and Eugene, our subject. After
many years of successful practice, Mr. Wells,
in 1837, retired to Hudson, where he passed
his declining years. His death occurred there
March II, 1863. He and his wife were always
leaders in the various philanthropic movements
of the Church.
The subject of this sketch made choice of
the medical profession, and studied for two
years with the late Dr. H. B. Sands, of New
York City, but was compelled to abandon his
books on account of what is called double
astigmatism. Since 1865 he has resided at
Rhinebeck, where he has identified himself
with the best interests of the community, and
has won the esteem of all classes. He has
been a director of the First National Bank for
many years, and has held the office of president
of the village.
On May 31, 1865, he married Miss Mary
Thorn Teller, daughter of William T. and
Eliza Thorn Teller and granddaughter of Will
iam Teller,. They have one daughter — CaroHne
Thorn Wells. Mr. and Mrs. "Wells attend the
Reformed Church at Rhinebeck, and have
always been among the leaders in the .most
exclusive social circles of that town.

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

939

-F

^\RANK TALLADAY, the well-known host

M of the "TaHaday House," at Dover
Plains, Dutchess county, is one of the leading
citizens of that pleasant vHlage.
His family has been identified -with the
town of Dover for many years, and his father,
Neilson' Talladay, was a native of the town,
and, on finishing his education in the local
schools, he engaged in business as a carpenter,
following that trade throughout his active life.
He was a soldier in the Civil war in Company
E, 150th N. Y. V. I., and took part in many
important engagements. For some time he
served as hospital steward at Baltimore, Md.
He married Miss Elizabeth Colby, daughter of
a leading farmer of the town of Dover, and had
five children, of whom our subject was the
youngest. The others are: Phoebe (who has
not married); Janette (Mrs. C. F. Segelken);
Mary (Mrs. John H. Smith); and Elizabeth
(Mrs. Archilas Birch).
Frank Talladay was born April i, 1859, in
Dover Plains, Dutchess county. He was edu
cated in the schools of that village, and on
com.pleting his course of study, he engaged in
business as a butcher at Brooklyn, N. Y.
After four years in this enterprise, he moved to
Naugatuck, Conn., where he was for some
time connected with a rubber manufacturing
concern. Later he was engaged in mercantile
business at Dover, and in 1893 he rented the
hotel now known as the " Talladay House " at
Dover Plains, which he has since conducted in
a m.anner to gain and keep the patronage of
the public. In 1889 he married Miss Mary
Humeston, daughter of Charles and Abbie
Humeston, of Dover Plains, and they have one
chHd — Frank W., born in February, 1895.
Mr.' Talladay is a member of the Sons of
Veterans, of Dover, and he has always taken
great interest in politics, identifying himself
with the Republican party. He has held sev
eral pubHc offices. In 1891, he was elected
constable of Dover town, and served three
terms.

/PV\RIFFIN COOKINGHAM, one of the
\^ leaders among the substantial and pros
perous agriculturists of the town of Rhinebeck,
Dutchess county, was born May 6, 1835, upon
the estate where he now resides, and which
has been in the possession of his family since
the days of his grandfather, Frederick Cook
ingham, who was born, probably, in Germany,

but settled in Rhinebeck when a young man.
He married and reared a family of seven chil
dren: John F. , a farmer in the town of Hyde
Park; Andrew, ,a farmer in Rhinebeck; Will
iam, our subject's father; Rebecca, who mar
ried Andrew Pultz, a farme,r of Rhinebeck;
Omie, who married Frederick Pultz, a farmer
in Columbia county; Rennie, the wife of David
Marquet, a farmer in the town of Rhinebeck;
and a daughter who married Michael Pultz,
who was also a farmer there.
William Cookingham, our subject's father,
was born in 1802, and always lived at the old
farm, coming into possession of a pprtion of
it on the death of his parents. He married
Catherine Traver, daughter of Solomon Traver,
a farmer in the same locality, and had children
as follows: Elizabeth (deceased); Emeline, a
widovv; Julia, who never married; Frederick, a
retired farmer of Rhinebeck; Griffin, our sub
ject; Henry, a resident of Hyde Park; Charles,
who lives in Rhinebeck; and James (deceased).
The parents of this family are both deceased,
the father dying in 1875. Both were devout
members of the Lutheran Church.
Our subject grew to manhood at the old
homestead, and in 1856 was married to
Eleanor Westfall, a native of Nassau, Rens
selaer Co., N. Y. , and daughter of Jacob West-
fall, a farmer, who in his later years moved to
Dutchess county. For some years after his
marriage Mr. Cookingham and his wife lived
on a farm near his birthplace, but in 1877
he returned to the old homestead as owner of
182 acres, a fine farm which he devotes to
general crops. He and his wife united with
the Reformed Church many years ago, and
were among its leading members. Mrs. Cook
ingham died April 1 7, 1 894, leaving two chil
dren: Edward, now a farmer, and married to
Maria Schultz; and Eleanor, who is at home.
The first two children died — Rachel in child
hood and William J. in 1892. In politics Mr.
Cookingham, like his father in later years,
supports the Republican party. He is one of
the active workers in all local improvements,
being especially interested in educational af
fairs, and has served as school trustee for thir
teen years.
JOHN McKEVITT, an energetic and indus
trious farmer of the town of Unionvale,
-' Dutchess county, was born in County Louth,
Ireland, and is the grandson of Patrick Mc-
Kevitt, also a native of the Emerald Isle, and

940

COMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

a farmer and weaver by occupation. He
wedded Miss Mary Cunningham, and to them
were born seven children: Thomas, who mar
ried a Miss Leonard; Brien, who studied for
the priesthood and had charge of a parish in
his native land; Hugh, the father of our sub
ject; Henry, who died when young; Owen,
who died unmarried; Mrs. Mary Duffey; and
Mrs. Catharine Myers.
The birth of Hugh McKevitt also occurred
in County Louth, Ireland, and there he was
educated and engaged in weaving and farming.
He married Miss Ann Riley, a daughter of
John and Mary (Cassidy) Riley, farming people
of that country, and they became the parents
of seven chHdren, as follows: (i) Patrick spent
his entire life on the Emerald Isle, where he
followed farming and droving. By his mar
riage with Ann McBride, he had eight chHdren
— Mary, Hugh, John, Patrick (deceased),
Peter, Catherine, Alice (deceased) and O'Brien.
(2) Brien remained single, conducting a bakery
in Ireland. (3) Henry came to the United
States in 1852, locating in New York City,
where he engaged in the liquor business. He
married Miss Rose McLaughlin, and they have
seven chHdren — Hugh, Joseph, Annie, Henry,
Rose, Mary and John. (4) Mary became the
wife of James McCarty. (5) John, of this
sketch, is next in order of birth. (6) Cather
ine married Thomas McDermott, and has four
chHdren — Annie, Hugh, Mary and WHHam.
(7) Alice married a Mr. Mooney, and has two
chHdren — William and Mary.
John McKevitt, the subject proper of this
sketch, acquired his education in the place of
his nativity, and there followed farming until
coming to the New World in 1854, at which
time he located on Long Island; after a year
passed there he came to Dutchess county,
where he has since resided'. He is a valued
and esteemed citizen of the community, and a
credit to the land that gave him birth. He
uses his right of franchise in support of the
men and measures of the Democratic party,
but he has never aspired to public office.
Mr. McKevitt was united in marriage with
Miss Catherine Newman, a daughter of Thomas
and Mary (Garrey) Newman, farming people
of West Meath, Ireland. Of their union have
been born four children, namely: Thomas J.,
Annie, Mary R. and Catherine. The family is
one of prominence, holding a high position in
the social circles of the locality where they
make their homes.

WINFIELD B. HINMAN comes of a
 good family, which was of English origin,
but for several generations has been located in
Connecticut. His grandfather, Abner Hinman,
was born at Southbury, New Haven county,
and passed his life there upon a farm, where
he and his wife reared to adult age a family of
seven chHdren: (i) Esther married Johnson
Tuttle, a farmer in Southbury, who died in
1876. (2) Sidney went to Ithaca, N. Y. , and
later to the vicinity of Detroit, Mich., where
he settled in what was then an unbroken wil
derness, and at his death, in 1880, he was a
prosperous agriculturist. (3) Preston, who is
not married, followed shoemaking at South
bury, later in Oxford, his present home. (4)
Gennett married Smith Hine, of Bridgeport,
and both are now deceased. (5) Polly mar
ried Smith Downe, a carpenter, and both are
deceased. (6) Horace is mentioned more fully
below. (7) Roswell (deceased) was a mechanic.
Horace Hinman, our subject's father, who
is now living in retirement, was born in South
bury, Conn., and married a native of that
place, Mary Hughes, a lady of Scotch descent.
They first settled in Southbury and later in
Oxford, Conn., Mr. Hinman following the shoe
maker's trade. He is a Democrat in politics,
and he and his wife are both consistent mem
bers of the M. E. Church. They had four
chHdren as follows: (i) Sarah married H. B.
Folly, a wholesale merchant of Danbury,
Conn. ; (2) Fannie and (3) Della are deceased;.
and (4) Winfield B.
We will now return to the subject proper
of this sketch, who wasborn at Oxford. Conn.,
October 30, 1863. He attended school there
for some years, but as has been said he began
at twelve to support himself by his own labor.
At sixteen he left home to work on a farm at
Newtown, Conn., where he spent two years.
He then went to Southbury, where he was
similarly employed for three years, and also
rented a farm of 300 acres which he conducted
for a time. Two years upon a rented farm
near Liverpool, N. Y. , followed, after which
he went to Syracuse, N. Y., as shipping clerk
for the Butler Manfg. Co. After one year
there he spent a short time in PhHadelphia,
before going to Danbury, Conn., to take
charge of a wholesale provision store, which
he managed successfully for three years. There-
he learned all the details of the business, and
having at last found a congenial pursuit which
promised good financial returns he has since

OOMMEMOBATIVE BIOGBAPHICAL BECOBD.

941

continued it. In January, 1891, he became
manager of a retail produce business at Matte
awan, which he purchased at the end of three
months. His success was extraordinary. Be
ginning with a cash capital of $26 he increased
his trade until he had three stores — one on
Main street, Matteawan; one at FishkHl Land
ing, and one at Cold Spring; employing in all
nine men. The business included a retail
grocery and meat trade with a wholesale trade
in sausages. On April 4, 1883, Mr. Hinman was married
to Miss Lizzie Loomis, daughter of K. H.
Loomis, of Syracuse, N. Y., and three chil
dren have blessed their home: Harlow; and
two who died in infancy. Mr. Hinman has
been interested in public affairs, local and Na
tional. In politics he is a Republican, and as
a member of the Presbyterian Church he takes
a helpful part in religious and philanthropic
effort. He is also a member of the K. of P.

riCHOLAS VAN WAGNER, farmer,
,3|1 post office Billings, Dutchess county.
New York.

WILLIAM H. FIERO, a most reHable
 and faithful engineer on the Harlem
railroad, whose fidelity to every duty has com
mended him most highly to his employers, is
a resident of the town of Dover, Dutchess
county. He was born in the town of Union
vale, Dutchess county, March 24, 1865.
'V\''HHam H. Fiero, his grandfather, was a
native of Columbia Co., N. Y., born August i,
1808, and on November 8, 1827, married Sal
lie Ann Chapman, a daughter of John and
Katherine Chapman, born September 5, 1807,
at Dover, Dutchess Co., N. Y. Their chH
dren were: Jonathan A., born August 3,

1833; Oscar, bqrn August 21, 1836; John,
born July 9, 1838; Hattie A., born AprH 28,
1841, died December 25, 1871; and William
H., born AprH 7, 1846, died May 9, of the
same year.
John Fiero, the father of our subject, an
undertaker by occupation, is a native of Dover,
Dutchess county, and, on growing to man
hood, he was married to Adelaide F. Leon
ard, a native of the town of Pawling, Dutchess
county, born April 28, 1841, and the marriage
was blessed by the following children: (i)
Jennie S., born November 5, 1859, in the
town of Union, Penn., inarried in August, 1882,
Edward Davis, of Danbury, Conn. , and their
children are — Ida May, born March 6, 1886;
Bessie F., born February 26, 1890; and John,
born June 26, 1893, died on December 6,
189s, in Albany, N. Y. Of these chHdren,
Ida May and Bessie F. were born at Danbury,
Conn., and John in New York City. The
mother of these died at Dover, July 9, 1895.
(2) Hattie A., born July 7, 1862, in the town
of Amenia, Dutchess county, married March
29, 1882, Marcus D. Marcy, and they have
one child. Bertha F., born July 29, 1885, at
Dover, Dutchess county. (3) WHliam H.,
our subject. (4) Ida A., born January 24,
1869, in the town of Dover, died May 4, 1870,
in the town of Amenia.
Our subject's marriage to 'Miss Minnie
Rider, who was born at Bangall, Dutchess
county, March 8, 1863, was blessed with the
following children: Ida A., born June 3,
1884; Addie, born May 20, 1885, died March
12, 1894; John, born November 24, 1889; and
WiHiam S., born January 14, 1893. The
father of these is one of the progressive and
enterprising citizens of Dutchess county, and
the several members of the famHy possess
qualities that endear them to a large circle of
friends.

.(0

^

T

INDEX.

PAGE
Abel, Dwight  499
Abel, Mrs. Esther O  400
Abel, John U  400
Abel, Orlin B  674
Abel, 'William -W  499
Ackerman Family  533
Ackerman, Jaco'D S  538
Ackert, David E  128
Ackert, Dr. W. E  257
Adriance Families  115, 253, 361
Adriance, John E  116
Adriance, John P.,  115
Adriance, Peter  297
Adriance, William  253
Akin, Albert J  322
Akin Families  66, 322, 371, 373
Akin, Miss Mary J  372
Albro Family  415
Albro, "William C  415
Alden Family  291
Alden, Henry A  290
Alden, Mary M  292
Aldridge, Thomas G  892
Allen, Nicholas  663
Allen, -William H  878
AHendorf, Alfred  331
AHendorf, C  919
AHendorf, Mrs. Catherine A  332
Ailing, J. Sackett  458
Allison Familv  487
Allison, Henry E., M. D  228
Ambler Families  330, 399
Ambler, John P  399
Ambler, Samuel H  330
Anderson, A. Butler  683
Anderson Family  683
Anderson, John P  710
Anderson, Peter  710
Andrews, Mrs. A. B  248
Andrews, Charles C  458
AngeH, George H  643
AngeH, Milton H., M. D  207
Anthony Family  701
Anthony, Theodore  701
Armstrong, WiHiam C  645
Arnold, Charles W. H  62
Arras. Charles W  133
Arras, Mrs. Emma A  133
Atwater, Edward S  59
Atwater Family  59
Atwater, John P., M. D  59
Aucock, George S  893
Austin Family  490
Ayres, DeWitt C  871
Badeau, W.H  177
Badgley Family  414
Badgley, William E  414
Bahret, Jacob  397
Bahret, jfohn J  ,.... 397
Bain, Ferdinand R  116

PAGE
Bain, Horatio N  902
Baker, Benjamin N., M. D  236
Baker, Charles E  574
Baker Families  574, 812
Baker, Lewis  107
Baker, Lewis, Jr  108
Baker, Morris  800
Baker, William  565
Baker, William W  812
Baldwin Family  843
Baldwin, James E  843
Baldwin, Peter W  845
Barculo, Judge Seward  7
Baright, Daniel S  681
Baright, Elijah  682
Baright, Samuel C  286
Barker, Henry M  623
Barlow, James R  627
Barlow, Mrs. Martha  935
Barlow, Myron  935
Barmore, Clark C  521
Barmore, Edward  521
Barmore Family  708
Barmore, James  708
Barnard, Hon. Joseph F  1
Barnes, David T  679
Barnes, Edwin, M.D  568
Barnes Families  568, 679
Barnes, Mrs. Mary E  678
Barnes, Oliver S  678
Barnes, Oliver Weldon  305
Barnum, Andrew  882
Barnum, John D  ,  882
Barrett Family  525
Barrett, E. Lathrop  487
Barrett, John R  807
Barrett, Oliver  526
Barringer, John C  875
Bartholomew, Ralph A  762
Bartlett Family  711
Bartlett, Sanford J  711
Bartlett, William H  639
Barton, Anthony H  734
Barton, Artemas S  539
Barton Families  539, 592
Barton, Lewis B  592
Bartow, Elizabeth D..  775
Bartow, Moncure  775
Bates, Joseph  874
Baumann, Chas. G  266
Bayley, Guy C, M. D  125
Beardsley, William J  842
Becker, Alex. R  860
Beckwith, Nathan  767
Beckwith, William S  766
Bedell, William  284
Bedford, Edward H  311
Bedford Family  311
Bedford, Jofen Bevier  312
Beecher, Hiram T  726
Beers, Darwin  680

PAGE
Belding, George T  361
Belding, Mrs. George T  361
Benedict, Julius  896
Benson Families  835, 905
Benson, Franklin De Peyster. . . 524
Benson, James -V  835
Benson, Joseph H  524
Benson, Joshua  247
Benson, Zadie J  247
Berry, Elias W  717
Berry Family  717
Bevier Family  812
Bevier, Henry B  275
Billings, Isaac V  863
Billings, Mrs. Susan  863
Bird Family  468
Bird, J. Sterling, M.D  70
Bird, Mrs. Ruhamer W. P  468
Bird, Virgil  468
Birdsall, Frank E  883
Bisbee Family  28
Bisbee, Joseph B  29
Bisbee, Otis  28
Bishop, Alexander, Jr  807
Bishop Family  391
Bishop, Noah L  433
Blair, James  755
Bliss Families  85, 189
Blifes, William A., M. D  85
Bodden, William  686
Bodenstein, Henry  645
Bodenstein, John G  796
Bogardus, Abraham A  815
Bogle, William  191
Boice, John H  872
Boice, Nelson L  176
Bolenbaker, Henry  937
Bolin, Gaius C  116
Bolles, Arthur H  862
Bonney, Hon. Alfred  26
Bonney Family  26
Bontecou FamHy  264
Bontecou, George H  264
Booth, Albert F  826
Booth, Oliver H  44
Booth, William F  45
Borden, Perry  537
Bostwick Family  290
Bostwick, Frederic  495
Bostwick, William  289
Bowne, Charles E  80
Bowne, Frederick  81
Boyce, Charles E  811
Boyd Family  820
Boyd, Nathan T  822
Braman, Edward  406
Braman Family  406
Braman, H.V.V  407
Brett, Abraham  599
Brett, Albert V  599
Brett Family  334

944

INDEX.

PAGE
Brett, Harvey  884
Brevoort, Benjamin H  178
Brevoort, Thomas J  178
Brewster Family  427
Brewster, William A  427
Briggs, Anthony  192
Briggs, Davis W  193
Briggs, George G  788
Briggs, George H  788
Briggs, Mrs. Hannah  192
Briggs, Hiram H  541
Briggs, Homer E  193
Briggs, Stephen D  541
Brill, AikenT  219
Brinckerhoff, Capt. John H  848
Brinckerhoff, WiHiam E  691
Brinkerhoff, William H. S  914
Brooks, John J  123
Brooks, Mrs. J. J  124
Brooks, Norman J  124
Brooks, William J  884
Brown, Douglass  724
Brown, Edwin  465
Brown Family  656
Brown, Frank D  724
Brown, George  575
Brown, Samuel Holmes  656
Brown, Samuel H., M. D  245
Brown, Sebastian  465
Brown, William J  175
Brundage, Alton  56
Brundage, Capt. Charles W  56
Brush Family  770
Bryan, David  496
Bryan Families  496, 817
Bryan, Isaac  817
Bryan, Mrs. Marv  818
Bryant, Albert K.  809
Bryant, Evan  893
Bryant, Samuel  547
Buckingham, Charles H  893
Buckingham Family  393
Buckl'-y Family  460
Buckley, Miles  460
Budd, Albert J  757
Budd Families. . _  273, 529
Budd, Joel N  529-
Budd, Mrs. Mary J  580
Budd, Underbill  272
Budd, William D  420
Bullis, J. N  445
Burgess, James D  285
Burhans, Peter  195
Burnett, Frank E  883
Burnett, Stephen R  883
Burroughs Family  677
Burroughs, Frank  677
BuShnell, Edwin L  773
Butler, Edmond  752
Butler Family  505
Butler, Robert D  505
Butts, Allison  83
Butts Family  88
Butts, John W  911
Butts, Richard S  784
Butts, Thomas.-  733
Caldwell, Theron H  827
Campbell, Mrs. Emeline C  587
Campbell, Henry L  536
Campbell, John  659
Cannon, Arnout  913
Cannon, Arnout, Jr  913
Cannon, Cornelius L  218
Cannon, George W  258

PAGE
Card, Colvin  35
Card, Edson  ,  544
Card, Silas E  544
Care, Charles A  649
Carey Family  770
Carey, William J  623
Carman, Leonard L  895
Carman, Lewis  395
Carpenter Families  21, 210
Carpenter, Hon. Isaac S  21
Carpenter, J. Du Bois  211
Carpenter, William J  777
Carroll, James  790
Carroll, William  865
Cary, Mary  406
Cary, Richard B  405
Case, Mrs. Hannah M  797
Case, Willis Haviland  796
Cashin, Matthew J  514
Cass, Robert  859
Chaffee Family  171
Chaffee, James Stuart  171
Chapman Family  118
Chapman, George B., M. D  117
Chapman, George T  513
Chapman, Hiram W  513
Chapman, Mrs. Jane M  391
Chase, Mrs. Augusta U  ,342
Chase, Enos ]BAii\(T.::. . '.' .-^i'.-i ifii-
Chase Family  v 89
Chase, George W  89
Chase, Lewis H  813
Chatterton, Henry  534
Clapp, Clinton W  664
Clapp Family  664
Clark, Carrie D  567
Clark, Edgar  567
Clark, Edward Lee  721
Clark, Elizabeth  567
Clark Families  567, 775
Clark, Henry  776
Clark, Hiram  775
Clark, JohnW  776
Clifford, Mrs. Annife  916
Clifford, Henry  916
Cline, Albert  729
Cline, Charles A  494
Cline Family  729
Cline, Franklin  729
Codding, George H., M. D  142
Coffin Family  193
Coffin, Hezekiah R  92
Coffin, Robert  92
Coffin, Robert G  124
Coffin, Tristram  193
Coffin, "Valentine  194
Cole, Judge Andrew  380
Cole, Charles N  611
Cole, David  210
Cole, Mrs. David  210
Cole, Emery  917
Cole, Mortimer B  611
Coleman, Amasa D  325
Coleman, Mrs. Elizabeth  325
Coleman, Joseph D  728
Collier Family  581
Collin, Eli H  807
Collingwood, James  138
Collingwood, Mrs. Mary E  138
Collins Families  537, 572
Collins, Rev. Joshua  422
Collins, Martin W  572
Colwell, Charles M  ,  388
Colwell, David E  542
Colwell Family  388

PAGE
Colwell, Frank W  543
Conklin, Mrs. Elizabeth  227
Conklin Families  825, 873
Conklin, George W  227
Conklin, Isaac P  873
Conklin, John H  532
Conklin, J. Mulford  581
Conklin, Storm H.  825
Conklin, William J., M. D  Ill
Conover, Evritt  753
Conover, Peter  753
Conroy, Rev. Edward J  328
Cook Families  101, 667
Cook, James Hervey  101
Cookingham, Griffin  939
Cooper, Gilbert  732
Cooper, John  733
Cooper, "Tunis  782
Corbin, Albert W  452
Corbin, Asa B  376
Corbin Family  452
Corbin, Mrs. 1  487
Corbin, Isaac  487
Corcoran, John  810
Cornelius, Virtus H  919
CorneH, Adrian M  415
Cornell, Isaac M., M. D  229
Cornell, Peter M  868
Cornwell, Azariah  727
Cornwell, Frederick J  459
Cossum, Charles F  46
Cotter, John  98
Cotter, John H., M. D  98
Couse, Edward  874
Cowl, James  616
Cowl, Orlando J  616
Cox, John H  741
Craft, Eugene S  214
Craft, Mrs. Margaret  906
Craig Family  432
Craig, Rufus S  432
Cramer Family  141, 200
Cramer, George E  200
Cramer, George H  450
Cramer, William C  895
Crapser, Abram B  397
Crapser Family  397
Crary Family  ,  54
Crary, Rev. Robert F., D. D . . . . 54
Cronk Family  501
Cronk, George W  501
Cronk, Sarah E. (Mrs. Forshay) . . 502
Crummey, Edward  138
Crummey, Safford A  139
Cruse, Thomas K., M. D  403
Culver, Ambrose M  579
Culver Families  579, 586, 590
Culver, Walter B  590
Cunley, Court B  377
Cunningham, Thomas J  891
Curtis, Herbert J  695
Cutler, Charles G  769
Cutler Family  769
Cutler, Theron  719
Cypher, Henry D  896
Dakin, -George  826
Dakin, William  827
Dalrymple, William E  725
Dana Family  351
Davies Family  95
Davies, William Augustus  95
Davis, Charles  235
Davis, Charles H., Jr  650
Davis, John  286

INDEX.

945

PAGE
Davis, Orville L  784
Davis, Willard H  198
Davis, WiHiam L  198
Dawson Family  818
Dawson, J. G., M. D  818
Dean Family  566
Dean, James E  288
Dean, WiHis  566
Dedrick, William J  668
De Garmo, David S  114
De Garmo, James M  636
De Garmo, Smith L  114
De Lacey Family  119
De Lacey, William L  119
Delamater, Eliphaz  738
Dennis Families  447
Denton, Abram A  728
Denton, Amos  875
Denton Families  723, 903
Denton, Judson A  875
Denton, Nelson  903
De Peyster, Gen. J. Watts  144
Deuel Family  722
Deuel, Isaac N  428
Deuel, Phcenix N  722
Deuel, Stephen T  428
Devine Family  464
Devine, Wright  464
Diamond, Hugh  776
Diamond, William H  776
Dibble, Warren S  696
Dickhaut, Rev. Benjamin E  42
Dickinson, Jonathan  668
Dinsmore, C. Gray  887
Dinsmore, William B  885
Dodge, Mrs. Anna E  453
Dolan, William  912
Donald, Mrs. Jessie F  14
Donald, John  14
Dorland, Cyrenus P  99
Dorland Family  99
Dorland, John M  926
Doty, A. M  809
Doty, Egbert  805
Doughty, Charles  321
Doughty Family  821
Doughty, George T  199
Doughty, Mrs. Hannah  823
Doughty, Mrs. Mary E  321
Doughty, Miss Phebe J  199
Doyle, John G  642
Draper, George W  460
Draper, John H  460
Drislane, David C  823
Du Bois Families  129, 607, 673
Du Bois, Garret  678
DuBois, John C  607
Dudley, Alexander H  559
Dudley Families  97, 559
Dudley, James H  97
Du Mond, Edward B  89
Du Mond Family  39
Duncan, Charles H  612
Duncan Family  296
Duncan, John B  612
Duncan, John G  296
Dutcher, Allen H  626
Dutcher Families . 19,23,626,654,662,802
Dutcher, George W  802
Dutcher, James E  19
Dutcher, John  654
Dutcher, Hon. John B  23
Dutcher, J. Van Ness  503
Dutcher, Joshua  503
Dutcher, Luzerne  763

PAGE
Dutcher, Mrs. May Losee  718
Dutcher, Mrs. Sarah A  226
Eastman, Hon. Harvey G., LL.D 12
Eastmead, Franklin S  915
Eaton, Lewis F  605
Edmond, Frank M  558
Elsworth, Edward  48
Elting, Capt. Luther  218
Emans, Albert S  814
Emans Family  31
Emans, Hon. Storm  31
Embley, Thomas W., M. D  287
Emerson, Thomas  792
Englehardt, Edward  898
English, Dr. James R  441
Eno Family  94
Eno, Frank  94
Ensign Family  485
Ensign, John H  485
Esselstyn, George  67
Faust, Frederick A., M. D  764
Faust, Dr. John  :  791
Feierabend, Louis  327
Feller, Nathan  746
Fendel, Martin  393
Feroe Family  481
Feroe, George  481
Feroe, Jacob H  628
Ferris, Elmore  613
Ferris Families  66, 874, 613
Field, Joseph  228
Field, Mrs. T. R  228
Fiero, William H  941
Finch, James  658
Fink, John H  727
Flannery, John  596
Fletcher, Charles L., M. D  402
Fletcher Family  402
Flint, Charles A  455
Flint Family  455
Foote, George Benton, Sr  448
Foote, Mrs. Mary F  443
Forster, Robert  141
Forster, Mrs. Robert  141
Fowler, Benjamin M  256
Fowler, Charles E  886
Fowler, Gilbert  867
Fox, Eugene  905
Fraleigh, Geo. W  486
Fraleigh, Irving  864
Fraleigh, John A  486
Fredrick Family  536
Fredrick, John B  -  535
French, Harvey J  840
Frost, Joseph G  357
Fry, Benjamin H  451
Funk, Peter W  497
Gaines, Clement C  652
Gallup, CH  249
Gardner Family  709
Gardner, Charles C  446
Garratt, Jonathan M  348
Genung, Adrian  555
Genung, Isaac S  689
Genung, Lewis W  555
Germond, Mrs. Ella  195
Germond Family  708
Germond, Franklih  708
Germond, Isaac  196
Gerow, Elizabeth H., M. D  197
Giddings, George W  538
Giddings, Jackson  537

PAGE
Giddings, John H  538
Gidley Family  507
Gilbert, Burton  87
Gilbert, Mrs. Thalia M  88
Gildersleeve, Elmer D  104
Gildersleeve Family  104
Gildersleeve, Col. Henry A  106
Gildersleve, Isaac B  774
Gildersleve, Rita A  774
Godinez, Jose Manuel  215
Gollenbeck, John  490
Goodell, James F., M. D  93
Goring, Hon. Edward M  552
Goring, John M  635
Goring, Thomson E  553
Graham Family  730
Graham, Le Grand  648
Gray, Hon. Augustus B  204
Greene, Robert M  451
Gregory Family  516
Griffen, Charles H  748
Griffen, Cornelius W  593
Griffen, Jacob  608
Griffen, Timothy S  593
Griggs, James C  56
Guernsey, Judge D. W  84
Guernsey Family  197
Guernsey, Stephen G  197
Hackett, John  137
Hadden Family  254
Hadden, James M  264
Haggerty, David V  900
Haight, Abram V. V  901
Haight, Andreas V  308
Haight, Arvis  699
Haight, Dr. Charles  528
Haight, Clement  575
Haight, Cornelius J  901
Haight, Emily R  320
Haight, Emmer J  706
Haight Families  369, 610
Haight, Frances  820
Haight, Franklin L  368
Haight, Henry W  702
Haight, Isaac  575
Haight, Isaac, Jr  320
Haight, James B  927
Haight, James H  510
Haight, J. Cornelius  369
Haight, J. Haviland  523
Haight, Sherman N   316
Haight, Wm. H. (Poughkeepsie) . 768
Haight, Wm. H. (Fishkill)  702
Haines Family  587
HaH, Alfred E  444
Hall, Alfred P....  523
Hall, Edward J., M. D  837
HallFamilies  522, 666
Hall, Israel  508
Hall, John J  522
Hall, Leonard D  508
Hall, Platt V  522
Hall, Mrs. Priscilla  666
Hall, William  666
Halsted, George S  754
Halsted, Mrs. Julia  91
Halsted, Nehemiah  91
Ham, Eugene  683
Ham Family  583
Hammond, Benjamin  546
Hammond Family  466
Hammond, John L  466
Hanna, David  881
Hanna Family  25

946

INDEX.

PAGE
Hanna, Hon. John A  25
Hapeman, Irving  872
Harcourt, Joseph D  359
Harcourt, Mrs. Mary E  359
Harris Family  510
Harris, Smith D  846
Hart Family  816
Hart, WiHiam H  816
Hasbrook, Charles F  171
Haskin, Albert R  87
Haskins, Alex  496
Haskins, John M  496
Hastings, Samuel  761
Haubennestel, Maj. William. . . . 214
Haupt, John  263
Havens, Edward E  567
Havens, William E  545
Haviland, Barclay  96
Haviland, Isaac  118
Haviland, Mrs. Maria Ann  114
Hawley, Cyrus F  609
Haxtun, WiHiam W  846
Hayes, Mrs. Ann A  481
Hayt, PeterB  248
Heaney, Charles S  808
Hebard, Newton  304
Hedges, Lewis D  875
Hedges, Mrs. Mary  876
Heermance Family  224
Heermance, Martin  224
Hendricks, Allan B  90
Hendricks, Edmund L  234
Hendricks, Magdalene A  284
Herrick, Charles B  148
Herrick, Ephraim  879
Herrick Families  674, 756
Herrick, Frank  492
Herrick, James  674
Herrick, John A  492
Herrick, Marshall  174
Herri<;k, Timothy  484
Herrick, WiUiam  755
Hewlett, Isaac S  917
Hicks, Campbell N  655
Hicks, Edward S  632
Hicks Family  632
Hicks, Samuel S  632
Hicks, Willard W  438
Hignell, James H  545
Hinman, Winfield B  940
Hiserodt Family  781
Hoag, Arabella  364
Hoag, Arthur F., M. D  226
Hoag, Charles W  620
Hoag Family  520
Hoag, Mrs. Laura B  520
Hoag, Philip  364
Hoag, William P  226
Hochstadter, Ernest  282
Hoffman Family  571
Hoffman, Frank  269
Hoffman, Henry  571
Hoffman, John W  861
Hoffman, Mrs. Lydia  861
Hoffman, Mrs. Mary A  572
Hoffman, Nicholas  268
Hoffman, Theodore A  37
Holdridge, Augustus  607
Holdridge Family  507
Holmes, Gilman D  547
Holmes, Henry A  71
Holmes, Wheeler C  535
Holmes, William C  635
Hopkins, Benjamin  69
Hopkins, Charles A  110

PAGE
Hopkins Families  69, 110
Hopkins, John  483
Hopkins, William H., M. D  483
Horton, Richard C  562
Horton, Theodore S  803
Hotchkiss Family  684
Hotchkiss, Frank A  684
Howard, Beverly W  493
Howard Families  517, 699
Howard, John D  517
Howard, Sherman  699
Howard, Silas  502
Howell, Benjamin  847
Howell, Eugene N  489
HoweU, Frank  262
Howell, George W  717
Howland, Anna C, M. D  131
Hufcut Family  179
Hufcut, George  441
Hufcut, Horace D  179
Hufcut, Mrs. Jennie  441
Hughes Family  618
Hughes, George  576
Hughes, Miles  618
Hull, Walter C  109
Humeston Families  435, 786
Humeston, Geo. E  786
Humeston, John J  435
Humeston, Merritt  785
Humphrey, Abram S  299
Humphrey Family  299
Humphrey, John V  314
Hungerford, Abner G  444
Hungerford, Robert J  630
Huntington, George, M. D:  139
Hupfel, Adolph G  564
Hurd Family  876
Hurd, Robert  876
Husted, Dewitt C  642
Husted, George L  482
Husted, Jackson  482
Hustis Family  58
Hustis, Henry H  68
Hutchison, Robert  868
Hutton, Willliam B  907
Ingraham, George W  61
Ingraham, Thomas  61
Innis, Aaron  88
Innis Family  88
Innis, George  931
Ireland, Mrs. Elmira A  418
Ireland, Stephen H  417
Irish, Abraham W  387
Irish Family  303
Jaycox Family  705
Jaycox, Mrs. Sarah M  924
Jaycox, Thomas W  924
Jaycox, William H  705
Jenks, Horace  768
Jewell, John F  815
Johnston Family  43
Johnston, Mrs. Mary Adams  368
Johnston, Robert  897
Jordan, Josephus D  509
Jordan, 'WiHiam B  609
Juckett, Edwin  194
Juckett, George B  194
Judson, Thomas S  651
Julian, John M., M.'D  824
Kampf, Louis E  676
Kelder, Simon J  268
Kelly Family  797

PAGE
Kelly, Rev. Terrence F  324
Kelly, Timothy G  797
Kelsey, Rev. Edward D  189
Kerley, James  514
Kerley, James R  514
Ketcham, Andrew J  18
Ketcham Family  18
Ketcham, George W  419
Ketcham, Hon. John H  64
Ketcham, John M  419
Ketcham, Mrs. Mary E  662
Ketcham, Richard P  662
Ketterer, Charles  880
Ketterer, DeWitt C  880
Kidder, George W  280
Kimlin, Mrs. Mary  199
Kimlin, William R  198
Kinney Family  713
Kinney, George B  713
Kirby, Clark  221
Kirby, Frances  221
Kirchner, Charles.  317
Klady, Mrs. Lena  528
Klady, Philip  528
Kline, Mrs. Joseph....  641
Kline, Joseph  641
Knapp, David A., M. D  121
Knapp Families  121, 467
Knickerbocker, Edwin  731
Knickerbocker, Henry  566
Knickerbocker, Henry B  566
Koch, August  279
La Due Family  690
La Due, John N  690
Lamb, Joseph T., M. D  916
Lambert, Addie H  419
Lambert, John H  418
Lamoree Family  688
Lamoree, George  688
Landon, Edmund N  644
Landon Family  730
Landon, John S  868
Lane, Charles E., M. D  184
Lansing Family  34
Lansing, Wellington C  34
Lasher, Almira J  261
Lasher, Frank P  ,  720
Lasher, Martin  904
Lasher, Warren P  260
Latson, Frank, D. D. S  255
Latson, Henry  255
Lawson, Casper  703
Lawson Family  703
Lawson, Robert P  598
Leach, Alonzo M  377
Leach Family  372
Leach, Lillius C  373
Leach, Martin  373
Lee, P. Alverson  842
Lee, Darius  230
Lee, George F  909
Lee, George J  929
Lee, Mrs. Mary  442
Lee, Ward  443
Lee, William Morgan  230
Leith, Col. Samuel, Sr  348
Le Roy Family  841
Le Roy, Irving D., M. D  841
Lewis, Miles K  869
Link, JohnW  803
Livingston Family  144
Lockwood, George  '356
Lovelace, James H  743
Lown, Frank B  592

INDEX.

947

PAGE
Luckey, Charles P  36
Luckey Family  36
Lumb, Charles L  262
Lumb, George W  262
Lyke, J. Hyatt, D. D. S  838
Lyke, John  932
Lynch, James  261
Lynch, M.J  278
Lynch, Samuel  857
Lyon, Asahel A  602
Lyon, Asahel D  602
Lyon, Leonard  586
McCarty Family  47
McCarty, James C  47
McGlasson, John  931
McGlasson, Robert  931
McGrath, Rev. John J  362
McKevitt, John  939
McWhinnie, Thomas  170
MacNeil, Crawford C  895
Mabie, Hiram  641
Mahony, Rev. Dr. Cornelius V. . 257
Manning, Edward B  866
Manning Family  366
Mansfield, Samuel  88
Marcy Family  858
Marcy, Marcus D  857
Marill, Joaquim, M.D  75
Marquet, John F  242
Marshall Families  586, 788, 766
Marshall, Henry S  486
Marshall, James A  738
Marshall, John A  586
Marshall, Theron R  765
Marshall, William W  686
Marshall, Willet J  782
Martin, Hon. Augustus  890
Martin, Col. Claudius G  746
Martin, Elizabeth B  191
Martin Family  890
Martin Family, Joseph  190
Martin, James H  881
Martin, Joseph  190
Martin, Miss Serena  391
Martin, Wing J  880
Massonneau, Robert L  784
Matteawan State Hospital  229
Matthews, Robert  647
Mead Family  422
Mead, Frank P  806
Mead, Dr. Isaac N  422
Mead, James V  661
Mead, Jeremiah  767
Mead, Morris  768
Merritt, Douglas  620
Merwin, Mrs. E. M. C  346
Merwin, William J  345
Millard, Miss H. D  242
Millard, Howard C  798
Millard, John  242
Millard, Miss L. D  242
Millard, William B  168
MHler Bros  404
Miller, George N., M. D  223
MiHer, Peter  267
Miller, Philip  405
Miller, Valentine M  406
Mitchell, John  906
Moith, August T  672
Moith.J. Edgar, M. D  672
Monahan, Margaret B  448
Monahan, Thomas  448
Monfort, John A  768
Monks, Daniel H  559

PAGE
Montfort, Peter V. W  441
Moore, Alfred H  612
Moore, David V  748
Moore Families  748
Moore, Mrs. William R  166
Moore, William R  166
More, Charies C  779
Morehouse, Henry S  722
Morehouse, Julius S  722
Morey, Edmond A  569
Morey Families  488, 569
Morey, Leonard L  482
Morey, Mrs. Sarah  980
Morgan, Charles B  454
Morgan Family  455
Morgan, George  132
Morgan, Julia A  132
Morton Family  , . 10
Morton, Hon. Levi P  9
Mosher, William A  937
Mott, Morgan L  326
Mott, Morgan L., Jr  327
Moul Family  721
Moul, Julius M  721
Mulcox, Joseph H  914
Muldowney, Michael A  866
Mulford, Edmund D  923
Munger, Capt. James E  100
Myer, Polhemus W  570
Myers Family  610
Myers, John Francis  ¦. . . 610
Mygatt Family  747
Mygatt, Henry  747
Nagengast, George  936
Nelson, Mrs. Cornelia M  41
Nelson, Homer Augustus  8
Nelson, Mrs. Jeannette  401
Nelson, John P  40
Nelson, Col. Joseph  41
Nelson, Sarah C  368
Nelson, Thomas Henry  353
Newman, James  881
Nichols, Thomas G  600
Nilan, Rev. James, D. D  238
Norton Family  650
Norton, George S  660
Noxon Family  707
Noxon, Mrs. Matilda V  425
O'Brien, Thomas  683
Odell, Casper L  81
Odell, Edward  661
Odell Families  29, 81
Odell, Joseph E., M. A  29
Odell, Samuel D  570
Odell, Wright B  740
O'Farrell, John V  685
Orton, John H  .'  695
Ostrander, Alson  819
Ostrander Family  819
Ostrander, James H  820
Otis, John C, M. D  79
Owen, George W  292
Paine Family  624
Paine, James Russell  624
Paine, Martin W  855
Paine, Platt N  625
Palmer, Abiah W  401
Parker, Edward Hazen  32
Parker, Nathaniel  818
Parker, WiHiam H  617
Parks, George E  477
Parmele, John H  766

PAGE
Parmele, William  765
Parmenter, Emil  551
Pawling Family  86
Payne, George C  518
Payne, Samuel  618
Peacock, Arthur S  629
Pearce, Benoni  34
Pearce Family  63
Pearce, Henry, M. D  68
Pearce, Jeremiah S  34
Pease, Mrs. Cornelia  239
Pease, Edwin R  239
Peattie Bros  912
Peattie, George  912
Peet Family  342
Pells, Michael  678
Pendleton Family  205
Perkins, Dr. Charies H  920
Perkins, Cyrus  673
Perkins, Edward E  620
Perkins, J. A  925
Perkins, Mrs. Sarah  673
Perkins, Stephen A  329
PetiHon, Ludwig  136
Phesay, George F  804
Phillips, David F  933
Phillips, Joseph W  689
Phillips, Hon. Samuel K  196
Phillips, William T  922
Pierce, Isaac  663
Pierce, Leonard V  568
Pilgrim, Charies W., M. D  181
Pinckney, James L  694
Pinckney, Lewis  266
Pinckney, Perry  694
Pingry Family  884
Pingry, James O., M. D  884
Plass, Anson A  904
Platt, Edfnund P  78
Platt, Isaac  76
Platt, Hon. John 1  77
Platt, William B  367
Platto, William  383
Porteous Family  122
Porteous, James G., M. D  122
Poucher, J. Wilson, M.D  220
Powell Family  736
Powell, Horace R., M. D  736
Powers, John  905
Pralatowski, Wladyslawa J  675
Pratt, John M  606
Pratt, Peter  606
Pray Family  616
Pray, Hamilton  516
Preston, Ebenezer A  631
Preston, Ebenezer J  631
Preston Family  26
Prichard, James L., M.D  852
Pultz Family  733
Pultz, Hiram A  733
Pultz, M. T., M.D  288
Pulver Families  468, 602, 751
Pulver, Herman  *.  751
Pulver, JohnW  502
Putnam Family  604
Putnam, John W  504
Pye, Mrs. AmeHa S  295
Pye, Francis B  295
Rapalje Family  180
Rapalje, Lawrence C  125
Raub, Mrs. E.S  141
Record Family  429
Record, William  429
Redavats, Charles  894

948

INDEX.

PAGE
Redman, John  440
Reed Family  860
Reed, Thomas  360
Reynolds Families  108, 772
Reynolds, James  885
Reynolds, Justus P  772
Reynolds, Warren  742
Reynolds, William T  108
Rickes, Valentine  658
Rider, Albert L  445
Rider, John P  164
Rikert Family  640
Rikert, R. Raymond  640
Roberts, Charles H  350
Robinson, Chappell  476
Robinson, Dr. Francis M  247
Robinson, Jarvis C  719
Robinson, Osborn  878
Robinson, Reuben J  735
Robinson, Stephen  476
RockefeHer, Clinton J  890
Rockwell, Arthur V  436
Rockwell, Ralph  436
Roe, Mrs. Amanda A  773
Roe, John  700
Roe, WHliam B  773
Roe, WiUiam P  700
Roger, George  665
Rogers, Charles D  684
Rogers, D.W  778
Rogers, Mrs. Margaret  475
Rogers, Patrick  475
Rogers, Philip Clayton  204
Roosevelt Family  63
Roosevelt, James  63
Rosa, Frederic L  480
Rosa, Hyman B  480
Ross, Duncan  444
Ross Family  -. . . . 793
Ross, Mrs. Mary H  444
Round, Charles 1  175
Rowe Family  698
Rowe, Julius 0  698
Roy, James  437
Roy, William K  487
Rozell Family  271
Rozell, Joseph B  718
Rudd Family  172
Rudd, Zebulon  172
Rundall, David.  638
Rundall Family  637
Rundall, Henry  688
Rupley, Samuel K  928
Russell, Benjamin H  787
Russell Families  787, 794
Russell, James H  794
Russell, Selwyn A., M. D  902
Rymph, Edward L  '.  897
Rymph Family  490
Rymph, George W  490
Sackett, Nathan C  724
Sackett, Samuel H  724
Sackett, Smith J  866
Sadlier, James Edgar, M.D  315
Sanders, Robert  925
Sanford Family  241
Sanford, Robert  240
Sargent Family  564
Sargent, Winthrop  668
¦Schafer, Louis  478
Schlegel, George  297
Schlude, George  298
Schouten, Richard A  615
Schrauth, Jacob  899

PAGE
Schryver, John T  431
Schryver, Matthew V. B  481
Schubert, Charles E. F  887
Schultz, John R  515
Schwartz, John  782
Scofield Family  526
Scofield, Miles  526
Scofield, Stephen  279
Scutt, John  276
Seaman, Thomas H  393
Segelken, Charies F  421
Seger, Charles E., M. D  53
Seger Family  53
Sencerbaugh, John G  682
Sencerbaugh, W. P  683
Seward, Hon. James A  347
Seward, Mrs. Mary B  348
Sexton Family  408
Shaw, George R  ,  760
Sheaff, Edmund H  549
Shear, Mrs. Catherine L  504
Shear, John Cornell  603
Sheedy, Daniel M., M. D  131
Sheldon, Mrs. Augusta B  385
Sheldon, CoUins  887
Sheldon Families  244, 837
Sheldon, Jeremiah  248
Sheldon, WiHiam H  384
Sheldon, Wilson B  244
Shelley, Alva  833
Sherman, Charles  356
Sherman Families  828, 889
Sherman, Mrs. Mary A  356
Sherman, Mrs. Rhoda L  794
Sherman, Walter A  889
Sherrill Family  216
Sherrill, Isaac W  216
Sherwood, Chaales D  129
Shook, Sheridan  120
Shook, William A  450
Shurter, Charies H  476
Sickley, John C  881
Sievers, George  599
Simmons, Charles A  627
Simmons, Edward W  886
Simmons Family  886
Simmons, James B., D. D  337
Skidmore Family  705
Skidmore, Peter A  704
Slee, Samuel  283
Sleight, Alexander W  607
Sleight, Benjamin A  294
Sleight Family  607
Slocum, Charles H  454
Slocum, Hiram  454
Smith, Abel  928
Smith, Albert C  864
Smith, Gen. Alfred B  16
Smith, Andrew C  506
Smith, Cassius M. C  165
Smith, Charles E  629
Smith, Charles Hoag  783
Smith, Edward M  500
Smith Families  281, 500, 621
Smith, Frances  783
Smith, George C  595
Smith, George W  629
Smith, John H., Jr  621
Smith, John T  354
Smith, Lewis  621
Smith,M. J  18
Smith, Myron  281
Smith, Nathan  463
Smith, Nathan W  492
Smith, Nathaniel  801

PAGE
Smith, Oliver Kees  808
Smith, Silas G  354
Smith, W.Wallace  11
Snyder, Burton A  259
Snyder, Mrs. Gertrude M  260
Spaight, John W  168
Spaulding, John J  907
Spross, Elias  588
Squires Family  219
Stephens, Charles A  646
Stephens, John  646
Stevens, Hiram G  865
Stevens, Thomas H  856
Stevenson, George  670
Stickle, PhiUp H  910
Stockholm, Aaron A  691
Stockholm, A. B  173
Storm, Mrs. Carrie  .845
Storm, Charles A  320
Storm, Mrs. Charles A  321
Storm FamHies  135, 295, 466
Storm, George  344
Storm, Joseph H  184
Storm, "Thomas 1  295
Storm, Walter G  891
Storm, William J  456
Storm, Wilson B  542
Stoutenburgh Family  849
Stowe, Charies N  788
Stowe, Mrs. C. N  788
Straight Family  341
Streit, Lewis F  140
Streit, Mrs. Rebecca M  141
Strever, Adam A  781
Strever Families  572, 580
Strever, Frederick H  680
Strever, Rachel T  581
Strobel, Mrs. Christina  402
Strobel, Wendel  402
Strong, WalterD. O.K., M.D... 62
Stuart, Robert J  584
Sturges, Ebenezer H  667
Sunderland, Joseph  686
SutcUffe, EU  312
Sutcliffe, John  312
Sutherland, Hon. Josiah  828
Sutherland, Robert  829
Sutton, Edwin  540
Sutton, Leslie A., M. D  832
Sutton, Mary D  640
Sweet, Pedro  665
Swift Families  462, 839
Swift, George H  462
Swift, Henry M  839
Swift, Isaac  498
Swift, James D  693
Swift, James H  217
Swift, Jane  840
Swift, John M  217
Swift, Richard T  693
Taber Families  208, 212
Taber, George K  212
'Taber, Thomas  112
Taber, Walter F  112
Taber, William H  208
Tabor Family  789
Tabor, Gilbert  789
Tabor, Myron P  790
Talbot, Benjamin M  649
Talladay, Frank  939
'Tallman Family  48
Tallman, John F  51
Tallman, Hon. John P. H  48
Tanner, Samuel J  800
Tanner, William H., M. D  829

INDEX.

949

PAGE
Taylor, Mrs. Catherine E  167
Taylor, Henry J  379
Taylor, H. Pauline  67
Teal, John D  715
Teator, Uriah  832
Teats, Frank  984
Teats, Mrs. Frank  934
Ten Broeck Family  560
Ten Broeck, Capt. Samuel  561
Ten Broeck, Samuel P  836
Ten Broeck, Walter L  660
Terwilliger Family  550
Terwilliger, Silas  550
Tetamore Family  222
Tetamore, Frank L. R., M. D.. . 222
Thomas Family  749
Thomas, Robert M  780
Thomas, Walter B  749
Thompson, Mrs. Caroline B  21
Thompson, Hon. Edward H  832
' Thompson Family  332
Thompson, Hon. John  20
Thompson, John R  871
Thompson, Robert R  206
Thomson, WiHiam  261
Tiedje, Henry  294
Tiel, Arthur R., M. D  648
Tiel Family  648
Tiemeyer, John H  554
Timoney, Francis  597
Titus, Cleveland H  426
Titus Families  426, 512
Titus, Mrs. Harriet  358
Titus, Richard  368
Titus, Robert H  870
Titus, Willet  512
Tobey, Arthur G  600
Toffey Family  906
Toffey, John  481
Tompkins, E. Lakin  548
Tompkins Families  62, 714
Tompkins, Franklin C  714
Tompkins, Mrs. Helen E  53
Tompkins, Mrs. Jane  611
Tompkins, Lewis  52
Tompkins, William  , 511
Townsend, Charles  760
Townsend Family  759
Townsend, Jacob S  769
Trafford, William  681
Traver, Edwin  700
Traver Families  696, 700, 725
Traver, Herbert L  440
Traver, John A  696
Traver, Mrs. Mary J  489
Traver, William E. (Rhinebeck). 725
Traver, William E. (New Ham
burg  924
Treefi, B. F  655
Tripp, Alfred N  69
Tripp, Mrs. Carrie E.B  69
Tripp, Charies H., M. D  712
Tripp, D. C, M. D  380
Tripp Families  430, 641, 712
Tripp, James B..  810
Tripp, Leonard 1  641
Tripp, Smiten Vincent  68
Tripp, William A  866
Tripp, William S  430
Trowbridge Family  688
Trowbridge, George A  588
Trowbridge, John  250
Trowbridge, N. Conklin  251
Trowbridge, Stephen B  251
Tuthill, Robert K., M. D  72

PAGE
Underbill, Anthony, M. D  46
UnderhiH, Edward A  543
Underbill, George  46
Underbill, Dr. Joshua B  46
Vail, Edwin G  610
Vail Families  425, 692, 706
Vail, George 1  706
Vail, Joseph 1  799
Vail, Morgan L  692
Vail, J. Watson  376
Vail, Willard C  314
Valentine Family  744
Valentine, Richard L  744
Van Benschoten Family  707
Van Benschoten, Henry  518
Van Benschoten, Mrs. Mary J .. . 518
Van Cleef Family  15
Van Cleef, James S  16
Van Cott, Samuel  379
Van De Bogart, Daniel  594
Van De Bogart Family  694
Van De Burgh, Hexton  346
Vanderburgh, Edgar M  424
Vanderburgh Family  424
Vander Burgh, Col. James  65
Van De Water, George  691
Van De Water, William  590
Van Dyne, Frank B  388
Van Etten, Cornelius S., M. D.. . 604
Van Etten Family  604
VanGieson, Rev. AcmonP.,D.D. 60
Van Gieson Family  60
Van Kleeck, Baltus B  389
Van Kleeck, Charies E  933
Van Kleeck, Charles S  277
Van Kleeck, Cornelia  287
Van Kleeck Family  277
Van Kleeck, Frank  389
Van Kleeck, James E  697
Van Kleeck, John H  346
Van Kleeck, Leonard B  287
Van Nostrand, Francis S  778
Van Tassell, John L  527
Van Tassell, J. Wesley  527
Van Vliet, Benson  411
Van Vliet Family  408
Van Voorhees Family  378
Van Wagner, Benjamin  763
Van Wagner, Mrs. Cornelia B... 258
Van Wagner, Egbert  258
Van Wagner Family  789
Van Wagner, Gilbert E  739
Van Wagner, Millard  763
Van Wagner, Nicholas  941
Van Wey, Alfred  478
Van Wey, Mrs. Alfred  478
Van Wyck, Benjamin W  556
Van Wyck, Charles J  466
Van Wyck, Cornelius R  382
Van Wyck, David Barnes  319
Van Wyck, Duryee  534
Van Wyck Families 
 818, 466,529,532,556
Van Wyck, Henry D  232
Van Wyck, James  892
Van Wyck, John  118
Van Wyck, Mrs. Phoebe C  882
Van Wyck, Mrs. Sarah  118
Van Wyck, Stephen C  528
Van Wyck, T. De Witt  632
Van 'Wyck, Theodorus  392
Varian, Isaac L  134
Varick, Mrs. Isabel  231
Varick, Richard A., M.D  231

PAGE
Velie Family  440
Vermilyea, Addison  922
Vermilyea, Brooks  921
Ver Planck Family  128
Ver Planck, Robert N  128
Verplanck, Mrs. Samuel  387
Vincent, Edgar (Madalin)  922
Vincent, Edgar (deceased)  800
Vincent Family  671
Vincent, George  670
Vincent, Isaac, Sr  300
Vincent, Mrs. M. EHa  261
Vincent, Obed W  261
Vincent, Phebe A  846
Vincent, Reuben  845
Wait, John G  868
Waite, James E  270
Waite, Joseph  270
Walcott Family  112
Waldo, John B  811
Waller, Mrs. E  246
Waller, Homer  245
Walsh, Charies  33
Wanzer, Charies F  896
Wanzer Family  801
Wanzer, Jedediah I  301
Ward, David B., M. D  779
Ward Family  364
Warhurst, George, Sr  601
Washburn, Daniel  136
Washburn Family  136
Watkins, Mrs. Mary M  358
Watts Family  146
Weeks Family  24
Weeks, Mrs. Harriet S  25
Weeks, James Henry  24
Welling, WiHiam J  869
Wellman Family  185
Wellman, George M., M.D  185
Wells, Eugene  938
Weston, Rev. John B., D. D  416
Weston, Weldon F,  633
Weston, Wilbur H  634
Whalen, Dennis  936
Whalen, Patrick  877
Wheaton, Mrs. Caroline T  6
Wheaton, Judge Charles  4
Wheaton, Homer  5
Wheeler, Bailey  879
Wheeler, Corydon  323
Wheeler, Mrs. Chariotte P  74
Wheeler Family  73
Wheeler, Rev. Francis B., D. D. 73
Wheeler, Henry  793
Wheeler, Mulford  269
Wheeler, Obed  806
Wheeler, Perry  793
Wheeler, Theodore  806
White, Benjamin K  766
White Family  201
White, Frederick C  928
White, Henry D., M. D  209
White, Howell, M.D  201
White, John B  926
White, John L  908
White, William A  780
White, William H  926
Whitehouse; J.0  488
Wilber Family,  530
Wilbur, D.W  652
Wilbur Families  489, 652
Wilbur, Frank B  489
Wilbur, IraE  848
Wiley, Alfred S  745

950

INDEX.

PAGE
Wiley, Reuben  225
Wilkinson, Col. Robert F  180
Williams, George H., M. D  188
WiHiams, George H  14
¦Williams, James L  45
WiHiams, John  653
Williamson, Phebe T., M. D . . .. 287
Willson Families  434, 582
WiUson, George T  434
WiHson, Israel R  582
Wilson, John P., M. D  182
Wiltse, Alonzo S  598
Winans Family  602
Winans, Joel S  602
Winans. Walter H  ,  604
Winans, Virgil G  461
Winchester, Milo F  669
Wing, Ebbe P  340
Wing, Emery  217

PAGE
Wing Family  340
Wing, John S  835
Wing, Jackson S  841
Wing, Martha T  859
Wing, Obed  800
Wing, Phoebe A  300
Wing, Sheldon  844
Wixom, John O  908
Wolcott, Charles M  386
Wood, Capt. Isaac H  326
Wood, James M  702
Wood, Lewis E  126
Wood, William J  892
Woodin, Daniel T  ,  592
Woodin, Egbert  481
Woodin, Mrs. Mary J  591
Woodin, Solomon  482
Wormsley, Frederick  311

PAGE
Worrall, Henry  676
Wright, Abram  236
Wright, Charles W  660
Wright Family  716
Wright, Isaac W  498
Wright, James H  498
Wright, John G  687
Wright; Lewis H  687
Wright, Thomas  716
Wymbs Family  39
Wymbs, Luke D  39
Yeomans, H. J  479
Yeomans, Mrs. Mary J  479
Young, Clarence E  806
Young, Henry L  225
Young, Louis  619
Young, Mrs. Louis  620

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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382 8612

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